This thesis seeks to examine what cultural work is done on behalf of the state by the Safe Third Country Agreement and Bill C-31’s designated country of origin policy? I will be drawing on the work of Critical Race feminists and Critical Security Studies theorists to examine the concept of safety, systems of domination, and the parameters of national belonging. I will be performing a discourses analysis of the government’s and the Canadian Council for Refugee’s year one report of the Safe Third Country Agreement. I will also be performing a discourse analysis of the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website’s discussion of designated countries of origin. I will argue that state exaltation constructs the state, refugees, and safety in a way that reifies systems of domination.

The thesis "Perception of Chinese hi-tech brands in Europe" examines how Chinese origin affects the perception of hi-tech brands by European customers. The theoretical part deals with the concept of country of origin and its relationship to the concept of brand equity. The practical part is devoted to the research on the topic of perception of Chinese smartphones in Europe. The research results confirm both hypotheses: 1. Customers when choosing a smartphone brand are not affected by the country of origin. 2. European customers do not perceive Chinese hi-tech products as of low quality.

The diploma thesis gives the view of international trademark protection chiefly through its legal regulation in international agreements and through regulation' s application to the praxis. The thesis is divided according to particular sorts of rights (trademarks, marks of origin, unsigned marks), it consider their concrete regulation, international organizations protecting the rights and trademarks rights enforcement. The aim of the diploma thesis is to explain and to show the basic principles of international trademark protection functioning on concrete cases and decisions and therefore to offer the help to those subjects, who need to orientate themselves at the area of international trademark protection.

The aim of this finish work is an analysis of selected demographic time series and calculation of their predictions. Concretely, it deals with time series of annual crude birth rate, crude death rate, and the average age of mothers at first birth, all for the time period of 1960-2013. First, demographic terms used further in the work are defined. There is also a theoretical part describing the statistical methods used, specifically the methodology of time series from authors Box-Jenkins. Developement of each time serie is evaluated socio-demographically and the procedure of selecting the most appropriate interpolation model and calculation of predictions derived from it are described. There is also description of a process of selecting a suitable model based on the extrapolation method of predictions with Rolling Origin, construction of predictions derived from it and their comparison with the most suitable interpolation model. At the end there is a comparison of the time series of crude birth rate between the Czech Republic and selected developed country (Sweden), which brings interesting results.

Despite that we are in the midst of profound changes in communications technologies, there is a remarkable gap in the International Relations literature devoted to exploring the implications of these changes. In part, this can be attributed to the discipline’s conservative tendencies; generally, International Relations theorists have resisted studying major discontinuity in the international system. The few studies that do attempt to account for change typically focus on modes of production or destruction as determinant variables. Though there are rare exceptions, many of them also tend towards a form of mono-causal reductionism. When considered at all, communications technologies are viewed through the prism of, or are reduced to, these other factors. This study seeks to remedy this gap by examining the relationship between large-scale shifts in modes of communication and “world order” transformation -- the structure or architecture of political authority at a world-level. Drawing from the work of various “medium theory” scholars, such as Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan, the study outlines an open-ended, non-reductive theory at the core of which is the argument that changes in modes of communication facilitate and constrain social forces and ideas latent in society. This hypothesized process can be likened to the interaction between species and a changing natural environment: new communications environments “favour” certain social forces and ideas by means of a functional bias towards some and not others, much the same as environments determine which species prosper by “selecting” for certain physical characteristics. In other words, social forces and ideas survive differentially according to their “fitness” or match with the new communications environment -- a process that is both open ended and contingent. The study is organized into two parts: Part one examines the relationship between printing and the medieval to modem world order transformation in Europe; Part two examines the relationship between new digital-electronic-telecommunications (called “hypermedia”) and the modem to postmodern world order transformation. The study suggests that the hypermedia communications environment is contributing to the dissolution of modern world order by facilitating the transnationalization of production, the globalization of finance, the rise of complex, non-territorial social networks, and the de-massification of “national” identities. The hypermedia environment is also helping to re-focus security concerns from an inter-national to an intra-planetary context. While it is far too early to provide a clear outline of the emerging postmodern world order, the trends that are unearthed in this study point away from single mass identities, linear political boundaries, and exclusive jurisdictions centred on territorial spaces, and towards multiple identities and non-territorial communities, overlapping boundaries, and non-exclusive jurisdictions. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

The thesis focuses on the analysis of the portfolio performance of investment funds. It elaborates on the area of investment funds, the role of management and portfolio performance measurement. The aim of the paper is to determine whether there is any impact of the investment fund's country of origin on its level of performance. Another objective is to observe whether the foreign funds' managers are able to generate better returns even in case they allocate the majority of the resources to financial instruments abroad. The analysis compares the performance of funds based on various performance measures. To answer these questions, two Latin American countries, Mexico and Brazil, were chosen for the comparison.

