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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
51

Why Is The Little Girl Missing? : A descriptive study on the cause and effect of translation shifts in the Swedish translation of Enid Blyton’s Five on a Treasure Island.

Almgren, Anders January 2010 (has links)
This essay will investigate the cause of shifts – changes made when translating – in the Swedish version of Enid Blyton‟s Five on a Treasure Island. It should be seen as a direct sequel to The Little Girl is Missing – a bachelor degree project written at Stockholm University. In said degree project the methods used when making the shifts was described, but now the reasons why the shifts were made and how they have affected the plot will be presented. To do so a number of theories concerning both gender studies and translation studies will be used. The working hypothesis is that the shifts were made to rid the translated text of the original text‟s sexist content – to create "equality between women and men" (Lpo 94: 3) and making the translation fit the target culture i.e. today‟s Sweden. This claimed sexist content will be determined mainly with the help of the Swedish compulsory school system‟s curriculum, Lpo94, and Berit Ås‟s master suppression techniques. The intention is to bring the translation phenomenon of ideologically influenced translations into the limelight and start a debate. Besides that, this essay will also provide a didactic model for teachers wanting to work with translation dilemmas in class.
52

Ecological Responses to Threats in an Evolutionary Context: Bacterial Responses to Antibiotics and Butterfly Species’ Responses to Climate Change

Fitzsimmons, James 20 February 2013 (has links)
Humans are generally having a strong, widespread, and negative impact on nature. Given the many ways we are impacting nature and the many ways nature is responding, it is useful to study responses in an integrative context. My thesis is focused largely (two out of the three data chapters) on butterfly species’ range shifts consistent with modern climate change in Canada. I employed a macroecological approach to my research, drawing on methods and findings from evolutionary biology, phylogenetics, conservation biology, and natural history. I answered three main research questions. First, is there a trade-off between population growth rate (rmax) and carrying capacity (K) at the mutation scale (Chapter 2)? I found rmax and K to not trade off, but in fact to positively co-vary at the mutation scale. This suggests trade-offs between these traits only emerge after selection removes mutants with low resource acquisition rates (i.e., unhealthy genotypes), revealing trade-offs between remaining genotypes with varied resource allocation strategies. Second, did butterfly species shift their northern range boundaries northward over the 1900s, consistent with climate warming (Chapter 3)? Leading a team of collaborators, we found that most butterfly species’ northern range boundaries did indeed shift northward over the 1900s. But range shift rates were slower than those documented in the literature for more recent time periods, likely reflecting the weaker warming experienced in the time period of my study. Third, were species’ rates of range shift related to their phylogeny (Chapter 3) or traits (Chapter 4)? I found no compelling relationships between rates of range shift and phylogeny or traits. If certain traits make some species more successful at northern boundary range expansion than others, their effect was not strong enough to emerge from the background noise inherent in the broad scale data set I used.
53

