Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

This thesis concerns human resource development (HRD) and educational reform in Laos which is one aspect of poverty eradication in Laos. The thesis aim to describe, understand and analyze how HRD is constructed in policies and among teachers at the National University of Laos (NUOL) and what possibilities and constraints they connect to it. To find answers to these questions we have analyzed national policy documents and interviewed teachers with PhD degrees at NUOL. Educational reform was initiated after the declaration of the Lao People Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) independency in 1975 and with the help of donor organizations efforts have continuously been made to raise the quality of education in Lao PDR in order to improve skills among the population.Our findings show that in policy HRD is constructed as poverty reduction, meeting international standards and educational development. The respondents have described that HRD can be achieved through staff development, student-centered learning method, development of skills through international cooperation and relevant educational equipment. The biggest constraint according to the respondents is lack of money. After that comes lack of knowledge, inadequate equipment and low incentives for teachers. The main possibilities described are that NUOL is in a position to spread information about education and material to other education institutions; that textbooks are more readily available and that it is getting easier to apply for scholarships for studies abroad.

This thesis is a case study of a 230 kV transmission line in Lao P.D.R. Grounding of electrical systems is essential for safety and reliability of the system. Several standards are developed for designing a grounding system when building new facilities but it is harder to find references when it is an expansion of an old system or when the area for grounding is inferior. The transmission line is routed over a high resistive limestone ridge, where the requirements from the design standard can not be fulfilled. During normal conditions, each tower can be properly grounded to earth with ground electrodes, but in this case the resistivity of the solid rock is too high. By studying different shield wires of different materials and improve the down lead conductor in each side of the mountain, a suitable solution can be found. The importance of grounding, general description of grounding techniques and the risks for human and equipment due to an electrical fault is also presented in this thesis.

No description available.

Master's thesis. / Format: PDF. Bibl.

L'enjeu que représente la pérennité des populations d'éléphant d'Asie domestique du Laos est caractérisé par une diminution du taux de natalité due aux travaux de débardage. Ces populations pourraient disparaître d'ici 70 ans si des mesures visant à augmenter le taux de reproduction ne sont pas prises. Le présent travail se veut une analyse du réseau d'acteurs qui œuvre pour la conservation d'Elephas maximus (éléphant d'Asie) au Laos. Par ailleurs, la question de recherche à laquelle tentera de répondre ce mémoire est : Par quels dispositifs les promoteurs du système de conservation d'Elephas maximus au Laos parviennent-ils à faire de la reproduction un point de passage obligé dans la résolution de leurs intérêts? Des individus appartenant aux groupes d'acteurs suivant ont été interviewés : ONG, entreprises touristiques, fonctionnaires d'État, vétérinaires, communautés locales et mahouts. Leurs commentaires ont été recueillis à l'aide d'entretiens semi-dirigés soumis préalablement aux normes du Conseil d'éthique de l'Université du Québec à Montréal. Dans le but de trouver des pistes de solution, des liens entre l'écotourisme et la conservation de l'éléphant sont établis. Aussi, le cadre théorique de la sociologie de la traduction élaborée par Michel Cali on sera employé. Suite à l'analyse des dispositifs d'intéressement engagés par l'entité promotrice « ONG » nous observons que des alliances entre les différents groupes d'acteurs profitent à la conservation d'Elephas maximus au Laos. De plus, une conversion des activités de débardage à des activités reliées au tourisme procure de meilleures conditions de vie à l'éléphant domestique. En effet, la prise en charge des éléphants par les entreprises touristiques favorise une gestion du travail mieux adaptée aux animaux et leur fournit des ressources essentielles telles une alimentation équilibrée, des bains quotidiens et des soins vétérinaires. L'écotourisme appliqué à la conservation des éléphants domestiques du Laos laisse entrevoir les possibilités d'un partage culturel entre mahout et visiteurs étranger ainsi que l'empowerment des communautés locales impliquées. Finalement, des recommandations soulignant l'importance d'une coalition entre les divers protagonistes du système et la création de conditions favorables à la reproduction de l'éléphant domestique d'Asie sont émises. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Elephas maximus, Laos, Écotourisme, Reproduction

Factors relating to natural regeneration and tree community recovery after slash and burn agricultural practices were investigated in secondary seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) of varying land use intensity and post-disturbance management. Patterns and processes of regeneration were explored by collecting community composition data at secondary and primary sites, by conducting seedling experiments, and by investigating existing forest rehabilitation efforts in both Lao PDR (Laos) and Vietnam. In the forests surveyed in Laos, forest recovery in terms of the composition of primary forest tree species juveniles in fallow forests was high at most sites regardless of previous land use intensity. While community compositional studies indicated significant differences between primary and secondary communities, little or no significant differences were found in terms of primary tree species or family diversity, evenness, or dominance of regenerating juveniles. Significant differences appeared to be due to changes in the relative abundances of different species rather than the absence of primary forest obligate species in the secondary communities. This effect is expected to be due to the relatively common resprouting ability of SDTF species, the wide range of ecological conditions that these species can persist under, and the mosaic pattern of land-uses across the landscape. Evidence of environmental filtering affecting composition patterns in secondary communities was found for two plant traits; dispersal syndrome and plasticity of specific leaf area (SLA). Ecological strategies of primary SDTF tree species were investigated in two ways. Within the narrow range of species capable of regenerating within the primary forest environment, evidence of different life history strategies was found, indicated by significant correlations between continuous plant traits of seed size, fruit size, maximum tree height, SLA, leaf size and wood density. The correlations found largely mirrored patterns found in similar studies in Neotropical forests. Evidence of different seedling regeneration strategies was investigated by comparing species of two different successional preference groups in a seedling/light experiment. Seedlings of non-pioneer later successional species responded differently than species more associated with disturbed environments (long-lived pioneers) when exposed to both increasing absolute light treatments, and to light received under various sunfleck treatments. Earlier successional species demonstrated greater plasticity of SLA, leaf area ratio (LAR), stem elongation, and root mass ratio to increasing light. Regeneration under minimally managed monoculture and pair-wise plantations of both native and exotic species at the Laos field site was not significantly different when compared with nearby remnant primary forest in terms of diversity, evenness, and richness. Therefore, plantation overstoreys did not appear to be suppressing the regeneration of primary forest species. Seedlings grown in enrichment designs nearby had survival rates of approximately 50%, and diameter increments of less than 0.2 cm/yr after 6 to 9 years of growth. The performance of seedlings in such plantings is expected to be sufficient for conservation aims but is unlikely to encourage private investment for forestry purposes due to long expected rotation lengths. At Hai Van Pass in central Vietnam, the combination of a fast growing exotic species to capture a degraded site and ameliorate site conditions, followed by enrichment planting of native species was demonstrated to be a successful approach to reforesting degraded land, whilst funding itself through the sale of timber. The results indicate the high regeneration potential of the studied secondary forests, both in terms of observed patterns of regeneration in slash and burn fallow forests, and in terms of the general regenerative abilities of SDTF species. Decisions regarding future land-uses and secondary forest management should have consideration of this possible high level of recovery, and simple diversity sampling techniques should be included in any related processes to confirm the regeneration potential of a particular secondary forest.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2002. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Melbourne, School of Veterinary Science, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 181-202).

Zugl.: Münster (Westfalen), Universiẗat, Diss., 2004.