Teses / dissertações sobre o tema "Gray (Firm)"

Uppsatsen studerar hur Oscar Wildes roman 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' har överförts till filmen, genom att jämföra centrala karaktärer, förhållandet mellan 'story' och 'plot' samt hur man skildrar tiden och rummet i de olika medierna. Detta för att se vilken form av adaptation som använts. Teorin baseras på Brian McFarlane, Susan Hayward och Louis Giannetti m.fl.

A coming of age dramedy in the vein of "American Graffiti" taking place in a modern, urban setting. Grad Night is about three graduating seniors trying to pull off the most epic senior prank of all time but it backfires into lessons that go far beyond high school.

In my senior year at ETSU I produced a documentary about opioid abuse in East Tennessee. In 2016, two local health care providers and a university collaborated on a project that would bring an opioid treatment center to Gray, Tennessee. The center includes a methadone clinic, an addition that piqued the concern of many citizens living in Gray. The film evaluates the concerns citizens had about the clinic and explores the issue of opioid abuse in East Tennessee.

To many aspiring writer/directors of feature film breaking into the industry may be perceived as an insurmountable obstacle. In contemplating my own attempt to venture into the world of feature filmmaking I have reasoned that a formulated strategy could be of benefit. As the film industry is largely concerned with economics I decided that writing a relatively low-cost feature film may improve my chances of being allowed directorship by a credible producer. As a result I have decided to write a modest feature film set in a single interior shooting location in an attempt to minimise production costs, therefore also attempting to reduce the perceived risk in hiring the writer as debut director. As a practice-led researcher, the primary focus of this research is to create a screenplay in response to my greater directorial aspirations and to explore the nature in which the said strategic decision to write a single-location film impacts on not only the craft of cinematic writing but also the creative process itself, as it pertains to the project at hand. The result is a comedy script titled Gravy, which is set in a single apartment and strives to maintain a fast comedic pace whilst employing a range of character and plot devices in conjunction with creative decisions that help to sustain cinematic interest within the confines of the apartment. In addition to the screenplay artifact, the exegesis also includes a section that reflects on the writing process in the form of personal accounts, decisions, problems and solutions as well as examination of other author’s works.

U radu su istražene brojne i različite veze između grada i medija filma.Razmatrano je kako su filmski prikazi urbanih pejzaža postali njihovintegralni, neodvojivi deo i kako navedeno utiče na promene u sagledavanjuarhitektonskih prostora i urbanog okruženja, kao i na promene u načinu nakoji se sa istima stupa u interakciju. Kroz ispitivanje prikaza gradova ufilmovima, istraživani su tokovi urbanog razvoja i analizirane su iinterpretirane društveno-prostorne promene koje se odvijaju od početka XXveka do danas u velikim evropskim i severnoameričkim gradovima.
The thesis explores numerous and different relations between the city andfilm medium. It has been considered how cinematic images of urbanlandscape have become their integral, inseparable part, and how thisinfluences changes in the perception of architectural spaces and the urbanenvironment, as well as changes in the way in which people interact withthem. By examining the representation of cities in films, urban developmenttrends have been studied and socio-spatial changes taking place in largeEuropean and North American cities from the beginning of the 20th centuryto the present day have been analyzed and interpreted.

Fire may alter both aquatic and terrestrial habitat used by all amphibian life stages, yet, our knowledge of its effects on amphibians is primarily limited to adult responses. I present an integrated approach to test the response of Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) to fire by examining responses in tadpole performance and survivorship, adult abundance, and oviposition. Tadpoles raised with burned leaf litter had similar survival, but total mass and total length were 440% and 170% greater, respectively, for tadpoles raised in unburned litter. I assessed terrestrial and aquatic oviposition cues by embedding burned and unburned litter treatments within burned and unburned terrestrial plots. Oviposition was an order of magnitude higher in unburned plots, regardless of the litter treatment. This difference was not statistically significant or driven by adult abundance. My results indicate the need to explore the dynamic effects forest management practices can have on amphibians across life stages.

This thesis examines the portrayal of journalists in feature films and treats the films as cultural artefacts, which represent many of the prevailing attitudes and public expectations of the contemporary news media. It considers three films Good Night, and Good Luck (2004), Lions For Lambs (2007) and State of Play (2009) and uses three ethical frameworks, John Stuart Mill‟s Utilitarianism, Immanuel Kant‟s Deontological ethics and the Society of Professional Journalist‟s Code of Ethics to closely examine the actions of the journalists. After applying these frameworks to the films, the thesis examines the ethical framework favoured by filmmakers and analyses the work of these journalists as indicative of the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the contemporary news media in the popular imagination. The thesis discusses how films containing journalists as characters shape public expectations of their real life counterparts and if there are indeed any suitable recommendations that can be applied as best practice to the work of journalists in the evolving news media industries

The thesis assesses the financial situation and management of the company Měšťanský pivovar v Poličce, a.s. producing beer and soft drinks. Proposals leading to the improvement of the company’s financial situation are suggested based on the financial analysis of the company and on comparison of basic financial indicators with another rival breweries.

Diplomová práce se zabývá historií značky Renault a Dacia a sleduje vývoj spolupráce těchto značek. Popisuje model Dacia Logan, jeho silné a slabé stránky, další možná pokračování projektu X90. Práce se dále zabývá utvářením ceny na trhu a možnostmi jejího ovlivnění.

Detta arbete är utfört som ett examensarbete åt Skogsstyrelsen som en uppföljning på samråd för dikesrensning utförda på distrikt Jönköping från hösten 2004 till 2009. Följande saker har studerats: Hur uppfattades samrådet? Hur utfördes rensningen? Är markägaren nöjd med resultatet? Har skogen svarat på rensningen genom ökad tillväxt och i så fall hur snart och hur mycket? Har markfloran förändrats? Syns några andra positiva eller negativa effekter efter rensningen?Arbetet har utförts i två steg dels i form av en markägarintervju på 7 olika fastigheter och sedan som fältinventering med datainsamling. Utifrån det första besöket valdes 10 bestånd ut för inventering på 4 fastigheter, 2 tall och 8 granbestånd med totalt 136 träd, 27 tallar och 109 granar. 122 träd borrades för årsringsanalys 27 tallar och 95 granar. Borrkärnorna analyserades i WinDENDROs tillväxtprogram, sammanfattningar gjordes i Microsoft Excel och variansanalys i SAS statistikprogram.Träd närmast diket visade i genomsnitt en högre radiell tillväxt efter dikesrensningen än träd som stod längre ifrån diket. Alla markägare kunde se en förbättrad tillväxt efter rensningen och 4 av 7 kunde se en klar förbättring. 6 av 10 bestånd hade 4-7 år efter rensning fortfarande 20-50 % björn-och vit mossor i bottenskiktet. Två hade stora problem med kraftig grästillväxt men ingen hade sett några andra negativa effekter på markfloran.
The work was carried out for the Swedish Forest Agency as a follow-up on consultation for cleansing ditches in the district of Jönköping from autumn 2004 to 2009.The following things were studied: How was the consultation and results of cleansing perceived? How was the cleansing carried out? Has the forest responded to the cleansing through increased growth and if so how soon and how much? Has the ground flora changed? Were there any other positive or negative effects after the cleaning? Interviews were carried out with the property owners and the forest inventoried in the field.The work has been carried out in two stages, partly in the form of a market interview of 7 different properties and then as a field inviting with data collection. Based on the first visit, 10 stocks were selected for inventory of 4 properties, 2 pine (Pinus sylvestris) and 8 spruces (Picea abies) stands with a total of 136 trees, 27 pines and 109 spruces were measured. 122 trees were drilled for growth ring analysis 27 pines and 95 spruces. The drill cores were analyzed in WinDENDRO's growth ring program, summaries were made in Microsoft Excel and variance analysis was performed in SAS's statistical program.Trees that were closest to the ditch showed on average a higher radial growth after cleaning than before compared to trees that were farther from the ditch.6 out of 10 stands had after 4-7 years of cleansing still 20-50% bear- and white moss in the bottom layer. All landowners could see an improved profitability after cleaning and four out of seven could noticeably see better growth. Two had problems with troubling grass growth, but no one had seen any other positive or negative effects on the ground flora.

