236 research outputs found
Suprasegmental Features of the Philipine English Variety as Spoken in Southern Cebu
No full textThis study aims to heed the call of giving importance to the creative aspects of first language interference in oral English communication. It contends that languages have their own distinct features but this does not mean inferiority or superiority to another. The suprasegmental features of the Philippine English Variety as spoken in the southern towns of Cebu are identified to examine the aspects of first language interference in speaking English. An investigation on the distinct suprasegmental features of the southern Cebuano Variation was first identified and compared to the standard. Results indicated that the Southern Cebuano Variation was spoken with a sing-song twang. This was characterized with a strong emphasis on the last syllable of most words, especially when they were used in a sentence. Further, findings revealed that the distinct prosodic features of the L1 studied did not significantly affect the respondents’ English prosody despite the obvious disparity of both languages. The phonological interference identified was phonemic, not prosodic. Therefore, the L1 interferences in stress, pitch and intonation do not have a significant influence on the suprasegmental features of the Filipino English variety spoken in the southern municipalities of Cebu. The prosodic interferences identified were not noteworthy enough to swerve speakers from the standard. In an attempt to explain such phenomenon, Flege’s Merger hypothesis claims that the merging of phonetic properties of phones impact both the first language and the target language (Lott, 2012). As speakers become invariably influenced by L2, they may experience phonological modifications. Hence, while one think that acquiring new phoneme(s) will be more difficult than rearranging the two existing sounds from allophones of the same phoneme to separate phonemes, research has proven otherwise (Major and Kim qtd. in Yavas, 2011). This study concluded that inclination for prosodic interference was higher when the structures or sounds were similar in L1 and L2 than when they were dissimilar. This study recommends further investigation of the phonemic structure of the Cebuano-Visayan Southern Variety
Structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and burnout in registered staff nurses working in outpatient dialysis centers
No full textThis research examined the relationships among structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and burnout in a sample of staff nurses working in chronic hemodialysis units. The study examined relationships between the independent variable, structural empowerment and the dependent variable burnout, as well as exploring the relationship between psychological empowerment and burnout and between the two independent variables structural empowerment and psychological empowerment. A mediation model was tested to explain the relationship between structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and burnout. A correlational research design was used. A convenience sample of 233 staff nurses between the ages of 24 and 68 was attained from a national organization of nephrology nurses. A self-administered, paper and pencil, mailed survey was used to collect data using four instruments: (a) Demographic data, (b) The Maslach-Burnout Inventory-Emotional Exhaustion Subscale, (c) The Psychological Empowerment Scale, and (d) The Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II. Statistically significant negative correlations were found between structural empowerment and burnout (r = - .44, p < .01) and psychological empowerment and burnout (r = - .34, p<.01). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between structural empowerment and psychological empowerment (r =--.59, p< .01). In addition, multiple regression analysis was used to test a mediation model. Results indicated that structural empowerment was an independent predictor of burnout in this sample; however, psychological empowerment was not an independent predictor of burnout and did not mediate the relationship between structural empowerment and burnout. The testing of the theorized relationships has added to the knowledge base for antecedents to burnout in nurses working in chronic dialysis settings. Since psychological empowerment was found to be a homogeneous characteristic in this sample, it would be prudent to replicate this study in a multi-site sample of nurses who are both members and non member of a professional organization.Ph.D.Includes abstractVitaIncludes bibliographical referencesby Janice L. O'Brie
Resonant readout of a superconducting persistent current qubit
No full textThesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2006.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-218).Superconducting Josephson junction devices rank among the best candidates for realizing a quantum computer. While the coherent control of quantum dynamics has been demonstrated in these solid-state, macroscopic quantum systems, a major challenge has been to increase the coherence times for these qubits. With an objective to reduce the level of readout-induced decoherence, this thesis work focuses on a resonant readout scheme developed for a niobium persistent-current (PC) qubit. This non-dissipative readout approach detects the flux state of the qubit by sensing a change in the Josephson inductance of a SQUID magnetometer. By incorporating the SQUID inductor in a high-Q resonant circuit, we distinguished the flux states of the qubit as a shift in the resonant frequency at 300 mK. The nonlinearity due to the Josephson inductance has characteristic effects on the resonant behavior of the readout circuit. We observed novel manifestation of this nonlinearity given the high quality factor of the resonance. The readout circuit was characterized in the linear as well as the nonlinear regime for its potential use as a bifurcation amplifier. Numerical simulations based on Josephson-junction circuits were also performed to understand the observed nonlinearity in the resonant behavior.by Janice C. Lee.Ph.D