Perception plays an important role in the human assessment process. This construction of an image is based on many factors, including race, religion, national origin, income, gender, marital status - in short, the summation of our life experiences. An important consideration for the methodology consumers utilize for purchase decisions has been also referred to as the "Country of Origin" (COO) effect. This individual bias based on perceptions and attitudes has a significant impact on how consumers make their purchasing decisions. The 2008 Farm Bill legislation contained a requirement for country of origin labeling (COOL) for beef, lamb, pork, and other products. This paper examined some of the 2008 Farm Bill's impact on consumer's purchasing decisions regarding beef and related meat protein products. Of a potential population of over 700 respondents, 161 responses were received. Correspondence analysis and preferences indicated by the respondents were used to analyze the results. Respondents were mostly well educated, white, in higher income brackets, and split about 60%-40% between male and female. Food safety is considered important and respondents generally believe that the US food supply is safe. Over 40% of respondents had no knowledge of COOL and its background, but about 70% of respondents believed that COOL should be mandatory for all meat products studied. The majority of respondents (111 of 161) indicated that they would be willing to pay $0.25 to $1.00 per pound more for COOL. However when asked about the likeliness to pay, 25%-30% indicated that they were "Not at all Likely" or "Somewhat Likely" to pay. The correspondence analysis results indicated that beef was a product eaten more often, but considered expensive. Chicken was eaten more often and considered inexpensive and healthful. Turkey was a product considered healthful and inexpensive. Lamb was considered expensive, while pork was inconclusive in the two dimensions used. The results of this study provide information for producers, purveyors, retailers, and the government on the importance of COOL as perceived by consumers, and their willingness to pay for this labeling.

This dissertation examines the relative importance of country of manufacturing and country-of-brand versus the functional attributes for industrial products. The study examines country of origin, country-of-brand origin, and how they affect the purchasing team, or what is referred to in this study as the decision-making unit, when purchasing commercial refrigeration compressors. The literature reveals that the international marketing community has been looking at the country-of-origin and what effect it has on the purchasing decision-making process. Even though the world seems to be becoming smaller, purchasing people may still be valuing the country or brand effect before making final purchasing decisions. A conjoint analysis experiment was performed with a group of people who have purchased commercial refrigeration compressors in the past 5 years. The QuestionPro web page was used to collect the data from global users, where they were asked to rank the 36 conjoint analysis cards and a questionnaire which was to determine the respondents' demographic characteristics.

Les découvertes de systèmes hydrothermaux marins ont permis de dire qu'ils réunissaient les conditions favorables à l'apparition des premières formes de vie car des concentrations appréciables en N2, CO2, H2S, CH4, C2H6 et C3H8 ainsi que des quantités détectables (10-9 mol) de n-alcanes de poids moléculaire élevé (C16-C29) ont été mesurées dans les fluides hydrothermaux de la ride médio-Atlantique. Les premières formes de vie étaient sans doute des êtres microbiens simples et unicellulaires qui ont pu trouver dans les composés organiques l'énergie nécessaire à leur évolution. Les systèmes hydrothermaux marins peuvent avoir constitués un environnement favorable à l'apparition de la vie car ces systèmes sont caractérisés par des fumeurs noirs et des fumeurs blancs avec un écosystème indépendant de l'énergie solaire où vivent les organismes les plus primitifs trouvés dans les environnements actuels, les hyperthermophiles. Ces arguments sont très importants en ce qui concerne les conditions qui régnaient à l'Archéen. Les systèmes hydrothermaux Archéens sont les seuls environnements où la vie primitive a pu être protégée des impacts des météorites et de la vaporisation partielle de l'océan. Ces systèmes sont compatibles avec l'origine et l'évolution de la vie. Les études expérimentales, sur la synthèse et la stabilité des composés prébiotiques dans des conditions hydrothermales sont couplées aux études théoriques en thermodynamique permises par les travaux de mesure expérimentales. L'origine abiogéniques des composés organiques azotés dans les conditions hydrothermales est primordiale dans l'histoire de la Terre / Hydrothermal Systems discovery involve it gather favorable conditions to act for the appearing of the first living shape, because significant concentrations in N2, CO2, H2S, CH4, C2H6 and C3H8 and detectable quantities (10-9 mol) of heavy weights n-alcanes (C19-C29) were measured in hydrothermal fluids of the mid-Atlantic ridge. The first living shape were without no doubt simple or unicellular microbes being which finding in organic compounds the satisfying energize for their evolution. Hydrothermal systems could have constitute a favorable environment for the appearing of life because these systems are characterized by black smokers and white smokers with an ecosystems independent of solar energize where the most primitives organisms live, found in actual environments, the hyperthermophiles. These arguments are very important concerning the conditions ruling in Archean. The hydrothermal systems of Archean were the only environment where the primitive life was protect of meteoritic impact and partial vaporization of the ocean. These systems are compatible with origin and evolution of life. The experimental study, on the synthesis and stability of prebiotic compounds in hydrothermal conditions are gathered with thermodynamic studies permit by the works of experimental measures. Abiogenic origin of nitrogen organic compounds in hydrothermal conditions is primordial in the history of the Earth