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Esta dissertação investiga o papel de moderação da estrutura de mercado na relação entre desempenho operacional e composição dos custos das empresas. Como proxy para a estrutura de mercado, adotou-se o Índice Herfindahl-Hirschman (HHI); para o desempenho operacional, foi utilizado como proxy o retorno sobre o capital investido (ROIC); e para composição dos custos das empresas, o Grau de Alavancagem Operacional (DOL). A base de dados abrange empresas não financeiras no mercado brasileiro de 1996 a 2016, terceiro trimestre. Resultados apontam que a estrutura de mercado modera a relação entre ROIC e DOL, tendo maior efeito há medida que os mercados se aproximam de uma estrutura monopolística. Resultados em geral, sugerem a existência de relação entre o desempenho operacional das empresas e comportamento dos custos, indicado por uma relação negativa entre ROIC e DOL. Observa-se, também, um papel moderador significativo do Tamanho na função de moderação da estrutura de mercado (HHI) na relação entre ROIC e DOL, na medida em que a estrutura do mercado avança para configurações próximas do monopólio, o efeito moderador HHI torna-se mais latente.
This thesis investigates the moderation role of market structure on the relationship between operational performance and firms’ costs composition. The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) were adopted as proxy for market structure; for operational performance, Return on Invested Capital (ROIC); and for firms’ cost choices, the Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL). The database covers non-financial firms at Brazilian market from 1996 to 2016, third quarter. The output points toward to market structure moderation of the relationship between ROIC and DOL with an increase of the effect when markets comes near to a monopolistic structure. Overall results suggests the existence of a relation between firms’ operational performance and cost behavior, indicated by a negative relationship between ROIC and DOL. Furthermore, we notice a moderating role of Size on market structure (HHI) moderation role on the relationship between ROIC and DOL, in the extent that market structure moves towards a higher concentration level configuration, the moderating effect of HHI becomes more latent.

Western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) have not previously been subject to tests for susceptibility to auditory based deterrents. This study presented a mob of western grey kangaroos with a series of treatments to determine behavioural responses towards artificial and biologically-significant acoustic deterrents. I observed and quantified nine common behaviours, including stablestate, feeding, vigilance, and alarm behaviour before, during and after presentation of each stimulus through three experiments.In the first experiment, four sounds were tested individually (each pre-recorded sound played once) to evaluate potentially effective deterring signals. Two sounds were artificial (an aerosol can hiss and a bullwhip crack) and two were natural (a kangaroo alarm footstomp and a raven call, a presumed benign control). Despite the promising literature on the potential for natural alarm stomps as non-invasive deterrents, artificial sounds were at least as evocative as bioacoustic sounds. A whip crack was more efficient deterring western grey kangaroos than their alarm stomp at generating flight and vigilant behaviours. Foraging behaviour was reduced from 71% to 1% within one minute of play back, whereas the foot stomp reduced feeding from 57% to 22%. An artificial hiss reduced feeding effort from 89% to 65% and the raven call dropped percentage of time spent foraging from 70% to 47% in the first minute post- treatment.In a second experiment, I tried to artificially enhance the rate of habituation to ascertain the likelihood of habituation to acoustic signals, by playing back the most fear-inducing sounds (the whip crack and the alarm foot stomp) at 5 s intervals for two full minutes. Feeding behaviour did not return to normal levels following either signal.In the third experiment, to evaluate if rate of applications has an effect, I then focused on the most aversive signal (whip) and varied the rate at 3 s, 15 s and 30 s intervals. More animals left the area overall, with the highest rate of stimulus, though not significantly so. There were no other effects of rate of playback on behaviour.The outcomes of these experiments suggest that artificial sounds may be at least as effective as bioacoustic sounds in generating alarm and flight among kangaroos while the rate of playback may influence a sound's ability to deter animals from a targeted area. Animals did not fully habituate to either signal during the timeframe of these experiments (three weeks; up to twice daily, but often less as dependent on weather; two minutes duration) despite my having replayed the signal repetitively at close intervals without reinforcing fear with any other effects.Despite the failures of commercial ultrasonic kangaroo deterrents, I was unable to find any reason that auditory deterrents cannot successfully form part of astrategic repellent program for the non-lethal management of kangaroos, ifmanaged appropriately. I have characterised and quantified changes in behaviourin response to several sounds, some that may be effective in fashioning anauditory based repellent. My results, mainly in regard to the whip crack, arepromising, but the overall efficacy of auditory based deterrents requires furtherresearch, especially in regard to rate of habituation, alternation of different signalsand to intensity, rate, frequency and duration of the signal.

Il Piano Marshall è stato oggetto di numerosi studi e ricerche, che si sono concentrati prevalentemente su aspetti economici e politici. Questo progetto di tesi riguarda un argomento meno presente nella storiografia tradizionale, ovvero il ruolo dei filmati propagandistici prodotti dagli Stati Uniti per informare dell’importanza del Piano sia i contribuenti americani sia le popolazioni dei paesi europei beneficiari. La ricerca ha inteso sottolineare la rilevanza dei documenti audiovisivi in quanto fonti primarie a disposizione degli storici, e si è concentrata sulle produzioni filmiche riguardanti la Francia e la Gran Bretagna. A tale scopo, sono stati tradotti e sottotitolati in italiano due brevi documentari propagandistici del 1950, uno dal francese e uno dall'inglese. Nella prima parte della tesi viene descritto il contesto storico in cui si inserisce il Piano Marshall, dando particolare rilievo alla sua applicazione in Francia e in Gran Bretagna. In secondo luogo, vengono illustrati gli aspetti ideologici del Piano, offrendo una panoramica della campagna informativa americana e ponendo l’accento sull'uso propagandistico dei film. In particolare, è stato realizzato un censimento dei filmati su Francia e Gran Bretagna, sintetizzando i dati disponibili in una tabella. La terza parte della tesi è invece dedicata al processo di sottotitolaggio. Dopo avere introdotto l’ambito della traduzione audiovisiva e dopo avere descritto le principali caratteristiche del genere documentario, sono stati analizzati i due filmati ("Lou Mas Aimat" e "The Marshall Plan at Work in Great Britain"), evidenziando i motivi per cui possono essere considerati due esempi significativi di documentari propagandistici. Infine, vengono descritte le strategie traduttive adottate e le principali difficoltà riscontrate durante la fase di sottotitolaggio.

Mestrado em Contabilidade, Fiscalidade e Finanças Empresariais
O presente estudo pretende analisar o grau de alisamento das empresas europeias cotadas e não cotadas. A amostra incide sobre 4511 empresas pertencentes a 9 países europeus, entre o período de 2008 a 2014. As medidas utilizadas para se detetar o nível de alisamento de resultados foram as de Leuz, Nanda, & Wysocki (2003). Os resultados sugerem que as empresas não cotadas apresentam uma maior prática de alisamento de resultados do que as cotadas. Esta conclusão vai de encontro com a revisão de literatura, pois as empresas cotadas são mais monitorizadas e estão sujeitas a uma maior supervisão por parte dos meios de comunicação. Ao retirar-se o país com maior representatividade na amostra (Grã-Bretanha) e agrupando os países em dois grupos (Nórdicos e Anglo Saxónicos vs. Germânicos e Latinos), os resultados obtidos também indicam que, são as empresas não cotadas que alisam mais os seus resultados, confirmando os resultados principais do estudo.
This study aims to analyze the degree of income smoothing of listed and unlisted European firms. The sample covers about 4511 firms from nine European countries, between 2008 and 2014.The measures used to detect income smoothing level are from Leuz, Nanda, & Wysocki (2003). The results suggest that unlisted firms have a higher income smoothing practice, than listed firms. This achievement goes in line with the literature, because listed company are the most monitored and are subject to greater oversight by the media. By removing the country with the highest prevalence in the sample and grouping countries into two groups (Nordic and Anglo vs. Germanic and Latin) the results also indicate that there are the unlisted companies that smooth more their results.