Three Harlem Renaissance writers viewed by their black contemporaries-Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Jean Toomer, 1973
No full textThe primary Intent of this thesis is to present an analysis of the critical statements and opinions of the black contemporaries of Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Jean Tomer. These three literary artists of the twenties are referred to as the leading poetic voices of the Harlem Renaissance. The evaluations which have been made of Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Jean Tomer by their black contemporaries add greatly to the understanding of the meaning and importance of the Harlem Renaissance. Furthermore, these evaluations provide an extension of the meaning which readers of today may obtain from Hughes, McKay and Tomer. The major sources used for this paper were the two most important black periodicals published during the twenties, The Crisis, and Opportunity. Consideration was also given to selected books and articles of the period
Self-directed work teams at an aerospace company
No full textThesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1995.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 79).by Eric C. Sorenson.M.S
Unspeakable by C. Pignat
No full textPignat, Caroline. Unspeakable. Toronto: Razorbill, 2014. Print. Ellie Ryan is an eighteen-year-old girl who has suffered an insurmountable number of personal tragedies that have taught her the importance of perseverance. After her mother’s death, she finds herself unwanted by her father and is forced to move in with her aunt Geraldine. Due to Ellie’s inability to cope with her circumstances, her aunt sends her aboard the Empress of Ireland where she learns to embrace her new position as a stewardess with the help of her most trusted friend, Meg.On the second crossing of the Empress, Ellie meets Jim, a lonely fire stoker who has experienced his share of grief and tragedy, something Ellie is all too familiar with. After many chance encounters late at night along the ship\u27s rail, she finds Jim writing in a journal. He is a quiet and secretive young man who doesn’t share much of his life, which intrigues and compels her to discover more about him. When the ship docks at Quebec City, they explore the city together, a memorable experience for her. However, tragedy strikes on their next voyage when the ship collides into another ship. Ellie appears to be the one of the few remaining crew members to survive the disaster and has no word of Jim’s whereabouts; it seems unlikely that Jim would have survived the frigid ocean. Wyatt Steele, a journalist with The New York Times, later asks Ellie for her story. She refuses at first, but unwittingly gives into him when he appears one day with Jim’s journal. Wyatt represents the last remaining hope she has to learn more about the man she had fallen in love with and to possibly discover what happened to him. In exchange for her story, he agrees to provide Jim’s journal as payment, one page at a time. This young adult novel follows Ellie’s journey aboard the Empress of Ireland in 1914 and offers a realistic context for Canada’s worst maritime disaster. It explores themes of depression from the loss of family and friends, survivor’s guilt, and redemption. The story weaves an intricate plot that alternates the timeline before and after the ship’s sinking, in order for the reader to actively live through Ellie’s recollections in the present. Overall, the author intricately writes a romantic story in the backdrop of a historical Canadian event that is well suited to young adult audiences.Recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Janice KungJanice Kung is an Academic Library Intern at the University of Alberta’s John W. Scott Health Sciences Library. She obtained her undergraduate degree in commerce and completed her MLIS in 2013. She believes that the best thing to beat the winter blues is to cuddle up on a couch and lose oneself in a good book
'Do it Yourself' Girl Revolution: LadyFest, Performance and Fanzine Culture
No full textRiot grrrl began as an independent music and political movement in the early 1990s emerging initially in the USA and few years later in the UK. From the beginning riot grrrl embraced a 'do-it-yourself' ethos operating outside the mainstream music business organising independent music festivals, workshop events and encouraging self-published fanzines (fan magazines which were distributed primarily through word of mouth, music gigs, artists and zine book fairs or by post). These zines became recognisable forms of personal expression and made visible a specific DIY approach alongside the development of a coherent style of graphic language in the producer's use of the photocopier, handwritten and graffiti texts, cut-n-paste and ransom note lettering style, collage and the co-option of mainstream media imagery. These production techniques made fanzine publishing accessible and played a central role in the development of a non-hierarchical community.
