Esta tese tem por fim facilitar o desenvolvimento da indústria marítima brasileira. Os clusters industriais são amplamente reconhecidos como fontes de promoção da evolução tecnológica e por impactar positivamente em muitos aspectos do desenvolvimento regional. Por outro lado, os estaleiros de construção e reparo naval são tidos como estratégicos a soberania de muitos países, função do largo emprego de mão-de-obra e por produzir bens que possibilitem o fortalecimento das relações comerciais entre estados e países. Sendo a convergência destas duas situações bastante promissoras, decidiu-se focar esforços em propor um modelo de referência que pudesse ser empregado para desenvolvimento de clusters de indústrias marítimas. Estudos empíricos sobre clusters de indústrias relatam algumas externalidades positivas características, observadas em clusters bem-sucedidos. Outros trabalhos desenvolveram estudos sobre alguns fatores que são fundamentais ao sucesso de clusters. Existem ainda aqueles que externam algumas ações que foram tomadas para o desenvolvimento de clusters diversos. Esta tese propõe confluir estes trabalhos, encontrando as relações entre as ações, os fatores que condicionam o sucesso de clusters de indústria marítima e suas externalidades positivas para estabelecer uma proposta de modelo de ações para o desenvolvimento e consolidação de clusters de indústria marítima. Neste trabalho foi feita também, a avaliação dos reflexos das externalidades destes fatores que são fundamentais para o desenvolvimento de clusters nos fatores críticos de sucesso das empresas individuais. Para materialização desta proposta, estudou-se diversos trabalhos teóricos e empíricos sobre clusters industriais, situados tanto em países desenvolvidos como nos ainda em desenvolvimento. A premissa básica do trabalho foi determinar que fatores são determinantes para o desenvolvimento de clusters e quais objetivos estratégicos deveriam ser seguidos para que se pudesse consegui-los. Os esforços de pesquisa resultaram na materialização de uma proposta de modelo estratégico genérico, que, com as devidas adequações as características e necessidades regionais específicas, pode ser empregado para o desenvolvimento de qualquer cluster de indústria marítima. Em uma segunda etapa do trabalho, foi proposta a aplicação do modelo de referência para o desenvolvimento do cluster marítimo da região de Itajaí e Navegantes, em Santa Catarina. Para tanto, foi feita pesquisa de campo em pouco mais de 40 atores regionais, com a finalidade de determinar o estágio de desenvolvimento do cluster e qual nível de evolução e presença dos fatores que levam um cluster a ser bem-sucedido. Após a aplicação hipotética da proposta do modelo, os resultados foram colocados para avaliação de 4 gestores de empresas da região que acenaram positivamente para identificação dos resultados com a realidade regional. O modelo estratégico proposto mostrou-se sólido e abrangente, com boas perspectivas de sucesso na aplicação para o desenvolvimento de clusters de indústrias marítimas. / This thesis aims to facilitate the Brazilian maritime industry development. Industrial clusters are widely recognized as a source of technological evolution promotion as well as for bringing positive impact over a range of aspects in the regional development. On the other hand, construction and repair boatyards are taken as strategic for many countries sovereignty, having the function of widespread hand labor and employment, and goods production that allow strengthening trade relations among states and countries. Considering the convergence of these two situations much promising, it was decided to focus efforts towards a reference model to be used for the development of maritime industries clusters. Industries clusters empirical studies report some characteristic positive externalities observed in successful clusters. Other studies discussed on some fundamental factors for clusters success. There are also those studies that point out some actions taken for the development of a variety of clusters. This thesis propose to converge these works, joining the actions relations, the conditioning factors for the maritime industries clusters and its positive externalities in order to establish an actions model proposal for the maritime industries clusters development and consolidation. This thesis includes also the assessment of the externalities consequences of these factors, which are essential for the clusters development in the critical success factor of individual companies. Several theoretical and empirical studies on industrial clusters, located in developed and underdeveloped countries were studied in order to achieve this proposal. The basic premise of the study was to determine decisive factors for clusters development and the strategic objectives that should be followed for their accomplishment. The research efforts resulted in the materialization of a generic strategic model proposal, which the appropriate adjustments to the specific regional needs and characteristics, can be used for the development of any marine industrial cluster. In a Second stage, it was proposed the reference model to be used to develop the maritime cluster in Itajaí and Navegantes region, state of Santa Catarina. Therefore, a field survey was conducted over a few more than 40 actors, in order to determine the cluster development stage and evaluate the evolution level and presence of the factors that may enable a cluster to be successful. After the hypothetical application of the proposed model, the results were placed for evaluation of 4 region companies\' managers who waved positively to identify the results to the regional reality. The proposed strategic model proved to be solid and comprehensive, with good prospects of application success for the maritime industrial clusters development.

