This dissertation conceptualizes a Palestinian archipelago based on Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of the chronotope, and uses the archipelago model to illustrate the situation and development of Palestinian consciousness in diaspora. To gain insight into the personal lives of Palestinians in diaspora, This project highlights several islands of Palestinian identities as represented in the novels: Dancing Arabs, A Compass for the Sunflower, and The Inheritance. The identities of the characters in these works are organized according to the archipelago model, which illustrates how the characters rediscover, repress, or change their identities in order to accommodate life in diaspora. Analysis reveals that a major goal of Palestinian existence in diaspora is the maintenance of an authentic Palestinian identity. Therefore, my description of the characters’ identities and locations in the archipelago model are informed by various scholars and theories of nationalism. Moreover, this dissertation illustrates how different Palestinian identities coalesce into a single national consciousness that has been created and sustained by a collective experience of suffering and thirst for sense of belonging and community among Palestinians. Foremost in the memories of all Palestinians is the memory of the land of Palestine and the dream of national restoration; these are the main uniting factors between Palestinians revealed in my analysis. Furthermore, this project presents an argument that developing a Palestinian exceptionalism as both a response and a solution to the problems Palestine faced in the 20th century has already occurred among diasporic Palestinians as well as those settled in the West Bank. In addition, a significant finding of this dissertation is the generation clash in regarding to the methods of modernization of the West Bank society between the settled Palestinian and those returning from diaspora. Nevertheless, a Palestinian homecoming will require a renegotiation of Palestinian identities in which generation gaps and other disagreements will be resolved and transcended in favor of nation-state building.

Les ataxies spastiques héréditaires forment une famille hétérogène de désordres qui ont des points communs avec les ataxies héréditaires et les paraplégies spastiques héréditaires. Un de ces éléments est une ataxie, soit une difficulté de coordination des membres souvent due à un dommage au cervelet. L’autre est une spasticité des membres inférieurs, souvent due à des dommages à la voie cortico-spinale. Une seule ataxie spastique à hérédité autosomique dominante a été rapportée dans la littérature, et il s’agit de SPAX1. À l’aide de trois familles de Terre-Neuve présentant ce phénotype, le locus a été identifié en 2002. Dans ce mémoire, c’est de la découverte du gène causal dont il est question. La mutation a été trouvée dans le gène VAMP1, qui encode la protéine synaptobrévine 1, une protéine synaptique impliquée dans l’exocytose des neurotransmetteurs. Il est aussi question de la caractérisation fonctionnelle de la mutation sur l’ARN et des conséquences possibles sur la protéine, concordant avec les symptômes de la maladie. / Hereditary spastic ataxias comprise a family of heterogeneous disorders resembling both hereditary ataxias and hereditary spastic paraplegias. The similar symptoms are ataxia, which is a problem with limb coordination due to cerebellar damage, and lower-limb spasticity due to corticospinal tract degeneration. Only one spastic ataxia inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion has been reported in the literature: SPAX1. The locus was identified in 2002 using three families from Newfoundland with the specific phenotype. This thesis reports the discovery of the causative mutation in the VAMP1 gene, which encodes VAMP1/synaptobrevin 1, a synaptic protein involved in neurotransmitter exocytosis. Experiments characterizing the effect of the mutation on RNA were conducted, leading to a possible molecular explanation of the symptoms.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Currently, pupils' interest in science continues to decline, although this area of education is very important in every day life (medicine, environment, etc.) and there is high demand for science professions on the labor market. Molecular biology curriculum concerning DNA and the transfer of genetic information is abstract and difficult topic for pupils to imagine, and for teachers to explain. There are many ways to teach this topic. Very popular are iquiry and laboratory practise. But not all schools have their own laboratories, and can teach molecular practical effectivelly. Inquiry based teaching is time consuming to prepare, and not every topic is appropriate to be taught this way. Another possibilities how to visualize "invisible" molecules and processes are computer software and animations or 3D physical model. In my thesis, I examined the effect of using computers and animations to teach abou DNA compared to using a 3D physical model on students' knowledge. I laso tested the possible influence of gender and pupils' preferences on their achieved score on knowledge tests. The research was performed in five classes at three high schools in Prague. Students in year 12 were on different types of high school and some of them took special biology class, their age was between 15 and 18 years. The...

