This thesis investigates policy formulation and implementation processes in Zambia. A number of issues emerge with respect to the weaknesses of the system and how policy decisions worsened Zambia's economic performance instead of improving it. The Kaunda era policies of nationalization had an adverse impact on productivity of industries as well as affecting the resource flow from donors and business houses. On the other hand President Chiluba's reforms in the 1990s have had both positive and negative impacts on the people of Zambia. The rapid privatization and liberalization affected employment levels thereby worsening the poverty levels. Further, the liberalization brought in stiff competition from other countries forcing most manufacturing companies to close down. The policy environment based on the Bretton Woods Institutions seems not to be working as result of not taking into account the local Zambian situation. On the other hand, there were positive macroeconomic developments such as growth in GDP, lowering of inflation and stabilizing of exchange rates as from 1996. This has however not improved the living standards of the people. In Zambia, the shifts back and forth between strong and weak planning institutions have negatively affected policy development and implementation. There has been uncoordinated policy development; as a result, some policies in the major sectors are contradictory while in other cases policies are not linked to the resource envelope, making them un-implementable. Secondly, the institutional framework for policy development is not effective. There is generally lack of coordination among ministries, provinces and other stakeholders in planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of development programmes. This thesis urges that the improving planning capacities at the national, provincial and district levels should improve the processes of policy development and implementation in Zambia, which will in turn help to reduce poverty. Further, the districts should be the centre for the bottom-up process. In order to carryout this responsibility, efforts should be made to improve their capacities. As for the top-down process, the Sector Advisory Groups should continue to participate in the planning, monitoring and evaluation so as to contribute to policy formulation and implementation. These should be coordinated by the National Development Coordinating Committee (NDCC) through a Planning Bureau. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

The aim of this study is to explore the ways in which verksamhetsidé is seen within the Swedish educational context. In Sweden, the concept verksamhetsidé is used for an idea or a set of ideas related to the practice of an organization, for instance a school or a school district. Although the importance of such shared ideas is often pointed out by practitioners as well as researchers within the field of school development, there is little consensus about their meaning. When it comes to questions about the actual function and character of such an idea, or set of ideas, little guidance is found in the literature. This thesis seeks to contribute to such knowledge. In order to describe variations in the ways such ideas are seen as well as in the ways working with such ideas are seen, a phenomenographic study was carried out. The empirical data consist of deep interviews with 14 school directors of education in one larger city in Sweden; each responsible for several schools and preschools in one district. As directors they were all involved in the process of developing a verksamhetsidé, to guide all educational activities in the area. Results suggest that verksamhetsidé can be seen as a trademark, as putty, as a compass, as a map, or as a shared perspective. Each of these conceptions is used as a label for a category of description, and together they constitute one of the study’s outcome spaces. When it comes to working with such ideas, another variation is found. This variation is described through the concepts of top-down implementation and bottom-up sensemaking. Moreover, the data suggest no correlation between a certain way of seeing a verksamhetsidé and a certain way of seeing how to work with it. / Människors sätt att se varierar. Samtidigt verkar det vara av betydelse att medarbetare i skolan och förskolan utvecklar gemensamma sätt att se åtminstone vissa aspekter av verksamheten. Att bygga upp och fördjupa förståelsen av en gemensam idé framställs i skolutvecklingsforskningen som en viktig aspekt av skolans och förskolans ledarskap. I den här avhandlingen beskrivs variationen i sättet att se verksamhetsidéer, och arbetet med sådana, som den framträder i en grupp skolchefer med övergripande ansvar för pedagogisk verksamhet. Variationen diskuteras sedan i relation till olika sätt att se skolutveckling och ledarskap, samtidigt som avsaknaden av koppling mellan specifika sätt att se verksamhetsidéer och specifika sätt att se arbete med sådana problematiseras. I den avslutande diskussionen framhålls särskilt betydelsen av att de som befinner sig i skolans eller förskolans praktik utvecklar kunskap om variationen och använder sig av den för att bygga upp ny kunskap med relevans för verksamheten och arbetet i den. Till grund för de resultat som presenteras ligger en intervjuundersökning genomförd i en större svensk stad, i vilken det vid tiden för studiens genomförande pågick ett arbete med att bygga upp en, för all pedagogisk verksamhet i staden, gemensam verksamhetsidé. / <p>The original ISBN number of this work ( 978-91-7063-520-5 ) has been replaced by a new one: 978-91-7063-571-7.</p>