A Limnological Examination of the Southwestern Amazon, Madre de Dios, Peru

Belcon, Alana Urnesha January 2012 (has links)
<p>This dissertation investigates the limnology of the southwestern Peruvian Amazon centered on the Madre de Dios department by examining first the geomorphology and then the ecology and biogeochemistry of the region's fluvial systems. </p><p>Madre de Dios, Peru is world renowned for its prolific biodiversity and its location within the Andes biodiversity hotspot. It is also a site of study regarding the development of the Fitzcarrald Arch and that feature's geomorphological importance as the drainage center for the headwaters of the Madeira River - the Amazon's largest tributary and as well as its role as a physical divider of genetic evolution in the Amazon. Though each of these has been studied by a variety of prominent researchers, the ability to investigate all the aspects of this unique region is hampered by the lack of a regional geomorphological map. This study aims to fill that gap by using remote sensing techniques on digital elevation models, satellite imagery and soil, geology and geoecological maps already in publication to create a geomorphological map. The resulting map contains ten distinct landform types that exemplify the dominance of fluvial processes in shaping this landscape. The river terraces of the Madre de Dios River are delineated in their entirety as well as the various dissected relief units and previously undefined units. The demarcation of the boundaries of these geomorphic units will provide invaluable assistance to the selection of field sites by future researchers as well as insights into the origin of the high biodiversity indices of this region and aid in planning for biodiversity conservation. </p><p>Secondly this study examines 25 tropical floodplain lakes along 300 km of the Manu River within the Manu National Park in the Madre de Dios department. Alternative stable state and regime shifts in shallow lakes typically have been examined in lakes in temperate and boreal regions and within anthropogenically disturbed basins but have rarely been studied in tropical or in undisturbed regions. In contrast this study focuses on a tropical region of virtually no human disturbance and evaluates the effects of hydrological variability on ecosystem structure and dynamics. Using satellite imagery a 23 yr timeline of ecological regime shifts in Amazon oxbow lakes or "cochas" is reconstructed. The study shows that almost 25% of the river's floodplain lakes experience periodic abrupt vegetative changes with an average 3.4% existing in an alternative stable state in any given year. State changes typically occur from a stable phytoplankton-dominated state to a short lived, <3 yr, floating macrophytic state and often occur independent of regional flooding. We theorize that multiple dynamics, both internal and external, drive vegetative regime shifts in the Manu but insufficient data yet exists in this remote region to identify the key processes. </p><p>To complete the investigation of tropical limnology the third study compares and contrasts the nutrient-productivity ration of floodplain and non-floodplain lakes globally and regionally. For over 70 years a strong positive relationship between sestonic chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and total phosphorus (TP) has been established with phosphorus generally viewed as the most limiting factor to productivity. Most of these studies, however, have focused on northern, temperate regions where the lakes are typically postglacial, isolated and fed by small streams. Relatively little work has been done on floodplain lakes which are semi or permanently connected to the river. This study examines the relationship between nutrients and productivity in floodplain lakes globally through an extensive literature synthesis. Values for total phosphorus, total nitrogen and chlorophyll-a were collected for 523 floodplain lakes, represented by 288 data points while 551 data points were collected for 5444 non-floodplain lakes. Analysis revealed that globally, floodplain lakes do not show any significant difference in the total phosphorus/chlorophyll-a relationship from that found in non-floodplain lakes but significant differences are seen between tropical and temperate lakes. We propose that the term `floodplain' lake should serve as purely a geographical descriptor and that it is lacking as an ecological indicator. Instead factors such as precipitation seasonality, hydrological connectivity and regional flooding regimes are better indicators of high or low productivity in floodplain lakes.</p> / Dissertation
54

Immigration and Income Inequality in Sweden

Grundsten, Ronja January 2015 (has links)
Income inequality has been on the rise in many industrialised countries since around the 1980’s. In Sweden the increase of income inequality has been particularly large. This in spite of Sweden’s extensive redistribution system and public policy that prioritize equality among its population. This paper investigates a potential factor for the rise in inequality that is yet fairly unexplored, namely immigration. As inequality has increased in Sweden, so has also immigration. Sweden experienced large refugee inflows after the 1970’s, the largest flow consisting of circa 100 000 Yugoslavs during the Bosnian war. This study provides indications on what way immigration shapes the income distribution and lays the ground for prospective studies. Results show that the inflow of new migrants during the early 1990’s in Sweden raises income inequality and it is almost entirely due to increased dispersion in the lower tail of the income distribution.
55

Walls and fences : the making of good neighbors?!

El Nakhala, Doaa' Hamdi 27 June 2014 (has links)
While the Europeans were discussing integration, other nations experienced long conflicts over borders. In some of the latter contexts, the significance of borders was underscored by escalated border policing through the erection of barriers. Although barrier construction is not a new phenomenon, an increasing number of nation-states are launching barrier projects along their borders. While in all cases the concerned nation-states claimed these barriers were provided security, scant attention was given to the actual security outcomes of these constructions. This research provides answers to the questions: what accounts for the different security outcomes of border barriers? How can barriers differ? And why? How does variation in barriers affect the nature and number of non-state actors' attacks? When do violent groups have tactical shifts and tactical innovations in the context of a barrier? This work moves beyond the conventional perspective on barriers that see them as successful defensive security measures. Instead, it develops the Fortification-Cooperation model that explains why the level of cross-border militant attacks change, when violent groups shift their tactics and when they innovate. I argue that security cooperation on both sides the border limits violent activities locally, which in turn restricts their access to militant resources. Presence of these resources is central for launching more attacks and for introducing tactical innovations. In turn, barriers impose restrictions to movement and increase the cost of certain attack. In this context, motivated violent groups substitute their commonly employed attack tactics for other types of attacks that can be sustained despite the presence of the barrier. Using a newly constructed qualitative and quantitative datasets on Palestinian attacks against Israel and barrier construction between 1990 and 2010, this study finds that the empirical record does not provide support the existing common explanations about the outcomes of barriers and that the interaction of cross-border cooperation and fortification is a key determinant of the number and nature of cross-border militant attacks. This work has significant implications for many states that built, are building, or are considering the construction of barriers on their borders since according to this research, a barrier without cross-border security cooperation would not be efficient at diminishing or decreasing cross-border violence. Additionally, violent groups' access to military resources is an important factor that should be taken into consideration when a barrier is built. Again, cross-border cooperation plays an essential role in restricting these resources, which would lead to less violence. In fact, in some cases, cooperation alone may result in similar outcomes to the combination of fortification and cooperation, which raises questions about the utility of barriers to begin with. / text
56

