ETDs: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)
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Welcome to the ETD collection of the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD), an international organization dedicated to promoting the adoption, creation, use, dissemination, and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). We support electronic publishing and open access to scholarship in order to enhance the sharing of knowledge worldwide.
Individuals who have written a thesis or dissertation at an institution that does not have an ETD program may submit their ETDs to the NDLTD Theses and Dissertations collection. First, use the link at the right to register for an account in VTechWorks, then email vtechworks@vt.edu requesting permission to submit your ETD to this collection. You will receive an email with permission and a link to log in to VTechWorks. Complete the online submission and your ETD will be screened before being added to the NDLTD collection.
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Browsing ETDs: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) by Content Type "Dissertation"
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- Absolute coverage measurements of ultrathin alkali-metal films on reconstructed siliconBanerjee, Rajarshi (2001)Metal/semiconductor interfaces, particularly those involving Si, are of great technological and scientific interest. In atomically abrupt interfaces, many properties are determined by interatomic interactions over a few layers, i.e., over ~1 nanometer. The initial stages of growth of an atomic layer related to structural and electronic properties are thus important to thin film behavior. Surface science studies on metal-semiconductor systems often lead to contradictory conclusions regarding bonding sites and even whether the first layer is metallic or not. A key piece of information that must be consistent with any study is the number of atoms per unit area in the first layer, which is difficult to assess directly. Alkali-metal-semiconductor systems have been studied as model abrupt interfaces for several years. Novel effects, such as electron localization, were observed. Still, determinations of absolute coverage have been lacking. This dissertation describes results of absolute coverage measurements for Cs on Si(100)(2X1), Si(111)(7X7), and Si (111)(v3 X v3)R30°-B reconstructed surfaces using Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry in ultrahigh vacuum. The results bracket possible structural models for these systems. For the Cs/Si(111)(v3 X v3)R30°-B interface, this work confirms conclusions regarding electron localization effects and introduces considerations of ion-beam-induced desorption for the weakly-bound Cs
- Accommodating and promoting multilingualism through blended learningOlivier, Jak (North-West University, 2011-05)Multilingualism is a reality in South African classrooms. The Constitution of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) and the national language policy recognize language rights and aims at supporting, promoting and developing the official languages. However, despite the advantages of mother tongue education, English is often chosen as language of learning and teaching at the cost of the African official languages. This study proposes the accommodation and promotion of multilingualism through blended learning.Blended learning refers to the blending of traditional instruction methods, such as face-to-face instruction, with other forms of instruction such as online learning and teaching. Through a discussion of asynchronous and synchronous learning tools it was established that wikis would be used for this study. In terms of blended learning and learning theories the main emphasis in this study is on socio-constructivism as well as communal constructivism.The empirical research in this study focused on the establishment and testing of a conceptual model for the accommodation and promotion of multilingualism through blended learning in the subject IT. The research took the form of a sequential embedded mixed methods design. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. A questionnaire was used with IT teachers to investigate the language and blended learning context. This was followed up with qualitative research in the form of interviews aimed at provincial and national experts in terms of the subject IT and e-learning. Based on the literature and these two investigations, a conceptual model was developed. The conceptual model’s effectiveness was tested through a quasi-experimental study. A questionnaire was also completed by the respondents at the schools after the completion of the study. Through the testing of the effectiveness of the conceptual model it was found that multilingualism could successfully be accommodated and promoted through this conceptual model.
- Activismo social y difusión en el movimiento del Software Libre en ChileBáez Bezama, Eric Rolando (Universidad de Chile, 2005-03)Esta investigación es el resultado de la experiencia profesional del autor en medios de comunicación y centros tecnológicos, así como de la vinculación y participación activa que ha tenido con las comunidades nacionales e internacionales que promueven la creación y difusión libre del conocimiento, en especial el Software Libre.