&amp;quot;Biomanipulation&amp;quot; was carried out in order to try and improve the water quality of six deep reservoirs situated in the catchment area of the River Wupper. All the reservoirs are deep, dimictic soft-water lake types, covering a range from oligo-/mesotrophic to eutrophic. Although changing the fishery management only by repeated fish stocking, in combination with implementating size and bag limits for recreational fisheries, is thought to have only limited success, we decided to put this type of &amp;quot;Biomanipulation&amp;quot; into practice. This whole-lake biomanipulation experiment, covering a time scale of more than ten years, aimed to address the following questions: 1. Is such a fishery-management strategy a useful water quality management tool in deep reservoirs, not only in maintaining but also in sustaining the best water quality conditions in relation to the given nutrient concentrations? 2. What are the underlying mechanisms? With the exception of the oligotrophic Große Dhünn Reservoir, &amp;quot;Biomanipulation&amp;quot; resulted in a shift of zooplankton body-size structure to larger daphnids in all the reservoirs. The underlying switch in the size shift from Daphnia cucullata to Daphnia galeata (Bever-Reservoir, Wupper-R, Lingese-R), or only in increasing individual body sizes of the Daphnia galeata population (Vorsperre Große Dhünn), occurred suddenly but only some years after the changes in fishery management were implemented. Our records of the fish stock suggest that indirect effects, presumably resulting from predator avoidance, must be a driving force. An increase of zooplankton body-size structure always resulted in an improvement in secchi-disk depth, often accompanied by a vertical restructuring of the water column favouring the development of metalimnetic algal populations. A decrease in summer chlorophyll concentrations in the trophogenic zone was only achieved in the slightly eutrophic reservoirs. This decrease in chlorophyll concentration was always accompanied by a decrease in the total phosphorus concentration in summer, while the total phosphorus concentration in spring remained unchanged. Thus, reduced P-availability, due to an increased vertical phosphorus flux, caused algal biomass to decline.These results support predictions from the size-efficiency hypothesis (Brooks &amp;amp; Dodson, 1965) but not those from the trophic cascade hypothesis (Carpenter et al., 1985). Undoubtedly the results underline the importance of indirect effects with respect to a successful &amp;quot;Biomanipulation&amp;quot; as predicted from the hypothesis of Biomanipulation Efficiency Threshold of P-loading (Benndorf, 1987). In summary, implementation of a correct fishery management strategy was shown to be a useful water quality management tool, not only in maintaining but also in sustaining the best water quality conditions, in relation to the given nutrient concentrations in these deep reservoirs. / In sechs Mittelgebirgstalsperren im Einzugsgebiet der Wupper erfolgte eine Umstellung der fischereilichen Bewirtschaftung mit dem Ziel, die Gewässergüte dieser Talsperren durch Absenkung der Zooplanktivorie zu verbessern und auf einem hohen Niveau zu stabilisieren. Vom Gewässercharakter her handelt es sich bei den Talsperren um klare tiefe Weichwasserseen, welche den oligo-/mesotrophen bis eutrophen Bereich abdecken. Die hier genutzte Methode einer ordnungsgemäßen fischereilichen Bewirtschaftung (Nahrungsnetzbewirtschaftung), welche sich zum Auf- und Umbau der Fischbestände auf Besatz- und Hegemaßnahmen stützt und dabei bewusst auf massive Eingriffe verzichtet, gelangte bisher nur in wenigen Fällen zur ausschließlichen Anwendung und wird allgemein als wenig erfolgversprechend eingestuft. Ziel dieser mehrjährigen Ökosystemuntersuchungen mit anwendungsorientiertem Ansatz ist eine Antwort auf die Frage nach der Praxistauglichkeit und den Grenzen des Instruments der Nahrungsnetzbewirtschaftung in Mittelgebirgstalsperren. Die Analyse der Ergebnisse versucht die zugrundeliegenden Mechanismen und Randbedingungen herauszuarbeiten, welche für die Wirkungsentfaltung der den Erfolg einer Nahrungsnetzbewirtschaftung