The impact of light rail transportation announcement and construction : the role of rail transit in property values, land use, demographics, equity, accessibility, and gentrification

Plevak, Stephen Henry 22 November 2010 (has links)
As American cities continue to expand and their existing transportation infrastructure becomes strained from increased demand, many cities have turned to light rail transit to not only alleviate congestion but also to provide an economic development stimulus to the areas around the stations. This report focuses on determining the economic impact on areas surrounding announced light rail stations in Austin, Texas while also attempting to quantify changes in land use and demographics experienced in a city who has an established light rail line; Dallas, Texas. In addition to examining any changes associated with the announcement and construction of a light rail project this report will qualitatively examine the role of these project in stimulating gentrification in station areas and what effect gentrification will have in preventing low-income households from accessing the improved transit system. The report will also propose actions that could ensure that these households continue to have access to public transportation, which would mitigate the strain of increasing transportation costs. / text
57

Characterization of Nb hydrides synthesized in high-pressure supercritical water by micro-beam hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Ikenaga, Eiji, Hasegawa, Masashi, Kusaba, Keiji, Niwa, Ken, Shiraki, Tatsuhito, Kato, Masahiko, Kondo, Hiroki, Soda, Kazuo 02 1900 (has links)
No description available.
58

Ecological Responses to Threats in an Evolutionary Context: Bacterial Responses to Antibiotics and Butterfly Species’ Responses to Climate Change

Fitzsimmons, James 20 February 2013 (has links)
Humans are generally having a strong, widespread, and negative impact on nature. Given the many ways we are impacting nature and the many ways nature is responding, it is useful to study responses in an integrative context. My thesis is focused largely (two out of the three data chapters) on butterfly species’ range shifts consistent with modern climate change in Canada. I employed a macroecological approach to my research, drawing on methods and findings from evolutionary biology, phylogenetics, conservation biology, and natural history. I answered three main research questions. First, is there a trade-off between population growth rate (rmax) and carrying capacity (K) at the mutation scale (Chapter 2)? I found rmax and K to not trade off, but in fact to positively co-vary at the mutation scale. This suggests trade-offs between these traits only emerge after selection removes mutants with low resource acquisition rates (i.e., unhealthy genotypes), revealing trade-offs between remaining genotypes with varied resource allocation strategies. Second, did butterfly species shift their northern range boundaries northward over the 1900s, consistent with climate warming (Chapter 3)? Leading a team of collaborators, we found that most butterfly species’ northern range boundaries did indeed shift northward over the 1900s. But range shift rates were slower than those documented in the literature for more recent time periods, likely reflecting the weaker warming experienced in the time period of my study. Third, were species’ rates of range shift related to their phylogeny (Chapter 3) or traits (Chapter 4)? I found no compelling relationships between rates of range shift and phylogeny or traits. If certain traits make some species more successful at northern boundary range expansion than others, their effect was not strong enough to emerge from the background noise inherent in the broad scale data set I used.
59

Elevational Range Shifts Driven by Climate Change in Tropical Mountains: Assessment and Conservation Opportunities

