Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Past and Present scenario'

The eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus), a small anadromous smelt (Family Osmeridae) found only along the Northwest Pacific Coast, is poorly understood. Many spawning populations have suffered declines but as their historic status is relatively unknown and the fisheries poorly documented, it is difficult to study the contributing factors. This thesis provides a survey of eulachon fisheries throughout its geographical range and three analyses aimed at improving our understanding of past and present fisheries, coast-wide abundance status, and the factors which may be impacting these populations. An in-depth view of the Nuxalk Nation eulachon fishery on the Bella Coola River, Central Coast, BC, is provided. The majority of catches were used for making eulachon grease, a food item produced by First Nations by fermenting, then cooking the fish to release the grease. Catch statistics were kept yearly from 1945-1989 but have since, rarely been recorded. Using traditional and local ecological knowledge, catches were reconstructed based on estimated annual grease production. Run size trends were also created using local Fisheries Officers and Nuxalk interview comments. A fuzzy logic expert system was designed to estimate the relative abundance of fifteen eulachon systems. The expert system uses catch data to determine the exploitation status of a fishery and combines it with other data sources (e.g., CPUE) to estimate an abundance status index. The number of sources depended on the existing data and varied from one to eight. Using designed heuristic rules and by adjusting weighting parameters a final index was produced. Results suggest that there have been recent and extended declines in several eulachon rivers particularly the Klamath, California; Bella Coola, BC; Wannock, BC; and Kitimat, BC. Seven of the fifteen abundance time-series were used to evaluate the potential relationships between the declines and some of the factors that impact eulachon. Results suggest increases in shrimp and hake catches, seal and sea lion abundance, and sea surface temperatures were weakly associated with the declines. But contrary to expectations, adult hake biomass showed a positive association with four eulachon relative abundance time-series, suggesting that common environmental factors influenced both species.

Foucault (1996) argued that modern Western history was an invention of nineteenth century Europe and based on linearity, teleology and historicity. Hence the written history and culture of Aboriginal people in Australian has largely been seen through a similar principle as detailed in Chakrabarty’s (2007) ‘provincialising Europe,’ which is through master narratives. My dissertation addresses the question of who the Woppaburra of the Central Queensland region were culturally and historically. The pre-existing Western narrative tells a story of a submissive people studied, described and analysed with a strong colonial discursive approach. In contrast, I have used the ‘counter-narrative’ that Freeman (2004) considered to be the “culturally rooted aspects of one’s history” that are yet to be uncovered (p.298). The lens through which I viewed the counter narrative was through Indigenous research methodology considered part of Indigenous Standpoint Theory (IST). The history and culture of the Woppaburra have been exhumed through the data collected as described in Yins (2009) case study method. I have used Yin’s (2009) multiple data sources as evidence for this study. These data are Western documentation and archival records alongside the voices of Elders in interviews, direct observation at ‘on-country’ meetings and festivals, and physical artefacts which show a cultural representation of totems. A significant artefact is a length of plaited Woppaburra hair which is a biological remnant of the people under study. The Woppaburra believe it holds the memories of ancestors, story lines and healing properties. These data sources have shown that the Western text does not indicate personal stories of traditional practices, attachment to country and the centrality of totems to the Woppaburra. These data have been collectively analysed and findings presented through photographs, artwork and text. The findings from a plethora of documents demonstrate that in government archival records, public newspapers and anthropological photographs, the Woppaburra were used as items of interest, targets of punitive shooting parties, objects of slave labour and a people to be relocated at the whim of protectors. Interviews with Elders and limited anthropological papers give an alternate perspective of a people strongly connected to their natural homelands. The conclusions indicated that although the Woppaburra have been treated harshly, dispossessed of their homeland and denigrated culturally, they retained strong connections with their traditional homeland. In one sense they continue caring for their homeland through partnerships with local, state and national agencies set up by the surrounding culture but in a deeper sense, today they maintain their dreamings and cycle of life through stories and cultural traditions. The connection to country across time for the Woppaburra is that, traditionally and today, they see their world through totems, ancestors and intergenerational narratives.

This thesis investigates past and present understandings and applications of khul', synthesizing existing scholarship on the subject as well as H&dotbelow;anafi juristic doctrines. As khul' is part of a larger concept, namely, divorce initiated or approved by women, attention will also be given to the other options that Islamic law---or, on some points, cultural practices---grants women in order to obtain release from the marital bond. A comparative analysis between the application of marriage and divorce laws under the Ottomans and in contemporary Egypt will then be conducted with a view to shedding light on the effect that the rise of the nation-state has had on gender inequality.

