Although the wave of democratization already took place in Latin America, Venezuela has experienced a reversal in the past decade. In earlier years, the higher courts (although independent) had no impact on society; the justice members only assumed a symbolic role with no real importance, but with time, this characteristic started to interchange and the Judicial branch began to get involved in issues regarding its civil society. Consequently, the elected President Hugo Chavez decided to neutralize the power of all branches of government, including the judiciary, by enacting a set of rules not commonly seen in a democratic country, which concentrated the majority of power in his hand, eliminating the concept of Checks and Balances. This imbalance of power between the Executive and all other branches of government, has led to the deterioration, and almost elimination, of the independence within the judiciary. Therefore, the more the executive controls the judiciary, the less autonomy and less self-sufficiency it will have, thus eliminating the checks and balances in the Venezuelan government. In this negative relationship, the excessiveness of power exerted by the Executive branch is the main variable that controls the judicial branch. I will present valuable background information to this topic, and I will then suggest a concise solution to the problem of government imbalance between the branches in the Venezuelan government.

M.Ing. (Mechanical Engineering) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Predicting and quantifying solvent effects on non-covalent interactions is often very challenging, as they are influenced and modulated by multiple factors. In this thesis, a series of molecular torsion balances is used as a tool to tackle the complexities of noncovalent interactions in solution. Chapter 1 presents an up-to-date literature review on solvent effects on non-covalent interactions, with a particular focus on solvent effects on conformational equilibria and molecular torsion balances. Chapter 2 demonstrates the use of molecular torsion balances and a simple explicit solvation computational model to show that the electrostatic potential of the substituted aromatic rings is largely dependent on the explicit solvation of the substituent. The contribution of both bond polarisation and through-space field effects is also covered. Chapter 3 provides a literature review on the deuterium isotope effects on non-covalent interactions, presenting a range of contradictory findings. Molecular torsion balances are used here as a probe of H/D isotope effects on the conformational equilibria, solvent isotope effects and the solvophobic effect in aqueous mixtures. The balances are studied from thermodynamic and kinetic viewpoints, through which both intra- and intermolecular interactions are examined. It is shown here that H/D isotope effects on the presented system are either non-existent or negligibly small. Chapter 4 presents the use of molecular torsion balances to investigate carbonylcarbonyl interactions, taking into account steric and solvent effects. This is compared experimentally and computationally against two existing theories rationalising these interactions. In Chapter 5, a background of metal-ligand interactions is outlined, along the most widely utilised theories rationalising them. The electronic effects of Pt complexation by a pyridyl-substituted molecular torsion balance is analysed both experimentally and computationally, and the arising discrepancies are addressed. The applicability limits of the previously presented simple solvation models are determined using systems displaying extreme electronic effects.

Thesis--Erlangen. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Erlangen. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

El presente Estudio de Caso tiene por objetivo analizar el programa de concesiones viales en Chile desde el marco de la política pública, establecer la relación que existe entre el programa de concesiones y los procesos que debe considerar una política pública. Junto con lo anterior, este trabajo busca avanzar en la identificación de los procesos que se encuentran pendientes y de los desafíos futuros del programa de Concesiones. Para el logro de estos objetivos, el documento se estructuró a través de un marco conceptual en el que se definen los lineamientos para el análisis, en cuanto a la política pública y al bien público, sobre los cuales se establece el programa de Concesiones. Luego una segunda parte con la historia, que da cuenta de lo que ha sido el programa, dando pas o a una tercera parte, en que se analiza la relación que existe entre la pol ítica pública y el programa de Concesiones , a través del análisis de la información recopilada. Finalmente, se presentan las principales conclusiones, desafíos y propuestas sobre el tema. En cuanto a la metodología, se realizaron entrevistas en profundidad a los actores políticos relevantes que estuvieron involucrados directamente en el proceso, específicamente a los ex – Ministros de Obras Públicas, y se desarrolló un trabajo de análisis documental y de prensa. De esta manera se logró estructurar la visión del programa de Concesiones viales en Chile desde los propios actores. Del análisis se desprende que el programa de Concesiones en sus inicios no fue concebido como una política pública; ya que no cumplió varios de los procesos que deben considerarse para tal efecto; sin embargo, implicó una serie de decisiones públicas al momento de su implementación. En este sentido, se considera que el programa de Concesiones responde a una decisión pública y no al diseño y gestión de una política pública, por lo que aún tiene tareas y desafíos pendientes que deben ser abordados en el corto y mediano plazo. Cabe destacar que este hecho no dice relación con el éxito o fracaso que pudo haber tenido el programa de Concesiones. A modo de conclusión se destacan como tareas pendientes; el proceso de institucionalidad del programa de Concesiones y establecer una participación ciudadana que responda a un proceso de modernización del Estado; y como principales desafíos se encuentran; establecer los estándares de servicios para la infraestructura concesionada, una mayor regulación y una política para la nueva generación de Concesiones. Por otro lado, este análisis considera el proyecto de ley que modifica la Ley de Concesiones, que se discute en el Congreso, modificación que no se hace cargo de incorporar la totalidad de las tareas pendientes y desafíos del programa.