- Advances in Answer Set PlanningPolleres, Axel (2003-08-27)Planning is a challenging research area since the early days of Artificial Intelligence. The planning problem is the task of finding a sequence of actions leading an agent from a given initial state to a desired goal state. Whereas classical planning adopts restricting assumptions such as complete knowledge about the initial state and deterministic action effects, in real world scenarios we often have to face incomplete knowledge and non-determinism. Classical planning languages and algorithms do not take these facts into account. So, there is a strong need for formal languages describing such non-classical planning problems on the one hand and for (declarative) methods for solving these problems on the other hand.In this thesis, we present the action language Kc, which is based on flexible action languages from the knowledge representation community and extends these by useful concepts from logic programming.We define two basic semantics for this language which reflect optimistic and secure (i.e. sceptical) plans in presence of incomplete information or nondeterminism. These basic semantics are furthermore extended to planning with action costs, where each action can have an assigned cost value. Here, we address optimal plans as well as plans which stay within a certain overall cost limit.Next, we develop efficient (i.e. polynomial) transformations from planning problems described in our language Kc to disjunctive logic programs which are then evaluated under the so-called Answer Set Semantics. In this context, we introduce a general new method for problem solving in Answer Set Programming (ASP) which takes the genuine "guess and check" paradigm in ASP into account and allows us to integrate separate "guess" and "check" programs into a single logic program. Based on these methods, we have implemented the planning system DLVK. We discuss problem solving and knowledge representation in Kc using DLVK by means of several examples. The proposed methods and the DLVK system are also evaluated experimentally and compared against related approaches. Finally, we present a practical application scenario from the area of design and monitoring of multi-agent systems. As we will see, this monitoring approach is not restricted to our particular formalism.
- Aetiology of fatigue during maximal and supramaximal exerciseAnsley, Les (University of Cape Town, 2003-03)The aim of this thesis was to investigate the extent of peripheral and central components in the development of fatigue during maximal exercise. Fatigue during maximal and supramaximal exercise has traditionally been modelled from the peripheral context of an inadequate capacity to supply metabolic substrate to the contracting muscles to meet the increased energy demand. However, there are a number of observations that are not compatible with the peripheral fatigue model but which support a reduced central drive during exercise acting to prevent organ failure that might occur should the work be continued at the same intensity. Candidates for the role of “exercise stopper” have been identified as mechanical forces, teleoanticipation, cardiovascular capacity and dyspnoea. We explored these various possibilities in order to determine the most likely cause of exercise cessation during high intensity exercise.The development of a plateau in oxygen consumption during maximal incremental exercise has traditionally been used as evidence that an oxygen deficiency in the exercising muscles causes the termination of exercise. However, the incidence of this “plateau phenomenon” depends largely on mode of exercise, testing protocol and sampling frequency. The aim of this study was to examine whether the development of the “plateau phenomenon” is an artefact of pedalling cadence. In the first study nine healthy individuals performed in random order a maximal incremental ramp test (0.5 W.s-1) on four occasions at a fixed cadence of 60, 80 or 100 rpm and at a self-selected cadence. Oxygen consumption (VO2), CO2 production (VCO2), minute ventilation (VE) and heart rate were measured throughout each trial and averaged over 30 s. Cadence was recorded every second. Neither VO2max nor peak power output were different between trials. Submaximum VO2, VCO2 and VE were not influenced by cadence. A plateau in oxygen consumption was observed in 14% of the trials. Cadence declined significantly towards the end of the self-selected cadence trial (p < 0.05). This ramp protocol produces a low incidence of the “plateau phenomenon” and the measured physiological variables are unaffected by cadence. Furthermore, only one subject displayed this phenomenon on more than one occasion. This confirms that the “plateau phenomenon” is an artefact of the testing protocol. The significant fall in cadence in anticipation of exercise termination during the self-selected cadence trial indicates the presence of a neural regulation, which would lead to a “plateau phenomenon” in those cycle tests in which the work rate is cadence-dependent.The purpose of the second study was to assess whether pacing strategies are adopted during supramaximal exercise bouts lasting longer than 30 s. Eight healthy males performed six Wingate Anaerobic Tests (WAnT). Subjects were informed that they were performing four 30 s WAnT and a 33 s and 36 s WAnT. However, they actually completed two trials of 30, 33 and 36 s each. Temporal feedback in the deception trials was manipulated so that subjects were unaware of the time discrepancy. Power output (PO) was determined from the angular displacement of the flywheel and averaged over 3 s. The peak power (PPI), mean power (MPI) and fatigue (FI) indices were calculated for each trial. Power output was similar for all trials up to 30 s. However, at 36 s the PO was significantly