This thesis falls into two parts, a characterizing part, and an explanatory part. In the first part, I outline some of the core aspects of our ordinary understanding of visual perception, and how we regard it as a means of knowing. What explains the fact that I know that the lemon before me is yellow is my visual perception: I know that the lemon is yellow because I can see it. Some explanations of how one knows specify that in virtue of which one genuinely knows, as opposed to merely believes, some content. Such explanations are epistemically satisfactory explanations. We think that visual perceptual explanations of knowledge can be epistemically satisfactory. I argue that that is what it is to regard visual perception as being among our means of knowing. In the second part, I explore how we might explain the fact that visual perception is a means of knowing (assuming that it is a fact). I ask what makes it the case that visual perception is a means of knowing (in the way we ordinarily think that it is)? I suggest that part of the answer to this question is that visual perception, given the nature it has, has a reason giving role. And that is just to say that the nature of visual perception is such that visually perceiving can ensure the satisfaction of some important condition on knowledge (namely, that if one knows that something is the case one must have a good reason to believe that it is the case). In concluding I suggest that giving this sort of explanation doesn't require a specific theory of perception.

<p> Narcissism is a well-known psychological construct that bears implications for personality, development, adjustment, and relationships. Insecure attachment is also a part of well-developed psychoanalytic theory in psychology. Much research has been conducted on the two constructs, but little has been empirically discovered about how the two relate to each other, particularly for the developing age group of early adolescence. Morf and Rhodewalt [<i>Psychological Inquiry</i>, 12, 4, (2001)] propose that narcissism and insecure attachment are associated, and that whereas narcissistic boys are more likely to report an avoidant attachment, narcissistic girls are more likely to report an anxious attachment. Further, the associations between narcissism and insecure attachment may hinge on the degree to which individuals have internalized prevailing gender stereotypes regarding attachment styles (i.e., that an avoidant style is normative for boys and that an anxious style is normative for girls). A sample of early adolescents (N = 159, 77 boys, 82 girls, Mean age = 12.05 years) responded to measures of narcissism, own-gender stereotypes in attachment styles, and insecure relationship styles to a close friend. Results from hierarchical regression analyses countered what was hypothesized, finding that narcissism negatively predicated the avoidant style, and that gender did not moderate this relationship. Further, results indicated that for the anxious style, narcissistic children who endorsed having an own-gender stereotype of the anxious style were less likely to endorse having an anxious style. Results suggest that there may be something unique about attachment to a close friend and narcissism in early adolescence that warrants further investigation.</p><p>

As a step towards decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the transport sector, electrical vehicles (EVs) have become more and more popular. Two major problem areas the EV industry is currently facing are range limitations, i.e. being restricted by the capacity of the battery, as well as a demand for higher bandwidth as the in-vehicle communication increases. In this thesis, an attempt is made to address these problem areas by examining the energy consumption required by Controller Area Network (CAN) and Ethernet. In addition, the effects of Energy-Efficient Ethernet (EEE) are reviewed. The protocols are examined by performing a theoretical analysis over CAN, Ethernet and EEE, physical tests over CAN and Ethernet, as well as simulations of EEE. The results show that Ethernet requires 2.5 to four times more energy than CAN in theory, and 4.5 to six times more based on physical measurements. The energy consumption of EEE depends on usage, ranging from energy levels of 40 \% less than CAN when idle, and up to equal amounts as regular Ethernet at high utilisation. By taking full advantage of the traits of Time-Sensitive Networking, EEE has the potential of significantly decreasing the amount of energy consumed compared to standard Ethernet while still providing a much higher bandwidth than CAN, at the cost of introducing short delays. This thesis provides insight into the behaviour of a transmitter for each of the three protocols, discusses the energy implications of replacing CAN with Ethernet and highlights the importance of understanding how to use Ethernet and EEE efficiently.