- Libraries are institutions of learning - They represent the cultural heritage and values of a society. Public libraries are often located at places of urban significance or, in the course of time help to establish the latter. They may be landmarks in the urban landscape and help to orient oneself. A public library serves the people, and its spirit should be truly public. A City and University Library in particular, is a highly frequented place where students and citizens meet. It can therefore easily become more than just a place for obtaining information. It can become a place for human interaction, offering spaces to enjoy a concert, to exhibit art or to go there to have lunch or dinner. In that sense, it could be transformed from an institution which is usually used during the day into a vital place which is also used in the evening and on the weekend. The following project pursues the notion of breaking with the traditional image of a public library, expanding its service and thus increasing its position as a place of public interest. This notion is a result of my thesis work, rather than the initial idea from which I started. The location of the project at the edge of the university campus in Frankfurt, Germany and the existence of a theater next to the existing library offered the possibility of establishing a cultural meeting place in one of Frankfurt's city districts.
Master of Architecture

Eugenics has been an ever present idea since the time of Darwin. While the practices and methods have changed over the years to represent a shift from public to private considerations, eugenics still persists. Advances in scientific technology have led to progressively more finely tuned eugenic techniques in the form of cellular and molecular eugenics. Accompanied with molecular eugenics, the transhumanist movement is pushing the human condition to new boundaries. The ethical dilemmas created by such practices are staggering and barely yet considered.

Book Summary: Hyperacusis and Disorders of Sound Intolerance: Clinical and Research Perspectives is a professional resource for audiology practitioners involved in the clinical management of patients who suffer from sound tolerance concerns. The text covers emerging assessment and intervention strategies associated with hyperacusis, disorders of pitch perception, and other unusual processing deficits of the auditory system. In order to illustrate the patients perspectives and experiences with disorders of auditory processing, cases are included throughout. This collection of diagnostic strategies and tools, evidence-based clinical research, and case reports provides practitioners with avenues for supporting patient management and coping. It combines new developments in the understanding of auditory mechanisms with the clinical tools developed to manage the effects such disorders exert in daily life. Topics addressed include unusual clinical findings and features that influence a patient s auditory processing such as their perceptual accuracy, recognition abilities, and satisfaction with the perception of sound. Hyperacusis is covered with respect to its effects, its relation to psychological disorders, and its management. Hyperacusis is often linked to trauma or closed head injury and the text also considers the management of patients with traumatic brain injury as an opportunity to illustrate the effectiveness of interprofessional care in such cases. Interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy, self-efficacy training, and hearing aid use are reported in a way that enhances clinicians' ability to weave such strategies into their own work, or into their referral system. Hyperacusis and Disorders of Sound Intolerance illuminates increasingly observed auditory-related disorders that challenge students, clinicians, physicians, and patients. The text elucidates and reinforces audiologists contributions to polytrauma and interprofessional care teams and provides clear definitions, delineation of mechanisms, and intervention options for auditory disorders.

Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2018.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 65-66).
Cobalt has become more and more popular in the realms of academia, industry, and media due to its integral role in many of the most commonly-used lithium-ion battery cathodes today. Many issues have been evaluated regarding the controversial labor and volatile sociopolitical environments associated with cobalt mining and concerns over the ability of cobalt supply to continue to meet demand, especially the increasing demand due to the electric vehicle revolution. Cobalt is a critical element in a variety of products outside of the battery industry, including: superalloys, hard-facing metals, cutting tools, magnets, chemical catalysts, and pigments. In this thesis, I assessed the criticality of cobalt demand in non-battery sectors with the intention of assessing whether demand of cobalt in its traditional, inelastic sectors will supply be a limiting factor of technological progress by 2030 and by 2050. In order to do so, data was collected on the past and present demands of cobalt in its four primary sectors, outside of batteries: superalloys, cutting tools and hard-facing metals, magnets, and chemical catalysts. Future demand projections were made based on the historic data as well as via a bottom-up approach from industry projections for future product demand and cobalt intensity of products. Substitutes for cobalt in these applications were also investigated and are discussed below. The prices at which substitutes become more favorable than cobalt were also evaluated.
by Alexandra A. Zele.
S.B.

In 2016 it is 70 years since the first patent for a two-stage servovalve was filed, and 60 years since the double nozzle-flapper two-stage valve patent was granted. This paper reviews the many alternative servovalve designs that were investigated at that time, focusing on two-stage valves. The development of single-stage valves – otherwise known as direct drive or proportional valves – for industrial rather than aerospace application is also briefly reviewed. Ongoing research into alternative valve technology is then discussed, particularly focussing on piezoelectric actuation and the opportunities afforded by additive manufacturing.

Publisher version
This article presents a panoramic and critical overview of isiXhosa lexicography and its impact on the intellectualisation of this indigenous South African language. The history of isi¬Xhosa lexicography dates back more than two centuries. However, there still exists a need for dic¬tionaries that serve the language-speaking community as practical tools for addressing diverse communication and learning-oriented needs in the current language policy dispensation. The Isi¬Xhosa National Lexicography Unit (XNLU) is currently working on dictionary projects that attempt to address this situation while at the same time not losing sight of the mandate that the Pan South African National Language Board (PanSALB) placed on all the National Lexicography Units (NLUs). For this to happen, the article argues that the NLU needs to put lexicographic prac¬tice into its historical perspective, i.e. conceiving dictionary projects in the light of existing diction¬aries and lexicographic traditions in the language. Over and above that, there is a need to take into account the recent developments in lexicographic research, adopt co-operative lexicographic prac¬tice and develop a dictionary culture among the isiXhosa-speaking community.

