Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'NGT'

In this paper, doubling in Russian Sign Language and Sign Language of the Netherlands is discussed. In both sign languages different constituents (including verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and whole clauses) can be doubled. It is shown that doubling in both languages has common functions and exhibits a similar structure, despite some differences. On this basis, a unified pragmatic explanation for many doubling phenomena on both the discourse and the clause-internal levels is provided, namely that the main function of doubling both in RSL and NGT is foregrounding of the doubled information.

Lo scopo di questo lavoro è fornire una prima (parziale) analisi per una vasta gamma di costruzioni sintattiche della Lingua dei Segni Italiana (LIS) e della Lingua dei Segni dei Paesi Bassi (NGT). Questo lavoro, da un lato cerca fare una stima della variazione crosslinguistica esistente fra queste due lingue, dall’altro lato intende verificare se le differenze osservate possono essere derivate a partire da un’unica struttura profonda rigidamente specificatore-testa-complemento, nella quale avvengono solo movimenti verso sinistra.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the information needs and information seeking behaviour of coaches in the sports of swimming and track and field who had completed level 2 accreditation of the Australian Coaching Council. The study aimed to identify information needs, the sources from which information is currently obtained and to gauge the level of satisfaction with current information provision in terms of the quantity, content and timeliness of information received. The study also aimed to examine the influence of the independent variables of sport, geographic location and education level on information needs and information seeking behaviour. In line with current theoretical thinking in the examination of information needs described in the literature, the researcher took a 'user-centred' approach in the identification of information needs utilising the structured group discussion process, Nominal Group Technique (NGT) as the first stage of the research. This process established the broad parameters of coaches' information needs and provided the basis for the design of a subsequent survey which was distributed to all swimming and track and field coaches who had completed level 2 accrediation. The survey resulted in a response rate of 69 percent from a total population of 568. The study revealed that coaches have a wide range of information needs many of which would not generally be associated with libraries, that there are few differences between coaches from different sports, those of differing education levels and between those of different geographic locations, although access to information is made more difficult through geographic isolation. The study revealed that coaches use multiple sources to obtain information and that libraries and formal sport information providers are not key sources for most types of information. Low levels of satisfaction were found to exist with the quantity and content of information with the highest level of dissatisfaction being expressed with the timeliness of information received. The study concludes by identifying issues, recommending possible actions in relation to these issues and identifies areas for future research.

The main purpose of the study was to investigate the library needs and library usage of external students in remote areas. The study emphasised external students' perception of their own library needs. Four distinct areas of research evolved from the purpose of the study: to identify the library service needs of external students; to identify library use by external students; to identify external students' perceptions of library needs; and to identify student status in relation to library use. Information was collected by an interview with former external students, a questionnaire to the libraries involved in the study and by Nominal Group Technique (NGT) sessions with external students. The primary instrument was a questionnaire to the external students in the population under investigation requesting information of their library usage and needs. The population under investigation were external students enrolledin the South Australian College of Advanced Education (SACAE) and resident in Whyalla, South Australia. It was decided to survey the total population rather than a sample because of the small numbers involved. Thirty-five responses were received out of a population of 52, representing a response rate of 69 percent. The results of the survey were analysed using a Statview SE statistical package and a spreadsheet and graphics package, Excel. Frequency distributions were computed to determine the number of respondents who selected each option. The study found that the external students who used libraries tended to use a variety of libraries. Students used not only their own institution's library, but the a range of libraries accessible to them in Whyalla. The study concludes by identifying issues, recommending possible solutions, and identifying areas for further research.

This study investigates how different kinds of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), operating in different national political contexts, perceive and use the Internet as a political space. The political space concept, as defined here, encompasses two dimensions of Internet use: one external, where organisations use the Internet for online activism and campaigning, and one internal, signifying organisational use of the Internet to promote engagement and interactivity with members and/or supporters. Another question raised is whether Internet use for political purposes by NGOs varies between different national political contexts. Moreover, do the organisations believe that the Internet has affected their political influence to any extent? The empirical data consist of the results of two surveys, one directed primarily to American NGOs, the other explicitly comparative, analysing NGOs in Sweden and the USA. Furthermore, content analyses of NGO websites have been conducted and additive indexes constructed. The findings of the study suggest that, overall, the Internet is most important to the studied organisations as a space for external political initiatives. There were, however, important differences in this regard, which could be related to the organisations’ national political contexts. For example, the American NGOs have oriented their websites primarily towards relatively superficial forms of member involvement, while the Swedish NGOs provided more interactive grassroots features on their websites. Regarding political influence, the Internet arguably has the potential to make the most dramatic difference by reinforcing the organisations’ offline political activities. The present results indicate that, despite the possible converging effect of the Internet on NGO political activism, national political culture exerts an inescapable influence on how the Internet is used as a political space by the studied organisations.

The O*NET was built to replace the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) and form a highly accessible, on-line (through the World Wide Web), common language occupational information center (Dye & Silver, 1999). This study tested the relevance of the self-rating choice and unconventional BARS format to be used by the O*NET system for occupational ratings. In addition, a new rating scale format named NBADS, was tested for improved ratings. Fifty three Incumbent raters in two occupations (Graduate teaching assistants and Secretaries) and 87 laypeople raters who have never worked in these occupations, rated 21 item-pairs (Importance and Level type questions) picked randomly from the 52 items on the original O*NET Ability questionnaire. Participants rated each of the 21 item-pairs three times, with the Level question being presented in the O*NET BARS, a Likert GRS and the NBADS formats; The importance type question was always rated using a 1-5 Likert scale. Hypothesis 1a was supported, showing a significant leniency bias across formats for self-ratings. Hypothesis 1b was mostly supported, failing to show significant leniency, elevation error or interrater agreement improvement over laypeople ratings; only the overall-error measure showed a significant improvement for incumbent raters. Hypothesis 2 was not supported, failing to show that the GRS format had any improvement on leniency, accuracy or interrater agreement over the O*NET BARS format. Hypothesis 3a was supported, showing significant leniency reduction, accuracy error reduction and higher interrater agreement using the NBADS format over the GRS format. In a similar sense, hypothesis 3b was partially supported, showing reduction in leniency effect and higher agreement using the NBADS format over the O*NET BARS format. Finally, hypothesis 4 was mostly supported, showing hardly any significant differences in the ratings of the Importance type question across the three format sessions, strengthening the idea that no other interfering variables have caused the format sessions' differences. Implications of the results are discussed.
Master of Science

Hamad Medical Corporation, the main healthcare provider in the state of Qatar, sponsored this study to investigate the use of electronic records management as the basis for a novel information management system in its Nursing Department. To assess the viability of an electronic records management system a questionnaire survey of a representative sample of the staff and interviews with key post holders were under taken. Results obtained indicated a wide spread dissatisfaction with the existing manual system. However, introduction of any computer-based technology requires great care. To assist with identifying any issues with this technological change, Soft System Methodology (SSM) was employed to discern what changes could be made to improve the current problematic situation found in the Nursing Department. In fact the change archetypes uncovered (procedural, attitudinal, structural and cultural) formed an innovative input into obtaining a roadmap for development of the electronic staff records system. This roadmap was facilitated by the use of Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM): In fact the roadmap was an ISM intent structure. The roadmap suggested that change could be affected by having written policy documents and the top goal to be achieved reflected an improvement in manpower placing and budgetary forecasts. The use of a multi-methods approach meant that as well as this study's main objectives being reached, the process encompassed some methodological innovations. This study is the first to use the output of SSM to facilitate the NGT and ISM interactions. Equally, it is the first study of its sort to be applied to the Nursing Department at HMC, Qatar, which is an example of a cross-cultural eastern philosophical tradition. The methods used here revealed some significant findings, and have helped in the development of an electronic records management system for use at HMC, Qatar.

