Correlation between anxiety and academic self-concept in interpreter trainees

This paper focuses on two basic issues: the anxiety-generating nature of the interpreting task and the relevance of interpreter trainees’ academic self-concept. The first has already been acknowledged, although not extensively researched, in several papers, and the second has only been mentioned briefly in interpreting literature. This study seeks to examine the relationship between the anxiety and academic self-concept constructs among interpreter trainees. An adapted version of the Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (Horwitz et al., 1986), the Academic Autoconcept Scale (Schmidt, Messoulam & Molina, 2008) and a background information questionnaire were used to collect data. Students’ t-Test analysis results indicated that female students reported experiencing significantly higher levels of anxiety than male students. No significant gender difference in self-concept levels was found. Correlation analysis results suggested, on the one hand, that younger would-be interpreters suffered from higher anxiety levels and students with higher marks tended to have lower anxiety levels; and, on the other hand, that younger students had lower self-concept levels and higher-ability students held higher self-concept levels. In addition, the results revealed that students with higher anxiety levels tended to have lower self-concept levels. Based on these findings, recommendations for interpreting pedagogy are discussed.

High-performance parallel systems for data-intensive computing

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Kompetenzorientierter Unterricht im Lernbereich Globale Entwicklung. Perspektiven der Allgemeinen Didaktik

Ausgehend von einer allgemeinen Definition beschreibt der Beitrag zentrale Merkmale und Anforderungen Kompetenzorientierten Unterrichts sowie dessen bildungspolitische und lerntheoretische Hintergründe. Diese allgemeindidaktische Perspektive wird mit den Bedingungen und Zielsetzungen im Lernbereich Globale Entwicklung verknüpft. Die Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen, die sich bei der Umsetzung Kompetenzorientierten Unterrichts zeigen, werden anhand eines Unterrichtsbeispiels aus dem Lernbereich Globale Entwicklung ausgeführt. Hierbei liegt der Fokus auf komplexen Problemen als Ausgangspunkt, auf der Ermöglichung von Selbststeuerung durch die Schüler/-innen sowie auf der Erarbeitung reichhaltiger Ergebnisse, die eine sinnhafte Kommunikation und Vernetzung von Wissen erfordern. (DIPF/Orig.)

Förändringsprogram i hälso- och sjukvården : Nätverkskonstruktioner som möjliggör och försvårar införandet av lean

Within the public sector great change efforts are currently made to meet future challenges. In the area of health care, change initiatives are implemented to enhance quality and efficiency. To this end, a lean change programme is being widely introduced in Sweden as well as internationally. The overriding aim of this study is to increase knowledge of what happens when change programmes, CP, such as lean are implemented in a healthcare organisation, HCO. Previous research has shown that the main obstacle to implementing CP in HCO:s is their complexity. However, the complexity has often been reduced, as different factors such as management, professions, organisation and control have been studied separately. To fully capture the complexity of the HCO the Actor Network Theory, ANT, was used in this study. In line with ANT, introducing lean can be described in terms of a translation process in which human and non-human actors are woven into a network. This approach allows for the incorporation of various factors in the study of a change process in a complex organisation. Drawing on ANT, this thesis explores how network constructions enable or impede change programmes. The approach is based on ethnographic monitoring of the implementation of lean in the Värmland county council public healthcare organisation. As a result of the holistic perspective, the study provides detailed descriptions of how complexity impacts on the implementation. It displays the relations enabling or impeding the implementation of CP and the methods actors use to establish and defend the relations. The contribution of the study is threefold. Empirically, the study monitors a HCO aiming to implement full-scale lean as philosophy, principle and tool. Methodologically, the study evaluates ANT as a methodological theory to study CP in a HCO. Finally, the domain-specific contribution of the study is its identification of the relations and methods that impact on lean deployment. 