lower in the 36 s deception trial compared to the 36 s informed trial (392 ± 32 W vs 470 ± 88 W) (p < 0.001). The MPI was significantly lower in the 36 s trials (714 ± 76 W and 713 ± 78 W) compared to the 30 s trials (745 ± 65 W and 764 ± 82 W) although they were not different at 30 s (764 ± 83 W and 755 ± 79 W). The significant reduction in FI was greatest in the 36 s deception trial. In conclusion, the significant reduction in PO in the last six seconds of the 36 second deception trial, but not in the 36 second informed trial, indicates the presence of a pre-programmed 30 second “end point” based on the anticipated exercise duration from previous experience. Furthermore the similarity in pacing strategy in all informed trials suggests that the pacing strategy is centrally regulated and is independent of the total work to be performed.Athletes adopt a pacing strategy to delay fatigue and optimise athletic performance. However, many current theories of the regulation of muscle function during exercise do not adequately explain all observed features of such pacing strategies. We studied power output, oxygen consumption and muscle recruitment strategies during successive 4km cycling time trials to determine whether alterations in muscle recruitment by the central nervous system could explain the observed pacing strategies. Seven, highly trained cyclists performed three consecutive 4 km time trial intervals, each separated by 17 minutes. Subjects were instructed to perform each trial in the fastest time possible, but were given no feedback other than distance covered. Integrated electromyographic (iEMG) readings were measured at peak power output and for 90 s before the end of each trial. Subjects reach a VO2max in each interval. Time taken to complete the first and third intervals was similar. Peak power output was highest in the first interval but average power output, oxygen consumption, heart rate and postexercise plasma lactate concentrations were not different between intervals. Power output and iEMG activity rose similarly during the final 60 s in all intervals but were not different between trials. The similar pacing strategies in successive intervals and the parallel increase in iEMG and power output towards the end of each interval suggests that these pacing strategies could not have been controlled by peripheral mechanisms. Rather, these findings are compatible with the action of a centrally regulated that are recruited and de-recruited during exercise. The extent to which peripheral feedback influences recruitment patterns could not be determined from these experiments.The fourth study examined whether the supplementation of inspired air with a hyperoxic mixture results in a dose-dependent increase in peak work rate and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) during a ramp test to volitional exhaustion. To avoid the methodological disadvantages associated with breathing the gas mixtures from mixing bags, the trials were performed in a sealed chamber in which the oxygen fraction (FIO2) in the ambient air was altered and subjects were able to inhale directly from the environment. The three oxygen fractions in which the subjects exercised were 21% (room air), 35 or 60%. Arterial blood sampling occurred at rest and every 3 min during the trial. The blood was analysed for the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2), and carbon dioxide (pCO2); pH; oxygen saturation (sO2); haemoglobin saturation (O2Hb); and lactate concentrations. Expired gas and heart rate were measured continuously. Arterial sO2 and O2Hb were elevated in both hyperoxic conditions and did not fall throughout either trial. However in the normoxic trial sO2 and O2Hb declined over the duration of the trial. Lactate concentrations and pH were similar between all trials. VO2max was significantly higher with an FIO2 of 35 and 60% but was not different between hyperoxic conditions. Maximal ventilation (VEmax), carbon dioxide production (VCO2max) and heart rate were similar for all trials. Peak power output was increased in the trained athletes in the 60% FIO2 trial. Since the plateau phenomenon occurred infrequently in all trial (~9%) and the effect of hyperoxia on performance was less than the changes in blood oxygen carrying capacity, we conclude that hyperoxia improved exercise performance not solely by increasing oxygen delivery to the exercising muscles.In order to be able to directly compare the results from studies using different equipment it is important to know the interchangeability of the results from the machines. The fifth study tested the reliability and interchangeability of the two automated metabolic gas analyser systems that would be used in this series of studies at a range of submaximal workloads. Eight highly trained cyclists performed two incremental submaximal cycle ergometer tests. For each session either a Schiller CS-200 or a Vmax Series 229 automated gas analyser was used for expired gas analysis. Data for oxygen consumption (VO2), CO2 production (VCO2), minute ventilation (VE) and respiratory exchange ration (RER) were averaged for each of the five stages (200, 250, 275, 300 and 325 W). The VO2, VE and RER were similar between trials at all workloads. However, VCO2 was significantly lower in the Schiller trial at workloads above 200 W (p < 0.05). Although there was a significant correlation between the two automated systems for the measured parameters (VO2 = 0.78; VCO2 = 0.80; VE = 0.82; RER = 0.72) (p < 0.05), a Bland-Altman plot revealed that the limits of agreement between the two systems were unacceptably large (VO2 = 0.53 to 1.30 L.min-1; VCO2 = 0.55 to 0.64 L.min-1; VE = -22.3 to 30.3 L.min-1; RER = - 0.03 to 0.13). The co-efficient of variation within the analysers was insignificant for both systems. Both the systems provide reliable