Essay 1: People’s planning to evade the inheritance tax curtails its merits. However, the extent of planning remains a matter of argument. According to popular belief, it is widespread, but few estimates have been presented. This study estimates the extent of estate size under-reporting, a form of inheritance tax planning, using the repeal of the Swedish tax on spousal bequests, in 2004, and a regression discontinuity design. The results show that, on average, estate sizes were 17 percent lower, and the share of estates that completely escaped tax payments was 26 percent larger due to under-reporting. As a consequence, government revenues from the tax were only half of what they would have been without under-reporting. Moreover, preferences and means for under-reporting were not only prevalent among the wealthy, but also among those receiving relatively small inheritances. The study contributes to a growing literature on tax avoidance and evasion by estimating the extent of estate size under-reporting, its effect on government revenues and by showing that it was widespread in the population. / Essay 2: There is an ongoing debate about whether or not inheritance and estate taxes are effective in raising revenues and in contributing to a more equal society. The different views on transfer taxes are largely dependent on beliefs about whether people plan their wealth to avoid these taxes. In this paper, we follow Kopczuk (2007) and study people's planning response to the onset of terminal illness. An extension of Kopczuk’s work is that we can effectively control for responses in wealth caused by terminal illness but unrelated to tax planning. We do this by exploiting a tax reform in Sweden that removed the incentives for people to plan their estates to avoid inheritance taxation. We find some evidence of long-term terminal illness inducing responses consistent with tax planning, but that these are not widespread or efficient enough to reduce the overall tax burden in the study population. Our results, similarly to those of Kopczuk, show that people appear to postpone some decisions about their estates until shortly before death. / Essay 3: Small businesses form an essential part of all economies, making it necessary to understand the conditions under which they operate. This paper contributes to that understanding by studying how survival, income and profits of small businesses change when their owners receive inheritances. Using a difference-in-differences strategy and Swedish registry data on small businesses and estate reports, it is shown that survival rates increase with almost three percentage points when the owners receive inheritances of, on average, SEK 275,000. However, the profits of the surviving small businesses and the income of their owners do not increase, indicating that the inheritance did not increase survival by making investments possible, investments to increase profits and income, but by enabling small business owners of lower ability to subsist. The study contributes to the literature on the conditions for small businesses by providing causal evidence on the effect of increased access to capital among existing businesses. It thereby complements the rich literature on the role of capital for small business start-ups. / Essay 4: This article shows that a simple monetary incentive can dramatically reduce electric energy consumption (EEC) in the residential sector and simultaneously achieve a more desirable allocation of EEC costs. The analyses are based on data from a policy experiment conducted in 2011 and 2012 by a private housing company in about 1,800 apartments. Roughly 800 of the tenants (treatment group) were subject to a change from having unlimited EEC included in their rent to having to pay the market price for their own EEC. This change was achieved by installing EEC meters in each apartment. Tenants in the other 1,000 apartments (control group) experienced no policy change and were subject to apartment-level billing and metering during the entire study period. Using a quasiexperimental research design and daily data on EEC from 2007 to 2015, we estimate that apartment-level billing and metering permanently reduce EEC by about 25%. Moreover, we show that households reduce EEC immediately after being informed that they will be billed for EEC, the reduction is larger when the production cost is higher, and the reduction in EEC comes almost exclusively from households with very high EEC before the policy change. Finally, we show that apartment-level billing and metering are cost-effective, with a cost per reduced kilowatt hour of US$0.01, and for each invested dollar, the social value of reductions in air pollution, including CO2 emissions, is $2.

M. Comm. / The purpose of this study is to determine the desirability of implementing of a system of capital transfer tax in South Africa. The implementation of a capital transfer tax system in South Africa should generate additional income without placing a further administrative or financial burden on the South African Revenue Services. A system of capital transfer tax will replace the current system of donation tax and estate duty in South Africa. Any new system will be based on the principles established by these two forms of taxation, but should simultaneously address many of the loopholes in these two systems. Since the Margo Commission's recommendation in 1986 that South Africa should implement a system of capital transfer tax, much has been written about this form of capital tax but the government has never implemented the recommendations. However, it is certain that a system of capital transfer tax will be implemented in South Africa in the future. The current system of donation tax and estate duty is not effective in levying the taxes and earning the income for the government for which it was originally designed. Over the years numerous ways have been developed to legally avoid these taxes, which is why they are referred to as voluntary taxes (Anon, 1988:17). This dissertation consists of three parts: The first part is a literature study in which capital taxes are discussed. The distinction between income and capital is reviewed. The various forms of capital taxes are identified and the arguments for and against introducing one of them are discussed. This part concludes with arguments for and against a system of capital transfer tax for South Africa. The second part is an analysis of donation tax and estate duty as currently levied in South Africa. The shortcomings of the current legislation are discussed and legal ways to avoid estate duty are identified. The inheritance tax system in the UK and the donation tax and estate duty system in the USA are also briefly discussed. The anti-avoidance measures implemented in these countries are discussed in some detail in view of recommendations to implement similar measures in South Africa. In the third part a capital transfer tax system for South Africa is proposed. Precautions to minimise the avoidance of these taxes through interest-free loans and generation-skipping devises are discussed. Finally a conclusion is reached regarding the matters analysed in this dissertation.