Pocs incendis grans i destructius representen els impactes més negatius en els valors socioeconòmics i naturals de les zones mediterrànies. Com a conseqüència de l’augment de l’acumulació de biomassa en els paisatges culturals prèviament elaborats, aquests esdeveniments no característics que es produeixen en condicions meteorològiques extremes són resistents als esforços de supressió a causa de les brases massives de dutxa, les intensitats de foc aclaparadores i les taxes d’expansió molt elevades. D'altra banda, l'augment de les àrees d'interfície de zones silvestres-urbanes representa un factor condicionant que exigeix protecció i augmenta substancialment la complexitat de la gestió d'emergències. Les polítiques de prevenció d’ignició i de supressió d’incendis només resulten ineficaces per mitigar les pèrdues dels focs contemporanis. En aquesta tesi he implementat un marc analític a escala múltiple per informar sobre la presa de decisions d’una estratègia de gestió de riscos d’incendis forestals amb l'objectiu de crear paisatges resistents al foc, restaurar el règim de foc cultural, donar suport a la supressió d’incendis segura i eficient i crear comunitats adaptades al foc. En descompondre el risc d'incendis forestals en els principals factors causals a les escales relacionades amb les capacitats de gestió dels diferents agents, des dels propietaris individuals fins als governs regionals, aquesta tesi intenta proporcionar una solució integral per aconseguir aquests objectius bàsics a mig termini a la Unió Europea del sud regions. Es va implementar un model de simulació contra incendis per obtenir els factors causals de risc requerits o els indicadors d’exposició. La propagació del foc i el comportament en grans àrees es van modelar tenint en compte els règims de bombers variables en termes d’estacionalitat, gran nombre de focs i distribució espacial. Les relacions de susceptibilitat definides per experts o models de mortalitat es van utilitzar per avaluar els efectes de foc com a possibles pèrdues econòmiques en valors de risc. A més, vam utilitzar una anàlisi de transmissió per definir els incendis de la comunitat i avaluar l'intercanvi de foc entre els municipis veïns. La gestió de combustibles és la principal estratègia de mitigació de riscos d'incendis forestals a escala paisatgística i s'han utilitzat models d'optimització espacial per ajudar en el disseny del tractament del paisatge estratègic i explorar les oportunitats de col·locació sota restriccions pressupostàries. Els resultats es van proporcionar a les escales operatives adequades per informar de diferents estratègies de gestió d’incendis forestals. Els perfils d’exposició i l’avaluació de riscos a escales finals per a les estructures d’habitatges individuals i els valors dels boscos de fustes intenten promoure la participació dels propietaris i exigir les bones pràctiques dels gestors forestals amb l'objectiu de mitigar les pèrdues derivades dels incendis en el mateix lloc (unitats de tractament) i les terres veïnes. Els esforços de gestió dins de les àrees de planificació articulats com a projectes de planificació col·laborativa entre diversos agents socioeconòmics inclouen tractaments sobre el combustible del paisatge en llocs estratègics que redueixen la probabilitat general d’incendis forestals i la intensitat del foc, la planificació del paisatge per excloure àrees perilloses per al desenvolupament urbà, la preparació de la comunitat reduint la vulnerabilitat social i les ordenances del municipi a reduir la vulnerabilitat de l’habitatge. La producció conjunta de tractaments representa una oportunitat en ecosistemes forestals mediterranis multifuncionals per organitzar solucions complexes. La formulació de polítiques a escala regional dóna prioritat a nivell municipal a les diferents estratègies de gestió, com ara programes de prevenció d'ignició, pre-posicionament de recursos, assignació de subvencions per a tractaments de combustible i aplicació de la llei per a la gestió de combustibles en comunitats d'interfície de zones silvestres-urbanes amb major risc. Els diferents treballs es van desenvolupar en diverses àrees mediterrànies per ressaltar l'aplicabilitat del marc en altres llocs.
Pocos incendios grandes y destructivos representan la mayoría de los impactos negativos sobre los valores socioeconómicos y naturales en las áreas mediterráneas. Como resultado de la creciente acumulación de biomasa en los paisajes culturales que antes eran de grano fino, estos eventos no característicos que ocurren en condiciones climáticas extremas son resistentes a los esfuerzos de supresión debidos a las brasas de lluvia masiva, las intensidades de fuego abrumadoras y las tasas de propagación muy altas. Además, el aumento de las áreas de interfaz urbano-forestal representa un factor de condicionamiento que exige protección y aumenta sustancialmente la complejidad de la gestión de emergencias. Las políticas de prevención de ignición y extinción de incendios por sí solas resultan ineficaces para mitigar las pérdidas de incendios contemporáneos. En esta Tesis, implementé un marco analítico de múltiples escalas para informar la toma de decisiones de una estrategia de gestión de riesgos de incendios forestales con el objetivo de crear paisajes resistentes a incendios, restaurar el régimen cultural de incendios, apoyar la supresión segura y eficiente de incendios y crear comunidades adaptadas a incendios. Al disolver el riesgo de incendios forestales en los principales factores causales en escalas relacionadas con las capacidades de gestión de los diferentes agentes, desde los propietarios individuales hasta los gobiernos regionales, esta tesis intenta ofrecer una solución integral para lograr esos objetivos centrales a medio plazo en el sur de la Unión Europea regiones. Se implementó un enfoque de modelado de simulación de incendios para obtener los factores causales de riesgo requeridos o las métricas de exposición. La propagación y el comportamiento de los incendios en grandes áreas se modelaron teniendo en cuenta los regímenes de incendios variables en términos de estacionalidad, gran número de incendios y distribución espacial. Las relaciones de susceptibilidad definidas por los expertos o los modelos de mortalidad se utilizaron para evaluar los efectos del fuego como posibles pérdidas económicas a valores en riesgo. Además, utilizamos un análisis de transmisión para delimitar las cuencas comunitarias y evaluar el intercambio de incendios entre los municipios vecinos. La gestión de combustibles es la principal estrategia de mitigación del riesgo de incendios forestales a escala del paisaje, y se utilizaron modelos de optimización espacial para ayudar en el diseño estratégico del tratamiento del paisaje y explorar oportunidades de colocación bajo restricciones presupuestarias. Los resultados se proporcionaron en escalas operativas apropiadas para informar diferentes estrategias de manejo de incendios forestales. Los perfiles de exposición y la evaluación del riesgo a escalas finas para las estructuras de viviendas individuales y los valores forestales de los bosques de madera intentan promover la participación de los propietarios y demandan las buenas prácticas de los administradores forestales con el objetivo de mitigar las pérdidas por incendios encendidos en el mismo sitio (unidades de tratamiento) y las tierras vecinas. Los esfuerzos de gestión dentro de las áreas de planificación articulados como proyectos de planificación colaborativa entre diversos agentes socioeconómicos incluyen tratamientos de combustible de paisaje en lugares estratégicos que reducen la probabilidad general de incendios forestales y la intensidad de incendios, la planificación del paisaje para excluir áreas peligrosas para el desarrollo urbano, la preparación de la comunidad para reducir la vulnerabilidad social y las ordenanzas municipales para reducir la vulnerabilidad de la vivienda. El tratamiento conjunto de la producción representa una oportunidad en los ecosistemas forestales mediterráneos multifuncionales para organizar soluciones complejas. La formulación de políticas a escala regional prioriza a nivel municipal las diferentes estrategias de manejo, como los programas de prevención de ignición, el posicionamiento previo de recursos de supresión, la asignación de subsidios para tratamientos de combustible y la aplicación de la ley para el manejo de combustibles en comunidades de interfaz urbano-forestal en mayor riesgo. Los diferentes documentos se desarrollaron en varias áreas mediterráneas para resaltar la aplicabilidad del marco en otros lugares.
Few large and destructive fires account for most negative impacts on socioeconomic and natural values in Mediterranean areas. As a result of an increasing amount of biomass accumulation on the previously fine-grained cultural landscapes, these uncharacteristic events occurring under extreme weather conditions are resistant to suppression efforts due to massive showering embers, overwhelming fire intensities, and very high spread rates. Moreover, increasing wildland-urban interface areas represent a conditioning factor demanding protection and substantially increasing emergency management complexity. Ignition prevention and fire suppression policies alone result ineffective to mitigate losses from contemporary fires. In this Thesis I implemented a multiple-scale analytical framework to inform the decision-making of a wildfire risk management strategy aiming at creating fire resilient landscapes, restoring the cultural fire regime, supporting safe and efficient fire suppression, and creating fire-adapted communities. By decomposing wildfire risk into the main causative factors at scales related to management capabilities for the different agents, from the individual homeowners to Regional Governments, this dissertation attempts to provide a comprehensive solution to achieve those core goals on the mid-term in southern European Union regions. A fire simulation modeling approach was implemented to obtain the required risk causative factors or exposure metrics. Fire spread and behavior in large areas were modeled accounting for variable fire regimes in terms of seasonality, large fire number, and spatial distribution. Expert-defined susceptibility relations or mortality models were then used to assess fire effects as potential economic losses to values at risk. Moreover, we used a transmission analysis to delineate community firesheds and assess fire exchange among neighboring municipalities. Fuels management is the main wildfire risk mitigation strategy at the landscape scale, and spatial optimization models were used to help in strategic landscape treatment design and explore collocation opportunities under budgetary restrictions. Results were provided at appropriate operational scales to inform different wildfire management strategies. Exposure profiles and risk assessment at fine scales for individual housing structures and timber stand forest values attempt to promote homeowners’ involvement and demand forest managers’ good practices aiming at mitigating losses from fires ignited on the same site (treatment units) and the neighboring lands. Management efforts within Planning Areas articulated as collaborative planning projects among various socioeconomic agents include landscape fuel treatments on strategic locations reducing overall wildfire likelihood and fire intensity, landscape planning to exclude hazardous areas for the urban development, community preparedness reducing social vulnerability, and municipality ordinances to reduce housing vulnerability. Treatment joint-production represents an opportunity in multi-functional Mediterranean forest ecosystems to arrange complex solutions. Regional scale policy-making prioritizes at municipality level the different management strategies such as ignition prevention programs, suppression resource pre-positioning, assignation of subsidies for fuel treatments, and law enforcement for managing fuels in wildland-urban interface communities at highest risk. The different papers were developed in various Mediterranean areas to highlight the applicability of the framework elsewhere.