The present study attempted to answer two questions: do academic library users have a distinctive and useful input to make to library strategic planning? If they do, what mechanisms will permit them to participate effectively in this planning process? To address these questions research was carried out in two stages at a single institutional site, the Canberra College of Advanced Education. The first of these utilised a structured group discussion process, Nominal Group Technique (NGT). This was used both as an indicator of user planning priorities and as a pilot research technique contributing to the design of a subsequent survey. This survey obtained a response rate of over 90 percent from a sample of 379. The study attempted to establish that academic staff and students do have a worthwhile input to make to planning by testing for congruence between the rankings of library planning priorities of these user groups and the rankings of planning priorities of Library staff. No strong positive correlations were established between the priorities of student groups and Library staff, although in the survey the priorities of academic staff and Library staff were found to be related. These results suggest users do have a worthwhile input to make to library strategic planning. Other tests for congruence were also applied between and within respondent groups, because if a group was found to have different priorities there would be a prima facie case for consulting members of that group as part of the planning process. Both mechanisms used in the present study were considered successful. User surveys have been employed for planning in previous studies with a future-oriented component. However, it appears that this may have been the first formally reported application of NGT to library management. Experience in the present study suggests it is a highly suitable technique for situations such as strategic planning, where generation of ideas or comment on priorities is required. However, an attempt to establish congruence between the results obtained using NGT and those obtained from the survey yielded inconclusive results. It is believed that major changes in the institutional environment were principally responsible for this, although a methodological limitation may also have contributed. The study concludes with suggestions for further research.

Une analyse intonative remet en cause la catégorisation distinguant not et n't comme les marques respectives du discours soutenu et familier. Elle traite de la négation en terme de hauteur et de contour. La négation de plage haute se confond le plus souvent avec not et s'inscrit dans le contexte d'une alternative ou d'une binarité. Elle nie une relation prédicative déjà existante. Cette négation d'assertion existe dans un mode dialogal. La négation de plage basse se confond majoritairement avec n't et correspond a une description de données négatives factuelles. Cette assertion négative relève d'un mode monologal. La redondance entre not/n't et la plage haute et basse est réitérée dans les question-tags. Les questions-tags descendants, présentant n't, sont des énoncés boucles sur eux-mêmes. Les question-tags montants, contenant not, sont des indices de discordance. La redondance n'est cependant pas systématique. L'analyse intonative donne une valeur a des emplois contraints ou plus occasionnels de la négation. No regroupe a la fois les valeurs de la négation de plage haute et de plage basse. Il peut nier une information ou accepter un contenu négatif. On le traite alors en terme de contour et en relation avec les informations qu'il introduit en aval. No permet de reconsidérer la négation en terme d'anticipation
The established difference between not and n't as representative marks of standard and colloquial english is brought into question through an intonative analysis dealing with the height and shape of these negatives. "Higher negation" corresponds mainly to not and is uttered in a binary or alternative context negating an already established predicative link. This negation of assertion exists on a diologal mode. N't corresponds mostly to "lower negation" and describes negative facts. This negative assertion belongs to a monologal type of expression. Question-tags reiterate the redundancy between not/n't and the upper and lower levels. N't question-tags with a falling intonation are self-sufficient utterances, whereas not question-tags with a rising intonation indicate discrepancy. However, redundancy is not always systematic. An intonative analysis helps decipher the compulsory or occasional forms. No contains both the values of the lower and upper types of negation. It can negate information or accept a negative content. Its shape and its links with the subsequent information must then be taken into account. No makes it possible to reconsider negation under the angle of anticipation

In this article, we study the school bus routing and scheduling problem with transfers arising in the field of nonperiodic public transportation systems. It deals with the transportation of pupils from home to their school in the morning taking the possibility that pupils may change buses into account. Allowing transfers has several consequences. On the one hand, it allows more flexibility in the bus network structure and can, therefore, help to reduce operating costs. On the other hand, transfers have an impact on the service level: the perceived service quality is lower due to the existence of transfers; however, at the same time, user ride times may be reduced and, thus, transfers may also have a positive impact on service quality. The main objective is the minimization of the total operating costs. We develop a heuristic solution framework to solve this problem and compare it with two solution concepts that do not consider transfers. The impact of transfers on the service level in terms of time loss (or user ride time) and the number of transfers is analyzed. Our results show that allowing transfers reduces total operating costs significantly while average and maximum user ride times are comparable to solutions without transfers. (authors' abstract)

Le développement d’un logiciel embarqué ou d’un système temps réel nécessite plusieurs étapes qui peuvent être échelonnées dans des intervalles de temps différents, et qui sont souvent itératives. De nos jours, il existe de nombreuses méthodes et outils de développement que l’on peut énumérer tels SA-RT, SD, DARTS, CODARTS, JSD, State-Charts, UML-RT, etc. L’objectif de la thèse est de proposer un environnement de conception, développement et validation d’applications temps réel basé sur la méthode DARTS, et sur le cycle de développement logiciel en W (une extension du cycle de développement classique en V). Cela se traduit par la création d’une bibliothèque logicielle pour un langage graphique flots de données, nommée DARTSVIEW, qui comporte des outils graphiques implémentés en langage G. Grâce à la palette DARTSVIEW, un concepteur pourra non seulement représenter une conception DARTS de façon aisée et intuitive, mais également simuler et tester sur place le modèle pour vérifier le respect de l’aspect fonctionnel du système. Les systèmes temps réel sont des systèmes dont le respect des contraintes temporelles est aussi important que l’exactitude du résultat, autrement dit il faut valider leur aspect temporel. Donc concernant cette pour aider dans cette tâche, la palette DARTSVIEW propose aux utilisateurs la possibilité de générer du code spécifique à une norme temps réel ou un langage cible d’un exécutif temps réel afin de pouvoir tester le système sur cible, et de pouvoir vérifier les paramètres temporels. Il s’agit de deuxième V du cycle de développement en W
The development of an embedded or a real-time system requires several steps which would be staggered in different time interval, and in such a way that they are frequently iterative. DARTS (Design Approach for Real-Time Systems) is a software design method for real-time systems. LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench) is a graphical application development environment based on the dataflow representation of the “G” language. The objective of this thesis focuses on the DARTS method, and on the software life-cycle in W (an extension of the classical software life-cycle in V). DARTSVIEW Toolkit is a helpful tool for the DARTS development of control-command applications which allows the designer to represent a DARTS diagrams directly in LabVIEW in order to test the functional aspect of the system in the first V of the life-cycle in W, and to generate a part of the code for different specific programming languages or real-time scheduling analysis tools for the validation of the timing requirements in the second V of the software life-cycle in W

Foreword This paper will be of value in answering continuing questions regarding John Milton's position on war and peace. The questions continue and are valid because Milton's works, as considered in the paper, offer support for both pro-war and pro-peace interpretations. The paper also addresses a middle-ground interpretation-that Milton's position can best be understood in light of the legal theories of Hugo Grotius, the seventeenth-century Dutch scholar who is generally accepted as the father of modern international law. The works considered include, among others, the Nativity Ode, the sonnets, Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes (including post 9/11 controversy involving its alleged endorsement of terrorism), Christian Doctrine, and Milton's infrequently cited History of Britain. No ultimate answers are suggested except that more than three hundred years of Milton scholarship have left little unexplored regarding Milton's views on war and peace. Milton will always be known for his admiration of soldiers, particularly his employer, Oliver Cromwell, and for his military imagery, particularly in Paradise Lost. He will also be known as a man who lived in a time of constant warfare, and yet who valued and sought individual inner peace.

The aim of this thesis, devised as a collaboration between Spain and China, is the characterization of the open clusters NGC 1807, NGC 1817, NGC 2548 and NGC 2682, as well as the analysis of the results in the general framework of the Galactic clusters system. We have obtained astrometric catalogues from photographic plates (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory) and photometric catalogues from CCD uvbyH-beta photometry (Calar Alto and Roque de los Muchachos Observatories), and given membership lists for each cluster. Membership segregation recurs to the combination of parametric and nonparametric statistical methods, in a systematic approach. Moreover, we have determined the physical parameters of the clusters.