There was an increase in a number of applications for a master degree program with the growth in time. It takes huge time to process all the application documents of each and every applicant manually and requires a high volume of the workforce. This can be reduced if automation is used for this process. In any case, before that, an analysis of the complete strides required in preparing was precisely the automation must be utilized to diminish the time and workforces must be finished. The application process for the applicant is actually participating in several steps. First, the applicant sends the complete scanned documents to the uni-assist; from there the applications are received by the student assistant team at the particular university to which the applicant had applied, and then they are sent to the individual departments. At the individual sections, the individual applications will be handled by leading an intensive study to know whether the applicant by their past capabilities scopes to satisfy the prerequisites of further study system to which they have applied. What's more, by considering the required points of interest of the applicant without investigating every single report, and to pack the information and diminish the preparing time for the specific division, by this postulation extend a solitary web apparatus is being produced that can procedure the application which is much dependable in the basic leadership procedure of application.

No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to explore how a potential model of a tourism industry cluster could be developed in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). To undertake this task an extensive literature review of cluster-based economic strategies was done. This was followed by a synopsis of the tourism industry from a global and South African perspective in order to determine issues of competitiveness and their impact on provincial dynamics. The study employed a qualitative research design and focused on the tourism industry in KwaZulu-Natal as a case study. Major stakeholders in the industry were interviewed. The main findings of the study are that KZN has the necessary preconditions for existence of a potential tourism cluster, and these conditions make it ripe for the cluster to be activated and developed. Activating and developing a cluster would bring home major benefits. The study highlighted various tools and mechanisms which could be used to analyse the province’s cluster map, and a model cluster map is also suggested based on contributions from different respondents. Using Porter’s Diamond Model, the competitiveness of the KZN tourism industry was assessed. Overall, it has been found that the province’s tourism industry possesses a mixture of resources and capabilities, which could be capitalised upon to developing the industry in future. However, glaring weaknesses are also exposed, which need to be dealt with urgently. In particular, crime and grime, together with the lack of tourism infrastructure to attract the high-end of the market, are seen as huge liability for the industry. A major contribution of this study is in identifying strategic management challenges that cluster studies have not addressed previously. The study also highlighted important critical success factors for cluster development and the drivers for change. The presence of some of these factors contributes to making the future prospect of the tourism industry in KZN to look bright. The study concludes by recommending that a tourism cluster be activated and developed in KZN and this process be led by an Independent Cluster Facilitator, who must be appointed by the Member of the Executive Committee responsible for Finance and Economic Development in the province in consultation with industry leaders.

Networks of tree-ring data are commonly applied in statistical reconstruction of spatial fields of climate variables. The importance of elevation to the climatic interpretation of tree-ring networks is addressed using 281 station precipitation records, and a network of 79 tree-ring chronologies from different species and a range of elevations in the eastern Mediterranean. Cluster analysis of chronologies identifies 6 tree-ring groups, delineated principally by site elevation. Correlation analysis suggests several of the clusters are linked to homogenous elevational moisture regimes. Results imply that climate stations close to the elevations of the tree-ring sites are essential for assessing the seasonal climatic signal in tree-ring chronologies from this region. A broader implication is that the elevations of stations contributing to gridded climate networks should be considered in the design and interpretation of field reconstructions of climate from tree rings. Finally, results suggest elevation-stratified tree-ring networks as a strategy for seasonal climate reconstruction.

published_or_final_version / Computer Science / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Computer Science / Master / Master of Philosophy