La fixation du bactériophage Lambdasur son récepteur cellulaire, LamB, est dûe à une protéine de sa queue appelée gpJ. Le but des travaux est d'étudier l'interaction entre le bacteriophage lambda et LamB à travers l'étude du complexe entre LamB et gpJ exprimée en protéine de fusion. La formation d'un complexe entre la partie C-terminale de gpJ et LamB sauvage, ainsi que de mutants a pu être confirmée non seulement au travers de travaux de BLM, une technique d'électrophysiologie, mais également de SDS-PAGE et d'immunodétection. Ces travaux montrent également que des résidus présents sur les boucles extracellulaires L4, L6 et L9 ne sont pas nécessaires à la fixation de gpJ alors qu'ils le sont pour celle du bacteriophage Lambda
The bacteriophage lambda is a virus which infects bacteria carrying the LamB protein in their outer membrane. GpJ, a protein of the tail of the phage, is involved in the binding to LamB. The study of the interaction between gpJ expressed as fusion protein and LamB was performed in order to investigate the interaction between the bacteriophage Lambda and LamB. The interaction between the C-terminal extremity of gpJ and LamB was also demonstrated on planar lipid bilayer experiments, an electroph-ysiological technic, and on SDS-PAGE and immunodetection. Furthermore, the use of variants of LamB allowed to demontrate that the C-terminal fragment of gpJ does not bind to residues on the outer loops L4, L6 and L9 that are necessary for the interaction with the bacteriophage Lambda

The aim of this thesis is to analyze the current state of the process of internal and customer complaint management in REHAU Automotive s.r.o., Moravská Třebová. Based on the facts to make own proposals for improving the process of managing inter-nal and customer complaints, which will lead to a more efficient process, thus saving time, costs and overall improving of quality management in the company.

A interação turbulência-radiação (TRI, do inglês Turbulence-Radiation Interaction) resulta do acoplamento altamente não linear entre flutuações da intensidade de radiação e flutuações da temperatura e da composição química do meio, e tem-se demonstrado experimentalmente, teoricamente e numericamente que este é um fenômeno relevante em diversas aplicações envolvendo altas temperaturas, especialmente em problemas reativos. Neste trabalho, o TRI é analisado em um escoamento interno não reativo de um gás participante que se desenvolve em um duto de seção transversal quadrada, para diferentes intensidades de turbulência do escoamento e considerando duas espécies distintas para a composição do fluido de trabalho (dióxido de carbono e vapor de água). O objetivo central é avaliar como a inclusão ou não da variação espectral das propriedades radiativas do meio no cálculo influencia a magnitude do TRI. Isso é feito através de simulações numéricas no código de dinâmica dos fluidos computacional Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), que resolve, através do método dos volumes finitos, as equações fundamentais que regem o problema – isto é, os balanços de massa, de quantidade de movimento e de energia e a equação de estado – em uma formulação adequada para baixos números de Mach, utilizando um algoritmo de solução explícito e de segunda ordem no tempo e no espaço. A turbulência é modelada através da simulação de grandes escalas (LES, do inglês Large Eddy Simulation), empregando-se o modelo de Smagorinsky dinâmico para o fechamento dos termos submalha; para a radiação térmica, o método dos volumes finitos é utilizado na discretização da equação da transferência radiativa e os modelos do gás cinza e da soma-ponderada-de-gases-cinza (WSGG, do inglês Weighted-Sum-of-Gray-Gases) são implementados como forma de desconsiderar e de incluir a dependência espectral das propriedades radiativas, respectivamente. A magnitude do TRI sobre o problema é avaliada através de diferenças entre as médias temporais dos fluxos de calor superficiais e do termo fonte radiativo obtidas em cálculos que consideram os efeitos do fenômeno e cálculos que os negligenciam. Em geral, a interação turbulência-radiação mostrou ser pouco importante em todos os casos considerados, o que concorda com resultados de outros estudos sobre o tema em escoamento não reativos. Com o modelo WSGG, as contribuições do fenômeno foram maiores do que com a hipótese do gás cinza, evidenciando que a inclusão da variação espectral na solução do problema radiativo tem um impacto sobre a magnitude dos efeitos do TRI. Além disso, é feita uma discussão, em parte inédita no contexto do TRI, sobre diferentes metodologias para a análise do fenômeno. Finalmente, é proposto um fator de correção para o termo fonte radiativo médio no modelo WSGG, que é validado através de sua implementação nos casos simulados. Em estudos futuros, uma análise de sensibilidade sobre os termos constituintes desse fator de correção pode levar a um melhor entendimento de como as flutuações de temperatura se correlacionam com o fenômeno da interação turbulência-radiação.
Turbulence-radiation interaction (TRI) results from the highly non-linear coupling between fluctuations of radiation intensity and fluctuations of temperature and chemical composition of the medium, and its relevance in a number of high-temperature problems, especially when chemical reactions are included, has been demonstrated experimentally, theoretically, and numerically. In the present study, the TRI is analyzed in a channel flow of a non-reactive participating gas for different turbulence intensities of the flow at the inlet and considering two distinct species for the medium composition (carbon dioxide and water vapor). The central objective is to evaluate how the inclusion or not of the spectral variation of the radiative properties of a participating gas in the radiative transfer calculations affects the turbulence-radiation interaction. With this purpose, numerical simulations are performed using the computational fluid dynamics Fortranbased code Fire Dynamics Simulator, that employs the finite volume method to solve a form of the fundamental equations – i.e., the mass, momentum and energy balances and the state equation – appropriate for low Mach number flows, through an explicit second-order (both in time and in space) core algorithm. Turbulence is modeled by the large eddy simulation approach (LES), using the dynamic Smagorinsky model to close the subgrid-scale terms; for the thermal radiation part of the problem, the finite volume method is used for the discretization of the radiative transfer equation and the gray gas and weighted-sum-of-gray-gases (WSGG) models are implemented as a way to omit and consider the spectral dependence of the radiative properties, respectively. The TRI magnitude in the problem is evaluated by differences between values for the time-averaged heat fluxes at the wall (convective and radiative) and for the time-averaged radiative heat source calculated accounting for and neglecting the turbulence-radiation interaction effects. In general, TRI had little importance over all the considered cases, a conclusion that agrees with results of previous studies. When using the WSGG model, the contributions of the phenomenon were greater that with the gray gas hypothesis, demonstrating that the inclusion of the spectral variance in the solution of the radiative problem has an impact in the TRI effects. Furthermore, this paper presents a discussion, partly unprecedented in the context of the turbulence-radiation interaction, about the different methodologies that can be used for the TRI analysis. Finally, a correction factor is proposed for the time-averaged radiative heat source in the WSGG model, which is then validated by its implementation in the simulated cases. In future studies, a sensibility analysis on the terms that compose this factor can lead to a better understanding of how fluctuations of temperature correlate with the turbulence-radiation interaction phenomenon.

A radiação gama é uma das tecnologias aplicadas para a esterilização de sistemas de embalagens contendo produtos para a saúde. No processo de esterilização, é fundamental que as propriedades das embalagens sejam mantidas. Neste estudo, duas amostras de embalagens comerciais, no formato de envelope compostas por papel grau cirúrgico de um dos lados e filme plástico laminado do outro, foram irradiadas com raios gama com doses de 25 kGy (taxa de dose de 1,57 kGy/h) e 50 kGy (taxa de dose de 1,48 kGy/h). Uma das amostras de embalagem era constituída por papel de fibras de coníferas e filme plástico laminado de poli(tereftalato de etileno) (PET)/polietileno (PE) e a outra por papel de fibras de coníferas e de folhosas e filme plástico laminado de poli(tereftalato de etileno) (PET)/polipropileno (PP). Os efeitos da radiação nas propriedades físicas e químicas dos papéis e dos filmes plásticos, assim como nas propriedades da embalagem foram estudados. O papel foi o material mais sensível à radiação, sendo a alvura, o pH e as resistências ao rasgo, ao arrebentamento e à tração os parâmetros nos quais foram observadas maiores modificações, em ambas as amostras. Todavia, dos dois tipos de papel, o efeito foi mais pronunciado para a amostra com fibras de conífera e de folhosas. A porosidade dos papéis foi alterada com 50 kGy. No caso dos filmes plásticos, a propriedade com maior modificação foi a resistência à tração, em ambas as amostras. No caso das embalagens, a irradiação diminuiu a resistência da selagem. Os efeitos observados para a dose de 50 kGy foram em média mais pronunciados quando comparados com as modificações nos valores das amostras tratadas com 25 kGy, que é a dose usualmente empregada para esterilização de produtos para a saúde. A dosimetria deste estudo foi realizada nos materiais irradiados com 25 kGy, 40 kGy e 50 kGy, demonstrando sua importância à medida que a variação média para as três doses estudadas foi de 20 %.
Gamma radiation is one of the technologies applied for the sterilization of packaging systems containing products for health. During sterilization process it is critical that the properties of packages are maintained. In this study two samples of commercial pouch packaging comprised of surgical grade paper on one side and the other side multilayer plastic film were irradiated with gamma rays. The following doses were applied 25 kGy (1,57 kGy/h) and 50 kGy (1,48 kGy/h). One packaging sample was paper formed by softwood fibers and multilayer plastic film based on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/polyethylene (PE). The second type of paper sample was made by a mixture of softwood and hardwood fibers and multilayer plastic film based on polyethylene terephthalate (ethylene) (PET)/polypropylene (PP). The effects of radiation on the physical and chemical properties of papers and multilayer plastic films, as well as the properties of the package were studied. The paper was the more radiation sensitive among the studied materials and radiation effects were more pronounced at brightness, pH, tearing resistance, bursting strength and tensile strength. Nonetheless, worst comparatively effects were noted on the sample made by a mixture of softwood and hardwood fibers. The porosity of paper was enhanced by 50 kGy. In the case of plastic films, radiation effects on tensile strength was the most pronounced property for both samples. In the case of the packaging the sealing resistance decreased with radiation. The effects observed for the treatment at 50 kGy were more pronounced when compared to 25 kGy. This last is the dose which is usually applied to sterilize health products. A dosimetry study was performed during irradiation at 25 kGy, 40 kGy and 50 kGy and its importance may be reported by the average dose variation 20 %.

