The purpose of my research was to discover the most effective ways to write ten-minute plays. I adapted various "suggestions" proposed in the many playwriting books I gathered to find the way that worked best for me as an artist. The majority of the books I read suggest writing ten-minute works before attempting a one-act or even a full-length play. My resources yielded a plethora of information on how to actually write a play. Three of my sources that proved to be enlightening were The Art and Craft of Playwriting by Jeffrey Hatcher, Playwriting for Dummies by Angelo Parra, and Naked Playwriting: The Art, the Craft, and the Life Laid Bare by William Missouri Downs and Robin U. Russin. I also attended a master class with playwright Tim Bauer, and he gave me insight on approaching writing ten-minute plays. Through my research, it became evident that the real problem with writing is not so much the structure or the way a person writes, but the actual writing itself. Each of my resources had valuable information that made my job as an artist easier, but none of them, even the tips Bauer gave me, worked one hundred percent of the time. Some plays were easier to write if I wrote them without stage directions first, as Bauer suggested, but others stalled if I didn't write my vision of the stage before actually writing dialogue. The research I have completed can aid a multitude of future creative artists. My Five Tips for Writing and Three Tips for a First Production are useful insights that would have been invaluable had I known them when I started writing.

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Student number : 0314533R MSc Project Report School of Mining Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / Globalization has created investment opportunities for enterprises around the world. Attracting foreign investment into developing regions has been a key challenge in the strategies for economic growth and poverty reduction of developing countries. Overall, the results of foreign investment have been disappointing in some countries. Recent studies confirm that factors such as corruption, political instability, armed conflict, and other non-commercial risks have negatively impacted foreign direct investment inflows. However, there is renewed hope among government personnel that private investment can play an increasingly significant role in helping economic` growth. As host governments, international corporations, investment banks and multilateral insurance agencies learn from the mistakes of the past and commit themselves to improve the environment for business for mining industry, the prospect for the future brightens. Moreover, foreign investors are recognizing that if the host government can create a competitive environment, investments in developing countries have the potential to be highly profitable. It is hoped that this research effort will contribute in some way to better understand the inability of some countries to attract FDI. The current situation in developing countries is of particular relevance to the theme of this research project. The study compares non-commercial risk ratings for foreign direct investment inflows compiled for ten selected countries. The matrix provides a comparative assessment of noncommercial risk ratings, and highlights the importance of country risk and event risk as components of a composite risk rating.

Founded by George Cavender in 1971, the Big Ten Band Directors Association is one of the oldest associations of its kind. With a membership consisting of each institution’s Director of Bands, Athletic Band Director, and all other band faculty, the stature of its members, both past and current, is clear. These band directors are leaders in the profession and have helped the field develop into what it has become today through their positions at their respective flagship institutions of the Big Ten Athletic Conference. The BTBDA meets each year at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, IL, and its investment in sponsoring quality sessions at the clinic is well documented. The association has sponsored twenty-one sessions since 1986, featuring prominent composers such as Michael Colgrass, Karel Husa, Warren Benson, Gunther Schuller, and Frank Ticheli. Additionally, the association has shown its dedication to the advancement of the band repertoire through commissioning seven new works from 1986-2014, four of which were born out of a commissioning contest that spanned from 1998-2005. This study is the first of its kind to document a band association formed of members bound by a specific athletic conference. Research of the Big Ten Band Directors Association shows numerous examples of how a band conference association can contribute to different facets of the field (e.g. commissioning, clinic session sponsorship, etc.). The profession’s knowledge of the BTBDA is important as it highlights how these associations are contributing to the landscape of the field.

Background and Objectives: Tennessee has low breastfeeding rates and has identified opportunities for improvement to enhance maternity practices to support breastfeeding mothers. We sought a 10% relative increase in the aggregate Joint Commission measure of breastfeeding exclusivity at discharge (TJC PC-05) by focusing on high-reliability (≥90%) implementation of processes that promote breastfeeding in the delivery setting. Methods: A statewide, multidisciplinary development team reviewed evidence from the WHO-UNICEF “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” to create a consensus toolkit of process indicators aligned with the Ten Steps. Hospitals submitted monthly TJC PC-05 data for 6 months while studying local implementation of the Ten Steps to identify improvement opportunities, and for an additional 11 months while conducting tests of change to improve Ten Steps implementation using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, local process audits, and control charts. Data were aggregated at the state level and presented at 12 monthly webinars, 3 regional learning sessions, and 1 statewide meeting where teams shared their local data and implementation experiences. Results: Thirteen hospitals accounting for 47% of live births in Tennessee submitted data on 31,183 mother–infant dyads from August 1, 2012, to December 31, 2013. Aggregate monthly mean PC-05 demonstrated “special cause” improvement increasing from 37.1% to 41.2%, an 11.1% relative increase. Five hospitals reported implementation of ≥5 of the Ten Steps and two hospitals reported ≥90% reliability on ≥5 of the Ten Steps using locally designed process audits. Conclusion: Using large-scale improvement methodology, a successful statewide collaborative led to >10% relative increase in breastfeeding exclusivity at discharge in participating Tennessee hospitals. Further opportunities for improvement in implementing breastfeeding supportive practices were identified.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Calvin Theological Seminary, 1987. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 194-197).

Thesis (M.S.) -- Ohio State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-81). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Previous studies on complex chemical systems, approximating enriched ultramafic compositions, have shown that the stability fields of certain phyllosilicate minerals may be shifted through solid solution. This project focuses on three hydrous phases predicted to play an important role in water transfer and storage during subduction. Talc, and at higher pressures the 10 A phase, are expected form in enriched abyssal peridotite within the cold interior of a lithospheric slab, whilst the sodic amphibole eckermannite is expected to be present in the overlying hydrated basalt. Multi-anvil and piston cylinder press experiments in the FeO-MgO-SiO2-H2O (FMSH), NaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O (NMASH), and MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O (MASH) systems have sought to determine the effect of solid solution on the stability on talc and the 10 A phase, with comparison to the end-member MgO-SiO2-H2O (MSH) system. The reaction talc + H2O = 10 A phase has been bracketed in the MSH system at 4.8 GPa/560 ˚C and 5 GPa/640 ˚C, confirming the estimated reaction position from Pawley et al. (2011). Previously unknown values for the entropy and enthalpy of formation of the 10 A phase have been calculated as DeltaHf = -6172.02 kJ and DeltaSf = 320.075 JK-1. At 2 GPa talc containing 0.48 apfu Fe2+ breaks down in the divariant field talc + anthophyllite + quartz + H2O from ~550 ˚C, initiating talc dehydration at temperatures ~270 ˚C lower than in the MSH system. At 4 GPa Fe-bearing talc breaks down in the divariant field talc + enstatite + coesite. A run at 5.2 GPa and 555 ˚C produced 10 A phase containing 0.48 apfu Fe2+. Between 575 ˚C and 600 ˚C at 6.5 GPa phase reversal experiments bracketed the initiation of Fe-bearing 10 A phase dehydration in the divariant field 10 A phase + enstatite + coesite + H2O, corresponding to a reduction in thermal stability of around ~100 ˚C compared to the end-member. The relative positions of the talc and 10 A phase dehydration reactions suggest the latter is able to accommodate greater Fe substitution, and is therefore more stable in the FMSH system. The assemblages 10 A phase + enstatite + coesite + jadeite and 10 A phase + enstatite + pyrope + coesite, were synthesised in the NMASH and MASH systems, respectively. Compositional analysis indicates that the 10 Å phase in these samples contains < 1 weight % Al2O3, with negligible Na. This suggests that Al3+ substitution in talc and the 10 Å phase is unlikely to exert the same stabilising effect observed in a number of other phyllosilicates. Eckermannite was produced in further NMASH experiments at 6.2 GPa. Compositional and structural analysis indicates near-full A-site occupancy and a composition close to that of the end-member, deviating through a minor binary exchange towards Mg-katophorite. This exchange is proposed to stabilise eckermannite to high pressures, beyond previously published limits for sodic amphibole stability. Updated stability fields for talc, the 10 Å phase, and eckermannite were applied to a thermal model for subduction. This predicts that 10 Å phase containing 0.48 apfu Fe2+ may be stable to depths of ~260 km, compared to ~280 km for the end-member. With increasing pressure and temperature Fe-bearing 10 Å phase will dehydrate across a depth range, resulting in either total de-volatilisation, or transfer to other stable high pressure hydrous phases enabling the transport of water to the deeper regions of the mantle.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The purpose of this study was to investigate the difficulties encountered by the grade ten township learners with respect to the concept of electricity. More specifically, the study attempted to explore the learners’ scientific knowledge by investigating their conceptions or alternative conceptions about electricity; the influence of learners’ age, career interests and gender issues on their conceptions of electricity and; the effectiveness of concept mapping (a pedagogic tool designed by Novak in the 1970s) in facilitating the learners’ understanding of electricity. The study was premised on socio-cultural constructivism as well as meaningful learning as espoused by Ausubel (1968).A Pre-Test-Post-Test Control Group Design was adopted in the study in which two comparable groups were used. The data was analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative research methods and the instruments that were used included a conception of electricity (COET) (originally adopted and administered in the Western Cape, Northern Cape provinces and in Norway in 1999 for the purpose of Science and Technology Literacy Project (STLP) with the hope that their reliability and validity was guaranteed); selected learner interviews and evaluation forms.The summary of findings has suggested that the Grade ten learners held misconceptions about the concept of electricity even after they were exposed to intervention that included concept mapping. In terms of the gender issues, there was no significant difference in performance between the boys and girls though the females outperformed their male counterparts at both groups. The underachievement of the older learners compared to the younger ones has also surfaced and that is against expectation since a number of studies carried out earlier (see Ogunniyi (1999)) have already corroborated such findings. With respect to career interests, what the learners indicated as their future dreams, i.e. what they intend to do and become, seems to have been influenced their performance at the pre- and post-test stages.

