<div>Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) is a remote sensing technique that uses reflected satellite navigation signals from the Earth surface in a bistatic radar configuration. GNSS-R observations have been collected using receivers on stationary, airborne and spaceborne platforms. The delay-Doppler map (DDM) is the fundamental GNSS-R measurement from which ocean surface wind speed can be retrieved. GNSS-R observations can be assimilated into numerical weather prediction models to improve weather analyses and forecasts. The direct assimilation of DDM observations shows potential superiority over the assimilation of wind retrievals.</div><div><br></div><div>This dissertation demonstrates the direct assimilation of GNSS-R DDMs using a two-dimensional variational analysis method (VAM). First, the observation forward model and its Jacobian are developed. Then, the observation's bias correction, quality control, and error characterization are presented. The DDM assimilation was applied to a global and a regional case. </div><div><br></div><div>In the global case, DDM observations from the NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission are assimilated into global ocean surface wind analyses using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) 10-meter winds as the background. The wind analyses are improved as a result of the DDM assimilation. VAM can also be used to derive a new type of wind vector observation from DDMs (VAM-DDM).</div><div><br></div><div>In the regional case, an observing system experiment (OSE) is used to quantify the impact of VAM-DDM wind vectors from CYGNSS on hurricane forecasts, in the case of Hurricane Michael (2018). It is found that the assimilation of VAM-DDM wind vectors at the early stage of the hurricane improves the forecasted track and intensity.</div><div><br></div><div>The research of this dissertation implies potential benefits of DDM assimilation for future research and operational applications.</div>

<p>Storms in the SE-US often evolve in different environments than those in the central Plains. Many poorly understood aspects of these differing environments may impact the tornadic potential of SE-US storms. Among these differences are potential variations in the CCN concentration owing to differences in land cover, combustion, industrial and urban activity, and proximity to maritime environments. The relative influence of warm and cold rain processes is sensitive to CCN concentration, with higher CCN concentrations producing smaller cloud droplets and more efficient cold rain processes. Cold rain processes result in DSDs with relatively larger drops from melting ice compared to warm rain processes. Differences in DSDs impact cold pool and downdraft size and strength, that influence tornado potential. This study investigates the impact of CCN concentration on DSDs in the SE-US by comparing DSDs from ARPS-EnKF model analyses and forecasts to observed DSDs from portable disdrometer-equipped probes collected by a collaboration between Purdue University, the University of Oklahoma (OU), the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), and the University of Massachusetts in a tornadic QLCS on 30 April 2017 during VORTEX-SE.</p><p>The ARPS-EnKF configuration, which consists of 40 ensemble members, is used with the NSSL triple-moment microphysics scheme. Surface and radar observations are both assimilated. Data assimilation experiments with CCN concentrations ranging from 100 cm^-3 (maritime) to 2,000 cm^-3 (continental) are conducted to characterize the variability of DSDs and the model output DSDs are verified against the disdrometer observations. The sensitivity of the DSD variability to CCN concentrations is evaluated. Results indicate continental CCN concentrations (close to CCN 1,000 cm³) produce DSDs that align closest to the observed DSDs. Other thermodynamic variables also accord better to observations in intermediate CCN concentration environments.</p>

The film is about three young Korean-American adults who have adapted to American society while retaining certain aspects of Korean culture in their lives. To expose their intermingled behaviors and concepts, the film combines the observational format of a documentary with an information style employing family photos, home movie recordings, and interviews with the three subjects and their families. An accompanying production report describes the research process, pre-production, production, and post-production.

Utilization of cyanide as a nutritional nitrogen source in P. fluorescens NCIMB 11764 was shown to involve a novel metabolic mechanism involving nonenzymatic neutralization outside of cells prior to further enzymatic oxidation within. Several cyanide degrading enzymes were produced by NCIMB 11764 in response to growth or exposure to cyanide, but only one of these cyanide, oxygenase (CNO), was shown to be physiologically required for assimilation of cyanide as a growth substrate.

This thesis explores career trajectories and experiences of Czech Roma professionals in order to understand the relation between their ethnic affiliation and career development in terms of obstacles, strategies and relationships that enabled them to succeed in becoming professionals. The study produces knowledge that fills the empirical research gap about Roma professionals in the Czech Republic. Thematic analysis was used to analyze seven semi-structured interviews. The analysis concludes that the Roma professionals face obstacles that include the lack of cultural capital in families, gender-related obstacles, ‘Roma bubble’ and finally the racial prejudices and workplace incivility. However, the projects supporting Roma and a range of supportive relationships have the exceptionally important role in overcoming those obstacles. The study also contributes to the theoretical discussion about the link between social mobility of minorities and their identification. It shows that the processes of selective and consonant assimilation take place at the same time.

The viewing experience of news videos differ depending on if the device used is a smartphone or a traditional TV, e.g. because some social situations for smartphones not allow audio to be used while watching. Can the adding of subtitles keep the perceived quality at the same level even in these situations? This study investigates the research question how the viewing experience of news videos on smartphones is affected by subtitles and text for young adults. The results are relevant for anyone aiming to improve the viewing experience of videos on smartphones. The study is based on the theory about the concept Quality of Experience, QoE. The method has an experimental approach: 64 participants watched three news videos and after subjective and objective QoE was measured. The conclusion is that subtitles increased every aspect of subjective and objective QoE in a public context when the videos were watched without audio, while they in a home context where audio was present, did not affect any aspect of QoE, except for a decreased willingness to continue watching. / En tittarupplevelse varierar beroende på om tittandet görs på en smartphone eller på en traditionell TV, bland annat eftersom några tittarsituationer på smartphones socialt sett inte tillåter användning av ljud under tittandet. Kan undertexter göra att den upplevda kvalitén behålls på motsvarande nivå även i dessa situationer? Denna studie undersöker frågeställningen hur tittarupplevelsen av nyhetsklipp på smartphones påverkas av undertexter och texter för unga vuxna. Dess resultat är relevanta för alla som ämnar förbättra tittarupplevelsen på smartphones. Studien är baserad på teori om begreppet ”Quality of Experience”, QoE. Metoden har en experimentell ansats: 64 deltagare tittade på tre nyhetsklipp och därefter mättes den subjektiva och objektiva kvalitén på upplevelsen. Slutsatsen är att undertexter ökade varje aspekt av subjektiv och objektiv upplevd kvalité i en offentlig miljö där klippen sågs utan ljud, medan i en hemmiljö – där klippen sågs med ljud, påverkade inte undertexterna någon aspekt av kvalitén, förutom att viljan att titta klart minskade.

The 7.7 Ma Kimberly Member of the Cassia Formation is part of a succession of A-type rhyolites associated with the Yellowstone hotspot track. It was sampled by the Kimberly core that was drilled on the Snake River Plain as part of Project HOTSPOT (Shervais, et al., 2013). The Kimberly Member is a 170 m thick high-silica rhyolite lava flow containing quartz, plagioclase, anorthoclase, sanidine, augite, pigeonite, magnetite, ilmenite, zircon, and apatite. δ 18O of zircon ranges from 0 to 4.9‰ (Colón et al., 2018), typical low values for the Snake River Plain. Quartz is intensely embayed. Exsolved and resorbed pigeonite cores are mantled by augite. REE-poor apatite cores are resorbed and oscillatory zones truncated by rims with SiO2 as high as 12.8 wt% and LREEtot up to 4.7%. There are three chemically distinct feldspars. Rounded and pitted anorthoclase (Or21 Ab64 An15) mantles plagioclase (An20 to An40) cores. Sanidine (Or47 Ab48 An05) forms thin, subhedral drapes on the outer edges of anorthoclase. Sanidine also fills some of the sieved holes in plagioclase and anorthoclase. There are two chemically distinct glasses, a light glass (~95%) and a dark glass (~5%). Relative to the light glass, the dark is enriched in Al2O3 , CaO, and Na2O and depleted in Fe2O3 and K2O. The dark glass is depleted in Rb and enriched in Sr and Ba, but they have similar concentrations of the high field strength elements (Y, Zr, Nb, Hf, and Ta). LREE are slightly more enriched in the dark glass than in the light glass. Temperatures of 926°C (magnetite-ilmenite thermometry with QUILF), 894°C (pigeonite-augite pairs with QUILF), and 889°C (zircon-saturation) are calculated for the magma. Although Fe-Ti oxides appear to have equilibrated with melt before eruption, most of the other phases preserve strong evidence of disequilibrium. These complex mineral textures also indicate assimilation and mixing processes. We propose a pigeonite-bearing, dry, metasomatized, A-type granite was fragmented and assimilated by the Kimberly member, mantling exsolved pigeonite with augite. Also incorporated into the Kimberly member were volcanic xenocrysts indicative of rhyolite assimilation or magma mixing. These components are embayed volcanic quartz, and composite plagioclase-anorthoclase grains (mantled by sanidine upon assimilation). Complex zircon grains could be sourced from metasomatized rhyolite or intrusion, and complex apatite grains could be due to mixing or assimilation. We propose the distinct glass types are caused by mingling of the Kimberly magma with the melted metasomatized assimilant. This scenario demonstrates the complexity of open system processes involved in some Snake River Plain magmas.