NGC1817, in Taurus, is a rich and old open cluster but very poorly studied. We have obtained photometry of a total of 7842 stars in an area of 65'x40' with a limiting magnitude of Combining astrometric and photometric criteria we have selected 1592 members. From this selection we found E(b-y) =0.19±0.05 (E(B-V) = 0.27), V0-MV = 10.9±0.6 and [Fe/H] = ­0.34 ±0.26. From isochrone fitting we get an age of log t = 9.05±0.05 (1.1 Gyr). The study of the size of the cluster gives us a half-sample radius of rh =11.75' (6 pc). NGC1807 is a bright group of stars close to NGC1817. We have not found any support for considering NGC1807 a real physical cluster. NGC1817 is a very extended cluster, with member stars covering the area of NGC1807.

We have obtained photometry of NGC2548 (M48), in Hydra, for a total of 4806 stars in an area of 34'x34' with a limiting magnitude of V aprox. equals to 22. From the selection of 331 members we find E(b-y) = 0.06±0.03 (E(B-V) = 0.08), V0-MV =9.3±0.5 (725pc, that is around 200pc above the Galactic plane) and [Fe/H]= ­0.24±0.27. Best isochrone fitting is for models with overshooting and an age of 400±100 Myr (log t =8.6). The size of the cluster gives us a half-sample radius of rh =14.38' (3.0pc).

NGC2682 (M67), in Cancer, is probably the best studied cluster of the Galaxy. We have used it as standard for the photometric transformations and thus, obtained accurate photometry of 1843 stars in an area of 50'x50' and with limiting magnitude V aprox. equals to 19. From the 776 members we get E(b-y) =0.03±0.03 (E(B-V) =0.04), V0-MV =9.7±0.2 and [Fe/H] =0.01±0.14. Comparing models with and without overshooting we adopt an age of 4.2±0.4 Gyr, coherent with previous studies. From the astrometric selection we get a half-sample radius of rh=9.84' (2.6pc).

All methods used, from the selection of a plate model for proper motions calculation, to the application of methods to the cluster/field segregation, have been rigorously evaluated. Besides the calculation of space velocities and Galactic orbits, we have studied mass functions, analysed mass segregation from luminosity functions, surface brightness profiles of the different stellar populations and relaxation times of the clusters. We have studied the existence of gaps in the main sequence and found a total of four gaps, one being a new detection.

RESUM:

"Estudis astrofísics de cúmuls oberts: NGC1807, NGC1817, NGC2548 i NGC2682"

L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi, producte d'una col·laboració entre Espanya i la Xina, és la caracterització dels cúmuls oberts NGC1807, NGC1817, NGC2548 i NGC2682, així com l'anàlisi dels resultats en el context del sistema de cúmuls oberts de la Galàxia. Hem obtingut catàlegs astromètrics a partir de plaques fotogràfiques (Observatori Astronòmic de Shanghai) i fotomètriques, a partir de fotometria CCD uvbyH-beta (Observatoris de Calar Alto i Roque de los Muchachos), i generat llistes de membres per a cada cúmul. La segregació de membres fa servir de manera sistemàtica la combinació de mètodes paramètrics i no paramètrics. Tanmateix, hem determinat els paràmetres físics dels cúmuls.

NGC1817, en Taure, és un cúmul vell i ric però molt poc estudiat. Van obtenir fotometria d'un total de 7842 estels en un àrea de 65'x40' fins a una magnitud V aprox. igual a 22. Combinant criteris astromètrics i fotomètrics, hem seleccionat 1592 estels membres. A partir d'aquesta selecció es van encontrar valors de E(b-y) =0.19±0.05 (E(B-V)= 0.27), V0-MV = 10.9±0.6 i [Fe/H] = ­0.34±0.26. Dels ajustos d'isòcrones podem deduir una edat de log t = 9.05±0.05 (1.1 Ga). La determinació de la grandària del cúmul ens dóna un radi de semi mostra de rh =11.75' (6.0 pc). NGC1807 és un grup de estels molt brillants a prop de NGC1817. Després de l'estudi fotomètric i astromètric podem concloure que no s'ha trobat cap evidència a favor de l'existència de NGC1807 com cúmul físic real. Per contra, part dels seus estels pertanyen a NGC1817, que és un cúmul molt extens.

De NGC2548 (M48), en Hidra, hem obtingut fotometria per a un total de 4806 estels en un àrea de 34'x34' fins a una magnitud límit de V 22. De la selecció final de 331 estels membres podem trobar E(b-y)= 0.06±0.03 (E(B-V)= 0.08), V0-MV =9.3±0.5 (725pc, és a dir, al voltant d'uns 200pc per sobre del pla galàctic) i [Fe/H]= ­0.24 ±0.27. El millor ajust d'isòcrones resulta per a models amb convecció penetrant d'una edad de 400±100Ma (log t =8.6). El radi de semi mostra calculat a partir de la segregació astromètrica es rh =14.38' (3.0pc). NGC2682 (M67), en Càncer, és probablement el cúmul obert vell més estudiat de la Galàxia. En utilitzar-lo com a estàndard a la transformació de la fotometria, hem obtingut uns resultats de gran qualitat i extensió amb un total de 1843 estels en un àrea de 50'x50' i una magnitud límit V aprox. igual a 19. D'un total de 776 estels membres, hem trobat E(b-y) =0.03±0.03 (E(B-V)=0.04), V0-MV =9.7±0.2 i [Fe/H] =0.01±0.14. De la comparació entre models de convecció penetrant i models canònics, hem adoptat una edat de 4.2±0.4Ga, en coincidència amb estudis anteriors. El radi de semi mostra de laselecció astromètrica es rh=9.84' (2.6pc).

Tots els mètodes utilitzats, des de l'elecció del model de placa per al càlcul de moviments propis fins l'aplicació de mètodes per a la segregació de cúmul i camp, han estat avaluats de manera rigorosa i crítica, adoptant-los a cada cas particular. A més del càlcul de les velocitats espacials i òrbites galàctiques, s'han estudiat les funcions de massa, analitzant la segregació de masses a partir de funcions de lluminositat, perfils de brillantor superficial de les distintes poblacions d'estels i els temps de relaxació dels cúmuls. Hem estudiat l'existència de buits a la seqüència principal i n'hem trobat un total de quatre, un dels quals representa una nova detecció.
"Estudios astrofísicos de cúmulos abiertos: NGC 1807, NGC 1817, NGC 2548 y NGC 2682ç"

El objetivo de esta tesis, producto de la colaboración entre España y China, es la caracterización de los cúmulos abiertos NGC 1807, NGC 1817, NGC 2548 y NGC 2682, así como el análisis de los resultados en el contexto del sistema de cúmulos de la Galaxia. Se han obtenido catálogos astrométricos a partir de placas fotográficas (Observatorio Astronómico de Shanghai) y fotométricos a partir de fotometría CCD uvbyH-beta (Observatorios de Calar Alto y Roque de los Muchachos), y generado listas de miembros para cada cúmulo. La segregación de miembros recurre de manera sistemática a la combinación de métodos estadísticos paramétricos y no-paramétricos. Asimismo, se han determinado los parámetros físicos de los cúmulos.