The main intent of this talk is to explore the idea of 'event as performance' using as a case study the specific activities of riot grrrl and focussing on a series of international events called 'LadyFests' and the graphic language of self-published riot grrrl fanzines. This will be achieved by examining the origins of today's riot grrrl performances (e.g. theatre, spoken word, music events) in 1970s feminist art, as well as locating the activities within the specific context of their counter-cultural predecesors including punk and punk performance
Investigating Systematic Reviews Outside Health Sciences
No full textabstract: Background & Objective:
Originally developed for medicine and related fields in support of evidence-based practice, systematic reviews (SRs) are now published in other fields. We investigated non-health sciences disciplines that are publishing systematic reviews.
Research questions:
“What disciplines outside the health sciences are adopting systematic reviews?”
“How do systematic reviews outside the health sciences compare with health sciences systematic reviews?”
Methods:
We conducted a search in the Scopus database for articles with the phrase “systematic review*” in the title or abstract. We limited our results to review articles, and eliminated health science focused articles using the Scopus Subject area categories. Articles were examined by reviewers to determine if they a) were classified as SRs by the authors b) exhibited accepted characteristics of systematic reviews, such as a comprehensive search, adherence to a predetermined protocol, and assessment of bias and quality, and c) addressed a non-health sciences topic. We eliminated articles based on 1) title, 2) abstract, and finally 3) the full text of each article. We reconciled differences for articles on which there was not initial consensus, and grouped remaining articles according to Scopus subject areas.
Discussion:
We found a significant number of systematic reviews outside the health science disciplines, particularly in the physical and social sciences. We compared similarities as well as differences to the protocols and processes used in health sciences systematic reviews. These findings have implications for librarians both inside and outside the health sciences arena who participate in systematic review projects
The need for communication and cultural awareness in the business world : an honors thesis [(HONRS 499)]
No full textOver the years the corporations and firms of the United States have begun to lose their competitive edge over the world's other nations. Due to the enormity of the nation's deficit, the U.S. cannot afford to allow this competitive edge to diminish.The author of this thesis maintains that the utilization of exportation and internationalization can help the U.S. to regain this edge. However these endeavors cannot be accomplished successfully unless the importance of communication skills and cultural awareness is acknowledged in the business world and taught in institutions of higher education.Thesis (B.?.)Honors Colleg
Harmony and discord within the English ‘counter-culture’, 1965-1975, with particular reference to the ‘rock operas’ Hair, Godspell, Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar
No full textPhDThis thesis considers the discrete, historically-specific theatrical and musical sub-genre of ‘Rock Opera’ as a lens through which to examine the cultural, political and social changes that are widely assumed to have characterised ‘The Sixties’ in Britain. The musical and dramatic texts, creation and production of Hair (1967), Tommy (1969), Godspell (1971), Jesus Christ Superstar (1970) and other neglected ‘Rock Operas’ of the period are analysed. Their great popularity with ‘mainstream’ audiences is considered and contrasted with the overwhelmingly negative and often internally contradictory reaction towards them from the English ‘counter-culture’. This examination offers new insights into both the ‘counter-culture’ and the ‘mainstream’ against which it claimed to define and differentiate itself.
The four ‘Rock Operas’, two of which are based upon Christian scriptures, are considered as narratives of spiritual quest. The relationship between the often controversial quests for re-defined forms of faith and the apparently precipitous ‘secularization’ and ‘de-Christianization’ of British society during the 1960s and 1970s is considered.
The thesis therefore analyses the ‘Rock Operas’ as significant, enlightening prisms through which to view many of the profound societal debates – over ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ in the widest senses, sexuality, the Vietnam war, generational conflict, drugs and ‘spiritual enlightenment’, and race – which were, to some considerable extent, elevated onto the national, political agenda by the activities of the broadly-defined ‘counter-culture’. It considers subsequent representations of the ‘counter-culture’ as the root of a contested but enduring popular legacy of ‘The Sixties' as a period of profound cultural change
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