This diploma theses deals with the challenges of a project management in a particular construction company that handles projects on daily basis. I focused on the analysis of a particular project in this company, that has been successfully implemented. This analysis served as a starting point for the designing of the changes, as well as a devising a tool that simplifies the set up of the changes into practice. Selected problem was solved by comparing the project management methodology in the project with the project management practices officially proposed in the literature. Tool design was carried out in the environment of Microsoft Excel. I managed to design a tool in which the shortcomings are treated the way that facilitates their implementation into practice, especially by using an easy environment and outputs well-arranged for the user. This tool is therefore mainly used to eliminate the identified shortcomings and thus to facilitate and simplify project management in practice.

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Dissertação (Mestrado)
IPEN/D
Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

Contexte : Dans les analyses de survie, un risque concurrent est un événement qui empêche l'observation de l'événement d'intérêt (le décès le plus souvent). Si la probabilité de survenue d'un risque concurrent dépend de la probabilité de l'événement d'intérêt, alors il ne peut pas être traité comme une censure. Les patients ayant une insuffisance rénale chronique terminale peuvent être traités par hémodialyse, dialyse péritonéale et greffe rénale. Ces traitements sont complémentaire et les patients peuvent passer d'une modalité de traitement à une autre au cours de leur prise en charge. La dépendance entre les changements de traitement et la probabilité de décès n'a pas été étudiée et ces changements sont traités comme des censures dans les analyses de survie.Objectifs : Analyser la dépendance entre les probabilités de décès en dialyse et de greffe rénale, et entre les probabilités de décès en dialyse péritonéale et de transfert en hémodialyse. Nous démontrerons les conséquences néfastes de la non-prise en compte de cette dépendance dans les analyses de survie en dialyseMéthodes : (1) Nous avons comparé les estimations de probabilité d'événement obtenues par la méthode de Kaplan-Meier et la méthode de Kalbfleisch et Prentice sur 383 patient indicent consécutifs traités par dialyse péritonéale à Lille. (2) Nous avons analysé les données de 7318 patients incidents traités par hémodialyse en France grâce au registre national REIN. Nous avons utilisé un modèle multi-états pour analyse l'influence de l'inscription sur liste d'attente de greffe sur la probabilité de décès en dialyse. (3) Sur une cohorte de 2790 patients âgés de plus de 65 ans et traités par dialyse péritonéale issus du Registre de Dialyse Péritonéale de Langue Française (RDPLF), nous avons analysé les facteurs de contre-indication au transfert en HD en prenant en compte le décès comme risque concurrent à l'aide du modèle de Fine et Gray. Cette analyse a été complétée par un questionnaire réalisé auprès 55 des néphrologues pratiquant la dialyse péritonéale en France. Résultats : (1) La méthode de Kaplan Meier surestimait systématiquement la probabilité de décès du fait de la violation de l'hypothèse d'indépendance entre le décès et les risques concurrents. Cette méthode n'apparaît donc pas valide dans les analyses de survie en dialyse. La méthode de Kalbfleisch et Prentice était valide mais l'interprétation des incidences cumulées doit prendre en compte tous les risques concurrents. (2) La greffe rénale est un risque concurrent dépendant de la probabilité de décès des patients. Les patients inscrits sur liste d'attente de greffe avaient un risque de décès significativement plus bas que les autres patients, après ajustement sur l'âge et la présence de comorbidités. (3) Le transfert en hémodialyse est un risque concurrent qui semble dépendre de la probabilité de décès des patients. En effet, l'âge et la présence de comorbidités étaient à la fois des facteurs de risque de décès et des facteurs de contre-indications au transfert en hémodialyse. De plus, la plupart des néphrologues ayant répondu à notre enquête ont déclaré qu'une espérance de vie limitée pouvait constituer une contre-indication au transfert. Conclusion : Dans les études de cohorte de patients en insuffisance rénale chronique terminale, les analyses de survie devraient prendre en compte les changements de traitement car ce sont des risques concurrents dépendants de la probabilité de décès. Notre travail a montré que les modèles multi-états sont des outils statistiques flexibles qui permettent de bien représenter l'inter-dépendance entre les différentes modalités de traitement entre dialyse péritonéale, hémodialyse, greffe rénale et décès.

Mestrado em Contabilidade, Fiscalidade e Finanças Empresariais
Neste estudo analisaram-se as Notas anexas às demonstrações financeiras consolidadas de 38 empresas portuguesas cotadas, para o ano fiscal de 2010, procurando avaliar a extensão da divulgação obrigatória de informação e encontrar fatores determinantes do nível de conformidade com o normativo em vigor. Utilizando uma lista de 110 itens de informação foi elaborado um Índice de Divulgação não ponderado a partir das divulgações exigidas pela IAS1. Os resultados indicam que as empresas divulgam, em média, 81% dos itens requeridos. Os fatores determinantes analisados foram o sector de actividade, a dimensão da empresa, a rendibilidade, a internacionalização e o tipo de auditores externos. A dimensão da empresa e o tipo de auditores apresentam uma associação positiva com a extensão da divulgação obrigatória de informação ao contrário do sector de actividade, rendibilidade e internacionalização.
This paper examines the Notes to the financial consolidated statements of 38 portuguese listed companies for the fiscal year 2010 seeking the evaluation of their level of compliance on mandatory disclosure. Furthermore, it seeks to analyze the company-specific determinants that could affect the level of compliance with regulation. Using a list of 110 mandatory disclosure items required by IAS1 an unweighted disclosure index was constructed for each sample company. The results indicate that companies, on average, disclose 81% of the items of information required. The hypothesized determinants are sector type, size, profitability, internationality and auditor type. Size and auditor type are found to be positively related to the level of compliance as opposed to sector type, profitability and internationality.

Nell’ultimo ventennio, il genere documentaristico ha conosciuto una rinnovata popolarità in Italia, con un considerevole aumento dei volumi produttivi e numerosi autori in grado di ottenere importanti riconoscimenti a livello tanto nazionale quanto internazionale; nonostante ciò, sono tutt’ora ben pochi gli studi dedicati agli aspetti più economici ed industriali alla base di tale “rinascita del documentario”. Scopo di questa tesi è dunque quello di analizzare la contemporanea produzione e distribuzione di documentari in Italia, al fine di individuarne le caratteristiche fondamentali e delinearne le principali dinamiche evolutive. Un’analisi che non può prescindere dal prendere in considerazione il più ampio contesto audiovisivo in cui opera la cinematografia italiana: proprio per questo nel primo capitolo è proposta un’analisi del contemporaneo mercato audiovisivo europeo (con particolare riguardo alle misure di sostegno economico sovranazionali previste dalle principali istituzioni europee), per poi procedere nel secondo capitolo ad analizzare il più delimitato contesto italiano in una prospettiva storico-economica, al fine di individuare appunto le caratteristiche della contemporanea produzione documentaristica italiana; il terzo e ultimo capitolo è invece dedicato all’analisi della produzione e distribuzione di tre documentari del regista Gianfranco Rosi, che appaiono esemplificativi dello stato di salute del documentario italiano contemporaneo e permettono di verificare in maniera operativa quanto analizzato nelle due sezioni precedenti della tesi.