Ophthalmic findings in albinism

Purpose: Albinism is a rare genetic disorder of melanin production, which can affect only eyes or simultaneously eyes and skin/hair, resulting respectively in ocular (OA) or oculocutaneous albinism (OCA). Through of a case report of a child with OCA we pretend review ophthalmological manifestations of albinism. Case Report: A girl of West African descent was referenced to our appointment for ophthalmological evaluation of oculocutaneous albinism. Visual acuity was 20/310 OD e 20/630 OS by teller cards. In biomicroscopy, iris hypopigmentation and transillumination was visible, allowing to see spiral vessels and other iris details. Fundoscopy showed a denser and complex choroidal circulation due to lack of pigment in retinal pigment epithelium. Foveal hypoplasia was assumed because foveal pit is not apparent and vessels become less respectful of normal arcade and transverse the macula. Results: Melanin plays an important role in the development of the optic system and it’s absence leads to diverse ocular manifestations, such as: iris hypopigmentation and transillumination , reducted pigmentation of retinal pigment epithelium cells, photoreceptor rod cell deficits, foveal hypoplasia, optic nerve hypoplasia and misrouting of optic nerve at the chiasm, with temporal retina fibers inappropriately routed contralaterally instead of ipsilaterally. Photophobia, nystagmus, reduced visual acuity, color impairment and strabismus are other manifestations usually seen in albinism. Conclusion: Ophthalmologists must be familiar with the specific visual manifestations and needs of these patients. It is essential to correct refractive error to optimize visual acuity. Patients should also be advised to wear tinted glasses and sunblock. In more severely affected children they may benefit of low vision consultation and specialized low vision aids like telescopes.

Tacit knowledge sharing: the determination of a methodological approach to explore the intangible.

Introduction. Research design should take into account both (a) the specific nature of the object under scrutiny, and (b) approaches to its study in the past. This is to ensure that informed decisions are made regarding research design in future empirical studies. Here these factors are taken into account with reference to methodological choice for a doctoral study on tacit knowledge sharing, and the extent to tacit knowledge sharing may be facilitated by online tools. The larger study responds to calls for the two domains of knowledge management and human information behaviour to be considered together in terms of their research approaches and theory development. Method. Relevant literature – both domain-specific (knowledge management) and general (research methods in social science) - was identified and analysed to identify the most appropriate approaches for an empirical study of tacit knowledge sharing. Analysis. The analysis shows that there are a number of challenges associated with studying an intangible entity such as tacit knowledge. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods have been adopted in prior work on this theme, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Results. The analysis has informed a decision to adopt a research approach that deploys mixed methods for an inductive case study to extend knowledge of the influence of online tools on tacit knowledge sharing. Conclusion. This work intends to open the debate on methodological choice and routes to implementation for studies that are subject to practical constraints imposed by the context in which they are situated.

Age and gender differences in the relation between self-concept facets and self-esteem

This study tested whether the gender intensification hypothesis applies to relations between multiple domain-specific self-concept facets and self-esteem. This hypothesis predicts gender-stereotypic differences in these relations and assumes they intensify with age. Furthermore, knowledge about gender-related or age-related differences in self-concept-self-esteem relations might provide valuable knowledge for designing effective self-esteem enhancement interventions. We investigated grade and gender differences in the relations between domain-specific self-concept facets and self-esteem within a sample of 1958 German students in Grades 3 to 6. Results indicated no difference in the self-concept - self-esteem relations between the subsamples of third and fourth graders and fifth and sixth graders or between boys and girls. These relations also did not differ between boys and girls in the subsamples of third and fourth graders and fifth and sixth graders. These results suggest self-concept-self-esteem relations to be invariant across grade levels and gender and thus did not support the gender intensification hypothesis.

Relations among Topic Knowledge, Individual Interest, and Relational Reasoning, and Critical Thinking in Maternity Nursing