This report concludes the first four years (1992 -1995) of Southern Paiute involvement in the Glen Canyon Environmental Studies (GCES), a program initiated by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) in 1982. Southern Paiutes have conducted ethnographic research and participated in the Congressionally mandated Environmental Impact Study (EIS) of Glen Canyon Dam water release policies on natural and human-made resources found in the Colorado River Corridor. These ethnographic studies have taken place in what is called the Colorado River Corridor which extends 255 miles down stream from Glen Canyon Dam to the end of the free flowing river at Separation Canyon within the Grand Canyon National Park. They have concentrated on investigating the impacts of the Dam's water releases to Southern Paiute cultural resources. Since the Final EIS was published in March 1995, emphasis has been placed on what is called the Adaptive Management Program of the GCES and attention has shifted to monitoring the water release impacts.

This researcher is a descendant of the Quandamooka people from Minjerribah and Moorgumpin, North Stradbroke and Moreton Island. This practice-led research project explores the application of traditional weaving techniques in creating contemporary forms of fashion acknowledging the strength and structure of weaving practices across Australia. The resulting collection of the researchers woven garments is thus both a cultural expression and political statement. As a practicing Indigenous visual artist, this paper is a brief introduction to the researchers contribution to Indigenous Australian Fashion.

Education aims to impart knowledge and makes good citizens. Libraries are the repositories of knowledge and form an integral part of education. Libraries have a long history, starting with the chained and closed-access libraries of earlier times to the present-day hybrid, digital, and virtual libraries that use the latest technology for provision of information through various services. Accordingly, librarians have also changed from storekeepers who were concerned with protection of books against theft, mutilation, and pilferage, to that of information officers, navigators, and cybrarians who find themselves in the vast ocean of reading material and are busy in satisfying their clients who want anytime and anywhere information. With the advent of computers, the nature of libraries has changed dramatically. Computers are being used in libraries to process, store, retrieve and disseminate information. As a result, the traditional concept of library is being redefined from a place to access books to one which houses the most advanced media including CD-ROM, Internet, and remote access to a wide range of resources. Libraries have now metamorphosed into digital institutions. Gone are the days when a library was judged by its quantitative resources. Today, libraries are surrounded by networked data that is connected to a vast ocean of Internet-based services. Moreover, electronic resources relevant to the professions are developing at an unprecedented pace. Academic libraries are considered to be the nerve centres of academic institutions, and must support teaching, research, and other academic programmes. The situation in academic libraries of India is the same as that of academic libraries the world over; however, Indian libraries must provide maximum information with limited resources.

This thesis provides evidence for why more complete fisheries catch estimates should be included in fisheries assessments. West African fisheries suffer over-exploitation, illegal fishing and overcapacity. Certainly, overlooking small-scale sectors and attributing “zero” to existing gaps do not improve the situation. Under-reporting masks fisheries real trends and overcapacity, contributing to intensifying over-exploitation, whose impacts, along with the effects of climate change, could be disastrous. My research focuses on the fisheries of the Western part of the African continent. I begin by presenting methods to estimate the “invisible” catch through the case study of Senegal. I designed this “catch reconstruction” to illustrate the effects of illegal fishing on small-scale fisheries whose geographical range has increased significantly. I used reconstructed data for small-scale fisheries to quantify their contribution to employment and the economy, their profitability and the evolution of fisher’s income as compared to the national poverty line. I found that people increasingly rely on fisheries despite their low income, now dangerously close to the poverty line. Foreign fisheries also contribute to generating income, but also to income losses. I compare the performance of fisheries by China and Europe in West Africa in terms of reporting, illegal fishing and compensation. It appears that despite the inherent policy differences between China and Europe in terms of their Distant Water Fleet (DWF) operations, they both under-reported catches, fished illegally and undercompensated for fishing agreements. They also both contribute to reducing the biomass of fish available to local fishers, and hence to a reduction fishing opportunities and incomes. Fish stocks, and therefore, fisheries are also affected by climate change. I examine these effects and overlap them with some fisheries socio-economic indicators and found that artisanal fishers were more likely to “follow the fish” by expanding their fishing range, while industrial fishers seem to have more flexible as their range of adaptation strategies appears to be wider. In summary, the work on West African fisheries refutes the myth of “lack of data”, and I show that sufficient data exist to analyze the effects of current fisheries policy, and by implication, to formulate alternatives.
Science, Faculty of
Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for
Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007.
Title from electronic title page (viewed Dec. 18, 2007). "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures (Spanish)." Discipline: Romance Languages; Department/School: Romance Languages.