measures of expired gas parameters. However, care should be taken in directly comparing studies that have used the two different systems due to the poor agreement between the systems.The factors causing the termination of maximal exercise at sea level are unknown. A widely held view is that skeletal muscle anaerobiosis consequent to an inadequate oxygen delivery to the exercising muscles limits exercise. However, there is also evidence that respiratory muscle fatigue at the high ventilatory volumes achieved during maximal exercise delivery and respiratory muscle work on maximal exercise performance, we exercised 8 highly trained cyclists in a pressure-sealed chamber in which O2 concentrations were manipulated and helium (He) was substituted for nitrogen in the ambient air in order to reduce the work of breathing during exercise. This system ensured that external inspiratory and expiratory resistance was minimised and identical in all experimental conditions and approximated conditions present during usual exercise. During trials with O2 enriched ambient air the peak work rate increased (451 ± 58 W vs. 429 ± 59 W). Neither maximum nor submaximal oxygen consumption was altered in FIO2 of 35% (5.0 ± 0.6 l.min-1) compared to 21% (4.9 ± 0.7 l.min- 1). Substituting helium for nitrogen had no additional effect on work (453 ± 56 W) or VO2max (4.9 ± 0.7 l.min-1) beyond those observed for the hyperoxic conditions. Although submaximum VE was reduced with helium, VEmax was unchanged. Since exercise was terminated at the same peak work rate (± 5 W) in the two hyperoxic conditions we postulate that the actual work rate may be the sensed variable that determines maximal exercise performance. The findings from these studies suggest that the maintenance of physiological homeostasis and the avoidance of organ and cellular damage are of fundamental importance during maximal exercise. This is achieved through central regulation of work output based, possibly, on afferent information from the mechanoreceptors in the exercising skeletal muscles or alternatively, the extent of motor unit recruitment during maximal exercise may be hardwired in the central nervous system in a system of feed-forward control.
- Analysis of the visitors' profile of the islands Ilha do Superagüi e Ilha do Mel - Marketing as an instrument for sustainable tourismNiefer, Inge Andrea (Universidade federal do Paraná, 2002-05)The objectives of this work were to analyze and to compare the visitors of the immediate surroundings of two protected areas in the State of Paraná: the National Park of Superagüi and the Ecological Station “Ilha do Mel”, both islands. There was applied a questionnaire with 37 qualitative and quantitative questions. The questionnaire consisted of five parts: sociodemographic characteristics; trip characteristics; environmental conscience and attitudes; favorite activities and motivation; and perception of the destiny. The data were collected through personal interviews that in the average took from 20 to 30 minutes. 327 questionnaires were applied in Superagüi; in the period of December of 1998 to May of 2000, and 392 on the Ilha do Mel, in the period of April of 2000 to June of 2000. There are significant differences among the visitors of the two islands, this practically in all the researched characteristics. The public of the Ilha do Mel is significantly younger, what influences in several other variables, such as: civil status; education degree; and employment situation. 84% of the visitors of Ilha do Mel heard about it through friends/family, while in Superagüi only 67%. Ilha do Mel, for being a tourist destiny already for a longer time and the easy access, receives a larger number of people with repeated visits. Tourism was trip objective to a larger portion of the visitors of Ilha do Mel; in compensation they were observed significantly more researchers in Superagüi. Visitors’ environmental conscience can be considered high on both islands, but the one of the visitors of Ilha do Mel was inferior to Superagüi. Fewer respondents knew that the place they visited is a protected area. The value of the entrance fee that they are willing to pay was significantly smaller, as well as the disposition to follow the rules in favor of the conservation of nature. The interest in social and environmental subjects was significantly higher among the visitors of Superagüi. They were also willing to pay more for the use of environmental sane techniques than the respondents on Ilha do Mel. The interest in practicing the 25 tourist activities was significantly different between the two places. The comparison of the visitors’ attitude towards to problems showed that a part of the interviewees in Superagüi is much less inconvenienced with problems linked to the infrastructure that reduce the comfort during the stay, confirmed this fact by the smaller importance they give to items of tourist infrastructure. Among the visitors of Superagüi there was an accentuated concern with the improvement of the quality of the host community's life, fact not noticed on Ilha do Mel. In terms of motivation, it was shown that the visitors of Superagüi have larger appreciation to the natural and cultural values and the escape of the stress of the city than the ones of Ilha do Mel. There was also accomplished a benefit segmentation, showing that it is possible to identify distinct segments among the visitors of the same place. In Superagüi they were identified the following clusters: 1) the indifferent ones; 2) the non-sociable adventurers; 3) the sociable adventurers; 4) the enthusiasts; and 5) the non-sociable naturalists. On Ilha do Mel there were identified five different clusters: 1) the sociable adventurers; 2) the pure naturalists; 3) the enthusiasts; 4) the indifferent ones; and 5) the cultural naturalists.
