62 research outputs found
Henrik Jacob Wikar – afrikaresenär
No full textHenrik Jacob Wikar är känd för afrikadagboken utgiven i hans namn. Wikar var emellertid ingen antropolog eller upptäcktsresande, som sentida forskare gjort honom till, utan på fl ykt undan lagen och sina gäldenärer. Föreliggande text är avsedd att rätta till missförstånd och felaktigheter i tidigare forskning om afrikaresenären H. J. Wikar
Practice Enterprise as a Way of Acquiring Foreign Languages
No full textTITLE: Practice Enterprise as a Way of Acquiring Foreign Languages AUTHOR: Simona Pecková DEPARTMENT: Department of the French Language and Literature SUPERVISOR: Dr.PhDr. Renáta Listíková, MCF ABSTRACT: The thesis deals with the potential that the subject called practice enterprise represents for acquisition of foreign languages. The aim of the work is to carry out a survey of the present situation, to find about the pupils' level of business language and also to discover what their attitude to the practice enterprise and their motivation to study foreign languages are. By focussing the language instruction on working life, we want to enhance their competitiveness on the labour market. Quantitative research methods are combined here with qualitative ones. Concerning the tools of research, we used didactic test, questionnaire, interview and focus group. We have found out that the practice enterprise has a positive influence on students' level of foreign languages. However, no connection between practice enterprise and pupils' attitude to foreign languages and their motivation to study them has been proved. In order to take a bigger advantage of the potential of practice enterprise as a means to acquire foreign languages, we recommend a bigger and a more systematic integration of language instruction into..
Postclassical narratology vs. poetics : David Herman's "hypothetical focalization" as a test case
No full textIn this article I discuss David Herman’s thesis about «hypothetical focalization» (HF), as it is presented in Story Logic: Problems and Possibilities of Narrative [1], in relation to different theories about reader interpretations (taken in a very basic sense) of narrative fiction. I will simplify the theoretical options to two approaches: the first is based on the assumption that fictional narrative is a secondary variant of factual narrative with the simple modifier “as if”. Accordingly, it is assumed that a fictional narrator informs a narratee about persons and events in a fictional world using linguistic means that work according to common grammatical rules. The alternative, advocated by theoreticians such as Käte Hamburger [2], Lars-Åke Skalin [3; 4] and Richard Walsh [5][1], is a “separatist” approach, which assumes that fiction is a particular “context” or “language-game”. According to this paradigm an author (or narrator) does not inform about objects but rather stipulates motifs that will have an aesthetic impact on readers. Such an approach can be described as pragmatic and it must, when used analytically, go from effects to poetics (in the sense of theory) since it cannot be assumed that certain forms have the same function or generate the same effects in different contexts.An important argument for the latter opinion is that the former theoretical variant will, if applied to literary texts, generate “disquieting” interpretations that do not fit in well with the intuition of readers[2]. This implies, according to the critics, that readers interpret fictional narratives from the perspective of another poetics — in the sense of an internalized rule-system[3] — than the one assumed by the theoreticians advocating the former model. The putative counter-argument that theoreticians like Gérard Genette in his analysis of Marcel Proust [7] have come up with what are taken to be good readings is met by the answer that these theoreticians did not read the literature in accordance with their own “method” [8]. [1]I do not associate what is called unnatural narratology with this theoretical approach since their very use of the concept “unnatural” implies that they assume the traditional approach [cf. 6]. [2] “Disquieting interpretations” is used to denote interpretations that seem to be at odds with basic intuitions concerning the language game and sense of certain texts.[3] When speaking about reading in this article, I do not refer to a professional reader but to the ability to read as a reader equipped with poetics — that is, a more or less conciously internalized theory of how to make sense of narrative fiction. I thus use the terms poetics to denote this “internalized theory,” or understanding of the rules and constraints of narrative fiction.</p
Male Teachers in Elementary General Music
No full textMale elementary general music teachers are rare, and little research exists about them. The men who teach music at the elementary level often face challenges that they must overcome through their own experimentation. One such challenge is the octave difference in singing voice between teacher and student. This study reviewed the existing literature on male elementary teachers and investigated five male elementary general music teachers at various stages in their careers. Eighteen structured interview questions were used, and the answers audio recorded and transcribed. The teacher responses were analyzed and compared to the author\u27s own experience as a male elementary general music teacher. The knowledge gained outlined pedagogical decisions and new educational approaches for male elementary general music teachers in particular but also techniques which can benefit teachers in general. Contrary to existing research, these men did not find gender stereotypes contributed to their professional challenges. The octave difference in singing voice between adult males and elementary students was the sole challenge related to gender, and several pedagogical solutions were identified. Personal stories and experiences are presented to give practical advice to all male music educators considering or currently teaching elementary general music