Orientador: Simone de Pádua Teixeira / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T13:42:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Capucho_LianaCarneiro_D.pdf: 7485279 bytes, checksum: b54a3fba348638fec00612447ae9cdb5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Dentre os diversos tipos de agrupamento polínico, encontrados em 42 famílias de angiospermas, as políades são de interesse especial, pois são registradas para apenas quatro destas famílias e sua ocorrência pode ser associada a uma redução no número de grãos de pólen por antera em uma espécie. Em Leguminosae, a maior em número de espécies e a mais amplamente distribuída dentre as quatro famílias com políades, essas estruturas ocorrem na subfamília Mimosoideae. Este trabalho apresenta dados sobre a origem, o desenvolvimento e a diversidade morfológica das políades, em nível estrutural e ultraestrutural (Capítulo 1); sobre a origem do adesivo polínico em Calliandra brevipes, substância encontrada tipicamente em políades de espécies do gênero; além de dados sobre a origem e desenvolvimento da políade nesta espécie (Capítulo 2, já publicado); a morfologia e fertilidade polínica em espécies poliembriônicas de Inga (Capítulo 3); e um estudo aprofundado da morfologia incomum das políades em Parkia, em nível estrutural e ultraestrutural (Capítulo 4). As políades são estruturas peculiares e ainda muito pouco estudadas, e o presente trabalho vem prover dados essenciais para a compreensão da origem e morfologia destas estruturas, e de sua funcionalidade na reprodução de espécies da subfamília Mimosoideae em Leguminosae. Para um entendimento mais completo acerca da função, valor adaptativo e seleção dessas estruturas, com ocorrência tão restrita a determinados grupos de plantas, estudos acerca da fisiologia do pólen, interação pólen-pistilo e de viabilidade de embriões formados após a fertilização dos óvulos, são requeridos / Abstract: Among all different types of pollen aggregation, reported for 42 angiosperm families, polyads are of great interest, because they are reported for only four of these families and it is associated to a reduction on number of pollen grains per anther in a species. Among those four families, Leguminosae stands out because it is the most species-rich family and widely spread. In Leguminosae, polyads often occur in the subfamily Mimosoideae. This study highlighted new information on the origin, development and morphological diversity of the polyads, employing anatomic and ultrastructural analyses (Chapter 1); origin of pollen adhesive in Calliandra brevipes, sticky substance tipically found in Calliandra polyads, in addition to data on polyad origin and development (Chapter 2, already published); polyad morphology and fertility in polyembrionic species of Inga (Chapter 3); and a meticulous analysis of the peculiar morphology of Parkia polyads (Chapter 4). Polyads are peculiar and still not well-known structures, and this study aims to contribute with essential data for its origin and morphology understanding, and its functionality in the reproduction of species comprised by subfamily Mimosoideae, in Leguminosae. For a more complete understanding on the function, adaptive value and selection of these structures, that are restricted to certain groups of plants, studies are required on the physiology of pollen, pollen-pistil interaction and viability of embryos formed after fertilization of the ovules / Doutorado / Biologia Vegetal / Doutora em Biologia Vegetal