The thesis studies three distinct issues in monetary economics using a common dynamic general equilibrium approach under the assumptions of rational expectations and nominal price rigidity.
The first chapter deals with the so-called "liquidity trap" - an issue which was raised originally by Keynes in the aftermath of the Great Depression. Since the nominal interest rate cannot fall below zero, this limits the scope for expansionary monetary policy when the interest rate is near its lower bound. The chapter studies the conduct of monetary policy in such an environment in isolation from other possible stabilization tools (such as fiscal or exchange rate policy). In particular, a standard New Keynesian model economy with Calvo staggered price setting is simulated under various alternative monetary policy regimes, including optimal policy. The challenge lies in solving the (otherwise linear) stochastic sticky price model with an explicit occasionally binding non-negativity constraint on the nominal interest rate. This is achieved by parametrizing expectations and applying a global solution method known as "collocation". The results indicate that the dynamics and sometimes the unconditional means of the nominal rate, inflation and the output gap are strongly affected by uncertainty in the presence of the zero lower bound. Commitment to the optimal rule reduces unconditional welfare losses to around one-tenth of those achievable under discretionary policy, while constant price level targeting delivers losses which are only 60% larger than under the optimal rule. On the other hand, conditional on a strong deflationary shock, simple instrument rules perform substantially worse than the optimal policy even if the unconditional welfare loss from following such rules is not much affected by the zero lower bound per se.
The second thesis chapter (co-authored with Andrea Pescatori) studies the implications of imperfect competition in the oil market, and in particular the existence of a welfare-relevant trade-off between inflation and output gap volatility. In the standard New Keynesian model exogenous oil shocks do not generate any such tradeoff: under a strict inflation targeting policy, the output decline is exactly equal to the efficient output contraction in response to the shock. I propose an extension of the standard model in which the existence of a dominant oil supplier (such as OPEC) leads to inefficient fluctuations in the oil price markup, reflecting a dynamic distortion of the economy's production process. As a result, in the face of oil sector shocks, stabilizing inflation does not automatically stabilize the distance of output from first-best, and monetary policymakers face a tradeoff between the two goals. The model is also a step away from discussing the effects of exogenous oil price changes and towards analyzing the implications of the underlying shocks that cause the oil price to change in the first place. This is an advantage over the existing literature, which treats the macroeconomic effects and policy implications of oil price movements as if they were independent of the underlying source of disturbance. In contrast, the analysis in this chapter shows that conditional on the source of the shock, a central bank confronted with the same oil price change may find it desirable to either raise or lower the interest rate in order to improve welfare.
The third thesis chapter (co-authored with Andrea Pescatori) studies the extent to which the rise in US macroeconomic stability since the mid-1980s can be accounted for by changes in oil shocks and the oil share in GDP. This is done by estimating with Bayesian methods the model developed in the second chapter over two samples - before and after 1984 - and conducting counterfactual simulations. In doing so we nest two other popular explanations for the so-called "Great Moderation": (1) smaller (non-oil) shocks; and (2) better monetary policy. We find that the reduced oil share can account for around one third of the inflation moderation, and about 13% of the GDP growth moderation. At the same time smaller oil shocks can explain approximately 7% of GDP growth moderation and 11% of the inflation moderation. Thus, the oil share and oil shocks have played a non-trivial role in the moderation, especially of inflation, even if the bulk of the volatility reduction of output growth and inflation is attributed to smaller non-oil shocks and better monetary policy, respectively.
La tesis estudia tres problemas distintos de macroeconomía monetaria utilizando como marco común el equilibrio general dinámico bajo expectativas racionales y con rigidez nominal de los precios.
El primer capítulo trata el problema de la "trampa de liquidez" - un tema planteado primero por Keynes después de la Gran Depresión de 1929. El hecho de que el tipo de interés nominal no pueda ser negativo limita la posibilidad de llevar una política monetaria expansiva cuando el tipo de interés se acerca a cero. El capítulo estudia la conducta de la política monetaria en este entorno en aislamiento de otros posibles instrumentos de estabilización (como la política fiscal o la política de tipo de cambio). En concreto, se simula un modelo estándar Neo-Keynesiano con rigidez de precios a la Calvo bajo diferentes regimenes de política monetaria, incluida la política monetaria óptima. El reto consiste en resolver el modelo estocástico bajo la restricción explícita ocasionalmente vinculante de no negatividad de los tipos de interés. La solución supone parametrizar las expectativas y utilizar el método de solución global conocido como "colocación". Los resultados indican que la dinámica y en ocasiones los valores medios del tipo de interés, la inflación y el output gap están muy influidos por la presencia de la restricción de no negatividad. El compromiso con la regla monetaria óptima reduce las pérdidas de bienestar esperadas hasta una décima parte de las pérdidas obtenidas bajo la mejor política discrecional, mientras una política de meta constante del nivel de precios resulta en pérdidas que son sólo 60% mayores de las obtenidas bajo la regla óptima. Por otro lado, condicionado a a un choque fuerte deflacionario, las reglas instrumentarias simples funcionan mucho peor que la política óptima, aun si las pérdidas no condicionales de bienestar asociadas a dichas reglas no están muy afectadas por la presencia de la restricción de no negatividad en si.
El segundo capítulo de la tesis estudia las implicaciones de la competencia imperfecta en el mercado del petróleo, y en concreto la existencia de un conflicto relevante entre la volatilidad de la inflación y la del output gap de un país importador de petróleo. En el modelo estándar Neo Keynesiano, los choques petroleros exógenos no generan ningún conflicto de objetivos: bajo una política de metas de inflación estricta, la caída del output es exactamente igual a la contracción eficiente del output en respuesta al choque. Este capitulo propone una extensión del modelo básico en la cual la presencia de un proveedor de petróleo dominante (OPEP) lleva a fluctuaciones ineficientes en el margen del precio del petróleo que reflejan una distorsión dinámica en el proceso de producción de la economía. Como consecuencia, ante choques provinientes del sector de petróleo, una política de estabilidad de los precios no conlleva automáticamente a una estabilización de la distancia del output de su nivel eficiente y existe un conflicto entre los dos objetivos. El modelo se aleja de la discución los efectos de cambios exógenos en el precio del petróleo y se acerca al análisis de las implicaciones de los factores fundamentales que provocan los cambios en el precio del petróleo en primer lugar. Esto último representa una ventaja clara frente a la literatura existente, la cual trata tanto los efectos macroeconómicos como las implicaciones para la política monetaria de cambios en el precio del petróleo como si éstos fueran independientes de los factores fundamentales provocando dicho cambio. A diferencia de esta literatura, el análisis del capitulo II demuestra cómo frente al mismo cambio en el precio del petróleo, un banco central puede encontrar deseable bien subir o bajar el tipo de interés en función del origen del choque.
El tercer capitulo estudia el grado en que el ascenso de la estabilidad macroeconómica en EE.UU. a partir de mediados de los 80 se puede atribuir a cambios en la naturaleza de los choques petroleros y/o el peso del petróleo en el PIB. Con este propósito se estima el modelo desarrollado en el capitulo II con métodos Bayesianos utilizando datos macroeconómicos de dos periodos - antes y después de 1984 - y se conducen simulaciones contrafactuales. Las simulaciones permiten dos explicaciones alternativas de la "Gran Moderación": (1) menores choques no petroleros; y (2) mejor política monetaria. Los resultados apuntan a que el petróleo ha jugado un papel no-trivial en la moderación. En particular, el menor peso del petroleo en el PIB a partir de 1984 ha contribuido a una tercera parte de la moderación de la inflación y un 13% de la moderación del output. Al mismo tiempo, un 7% de la moderación del PIB y 11% de la moderación de la inflación se pueden atribuir a menores choques petroleros.

In this study, the immediate and short term (three months) effects of conservation burning have been investigated in coniferous forests in southeastern Sweden. Five tree species were investigated Picea abies (Norway spruce), Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine), Populus tremula (aspen), Betula pendula (silver birch) and Betula pubescens (downy birch), as well as ground vegetation of mosses, dwarf shrubs and ground lichens. Burning increased the proportion of live deciduous tree shoots from 51 % to 81 % and the live tree shoot size distribution of four tree species was significantly changed by fire. Fire affected the tree species differently. Three months after burning deciduous tree species exhibited strong sprouting, while P. sylvestris had established many seedlings, significantly increasing its share of the tree stand. P. abies lacked any visible positive response to burning and its number of live shoots decreased by 83 %. Mineral soil was exposed on only the moss vegetation and covered just 4 % of the studied plot area. The initial vegetation response to fire was negative, but significant dwarf shrub recovery was detected three months after burning.

碩士
逢甲大學
工業工程與系統管理學研究所
94
The objective of this paper is to search the optimal process parameters level by the Taguchi method with Grey relational analysis. This model would benefit the thin film industry who seeks the practical quality engineering technology of the best parameter level when it faces the requirements of a multi-response. In this thesis, L8(27) orthogonal array was used to plan experiment and to acquire data for the optical properties(working pressure, substrate temperature, deposition rate and annealing temperature). For process of the thin film, the overall process quality to achieve three quality characteristics including mean refractive index, mean extinction coefficient, and surface roughness were discovered by Grey Relational Analysis in light of overall process quality consideration. The results show that (1) substrate temperature and deposition rate are apparent to influence the three quality characteristics. (2) substrate temperature 300(℃) and the deposition rate 3(Å/S) are the best parameter level。

碩士
高苑科技大學
經營管理研究所
102
Because of the natural disasters in Taiwan which are affected by global warming and extreme weather, so the fire department offers considerable amount vehicles, equipment and manpower allocated to rescue people trapped in stricken region. However, the fire department was limited to the rules and the budget of official business. It couldn’t supplement human resources in time, causing a larger scourge without emergency assistance when the disaster was coming. The paper indicates the fire department can have appropriate human resources by grey theory which has the characteristic of predicting accurately with limited data from national fire department . So when the disaster is coming, the fire department can distribute human resources in short period of time to raise the efficient of rescuing. Up to the above-mentioned, we give some advices about manpower distribution below: 1. Prediction model based on human progress with policy formulation. 2. Based on the area of the fire fighting service workload re-adjust staffing plan.

