Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, November, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2008. / "December, 2008." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-59). Online version available on the World Wide Web.

The adaptive process can be considered as being driven by two fundamental forces: exploitation and exploration. While the explorative process may be deterministic, the resultant effect may be stochastic. Stochastic effects may also exist in the expoitative process. This thesis considers the effects of stochastic fluctuations inherent in the adaptive process on the behavioural dynamics of a population of interacting agents. It is hypothesied that in such systems, one or more attractors in the population space exist; and that transitions between these attractors can occur; either as a result of internal shocks (sampling fluctuations) or external shocks (environmental changes). It is further postulated that such transitions in the (microscopic) population space may be observable as phase transitions in the behaviour of macroscopic observables. A simple model of a stock market, driven by asexual reproduction (selection plus mutation) is put forward as a testbed. A statistical dynamics analysis of the behaviour of this market is then developed. Fixed points in the space of agent behaviours are located, and market dynamics are compared to the analytic predictions. Additionally, an analysis of the relative importance of internal shocks(sampling fluctuations) and external shocks( the stock dividend sequence) across varying population size is presented.

abstract: The bony pelvis is a pivotal component of the locomotor system, as it links the hindlimb with the trunk and serves as anchorage for the primary propulsive musculature. Its shape is therefore expected to be adapted to the biomechanical demands of habitual locomotor behavior. However, because the relationship between locomotor mechanics and pelvic morphology is not well understood, the adaptive significance of particular pelvic traits and overall pelvic shape remains unclear. This study used an integrative, dual approach to elucidate the relationship between form and function in the primate pelvis. A biomechanical cylinder model of pelvic stress resistance was tested using in vitro strain analysis of monkey and ape cadaver specimens. These results were used to refine adaptive hypotheses relating pelvic form to locomotor mechanics. Hypotheses of adaptation were then tested via univariate and geometric morphometric methods using a taxonomically broad, comparative sample of 67 primate taxa. These results suggest that the pelvis exhibits some iliac and ischial adaptations to stress resistance that are associated with the biomechanical demands of habitual locomotor loading and of body size. The ilium and ischium exhibit relatively low levels of strain during experimental loading as well as adaptations that increase strength. The pubis exhibits relatively high strains during loading and does not vary as predicted with locomotion. This integrated study clarifies the relationship between strain and adaptation; these results support the hypothesis that bones adapted to stress resistance exhibit low strains during typical loading. In general, the cylinder model of pelvic biomechanics is unsupported. While the predictions of loading regimes were generally rejected, the inability of these methods to test the possible occurrence of overlapping loading regimes precludes outright rejection of the cylinder model. However, the lack of support for predicted global responses to applied loading regimes suggests that pelvic stress resistance may be better explained by a model that accounts for local, functional subunits of pelvic structure. The coalescence of a localized model of pelvic biomechanics and comparative morphometrics has great potential to shed light on the evolution of the complex, multi-functional structure of the pelvis. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Anthropology 2010

La thèse se focalise sur le processus d’adaptation des étudiants iraniens en France en mettant en avant le rôle joué par la langue française dans la vie universitaire et dans les interactions sociales. L’adaptation universitaire implique une construction progressive et l’apprentissage d’une manière d’être étudiant et d’organiser ses activités d’études dans un environnement étranger. Celle-ci met également en jeu des savoirs culturels, linguistiques, universitaires, disciplinaires, méthodologiques. Les différences et les décalages entre la langue, la culture et le système éducatif du pays d’origine et ceux de la France rendent difficile la transition entre ces deux univers. Le rôle du français dans l’adaptation étant au coeur de la thèse, les choix et les parcours des étudiants iraniens semblent largement influencer par la manière d’apprendre le français en dehors du système éducatif. L’apprentissage tardif du français tend à transformer l’adaptation universitaire et sociale en France en une question épineuse. L’approche considère que l’adaptation se réalise dans des situations d’apprentissages, d’interactions, s'inscrivant dans la loi naturelle de l’évolution et de la construction des savoirs, de l’identité et de la position sociale. La transformation et l’éducation de l’étudiant étranger comme tout homme est donc un processus complexe entre le soi et la société qui se réalise par l’action intentionnelle du sujet ayant un parcours biographique singulier.La problématique de cette thèse porte sur la relation entre la qualité de l’apprentissage, c’est-à-dire le rapport à l’acte d’apprendre à l’université, et la mobilisation de la langue française dans le contexte universitaire et les interactions sociales. Ainsi, les conditions nécessaires à l’adaptation universitaire sont examinées en rapport avec l’usage du français dans l’accomplissement des différentes tâches d’apprentissage. C’est à la lumière des théories sur le « rapport au savoir », et l’approche de l’apprentissage à l’université que la thèse tente d’appréhender cette question. Chaque étudiant tend à développer une perspective d’apprentissage reflétant son engagement intellectuel et sa mobilisation dans le contexteSupprimé: Iraniens en région parisienneuniversitaire. Le problématique conçoit aussi apprendre en tant qu’acte situé dans un contexte pédagogique et au sein d’une matrice disciplinaire qui exercent une influence indéniable dans l’engagement et la mobilisation intellectuelle des étudiants. / .../...