Biomechanical Micromotion at the Neural Interface Modulates Intercellular Membrane Potential In-Vivo
No full textabstract: Brain micromotion is a phenomenon that arises from basic physiological functions such as respiration (breathing) and vascular pulsation (pumping blood or heart rate). These physiological processes cause small micro displacements of 2-4µm for vascular pulsation and 10-30µm for respiration, in rat models. One problem related to micromotion is the instability of the probe and its ability to acquire stable neural recordings in chronic studies. It has long been thought the membrane potential (MP) changes due to micromotion in the presence of brain implants were an artefact caused by the implant. Here is shown that intracellular membrane potential changes are a consequence of the activation of mechanosensitive ion channels at the neural interface. A combination of aplysia and rat animal models were used to show activation of mechanosensitive ion channels is occurring during a neural recording. During simulated micromotion of displacements of 50μm and 100μm at a frequency of 1 Hz, showed a change of 8 and 10mV respectively and that the addition of Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) inhibited the membrane potential changes. The application of EDTA showed a 71% decrease in changes in membrane potential changes due to micromotion. Simulation of breathing using periodic motion of a probe in an Aplysia model showed that there were no membrane potential changes for 3.1kPa. Drug studies utilizing 5-HT showed an 80% reduction in membrane potentials. To validate the electrophysiological changes due to micromotion in a rat model, a double barrel pipette for simultaneous recording and drug delivery was designed, the drug delivery tip was recessed from the recording tip no greater than 50μm on average. The double barrel pipette using iontophoresis was used to deliver 30 μM of Gadolinium Chloride (Gd3+) into the microenvironment of the cell. Here is shown a significant reduction in membrane potential for n = 13 cells across 4 different rats tested using Gd3+. Membrane potential changes related to breathing and vascular pulsation were reduced between approximately 0.25-2.5 mV for both breathing and heart rate after the addition of Gd3+, a known mechanosensitive ion channel blocker.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Biomedical Engineering 202
Novel Organic Light Emitting Diodes for Optogenetic Experiments
No full textabstract: Optical Fibers coupled to laser light sources, and Light Emitting Diodes are the two classes of technologies used for optogenetic experiments. Arizona State University's Flexible Display Center fabricates novel flexible Organic Light Emitting Diodes(OLEDs). These OLEDs have the capability of being monolithically fabricated over flexible, transparent plastic substrates and having power efficient ways of addressing high density arrays of LEDs. This thesis critically evaluates the technology by identifying the key advantages, current limitations and experimentally assessing the technology in in-vivo and in-vitro animal models. For in-vivo testing, the emitted light from a flat OLED panel was directly used to stimulate the neo-cortex in the M1 region of transgenic mice expressing ChR2 (B6.Cg-Tg (Thy1-ChR2/EYFP) 9Gfng/J). An alternative stimulation paradigm using a collimating optical system coupled with an optical fiber was used for stimulating neurons in layer 5 of the motor cortex in the same transgenic mice. EMG activity was recorded from the contralateral vastus lateralis muscles. In vitro testing of the OLEDs was done in primary cortical neurons in culture transfected with blue light sensitive ChR2. The neurons were cultured on a microelectrode array for taking neuronal recordings.Dissertation/ThesisICMS response in front and hind limbOptogenetic response using iLEDs and OLEDsiLED vs iLED coupled to optical fiber responseMasters Thesis Bioengineering 201
Investigation of Ultrasonically Powered Implantable Microdevices for Wireless Tissue Impedance Measurements
No full textabstract: Bioimpedance measurements have been long used for monitoring tissue ischemia and blood flow. This research employs implantable microelectronic devices to measure impedance chronically as a potential way to monitor the progress of peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Ultrasonically powered implantable microdevices previously developed for the purposes of neuroelectric vasodilation for therapeutic treatment of PVD were found to also allow a secondary function of tissue bioimpedance monitoring. Having no structural differences between devices used for neurostimulation and impedance measurements, there is a potential for double functionality and closed loop control of the neurostimulation performed by these types of microimplants. The proposed technique involves actuation of the implantable microdevices using a frequency-swept amplitude modulated continuous waveform ultrasound and remote monitoring of induced tissue current. The design has been investigated using simulations, ex vivo testing, and preliminary animal experiments. Obtained results have demonstrated the ability of ultrasonically powered neurostimulators to be sensitive to the impedance changes of tissue surrounding the device and wirelessly report impedance spectra. Present work suggests the potential feasibility of wireless tissue impedance measurements for PVD applications as a complement to neurostimulation.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Bioengineering 201
Applying a Novel Integrated Persistent Feature to Understand Topographical Network Connectivity in Older Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
