Motivation and the locus-of-control concept: A theoretical analysis and cross-cultural study

The first part of this thesis comprises a review of some of the extensive literatures on locus-of-control and task motivation. The exercise reveals that, while the locus-of-control construct has received considerable support, no satisfactory explanation of its functional characteristics as a motivational variable is available. This appears to be because locus-of-control is not a unitary construct. Previous analyses have depended almost entirely on existing measurement scales, notably Rotter's I-E Scale. In this thesis, the theoretical component is a conceptual analysis of the locus-of-control construct, and the empirical component consists of the construction and testing of a set of interlocking scales, which assess the relative importance for common events of six loci of control. The task is specially defined as a unit of behaviour which is further analysed in terms of preparatory, decisional and operating phases. Locus-of-control is construed as the subjective relationship between effort input and performance output in a task, and this relationship is further differentiated into effort-effectiveness, task competence and range of uncertainty components. These parameters are considered in conjunction with the arousal value of the relationship between performance and satisfaction, and the inhibitory effect of effort, in a model of task behaviour which unites locus-of-control, decision-making and motivation theory. Differences between Africans and Europeans are predicted for the structure of control beliefs, and a cross-cultural study is described which used the I-E Scale and the author's "A-C Scales". The results indicate acceptable levels of reliability and independence for the A-C Scales, and reveal cross-cultural variation in the meaning of external control. The theoretical implications are outlined. Both the model and the design of the instrument appears to make a significant impact on the theoretical and methodological problems in the area. Various practical applications are discussed.<p

Patterns and Pattern Languages for Mobile Augmented Reality

Mixed Reality is a relatively new field in computer science which uses technology as a medium to provide modified or enhanced views of reality or to virtually generate a new reality. Augmented Reality is a branch of Mixed Reality which blends the real-world as viewed through a computer interface with virtual objects generated by a computer. The 21st century commodification of mobile devices with multi-core Central Processing Units, Graphics Processing Units, high definition displays and multiple sensors controlled by capable Operating Systems such as Android and iOS means that Mobile Augmented Reality applications have become increasingly feasible. Mobile Augmented Reality is a multi-disciplinary field requiring a synthesis of many technologies such as computer graphics, computer vision, machine learning and mobile device programming while also requiring theoretical knowledge of diverse fields such as Linear Algebra, Projective and Differential Geometry, Probability and Optimisation. This multi-disciplinary nature has led to a fragmentation of knowledge into various specialisations, making it difficult to integrate different solution components into a coherent architecture. Software design patterns provide a solution space of tried and tested best practices for a specified problem within a given context. The solution space is non-prescriptive and is described in terms of relationships between roles that can be assigned to software components. Architectural patterns are used to specify high level designs of complete systems, as opposed to domain or tactical level patterns that address specific lower level problem areas. Pattern Languages comprise multiple software patterns combining in multiple possible sequences to form a language with the individual patterns forming the language vocabulary while the valid sequences through the patterns define the grammar. Pattern Languages provide flexible generalised solutions within a particular domain that can be customised to solve problems of differing characteristics and levels of iii complexity within the domain. The specification of one or more Pattern Languages tailored to the Mobile Augmented Reality domain can therefore provide a generalised guide for the design and architecture of Mobile Augmented Reality applications from an architectural level down to the ”nuts-and-bolts” implementation level. While there is a large body of research into the technical specialisations pertaining to Mobile Augmented Reality, there is a dearth of up-to-date literature covering Mobile Augmented Reality design. This thesis fills this vacuum by: 1. Providing architectural patterns that provide the spine on which the design of Mobile Augmented Reality artefacts can be based; 2. Documenting existing patterns within the context of Mobile Augmented Reality; 3. Identifying new patterns specific to Mobile Augmented Reality; and 4. Combining the patterns into Pattern Languages for Detection & Tracking, Rendering & Interaction and Data Access for Mobile Augmented Reality. The resulting Pattern Languages support design at multiple levels of complexity from an object-oriented framework down to specific one-off Augmented Reality applications. The practical contribution of this thesis is the specification of architectural patterns and Pattern Language that provide a unified design approach for both the overall architecture and the detailed design of Mobile Augmented Reality artefacts. The theoretical contribution is a design theory for Mobile Augmented Reality gleaned from the extraction of patterns and creation of a pattern language or languages

Absolute quantification of the host-to-parasite DNA ratio in Theileria parva-infected lymphocyte cell lines

Theileria parva is a tick-transmitted intracellular apicomplexan pathogen of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa that causes East Coast fever (ECF). ECF is an acute fatal disease that kills over one million cattle annually, imposing a tremendous burden on African small-holder cattle farmers. The pathology and level of T. parva infections in its wildlife host, African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), and in cattle are distinct. We have developed an absolute quantification method based on quantitative PCR (qPCR) in which recombinant plasmids containing single copy genes specific to the parasite (apical membrane antigen 1 gene, ama1) or the host (hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase 1, hprt1) are used as the quantification reference standards. Our study shows that T. parva and bovine cells are present in similar numbers in T. parva-infected lymphocyte cell lines and that consequently, due to its much smaller genome size, T. parva DNA comprises between 0.9% and 3% of the total DNA samples extracted from these lines. This absolute quantification assay of parasite and host genome copy number in a sample provides a simple and reliable method of assessing T. parva load in infected bovine lymphocytes, and is accurate over a wide range of host-to-parasite DNA ratios. Knowledge of the proportion of target DNA in a sample, as enabled by this method, is essential for efficient high-throughput genome sequencing applications for a variety of intracellular pathogens. This assay will also be very useful in future studies of interactions of distinct host-T. parva stocks and to fully characterize the dynamics of ECF infection in the field

