An interactive perspective on classroom motivation : a practitioner research study in a Taiwanese university context

This thesis reports on a practitioner research study which adopts a social constructivist approach (Williams and Burden 1997) to the investigation of classroom motivation. The social constructivist approach to motivation shows its strength in taking into account both the internal and external factors of motivation influences. It places its emphasis on the effect of contextual factors on learner motivation and it considers motivation to be constructed through learners’ interaction with the learning context. Taking into account the notion of social constructivism, this practitioner research study aims to explore how classroom motivation is co-constructed through the social interaction between teachers and learners. The study took place in two English courses for non-English majors in a Taiwanese university for one semester (February 2008—June 2008). Classroom motivation is investigated through a variety of research methods. Both qualitative and quantitative research instruments—questionnaires, learner reflective diaries, post-class reflective writings, learner interviews and teaching journals—were used in an attempt to explore how classroom motivation develops in cycles, in which teachers and learners receive reciprocal effects from each other. The results of the study shed light on how different types of teacher and learner behaviours influence learner and teacher motivation respectively

The Development of a Computer Auditing System Sufficient for Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 - A Study on the Purchasing and Expenditure Cycle of the ERP System

After Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was released, developing an effective computer auditing system became critical for management and auditors. In this study, the researchers used Gowin\u27s Vee, raised as a research strategy by Novak and Gorwin (1984). On the theoretical side, the researchers arranged documents and employed an expert questionnaire to identify 8 operational procedure elements and 34 critical factors for the purchasing and expenditure cycle. The application side was built upon the model. The researchers then developed the computer auditing system based on the developments of this study. To test the suitability of the system, the researchers conducted a case study whose results showed that this system can provide the company owners and their accountants with a simple, continuous, timely, and analytical method which may help them detect promptly any irregular internal control issues, thus identifying measures to improve the condition

Ion chamber measurements of transverse gamma knife beam profiles

A microchamber, PTW Pinpoint 31006, was used to measure transverse beam profiles for an Elekta Gamma Knife, Model B, and compared with profiles measured with film dosimetry. The microchamber sensitive volume has a diameter of 2 mm, which is smaller than the gamma knife beams, and a length of 5 mm. The chamber was mounted in a custom cassette in a spherical plastic phantom, supplied by Elekta, and oriented in a sagittal plane with the 2-mm dimension at right angles to the transverse plane. The phantom was manually moved across the beam, using the gamma knife x-coordinate trunnions, to measure the profiles. Profiles were also measured with V-film placed in a cassette mounted in the spherical plastic phantom. The films were scanned with a Scanditronix film scanner and converted to dose with a density to dose calibration curve. The results were superimposed for comparison. The beam width at the 50% intensity was measured from the film profiles to give the dimensions of the beams in the orthagonal planes. The ion chamber measurements are compared with the film results for the transverse, x profiles. Good agreement between the film and ion chamber transverse profiles is observed

Laser-Induced Surface Diffusion

A Brownian motion model for laser-induced surface diffusion is proposed to account for the kinetics of surface transport of the evaporated molecules from a thin discontinuous film under a focused laser beam. The model is solved exactly where the evaporation rate of the molecules is assumed to be proportional to the temperature rise above the ambient of the absorber layer. The surface diffusion constant and molecular velocity are obtained by comparing the results of calculations with transmission electron micrographs of recorded pits in Te trilayer opticial discs. These values are in good agreement with Einstein\u27s relation

Unconventional metamagnetic electron states in orbital band systems

We extend the study of the Fermi surface instability of the Pomeranchuk type into systems with orbital band structures, which are common features in transition metal oxides. Band hybridization significantly shifts the spectra weight of the Landau interactions from the conventional s-wave channel to unconventional non-s-wave channels, which results in anisotropic (nematic) Fermi surface distortions even with ordinary interactions in solids. The Ginzburg-Landau free energy is constructed by coupling the charge-nematic, spin-nematic and ferromagnetic order parameters together, which shows that nematic electron states can be induced by metamagnetism. The connection between this mechanism to the anisotropic metamagnetc states observed in Sr$_3$Ru$_2$O$_7$ at high magnetic fields is studied in a multi-band Hubbard model with the hybridized quasi-one dimensional $d_{xz}$ and $d_{yz}$-bands.Comment: 6 pages, published versio

A new time-frequency method to reveal quantum dynamics of atomic hydrogen in intense laser pulses: Synchrosqueezing Transform

This study introduces a new adaptive time-frequency (TF) analysis technique, synchrosqueezing transform (SST), to explore the dynamics of a laser-driven hydrogen atom at an {\it ab initio} level, upon which we have demonstrated its versatility as a new viable venue for further exploring quantum dynamics. For a signal composed of oscillatory components which can be characterized by instantaneous frequency, the SST enables rendering the decomposed signal based on the phase information inherited in the linear TF representation with mathematical support. Compared with the classical type TF methods, the SST clearly depicts several intrinsic quantum dynamical processes such as selection rules, AC Stark effects, and high harmonic generation

Dynamic generation of spin orbit coupling

Spin-orbit coupling plays an important role in determining the properties of solids, and is crucial for spintronics device applications. Conventional spin-orbit coupling arises microscopically from relativistic effects described by the Dirac equation, and is described as a single particle band effect. In this work, we propose a new mechanism in which spin-orbit coupling can be generated dynamically in strongly correlated, non-relativistic systems as the result of fermi surface instabilities in higher angular momentum channels. Various known forms of spin-orbit couplings can emerge in these new phases, and their magnitudes can be continuously tuned by temperature or other quantum parameters.Comment: Accepted by Phys. Rev. Lett., 4 pages, 1 figur

Delayed Airway Obstruction after Internal Jugular Venous Catheterization in a Patient with Anticoagulant Therapy

Delayed onset of neck hematoma following central venous catheterization without arterial puncture is uncommon. Herein, we present a patient who developed a delayed neck hematoma after repeated attempts at right internal jugular venous puncture and subsequent enoxaparin administration. Progressive airway obstruction occurred on the third day after surgery. Ultrasound examination revealed diffuse hematoma of the right neck, and fibreoptic examination of the airway revealed pharyngeal edema. After emergent surgical removal of the hematoma, the patient was extubated uneventfully

An interactive perspective on classroom motivation : a practitioner research study in a Taiwanese university context

This thesis reports on a practitioner research study which adopts a social constructivist approach (Williams and Burden 1997) to the investigation of classroom motivation. The social constructivist approach to motivation shows its strength in taking into account both the internal and external factors of motivation influences. It places its emphasis on the effect of contextual factors on learner motivation and it considers motivation to be constructed through learners’ interaction with the learning context. Taking into account the notion of social constructivism, this practitioner research study aims to explore how classroom motivation is co-constructed through the social interaction between teachers and learners. The study took place in two English courses for non-English majors in a Taiwanese university for one semester (February 2008—June 2008). Classroom motivation is investigated through a variety of research methods. Both qualitative and quantitative research instruments—questionnaires, learner reflective diaries, post-class reflective writings, learner interviews and teaching journals—were used in an attempt to explore how classroom motivation develops in cycles, in which teachers and learners receive reciprocal effects from each other. The results of the study shed light on how different types of teacher and learner behaviours influence learner and teacher motivation respectively.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo