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.

Narrative frameworks provide a unique method for understanding how important events and relationships become central to individual identity. Informed by these frameworks, the Centrality of Event Scale (CES; Berntsen & Rubin, 2006) serves as a means to quantify the extent to which a specific event has become central to personal identity. Utilizing the CES, Berntsen and Rubin and colleagues demonstrate the strong link between central traumatic events and psychopathology. Despite this work, however, far less literature explicates the factors that lead to growth and adaptive functioning. In order to address this limitation across the literature, a modified version of Berntsen and Rubin's CES was created in order to assess the importance of close positive social relationships to identity. Data were collected from 255 individuals from undergraduate psychology courses at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Specifically, it was hypothesized that the component structure of the Centrality of Event Scale modified for social relationships (CESpr) would be commensurate with Berntsen and Rubin's original scale, and it would predict several measures of adaptive functioning. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that positive relational centrality would predict these measures of adaptive functioning, even after controlling for positive event centrality and social support. Congruent with Berntsen and Rubin's original CES, the CESpr yielded a one-component solution, and correlated with several measures of adaptive functioning. Furthermore, after controlling for positive event centrality and social support, positive relational centrality significantly predicted positive affect, resilience, gratitude, and post-traumatic growth. Results of the current study suggest increased personal meaning and relevance attributed to close positive social relationships is indicative of increased adaptive functioning. These findings are consistent with narrative conceptualizations of the self, which suggest that central events and relationships affect the functioning of the individual. Implications and future directions are discussed.

This thesis seeks to trace the representations of male homosexuality in Taiwanese society since the 1970s, with a specific focus on the legacies and representations of Pai Hsien-yung’s novel Niezi (Crystal Boys, published in 1983), widely regarded as the first full-length novel themed on homosexuality in Taiwan’s literary history. Set in 1970s Taiwan during the Martial Law period, the novel’s portrayal of the underground homosexual community and male prostitution culture based in Taipei’s New Park (now 228 Park) did not capture critical attention or gain commercial success when published, owing to the then conservative social atmosphere. Nonetheless, after the lifting of Martial Law, as Taiwan became a democratised nation with mature elective democracy and participation in globalised cultural circuits, Niezi became canonised and politicised as the iconic text for a sequence of social activism regarding homosexual human rights in academia and related cultural activities in the 1990s and 2000s. Even today, Niezi is still considered the most debatable representative homosexual literary text in Taiwan’s homosexual community. While Niezi’s iconic status has stood the test of time over the past three decades, the changing interpretations of the text offer a great resource through which to examine the representations of male homosexuality in Taiwan during this period. Taiwanese society transformed from an authoritarian regime in the 1970s and 1980s, to quasi-democracy in the early 1990s, then full elective democracy in the mid-1990s, and now Taiwan has fully joined the globalised circuits of the capitalist economy, with free markets, cross-cultural communication and rapid flows of information. This social transformation brought about changing interpretations of Niezi, in which male homosexuality was no longer a social taboo, and activist cultural critics started to demand equal rights for homosexuals inspired by Euro-American theoretical discourse and social reform. The social transformation also saw two visual adaptations of the novel through the forms of film and television, which I shall examine in this thesis. I will also demonstrate not just how male homosexuality has been represented in different social contexts, but also what has contributed to the endurance of Niezi’s legacies in the past three decades. In addition, while there was a great amount of homosexual literature produced after the lifting of Martial Law owing to social liberalisation, the thesis will also consider Niezi’s continuing iconic status.