Diversas pesquisas têm reportado que o aumento da produtividade da cultura do milho se deve muito mais à tolerância a estresses abióticos do que a aumentos per se. O déficit hídrico é um dos mais importantes fatores envolvidos na redução de produtividade nessa cultura, mas devido à dificuldade de seleção direta para tolerância à seca, são empregados caracteres secundários como o caráter stay green ou senescência retardada de folhas e colmos. Todavia, estudos sobre a herança desse caráter são escassos na literatura. Em vista disso, este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar a herança deste caráter em milho tropical, utilizando o delineamento III (Comstock e Robinson, 1952). A partir do cruzamento entre as linhagens endogâmicas L08-05F e L38-05D, foram obtidas 100 progênies F2:3, as quais foram retrocruzadas com cada um dos parentais, resultando em 200 progênies de retrocruzamento. Estas progênies foram avaliadas em dez ambientes, com duas repetições por ambiente, em Piracicaba SP, utilizando o delineamento ?-látice. A avaliação do stay green foi feita em dez plantas competitivas por parcela, 120 dias após a semeadura, utilizando uma escala de notas variando de 1 a 5, em que 1 correspondeu às plantas com todas as folhas acima e pelo menos duas folhas verdes abaixo da espiga e 5 à planta com todas as folhas secas. O caráter florescimento feminino foi avaliado e utilizado como covariável para ajuste das variações de maturação das progênies, e as médias das parcelas foram utilizadas para as análises. A estimativa da variância aditiva foi muito superior à de dominância e a variância da interação aditiva por ambiente apresentou maior magnitude que a variância aditiva. O tipo de ação gênica foi de dominância parcial, mas devido ao desequilíbrio de ligação da população, este pode estar superestimado. O coeficiente de herdabilidade em nível de plantas apresentou baixa magnitude (~25%) enquanto que em nível de médias a magnitude foi elevada (~70%). Estes resultados indicam que os efeitos aditivos são mais importantes que os dominantes no controle do caráter stay green e que os efeitos aditivos não são consistentes nos diversos ambientes de avaliação. Assim, o nível de heterose deve apresentar baixa magnitude, e a seleção fenotípica não pode ser realizada em nível de plantas, mas baseada em médias de experimentos com repetições, conduzidas em diversos ambientes para minimizar os efeitos destes e suas interações com os genótipos. A linhagem L08-05F apresentou maior nível de stay green que a linhagem L38-05D e, portanto, pode ser utilizada como fonte de alelos favoráveis para serem transferidos para outras linhagens visando aumentar o nível deste caráter em linhagens que apresentarem baixos níveis de senescência retardada. / Several researches have reported that the increase in maize productivity could be attributed to the tolerance to abiotic stresses rather than to an increase on a plant productivity per se. Moisture stress is one of the most important stresses that reduce the maize productivity, but because of the difficulties for the direct selection for tolerance to moisture stress secondary traits as delayed senescence, also known as stay green trait, has been employed for this purpose. However, there is limited information reported on the inheritance of this trait. Thus, the objective of this research was to study the inheritance of the stay green trait in maize using the design III (Comstock and Robinson, 1952). One hundred F2:3 progenies were developed from a population derived from the cross between the inbred lines L08-05F and L38-05D; and these progenies were backcrossed to the inbred parents giving rise to 200 backcrossed progenies. These progenies were evaluated in ten environments, with two replications per environment, in Piracicaba City, São Paulo State, using the experimental design ?-lattice. The stay green trait was recorded in ten competitive plants per plot 120 days after sowing, using a scale with scores from 1 to 5, where score 1 was assigned to the plants with all leaves above the ear and at least two leaves below the ear green, and score 5 was assigned to plants with all leaves senescent. The trait days to silking was also recorded and used as covariate to adjust the maturation variation of the backcrossed progenies, and the mean of the plots was used for analysis. The estimate of the additive variance was quite larger than the dominance variance, the additive x environment variance was quite larger than the additive variance, and the average level of dominance was partial dominance, but since the population was in linkage disequilibrium the level of dominance may be overestimated. The heritability coefficient on a plant level was of low magnitude (~25%) while that one on a mean level presented high magnitude (~70%). These results indicated that the additive effects were more important than the dominance effects for the control of the stay green trait, and that the additive effects are not consistent across the environments. Therefore, the level of heterosis should present low magnitude, and the phenotypic selection should not be conducted on a plant level; instead selection should be based on the means of replicated experiments assessed in several environments to minimize their effects and the genotype by environment interactions. The inbred line L08-05F presented higher level of stay green than the inbred L38-05D and thus the former inbred could be used as a source of favorable alleles to be transferred to others inbreds to increase the level of this trait in inbreds that have low levels of delayed senescence.