This dissertation investigated a very specialised, highly sensitive and complex research area in policing known as undercover policing or covert policing operations. This is the first examination to be conducted in the Australasian policing context and the only known research to explore, empirically, undercover operatives' experiences of returning to mainstream police duties after completing their covert duties.----- There were two main research objectives in this dissertation. The first was to develop research methodology specific for use with undercover police officers. The second main objective was to conduct an empirical investigation to identify the psychological processes associated with the reintegration or re-assimilation of undercover police officers into mainstream policing environments. Social identity theory was applied to deconstruct undercover police officers' reintegration experiences.----- Given the closed and protected nature of covert policing, careful consideration to methodological and ethical issues required high priority in the development of research practices. Addressing these considerations in research practices protected the anonymity and security of those involved in the research. Tailoring research methods to suit the officers' circumstances and satisfy police managements' security concerns improved the practical application of research methods and research relations with police members and, therefore, the quality of the findings.----- In developing a research methodology for specific use with undercover police officers, a multi-method approach was adopted. Data triangulation with the use of a variety of data sources and methodological triangulation with the use of multiple methods and multiple indicators were employed. This technique proved constructive in creating a more holistic perspective of undercover policing and officers' experiences of re-assimilation.----- In theoretical terms, the major issue under investigation is of negotiating dual memberships or multiple identities. Three studies are reported. The first study is a field study, in which the researcher spent more than 18 months in the covert policing context, as a participant observer. Through field research, the researcher was able to learn about the Australasian covert policing context; obtain in-house police documents; define research issues and hypotheses; understand methodological considerations; identify a psychological theoretical framework; and examine &quotthe fit " between theory and the social dynamics of covert policing. Other benefits of becoming immersed in the working life of undercover police officers and the police organisation included understanding the ways of proceeding and the social and organisational structure that exists among covert personnel.----- The second study interviewed 20 former covert police personnel, from two police jurisdictions, who had been reintegrated for more than three years. The majority of officers found returning to mainstream police duties a difficult experience and two separate profiles of reintegration experiences emerged from the data. This study identified the presence of more than one police identity among former operatives. It found that some officers internalise aspects of the undercover policing norms and use these police norms to define aspects of the self both as a police officer and as an individual. That is, role-playing the undercover police persona became an extension of the officer as an individual and contributed positively to their personal self-worth. It was noted that the majority of officers expressed cognitive confusion over how to behave in the mainstream policing environment after covert duties had ceased.----- The other profile to emerge from the data was of officers who characterised their undercover policing experiences as being more integrated into their overall police persona. Officers interviewed in this study employed different identity decision-making strategies to restructure their police identities. In sum, this study found that the extent, to which the undercover and mainstream memberships were integrated cognitively, influenced officers' experiences of reintegration.----- The third study is a cross-sectional design using survey methods. Thirty-eight trainees, 31 currently operational and 38 former undercover operatives from four police jurisdictions took part in this study. A group of mainstream police officers matched according to former operatives' age, gender and years of policing experience was also included. This study found that police identities change over the phases of undercover police work and that changes in former operatives' mainstream police identity were a function of covert police work. Cross-sectional comparisons revealed that former operatives' undercover police identity had declined since covert policing, however, officers' mainstream police identity had not significantly increased. Failure to increase identification with mainstream police after undercover police work has ceased has a number of implications in terms of predicting re-assimilation. Operatives most likely to experience difficulties were those who resisted the mainstream police identification and reported difficult relations with their mainstream peers. Trends analysis revealed that despite the physical change, 'cognitive' re-assimilation actually commences in the second year of the operatives' reintegration. These exploratory analyses revealed that following return to the mainstream policing environment, identity stressors were mostly likely to be experienced in the first year of reintegration.----- To determine psychological adjustment since undercover police work, the person-environment fit was also investigated in the study. Operatives' current perceptions of working in the mainstream context were reported using a number of behavioural and organisational indicators. Overall, this study found that former operatives remain committed to their policing profession, however, those who experienced identity stress during the re-assimilation process were less satisfied with their current work duties and failed to find their work interesting, tended to perceive undercover duties as having been detrimental to their career, and expressed greater intentions to leave the service within 12 months of the survey. Overall former operatives' satisfaction and commitment levels were not significantly different from mainstream officers. Mainstream police, however, reported being under greater pressure and felt more overworked in the mainstream context than former operatives. In summary, these organisational indicators revealed that the difficulties of re-assimilation and intentions to leave the service are more related to the stress of modifying officers' police identity during this period than the workload characteristics of mainstream policing.----- Overall these studies demonstrated that the process of negotiating police identities is an important psychological dynamic present in undercover operatives' reintegration experiences. The identity stress experienced during this period was shown to have a number of organisational-behavioural consequences, such as problematic intergroup relations and greater intentions to leave the police service after undercover police work. Based on findings from this research a number of practical recommendations are made and suggestions for the direction of future research are outlined. Contributions to theory are also discussed.

