A presente dissertação versa, principalmente, sobre a imagem do Brasil pela ótica do estudante intercambista estrangeiro. O estudo tem como objetivos o mapeamento das principais associações feitas ao Brasil por esse público, em particular; a discussão acerca dos atributos presentes em um país que possuem efetivo potencial de atração dessa demanda; a investigação sobre eventuais mudanças na visão dos estudantes, em decorrência do período de vivência, efetiva, no país. Para viabilizar a análise das associações feitas ao Brasil, utilizou-se, como base, estudos anteriores relacionados ao tema e documentos afetos a Marca Brasil. Para o alcance dos objetivos, foi realizada pesquisa bibliográfica em fontes relacionadas aos temas marca-país, imagem e identidade de marca, posicionamento de marca, gestão de marca e intercâmbio educacional. Sequencialmente, realizou-se pesquisa de campo com os estudantes intercambistas estrangeiros, no segundo de 2011. A análise dos dados foi feita por meio de Análise de Variância de Kruskal-Wallis e o Teste da Mediana, ambos procurando variações nas respostas em função do continente/país de origem do respondente. Os resultados apontam a existência de diferenças na percepção do estudante ao se considerar seu país ou continente de origem, evidenciando, portanto, a necessidade de pensar a oferta brasileira de intercâmbio de forma segmentada. Adicionalmente, o estudo revela que as associações promovidas na Marca Brasil refletem, em maior intensidade, uma perspectiva europeia do país, não tendo, aparentemente, significativo grau de aderência para a população de estudantes sul-americanos. / This dissertation is related, especially, with the image of Brazil from the perspective of the foreign exchange student. The study aims to map the main associations made to Brazil for this audience, in particular; the discussion about the attributes present in a country that possess effective potential attraction of this demand; the investigation of possible changes in the vision of the students, due the period of effective experience in the country. To facilitate the analysis of associations made to Brazil, was used, as a basis, previous studies and documents related to the subject Brazil Brand. To achieve the goals, were developed bibliographical research related to the themes country brand, image and brand identity, brand positioning, brand management and educational exchange. Sequentially, was developed held fieldwork with foreign exchange students in the second semester of 2011. Data analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis analysis Test and Variance Test, both looking for variations in responses due to the continent / country of origin of the respondent. The results indicate the existence of differences in the perception of the student when considering your country or continent of origin, showing therefore the need to think the Brazilian offering on a segmented way. Additionally, the study shows that associations promoted in Brazil Brand reflect, with greater intensity, a European perspective of the country and, apparently, doesn\'t have a significant degree of adherence to the population of South America students.

Improvisation är den vanligaste och mest spridda musikaliska formen. Lärare väljer själva hur mycket av undervisningen som kommer att handla om improvisation och vilket syfte den fyller, och för att lära sig improvisera i ny genre kan man använda plankning och transkribering som metod. I den här studien undersöks vilka improvisationsmetoder countrymusikerna använder sig av i de stycken jag valt att studera samt vilka likheter och olikheter det finns mellan instrumentens improvisationer. Genom att planka, spela och transkribera improvisationer ur tre olika låtar har materialet analyserats. Analysen har utgått från litteratur i improvisationsmetodik och har hjälpt till att svara på den ställda syftesformuleringen. Resultaten visar att tonmaterialet går att härleda till vedertagna improvisationsmetoder och att countrymusiker ser varje ackord för sig, likt hur en jazzmusiker förhåller sig till harmonik. Jag har lärt mig att se samband mellan instrumentspecifika improvisationsmetoder utöver kartläggningen av toner, och för att lära sig spela en ny genre är det effektivt att använda sig av transkribering och plankning som metod för att lära sig countryns idiom.