Nas últimas décadas, a podridão vermelha das raízes da soja (PVR), causada pelo Fusarium solani f.sp. glycines (FSG), tornou-se uma doença séria nas regiões brasileiras onde já foi constatada, sendo a utilização de cultivares resistentes um componente fundamental de um sistema integrado de controle. Este trabalho teve por objetivo pesquisar estratégias de seleção de genótipos resistentes a PVR. Várias metodologias foram implementadas: avanço de progênies até a geração F7:2 e seleção em campo infestado, de progênies selecionadas em F2. Avaliou-se o cruzamento IAC 4 x Conquista em casa de vegetação (geração F3:2) e em campo infestado (gerações F3:2, F4:2 e F5:2), através de estudo de estabilidade e adaptabilidade das progênies. As metodologias de infecção em vasos de barro e bandejas de isopor em casa de vegetação foram comparadas para melhorar a eficiência de seleção; também foi feita análise de repetibilidade dos sintomas foliares da PVR, para otimização do número de avaliações necessárias para classificar o genótipo de soja quanto à reação ao FSG. Cultivares brasileiras de soja foram avaliadas em campo infestado. Em campo, as plantas foram avaliadas no estádio R5-6, com notas variando de 1 (ausência de sintomas) a 5 (100% da raiz principal com sintomas). Em casa de vegetação, as plantas foram avaliadas aos 35 dias pós-semeadura para sintomas radiculares e da parte aérea. Houve eficiência da seleção para resistência a PVR tanto em F2 (sintomas foliares em casa de vegetação) quanto em F7:2 (sintomas radiculares em campo naturalmente infestado). A seleção praticada nas gerações intermediárias também foi eficiente para aumentar a produtividade de grãos das progênies. Para o cruzamento IAC 4 x Conquista nas gerações F3:2, F4:2 e F5:2 em campo naturalmente infestado e na F3:2 em casa de vegetação, a metodologia de Annicchiarico possibilitou a seleção de genótipos com maior estabilidade e adaptabilidade para os diferentes ambientes; com o estudo genético destas gerações, demonstrou que há efeitos gênicos aditivos e dominantes no controle genético da PVR. Além disso, constatou-se que os genes responsáveis pela resistência estão dispersos nos genitores, provavelmente agrupados em blocos gênicos. A presença de dominância indica que a seleção deve ser postergada para gerações com maior homozigose (linhagem pura); esta idéia foi reforçada pela baixa herdabilidade ao nível de plantas. O uso de bandejas de isopor foi significativamente mais eficiente do que vasos de barro para inoculação de FSG em casa de vegetação. Pela análise de repetibilidade, detectou-se que quatro avaliações foram suficientes para discriminar se o genótipo era realmente suscetível ao FSG. A correlação da geração F3:2 (IAC 4 x Conquista) entre campo infestado e casa de vegetação foi praticamente nula; no entanto, 54% das progênies selecionadas em campo também foram selecionadas em casa de vegetação. A seleção de genótipos superiores para resistência ao FSG não é tarefa fácil, mas pode ser aprimorada pelo uso conjugado de metodologias suplementares que aumentem a eficiência de seleção. / During the last decades, soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS), caused by Fusarium solani f.sp. glycines (FSG), has become a serious disease in the regions where it was encountered. The use of resistant soybean cultivars has been an important component of an integrated management system. The aim of this work was to research selection strategies of SDS-resistant genotypes. A number of methodologies were used: self pollination up to generation F7:2 and progeny selection in infested field of selected F2. The crossing IAC 4 x Conquista was studied in greenhouse (generation F3:2) and in a naturally infested field (generations F3:2, F4:2 and F5:2), where the progeny stability and adaptability study was carried out. The methodologies of infection in clay pots and polystyrene trays in greenhouse were compared to improve selection efficiency. An analysis of the repeatability of foliar SDS symptoms was also performed in order to optimize the number of evaluations needed to classify a soybean genotypes reaction to FSG. Brazilian soybean cultivars were evaluated in a naturally infested field, where plants were evaluated at stage R5-6 with scores varying from 1 (absence of symptoms) to 5 (main root 100% symptoms). In the greenhouse, the plants were evaluated 35 days after sowing for root symptoms, while the leaf symptoms was