- Authentic Leadership: Relationship Between Leader Quality of Communication and Organizational CommitmentLester, Matthew Pete (Tennessee Temple University, 2014-12)This quantitative research was a descriptive, statistical analysis that answered the question: "How does authentic leadership practices and the leader's quality of communication relate to organizational commitment?"
- Avaliação Dos Desempenhos Hidráulico e Economico de Um Sistema de Irrigação Localizada Utilizando Programação LinearMarcuzzo, Francisco (Universidade Estadual de São Paulo, 2004-02)A implantação de pomares cítricos irrigados, em diversas regiões do Estado de São Paulo, onde a variação da declividade é um fator limitante ao desempenho satisfatório da uniformidade de emissão d’água, impulsiona aos projetistas delinearem sistemas de irrigação visando a maior uniformidade de emissão, sem uma certeza sólida de que a mesma se reverterá em maior produção. Este fato acaba por penalizar o produtor irrigante de citros, devido ao alto custo inicial de implantação de um sistema de irrigação localizada, que é fixa e está distribuída em todo o espaço a ser irrigado.A existência de diferentes combinações de uniformidade de emissão na unidade operacional com a declividade do terreno favorece a ocorrência de várias possibilidades de configurações no sistema de irrigação, por conseguinte de diferentes custos de implantação e de posterior manejo do sistema. Desde que bem dimensionado, consegue-se verificar no sistema de irrigação localizada que a otimização do sistema através da programação linear é a melhor metodologia frente aos outros métodos propostos na pesquisa operacional, visto que se encontra a solução ótima global para as variáveis pré-estabelecidas no dimensionamento.Este trabalho teve por objetivo, através da programação linear, avaliar os desempenhos hidráulico e econômico (custos fixos e variáveis) de um sistema de irrigação localizada para a cultura da laranja; analisando se um melhor desempenho hidráulico, em diferentes condições de declividade, reverteria em uma maior receita liquida ao produtor.Os resultados obtidos permitem uma análise consistente dos parâmetros hidráulicos da uniformidade de emissão pré-estabelecida para a linha de derivação, influencia desta nas linhas laterais, produtividade, uniformidade de emissão real e receita liquida do produtor frente às distintas configurações hidráulicas e sob as declividades propostas. Verificou-se que nem sempre a melhor configuração hidráulica reverte em maior lucro ao irrigante para as condições de estudo indicadas. Obteve-se, em ordem decrescente, as lâminas de irrigação que resultaram em maior receita bruta para a laranja irrigada: 7,74; 11,61; 3,87 m3/árvore/ano e, que a 0 e 3% de declividade, os únicos valores de uniformidade de pressão real nas linhas laterais que estão acima dos valores calculados de uniformidade de emissão para a linha de derivação estão a 92%.
- Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling and Markov Chain Simulation for Chronic Wasting DiseaseMehl, Christopher (University of Colorado at Denver, 2004-05)In this thesis, a dynamic spatial model for the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease in Colorado mule deer is derived from a system of differential equations that captures the qualitative spatial and temporal behaviour of the disease. These differential equations are incorporated into an empirical Bayesian hierarchical model through the unusual step of deterministic autoregressive updates. Spatial effects in the model are described directly in the differential equations rather than through the use of correlations in the data. The use of deterministic updates is a simplification that reduces the number of parameters that must be estimated, yet still provides a flexible model that gives reasonable predictions for the disease. The posterior distribution generated by the data model hierarchy possesses characteristics that are atypical for many Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation techniques. To address these difficulties, a new MCMC technique is developed that has qualities similar to recently introduced tempered Langevin type algorithms. The methodology is used to fit the CWD model, and posterior parameter estimates are then used to obtain predictions about Chronic Wasting Disease.