Unexplored areas in EU integration literature regarding regional representational channels give impetus to the research. Novelty lies in its concentration on reciprocal regional governmental and EU relations to test the hypothesis that Regions with Legislative Competencies (RLCs) interact in EU policy and decision-making to influence it through both formal and informal means. The work focuses on RLCs because they are able to harness a large degree of power and influence vis-à-vis the nation state, which increases their visibility in EU policy. The Basque Country is the case study due to its high degree of autonomy and resources that maximises its ability to influence EU policy. The period of analysis starts from the Maastricht Treaty negotiations (1991-1992) and concludes with the Basque parliamentary elections (2009). Existing literature explores the regional tier emphasising its involvement in EU decision and policymaking, primarily concerning structural and cohesion funds. Other scholarly contributions identify central governments as the regulators of substate regional participation at EU-level policymaking. The thesis argues that multi-level governance (MLG) offers new insights into examining EU integration and the phenomenon of regional ‘circumvention’ of central governments through informal representational avenues, including interregional organisations and diverse lobbying efforts. A MLG approach is useful because it considers varying levels of influence and jurisdiction of substate, state, and supranational entities within the EU. The thesis argues that the effective representational capability of RLCs depends on formal and informal institutional contacts, and it explores the most effective forms of representation for Euskadi and the policy areas where its activism has an impact. Fieldwork consists primarily of informal semi-structured interviews with EU representatives, the central state, Basque institutions, and interregional organisations. They are essential concerns for the methodology because they form a range of informal and formal representation channels, which have not been thoroughly surveyed in the literature.

The overall aim of this study is to explore the relations between home-places, mobility and social networks through the home-making of displaced Shan in limbo, and to see how they negotiate belonging during their displacement along the Thai-Burma border. This study highlights how displaced Shan remember, reconstruct and represent homeplaces they left behind and their physically fragmented journeys that led them from home-places to in-between border areas. Furthermore, the study sets out to discover how Shan placed their displacement by repairing their social ties and (re)constructing a feeling of at-homeness. This refers to the issues of how they dealt with their status of Stratified Others from the perspective of state institutions. It demonstrates how the displaced Shan live a double life with a series of tactical practices against their subordinate and oppressed positions. In this sense, although it does not deny displaced people's vulnerability, it sees them as having significant control over their lives, rather than as passive objects or “victims” (Brun: 18). This active role as a tactical agent engaged in the search for security highlights how migrants re-establish themselves and their families in society, differently from those who have citizenship and can travel freely and enjoy their membership (citizenship). Finally, the study also examines how displaced Shan develop and maintain their social connections within and beyond their effective spatial incarceration. They create multilayered constellations of social relations by ‘weaving' social relations through space, creating translocal linkages. This constellation of social relations can be regarded as displaced Shan's fluid translocal lived space forming their ‘home territory' beyond national borders in the face of their protracted displacement. This human-orientated perspective challenges the notion of state-centred ‘national territory' to (re)construct Shan's place affiliation and create a base for their future generations.

This study examined the educational activities at the University of Jordan, established in 1962, which is the oldest university in the country. The study traced the historical development of the university, which emphasizes highly-qualified graduates, and analyzed some of its educational practices. Research on this subject is limited. Jordanians have written little about their educational system, and there is little evidence of foreign scholars' interest in the subject. Some researchers argued that national pride was the main reason for establishing the university, since financial resources were not available to initiate and sustain serious research. The university started in the fall semester of 1962 with 167 students and one faculty, the Faculty of Arts. Two decades later, the university had ten faculties: Commerce and Administrative Sciences, Sciences, Medical Sciences (Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy), Agriculture, Education, Law, Engineering, Sharia, and Physical Education. The total number of staff continued to increase from 7 in 1962 to 627 by 1982. The size of the physical structure increased from one building to 40 buildings with approximately 18,000 square meters in 1982. As of 1982, more than 15,253 students had graduated from the university with bachelor's, master's, and diplomas-in-education degrees. In 1972, the University of Jordan changed from the yearly system to the credit-hour system, making it the first university in the region to adapt the credit-hour system. This study also provided information on students studying in Jordanian schools, students in host countries, students and faculty distribution in seven faculties, faculty demographics, research projects, degree programs, university budgets, as well as the multipurpose general secondary education examination which has no clear directive philosophy.