NGC1817, en Tauro, es un cúmulo viejo y rico pero poco estudiado. Se ha obtenido fotometría de un total de 7842 estrellas en un área de 65'x40' con magnitud límite V aprox. igual a 22. Combinando criterios astrométricos y fotométricos, se han seleccionado 1592 estrellas miembro. A partir de esta selección se encontraron los valores de E (b-y) =0.19±0.05 (E(B-V)= 0.27), V0-MV= 10.9±0.6 i [Fe/H] = ­0.34±0.26. Del ajuste de isocronas se obtiene una edad delog t = 9.05±0.05 (1.1 Ga). La determinación del tamaño del cúmulo da un radio de semimuestra de rh =11.75' (6.0 pc). NGC1807 es un grupo de estrellas brillantes cercano a NGC1817. Tras el estudio fotométrico y astrométrico podemos concluir que no hay ninguna evidencia a favor de la existencia de NGC1807 como un cúmulo físico real. Al contrario, parte de sus estrellas forman parte de NGC1817 que es un cúmulo muy extenso.

De NGC2548 (M48), en Hidra, hemos obtenido fotometría de un total de 4806 estrellas en un area de 34'x34' con una magnitud límite de V aprox. igual a 22 . De la selección final de 331 estrellas miembro encontramos E(b-y)= 0.06±0.03 (E(B-V) = 0.08), V0-MV =9.3±0.5 (725pc,es decir, alrededor de 200pc sobre el plano galáctico) y [Fe/H]= ­0.24±0.27. El mejor ajuste de isocronas es para modelos con convección penetrante con una edad de 400±100Ma (log t =8.6). El radio de semimuestra calculado a partir de la segregación astrométrica es rh =14.38' (3.0pc).

De NGC2682 (M67), en Cáncer, es probablemente el cúmulo abierto viejo más estudiado de la Galaxia. Al utilizarlo como estándar en la transformación de la fotometría, hemos obtenido unos resultados de gran calidad y extensión con un total de 1843 estrellas en un área de 50'x50' y una magnitud límite V aprox. igual a 19. Del total de 776 miembros, encontramos E(b-y) =0.03±0.03 (E(B-V) =0.04), V0-MV =9.7±0.2 y [Fe/H] =0.01±0.14. De la comparación entre modelos de convección penetrante y modelos canónicos, adoptamos una edad de 4.2±0.4Ga, en coincidencia con estudios anteriores. El radio de semimuestra de la selección astrométrica es rh=9.84' (2.6pc).

Todos los métodos utilizados, desde la elección del modelo de placa para el cálculo de los movimientos propios, hasta la aplicación de métodos a la segregación de cúmulo y campo, han sido evaluados de manera rigurosa. Además del cálculo de las velocidades espaciales y órbitas galácticas, se han estudiado las funciones de masa, analizado la segregación de masas a partir de funciones de luminosidad, perfiles de brillo superficial de las distintas poblaciones estelares y los tiempos de relajación de los cúmulos. Hemos estudiado la existencia de huecos en la secuencia principal y encontrado un total de cuatro huecos, uno de los cuales es una nueva detección.

We perform a spectroscopic survey of the foreground population in Orion. A with MMT/Hectospec. We use these data, along with archival spectroscopic data and photometric data, to derive spectral types, extinction values, and masses for 691 stars. Using the Spitzer Space Telescope data, we characterize the disk properties of these sources. We identify 37 new transition disk (TD) objects, 1 globally depleted disk candidate, and 7 probable young debris disks. We discover an object with a mass of. less than 0.018-0.030 M-circle dot, which harbors a flaring disk. Using the Ha emission line, we characterize the accretion activity of the sources with disks, and confirm that the. fraction of accreting TDs is lower than that of optically thick disks (46% +/- 7% versus 73% +/- 9%, respectively). Using kinematic data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and APOGEE INfrared Spectroscopy of the Young Nebulous Clusters program (IN-SYNC), we confirm that the foreground population shows similar kinematics to their local molecular clouds and other young stars in the same regions. Using the isochronal ages, we find that the foreground population has a median age of. around 1-2 Myr, which is similar to that of other young stars in Orion. A. Therefore, our results argue against the presence of a large and old foreground cluster in front of Orion. A.

ABSTRACT Henrique Oswald (1852−1931) was a late romantic Brazilian composer, respected in life, but who gradually fell into disregard after his death. He lived for 35 years in Europe and there developed his compositional style, returning in his 50s to a country very different from that which he left as a 16 year old. The late disregard was a result of the ascendency of the nationalist/modernist movement which rose in influence after the Week of Modern Art in 1922. Containing elements of French impressionism, using well-defined German forms, with some curious and intriguing Brazilian rhythmic and melodic characteristics, Oswald’s Sinfonia Opus 43 is a cosmopolitan masterpiece. For many years this work remained virtually unknown and in manuscript format until an attempt to edit it was made in 2002 by the Projeto Memória Musical Brasileira (FUNARTE).1 Containing many mistakes and based in only one manuscript this edition proved not to be trustworthy. The need for an authoritative critical edition was clear and required a new approach, systematically and academically oriented and based on all the available primary sources, thus producing a clear critical edition and critical commentaries which articulates and deepens into the primary sources. With systematic examination of the manuscripts Oswald’s handwriting was differentiated from the copyists, thus allowing Oswald’s intentions to be given precedence. With this study Oswald’s Sinfonia Opus 43 becomes available to a greater audience, firstly by providing an authoritative critical edition suitable for performance, and secondly aligning itself with the work of other scholars such as José Eduardo Martins, Eduardo Monteiro, Maria 1 National Foundation of the Arts Alice Volpe and Andre Cardoso, who sought a clearer understanding of Brazilian romantic composers outside of the modernist/nationalist ideology.

With the continuous development of computer and network techniques as well as the extensive application of modern means of communications, computer plays an important role in the social life of modern society. It is always associated with a large number of files which are frequently used. Although new computer hardware products provided by various makers help people to solve the problem that have arisen in carrying files, people still face some difficulties in carrying storage devices. This project will partly realize the basic function of the net hard disk. The net hard disk is used to store the files of users on the internet, making it easy for users to carry files and share files with their friends. The uses are able to download, upload, copy, move and delete files and create a new file folder. They can also create, freeze, delete and alter their account. People can retrieve the file they want from the hard disk without anytime at any place.