- Boron-bridged constrained geometry complexes and related compoundsBreitling, Frank Michael (University of London, 2005-08)Group 3 and 4 complexes bearing linked cyclopentadienyl amido ligands, often referred to as constrained geometry complexes (CGCs), have experienced considerable interest due to their superior ability to copolymerise ethylene and higher alpha-olefins when activated with suitable co-catalyst.The work presented in this thesis aimed to replace the most commonly applied bridge in CGCs, which is silicon based, by one containing boron. The potential of the bridging element to have Lewis acidic character was expected to positively alter the catalytic activity of the activated species and possibly allowing for self-activation.Synthetic approaches to ligand precursors based on aminoboranes, diaminodiboranes(4) and ferrocenylboranes are described. Starting from the dihalo derivatives of these boranes, sequential substitution of the halides by one equivalent each of a cyclopentadienide derivative and an amide allowed the synthesis and isolation of a broad range of new CGC ligand precursors.Complexation of these ligand precursors to Group 4 metals was studied by utilising various protocols. The reaction with Group 4 tetraamides via amine elimination was the most successful yielding numerous new boron-bridged CGCs and related complexes in which the boron-bridged ligand binds in a non-chelating fashion.The newly synthesised compounds were fully characterised by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, supplemented by X-ray diffraction studies where applicable.Studies on the reactivity of boron-bridged CGCs in the presence of alkylating agents indicated susceptibility of the boron atom to nucleophilic attack resulting in a decomposition of the linking moiety between the cyclopentadienyl and amido fragments. This is as well reflected in the data gathered from polymerisation experiments, in which methylaluminoxane activated boron-bridged CGCs displayed a low activity towards ethylene polymerisation, but a high activity towards styrene polymerisation. Such characteristics are comparable to unbridged compounds, e.g. [(eta5-C5H5)TiCl3], rather than silicon-bridged CGCs, thus suggesting degradation of the boron-bridged CGCs to unbridged complexes under polymerisation conditions.
- Bridging the Geospatial Education-Workforce Divide: A Case Study on How Higher Education Can Address the Emerging Geospatial Drivers and Trends of the Intelligent Web Mapping EraStout, Wendy R. (Liberty University, 2022-03-15)The purpose of this exploratory collective case study is to discover how geospatial education can meet the geospatial workforce needs of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the emerging intelligent web mapping era. Geospatial education uses geographic information systems (GIS) to enable student learning by increasing in-depth spatial analysis and meaning using geotechnology tools (Baker & White, 2003). Bandura’s (1977) self-efficacy theory and geography concept of spatial thinking form an integrated theoretical framework of spatial cognition for this study. Data collection included in-depth interviews of twelve geospatial stakeholders, documentation collection, and supporting Q methodology to determine the viewpoints of a total of 41 geospatial stakeholders. Q methodology is a type of data collection that when used as a qualitative method utilizes sorting by the participant to determine their preferences. Data analysis strategies included cross-case synthesis, direct interpretation, generalizations, and a correlation matrix to show similarities in participants' preferences. The results revealed four collaborative perceptions of the stakeholders, forming four themes of social education, technology early adoption, data collaboration, and urban fundamentals. Four strategies were identified for higher education to prepare students for the emerging geospatial workforce trends. These strategies are to teach fundamentals, develop agile faculty and curriculum, use an interdisciplinary approach, and collaborate. These strategies reflect the perceptions of stakeholders in this study on how higher education can meet the emerging drivers and trends of the geospatial workforce.
- Building regulatory enforcement regimes. Comparative analysis of private sector involvement in the enforcement of public building regulationsVan Der Heijden, J.J. (2009-03-09)It is often assumed that traditional regulatory regimes centered on governmental action will benefit from greater private sector involvement. And, under the catchy phrase ‘from government to governance’ globally a wide variety of hybrid forms of governance has emerged. However, little empirical insight exists in the actual effects of such hybridization. The author aims at filling up this knowledge gap.He introduces a heuristic tool for comparative policy analysis, and applies this on a series of case studies. Following different building regulatory enforcement regimes in the Netherlands, Canada and Australia the author explains how different forms of private sector involvement play out in different settings. The thesis contains a wealth of scholarly and applied findings. It is insightful in showing different regime types and in suggesting meaningful differences in implementation and potential effects. The thesis adds both to studies on regulation of the built environment and its enforcement, and to studies on governance reform.
- Comparative study of Web-based Services and Best Practices offered by top World University libraries and "A" grade accredited University libraries in IndiaDhamdhere, Sangeeta (Ess Ess Publication, New Delhi, 2018-07-29)In this study 64 web based services (bibliographical, patron education, patron communication and patron publication services) and best practices offered by the 70 top world university libraries and 39 top Indian University libraries were studied using different data analysis techniques like cross-tabulating for average scores and Pearson correlation coefficient and tests like Chi-Square Test and T-Test were applied to the raw data collected for final results. The library rankings as per their web-based services were correlated with their university rankings as per Webometric rankings and found that library web-based services rankings are correlating with their university rankings. Therefore, developing countries like India should improve their library web-based services rankings to improve their rankings at global level.