This dissertation will identify and describe the state of the law regarding student speech and press freedom. The following questions will be explored: What rights do young people have? What standards have state and federal courts established? To what extent and how clearly have state statutes defined student expressive rights? What do state laws say about this topic? What issues have yet to be addressed, either because a case has not raised certain issues or because the issue does not lend itself to compromise or a clear solution? How does the capacity of social media for widespread and rapid dissemination affect the balancing of First Amendment rights with other interests? Among other topics, the dissertation will discuss the development of First Amendment law, the strengthening of student expression law in the 1960s, the curtailment of student expression rights at the K-12 level in the 1980s, and state legislation that protects student expression at the K-12 and university levels. The conclusion will contain strategies for the enhancement of students’ First Amendment rights.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Comparative Media Studies, 2006.
Vita.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-66).
Like writers and editors, photojournalists are held to a standard of ethics. Each publication has a set of rules, sometimes written, sometimes unwritten, that governs what that publication considers to be a truthful and faithful representation of images to the public. These rules cover a wide range of topics such as how a photographer should act while taking pictures, what he or she can and can't photograph, and whether and how an image can be altered in the darkroom or on the computer. This ethical framework evolved over time, influenced by such things as technological capability and community values; and it is continually developing today. This thesis details how photojournalism's ethical system came to be, what the system looks like today, and where it will go in the future. The first chapter chronicles the history of ethics in photojournalism. The second chapter describes current ethical practices through specific case studies. The third and final chapter builds upon the first two and uses technology and policy to examine the trajectory of photojournalistic ethics.
by Daniel R. Bersak.
S.M.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 30-November 02, 1989 / Town & Country Hotel & Convention Center, San Diego, California
About a half of a century ago, born of necessity created by World War II, automatic tracking techniques were developed. The first successful tracking system to go in production was the SCR 584 Radar developed for the U.S. Army Signal Corps in about 1942. Early tracking systems consisted of an antenna, a gimbal to support and position the antenna beam to track the target, a servo to control the movement of the gimbal, a control system for the operator to control the tracking, a transmitter to illuminate the target, and a receiver to receive the reflected signal from which the tracking error signal was extracted and sent to the servo. It is interesting to note that this description also fits today’s tracking systems. True -- telemetry signal tracking is passive and does not require the transmitter and true -some of the modern antennas do not require a gimballed support but the basic elements of the tracking system are still the same. However, over the last 50 years, there have been considerable changes and improvements in available materials, components, methods and technology. The scope of this paper is limited to the antenna and its progress in this changing technology. Presented herein is a brief history of tracking systems and discussion of the various tracking antennas developed over the years as well as the present tracking technology and that of the future.

Recently, computational methods and software have been receiving more attention in the econometrics literature, emphasizing that they are integral components of modern econometric research. This has also promoted the development of many new econometrics software packages written in R and made available on the Comprehensive R Archive Network. This special volume on "Econometrics in R" features a selection of these recent activities that includes packages for econometric analysis of cross-section, time series and panel data. This introduction to the special volume highlights the contents of the contributions and embeds them into a brief overview of other past, present, and future projects for econometrics in R.

Embajador Kazuyuki Katayama. Doctor en Relaciones Internacionales. Diplomático con amplia experiencia profesional ocupando distintas áreas dentro de la Cancillería y posiciones en Bélgica, Estados Unidos, China, Malasia y actualmente Embajador en el Perú
Análisis retrospectivo de las relaciones bilaterales entre Japón y China y una mirada a futuro.