Schools developed to serve the "European" sectors of African economies. British colonial governments regarded this phenomenon as a political threat. There were "assimilationist" and "adaptationist" educational solutions to this problem. "Adaptation It seemed to hold greater promise of political stability yet colonial education was predominantly "assimilationist" at the time of political independence. In this study,colonial educational policies have been categorised as assimilationist- or Euro-centred- and as adaptionist- or Afro-centred. An attempt has been made to determine the conditions associated with the adoption of Euro-centred and Afro-centred policies. Models of Euro-centred and Afro-centred policies have been constructed which include political,economic and socio-political dimensions and which distinguish between the general aims of education, administration, provision and curriculum policies. Education policies for Africa formulated by official agencies firstly in Britain 'and then in the Gold Coast and Tanganyika have been analysed by the criteria of the models.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-27T17:13:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2018-07-27T17:16:46Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000893158.pdf: 1650381 bytes, checksum: fd3bc9e34eb119067f5450c18db29074 (MD5) / The objective of this work was to evaluate the adaptation marginal of restoring ceramic total crowns using system IPS 2 Empress and the Ceramcap system at two moments: after confections of copings and after applications of covering ceramics. However, ten stainless steel trunnions, had been tilted producing circular prepare that simulated the dental prepares with line of termination in shoulder of 1, 5 mm, axial walls in 6 degrees of oclusal convergence, rounded off angles to pulpar-axio and occlusal-axio, height of 7 mm, diameter in the base of the 11 preparation of mm and diameter in the oclusal of the preparation of 7, 06 mm. Boxes or concavities had been prevented. After that, they had been molded with silicona of addition and confectioned copings, as recommendations of the manufacturers. The evaluation of the adaptation marginal was made with an optic microscope of visible light with increase of 100 x, connected to system of image collection, had been made 4 images for each body-oftest, was used a software Imagelab 2000 for analysis of the images, where 12 points of mismatch for each image had been collected. The 148 values of mismatch marginal had been analyzed through test T student with level of significance of 5%. For system ceramic IPS 2 Empress and Ceramcap they had been found average of mismatch respectively of (86,1μm and 99,8μm) for copings and of (84,5μm and 97,9 μm), after applied covering ceramics. It had difference significant statistics enters the confection of copings after and the applications of covering ceramics, between the two studied materials. In comparison to the two studied systems, system IPS Empress presented average minors of mismatch...(Complete abstract electronic access below)

La thèse intitulée «La standardisation globale et l’adaptation locale dans la gestion des ressources humaines internationales – une analyse théorique et empirique sur la base de la Dynamic Capabilities Perspective » se concentre sur les processus stratégiques, qui permettent d’atteindre un équilibre efficace dans la gestion des ressources humaines (RH) dans les entreprises multinationales. „Stated in terms of a number of questions, strategy process is concerned with the how, who and when of strategy: how is, and should, strategy be made, analyzed, dreamt-up, formulated, implemented, changed and controlled; who is involved; and when do the necessary activities take place?” (De Wit & Meyer, 2004, 5). L’importance de ce projet de recherche est une conséquence de l’avancée de la mondialisation, dans un cadre où de plus en plus d’entreprises standardisent les instruments de RH dans différentes régions et pays (Wittig-Goetz, 2009; Dowling, Festing & Engle, 2008; Engle & Mendenhall, 2004; CIPD, 2001). De plus, un manque de notions scientifiques concernant cette dimension du processus est remarquée dans la littérature actuelle (Dickmann & Müller-Camen, 2004; Morris, Snell & Wright, 2006). Dickmann/Müller-Camen (2006, 581) constatent que „ […] there is a need to look at communication and coordination processes […] within IHRM. […] the precise international communication and coordination instruments and activities within the international HR function of MNCs are not fully researched, yet”. La thèse essaie de trouver des réponses pour les questions suivantes: • Quels facteurs poussent les entreprises multinationales à standardiser les pratiques et les instruments de la gestion des RH sur un niveau global ? • Quelles relations peuvent être identifiées dans ces processus, qui soutient le développement d’un équilibre adéquat entre la standardisation globale et l’adaptation locale dans la gestion des RH? • Dans quelle mesure ces liaisons peuvent-elles s’affirmer empiriquement? • Quelles implications peuvent être générées pour la recherche des RH internationales et la pratique des entreprises multinationales ?Pour répondre à ces questions de recherche, l’auteur a choisi une approche globale . Sur la base de la « Dynamic Capabilities Perspective » (Teece, Pisano & Shuen, 1997; Eisenhardt & Martin, 2000) un modèle de processus (De Wit & Meyer, 2004, S. 5) a été développé, aidant à expliquer le contenu et les relations dans ces processus d’équilibre de la gestion des RH internationales. Ce modèle de processus, qui contient quatre phases, s’appuie sur les liens entre des processus, des ressources critiques et la création d’avantages compétitifs (Barney, 1991; Wernerfelt, 1984). / The thesis entitled „Global standardisation and local adaptation in the international Human Resource Management – A theoretical and empirical analysis based on the Dynamic Capabilities perspective” focuses on strategic processes within multinational enterprises which cause a adequate balance in international Human Resource Management (HRM). „Stated in terms of a number of questions, strategy process is concerned with the how, who and when of strategy: how is, and should, strategy be made, analyzed, dreamt-up, formulated, implemented, changed and controlled; who is involved; and when do the necessary activities take place?” (De Wit & Meyer, 2004, 5). The relevance of this research subject is a consequence of the advancing globalization of the global economy, in which more and more companies standardise HRM instruments across regions and countries (see for example Wittig-Goetz, 2009; Dowling, Festing & Engle, 2008; Engle & Mendenhall, 2004; CIPD, 2001) and due to a lack of scientific insights about this process dimension (Dickmann & Müller-Camen, 2004; Morris, Snell & Wright, 2006). Dickmann/Müller-Camen (2006, 581) point out that „ […] there is a need to look at communication and coordination processes […] within IHRM. […] the precise international communication and coordination instruments and activities within the international HR function of MNCs are not fully researched, yet”. The thesis tries to find answers to the following questions: • What factors prompt multinationals to standardise their HRM practices and instruments at a global level? • Which causal relationships can be identified within these processes which support the development of an adequate balance between globally standardised and locally adapted HRM? • To what extent can these postulated causal relationships be proven empirically? • What research and practical implications can be generated?In order to answer these research questions the author chose a comprehensive approach. Based on the theoretical assumptions of the Dynamic Capabilities Perspective (Teece, Pisano & Shuen, 1997; Eisenhardt & Martin, 2000) a process model (based on De Wit & Meyer, 2004, S. 5) is developed, which helps explain the content of and the causal relationships within these balancing processes in international HRM. This 4-step-process model as developed by the author is predicated on the central relationships between processes, critical resource bundles and the creation of competitive advantages (see also Barney, 1991; Wernerfelt, 1984).