碩士
銘傳大學
財務金融學系碩士在職專班
97
Due to the unique features of the security industy and the problem of over competition for the market, competitive strategies determine the future of the firm. To formulate competitive strategies, first, it is necessary to know the operating performance comparatively. Second, to costdown, strengthen competition and increase the market share through extending economic scale. The main source of profit for security banch companies are mainly from operating performances, and changes in operating performances is critical in the overall operation results, thus, evaluating index must accurately reflect the good and bad performances. This study applicates Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Grey Relation Analysis (GRA) to evaluate the performance of security branches, also comparing the differences and provide the operators a simple and dependable performance evaluation model. The result are as follows: 1. In applying the Entropy Method in GRA to analyze the objectives, the main factors are different among four teams, which are arrivement of achievement of market share rate, rate of gross profit in broker business, the rate of gross profit in future business, and arrivement of achievement of market shares raterespectively. The result shows that different operating index has different influences on branches of difference scales. 2. According to the DEA, the correlation between two variables is most intense which are respectively “input--operating expense rate” and “output--contribution per 100 milliom”. 3. To compare the order of performance evaluated by DEA and GRA, there are 15 companies with significant rankings, such as Team A: Yonghe, Caotun, Douliu, Team B: Northern HsinChu, Lugang, Team C: Fengshan, Eastern Pingtung, Zhongxiao-Yanji, Eastern Kaohsiung, Team D: Tainan-Ximen, Kinmen, Miao Li, Lotong, Sinying.

No
This study examines the effect of board composition on the likelihood of corporate failure in the UK. We consider both independent and non-independent (grey) non-executive directors (NEDs) to enhance our understanding of the impact of NEDs' personal or economic ties with the firm and its management on firm performance. We find that firms with a larger proportion of grey directors on their boards are less likely to fail. Furthermore, the probability of corporate failure is lower both when firms have a higher proportion of grey directors relative to executive directors and when they have a higher proportion of grey directors relative to independent directors. Conversely, there is a positive relationship between the likelihood of corporate failure and the proportion of independent directors on corporate boards. The findings discussed in this study support the collaborative board model and the view that corporate governance reform efforts may have over emphasised the monitoring function of independent directors and underestimated the benefits of NEDs' affiliations with the firm and its management. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

碩士
龍華科技大學
機械工程系碩士班
102
In order to elevate their competitiveness of the latest 3C products, the manufacturers gradually replace the heavy connector between printed circuit boards by the anisotropic conductive film(ACF) medium for hot bonding lamination in order to reach the goal of developing lightweight electronics products. The ACF lamination process was more commonly used for signal transmission line design. This paper explored ways to apply ACF butt on the battery charging circuit, the applicability for a large current, life reliability, and found out the optimal parameters setting of the ACF lamination process. This paper used the Grey relation analysis and Taguchi method to investigate how major lamination parameters of the preload pressure, the bonging temperature, the bonding pressure, and the holding time influence the tensile strength and impact-resistance for SONY DP3342MS after cold lamination. Three standards of value were set for each parameter factors, with nine experiments being carried out, and the result was substituted into the grey correlation analysis, according to which the optimal setting of ACF lamination parameters was obtained to get the minimum resistance and sufficient tensile strength of the assembly. Finally, thermal cycling tests were repeated based on the reliability after the completion of laminated boards in connection with the optimal setting of ACF lamination parameters in order to ensure that the electrical circuits can be used for a long time. The result has been successfully applied to a series of cell phones of H company.

碩士
長榮管理學院
經營管理研究所
87
The value of an enterprise can be created or increased through several operating, investment, and financial activities. In order to arrive at a better financial or operating performance, it is necessary for managers to predict what may happen in the future. Moreover, in Taiwan, more and more emphases have been put on high-technology industries. Since the business environments for high-technology industries change significantly and rapidly, it is much more difficult to predict or forecast the future quickly and accurately. Most traditional forecasting methods, such as time series analysis, exponential smoothing method, etc, require a larger number of history data to obtain accurate and reliable forecasting results. However, the financial history data that can be gathered for most companies in Taiwan are limited to a short extent. The business environments might change significantly for decades. The aged financial data will be too old to analyze the current business environments. Thus, it is not suitable to use those traditional forecasting methods, which require a large number of history data, to forecast the future financial performance for a company, especially in high-technology industries. For these reasons, the present study will use the grey theory, a novel and powerful method, to forecast the financial performances for public offering firms in Taiwan. Since only at least four history data are required for the grey theory to perform forecasting, the grey theory will be more efficient to forecast financial performances using a limited number of financial history data . In this study, fifteen financial ratios are chosen as the financial performance indices. The grey forecasting model GM(1,1) for each financial performance index will be established. To examine the performance of the grey forecasting model GM(1,1), two famous public offering firms in Taiwan are selected. It can be seen from the illustrated comparison results that the grey forecasting model is more accurate than the traditional forecasting methods, the time series method and exponential smoothing method. Furthermore, to improve the accuracy of the grey forecasting model GM(1,1), two different error modifying methods, the Fourier-series-based error modifying method and the establishing of the error GM(1,1) model, are used to modify the original grey forecasting model GM(1,1). It can be found that the accuracy and precision of the forecasting results have been improved dramatically. From this study, the conclusion that the grey theory is an efficient tool for forecasting short-term financial performances can be made.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
昆蟲學研究所
102
Although bait broadcast is able to achieve local suppression of fire ant population in most of infested areas, re-invasion by fire ants into previously controlled area from periphery represents a significant challenge if areas with long-term fire ant-free are the ultimate goal. Accordingly, how to mitigate the re-invasion risk, such as weakening peripheral populations of fire ants or increasing the strength of biotic resistance of bait-controlled areas, seems highly prioritized. This study aims the latter strategy and attempts to use native ants that are competent of preventing dispersing fire ants from establishment via predation or competition. The gray-black spiny ant, Polyrhachis dives, a native ant species that was frequently observed coexisting with fire ants, was selected for further evaluation and experimental tests. Behavioral assays (individual interaction) showed that workers of P. dives exhibit a series of aggressive behaviors when encountered with fire ants, suggesting that this native ant may hold the key to interfere the success rate of re-invasion by fire ants. Furthermore, this study also discussed how the presence of honeydew-producing insects (for instance, invasive mealybugs, Paracoccus marginatus, in this study) influences the competitive relationship between these two ant species since carbohydrate from honeydew is important resource for which both ant species exploit and compete. Result shows that Po. dives has high aggressive behavior and territoriality and be able to damage the colony of S. invicta by the physical attacks. When the Pa. marginaius had been joined to this relationship, the increase sense of territory subjoins the encounter opportunities and competition of those two ants.

碩士
中華大學
企業管理學系碩士班
98
Recent years, the firm of ceramic has been getting serious competition, the reason of the whole of firms structure and the attitudes of consumers buying styles, those which turn the business profits down. Thus this research would like to use both (DEA) and(GRA) methods to explore why the ways to bring the effectiveness up and how to find the suitable figures of performance review between inside and outside business environmental changes. This research take a various of different data from products, subsidiaries, overseas branches to examine the real core competitiveness factors for decision makers to take new business extension. The efficiency of firm also is one of key concern factors of researcher to find the strength and weakness out. They are not so mass production should bring the revenue up in this case study, that technical innovation, and technical application are getting important as well. The well design manufacturing or technical developing scale become the core factors to provide business maximum. Thus, to make the right things, such as the matching technical design, manufacturing scale, product applications are obvious appear the good testing weight indexes in this study. Finally, overall results may provide a little bit contribution for furthermore study and good information for firms.

碩士
銘傳大學
金融研究所碩士在職專班
89
Since direct finance is becoming more important, the scales of the domestic full-service securities firms are getting bigger over banks, and so is the importance in their role. Internationalization of the financial markets, and competition from foreign giant investment banks both drive the domestic securities firms to speed up M&As. This research mainly evaluates the performance of the 19 domestic full-service securities firms listed in Taiwan’s OTC market and the ranking among them. The aim is to provide a resource for the M&A decision-making process for domestic securities firms and also the information for the general investors and even the regulators on the securities firms’ performance evaluation. The major findings are as follows: 1.Grey Relational Analysis demonstrates that the top 5 securities firms are Fubon, Yuanta, Jih Sun, Masterlink, and Chinatrust. 2.Grey Relational Analysis demonstrates that a securities firm with higher rank usually has a more stable performance. 3.Based on “The Five Operating Principles” of full-service securities firms, Grey Relational Analysis concludes that Profitability, Safety, and Efficiency have the highest impacts on a securities firm’s performance. However, Principal Component Analysis concludes that Profitability, Efficiency, Liquidity and Growth affect a securities firm’s performance the most. 4.Principal Component Analysis finds that the continuous profit (after tax) ratio, transaction loss ratio, the growth ratio of operating revenue, cash-flow ratio, and current ratio can explain the performance of a securities firm. However, Grey Relational Analysis Analyzed concludes that the continuous profit (after tax) ratio, the net profit (after tax) ratio, ROA, and return on net worth have higher explanation power. 5.Grey Relational Analysis is significantly correlated with Principal Component Analysis; thus, Grey Relational Analysis could be a proxy approach on the performance ranking of securities firms.