Cette thèse aborde des aspects importants qui impliquent le passé, le présent et l’avenir des politiques monétaires non conventionnelles (PMNC) : son contexte historique et les débats conceptuels qui l’accompagnent; l’expérience des PMNC dans les économies avancées, avec le cas de la Zone Euro; les effets des PMNC dans les économies émergentes et ses liens avec la dette privée des entreprises; le processus de sortie des PMNC et l’avenir des cadres de politique monétaire. Premièrement, en rapportant plusieurs expériences historiques de la Banque d’Angleterre, de la Réserve Fédérale américaine et de la Banque du Japon, nous mettons en évidence que des politiques qui, après la crise de 2008, étaient considérées comme «non conventionnelles» avaient en fait déjà été adoptées à diverses occasions dans l’histoire. Deuxièmement, au niveau des débats conceptuels, nous analysons le cadre (objectifs, mesures, canaux de transmission, effets) des PMNC, en portant une attention plus détaillée aux taux d’intérêt nominaux négatifs, mesure qui n’a pas été appliqué avant 2008. Troisièmement, au regard de l’expérience des PMNC dans la zone euro, nous avons constaté que ces dernières étaient capables d’éviter un effondrement financier majeur après 2008 et d’apporter des améliorations partielles des indicateurs macroéconomiques. En particulier, les rendements souverains ont présenté des réponses différentes selon chaque programme d'achat d'actifs annoncé / mis en œuvre. Néanmoins, les PMNC n’ont été pas capables de résoudre touts seules les problèmes économiques de la zone euro, qui méritent le soutien de politiques supplémentaires (fiscales, industrielles, institutionnelles, de réglementation / supervision financières) pour assurer une trajectoire de croissance soutenue à moyen / long terme. Quatrièmement, en ce qui concerne les effets des PMNC dans les économies émergentes, nous avons observé le rôle important joué par les mesures d’assouplissement monétaire des principales banques centrales des économies avancées, associées à d’autres facteurs mondiaux, pour expliquer la hausse de la dette des entreprises. Ses implications pour la politique économique sont liées à la nécessité de renforcer la réglementation financière et les instruments macro et microprudentiels afin d'augmenter la résilience du système financier contre les crises. Enfin, le processus actuel de sortie des PMNC est asynchrone. Un séquençage progressif et une communication appropriée seront nécessaires pour éviter des perturbations majeures des marchés financiers internationaux. Les futurs cadres de politique monétaire pourraient tirer des leçons des expériences du passé et récentes et incorporer certaines PMNC dans leur boite à outils pour augmenter l’efficacité des politiques monétaires et réduire des préoccupations liées à stabilité financière, une fois que les défis posés par les marchés financiers sont devenus de plus en plus importants
This thesis touches upon important aspects that involve the past, present and future of unconventional monetary policies (UMPs): their historical background and conceptual debate; the experience of UMPs in advanced economies, with the Euro area case; the effects of UMPs in emerging economies, and their links with corporate debt; the process of UMPs exit and the future of monetary policy frameworks. First, by reporting several historical experiences of the Bank of England, Federal Reserve System and Bank of Japan, we have observed that policies which after the 2008 crisis were considered to be “unconventional” had already been adopted in various occasions before. Second, on the conceptual debate, we analyzed UMPs framework (objectives, measures, transmission channels, and effects), with more detailed attention on nominal negative interest rates, measure which had not been implemented before 2008. Third, on UMPs experience in the Euro area, we observed that UMPs were capable of avoiding a major financial collapse after 2008, and managed partial improvements in macroeconomic indicators. In particular, sovereign yields have presented distinct responses according to each asset purchase program announced/implemented. However, UMPs were not able alone to solve all economic problems in the Euro area, which deserve the support of additional policies (fiscal, industrial, institutional, financial regulation/supervision) to ensure a sustained growth path in the medium/long term. Fourth, on UMPs effects in emerging economies, we have observed the important role of accommodative measures of the main advanced economies central banks, together with other global factors, to explain the rise of corporate debt. Its economic policy implications are related to the need for enhancement in financial regulation, macro and microprudential instruments to increase the resilience of the financial system against crises. Finally, the current process of UMPs exit is asynchronous, and gradual sequencing and proper communication will be required to avoid major disruptions in international financial markets. Future monetary policy frameworks may take lessons from past and recent experiences and incorporate some UMPs in their toolkits, in order to increase the effectiveness of monetary policies and reduce financial stability concerns, once the challenges posed by financial markets are increasingly higher
Esta tese aborda aspectos importantes que envolvem o passado, presente e futuro das políticas monetárias não convencionais (PMNCs): seu histórico e debate conceitual; a experiência das PMNCs nas economias avançadas, com o caso da Área do Euro; os efeitos das PMNCs nas economias emergentes e suas relações com a dívida corporativa; o processo de saída das PMNCs e o futuro dos arcabouços de política monetária. Primeiro, relatando várias experiências históricas do Banco da Inglaterra, do Federal Reserve System e do Banco do Japão, observamos que as políticas que, após a crise de 2008, eram consideradas “não convencionais” já haviam sido adotadas em várias ocasiões anteriores. Em segundo lugar, no debate conceitual, analisamos o arcabouço das PMNCs (objetivos, medidas, canais de transmissão e efeitos), com atenção mais detalhada sobre as taxas de juros nominais negativas, medida que não havia sido implementada antes de 2008. Em terceiro lugar, na experiência das PMNCs na Área do Euro, observamos que as PMNCs foram capazes de evitar um grande colapso financeiro após 2008 e resultaram em melhorias parciais nos indicadores macroeconômicos. Em particular, os rendimentos soberanos apresentaram respostas distintas de acordo com cada programa de compra de ativos anunciado / implementado. No entanto, as PMNCs não foram capazes de resolver sozinhas todos os problemas econômicos da Área do Euro, que merecem o apoio de políticas adicionais (fiscal, industrial, institucional, regulação/supervisão financeira) para assegurar uma trajetória de crescimento sustentado no médio/longo prazo. Quarto, sobre os efeitos das PMNCs nas economias emergentes, observamos o importante papel das medidas de acomodação monetária dos principais bancos centrais de economias avançadas, juntamente com outros fatores globais, para explicar o aumento da dívida corporativa. Suas implicações de política econômica estão relacionadas à necessidade de aprimoramento na regulação financeira, instrumentos macro e microprudenciais para aumentar a resiliência do sistema financeiro contra crises. Finalmente, o atual processo de saída das PMNCs é assíncrono, e um sequenciamento gradual e uma comunicação apropriada serão necessários para evitar grandes distúrbios nos mercados financeiros internacionais. Os futuros arcabouços de política monetária podem tirar lições de experiências passadas e recentes e incorporar algumas PMNCs nos seus instrumentos, a fim de aumentar a eficácia das políticas monetárias e reduzir os riscos de estabilidade financeira, uma vez que os desafios impostos pelos mercados financeiros são cada vez mais elevados

Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2008.
Title from screen (viewed on June 2, 2009). Department of Philosophy, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Eric Mark Meslin, John J. Tilley, Timothy D. Lyons. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-52).

Thesis (M.P.A.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 1994.
Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2947. Abstract precedes thesis as [1] preliminary leaf. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-80).

The research into the past, present and future of Australia’s Deaf theatre allows us to understand the social, cultural, professional and political landscape of Deaf theatre companies and Deaf theatre practitioners. It provides reflection on the lessons learnt within arts management practices of Deaf theatre companies and creating performances with Deaf theatre practitioners.