Neste trabalho investigamos o comportamento dos gradientes de metalicidade, o histórico da formação estelar e do gás ionizado nas galáxias elípticas NGC5903, NGC6868, NGC5044 e da galáxia lenticular NGC3607. Cada objeto é membro mais brilhante do seu grupo. Os índices Mg2λ5176, FeIλ5270, FeIλ5335, FeIλ5406, FeIλ5709, FeIλ5782, NaIλ5895 e TiOλ6237 medidos nesses objetos apresentam um considerável gradiente negativo. Os índices Mg2 e FeI5270,5335 medidos em NGC6868 apresentam uma boa correlação entre si indicando que o mecanismo reponsável pelo enriquecimento químico possivelmente é o mesmo. Esse mesmo comportamento do gradiente não foi observado nos demais objetos. Os gradientes dMg2/dlog r calculados para NGC6868, NGC5903, NGC3607 e NGC5044 são (dMg2/dlog r)6868 = −0.08, (dMg2/dlog r)5903 = −0.04, (dMg2/dlog r)NGC 3607 = −0.02 e (dMg2/dlog r)NGC 5044 = −0.07, respectivamente. A massa estimada para cada objeto foi MNGC 6868 = (3.2±0.1)×1011M, MNGC 5903 = (1.8±0.1)×1011M, MNGC 3607 = (0.9±0.1)×1011M e MNGC 5044 = (2.0±0.1)×1011M. A não correlação entre a massa e o gradiente (dMg2/dlog r) indica que NGC6868, NGC5903, NGC3607 e NGC5044 tiveram, pelo menos, um evento de fusão com outra galáxia. A dispersão de velocidades das estrelas e a luminosidade das galáxias estudadas satisfazem o plano fundamental. A síntese de população estelar revela que NGC6868 e NGC5903 possuem dois tipos de populações: uma com idade de aproximadamente 13 bilhões de anos e outra com 5 bilhões de anos. NGC5044 converteu todo seu gás em estrelas em um único evento ocorrido há cerca de 10 bilhões de anos. NGC3607 teve 3 eventos de formação estelar: um há aproximadamente 13 bilhões de anos e se concentra na região central da galáxia, e os outros dois mais recentes, onde converteram o gás restante em estrelas há cerca de 1 a 5 bilhões de anos ocorrendo nas regiões mais externas. Os modelos SSP (single-aged stellar population) indicam que NGC6868, NGC5903 e NGC5044 apresentam núcleos metálicos ([Z/Z⊙] ≥ +0.33). O excesso de elementos α em relação a ferro nas regiões externas de NGC6868 and NGC5903 sugere eventos de supernovas do tipo II nessa região. Por outro lado, NGC5044 apresenta excesso de elementos α em relação a ferro no seu núcleo. NGC3607 possui metalicidade menor que solar (−0.67 < [Z/Z⊙] < −0.35) e os resultados indicam ainda que não há excesso de elementos α em relação a ferro nesse objeto. NGC5044 é uma galáxia metálica ([Z/Z⊙] ~ +0.33). O excesso de elementos α em relação a ferro sugere supernovas de tipo II no núcleo desse objeto. NGC6868, NGC3607 e NGC5044 apresentam fortes linhas de emissão ([NII], [SII], [OI] e Hα ). As razões [NII]/Hα , [SII]/Hα e [OI]6300/Hα vs. [SII]6731/Hα medidos no núcleo desses objetos mostram que elas possuem um núcleo ativo do tipo LINERs.
In this work we investigate the metalicity gradients, stellar population history and ionized gas in the elliptical galaxies NGC5903, NGC6868 and NGC5044, and the lenticular galaxy NGC3607. Objects belong to different galaxy groups. Mg2λ5176, FeIλ5270, FeIλ5335, FeIλ5406, FeIλ5709, FeIλ5782, NaIλ5895 and TiOλ6237 indices measured in these objects present a negative gradient. The Mg2 and FeI5270,5335 indices, measured in NGC6868 are well correlated. This result suggests that these elements underwent the same enrichment process. dMg2/dlog r gradients computed for NGC6868, NGC5903, NGC3607 and NGC5044 are (dMg2/dlog r)6868 = −0.08, (dMg2/dlog r)5903 = −0.04, (dMg2/dlog r)NGC 3607 = −0.02 and (dMg2/dlog r)NGC 5044 = −0.07, respectively. The estimated mass for each object is MNGC 6868 = (3.2 ± 0.1) × 1011M⊙, MNGC 5903 = (1.8±0.1)×1011M⊙, MNGC 3607 = (0.9±0.1)×1011M⊙ and MNGC 5044 = (2.0±0.1)×1011M⊙. The non correlation between mass and dMg2/dlog r indicates that NGC6868, NGC5903, NGC3607 e NGC5044 had at least one merger event. The stellar velocity dispersion and luminosity of NGC6868, NGC5903 and NGC5044 are consistent with the fundamental plane of the elliptical galaxies. The stellar population synthesis shows two different populations for NGC6868 and NGC5903, one with 13 Gyr and the other with 5 Gyr. In NGC5044 the gas was converted into stars in a single star formation event approximately 10 Gyr ago. The synthesis shows three different stellar populations in NGC3607. In the central parts the 13 Gyr population dominates, while in the external parts, the 5Gyr and 1 Gyr populations dominate. SSP (single-aged stellar population) models indicate that NGC6868, NGC5903 and NGC5044 have metallicity [Z/Z0] ≥ +0.33 in the nuclear regions. The ratio [α/Fe] suggests that there was a large number of type II supernovae in the external parts of NGC6868 and NGC5903. However, in NGC5044, the explosions took place in the nuclear region. NGC3607 has metallicity −0.67 < [Z/Z⊙] < −0.35. The emission lines [NII], [SII], [OI] and Hα are strong in NGC6868, NGC3607 and NGC5044. The [NII]/Hα and [SII]/Hα ratios measured in the nuclear region in these galaxies show that they are LINERs.

Esse trabalho teve como objetivo o estudo dos aglomerados globulares NGC 6366 e NGC 6397, que estão classificados entre os mais próximos do Sol, através do ajuste de isócronas aos dados fotométricos obtidos em B (4200Å) e V (5500 Å)com o telescópio SOAR e ACS F606W (6060 Å) e F814W (8140 Å) com o Telescópio Espacial Hubble (HST). NGC 6366 é um aglomerado relativamente aberto, de magnitude visual aparente V=9.2 e alta extinção. Com nossos dados do SOAR nas bandas fotométricas B e V conseguimos medir até estrelas de magnitude V=23.5. Com os dados HST, obtidos por Sarajedini et al. (2007) nas bandas F606W e F814W, detectamos até magnitude F606W=26.5 mag. Nós ajustamos isócronas de Padova [Girardi et al. (2000) e Marigo et al. (2008)] calculadas para este trabalho e incluindo a seqüência de esfriamento de anãs brancas, e encontramos d= (3.8±0.4) kpc, E (B-V)=0.64±0.02, com a massa média das estrelas no ponto de saída da seqüência principal de (0.89±0.02)MSol. Além disso, detectamos 31 estrelas com cores correspondentes a anãs brancas com massa média 0.4MSol. O outro aglomerado, NGC 6397, é atualmente classificado como o segundo mais próximo do Sol e foi o primeiro aglomerado a ter dados obtidos para toda a seqüência principal, detectada até o limite de queima de hidrogênio (0.08 MSol) (Richer et al. 2008). Nós obtivemos esses dados de Richer et al. (2008), ajustamos as isócronas de Padova contendo toda a seqüência de evolução até as anãs brancas e mostramos que o ajuste simultâneo da seqüência principal e a de esfriamento das anãs brancas resultaram em uma melhor determinação de distancia, idade, avermelhamento e até metalicidade. Com o ajuste da isócrona, encontramos idade (12±1)Gano, metalicidade Z=0.00012 {[Fe/H]=-2.2, para δ[α/Fe]=0} e distância d=(2.7±0.2)kpc. Esses valores restringiram nossa liberdade de mover os modelos de seqüência de esfriamento de anãs brancas e, ajustando os modelos de Bergeron (2008), encontramos uma massa média entre 0.50 e 0.54MSol. Outra característica importante da seqüência de esfriamento das anãs brancas é que em F814W=26.5 mag detectamos a presença de um acúmulo de estrelas que permitiu o estudo da física da cristalização do núcleo de anãs brancas, por Winget et al. (2009), demonstrando a existência de liberação de calor latente; também vemos que em cerca de F814W=27.6 mag, a seqüência de esfriamento termina com uma volta para o azul causada pela absorção induzida por colisões de H e He.
Our work was aimed at studying the globular clusters NGC 6366 and NGC 6797, classified among the closest to the Sun, fitting the color-magnitude data obtained in B (4200 Å) and V (5500 Å)with the 4.1m SOAR Telescope and ACS F606W (6060 Å)and F814W (8140 Å) data with the Hubble Space Telescope obtained by Richer et al. (2008). NGC 6366 is a sparsely condensated globular cluster, with apparent visual magnitude V=9.2 and high extinction. With our SOAR data in the photometric bands B and V we detected until magnitude V=23.5. With HST data, obtained by Sarajedini et al. (2007), in the photometric bands F606W and F814W, they detected until magnitude F606W=26.5 mag. We fitted Padova isochrones [Girardi et al. (2000) e Marigo et al. (2008)], with added white dwarf cooling sequence, and found d=(3.8±0.4)kpc, E(B-V)=0.64±0.02, with a mean mass of the stars in the main sequence turnoff equals to 0.89±0.02MSun. We also detected 31 stars with colors appropriate for white dwarf stars with mean mass of the order of 0.4MSun. NGC 6397 is currently classified as the second closest to the Sun and was the first cluster to have data of all the main sequence until the burning hydrogen limit around 0.08MSun (Richer et al. 2008). We fitted Padova isochrones with all the evolution sequence and showed that the simultaneous fit of the main sequence and the white dwarf cooling sequence result in better determination of distance, age, reddening and even metallicity. With the isochrone fitting, for age, metallicity and distance, we found (12±1)Gyr, Z=0.00012 {[Fe/H]=-2.2, for δ[α/Fe]=0} and d=(2.7±0.2) kpc. These values restricted our freedom to slide white dwarf cooling sequence models and, fitting Bergeron’s atmospheric models (2008) we found a mean mass among 0.50 and 0.54MSun. Other important feature of the white dwarf cooling sequence is that at F814W=26.5 mag we detected the presence of a concentration of stars that allowed the study of the physics of crystallization in the white dwarf stars core, by Winget et al. (2009), demonstrating the existence of the existence of latent heat release, predicted by Van Horn (1968); we also notice that around F814W=27.6 mag, the cooling sequence ends with a blue turn caused by collision induced absorption of H and He.