only evaluated after the appearance of symptoms. The selection done in F2 (leaf symptoms in greenhouse) as well as F7:2 (root symptoms in infested field) for FSG were efficient. The selections performed in intermediary generations were efficient in increasing the grain yield of the progeny. Studies of the F3:2, F4:2 and F5:2 generations of the IAC 4 x Conquista cross in an infested field and F3:2 in greenhouse, enabled through Annicchiaricos methodology, the selection of genotypes with greater stability and adaptability to different environments. The genetic study of these generations demonstrated there are additive and dominant genetic effects on the genetic control of SDS. Moreover, it was noted that the genes responsible for resistance are dispersed on the genitors, probably grouped into genic blocks. The presence of dominance indicates that the selection should be passed onto generations with greater homozygosity. There is also a clear indication that breeders should work with progeny lines in order to assist selection due to the low inheritability at the individual plant level. For the experiments with different FSG inoculation methodologies (clay pots and polystyrene trays) in greenhouse the use of trays was significantly more efficient; by studying the repeatability analysis, it was found that four evaluations is enough to discriminate if the genotype is really susceptible to FSG. The correlation of the F3:2 generation (IAC 4 x Conquista) between infested field and greenhouse was practically null; however, 54% of the progeny selected in the field were selected in greenhouse. As observed, the selection of superior genotypes for FSG resistance is not an easy task, but may be improved by means of new methodologies and the conjugated use of methodologies which improve selection efficiency.

A alface é a principal hortaliça folhosa do Brasil. A podridão negra das raízes causada pelo fungo Thielaviopsis basicola vem limitando o cultivo da alface americana ´Lucy Brown`. Os objetivos desta pesquisa foram: determinar a reação das cultivares comerciais de alface à T. basicola; elucidar a herança da resistência de alface ao patógeno e selecionar alface americana resistente ao patógeno a partir de variantes da ‘Lucy Brown`. Inocularam-se 37 cultivares de alface usando o isolado patogênico L1 de T. basicola, na fase juvenil. Para todos os ensaios a avaliação foi feita na fase juvenil através de uma escala de notas de acordo com a severidade da doença de 1 (ausência de sintomas) a 5 (mais de 90% das raízes severamente afetadas). A seleção de progênies resistentes ao patógeno foi feita a partir de variantes da ´Lucy Brown` pelo método genealógico usando um critério qualitativo para uniformidade, qualidade da cabeça e adaptação para o cultivo nas condições de verão. As cultivares do tipo crespa e batávia foram resistentes ao patógeno. As do tipo lisa e americana apresentaram variação inter-varietal quanto à reação a T. basicola. A herança da reação de alface a T. basicola foi devido a um gene dominante, designado de Tb. As progênies elites S4 derivadas da alface ´Lucy Brown` foram resistentes ao patógeno, uniformes e estáveis para o mérito hortícola no cultivo de verão. / Lettuce is the major leafy crop in Brazil. Lettuce black root rot (LBRR) caused by Thielaviopsis basicola is one the most limiting disease for the crisphead lettuce cv. Lucy Brown. Research focuses were: cultivars reaction to the pathogen; resistance inheritance elucidation and selections of LBRR resistant variants from cv. Lucy Brown. About 37 cultivars were screened using L1 pathogenic strain of T. basicola at juvenile stage. The reaction reading was made for all trials at juvenile stage using a severity disease scale from 1 (absence of symptoms) to 5 (with more than 90% of root rots). Selection of LBRR variants derived from Lucy Brown was made by pedigree selection and using selective criteria of line uniformity, heading qualities and adaptation for summer season slotting planting. Leaf lettuce Grand Rapids and Batavia types were resistant. There was inter-varietal occurrence of crisphead and butterhead resistance and other susceptible to LBRR. The inheritance to LBRR resistance in lettuce was due to a dominant gene designated as Tb. Elite LBRR resistant S4 lines derived from the crisphead cv. Lucy Brown were identified by their uniformity and stability for summer crop adaptation.

University of Macau / Faculty of Law