Foreo Medina, German Andres January 2012 (has links)
<p>Global climate change can cause shifts in species distributions, and increases in some of their competitors, predators, and diseases that might even cause their extinction. Species may respond to a warming climate by moving to higher latitudes or elevations. Shifts in geographic ranges are common responses in temperate regions. For the tropics, latitudinal temperature gradients are shallow: the only escape for species may be to move to higher elevations. There are few data to suggest that they do, and our understanding of the process is still very limited. Yet, the greatest loss of species from climate disruption may be for tropical montane species. To better understand the potential process of elevational range shifts in the tropics and their implications we have to: 1) Build theoretical models for the process of range shifting, 2) Evaluate potential constraints that species could face while moving to higher elevations, 3) Obtain empirical evidence confirming the uphill shift of species ranges, 4) Determine the number of extinctions that could arise from elevational range shifts (mountain top extinctions) and 5) Identify vulnerable species and areas, and determine their representation by the Protected Areas Network. The purpose of this dissertation is to address these issues, by applying novel methods and collecting empirical evidence. </p><p>In the second chapter I incorporated temperature gradients and land-cover data from the current ranges of species in a model of range shifts in response to climate change. I tested 4 possible scenarios of amphibian movement on a tropical mountain and estimated the constraints to range shifts imposed by each scenario. Confirming the occurrence of elevational range shifts with empirical data is also essential, but requires historical data as a baseline for comparison. I repeated a historical transect in Peru, sampling birds at the same locations they were sampled 40 years ago, and compared their elevational ranges between sampling occasions to evaluate if they were moving uphill as a response to warming temperatures. Finally, based on the results from this comparison, I estimated the potential extinctions derived from elevational range shifts, using information on the species distribution, the topography and land cover within the ranges and surrounding areas. I evaluated the extent of mountain top extinctions for 172 bird species with restricted ranges in the northern Andes. I also considered how Colombia's protected Area Network represents species and sites that are vulnerable in the face of climate change.</p><p>More than 30% of the range of 21 of 46 amphibian species in the tropical Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is likely to become isolated as climate changes. More than 30% of the range of 13 amphibian species would shift to areas that currently are unlikely to sustain survival and reproduction. Combined, over 70% of the current range of 7 species would become thermally isolated or shift to areas that currently are unlikely to support survival and reproduction. The constraints on species' movements to higher elevations in response to climate change can increase considerably the number of species threatened by climate change in tropical mountains.</p><p>In the comparison of bird distributions in the Cerrros del Sira, in Peru, I found an average upward shift of 49 m for 55 bird species over a 41 year interval. This shift is significantly upward, but also significantly smaller than the 152 m one expects from warming in the region. The range shifts in elevation were similar across different trophic guilds. Endothermy may provide birds with some flexibility to temperature changes and allow them to move less than expected. Instead of being directly dependent on temperature, birds may be responding to gradual changes in the nature of the habitat or availability of food resources, and presence of competitors. If so, this has important implications for estimates of mountaintop extinctions from climate change. </p><p>The estimated number of mountain top extinctions from climate disruption in the northern Andes is low, both the absolute number (5 species) and the relative number (less than 0.5% of Colombian land birds). According to future climate predictions these extinctions will not likely occur in this century. The extent of species loss in the Andes is not predicted by absolute mountaintop extinctions modeled by the kind of processes most other studies use. Rather, it is highly contingent -- the species will survive or not depending on how well we protect their much reduced ranges from the variety of other threats.</p> / Dissertation
60

Ontogenetic Shifts in Diet and Habitat by Juvenile Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) along the Middle and Lower Texas Coast

Howell, Lyndsey 2012 August 1900 (has links)
Effective population management of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) necessitates understanding the temporal variation in foraging grounds used in ontogenetic stages, and the effect that the assimilated diet within those habitats has on nutritional gain, growth and eventual reproductive output. Texas coastal waters provide foraging grounds critical to meeting the nutritional needs of green turtles during early life history. To characterize temporal shifts in foraging strategy stomach contents combined with stable carbon (delta13C) and nitrogen (delta15N) isotopes of scute tissue were examined across size classes of stranded juvenile green turtles from the middle and lower Texas coast during 2007-2010. Findings from dietary analysis generally corroborated those from stable isotopes in scute samples. Results indicate green sea turtles exhibit multiple shifts in diet and habitat along the Texas coast. Although isotope values in the tissues of some <25 cm SCL turtles signified recent recruitment to jetty habitat, most in this size class exhibited depleted delta13C and enriched delta15N values indicative of oceanic life. Reinforcing oceanic occupancy from stable isotope results was forage material dominated by oceanic items such as Sargassum spp., Scyphozoa spp., and plastic debris. Diet analysis of 25-34.9 cm SCL turtles implied regional differences existed in macroalgae and seagrass consumption. Enriched delta13C and delta15N values in newest scute suggest most turtles inhabited the jetty environment, where macroalgae is the most available forage. A definitive shift by >35 cm SCL turtles to inshore seagrass habitat was revealed by a diet of seagrasses and tissue enriched in delta13C and depleted in delta15N. This is the first study to integrate stomach contents of several green turtle size classes with tissue analysis of stable isotopes. The combination of these techniques provided an assessment of the effectiveness of stable isotope analyses in documenting diet and habitat shifts. Stomach content examination determined the most recent diet consumed within the habitat occupied, whereas stable isotope analysis provided a time-integrated synopsis of diet and habitat shifts. Findings indicate integration of stomach content and stable isotope analysis is highly effective for characterizing habitat use and foraging strategy of ontogenetic-stage green sea turtles.

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