Not Empty is a two- part exploration of the relationship between humans and nature. In this essay I intend to discuss the relationship Australian Aboriginal peoples have with their environment. Their many cultures are among the oldest surviving civilizations on the planet, and their natural history is rich and complex. I plan to compare the relationship Australian Aboriginal cultures have to their environment to that of a Western civilization, specifically the United States. Neither relationship is perfect, nor is one of them 'better.' Both have histories riddled with extinction, evolution, and the conquest of new lands. The struggle Aboriginal Australians experienced when first settling their new land is concurrent to the degradation occurring today by Western cultures, with some differences, including scale and speed.

A memoir that focuses on the complications of growing as the only daughter of a mother from Okinawa and a father from the United States. They met at a nightclub, where her mother worked as a waitress, outside an Army base, where her father was stationed during U.S. Military occupation of the island. These marriages between Okinawan women and U.S. Servicemen have been quite common since 1945, after the Battle of Okinawa, when a massive complex of bases was first established. Okinawan women must leave their homes and their families to follow their husbands to the United States, where they are faced with challenges of racism, language barriers and isolation. Their children often grow up rejecting and resenting their Okinawan identities, causing further alienation.

'Story of elsewhere' is made up of a number of interlinking parts, namely: a text component, a series of video interviews, an exhibition (also described as the thesis statement) 'Story of elsewhere' at the Stanley Picker Gallery in February of 2011, the book, 'Large Landscape', included in the Picker Gallery exhibition, and additional exhibition based materials a poster and a catalogue. All of these components of the work are linked and, together, act as remediations of the narrative of the work, its genesis, realization and its forms of expression. The central aspect of the exhibition is a series of video interviews that relate a number of stories - of elsewhere. 'Large Landscape' consists of a series of interlocking pieces that transforms hand written diary accounts into fiction, thoughts written at the time of realizing the work, notes about the making of the work, the intertwining of literary reference with imaginative interpretation, and anecdotal accounts - some of which are developed into detailed reportage. In addressing this multiplicity of narrative form, comparisons are made between the act of reading and that of writing, between seeing and hearing, between thinbking and feeling, between fact and fiction, between dreams and reality, between stranger and native, and between place and individual. In the exhibition there is an interpretative authorlal voice re-presenting what is heard with what is read, a shift between what is spoken of and what is portrayed. In 'Large Landscape', the process of reading takes the form of a written description of events. This array of formats is employed throughout to suggest the pervasive quality of narrative across experience. Plans of the future, recorded occurrences of the past, and compositions of the present are evoked through prose, scripting, description, memoir, folklore, commentary, and imagery. The methodology of collecting all this information ranges from interview to fabrication, from observation to intervention, and from complex engagement to simple expression. Within the framework of contemporary art practice and theory, 'Story of elsewhere' proposes distancing as a means of drawing nearer. Presenting the paradox of the idea that remoteness can produce proximity, a process is revealed that exposes previously hidden connections and associations - to oneself, to a place, and to another. This process, employing the language of memory, allows for a defamiliarization where new understandings emerge. My aim is to explore ever-shifting understandings of place, to offer an examination of the experience of witnessing place, to unpack the complications of subjective experience through the re-telling of remembered occurrences, memories that manifest through stories and that engage the interplay and paradox of language and naming, and to consider the inherent connections within memory of associations between the conscious and the unconscious. The connections between the different forms of the work: prose, scripting, description, memoir, folklore, commentary, and moving imagery, all interact to produce a subconscious cross-referencing. This mirrors the world we now inhabit with a place and complexity where this kind of multiple mediation of internet, TV, text, video, film etc., is pervasive and in a sense inescapable. Referencing becomes chaotic - we each find a way of navigating these elements in tandem or we select particular forms of mediation that align with how we connect and identify ourselves with others and with place. 'Story of elsewhere' seeks to address questions surrounding the place of individual experience in our complexly interrelated world, where place and images of places carry an overabundance of meanings. If the contemporary world is one where the fluid nature of individual memories easily overlaps with cultural memories, how do we come to know each other and ourselves in this landscape? In engaging with 'Story of elsewhere' it is my ambition that the viewer might answer such questions - to explore new ideas concerning self-knowledge, learned knowledge and knowledge that is sponsored by experiencing seemingly unconnected narratives, presented in multiples forms, in an investigation of place and association.

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the potential use of net impulse and its characteristics in vertical jumping to monitor athletes' performance status and responses/adaptations to interventions. Five variables were proposed as net impulse characteristics: net impulse height and width, rate of force development, shape factor, and net impulse proportion. The following were then examined: 1) test-retest reliability of a new approach to identify net impulse in a force-time curve and of net impulse characteristics and criterion validity of the new approach; 2) effective measures of net impulse characteristics; 3) relationships between training-induced changes in its characteristics and force production ability. The following are major findings of the dissertation. Rate of force development particularly for the countermovement jump require a large magnitude of change to overcome the variable's inherent variability. Shape factor and net impulse proportion for the static jump should be used with caution and requires further investigations. Alternative net impulse can be used interchangeably to criterion net impulse. Of the proposed net impulse characteristics, net impulse height and width and shape factor were found to contribute to countermovement jump height, whereas all the net impulse characteristics were found to contribute to static jump height. Of the characteristics found to contribute, relative net impulse height (net impulse height divided by system mass) appears to be an important characteristic to achieve a high jump height for the countermovement and static jumps and net impulse proportion for the static jump. A mechanism behind increased countermovement jump height may be an increased countermovement displacement as a result of increased force production ability. A mechanism behind increased static jump height is the increased proportion of the entire positive impulse occupied by net impulse (i.e. increased net impulse proportion). The findings of this dissertation show the possibility of the use of the net impulse characteristics to monitor athletes' performance status and responses/adaptations to interventions. However, because this dissertation was the first to explore the potential use of the net impulse characteristics for athletes' performance monitoring, the existing knowledge is still preliminary and further research is required before practical recommendations are made.