Developing equitable practices that provide fair access for all individuals to the benefits and burdens within an organisation remains a dilemma for management both in policy and practice. Research continues to show that the employment status and representation of women is significantly less in relation to those of men. Conflicting arguments on the causes of disparity and competing ideals on the value and means for addressing the disparity have resulted in a number of different opinions on the implementation and practice of equity management. This dissertation contributes to the current knowledge of equity management, exploring contemporary equity management strategies, identifying the approaches of its implementation and analysing these against the outcomes for the status of women's employment. The equity management practices of more that 1900 Australian Private Sector organisations are explored in order to identify the common themes of equity management. Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factory Analysis are used to analyse the data. A model of strategic equity management practice was developed that identifies different structures, strategies and distribution principles designed to address the disparity between men and women. A major aim of this thesis was to explore the ability of a typological theory of equity management approaches to account for the differences in the status of women's employment. The thesis proposes a typology of equity management approaches that explain the implementation of equity management strategies based on structure and process. Four ideal-typical equity management approaches to achieving workplace parity are identified and explored. The traditional (non-compliance), anti-discrimination, affirmative action and gender diversity approaches proposed inform the a priori Cluster Analysis process that grouped Australian organisations based on their use of the approaches to equity management. Significant numbers of Australian organisations were identified utilising each of the identified approaches to equity management. It was further proposed that the different equity management approaches would be predictors of different outcomes for the employment status of women. MANCOVA was used to analyse the equity management approaches (as the independent variables) and the data on the status of women's employment (as the dependent variables). The findings indicate that the different approaches to equity management are predictors of different outcomes for the employment status of women. Results show that the traditional approach to equity management, which includes the use of none of the equity management strategies identified, is not a predictor of increases in any of the employment measures of women. The anti-discrimination approach, which includes the use of a limited number of equity management strategies identified, is a predictor of increases in some of the employment measures of women. The affirmative action approach to equity management, which includes the use of a number of proactive equity management strategies identified, is a predictor of increases in the employment status of women across a number of measures. The gender diversity approach to equity management, which includes the use of all the equity management strategies identified, is a limited predictor of increases in the employment status of women across some of the measures of employment. Managing the equity process within organisations is increasingly identified as an important tool in managing human resources in competitive, global environments that require productive workers and quality outputs. If equity management is to provide an effective means of addressing disparity between men and women in organisations, this thesis argues for the development of a strategic process to address the specific issues of disparity and the particular needs of the individual and the explicit goals of the organisation in equal opportunity.

This study of Stendhal and the Bildungsroman extends theoretical work by John Smith that draws attention to the relationship between the idea of bildung as it is established by its critics and the construction of masculine identity in the male subject. Inflected by gender theory, my investigation does not attempt to contribute to genre studies, but rather to strengthen a theoretical approach to texts dealing with formation and coming-of-age narratives that exposes their rapport with gender socialization and normalization. I implement this approach to perform a reading of three of Stendhals major novels that ultimately intends to identify their dismantling of the Bildungsroman through their problematization of idealized French heteronormative masculinity. In order to accomplish this task, I first examine a classic work of scholarship on the Bildungsroman by Jerome Buckley, and I then move on to an analysis of more recent critical studies of bildung, all of which contribute to the establishment of a general idea of the outline of the genre while acknowledging its contradictions and instabilities. I examine parallels between the oscillating construction of the genre as a coherent type constantly under threat of collapsing into itself, and the tenuous formation of its protagonist as a uomo universale. Finally, I am concerned with questioning the Bildungsroman theorists conflicted yet confirmed incorporation of three of Stendhals novels into the genre, proving that, in fact, Stendhal rejects the idea of bildung. My new readings of these narratives incorporates important advances in gender theory by Judith Butler and Eve Sedgwick to demonstrate how Beyle refuses to construct idealized boy- iv becomes-man masculine fictions, even while creating narratives that are extremely similar in content to what are considered typical Bildungsromans. Stendhal challenges idealized masculinity itself in his representations of the young male protagonists in three of his major novels. I describe these works as non-Bildungsromans that problematize the goals of bildungs supportive critics and their aspirations for the category that they struggle to construct.