Orientador: Rafael Leonardo Xediek Consani / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-10T13:00:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Zampieri_MarinaldoHenrique_M.pdf: 729614 bytes, checksum: 67cd861fbbbca6e4ac88c4d28cbc4975 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: O propósito deste trabalho foi estudar o efeito de muflas metálicas (convencional e mufla dupla experimental SR) e do tempo pós-prensagem (imediato e 6 horas) no nível de adaptação de bases de prótese total superior e inferior confeccionadas com resina acrílica Clássico ativada termicamente. Foramconfeccionados 80 conjuntos modelo de gesso-base de cera distribuídos aleatoriamente em 6 grupos (n=10), de acordo com o tipo de mufla metálica e do tempo pós-prensagem. A resina acrílica foi proporcionada e manipulada de acordo com as instruções do fabricante e prensada na fase plástica com carga inicial de 850 kgf e final de 1.250 kgf em prensa hidráulica de bancada. As bases foram polimerizadas em ciclo de água a 74°C por 9 horas. Depois do esfriamento das muflas até atingir a temperatura ambiente, as bases foram desincluídas, acabadas, fixadas nos respectivos modelos de gesso com adesivo à base de cianoacrilato e seccionados em três secções, correspondentes a distal de caninos (A), mesial de primeiros molares(B) e região palatina posterior(C). Em cada conjunto, o desajuste entre o modelo de gesso e a base de resina foi verificado nos seguintes pontos referenciais: 1- base superior: fundo do sulco vestibular direito e esquerdo, crista do rebordo alveolar direita e esquerda e linha mediana palatina; 2- inferior: fundo do sulco vestibular esquerdo e direito, crista do rebordo alveolar direita e esquerda, e fundo de sulco lingual direito e esquerdo. O desajuste foi verificado com microscópio comparador linear Olympus, com precisão de 0,0005mm. Os dados coletados foram submetidos à análise de variância e ao teste de Tukey (5%). Os resultados mostraram que houve diferença estatística significante entre as secções, onde A apresentou o melhor resultado, C o pior resultado e B demonstrou valor intermediário, para as bases superior e inferior. Na base de prótese superior, os tempos pós-prensagem em cada tipo de região e tipo de mufla mostraram diferença estatística, exceto na região A, para a mufla simples. Na comparação entre tipos de mufla para cada região no tempo imediato houve diferença estatística significante para todas as regiões. No tempo pós-prensagem de 6 horas não houve diferença estatística em todas as comparações. Entre os tipos de região para cada tempo pósprensagem da base inferior, o tempo imediato demonstrou diferença estatística em todas as regiões, quando o tipo de mufla foi comparado. O tempo de espera de 6 horas não mostrou diferença estatística entre as regiões e tipos de muflas / Abstract: The purpose of this work was to study the use of flask closure (conventional metallic flask closure nº5,5 and double SR flask closure.), regarding the adaptation of the prothesis'base (immediate and after six hours) in the upper total prothesis base and also the inferior total prothesis base adaptation. Both prothesis were made of acrylic resin activated by temperature (Classic®). 80 gypsum models were manufactured with wax base randomly distributed in 8 groups (n=10), according to the type of metallic flask closure used and the time that the prothesis remained under pressure (immediate or after six hours). The resin was proportionate and manipulated according to the manufacturer instructions and it was put under pressure in the plastic phase, starting with 850 Kgf until 1250 Kgf utilizing the hydraulic press of workbench. The bases were manufactured and polymerized in water cycle at 74°C for 9 hours. After they reached room temperature, the bases were removed, finished, and replaced in its respective models using cianocrilato adhesive on the base. The models were divided into three sections, corresponding to distal of canines, mesial of first molars and posterior palate region. In each model, the superior and lower maladjustment between the gypsum model and the resin base was verified in the reference points mention above; Superior model: bottom of vestibular sulcus (right and left sides), alveolar crest (right and left sides) and average line of the palate. Lower model: bottom of vestibular sulcus (right and left sides), crest of the edge alveolar crest (right and left sides) and bottom of lingual sulcus (right and left sides). In each section, the maladjustment between the model and resin base was verified with an Olympus comparative linear microscope, with 0,0005mm accuracy. The data were collected and submitted to analysis of variance and to the test of Tukey (5%). The test results demonstrated a significant statistical difference between the sections, where section A showed the best result, C the worst, and B showed an intermediate value, for the lower and upper bases of the prothesis. In the base of the upper prosthesis, the time that the material was under pressure in each region and type of flask closure showed statistical difference, except in region A, for the simple flask closure. In the comparison between types of flask closure for each region in the immediate time showed significant statistical difference for all the regions. There was no statistical difference during the time the material was under pressure (6 hours) for all comparisons. When the types of flask closure were compared regarding region types for each time the lower base was under pressure, the immediate time showed statistical difference in all the regions. There was no statistical difference between the regions and types of flask closure after a period of six hours / Mestrado / Protese Dental / Mestre em Clínica Odontológica