Critical thinking in learners is a goal of educators and professional organizations in nursing as well as other professions. However, few studies in nursing have examined the role of the important individual difference factors topic knowledge, individual interest, and general relational reasoning strategies in predicting critical thinking. In addition, most previous studies have used domain-general, standardized measures, with inconsistent results. Moreover, few studies have investigated critical thinking across multiple levels of experience. The major purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which topic knowledge, individual interest, and relational reasoning predict critical thinking in maternity nurses. For this study, 182 maternity nurses were recruited from national nursing listservs explicitly chosen to capture multiple levels of experience from prelicensure to very experienced nurses. The three independent measures included a domain-specific Topic Knowledge Assessment (TKA), consisting of 24 short-answer questions, a Professed and Engaged Interest Measure (PEIM), with 20 questions indicating level of interest and engagement in maternity nursing topics and activities, and the Test of Relational Reasoning (TORR), a graphical selected response measure with 32 items organized in scales corresponding to four forms of relational reasoning: analogy, anomaly, antithesis, and antinomy. The dependent measure was the Critical Thinking Task in Maternity Nursing (CT2MN), composed of a clinical case study providing cues with follow-up questions relating to nursing care. These questions align with the cognitive processes identified in a commonly-used definition of critical thinking in nursing. Reliable coding schemes for the measures were developed for this study. Key findings included a significant correlation between topic knowledge and individual interest. Further, the three individual difference factors explained a significant proportion of the variance in critical thinking with a large effect size. While topic knowledge was the strongest predictor of critical thinking performance, individual interest had a moderate significant effect, and relational reasoning had a small but significant effect. The findings suggest that these individual difference factors should be included in future studies of critical thinking in nursing. Implications for nursing education, research, and practice are discussed.

Un modèle rétroactif de réconciliation utilité-confidentialité sur les données d’assurance

Le partage des données de façon confidentielle préoccupe un bon nombre d’acteurs, peu importe le domaine. La recherche évolue rapidement, mais le manque de solutions adaptées à la réalité d’une entreprise freine l’adoption de bonnes pratiques d’affaires quant à la protection des renseignements sensibles. Nous proposons dans ce mémoire une solution modulaire, évolutive et complète nommée PEPS, paramétrée pour une utilisation dans le domaine de l’assurance. Nous évaluons le cycle entier d’un partage confidentiel, de la gestion des données à la divulgation, en passant par la gestion des forces externes et l’anonymisation. PEPS se démarque du fait qu’il utilise la contextualisation du problème rencontré et l’information propre au domaine afin de s’ajuster et de maximiser l’utilisation de l’ensemble anonymisé. À cette fin, nous présentons un algorithme d’anonymat fortement contextualisé ainsi que des mesures de performances ajustées aux analyses d’expérience.

Assessing Decision Making Skill in Complex and Dynamic Environments Using Representative and Simulated Tasks

Traditional decision making research has often focused on one's ability to choose from a set of prefixed options, ignoring the process by which decision makers generate courses of action (i.e., options) in-situ (Klein, 1993). In complex and dynamic domains, this option generation process is particularly critical to understanding how successful decisions are made (Zsambok & Klein, 1997). When generating response options for oneself to pursue (i.e., during the intervention-phase of decision making) previous research has supported quick and intuitive heuristics, such as the Take-The-First heuristic (TTF; Johnson & Raab, 2003). When generating predictive options for others in the environment (i.e., during the assessment-phase of decision making), previous research has supported the situational-model-building process described by Long Term Working Memory theory (LTWM; see Ward, Ericsson, & Williams, 2013). In the first three experiments, the claims of TTF and LTWM are tested during assessment- and intervention-phase tasks in soccer. To test what other environmental constraints may dictate the use of these cognitive mechanisms, the claims of these models are also tested in the presence and absence of time pressure. In addition to understanding the option generation process, it is important that researchers in complex and dynamic domains also develop tools that can be used by `real-world' professionals. For this reason, three more experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a new online assessment of perceptual-cognitive skill in soccer. This test differentiated between skill groups and predicted performance on a previously established test and predicted option generation behavior. The test also outperformed domain-general cognitive tests, but not a domain-specific knowledge test when predicting skill group membership. Implications for theory and training, and future directions for the development of applied tools are discussed.

Two case studies on generating administrative process applications with AdminDSL

Some organizations end up reimplementing the same class of business process over and over: an "administrative process", which consists of managing a form through several states and involving various roles in the organization. This results in wasted time that could be dedicated to better understanding the process or dealing with the fine details that are specific to the process. Existing virtual office solutions require specific training and infrastructure andmay result in vendor lock-in. In this paper, we propose using a high-level domain-specific language (AdminDSL) to describe the administrative process and a separate code generator targeting a standard web framework. We have implemented the approach using Xtext, EGL and the Django web framework, and we illustrate it through two case studies: a synthetic examination process which illustrates the architecture of the generated code, and a real-world workplace survey process that identified several future avenues for improvement.