The first South African democratic general election of 1994 precipitated the eradication of South Africa’s separate and unequal education system. The presidential tenure of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela brought much hope that the majority of South Africans would not have thought possible. The new era carried, among other promises, the transformation of South African policies, to ensure that all South African children would have access to a school of their choice and that no child would be turned away from school on grounds of race, ethnicity, class and/ or religion. School desegregation has been one of the means of attaining social cohesion and ensuring that all learners have access to all South African schools. School desegregation can be said to have been taking place on at least five (5) or more (taking also to consideration that there are typologies of ethnic and/ or religion desegregations taking place) different levels or typologies. These typologies are equally important as the African-to-White school migrations that have been taking place in South Africa. Thus, using a case study, this thesis - Integration and learners' feelings of belonging in a desegregated former House of Delegates school - contributes to the debates on social cohesion; desegregation and integration of the learning environment bestowed with diverse learner and teacher populations. It however traces the experiences of Black and Indian learners in a desegregated former House of Delegates school to determine the successes and possible challenges of ensuring social cohesion and racial integration at a school level. The study concludes that social cohesion and school integration is possible when the focus is learner-centered, the school environment is enabling and that feelings of belonging and integration are intertwined and it is challenging to achieve one without the other. Undertaken at a specific school context, this study does not claim that the findings are a trend in other schools although this cannot be ruled out in similar school and context. Learners in this study seemed not to be constrained by the racial classifications but defined and formed friendships along their likes, commonness, and future aspirations. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

How can party system design contribute to managing ethnic relations? This thesis investigatesthe relationship between party system design and the type of nation-building efforts pursuedin a country. More specifically, whether a country allows ethnicity to be a source of politicalmobilization or not and how that relates to nation-building policies having an assimilating ora multicultural character. Departing from the debate between the integrative approach and theconsociational approach, theories of institutional design, the thesis theorizes that countriesbanning ethnic political parties are pursuing civic nationalism and should therefore havenation-building policies with an assimilating character. On the other hand, it theorizes thatcountries that do not restrict parties to form on ethnic basis will have multiculturalnation-building policies, striving for a multicultural nationalism. Using a ‘most similarsystems design’ the study investigates the nation-building policies in Kenya and Nigeria, twosimilar countries with different party system designs. It mainly investigates education policiesto look for indicators of assimilating and multicultural nation-building. Taken together, theresults show that national unity and integration is an overarching goal which overridescultural recognition in both cases. The correlation between party system design and type ofnation-building policies show to be weak since the two countries have very similar policies.However, some nuances in means to achieve national unity are found.

This thesis deals with post-war lives of eighteen respondents who were according to the Nuremberg Laws labeled as Jews or half-Jews. They have been imprisoned in concentration camps, they had to hide or emigrate during the World War II. This thesis focuses on their lives after the war. It traces their return, not/regaining of their property, reunification with their family and friends, or their post-war emigration. The thesis also centers around their lives after the communist regime came to power in Czechoslovakia, it was a regime that many Jewish survivors supported in the beginning. The thesis also concentrates on their lives during anti-Semitic purges in the 1950s to which many family members of the respondents fell victims. In the 1960s, borders were a bit more "open" and this was welcomed my many because most of the Jewish families had relatives and friends abroad. Lots of the respondents decided to emigrate after the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia. The following decades of normalization maintained the discourse of hidden anti-Semitism and restrictions of personal freedoms. Many respondents eagerly welcomed the Velvet Revolution. They were able to strengthen their own Jewish identity thanks to newly gained freedoms and emergence or re-creation of many Jewish organizations. Last but not...