D.Ing. (Mechanical Engineering) / The most common data sought during a wind tunnel test program are the forces and moments acting on an airframe, (or any other test article). The most common source of this data is the internal strain gauge balance. Balances are six degree of freedom force transducers that are required to be of small size and of high strength and stiffness. They are required to deliver the highest possible levels of accuracy and reliability. There is a focus in both the USA and in Europe to improve the performance of balances through collaborative research. This effort is aimed at materials, design, sensors, electronics calibration systems and calibration analysis methods. Recent developments in the use of statistical methods, including modern design of experiments, have resulted in improved balance calibration models. Research focus on the calibration of six component balances has moved to the determination of the uncertainty of measurements obtained in the wind tunnel. The application of conventional statistically-based approaches to the determination of the uncertainty of a balance measurement is proving problematical, and to some extent an impasse has been reached. The impasse is caused by the rapid expansion of the problem size when standard uncertainty determination approaches are used in a six-degree of freedom system that includes multiple least squares regression and iterative matrix solutions. This thesis describes how the uncertainty of loads reported by a six component balance can be obtained by applying a direct simulation of the end-to-end data flow of a balance, from calibration through to installation, using a Monte Carlo Simulation. It is postulated that knowledge of the error propagated into the test environment through the balance will influence the choice of calibration model, and that an improved model, compared to that determined by statistical methods without this knowledge, will be obtained. Statistical approaches to the determination of a balance calibration model are driven by obtaining the best curve-fit statistics possible. This is done by adding as many coefficients to the modelling polynomial as can be statistically defended. This thesis shows that the propagated error will significantly influence the choice of polynomial coefficients. In order to do this a Performance Weighted Efficiency (PWE) parameter is defined. The PWE is a combination of the curve-fit statistic, (the back calculated error for the chosen polynomial), a value representing the overall prediction interval for the model(CI_rand), and a value representing the overall total propagated uncertainty of loads reported by the installed balance...

Master’s thesis deals with the analysis of the Czech modification of accounting, it’s setting into the context of the European accounting and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles – U.S. GAAP. The aim of the thesis is to demonstrate the differences in accounting practices and the overall concept of accounting. It also assesses the measure of harmonization of accounting required for the objectivity of investor’s decision.

The Florida Technological University four-component strain-gage balance is an internally mounted, half-inch diameter balance capable of measuring four components of load: front and rear normal force, axial force, and rolling moment. Measurement of these components is accomplished by means of sixteen strain gages that are mounted on the balance and wired into four full bridge circuits. When the balance is subjected to a load, the strain gages, through a small resistance change, indicated the strain a balance element is undergoing. This report presents a description of the balance and its support equipment, and outlines specific calibration procedures necessary to their successful implementation. These calibration procedures take two forms: that of calibrating the readout equipment, and that of calibrating the balance itself. Also contained in this report is a method of reducing calibration data into a set of parameters applicable to the balance. To aid in the calibration of the balance, a calibration assembly was designed and built. Two calibration models were designed to facilitate the incremental loading of the balance and the interpretation of the readout data.

Se estudia una porción de la Faja Plegada y Corrida de Malargüe en el sur de los Andes Centrales (Cordillera Principal), Mendoza, Argentina, entre los 34 40 - 35 de latitud sur y 69 - 70 de longitud Oeste. Este área se encuentra regionalmente vinculada en su génesis y evolución al margen continental activo de América del Sur. Se caracteriza por un basamento volcaniclástico-plutónico de edad Permotriásica al que sobreyace una secuencia sedimentaria Triásica a Terciaria diferenciada en los Grupos Cuyo, Lotena, Mendoza, Rayoso, Neuquén, Malargüe y unidades cenozoicas que en conjunto suman un espesor mayor a los 6200 metros. La construcción de este sector del orógeno, asociada a la tectónica andina, involucra al basamento definiéndose a la faja plegada y corrida de Malargüe como epidérmica gruesa. La deformación del basamento y su vinculación con la cubierta sedimentaria permite explicar algunos rasgos notables para las estructuras ándicas de este sector de la Cordillera Principal, como la variación en el rumbo, cambios en la longitud de onda de los pliegues, presencia de múltiples despegues dentro de la cubierta sedimentaria o grandes variaciones de acortamiento entre regiones próximas. El objetivo de esta tesis es desarrollar un modelo cinemático para este sector de la Cordillera Principal argentina, sustentado en un detallado trabajo de superficie y apoyado por los datos disponibles de perforaciones y sísmica. Se interpretan y reconstruyen tres secciones estructurales de 60 km de longitud orientadas en dirección Oeste-Este, subperpendiculares a la dirección relevada para las estructuras tectónicas asociadas a la orogenia andina. Los afloramientos del Grupo Cuyo ocupan la porción occidental de estas secciones, mientras que el Mesozoico medio y alto queda restringido al centro localizándose las unidades terciarias en el borde oriental. Se interpretan dos altos de basamento cuyo rasgo superficial corresponde a importantes sinclinorios, denominados alto del arroyo El Freno y alto del arroyo Blanco, siendo el corrimiento asociado a este último el responsable de la exhumación del Grupo Cuyo desplazándose como falla fuera de secuencia en el último estadio de la evolución del área. La deformación del basamento por fallamiento retrovergente asociado a corrimientos regionales provergentes se revela como una posibilidad altamente confiable para la resolución de problemas tectónicos tanto en este como en otros sectores de la Cordillera Principal. Existe un notable desarrollo espacial de zonaciones estructurales asociadas a la geometría que presenta el basamento para esta porción de la Faja Plegada y Corrida de Malargüe en respuesta al crecimiento y avance del zócalo deformado como resultado de la compresión andina. Se observa una secuencialidad de eventos que permite definir un modelo progresivo en el tiempo, en donde la zonación estructural producida en respuesta a la deformación del zócalo es posteriormente afectada por el desarrollo de una nueva estructura de basamento. Los acortamientos medidos sustentan la imposibilidad de la inversión tectónica como mecanismo de construcción y avance del frente montañoso para esta porción de la Faja Plegada y Corrida de Malargüe, debiendo considerarse aplicar esta posibilidad con mucha cautela en otros sectores de la Cordillera Principal. / This thesis involves the study of the Malargüe Fold and Thrust belt, part of the Central Andes at the southern Cordillera Principal, Mendoza province, Argentina (34 40 35 S and 69 - 70W). The tectonic setting and evolution of the area is controlled by the continental active margin of the South America plate. The Malargüe Fold and Thrust belt is characterized by a volcaniclastic-plutonic Permian-Triassic basement which overlies a sedimentary sequence represented by Cuyo, Lotena, Mendoza, Rayoso, Neuquén and Malargüe Groups and cenozoic units, with more than 6200 meters of thickness. Construction of the mountain front is related to Andean tectonics and involves basement thrust sheets, defining a thick-skinned fold and thrust belt in this particular site of the Central Andes. Relationship between basement and fault and fold sedimentary cover allow us to explain some particular features for Andean structures at the Atuel river valley, such as strike variations, fold wave-length changes, multiple detachments horizons located into the sedimentary cover or different shortening between near localities. The aim of this thesis is to develop a kinematic model for this zone of Cordillera Principal province, supported in a detail field work and well and seismic available data. Three West-East structural sections with 60 km of length are interpreted and reconstructed, subperpendicular to tectonic orientation mapped for Andean structures. Cuyo Group outcrops are located at the western side of the sections, while middle and upper Mesozoic remains restricted to the centre and tertiary deposits are located at the eastern side. According to this, two structural basement highs where interpreted named as arroyo El Freno high and arroyo Blanco high. Regional major thrust involved to the elevation of the arroyo Blanco high is interpreted as responsible of Cuyo Group exhumation, related to an out-of sequence displacement that affects folded Mesozoic sequence in the latest stadium of tectonic evolution of the area. Basement deformation associated to regional master foreland thrusts and the developed of backthrusting appears to be a high confident possibility of resolution of tectonics problems in this area as well in another places of Cordillera Principal Province. There is notable structural zonation related to the basement geometry at this site of Malargüe Fold and Thrust belt in response to the growing and forward movement of deformed crystalline basement as a result of Andean compression. A temporal sequence of events can be observed allowing us to define a progressive model, where the previous structural zonation is affected for a new local basement structure. Shortening measures support impossibility of tectonic inversion of rifting Triassic normal fault system as a viable mechanism of construction y evolvement of mountain front for this part of Malargüe Fold and Thrust belt; a carefully consideration to this option in the study of others sides of Cordillera Principal is suggested.