Software-Intensive Cyber-Physical Systems (siCPS) are modular, open-ended, networked, large-scale embedded Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems that are increasingly depending on software. They need to be both dependable and flexible to adapt to changes in their dynamic environments. This combination poses challenges in their design and development, as traditional model-driven design and development techniques cannot account for both dependability and self-adaptivity. The thesis proposes (1) a new, model-based design process for siCPS, which comprises both appropriate methods and models and deals with dependability and self-adaptivity, and (2) a mapping of the design models to implementation-level abstractions, which allows for model-driven development and early experimentations in siCPS. Specifically, the thesis delivers (1) by introducing and elaborating on the Invariant Refinement Method (IRM), and its extension for self-adaptivity, for the design of siCPS based on the ensemble paradigm. IRM was integrated into the ensemble development life cycle, a methodology for the development of autonomic ensemble-based systems. Contributing to (2), the thesis provides a mapping of the IRM concepts to the concepts of the DEECo components model. The mapping is supported by prototype...

Agricultural adaptation to climate change is often simulated by changes in land use over time. Land use is commonly optimised in economic models, which rests on the neoclassical economic assumption of rational choice among farmers. A wealth of experimental and empirical evidence demonstrates that rational choice can be a poor approximation of human decision making. Models simulating adaptation by optimising producers’ behaviour are in effect simulating adaptive potential. Much evidence demonstrates that adaptive potential does not necessarily translate into adaptation. This investigation focuses on the ways by which farmers’ real-world adaptive behaviours depart from those assumed by the dominant economic models of agricultural responses to climate change. These departures are characterised as adaptation constraints, and they are assessed through an empirical case study of adaptive behaviours in the Hikurangi catchment, New Zealand. Data are collected using a mixed methodology comprising an extensive survey of rural decision making, to which this study contributes, and a suite of semi-structured interviews. The interviews give an understanding of the origins and processes of adaptation constraints, while the surveys provide information about the extent to which they impact adaptive propensity. These adaptation constraints are then formalised as mathematical rules and written into an existing agent-based model of land use change, which is substantially modified for the purposes of this study. Different combinations of constraints are then tested in order to produce estimates of their economic impacts. The constraints on adaptation are found to significantly reduce profits relative to a specification that assumes rational choice among farmers. This is understood to be the first empirically derived estimate of the extent of the adaptation deficit. The size of the deficit identified in this study implies that current economic models are likely to significantly underestimate the costs of adaptation to climate change, the benefits of climate change mitigation, and the residual loss and damage climate change will cause.

In terms of Uses and gratification theory, this study examined the relationships between the usage of social networking sites and acculturation among Chinese students who are studying in U.S. colleges (N=246). By comparing two different SNSs, American SNS (Facebook) and ethnic SNS (WeChat), it was discovered that Chinese students exposed differential needs and gratification achievement in these two SNSs. This study applied a quantitative method, and data were collected with an online survey platform "Qualtrics," which was carried out on February 2018. The present study found that the degree of Facebook gratification can lead to the increasing of use intensity. In contrast, the degree of WeChat gratification cannot be reflected in use intensity. Intriguingly, Facebook and WeChat indeed act as important roles in adaptation to U.S. culture and maintenance to Chinese culture respectively.