By 1855, most Maori still lived in a tribal setting, with little official Pakeha interference. This would have been as they expected, exercising their tino rangatiratanga, the chiefly rights guaranteed by the Treaty of Waitangi. However, their world was changing. In an effort to gain Pakeha goods, many Maori had entered the market economy. Most had converted to Christianity. Many could read and write. Some had sold land to accommodate the increasing numbers of Pakeha settlers. These trends gratified the government. It envisaged a New Zealand society dominated by Pakeha, in which European mores would be norm, and where its sovereignty, gained through the Treaty, would be substantive rather than nominal. At this time, the government pursued the policy of iwi kotahi (one people) or "amalgamation". This policy included the aim of elevating Maori socially and economically by extending to them the benefits of European civilisation. It sought too to encourage Maori to give up their "waste" lands for Pakeha settlement and for Maori to accept the rule of English law, and government authority. Ultimately the two races would become one society- a Pakeha-style society. The government used newspapers for disseminating its message to Maori, publishing the bi-lingual Maori Messenger-Te Karere Maori from January 1855 to September 1863. This thesis investigates the government�s newspaper, plus other Maori language newspapers appearing within the period, printed by government agents, evangelical Pakeha, the Wesleyan Church, and the rival Maori government, the Kingitanga. The thesis not only looks at the impact of newspapers upon Maori society and politics at this time, but also how the newspapers portrayed the major social and political issues to Maori, including the first Taranaki War, the Kohimarama Conference, and the impending all-out war with the Kingitanga in Waikato. Using the newspapers as its major source, this thesis seeks to show how Maori might have understood the issues, and where possible, to allow them to respond in their own voices. We are fortunate that for almost a year the Kingitanga was able to publish its own views in Te Hokioi, thus allowing the anti-government Maori voice to articulate its stand. However, Maori opinion was hardly unitary. The Pakeha-run Maori language newspapers, through reports, reported speeches, and their corresponence columns, provide another set of Maori opinions, which show a variety of opinions on political and social issues. Many histories of this period focus on the tensions and conflicts between Crown and Maori, thus marginalising pro-government Maori, the waverers, and those who merely wanted to keep trouble from their door. This thesis endeavours to illuminate the whole colonial discourse as it appeared in the Maori language newspapers, providing as wide a range of opinions as possible.

Iris Murdoch es una escritora inglesa que tuve el diagnostico de la Enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) confirmado sea por exámenes clínicos o por el diagnostico histológico post mortem. Por esta razón sus libros se tornaron una fuente de datos fiables para la investigación de los síntomas precoces de la EA detectables en la escritura. El presente trabajo de investigación demuestra que 12 años antes de que hubiera sido diagnosticada con la Enfermedad de Alzheimer, a través de pruebas clínicas, la autora inglesa de novelas Iris Murdoch ya presentaba alteraciones en su escritura, más precisamente en el uso de la puntuación. La alteración detectada sugiere que la autora a partir de los 64 años empieza a fragmentar sus textos, aplicando más signos de puntuación de pausas breves dentro de las oraciones, manteniendo en promedio sus tamaños. Este comportamiento en la escritura se mantiene hasta el final de la vida de la autora, independiente del tamaño de los libros escritos. En este estudio fueron analizados 24 libros de la autora, utilizando técnicas de lematización de las palabras para el tratamiento de los textos así como la técnica de representación de los resultados como una trayectoria en espacio de estados, que permitió acompañar la evolución de dos métricas a lo mismo tiempo y a lo largo de la vida de la autora, identificando alteraciones bruscas en la escritura.
Iris Murdoch is an English writer who had a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is confirmed by clinical examination or postmortem histologic diagnosis. For this reason his books became a source of reliable data for the investigation of the early symptoms of AD detectable in writing. The present research shows that 12 years before he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease through clinical trials of novels written by British author Iris Murdoch and unremarkable in their writing, more precisely in the use of punctuation. The detected alteration suggests that the author from the 64 years begins to fragment their texts, applying additional punctuation of short pauses within sentences, keeping their sizes on average. This behavior is kept writing to the end of life of the author, independent of the size of the books written. In this study were analyzed 24 books of the author, using techniques stemming of words to treat the texts as well as the technique of representing the results as a trajectory in state space, which allowed to accompany the evolution of two metrics the same time and over the life of the author, identifying sudden changes in writing.

The students have been assigned a task from Consid, were they are supposed to develop a web based platform for handling the company’s consult CV:s. The key features of the system are to simplify the administration part at mission procurements towards customers and to match qualified consultants to certain missions.Consid is an international it-consult company and have about 1000 consults working for them. When Consid makes mission procurements towards a customer they have to manually match the best consult against a certain mission, this is both time consuming and complicated.The students started the project with big visions and thoughts about how the work would be performed and how the system would be developed. After the initial meetings and the closer it came to the beginning of programming it became clear that the expectations were too big. This is the biggest lesson learned during the project and something that has come to influence the rest of the development.The students have been compelled to learn a totally new way of structuring the code by the three tier architecture. They have also been able to get a deeper understanding of how system development is performed by companies.Before the project begun the students and the company made a requirement specification for the system. The goals for the system and early limitations were made. Along the project those goals and limitations have been changed.The report handles the work with the development and read up on problems and solutions. It ends with a discussion and is summarized so the reader gets a better picture of the system and the work around it.

Axel Spetz AB är ett anrikt företag som driver en järnhandel i Falköping. Företaget har tidigare använt sig av marknadsföring i lokaltidningen men insåg fördelen med att använda Internet som verktyg. Deras idé var en ”Blocket.se”-liknande funktion på deras hemsida som skulle göra det möjligt för dem att marknadsföra artiklar.

Formuleringen på deras behov och det som legat till grunden för detta projekt var: Hur tillverkar man en avancerad publiceringsfunktion som är lätt att använda?

Inledningsvis gjordes en teoretisk studie inom områdena databaser, SQL, .NET och Visual Studio. Valet föll så här eftersom det var områden jag ville lära mig mer om.

Under utvecklingsarbetet i ovan nämnda tekniker hölls en tät kontakt med representanter från företag för att de snabbt skulle kunna ge respons på arbetet. Projektet resulterade i två olika saker:

-En lösenordsskyddad administrationsdel där all administration såsom publicering av artiklar, hantering av artiklar och kategorier, intresseanmälningar, ändring av öppettider m.m. kan skötas på ett enkelt sätt.

-Företagets hemsida där besökare kan ta del av aktuella erbjudanden, bläddra bland artiklar, kontakta företaget, läsa företagsinformation, lämna intresseanmälningar på artiklar m.m.

All programmering har gjorts med slutanvändarna, dvs. anställda på företaget och besökare på hemsidan i åtanke. Ett antal felkontroller både färdiga och egentillverkade har använts för att se till att fel inte uppstår i arbetet med databasen. Istället för ”riktiga” felmeddelanden visas förklarande texter om vad som måste åtgärdas.

I projektets slutskede så lanserades Axel Spetz nya hemsida och den började direkt användas som ett verktyg i företagets marknadsföring. Jag anser att det är ett bra bevis på att projektet var lyckat.

In this report I present a partial implementation of the mixnet protocol described by Khazaei, Moran and Wikström in "A Mix-Net From Any CCA2 Secure Cryptosystem" for use in electronic voting. The report goes into detail how the different components of the mix-net work and how the voting system works. The implementation is not complete, but is seen as a good start towards what could become a secure electronic voting system.

This thesis paper gives the reader the opportunity to glimpse the dramatic artistic changes that took place in my work. It will provide insights into my development as an artist and my experiences in graduate school. I will share how the process of making art became my main interest and how art changed me spiritually, mentally, physically, and personally.

This thesis is comprised of a collection of short fiction depicting the childhoods and family lives of characters living in small northeastern towns. These seven stories explore the impact that the adult world has on the children who observe and seek to understand it, as well as how the events of childhood and the past can permeate and shape the lives of teenagers and adults trying to make important human connections in their present lives.

"Tender and Mild, No Cuts": A middle-aged man avoiding his wife's request for a divorce volunteers in the mass culling of cattle and pigs in the countryside during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

"The Reunion": A man who resides near the 38th parallel and collects North Korean propaganda leaflets for a living finds a starving woman at his doorstep.

"Voyeur, Mirror": A Korean film script supervisor living in New York tries to erase traces of the media's representation of sex in her own married life with a creative use of mirrors.

"Untitled (Street Urchin, Museum, and Spindle)": A mayor's mandate to bestow all the city's homeless with free museum memberships allows a street urchin to indulge her craving for art.

"The Opiate in Carp": A woman who finally conceives after five years of marriage comes to believe that her pregnancy is the result of looking at an etching of a carp.