How do we assess the quality of group supervision? : developing a coding framework

The importance of supervision for social work practice is one of the most widely accepted tenets of the profession. Yet, surprisingly little is known about what happens in supervision, making it difficult to unravel what it is about supervision that makes a difference to social work practice. This paper describes the development of a framework for assessing the quality of group supervision. It focuses on one sub-category of group supervision – systemic group supervision – and draws a wider evaluation of systemic social work practice in the UK. It is based on 29 observations of “live” of supervision to illustrate differences in quality of supervisory practice. The process of developing the coding framework was cyclical, and ultimately resulted in a three-point ordinal grouping for assessing systemic supervisory practice. Analysis of observational data assessed group systemic supervision as follows: 8 as non-systemic (28%); 12 (41%) as demonstrating some incorporation of systemic ideas into interactions, described as “green shoots” (or showing encouraging signs of development but not yet reached its full potential); and 9 (31%) supervision sessions demonstrating a full incorporation of systemic concepts and practice. What marked “systemic” sessions from “green shoots” supervision was the move from hypothesis generation about family relations and risk to children to purposeful, actionable conversations with families: the move from reflection to action. This paper supports a small but growing body of evidence about the fundamental characteristics of successful or effective supervision within children and families social work

An analysis of the weighted least squares technique as a method for the construction of tree volume tables

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the use of weights in least squares regression volume table construction and thereby to determine the importance of the assumption of homogeniety of tree volume variance. Several weighted and unweighted linear regression equations were investigated using data from 340 Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb. ) Franca trees from the interior of British Columbia, Canada. The results of the analyses showed that: a) the variance of tree volume for large trees is up to 50 times greater than the variance for small trees; b) the variance of tree volume is directly related to the square of the quantity FD²H and also the square of the quantity D²H; c) erroneous statistical conclusions may be reached if statistical tests are carried out for unweighted regression solutions for tree volume because of the large differences in volume variance; d) the use of weighted least squares regression analysis improved the volume estimate precision for all equation forms tested

What is the relationship between worker skills and outcomes for families in child and family social work?

Communication skills are fundamental to social work, yet few studies have directly evaluated their impact. In this study, we explore the relationship between skills and outcomes in 127 families. An observation of practice was undertaken on the second or third meeting with a family. Practice quality was evaluated in relation to seven skills, which were grouped into three dimensions: relationship building, good authority and evocation of intrinsic motivation. Outcomes at approximately six months were parent-reported engagement (Working Alliance Inventory), Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), an eleven-point family life satisfaction rating, the Family Environment Scale and General Health Questionnaire and service outcomes from agency records including children entering care. Relationship-building skills predicted parent-reported engagement, although good authority and evocation had stronger relationships with outcome measures. Where workers visited families more often, relationships between skills and outcomes were stronger, in part because workers had more involvement and in part because these families were more likely to have significant problems. The relationship between skills and outcomes was complicated, although the findings provide encouraging evidence that key social work skills have an influence on outcomes for families

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 30, No. 3

• The Good Life on Grandfather\u27s Farm • The Folklore of Local History • Pennsylvania-Palatinate Informal Folk Cultural Exchanges • Maria Assunta: Berwick\u27s Italian Religious Festival • Aldes un Neies / Old & Newhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag/1091/thumbnail.jp

Capture-based enrichment of Theileria parva DNA enables full genome assembly of first buffalo-derived strain and reveals exceptional intra-specific genetic diversity

Theileria parva is an economically important, intracellular, tick-transmitted parasite of cattle. A live vaccine against the parasite is effective against challenge from cattle-transmissible T. parva but not against genotypes originating from the African Cape buffalo, a major wildlife reservoir, prompting the need to characterize genome-wide variation within and between cattle- and buffalo-associated T. parva populations. Here, we describe a capture-based target enrichment approach that enables, for the first time, de novo assembly of nearly complete T. parva genomes derived from infected host cell lines. This approach has exceptionally high specificity and sensitivity and is successful for both cattle- and buffalo-derived T. parva parasites. De novo genome assemblies generated for cattle genotypes differ from the reference by ~54K single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout the 8.31 Mb genome, an average of 6.5 SNPs/kb. We report the first buffalo-derived T. parva genome, which is ~20 kb larger than the genome from the reference, cattle-derived, Muguga strain, and contains 25 new potential genes. The average non-synonymous nucleotide diversity (πN) per gene, between buffalo-derived T. parva and the Muguga strain, was 1.3%. This remarkably high level of genetic divergence is supported by an average Wright’s fixation index (FST), genome-wide, of 0.44, reflecting a degree of genetic differentiation between cattle- and buffalo-derived T. parva parasites more commonly seen between, rather than within, species. These findings present clear implications for vaccine development, further demonstrated by the ability to assemble nearly all known antigens in the buffalo-derived strain, which will be critical in design of next generation vaccines. The DNA capture approach used provides a clear advantage in specificity over alternative T. parva DNA enrichment methods used previously, such as those that utilize schizont purification, is less labor intensive, and enables in-depth comparative genomics in this apicomplexan parasite