Thesis (M.S. in Systems Technology (Command, Control, and Communications)) Naval Postgraduate School, June 1994.
Thesis advisor(s): Dan C. Boger, Carl R. Jones. "June 1994." Bibliography: p. 137-141. Also available online.

Tot i que la Xina és el país amb més persones amb discapacitat del món, l’oferta de serveis d’accessibilitat sensorial “com ara l’audiodescripció”; i el seu estudi acadèmic es troben encara en un estat incipient. L’audiodescripció és una descripció d’informació visual en format d’àudio dirigida a persones amb pèrdua de visió, encara que no exclusivament. A la Xina actualment s’ofereix audiodescripció sobretot a les anomenades “ciutats de primer nivell”, com Pequín, Shanghai i Guangzhou. Aquesta dada no resulta sorprenent tenint en compte que l’oferta d’aquest servei depèn de les prioritats de cada govern regional, així com d’iniciatives ciutadanes solidàries. L’esfera acadèmica de la audiodescripció tampoc no compta amb grans aportacions, malgrat que la investigació sobre traducció audiovisual sí que està experimentant un moment d’avenços a la Xina. Atesos l’aparent estat precari de l’audiodescripció en aquest país i els desafiaments als quals encara s’ha d’enfrontar, la present tesi es va proposar no només contextualitzar aquest servei com un primer pas per encetar la investigació acadèmica sobre el tema a la Xina, sinó també proposar una alternativa que en facilités l’accés i n’ampliés l’oferta. Més específicament, aquesta tesi va partir dels següents objectius generals. En primer lloc, descriure la història i l’estat actual de l’audiodescripció a la Xina continental des de diferents prismes, tant com a pràctica professional com a objecte d’estudi acadèmic, fent especial èmfasi en la ciutat de Shanghai. Aquest objectiu es va dur a terme tot revisant la història, l’oferta actual i els estudis relatius a l’audiodescripció al país; traçant el perfil dels audiodescriptors; explorant els hàbits, les necessitats i el grau de satisfacció quant al servei dels usuaris; i analitzant algunes guies de bones pràctiques d’audiodescripció inèdites, elaborades per a usos formatius. En segon lloc, comparar el cas xinès amb el context europeu pel que fa als aspectes esmentats en el primer objectiu. En tercer lloc, determinar si l’audiodescripció de pel·lícules locutada amb veus sintètiques resulta acceptable a la Xina. La metodologia emprada va incloure qüestionaris, entrevistes i un grup de discussió, que es van distribuir o bé van ser duts a terme a la Xina, principalment a Shanghai, i van permetre d’obtenir dades quantitatives i qualitatives. Els resultats confirmen que l’audiodescripció a la Xina continental encara es troba en un estadi incipient, tant en termes de pràctica professional com d’objecte d’estudi, especialment en comparació amb alguns països occidentals. L’audiodescripció s’ofereix principalment en pel·lícules i gràcies a voluntaris, els quals solen o bé escriure els guions o bé locutar-los. Els usuaris enquestats van resultar ser majoritàriament jubilats d’edat avançada amb un baix nivell educatiu que consumeixen pel·lícules audiodescrites amb força freqüència per, sobretot, entretenir-se. Els usuaris es van mostrar satisfets amb el servei al qual han tingut accés fins ara, tot i que no estigui ofert per professionals formats en l’àmbit. Pel que fa al nostre estudi de recepció, els resultats van revelar que, si bé les diferències entre les puntuacions obtingudes per les veus naturals i sintètiques van resultar estadísticament significatives a favor de les primeres, els participants van considerar que l’audiodescripció amb veus sintètiques podia ser una alternativa provisional i fins i tot una solució permanent acceptable si això es traduïa en un major accés a pel·lícules audiodescrites. Els nostres resultats ofereixen informació important sobre la situació de l’audiodescripció a la Xina, especialment a Shanghai, i en la tesi es proposen recomanacions que podrien millorar de forma considerable la situació d’aquest servei d’accessibilitat al país.
A pesar de que China es el país con más personas con discapacidad del mundo, la oferta de servicios de accesibilidad sensorial “tales como la audiodescripción” y su estudio académico se encuentran aún en un estado incipiente. La audiodescripción es una descripción de información visual en formato de audio dirigida a personas con pérdida de visión, aunque no exclusivamente. En China actualmente se ofrece audiodescripción, sobre todo, en las llamadas “ciudades de primer nivel”, como Pekín, Shanghai y Guangzhou. Este dato no resulta sorprendente teniendo en cuenta que la oferta de dicho servicio depende de las prioridades de cada gobierno regional, así como de iniciativas ciudadanas solidarias. La esfera académica de la audiodescripción apenas cuenta con aportaciones, pese a que la investigación sobre traducción audiovisual sí está experimentando un momento de apogeo en China. En vista del aparente estado precario de la audiodescripción en este país “así como de los desafíos a los que aún se tiene que enfrentar” la presente tesis se propuso no solo contextualizar este servicio como un primer paso para arrancar la investigación académica sobre el tema en China, sino también proponer una alternativa que facilitara el acceso y ampliara la oferta. Más específicamente, esta tesis partió de los siguientes objetivos generales. En primer lugar, describir la historia y el estado actual de la audiodescripción en China continental desde diferentes prismas, tanto como práctica profesional como objeto de estudio académico, haciendo especial hincapié en la ciudad de Shanghai. Dicho objetivo se llevó a cabo revisando la historia, la oferta actual y los estudios relativos a la audiodescripción en el país; trazando el perfil de los audiodescriptores; explorando los hábitos, las necesidades y el grado de satisfacción de los usuarios; y analizando algunas guías de buenas prácticas de audiodescripción inéditas, elaboradas para usos formativos. En segundo lugar, comparar el caso chino con el contexto europeo con respecto a los aspectos mencionados en el primer objetivo. En tercer lugar, determinar si la audiodescripción locutada con voces sintéticas resulta aceptable en películas en China. La metodología empleada incluyó cuestionarios, entrevistas y un grupo de discusión, que se distribuyeron o bien fueron llevados a cabo principalmente en Shanghai, y arrojaron datos tanto cuantitativos como cualitativos. Los resultados confirman que la audiodescripción en China continental aún está en un estadio incipiente, tanto en términos de práctica profesional como de objeto de estudio, especialmente en comparación con algunos países occidentales. La audiodescripción se ofrece principalmente en películas y gracias a voluntarios, que suelen o bien escribir los guiones o bien locutarlos. Los usuarios encuestados resultaron ser en su mayoría jubilados de edad avanzada con un bajo nivel educativo que consumen películas audiodescritas con bastante frecuencia para, sobre todo, entretenerse. Dichos usuarios se mostraron satisfechos con el servicio prestado hasta la fecha, a pesar de que no sea ofertado por profesionales formados en el ámbito. Con respecto a nuestro estudio de recepción, los resultados revelaron que, si bien las diferencias entre las puntuaciones obtenidas por las voces naturales y sintéticas resultaron estadísticamente significativas a favor de las primeras, los participantes consideraron que las voces sintéticas podían ser una alternativa provisional e incluso una solución permanente aceptable si ello se traducía en un mayor acceso a películas audiodescritas. Nuestros resultados ofrecen información importante acerca de la situación de la audiodescripción en China, especialmente en Shanghai, y en la tesis se elaboran propuestas que podrían mejorar de forma considerable la situación de este servició de accesibilidad en el país.
Despite China being the country with most disabled people in the world, the provision of media accessibility services and their academic study are still in their infancy, including audio description. Audio description is a “description of visual information delivered via an audio channel” (Salway, 2007, p. 151) catering people with sigh loss, but not exclusively. Audio description is currently mainly offered in the so-called “first-tier cities” in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. This is not surprising considering that the provision of audio description relies on the priorities of each regional government, along with grassroot initiatives. The academic side of audio description does not come off better, although the state of Audio-visual Translation is quite vibrant in China. In the light of the apparent precarious state of audio description and the challenges it still has to face in China, the present thesis sets out to not only contextualise audio description in the country as a first step to launch academic research on the topic, but also offers an audio description-related alternative that will facilitate the provision of audio description. More specifically, the general aims of this thesis are the following. First, to describe the history and the current state of audio description in Mainland China, both as an access service and as an object of study, with special focus on the city of Shanghai. This is carried out by reviewing the history and the current state of audio description in China; profiling audio describers in Mainland China; investigating the habits, needs and satisfaction of audio description users towards this access service; and analysing some unpublished Chinese audio description guidelines currently in use, especially for training purposes. Second, to compare the Chinese case with the European context regarding the aspects mentioned in the first objective. Third, to determine whether text-to-speech audio description can be accepted in movies in China. The methodology employed includes questionnaires, interviews and a focus group, all of which were distributed or carried out in China. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The results confirm that audio description in Mainland China is still in its infancy, both as professional practice and as an object of study, especially when compared to some countries in the West. It is mainly offered in films and thanks to volunteers, who usually either write the scripts or voice them. Our user participants were mainly retired old people with little or no education that consume audio described films quite frequently mainly for entertainment purposes. They are all satisfied with the service provided so far, despite it not being delivered by persons who have been professionally trained in this field. Regarding our reception study, the results show that, although natural voices have statistically higher scores than synthetic voices, these can be viewed as both an interim alternative and even as a permanent solution by our participants if that translates into more access to audio described movies. The findings offer important insights into the situation of audio description in China, especially in Shanghai, and recommendations are put forward for future developments to serve the community.