碩士
國立臺北科技大學
機電整合研究所
99
Traditional manufacturing of the thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) uses wet process equipments, hence producing large amounts of toxic liquid waste. This study presents a method of using dry equipment with high-precision laser isolation engraving on the LCD glass panel for non-pollution etching process. This paper will use 532nm wavelength green laser as the processing platform for insulation experiments, and aim to achieve parameter optimization of laser isolation process on the glass metal thin film through grey relational theory. In this study of laser isolation process, the two main targets are that the glass substrate not melted and successful metal film insulation. Under the requirements of scribing the metal film with a certain groove width and minimizing the heat affected zone, we plan to integrate the laser system operating parameters to achieve the targets. Therefore, the laser parameter selections are the key elements for the isolation process. These key parameters include laser focusing position, average laser power and Q-switch frequency. Using the experimental result and the grey theory analysis, we illustrate the validity of applying the grey theory to laser isolation process. This paper verifies the application of 532nm laser to the glass panel metal film with an appropriate combination of control parameters that can obtain excellent processing performance.

碩士
龍華科技大學
工程技術研究所
101
This paper presented the optimized parameter design processes with multiple quality characteristics through combining the Taguchi method and gray relational analysis method, which were applied in problems related to the optimized parameter design of atmospheric pressure plasma process coating of SiOx films. Using Tetreaethoxysilane, TEOS as the reaction precursor, the four factors of “oxygen flow”, “argon flow”, “plasma power”, and “substrate moving speed” were set as the process parameters, with the film thickness as the “Larger-the -Better, LTB” quality goal and the roughness as that of the “Smaller-the-Better, STB”. First, the various film parameters (oxygen flow, argon flow, plasma power, substrate moving speed, and plasma head spacing) were explored. Based on the results, the Taguchi method controlled factors and the standards were set. Then, the Taguchi experimental method known as the orthogonal array, along with four control factors for the thin film deposition process were used to discuss single quality optimization. After that, the analysis of variance was adopted to evaluate the impact of the selected control factors on film thicknesses and roughness. Finally, through the gray relational analysis, the optimized parameter combination of the surface roughness and film thickness related multiple quality characteristics when coating SiOx films were explored. When the gray relational analysis theory was applied in the multiple quality characteristics coating, the film roughness showed the characteristic of STB characteristic, while the film thickness showed the characteristic of LTB. A set of optimized combination was obtained form the designed coating parameters. This combination met the needs of the two abovementioned quality characteristics at the same time. The results show that the argon flow had the most significant impact on film thicknesses and roughness, followed by the substrate moving speed.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2004.
Typescript. Title from title screen (viewed July 3, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-47). Online version of the print original.

博士
雲林科技大學
工程科技研究所博士班
98
Fire safety prevention is today recognized as an imperative necessity and the most constructive campaigns that has ever come into the petrochemical processes and human’s daily lives. This study focused on fire and explosion safety assessment for the flammable materials: (1) benzene and methanol solvent mixtures (benzene/methanol: 100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 and 0/100 vol.%), and (2) four water vapor (steam)/acetone solutions (steam/acetone: 75/25, 50/50, 25/75, and 0/100 vol.%) both by experimental 20-L-Apparatus investigations and weighting analysis through a soft computing manner of grey system theory. We discussed the effects on influence factors to the flammability properties of foregoing flammable materials with numerious interactive scenarios simulated to their practical plant, comprising (1) benzene and methanol solvent mixtures: different initial temperatures (100, 150 and 200°C), pressures (1, 2 atm), and various loading oxygen concentrations (21, 17, 14…oxygen vol.%); (2) acetone aqueous solutions: different initial temperature (150, 200°C), pressures (1, 2 atm), and normal 21 vol.% loading oxygen concentrateion. Combining with the traditionally-explosion characteristics-detected method via 20-L-Apparatus and mathematical grey system theory apparoach, the experimentally-derived data, including explosion sensitivity (lower explosion limits (LEL), upper explosion limits (UEL)), explosion maximum indices, maximum explosion pressure (Pmax), maximum rate of explosion pressure rise ((dP dt–1)max), explosion hazard degree (gas or vapor deflagration index (Kg)/explosion class (St), and minimum oxygen concentration (MOC), were further employed for weighting analyses of above influence factors via grey system theory, utilizing the GM(h,N) model (GM(1,N)/GM(0,N)) for rating their fire and explosion hazard degrees both specifically and quantitatively. According to our calculation and comparing with the significant part of the above-mentioned influence factors by means of grey system theory, the results indicated that (1) in the benzene/methanol mixing system, the initial pressure was the most important factor among them and should be considered to be controlled first. The second and third factors happened to be loading oxygen concentration and initial temperature, respectively. Furthermore, different benzene/methanol components held no influence in this flammable mixing system; (2) at the acetone aqueous solutions case, the results indicated that the most important influence factor was the initial pressure, the manager or engineer in such a steam/acetone mixing system should be considered to be controlled first. The second influence factor in GM(1,N) and GM(0,N) model was the initial temperature and steam/acetone mixing concentration, but the third influence factor was individual contrariwise. The above testing results were all further confirmed by our theoretical soft computing calculations. In conclusio, this study established a complete flammability hazard evaluation approach that was combined with experimentally and theoretically feasible way for fire/explosion prevention and protection while flammable chemicals were mixed. The outcomes would be useful for positive decisions for safety assessment for the relevant practical plants or processe. First time the traditional way for investigating the flammability characteristics and hazard were further proven by the soft computing methods of grey system theory approach. Regarding to the inert gases selection, this study also could be over employed for the practical applications of inert gases for flammability protection and prevention, to promote the associating process of the whole.

碩士
國立金門大學
防災與永續研究所
99
EMS (emergency medical service) is one of the most important tasks for fire-fighting units because it is related to the public’s safety and lives, the safeguard of which is an unshirkable responsibility to a government. EMS resources should be allocated according to the traffic facilities, demographic structure and lifestyle of the place where a rescue unit is located to avoid the waste of or insufficiency in resources. The purpose of this study was to come up with a basis and thinking for a reasonable EMS resources distribution to serve as a reference for related policy makers. The scope of this study covered all government levels in Kinmen County, including county, township, village and borough. Historical data on Kinmen County’s EMS operations between 2006 and 2010 were collected for a grey relational analysis to obtain the severity rankings of EMS operation types in Kinmen County and the nation as a whole, the severity rankings of EMS operation types in Kinmen County and its subordinate townships, and the severity rankings of EMS operation types in boroughs under Jincheng Township. The results showed that severity rankings of EMS operation types varied from district to district, which can serve as a reference for fire-fighting officials to achieve a reasonable allocation and adjustment of EMS resources. In addition to the grey relational analysis of severity rankings for EMS operations at different government levels, deduction was made based on the same type of EMS operations using GM(1.N) Theory to obtain the influence level rankings for each township under Kinmen County and each borough in Jincheng. The results of grey relational analysis showed that “acute diseases” ranked No. 1 in severity among the EMS operations at all levels of Kinmen County Government. GM(1.N) Theory Analysis showed that the influence level of this EMS operation type (acute diseases) in Jinning Township is more serious than in other townships, which implies that the county government should prioritize the resources allocation for the EMS operation of this type in Jinning. The same principle should be applied to the resources allocation for other EMS items. The results of this study can serve as a preliminary assessment model for fire-fighting units at various levels in their decision-making on EMS resources allocation. It is hoped that by doing so, a reasonable and effective resources planning, allocation and implementation can be achieved, and the public’s awareness of self-protection can be enhanced to increase the chance of their survival in case of any EMS operations. Keywords: EMS (Emergency Medical Service), grey relational grade, grey modeling

The purpose of this study was to assess how graduating students at St. Paul’s High School are fulfilling the characteristics of the Jesuit Secondary Education Association’s Profile of the Graduate at Graduation. These characteristics include being open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice. While these five characteristics are identified as desired traits for graduates of St. Paul’s, there has not yet been an evaluation process undertaken in order to gauge student attainment of these characteristics. The methodology involved a document analysis, a collection of data from the sixty-two JSEA schools’ websites, and four interviews with St. Paul’s graduates from 2014. The three-fold approach allowed for a deep understanding of the context and experience of the Profile. This allowed for a reflection that showed there is a successful outline for creating a culture where the Graduate at Graduation is central to the mission of JSEA schools, which in turn makes the characteristics attainable.