Un modèle rétroactif de réconciliation utilité-confidentialité sur les données d’assurance

Le partage des données de façon confidentielle préoccupe un bon nombre d’acteurs, peu importe le domaine. La recherche évolue rapidement, mais le manque de solutions adaptées à la réalité d’une entreprise freine l’adoption de bonnes pratiques d’affaires quant à la protection des renseignements sensibles. Nous proposons dans ce mémoire une solution modulaire, évolutive et complète nommée PEPS, paramétrée pour une utilisation dans le domaine de l’assurance. Nous évaluons le cycle entier d’un partage confidentiel, de la gestion des données à la divulgation, en passant par la gestion des forces externes et l’anonymisation. PEPS se démarque du fait qu’il utilise la contextualisation du problème rencontré et l’information propre au domaine afin de s’ajuster et de maximiser l’utilisation de l’ensemble anonymisé. À cette fin, nous présentons un algorithme d’anonymat fortement contextualisé ainsi que des mesures de performances ajustées aux analyses d’expérience.

Design and implementation of an enterprise application integration solution for science and research outcomes information management using guaraná technology

This document presents an Enterprise Application Integration based proposal for research outcomes and technological information management. The proposal addresses national and international science and research outcomes information management, and corresponding information systems. Information systems interoperability problems, approaches, technologies and integration tools are presented and applied to the research outcomes information management case. A business and technological perspective is provided, including the conceptual analysis and modelling, an integration solution based in a Domain-Specific Language (DSL) and the integration platform to execute the proposed solution. For illustrative purposes, the role and information system needs of a research unit is assumed as the representative case.

Impacto del Programa de Alimentación Escolar en el Trabajo Infantil: Una aproximación desde la toma de decisiones familiares

Esta investigación analiza el impacto del Programa de Alimentación Escolar en el trabajo infantil en Colombia a través de varias técnicas de evaluación de impacto que incluyen emparejamiento simple, emparejamiento genético y emparejamiento con reducción de sesgo. En particular, se encuentra que este programa disminuye la probabilidad de que los escolares trabajen alrededor de un 4%. Además, se explora que el trabajo infantil se reduce gracias a que el programa aumenta la seguridad alimentaria, lo que consecuentemente cambia las decisiones de los hogares y anula la carga laboral en los infantes. Son numerosos los avances en primera infancia llevados a cabo por el Estado, sin embargo, estos resultados sirven de base para construir un marco conceptual en el que se deben rescatar y promover las políticas públicas alimentarias en toda la edad escolar.

Estereotipos sobre el envejecimiento según el periodo del desarrollo y el género

Teniendo en cuenta el drástico aumento en Colombia y el mundo de la población adulta mayor la pirámide poblacional se ha invertido. Lo que ha generado que cada vez haya más adultos mayores y la esperanza de vida sea mayor. Motivo por el cual surge la importancia de conocer diversos aspectos del envejecimiento, entre ellos los estereotipos. Adicionalmente hay muy poca investigación relacionada con los estereotipos sobre el envejecimiento según el género y el periodo de desarrollo. Levy (2009) encontró que son los jóvenes quienes tienen más estereotipos negativos sobre el envejecimiento pues estos sienten que la vejez está muy lejos de su realidad actual y no es en una amenaza personal. Por otro lado Bodner, Bergman y Cohen (2012), encontraron que son los hombres quienes tienen más estereotipos negativos sobre el envejecimiento. La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo describir el efecto del periodo del desarrollo y el género en los estereotipos sobre el envejecimiento en 860 adultos colombianos. Se midió la variable de estereotipos sobre el envejecimiento a través del cuestionario de Ramírez y Palacios (2015) y el periodo del desarrollo y el género a través de un cuestionario de datos sociodemograficos. Contrario a lo esperado, los resultados mostraron que no existe relación entre los estereotipos negativos con el género, el periodo del desarrollo, ni en la interacción de estos. En cambio, se encontraron diferencias entre los estereotipos positivos el género y el periodo de desarrollo. Se considera importante continuar realizando investigaciones relacionadas con esta temática pues cada vez son más los adultos mayores y la manera en que nos relacionemos con ellos, va a determinar un mejor proceso de envejecimiento para ellos.