Queensland and much of eastern Australia have had significant rainfall declines since ~1951, causing economic hardship on rural and urban communities. However, no significant attempt has been made to identify and understand the physical causes of the rainfall declines over southeast Queensland (SE QLD) and whether they are likely to continue into the 21st century under higher levels of global warming.In this research, climate observations, models and global climate data as well as palaeoclimate information are used to investigate past, present and future rainfall trends in SE QLD. Five global climate models (GCMs) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC–AR4) show a significant decrease in rainfall will occur over the SE QLD region during the 21st century. Observations since ~1951 show the mean sea level pressure (MSLP) has been increasing over much of Queensland, indicating the subtropical ridge has been expanding. This study attributes the increase in the MSLP and some of the rainfall decline to changes in the subtropical ridge and the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). Projections show increases in the MSLP over the region are likely to continue during the 21st century associated with the positive polarity of SAM. Land cover changes over SE QLD were investigated using a regional climate model and show rainfall decreases with higher surface albedo values. Finally, a palaeoenvironmental record developed using lake sediments from Lake Broadwater in SE QLD, indicates a gradual rainfall decline has occurred during the last ~3.2 kyr B.P. Hence SE QLD has undergone a slow rainfall decline since the late Holocene and also since ~1951, with these conditions likely to continue and intensify during the 21st century.