Molecular and cluster anions have been investigated using a newly built tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometer combined with photoelectron imaging system. Solvation particularly hydration is shown not only to stabilize metastable anions such as CO₂⁻ in their ground state and impede autodetachment but also to alter the dynamics in the excited states. For instance, the 355 nm photoelectron image of mass-selected CO₂⁻(H₂O)(m) evolves from anisotropic to isotropic as m increases indicating excited state decay via electron autodetachment. Dissociation channels open at m=2 at 266 nm, resulting in O−(H₂O)m-k and CO₂⁻(H₂O)(m-k) products, the later becoming dominant as m increases. The photoelectron imaging of (CS₂)₂⁻ has revealed the coexistence of four electronic isomers: CS₂⁻•CS₂ [C(s)(₂A′)] and three covalent C₂S₄⁻ [C₂ᵥ(²B₁), D(2h)(²B(3g)), and D(2d)( ²A₁)] structures. Water-mediated intermolecular interactions have been shown to facilitate the formation of the global minimum C₂ᵥ(²B₁) structure rather than the less stable local minima C(s)(₂A′) and D(2d)(²A₁) structures that are favored in the dry source condition. In the (CS2)(n)⁻, n ≥ 3 and (CS₂)₂⁻ (H₂O)(m), m > 0 clusters, the population of the C₂ᵥ(²B₁) structure diminishes drastically due to more favorable solvent interactions with the CS2 − monomercore. Photoexcitation of the (CS₂)₂⁻ also results in the formation of CS₂⁻ and C₂S₂⁻ at 532 nm, and C₂S₂⁻, CS₂⁻, CS₃⁻, S₂⁻, and S⁻ at 355 and 266 nm. The relative yields of C₂S₂⁻ is significantly higher when (CS₂)₂⁻ is formed under wet source condition suggesting C₂ᵥ(²B₁) structure as the origin of C₂S₂⁻. An abrupt decrease in the relative yield of C₂S₂⁻ is observed upon adding CS₂ or H₂O to (CS₂)₂⁻. The CS₂⁻ based clusters are the likely origin of the S− photoproduct, while CS₃⁻ is formed through the secondary S⁻+CS₂ reaction. Novel anions (CS₂O₂⁻ and CS₃O⁻) are observed in the CS₂+O₂+e⁻ reaction. The photoelectron imaging and photodissociation results of these and other anionic products are presented. In addition, CS₂⁻•O₂ ion-neutral complex is formed depending on the conditions in the ion source. Despite the positive electron affinity of O₂, no clear signature of O₂⁻•CS₂ ion-neutral complex is seen in the photoelectron image. CO₃⁻ ion is also formed abundantly as a result of CS₂+CO₂+O₂+e⁻ reaction.

This dissertation presents three observational projects designed to characterize the outer disks of nearby galaxies (beyond the optical radius R₂₅). Until very recently, outer disks remained an elusive and poorly-understood component of disk galaxies. We first present a Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) optical imaging survey of nearby outer disks to examine the basic properties of this component. Our LBT observations indicate that most nearby galaxies host an outer disk with star formation occurring at a very low level. We detect hundreds of outer disk star clusters and show that they typically have masses ∼ 10² − 10⁴M⊙ and ages up to a Gyr. The clusters are born in groups that can remain clustered for a Gyr or more, while the clusters slowly evaporate stars into a diffuse stellar component. The clusters appear to form from localized overdensities in the gas distribution primarily associated with spiral structure. The clusters extend to 2R₂₅ in our sample. We find that some clusters may also reside well outside of their host galaxy’s gas disk. Our second project is a kinematic study of Hɑ knots in the outer disk of the large, isolated, face-on galaxy NGC 628, using Inamori Magellan Areal Camera and Spectrograph (IMACS) observations from the Magellan telescope. This galaxy shows a kinematically cold outer disk (velocity dispersion < 11 km s⁻¹) with a mass density ∑ = 7.5 M⊙ pc⁻². Our observations cannot exclude uniform star formation lasting a Hubble time in this outer disk and confirm that this component is an extension of the kinematically-cold inner disk. Our third project is a search for molecular emission in the outer disk of NGC 628, using the sensitive Atacama LargeMillimeter Array (ALMA) receiver on the Submillimeter Telescope (SMT). We did not detect emission from our outer disk pointings, though we are able to provide useful estimates for future ALMA observations of outer disk knots. Our SMT observations indicate that the H₂ / H I ratio is ∼ 100× lower in the outer disk than in the inner disk, which likely explains, at least in part, the trend towards smaller clusters and lower star formation rates at larger radii.