- A Comparison of the Current Ratio and the Cash Conversion Cycle in Evaluating Working Capital Cash FlowsJohn, Costa (California Coast University, 2001-12)The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the current ratio and the cash conversion cycle in evaluating working capital cash flows from a diagnostic and a predictive aspect.The author analyzed two case studies. Each company was reviewed over a five-year period. For each company the writer calculated the annual current ratio and the cash conversion cycle and examined the trends over the five-year periods under review.Results of these analyses indicated that the cash conversion cycle was more effective than the current ratio in diagnosing the health of each company’s working capital cash flows. The cash conversion cycle also signaled a change in liquidity earlier than the current ratio, suggesting that the former had more effective predictive capabilities than the latter. The central implication of these findings is that the cash conversion cycle might be a more useful diagnostic and predictive tool than the current ratio in liquidity analysis.The research findings were also consistent with improvement or deterioration in each company’s underlying strategic performance as measured by critical changes in its competitive position at the same point in time as the cash conversion cycle trend shifted.These results suggest that the cash conversion cycle may provide insights into the impact of planned product-market strategy on shareholder value.
- Contribution to the Design and Implementation of Portable Tactile Displays for the Visually ImpairedVelazquez-Guerrero, Ramiro (Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6), 2006-06)This thesis explores the design, implementation and performance of a new concept for a low-cost, high-resolution, lightweight, compact and highly-portable tactile display. This tactile device is intended to be used in a novel visuo-tactile sensory substitution/supplemen-tation electronic travel aid (ETA) for the blind/visually impaired.Based on the psychophysiology of touch and using Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) as the actuation technology, a mechatronic device was designed and prototyped to stimulate the sense of touch by creating sensations of contact on the fingertips.The prototype consists of an array of 64 elements spaced 2.6 mm apart that vertically actuates SMA based miniature actuators of 1.5 mm diameter to a height range of 1.4 mm with a pull force of 300 mN up to a 1.5 Hz bandwidth. The full display weights 200 g and its compact dimensions (a cube of 8 cm side-length) make it easy for the user to carry. The display is capable of presenting a wide range of tactile binary information on its 8 x 8 matrix. Moreover, both mechanical and electronic drive designs are easily scalable to larger devices while still being price attractive.Human psychophysics experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the tactile information transmitted by the display to sighted people and show feasibility in principle of the system as an assistive technology for the blind/visually impaired.
- The Corral and the Slaughterhouse: Knowledge, tradition and the modernization of indigenous reindeer slaughtering practice in the Norwegian ArcticReinert, Hugo (University of Cambridge, 2008)This dissertation is a contribution to the ethnography of contemporary indigenous reindeer pastoralism in Norway: specifically, to the study of the neglected fields of reindeer killing and slaughtering practice. Its central contention is that in recent decades, the proliferation of human powers vested in the conduct of reindeer slaughter has created new conditions for practice, placing the identities of reindeer and herders at stake in new and still only dimly conceptualized ways. By exploring these, the dissertation aims to broaden existing debates concerning the so-called modernization of pastoral practice in Norway, drawing attention to some of its neglected aspects and inscribing them in a new register. Two principal strands inform the theoretical framework: one, approaches to the social study of knowledge that emphasise its practical, non-verbal and material aspects; and two, Foucauldian concepts of biopower as these may – or may not – be applicable to the human management of animal life.Individual chapters examine, in turn: the local politics of space on the Varanger peninsula, focusing particularly on links between the spatial management and the killing of reindeer; the practices and social relations of slaughter as it is conducted at the round-up corral; the social effects of the introduction of slaughterhouses, and of the regime of which they form a part; controversies surrounding specific slaughtering techniques and instruments, particularly the curved knife; and the politics of animal welfare discourse and practices in their application to reindeer herding. Finally, using the figure of animal sacrifice as a guiding trope, the concluding chapter attempts to situate some key aspects of the modernization of reindeer slaughter in relation to the operation of broader sacrificial economies that regulate the destruction of life at aggregate or populational levels.