No full textabstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental neuropsychiatric condition with early childhood onset, thus most research has focused on characterizing brain function in young individuals. Little is understood about brain function differences in middle age and older adults with ASD, despite evidence of persistent and worsening cognitive symptoms. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in younger persons with ASD demonstrate that large-scale brain networks containing the prefrontal cortex are affected. A novel, threshold-selection-free graph theory metric is proposed as a more robust and sensitive method for tracking brain aging in ASD and is compared against five well-accepted graph theoretical analysis methods in older men with ASD and matched neurotypical (NT) participants. Participants were 27 men with ASD (52 +/- 8.4 years) and 21 NT men (49.7 +/- 6.5 years). Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) scans were collected for six minutes (repetition time=3s) with eyes closed. Data was preprocessed in SPM12, and Data Processing Assistant for Resting-State fMRI (DPARSF) was used to extract 116 regions-of-interest defined by the automated anatomical labeling (AAL) atlas. AAL regions were separated into six large-scale brain networks. This proposed metric is the slope of a monotonically decreasing convergence function (Integrated Persistent Feature, IPF; Slope of the IPF, SIP). Results were analyzed in SPSS using ANCOVA, with IQ as a covariate. A reduced SIP was in older men with ASD, compared to NT men, in the Default Mode Network [F(1,47)=6.48; p=0.02; 2=0.13] and Executive Network [F(1,47)=4.40; p=0.04; 2=0.09], a trend in the Fronto-Parietal Network [F(1,47)=3.36; p=0.07; 2=0.07]. There were no differences in the non-prefrontal networks (Sensory motor network, auditory network, and medial visual network). The only other graph theory metric to reach significance was network diameter in the Default Mode Network [F(1,47)=4.31; p=0.04; 2=0.09]; however, the effect size for the SIP was stronger. Modularity, Betti number, characteristic path length, and eigenvalue centrality were all non-significant. These results provide empirical evidence of decreased functional network integration in pre-frontal networks of older adults with ASD and propose a useful biomarker for tracking prognosis of aging adults with ASD to enable more informed treatment, support, and care methods for this growing population.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Biomedical Engineering 201
Comparison of Feature Selection Methods for Robust Dexterous Decoding of Finger Movements from the Primary Motor Cortex of a Non-human Primate Using Support Vector Machine
No full textabstract: Robust and stable decoding of neural signals is imperative for implementing a useful neuroprosthesis capable of carrying out dexterous tasks. A nonhuman primate (NHP) was trained to perform combined flexions of the thumb, index and middle fingers in addition to individual flexions and extensions of the same digits. An array of microelectrodes was implanted in the hand area of the motor cortex of the NHP and used to record action potentials during finger movements. A Support Vector Machine (SVM) was used to classify which finger movement the NHP was making based upon action potential firing rates. The effect of four feature selection techniques, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Relative Importance, Principal Component Analysis, and Mutual Information Maximization was compared based on SVM classification performance. SVM classification was used to examine the functional parameters of (i) efficacy (ii) endurance to simulated failure and (iii) longevity of classification. The effect of using isolated-neuron and multi-unit firing rates was compared as the feature vector supplied to the SVM. The best classification performance was on post-implantation day 36, when using multi-unit firing rates the worst classification accuracy resulted from features selected with Wilcoxon signed-rank test (51.12 ± 0.65%) and the best classification accuracy resulted from Mutual Information Maximization (93.74 ± 0.32%). On this day when using single-unit firing rates, the classification accuracy from the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was 88.85 ± 0.61 % and Mutual Information Maximization was 95.60 ± 0.52% (degrees of freedom =10, level of chance =10%)Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Bioengineering 201
Interictal spike depolarization in the neocortex: Relationship to action potential inactivation
No full textabstract: Interictal spikes have been used to diagnose idiopathic seizure disorder and localize the seizure onset zone. Interictal spikes are thought to arise primarily from large excitatory postsynaptic potentials, and the role of interictal spikes in idiopathic seizure disorder and epileptogenesis remains unclear. We evaluated how local voltage changes due to interictal spikes impact action potential generation and firing using intracellular recordings from human tissue and the Hodgkin-Huxley model. During interictal spikes, bursts of action potentials underwent variable degrees of depolarization-induced inactivation in the intracellular data. Intracellular recordings in neocortical slices of human brain tissue confirmed that bursts of inactivated action potentials occurred during spontaneous paroxysmal depolarization shifts. These ex vitro findings were predicted using the Hodgkin-Huxley model and showed inactivated action potentials being generated by large depolarizations. As the amplitude of the interictal spike increased, there was a progression from low firing rate normal action potentials to higher firing rate normal action potentials to inactivated action potentials. The results show that the Hodgkin-Huxley model confirmed the effect of large interictal spike depolarizations on action potential firing and inactivation. This supports a key element in the hypothesis that interictal spikes, and the associated action potential firing, may alter the electrical environment of the brain and contribute to idiopathic seizure disorder
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