It is estimated that peatlands cover around 20% of Scotland’s land area. Scotland’s peatlands are important ecosystems in terms of the services they provide; carbon sequestration, water chemistry and flow regulation, biodiversity, as well as for the homes and livelihoods they offer to their inhabitants. Due to historical management practices over 70% of Scotland’s peatlands are damaged to some degree, and are now in need of restoration. The remaining peat bogs need to be conserved. Peatlands are complex landscapes that require good governance in order to be managed fairly and effectively. This thesis sets out to explore the issues surrounding peatland management and offer some recommendations. Workshops were carried out in Dumfries, The Cairngorms, Thurso and Shetland in order to explore how landowners and managers perceived peatlands and peatland restoration and the potential to fund restoration through the Peatland Code Payment for Ecosystem Services Scheme. The main findings were; there was confusion over the policy concerning peatlands, landowners and managers felt uncertain of the potential carbon benefits and methods to predict them, the Peatland Code focuses on carbon benefits and landowners and managers cared more about water and wildlife. These findings prompted a more in depth study of the objectives, priorities and values of landowners and managers through the use of qualitative interviews, and a policy analysis to clarify funding options and regulations and to identify potential barriers. Sixty-seven semi-structured interviews were carried out with landowners and managers from the four regions around Scotland. These were analysed in order to find common themes. Many of the interviewees had social and environmental aims for their land, as well as financial aims. There was a very strong sense of care and responsibility for the land, which was linked to heritage, legacy and identity. Communication was poor between different groups (landowners vs crofters, locals vs incomers, landowners and managers vs NGOs, Scientists, Politicians), fostering a sense of discord or antagonism. This lead to a lack of trust and a reluctance to engage with other groups, exacerbating communication issues. Poor communication means that the good environmental intensions of evident from the interviews did not always translate into action. Exceptions to this always involved face-to-face communication, site visits, and a long term relationship allowing the build-up of trust. Policy documents relating to peatlands were reviewed. Findings were presented at a workshop attended by peatland policy experts, in order to identify gaps or misconceptions, which were then addressed. Peatlands do not have their own policy area, but are mentioned in policy related to agriculture, forestry, fresh water and biodiversity. Peatlands are most often mentioned in terms of their carbon sequestration potential. They are poorly integrated in fresh water policy. This shows a mismatch between the interests of policy-makers, and the interests of practitioners, as identified in the workshops. Funding for peatland restoration is limited, restrictive in terms of activities that will be funded, and the application process is onerous. The regulations are poorly communicated leading many to fear they will be penalised for undertaking management that is beneficial to peatlands. There are few policies with the intention of building capacity through information provision or training. The uncertainty surrounding funding options for peatland restoration may discourage contractors from diversifying in this area, leading to a shortage of people with the skills necessary to carry out the work. In all three chapters there is a common thread that the various policies and schemes created in order to facilitate conservation and restoration of peatlands do not adequately harness the feelings of care and responsibility towards the environment that are present in the landowning and managing communities. This is due to poor communication and a misunderstanding of the various perspectives of groups in these areas, leading to sometimes obstructive policies which fall short of their ambitions.