As part of their mathematical knowledge for teaching (Ball et al., 2008), teachers must have a well-connected understanding of the subject matter they teach and must know this content in deeper and different ways than other adults. This is essential for quality teaching and learning, as teachers’ knowledge and understanding impact the nature and effectiveness of instruction (e.g., Hill et al., 2005). Since decimal concepts are part of elementary curriculum (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010), and can be difficult for children and adults (e.g., Jacobson et al., 2020; Kastberg & Morton, 2014; Steinle & Stacey, 1998), mathematics teacher educators must consider how we can strengthen support for prospective teachers of elementary school (PTs), to deepen their mathematical knowledge for teaching decimals. This is of particular importance as existing research provides few rich characterizations of PTs’ decimal understanding and is limited in explorations into connections and mechanisms that may improve that understanding. In this dissertation, I attend to the research question, following engagement with rich conceptually focused decimal instruction, how may PTs’ conceptualizations of decimal place value and magnitude, and factors which have influenced this understanding, be characterized? I address some gaps in current literature by considering how robust decimal understanding for PTs may be connected to and grounded in their broader knowledge of the base-ten place value system, and to the decimal models which they use. Following an introduction to the problem in Chapter One, and a review of relevant literature in Chapter Two, Chapter Three reports on a study in which I examined how PTs characterized the base-ten place value system, distinguishing between responses crafted by PTs who had demonstrated different levels of decimal understanding. This allowed me to identify elements of base-ten place value understanding which likely supported PTs’ thinking about decimal place value and magnitude. In the study in Chapter Four, I explored the nature of PTs’ decimal understanding and its relationships with decimal square or number line models that they used, finding that certain model features facilitated PTs’ ability to think about decimal place value and magnitude in ways that are more likely to be productive and appropriate for teaching. These two empirical studies are both qualitative content analyses (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005) carried out in the context of the Elementary Mathematics Project (Chapin et al., 2021). Though implications for teachers and teacher educators are incorporated in Chapters Three and Four, Chapter Five is a practitioner article in which I focus more directly on these implications, making recommendations about important model features and areas of emphasis for decimal instruction. Chapter Six looks across the dissertation, discussing overarching themes and directions for future research. Results of this research may be used to support mathematics teacher educators in carrying out effective decimal instruction with their PT students, since better understanding of PTs’ thinking can help mathematics teacher educators to make informed curricular and pedagogical decisions to foster PT development. This is of high importance, since as PTs increase and enrich their decimal understanding, their students’ opportunities to learn will also expand. / 2027-04-30T00:00:00Z