In this thesis, we study the group of base-point preserving homotopy classes of homotopy self-equivalences of a four-manifold. Based on the approach of Hambleton and Kreck, an explicit description of this group is obtained when the fundamental group of the manifold is either a free group or a two-dimensional Poincare duality group. As a byproduct, a classification of such four-manifolds up to s-cobordism is obtained by using the modified surgery theory of Kreck. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The purpose of this study was to determine which interventions were deemed to be effective at increasing the four-year graduation rate in Osceola District Schools. This had become a concern due to the fact that this rate had decreased in recent years, and may be utilized as a predictor of the dropout rate. The interventions were then prioritized according to Levin's cost-utility theory, so that the order of implementation could be prioritized. The study was conducted in January and February of 2005, and responses were elicited from 600 people. Students currently in Osceola District Schools high schools comprised 200 of this total, and 400 former Osceola District Schools high school students were also selected. The 600 people were randomly selected from directory information lists supplied by the school district. A questionnaire consisting of thirteen interventions that could be utilized to increase the four-year graduation rate was mailed to them a few days after an introductory letter was mailed. A letter enclosed with the questionnaire requested that they fill out and return the questionnaire in the enclosed return envelope. A postcard was mailed as a reminder to people that may not have responded to the letters, and had not yet filled out the questionnaire. Returned questionnaires were then used to calculate mean effectiveness ratings. Of the 600 questionnaires mailed, 154 were returned, and 123 contained no non-responses, and were therefore usable for this study. The order in which the cost-utility in the study prioritized the implementation of the thirteen interventions was: Offer three-year diploma options. Have mentors available for students, with a mentor for every 100 students. Have ten percent more seats for academy/ magnet/ vocational programs. Offer a diploma option that removes the FCAT graduation requirement. Offer a diploma option that removes the Algebra I graduation requirement. Offer a diploma option that lowers the 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) graduation requirement on a four point scale to a 1.9 GPA. Offer a diploma option that removes the FCAT Algebra I and GPA graduation requirements. High school classes should have a maximum of 25 students Grades four to eight classes should have a maximum of 22 students Kindergarten to third grade classes should have a maximum of 18 students. Schools larger than 500 students should be divided into smaller learning units, such as schools-within-a-school. Free quality preschool should be provided. Guidance counselors should be available, with one for every 100 students. Four of the items would require statute changes before they could be implemented. They were the interventions that concerned GPA, Algebra I, and the FCAT graduation requirements. The items were prioritized because fiscal constraints may not permit all of the interventions to be implemented, and the interventions that yielded the greatest improvement in four-year graduation rate per unit cost were to be implemented first.

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The family of III-V semiconductors is of high significance in photonics for two main reasons. First, not only they are the most practical material platforms for active photonic devices but also they are suitable for monolithic integration of passive and active photonic devices. Second, some III-V compounds exhibit high values of second and third-order nonlinear coefficients – the property useful in all-optical signal processing and wavelength conversion. This Ph.D. thesis explores the above perspectives with two candidates from the group III-V family, namely AlGaAs and InGaAsP. The dissertation consists of two main parts. The first part is dedicated to the theoretical modelling of nonlinear bianisotropic AlGaAs metasurfaces, while the second part focuses on the experimental studies of the nonlinear optical performance of InGaAsP waveguides. Concerning the first part, due to the high confinement of light supported by the Mie resonances, AlGaAs nanoantennas and metasurfaces with both high refractive index and high nonlinear susceptibility have found a unique place in planar nonlinear optics, where not only the presence of high intensity of light is of significant matter, but also the optically thin thickness of the entities releases the device from phase matching. We first describe the linear optical properties of AlGaAs meta-atoms and metasurfaces such as relatively high scattering cross-sections and the bianisotropic effect. Also, we derive and explain all required analytic formulas for this purpose. Bianisotropic metasurfaces with magnetoelectric coupling and asymmetric optical properties have sparked considerable interest in linear meta-optics. However, further in this thesis, we explore the nonlinear features of bianisotropic AlGaAs metasurfaces. In particular, we explore a second-harmonic generation in a bianisotropic AlGaAs metasurface based on the multipolar interference inside the meta-atoms and the nonlinear polarization current. We theoretically demonstrate that it is possible to obtain several orders of magnitude secondharmonic power differences for the forward and backward illuminations by adjusting the geometrical parameters of the meta-atoms in such a way that quasi-bound states in the continuum (quasi-BICs) are achievable. This research paves the way for the generation of directional higher-order waves. Concerning the second part, the research is focused on exploring nonlinear material platforms for monolithic integration of active and passive devices on the same chip. In this regard, we explore InGaAsP/InP waveguides of different geometries. First, we provide the theoretical background such as the nonlinear Schrodinger equation and four-wave mixing (FWM) equations in a nonlinear waveguide, then we solve the set of FWM equations using MATLAB to observe the qualitative behavior of the signal, idler, and the pump inside a nonlinear waveguide. Furthermore, we design and employ two waveguide geometries i.e. half-core and nanowire waveguides. We first design these waveguides so that achieving zero group velocity dispersion is possible through a suitable material composition and certain geometrical dimensions. However, for the rest of the work, we continued with the waveguides of different dimensions compared to the designed ones (due to some limitations in fabrication). We demonstrate self-phase modulation (SPM) and FWM for the half-core waveguides. For the case of the nanowire waveguides, we also demonstrate the FWM effect. We measured and extracted the effective value of the nonlinear refractive index of InGaAsP/InP waveguides to be n2 = 1.9 × 10−13 cm2/W through the relation between the idler and the pump power when the phase mismatch is negligible. Finally, we experimentally observe the two-photon absorption effect in our waveguides through the nonlinear characteristics of input and output powers of the waveguides from which the two-photon absorption coefficient of 19 cm/GW is calculated.