Background: Maternal common mental disorder (CMD), characterised by depression, anxiety and somatic symptoms of distress, is known to be an important health problem in low-and-middle-income countries, but had not been investigated in Malawi, Africa. In preliminary work, we adapted a CMD screening measure and showed that post-partum CMD was common and associated with child stunting. In the research presented here, we expanded the investigation of CMD in Malawi to include pregnant women and mothers of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Using validated measures, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of antenatal CMD/depression and investigate its relationship to social support and intimate partner violence. Secondly, we sought to explore women’s lived experiences of the perinatal period. Finally, we investigated CMD amongst mothers of children admitted with SAM and other life-threatening illness and, in the former, we tested the hypothesis that maternal CMD would be associated with impaired child recovery. Method: In an antenatal clinic-based study, we validated and compared Chichewa and Chiyao versions of the Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) using major depressive episode (MDE) as the criterion diagnosis. We adapted and validated the Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). We measured the prevalence of antenatal MDE and identified associated factors. We conducted focus group discussions with women and enquired about perinatal stressors and supports. We administered the SRQ to mothers of children with SAM during admission to a nutritional rehabilitation unit (NRU) and at 1-month post-discharge, and investigated whether CMD was a risk factor for lower child weight gain at follow-up. In a subsequent study, we compared levels of CMD symptoms between mothers of children admitted to a NRU, a high dependency unit and an oncology ward. Results: We found that the adapted EPDS and SRQ were both valid screening instruments for antenatal CMD/depression. The weighted prevalence of antenatal MDE was 10.7% (95% CI 6.9% - 14.5%). The adapted MSPSS showed adequate test characteristics and differentiated between sources of social support. MDE was associated with lack of support by a significant other; intimate partner violence moderated this association. We found that women in rural Malawi recognised depressive and anxious states in the perinatal period and identified lack of partner support as a key stressor. During admission with a severely malnourished child to a NRU, mothers had very high SRQ scores that greatly reduced post-discharge. There was no association between SRQ score and child weight gain at follow-up. We found no higher level of CMD symptoms amongst mothers of children admitted for treatment of SAM compared with those admitted to other wards. Conclusions: We demonstrated that measures of antenatal CMD and perceived social support can be adapted for use in Malawi. We found that maternal CMD is common and associated with lack of social support, intimate partner violence and child illness. We did not find evidence for a specific association between maternal CMD and child SAM but further prospective studies are required. Our findings suggest that treatment of CMD in mothers in Malawi will require attention to social support and partner behaviour.

Contents: Introduction: "Walking the line" : the Dixie Chicks and the making of country lyricists / Thomas Alan Holmes and Roxanne Harde -- "Nobody Knows but Me" : Jimmie Rodgers and the body politic / Taylor Hagood -- Cindy Walker, Lyle Lovett, and the West / Thomas Alan Holmes -- "Help your brother along the road" : Hank Williams and the humane tradition / Steve Goodson -- JC : Johnny Cash and faith / Thomas Alan Holmes -- Religious doctrine in the mid-1970s to 1980s country music concept albums of Willie Nelson / Blase S. Scarnati -- Grace to catch a falling soul : country, gospel, and evangelical populism in the music of Dottie Rambo / Douglas Harrison -- Loretta Lynn, Appalachian storyteller and autobiographer / Laura Grace Pattillo -- "Branded" man : Merle Haggard's romance of the outlier / Thomas Alan Holmes -- Townes Van Zandt : " Now here's what this story's told" / Pete Falconer and James Zborowski -- Wildness, eschatology, and enclosure in the songs of Townes Van Zandt / Michael B. MacDonald -- "Where it counts I'm real" : the complexities of Dolly Parton's feminist voice / Samantha Christensen -- "Sin City" : Gram Parsons and the "Christ-haunted South" / Clay Motley -- Weeping willows and long black veils : the country roots of Roseanne Cash, from Scotland to Tennessee / June Skinner Sawyers -- "They draft the white trash first 'round here anyway" : Steve Earle's American boys / Roxanne Harde. / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1048/thumbnail.jpg

Book Summary: Massively popular for the past century, country music has often been associated with political and social conservatism. While such figures as George Wallace, Richard Nixon, and Ted Cruz have embraced and even laid claim to this musical genre over the years, country performers have long expressed bold and progressive positions on a variety of public issues, whether through song lyrics, activism, or performance style.Bringing together a wide spectrum of cultural critics, The Honky Tonk on the Left takes on this conservative stereotype and reveals how progressive thought has permeated country music from its beginnings to the present day. The original essays in this collection analyze how diverse performers, including Fiddlin’ John Carson, Webb Pierce, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, O. B. McClinton, Garth Brooks, and Uncle Tupelo, have taken on such issues as government policies, gender roles, civil rights, prison reform, and labor unrest. Taking notice of the wrongs in their eras, these musicians worked to address them in song and action, often with strong support from fans.In addition to the volume editor, this collection includes work by Gregory N. Reish, Peter La Chapelle, Stephanie Vander Wel, Charles L. Hughes, Ted Olson, Nadine Hubbs, Stephanie Shonekan, Stephen A. King, P. Renee Foster, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Travis D. Stimeling, and Jonathan Silverman.

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