This thesis looks at the Ikhwan movement from an historical point of view and focuses on going back to the roots of the movement which is tied to the religious revivalism initiated by Muhammad al-Wahhab in the late 1700s. The religious doctrine which evolved from this religious revival movement condoned and legitimized both the formation of modern Saudi Arabia under the rule of the al-Saud family and the Ikhwan. Hence, Wahhabism is the underlying theme to three historical events: the first Wahhabi movement of the 1700s, the Ikhwan under Ibn Saud and the Neo-Ikhwan under al-Utaybi. All of these events should be regarded as one movement, where Wahhabism provides the link or key to understanding the Ikhwan not only as a political/military organization but as a religious movement as well.

This dissertation is the first overview of the history and present state of archaeology in Iran. Its aim is to consider the relevance of recent developments in Western archaeology, and their relevance to a Near Eastern Islamic State. The Palaeolithic of Iran is taken as a case study. The first concern of chapters (1) and (2), in this thesis is to evaluate the distinctively national characteristics of archaeology in Iran. Specifically the chapters consider the development of archaeology in Iran in the 1960s and 1970s in relation to the `New Archaeology' in the USA. It is clear that these external influences had only a minimal impact on archaeology in Iran; the `New Archaeology' which first developed in American circles more than thirty years ago, made a somewhat belated impact on Iranian archaeology in the seventies. Not all of its agenda has been adopted, and because it was pioneered by anthropologists on relatively recent and simple New World sites, it is not totally applicable to the long historical sequence of complex Iranian mounds. I argue that Iranian archaeology was simply left behind, "out of date" and generally atheoretical. I also stress that its traditional authority structure prevented discussion of new ideas. Chapter (3), emphasises that, despite a wide range of archaeological work in Iran, the blanks on the archaeological maps are far greater in extent than the small regions that have to some extent been filled in. On the other hand the unparalleled expansion of archaeology particularly the complexity and costs of fieldwork, will force us to determine priorities much more clearly. Thus in the future we will probably see fewer of the enormous ten-year excavations at Tell- sites such as characterised the 1960s and 1970s. We have to move to smaller projects deliberately designed to answer specific problems (i. e., excavation at one period sites; surface survey, and regional studies). Because the concept of surface surveying as a reliable method of data recovery has not been introduced into the archaeology of Iran, and archaeologists there are still not familiar with its methods and techniques, this chapter aims to emphasise the importance and productivity of this strategy and provides a general model of archaeological survey methodology for the future. The present thesis goes radically beyond the traditional cultural-historical paradigms of Iranian research orientation, and suggests, for instance that the study of Palaeolithic Archaeology (in new perspectives) is a fundamental period of human cultural progress, but one that has long been completely neglected in Iranian archaeology. The current issues of Palaeolithic Archaeology, the importance of environmental data, and the range of our understanding of Iranian Palaeolithic Archaeology are the subjects of Chapters (4) and (5). The political and ideological problems of the archaeology of Iran are discussed in chapter (6) where I argue that the concept of Archaeological Heritage Management is a matter of top priority for Iranian archaeology. This chapter discusses major disasters in Iranian cultural heritage (i. e., looting of sites due to a lack of legal protection, an adequate management system, as well as economic and social problems). I conclude in this thesis that there are major challenges for archaeology in Iran in the future; the older generation is almost gone, the new generation coming to the fore must face many tasks, among them the transition from a monolithic national school to a more subtle, many-sided approach to archaeological problems. It must salvage what it can of sites rapidly being destroyed by various factors. At the same time we will have to challenge the political and ideological constraints affecting archaeology in society. The new generation must envision a master-plan for the future archaeological development in this region, where economic development and prosperity still allows good opportunities and support for systematic archaeological research.

Många badrum har idag ytskikt av keramiska material. Då dessa konstruktioner inte är vattentäta i sig själva har förändrade tvagningsvanor ställt ökade krav på badrummens tätskikt. Genom att jämföra branschregler som styr våtrumsbyggande utfärdade av BKR och GVK, med skaderapporter utfärdade av Vattenskadecentrum, kan konstateranden angående branschreglernas inverkan göras. Vattenskaderapporterna visar att andelen tätskiktsskador på vägg har minskat och andelen tätskiktsskador på golv har ökat. Den tätskiktsskada som vållar störst problem i badrum är då tätskiktets anslutning till golvbrunn läcker. I denna rapport eftersöks mer omfattande testmetoder för tätskiktssystem för att kunna upptäcka brister i dessa i ett tidigare skede. Så även ökad insyn och detaljstyrning av tillverkningsskedet från branschorganisationerna.