T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets is full of beautiful and resounding imagery, yet the art of unfolding these images, discovering the movement and drama taking place in and between them, often remains elusive. In this thesis, I approach this problem by offering a detailed reading of Eliot's four poems, tracing the repetition and subtle movements of these patterns of images and the connections between them. I show how in each poem, Eliot develops a set of images that uniquely depicts the entrance of the timeless into time; these images offer ways of framing the problem of responding to revelations of deeper reality, which I take to be the poem's central drama. At the same time, across the whole of the four poems, this reoccurring drama—the issue of the intersection of the timeless with time and the poet's response to this intersection—continues to develop, becoming more complex and layered in each of the poems. Unfolding the different but parallel movements that are enacted across the four poems gives us a better understanding of the way the poems work together as a whole, harmonizing with one another to expand and deepen the individual images and momentary expressions of emotion each poem conveys. / Master of Arts

IntroduktionRevisionsbranschen anses ha utvecklats från att tidigare ha fokuserat på professionella principer och bedömningar, till att idag fokusera mer på kommersiella intressen. Hög NAS-försäljning har antytts utgöra en utmärkande faktor gällande avancemanget till partnerskapet. Vi undersöker hur konkurrensen om partnerskapet påverkar försäljningen av NAS, då den har antytts påverka revisorns arbetsutförande. NAS-försäljning är ett aktuellt ämne som nyligen har reglerats av EU vilket motiverar och aktualiserar studien.  SyfteSyftet med studien är att utforska hur partnerstrukturen i revisionsbolagen påverkar försäljningen av NAS.  MetodStudien har en kvantitativ forskningsstrategi, en deduktiv forskningsansats och är av explorativ art. Genom dokumentstudier har data från svenska noterade bolag och revisionsbyråer samlats in för två enskilda år och har med hjälp OLS-regressioner analyserats. NAS har mätts som det logaritmerade värdet av bolagens kostnader till revisionsbyrån utöver den lagstadgade revisionen. SlutsatsStudien visar på ej samstämmiga resultat då vi för år 2014 fann att ökad konkurrens om partnerskapet leder till minskad försäljning av NAS, medan inget samband upptäcktes för år 2009. Möjliga förklaringar till resultatet återfinns i Turneringsteorin, som säger att anställdas motivation och prestation kan minska vid för hög intern konkurrens. Att inget samband upptäcktes för år 2009 tyder istället på att revisorn är professionell i sin roll och agerar därmed i professionens linje. / IntroductionThere has been an evolution away from the founding values of the audit industry, which centered on professional values and judgements toward profit-minded commercial interests. High sales of NAS has been implied to be a factor that make auditors prominently conspicuous on their path to becoming a partner. We are exploring the possibility that a competitive environment affect sales of NAS, which has been suggested to impact the way the auditor works. NAS is a current topic that recently was regulated by the EU, which is a motivating factor for this study. PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore how the audit firms’ partnership structure impacts Non-Audit Services.  MethodThis study has a quantitative research strategy and a deductive research approach that is exploratory in nature. Data from the Swedish listed firms and audit firms have been collected for two years through document studies and have been analyzed with an OLS-regression. NAS was measured as the natural logarithm of the listed firms’ cost to the audit firm beyond the statutory audit costs.  ConclusionOur study shows inconsistent results. In 2014 we found that an increased competition for the partnership leads to a decrease in sales of NAS, while in 2009, no correlation was found. The results in 2014 can be explained by the Tournament Theory, whereas the employee’s motivation and accomplishments may decrease if there is high competition within the firm. A lack of correlation in 2009, suggests a professionalism among the auditors that is in accordance with the auditing profession.

<p>Background: Sweden is a country with 30 million memberships in different non- profit organizations. In total these organizations employees about 400 000 people, through employment and voluntary work. The complete turnover for non- profit organizations is 100 billion Swedish crowns per year. It has only since 2001 been compulsory to follow the Swedish account rules BFL and ÅRL. Trade unions are one type of non-profit organizations with the main purpose to care for the interest of its members concerning their working condition. It is of high complication to show the achievements and goal accomplishment of a trade union through its annual report, when rules established for profit- organizations are followed. Members of a trade union should for example be more interested in information that shows if compensation has been paid out for means of a strike than information about profit for the year.</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of the essay is to describe how annual reports in trade unions are presented, what affects them and how it could be presented better.</p><p>Method: The essay is based on two parts of investigation, both characterized in an explorative approach. The first investigation consists of ten annual reports from different trade unions. The second investigation was based on eight interviews with people who establish annual reports for trade unions.</p><p>Conclusions: Annual reports of trade unions should be established with comparability and reliability in mind. A possibility to take these qualitative characteristics in consideration is to establish a common use of terminology and make goals more quantitative. In trade unions today there is no cooperation through any branch organization. Instead the auditor has great influence on the design of the annual report. It should be of interest for branch organizations to take part of the development of good accounting practice (god redovisningssed) to accomplish better annual reports. The focus of an annual report lies on goal accomplishment for the members, but also voluntary staff and the ambient society should be considered. The authors suggest several key ratios aimed for the three different stakeholders. Key ratios could be divided into two different settings; Classical key ratios, which are possible to compare over time and between different trade unions, and Unique key ratios, which are focusing on separated situations in the trade union.</p>

Wu-Group's Literary Theories and Its Poetry and Prose in Early M'ing Dynasty.

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