This dissertation investigates the temporal and regional variation in human skeletal morphology in relation to climate and the environment in Holocene China. Linking skeletal morphology to the changes in climate, subsistence strategy and socio-political development has been well-documented in various geographical areas. Although a general pattern has been observed among different populations, it is evident that local factors have played an equally important role in human morphological variation. China was chosen in this dissertation because its diverse geographical, historical and cultural background provides an ideal setting in which to elucidate human biological responses to a variety different external forces and stimuli. A total sample of 533 adult skeletons, spanning from the mid-Neolithic to the twentieth century, was examined. These skeletons represent the ancient agriculturalists, nomadic pastoralists and agropastoralists inhabiting in contemporary Northeast China and modern humans from South China. This dissertation uses body size and shape, entheseal expression and biomechanical properties of long bones to investigate: 1.) temporal patterns in postcranial dimensions, stature and body mass; 2.) regional differences between the northern and southern Chinese in body size and body/limb proportions; and 3.) variation in skeletal biomechanics and entheses in relation to subsistence strategy. The findings in this dissertation indicated that while the human skeletons studied were morphologically varied throughout Holocene China, they were, to some extent, correlated with climatic and environmental factors. Body size and shape and body/limb proportions corresponded with variation in temperature. Additionally, stature, body mass and entheseal expression were correlated with socio-political and cultural development. Nevertheless, entheseal expression unexpectedly did not show a straightforward relationship with subsistence strategy, in which is inconsistent with the findings of previous studies. Although the comparisons of biomechanical properties were not unequivocal, they suggest differences in mobility and mechanical loading between different populations and subsistence strategies. On the whole, the results suggested that variation in skeletal morphology of the Holocene Chinese follows the universal patterns on the one hand, while on the other, they were influenced by local environmental and behavioural factors.

The combination of local farming practices (i.e. tiling, channelization) and global climate change has led to an increase in not only the severity, but also the frequency of extreme weather events in the Midwest, including droughts and floods. These can result in severe damage to watersheds, ecosystems, and communities. Climate change adaptations are vital to the maintenance of both sustainability and resilience of agro-ecosystems during severe weather events. They can allow agricultural producers to maintain the many functions of these systems, including food, fiber, and fuel production as well as water filtration, soil stability, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity. Implementation of these adaptations can be difficult for multiple reasons, but information sources, experts, and communities can assist with adoption through the diffusion of information. To assess the ability and willingness of agricultural producers to make these adaptations, and the role of information sources, I utilized survey data in three separate scenarios: 1.) producer interest in the adoption of switchgrass production, a novel adaptation; 2.) the adoption differences between producers who own farmland and those that rent farmland, and 3.) the opinions of experts and community members on the adoption of eight different climate change adaptations by farmers. The first study assesses the adoption of switchgrass, a dedicated biofuel perennial, which can be the first step in the transformation from an unsustainable, energy intensive production regime into a regime that provides both environmental sustainability (through water quality improvements) and financial stability for farmers. This study examines which characteristics predict interest in growing switchgrass through the analysis of a survey completed by farmers in the Clear Creek watershed in rural Iowa. Knowledge of switchgrass, education, and income are all highly correlated with interest in growing switchgrass. Long-term contracts with bio-refineries would also help farmers decrease adoption risk. Additionally, producers who use government agencies as information sources are more knowledgeable of switchgrass production. Results can help establish policies that could influence farmers to shift production from annual crops to perennial native biomass energy crops, and thus would increase the sustainability of the entire system. In areas where agricultural production is intensive, switchgrass production provides the potential to move from a contributor to climate change into a sector that contributes to the mitigation of climate change via reduction in energy-intensive input uses, production of renewable fuels, and sequestration of carbon in the soils. The second study focuses on conservation practice adoption among agricultural producers who rent land versus those who own the land they farm. Tenants and part-owners are farming an increasing number of acres in the United States, while full-owners are farming fewer acres. This shift in ownership is a potential cause for concern because some previous research indicated that tenant and part-owner farmers were not as likely to adopt conservation practices as farmers who owned the land they farmed. This study also uses survey data from the Clear Creek watershed in Iowa, and compares adoption of conservation practices and preferences for conservation information sources between farmers who rent some portion of the land they farm (tenants and part-owners) and farmers who own all of the land they farm (full-owners). Results show that renters are more likely to practice conservation tillage than full-owners, though they are less likely to rotate crops yearly. In addition, renters report using federal government employees (specifically, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency employees) as their primary sources of conservation information, while full-owners most frequently rely on neighbors and friends and County Extension. These findings are significant for conservation policy because, unlike some past research, they indicate that renters are not resistant to conservation adoption. Finally, the last study examines the opinions of experts and community members about agriculture producers' ability and willingness to adopt adaptations in a large watershed in Iowa. A web-based survey of community members, government officials, and agricultural experts assesses perceptions of: barriers and drivers of adoption, and the adoption of specific adaptation practices. Through their knowledge of the community and their expertise in agriculture, the government, and the environment, the respondents are able to provide valuable information about climate change adaptations and the likelihood of adoption. Results show that transformative adaptations 1.) have more adoption barriers and 2.) will require severe weather events to occur more frequently than incremental adaptations for adoption to occur. This study will help to determine the factors that need to be addressed by governing agencies and resource management groups in order to reduce agro-ecosystem vulnerability to climate change events and provide adaptive capacity and resilience in the face of these emerging threats.