Abstract Sensory systems are considered to be optimized for their ecological niche. In vision this means highly organised regular structure and function, where nearly identical photoreceptors have graded light responses in order to be able to handle as much information as possible. Instead, cockroach compound eyes show large amounts of irregularities in their optics and structure, and unusually long axons. In this thesis photoreceptors of the cockroach were studied with intracellular recordings of their light responses, biophysical systems analysis, and modelling of the relations between the light stimuli and responses. Cockroaches prefer living in dark or extremely dim environments. However, they have large and complex compound eyes. The aim of this study was to find out the functional properties by which the visual system and especially photoreceptors have adapted to cope with, i.e. to see in, dim light conditions. The function of photoreceptors was found to vary randomly in many respects, and the long axons seemed to utilise action potential coding of visual signals. Through model simulations it was shown that signals of a group of these functionally variable and spiking photoreceptors, when pooled, could provide more reliable coding than signals of identical cells of any experimentally characterised type. This naturally sacrifices spatial resolution. The filtering dynamics of the photoreceptors is matched to low light intensities and their temporal resolution does not markedly improve with increasing light adaptation. Adaptation processes in the photoreceptors saturated near an intensity of about 1000 effective photons/s. These are all both unexpected and novel features of photoreceptor function. Spatial summation of functionally different photoreceptors and reduced temporal resolution and contrast coding abilities can be considered to be permanent optimizations to a dim environment.

Climate change affects water resources suitable for human consumption, transforming water quality and quantity. These changes exacerbate vulnerabilities of human society, increasing the importance of adequately protecting and managing water resources and supplies. Growing urban populations provide an additional stress on existing water resources, particularly increasing the vulnerability of people living in poor neighbourhoods. In urban areas, official responses to climate change are currently dominated by Disaster Risk Management (DRM); however, more recently Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) has emerged to support the integration of climate change adaptation in water resource planning. Based on a case study of the city of Douala, Cameroon, the thesis examines the operational implementation of both frameworks, combining observations, semi-structured interviews with different stakeholders and a survey carried out in three poor communities. The research highlights the challenges of improving the joining of both frameworks to adequately reach the urban poor, whilst being alert to, and responsive to, the autonomous adaptation strategies the poor autonomously implement and develop. At present, the IWRM and DRM frameworks are implemented separately and do not clearly reach the urban poor who face three major water-related issues (flooding, water-related diseases and water access). Other institutional water-related measures and projects are carried out by authorities in the low-income communities, but the institutions still struggle to manage the delivery of basic services and protect these communities against hazards. The lack of effective outcomes of the institutional water-related measures and projects has led to a strong process of autonomous adaptation by inhabitants of poor communities. Driven by their adaptive capacity supported by the abundance in groundwater resources, they use coping and adaptive strategies to reduce their vulnerability to water-related issues, such as alternative water suppliers. Similarly, the frequency of the flooding hazard has led the urban poor to develop practices to minimise disaster impacts. However, the autonomous strategies developed face limitations caused by the natural and build environment. In this context, the autonomous strategies of the urban poor and the strategies appear to have a strong influence on each other. While institutional projects have initiated spontaneous strategies, other strategies reduce the willingness of the low-income neighbourhoods to participate in the implementation of official, externally derived development projects.