Bachelors, Bastards, and Nomadic Masculinity: Illegitimacy in Guy de Maupassant and André Gide Robert M. Fagley, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2009 This dissertation is a thematic exploration of bachelor figures and male bastards in literary works by Guy de Maupassant and André Gide. The coupling of Maupassant and Gide is appropriate for such an analysis, not only because of their mutual treatment of illegitimacy, but also because each writer represents a chronologically identifiable literary movement, Realism and Modernism, and each writes during contiguous moments of socio-legal changes particularly related to divorce law and womens rights, which consequently have great influence on the legal destiny of illegitimate or natural children. Napoleons Civil Code of 1804 provides the legal(patriarchal) framework for the period of this study of illegitimacy, from about 1870 to 1925. The Civil Code saw numerous changes during this period. The Naquet Law of 1884, which reestablished limited legal divorce, represents the central socio-legal event of the turn of the century in matters of legitimacy, whereas the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and the First World War furnish chronological bookends for this dissertation. Besides through history, law, and sociology, this dissertation treats illegitimacy through the lens of various branches of gender theory, particularly the study of masculinities and a handful of other important critical theories, most importantly those of Michel Foucault, Eve Sedgwick and of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. Bachelors and bastards are two principal players in the representation of illegitimacy in Maupassant and Gide, but this study considers the theme of illegitimacy as extended beyond simple questions of legitimate versus illegitimate children. The male bastard is only one of the counterfeit characters examined in these authors fictional texts. This dissertation is divided into three parts which consider specific thematic elements of their bastard narratives. Part One frames the representation in fiction of bachelor figures and how they contribute to or the role they play in instances of illegitimacy. Part Two springs from and develops the metaphor of the counterfeit coin, whether represented by a bastard son, an affected schoolboy, a false priest, or a pretentious littérateur. Part Three explains the concept of nomadic masculine practices; such practices include nomadic styles of masculinity development as well as the bastards nomadism.

This dissertation illustrates the ways cinema intervenes into questions of history, politics, immigration, and national identity and community through the films of contemporary French filmmaker Yamina Benguigui (1957-). This study traces these interventions from her earliest films in the mid-1990s to her most recent productions in 2008. France, and the way it is represented to and by its people, has been undergoing significant transformations in recent decades as a result of an increasingly multicultural population and external pressures due to globalization and European unification. Benguiguis corpus reflects these tranformations and the evolution of these debates while also contributing to them, thereby consolidating her status as a cinéaste engagée. A range of theoretical texts inform the analyses of Benguiguis films. Colonial theory, as articulated by Frantz Fanon and Albert Memmi, illustrate to what extent the colonial dynamic continues to structure contemporary French society decades after decolonization. Jacques Rancières La mésentente (1995), a rethinking of the concepts of democracy and politics, provides the framework for an examination of Benguiguis cinema as political practice. Benguiguis films intend to open an imaginary space for immigrants and their descendants in French national narratives; Benedict Andersons theory of imagined communities is therefore particularly relevant to her cinematic project. This dissertation is organized thematically, beginning with an analysis of the ways Benguiguis films address colonial history and its consequences in the latter half of the twentieth century. The second chapter is an examination of her preferred genresthe documentary and tragicomedyand how they serve her cinematic and political project. Her films are situated within the documentary tradition as well as within French and Italian comedic conventions. The relationship between politics and cinema is studied in chapter three. Benguiguis most recent films, treating social unrest and inequalities in French society, have assumed an overt political cast, but a political project can be traced throughout her cinematic corpus. Yamina Benguigui advocates for a more inclusive and egalitarian society; this study illustrates the role art can and must play in these struggles.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the content and features of the patient education program provided by physical therapists for the management of an acute nonspecific low back pain condition, and to compare study results with literature recommendations with a special focus on adult learning. METHODS: Six hundred survey questionnaires were mailed to a national sample of physical therapists who were asked to complete a questionnaire based on a patient case study. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-four completed surveys were returned, resulting in a 44.0% response rate. DISCUSSION: The findings indicated that the patient education program provided by physical therapists can be considered relevant to adult learning theories. Features of the program, such as promoting selfcare, dispelling misconceptions, and developing a collaborative relationship between physical therapist and patient, can be considered beneficial for adult learning. CONCLUSION: Specific to an acute low back pain condition, physical therapists in the current study provided a patient education program which draws on principles from the professional, orthopaedic, and adult education literature.

Akademisk afhandling--Statsvidenskabelige fagrad--København, 1974. / Résumé en danois. Notes bibliogr.