"White Rope": A prison guard is anonymously hired to kill the culprit who burned down Namdaemun, the number one national treasure of South Korea.

"Proper Sounds": King Sejong of 15th century Josun dynasty creates the Korean alphabet, causing unexpected torment for a mute peasant woman.

"Victoria": Two young men living in Seoul in the 1960s debate whether they should pay a visit to a prostitute to celebrate their acceptance to an elite university.

As is generally agreed, there are good reasons to take a propositional attitude attribution like 'Olga believes that Cicero is smart' to express the holding of a relation between Olga and the denotation of ‘that Cicero is smart’. But what does ‘that Cicero is smart’ denote? According to the so-called face-value theory, it denotes a proposition. While there is no agreement on what propositions are, they are taken to be entities not reducible to sentences. According to sententialism, by contrast, ‘that Cicero is smart’ denotes the sentence “Cicero is smart”. Sententialism is generally considered to be obviously inadequate, and the aim of this dissertation is to show that sententialism is in fact as good an option as the face-value theory is, if not a better one. According to the sententialist account that I develop, Olga believes that Cicero is smart if she believes something which we can represent with the sentence “Cicero is smart”. As I show in Chapter 2, by relying on some features of representation, sententialists seem able to account for propositional attitude attributions in quite an interesting way. The main reasons why sententialism is generally considered doomed are the famous Church translation argument and a problem raised by Schiffer. I examine them in Chapter 3, where I conclude that these allegedly fatal objections do not in fact succeed in showing that sententialism is incorrect. In Chapter 4 I deal with other attributions, i.e. the socalled wh-attributions, such as 'Jim knows what Rose wants', and I show that, when it comes to ‘wh’-clauses, sententialism seems not only a viable alternative to the face-value theory but actually a better one. The general conclusion I reach is that the sentence against sententialism has been passed too quickly and that sententialism is indeed a viable account of our talk about attitudes.

This paper is a complement to the creative audio miniseries, HERE / NOT HERE. Its purpose is to analyse the concept of home from an academic perspective, both as complement and as perspective to the audio series’ autobiographical nature. Through philosophical, reflexive enquiry that analyses home’s connection to place, landscape, memory, senses and the body, this paper answers the question - ‘what does home mean to others’? In conjunction with the audio series, this paper also answers the question - ‘what do we talk about when we talk about home’? The paper starts with an introduction to the idea of home and the project as a whole, before diving into a discussion on podcasting, what it is, how podcasts are produced, and how this project fits into the existing podcasting landscape. After laying that knowledge base, the paper then turns to academic research theory, arguing that this project adds to an academic library of reflexive enquiry and subverted fieldwork. Following that, the paper discusses the academic theory of both of place and home, before deconstructing home and looking at how home interacts with other facets of the human experience, namely - the self, childhood, memory, the senses and the body. Throughout, the paper connects academic theory to the podcast’s creative elements. As such, it provides a context for the podcast’s two series - one of which looks at home through the lens of the senses, the other through the lens of the body, while also discussing other aspects of home. Previous work has failed to look at home from such a comprehensive perspective; this paper aims to tie together those threads, as well as put forth autobiographical self-reflection as fuel for both creative and academic work. In this way, this paper provides an academic backbone to the audio project’s creative enquiry. The paper itself also provides its own findings, the main one being this - when we talk about home, we talk about ourselves.

This thesis investigates the experience of bodily movement as the basis of social interaction. The design concept is based on the exploration of “unfocused interaction” among visitors to a public library (library of Malmo university).This thesis is framed with relevance to the “Soma Design program,” as proposed by Kristina Höök, and it expands Höök’s foundation of attending to bodily senses by paying attention to bodily movement. Moreover, this thesis looks explicitly at the experience of using body movement as the most basic form of human communication in social interaction.Imagining the world in which using body movement is an effective alternative to oral communication motivated me to formulate and select the methodological approach in this thesis project. Research Through Design has been utilizing as the primary process to explore the subject. This concept emerged from the participants’ experiences in exploratory workshops based on somaesthetic techniques focusing on body movement with the help of the body storming method and the experience of using body movement as a tool/medium for creating social interaction. The final concept is presented in this thesis through the Wizard of Oz prototype.The final concept focuses on tow keys areas: 1: individuals’ awareness of their body movement. 2: Embodied interaction and using technology along with natural body movement to create social interaction.

Thesis (M.F.A.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2008.
Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Art. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

This paper uses statistical learning to examine and compare three different statistical methods with the aim to predict credit card fraud. The methods compared are Logistic Regression, K-Nearest Neighbour and Random Forest. They are applied and estimated on a data set consisting of nearly 300,000 credit card transactions to determine their performance using classification of fraud as the outcome variable. The three models all have different properties and advantages. The K-NN model preformed the best in this paper but has some disadvantages, since it does not explain the data but rather predict the outcome accurately. Random Forest explains the variables but performs less precise. The Logistic Regression model seems to be unfit for this specific data set.

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One of the main theories to explain the Be phenomenon is that they are hot stars with rotation speed close to the critical limit, ejecting matter and forming a gaseous disk around. Its geometry and kinematics is still a controversial subject. Those objects present H® line in emission among other phenomena. In this work are present observations of hot stars in young open clusters and the detection of Be stars. The study of Be stars in open clusters is a matter of interest because these objects keep the initial signatures of their initial formation. Most of Be stars known in open clusters were identified inside the Milky Way Galaxy, but not all were observed. Most of the observations concentrate on seeking the characteristics lines in emission for stars with low magnitude. As a consequence the complete scenario of incidence of Be stars in open clusters is still uncertain, what incentives its observation. In this work, we studied thirty two stars of the spectral type B, from NGC 4755 and NGC 6530 stellar clusters. As a first step we accomplished an analysis of the stars that present the Be phenomenon. Than, we estimate physical parameters of B and Be stars using the lines of HeI 4471 and MgII 4481 Å. We also accomplished a comparison among the vseni values calculated by several methods including the AMOEBA algorithm and other two methods elaborated using the IDL platform. For high-speeds (» 300 Km/s), there is a superestimative of the FWHM method for both clusters. But for low-speeds, there is consistence between values of vseni obtained with the FWHM method and AMOEBA.
Uma das principais teorias para explicar o fenômeno Be é que são estrelas quentes com velocidade de rotação próxima da velocidade crítica, ejetando matéria formando um disco gasoso ao seu redor. Sua geometria e cinemática ainda é um assunto calorosamente discutido. Esses objetos apresentam emissões nas linhas de Balmer, entre outros fenômenos. Neste trabalho são apresentadas observações de estrelas quentes em aglomerados jovens abertos e a detecção de Be nestes. O estudo de estrelas Be em aglomerados abertos é de particular interesse porque estes objetos guardam as assinaturas das condições iniciais de sua formação. A maioria das estrelas Be conhecidas em aglomerados abertos foram identificadas na Via Láctea, a maioria das observações concentra-se em procurar as linhas em emissão características nas estrelas de baixa magnitude. Como conseqüência a completeza de incidência de estrelas Be em aglomerados abertos é incerta, o que leva a um estímulo para o seu estudo. Nesse trabalho, foram estudadas trinta e duas estrelas do tipo espectral B, selecionadas dos aglomerados NGC 4755 e NGC 6530. Em uma primeira etapa, foi realizada uma análise das estrelas que apresentam o fenômeno Be. Depois, foram determinados os parâmetros físicos de estrelas B e Be utilizando as linhas de HeI 4471 e MgII 4481 Å. Foi realizada, ainda, uma comparação entre os valores de vseni calculados com o algoritmo AMOEBA e os valores obtidos com os programas elaborados no IDL. Para altas velocidades (» 300 Km/s), há superestimativas do método FWHM, para ambos os aglomerados. Mas para baixas velocidades, há consistência entre os valores de vseni obtidos com o método FWHM e AMOEBA.