- Der Mensch und die 'Künstliche Intelligenz': Eine Profilierung und kritische Bewertung der unterschiedlichen Grundauffassungen vom Standpunkt des gemäßigten RealismusEraßme, Rolf (RWTH Aachen, 2002-11)After a short introduction concerning the problem of "Artificial Intelligence" (AI) the work continues with a summary of the state of the art.Thereafter, it goes on to profile four different basic scientific views of human beings and AI: symbolism, connectionism, biologism and physicalism. The emphasis is on the elucidation of anthropologically relevant statements to intelligence, spirit, thinking, perception, will, consciousness, self-consciousness, feelings and life.It is demonstrated that the basic views referred to represent greatly abbreviated and distorted pictures of human beings. Theories that do not go beyond the quantifiable level cannot adequately encompass the nature of relevant concepts and capabilities. That is above all because of the fact that generally a philosophical materialism is advocated, which considers the existence of intellectual substances impossible. For this reason a philosophical critique is necessary. The position of moderate and critical realism is advocated, whose anthropological statements are secured by epistemological and metaphysical investigations.The work comes to the conclusion that human beings cannot be understood symbolistically, connectionistically, biologistically or physicalistically. Man is a physical-intellectual entity, endowed with reason, a living social being. He is formed and led by his intellectual and therefore immortal soul, which gives him uniqueness, irreplaceability and the value of personhood. He is capable of thinking and thus of objective, abstract perception, and therefore is intelligent. Humans have an unfettered will, which, led by mental perception, is to be directed toward the good. They are moreover, through reflection, self-conscious. Humans live an intellectually determined life, which essentially differs, despite biological similarity, from that of animals and cannot possibly, due to its substantial superiority, have developed from animal life.All substantial anthropological abilities (such as intelligence, will, consciousness etc.) presuppose spirit. Because it is not within the power of human beings to create a simple substance such as spirit, a thinking, perceptive, intelligent, willing, self-conscious, sentient living being can at best be only technically imitated, modelled or simulated but never be reproduced, copied or created. The relationship of humans to AI is thus determined by an insuperable difference between their natures.
- Design of CMOS analog integrated circuits as readout electronics for High-Tc superconductor and semiconductor terahertz bolometric sensorsThis PhD thesis deals with the design of a CMOS integrated circuit as a readout electronic for the THz bolometric detectors, either semiconductor or high-Tc superconductor. We study a chain of the analog signal processing composed of the differential fixed-gain amplifier for the temperature range of 40 to 400K, as well as of the high dynamic range low-pass active frequency filter. As the optimal amplifier configuration, a feedback-free architecture was selected in order to reach high frequency bandwidth (17MHz for gain 40dB), low quiescent current (Iq=2mA) and high input impedance. In this amplifier, the gain is set in the CMOS structure via two different methods and the accuracy is verified by wide-temperature measurements of the fabricated integrated circuit. Consequently, the behaviour of the frequency filters is examined namely in the stopband, aiming to increase the maximal cut-off frequency. As an outcome, two structures with low influence of real active elements' parameters are designed: improved type-II Sallen-Key and the structure based on the CCII- current conveyor. In the last part, the integrated CCII- with very low output impedance is presented.
- The Design of Online Environments (Political Hashtags) and the Quality of Democratic Discourse At-ScaleRho, Ha Rim (University of California, Irvine, 2020-07-24)Facilitating democratic discourse, or people's ability to access factual information in service of thoughtful discussion of social issues, is critical for democracies to function properly. However, with the rise of online fake news, misinformation, and political extremism, it is becoming increasingly difficult to have civil conversations on the internet. As a first step to addressing this issue, scholars need to understand how the current design of online environments shapes people’s ability to respectfully engage across social and political differences. In this dissertation, I investigate how common social media design features, such as hashtags directly impact the quality of democratic discourse at-scale. Using natural language processing, statistics, and experimental design, I empirically demonstrate how linguistic behavior and the presence of political hashtags in online social media news articles impact the quality of discussions surrounding race, gender, and equality. Through my findings, I provide a theoretical examination of functionality and intertextuality as critical aspects of online design. Online design considerations that consider functionality alone tend to promote a digital public sphere that predominantly favors hashtag (or content) producers over non-users and passive content consumers. The sole emphasis on the functionality of design features drives frequency-driven research practices that prioritize discourse conditions for hashtag producers through volume-based definitions of discussion quality. Collectively, the research studies in this thesis are motivated by a desire to understand how online spaces can be better designed to foster interaction and discourse that can bridge rather than sharpen social differences. Results from this dissertation research strongly indicate that scholars, designers, and engineers need to rethink and evaluate how current methodological approaches that prioritize the functionality of online design choices are limiting the way we understand the quality of democratic discourse on the internet. As a step towards this direction, I evoke Kristeva’s notion of intertextuality to demonstrate how online design choices facilitate the power of language in which important social topics are discussed across networks.