tragenden Kräfte auf ökosystemarer Ebene verantwortlich sind. Mit Ausnahme der oligotrophen Großen Dhünn-Talsperre konnte in allen Gewässern eine adäquate Reaktion des Zooplanktons durch Umstellung der fischereilichen Bewirtschaftung erzielt werden. Im Einklang mit der Hypothese einer kritischen Schwelle der Planktivorie erfolgten die Reaktionen sprunghaft, aber erst nach mehreren Jahren und manifestieren sich durch einen &amp;quot;switch&amp;quot; von Daphnia cucullata zum größeren Daphnia galeata-Komplex (Bever-Talsperre, Wupper-T, Lingese-T), teils durch Körpergrößenzunahme des Daphnia galeata-Komplexes (Vorsperre Große Dhünn). Wie die Fischbestandsdaten nahe legen, kommt den indirekten, vermutlich aus einer Räuber-Vermeidungsreaktion resultierenden Effekten, hierbei eine Schlüsselposition zu. Parallel mit der Veränderung des Zooplankton-Größenspektrums kommt es stets zu einer Erhöhung der sommerlichen Sichttiefen, welche vielfach von einer vertikalen Neustrukturierung der Algenentwicklung im Wasserkörper begleitet ist. Eine Absenkung der sommerlichen Chlorophyll-Konzentrationen in der trophogenen konnte hingegen nur in den schwach eutrophen Talsperren beobachtet werden und war stets von einer erhöhten Absenkung der sommerlichen gegenüber den frühjährlichen Gesamtphosphor-Konzentrationen begleitet. Entsprechend muss die Absenkung der sommerlichen Chlorophyll-Konzentrationen auf eine erhöhte Phosphor-Sedimentation zurückgeführt werden.Die Ergebnisse der fischereilichen Bewirtschaftungsmaßnahmen stehen im Einklang mit den Vorhersagen der size-efficiency Hypothese (Brooks &amp;amp; Dodson, 1965), stützen aber nicht die Vorhersagen der trophic cascade Hypothese (Carpenter et al., 1985). Demgegenüber unterstreichen sie die Bedeutung indirekter Effekte, wie sie durch die These einer &amp;quot;Biomanipulationseffektivitätsschwelle der Phosphor-Belastung&amp;quot; (Benndorf, 1987) formuliert werden. Insgesamt erweist sich das Instrument der Nahrungsnetzbewirtschaftung als zwingender Baustein einer integrierten Wasserwirtschaft zur Sicherung der Gewässergüte in Mittelgebirgstalsperren, dessen soziökonomische Aspekte in der Arbeit angesprochen werden.

Uma das tarefas básicas dos mecanismos atencionais é decidir qual a localização dentro do campo visual, em que devemos prestar atenção primeiro. Um objeto que contenha características distintas, tais como orientação, forma, cor, tamanho, brilho, textura, etc. diferentes, pode atrair a atenção de uma maneira \"bottom-up\". A informação \"top-down\" baseia-se no conhecimento prévio e tem uma grande influência nas localizações atendidas. Inspirado nos mecanismos da Atenção Visual Humana, embora sem a pretensão de simulá-la, este trabalho prevê o desenvolvimento de uma nova metodologia que integra os dois tipos de informações: \"bottom-up\" e \"top-down\". Características \"bottom-up\" são geradas a partir de Momentos e essas informações são utilizadas em mapas de saliência, enquanto que um conhecimento prévio é utilizado para gerar pistas \"top-down\". Neste trabalho, desenvolveu-se uma metodologia específica para a busca e o reconhecimento visual em cenas com múltiplos objetos, utilizando para isso uma rede \"fuzzy\" contendo três subsistemas \"fuzzy\". Dada uma imagem de entrada, o objetivo consiste em se detectar regiões que possam conter informações mais significativas, a fim de que se possa guiar e restringir processamentos mais complexos. A inclusão de mecanismos de atenção (seleção de uma região de interesse dentro da imagem) é de fundamental importância pois os resultados obtidos pelo método podem ser usados para controlar a aquisição da imagem de uma maneira dinâmica. O modelo proposto está estruturado em três estágios principais: O primeiro estágio consiste em se segmentar os objetos e extrair características globais dos mesmos baseadas principalmente na teoria dos momentos, tais como tamanho, orientação, formato e distância e também média de nível de cinza. Por intermédio da comparação de um objeto com os outros presentes na cena, características \"bottom-up\" de conspicuidade são usadas para guiar a atenção ao objeto mais diferente. Por intermédio do uso da lógica \"fuzzy\" é possível inferir com grande flexibilidade algumas regras de decisão baseadas nos princípios de percepção visual tais como as leis Gestalt. O segundo estágio consiste de um subsistema \"fuzzy top-down\" que combina diferentes características de acordo com a relevância das mesmas em diferentes tarefas. Finalmente, o terceiro estágio consiste de um subsistema \"fuzzy\" que integra as informações obtidas dos subsistemas anteriores e fornece um índice geral de saliência, e indica a provável localização do objeto a ser reconhecido. A nova abordagem foi testada com objetos geométricos levando-se em consideração as características que atraem a atenção dos serem humanos / One of the basic tasks assigned to the human attentional mechanisms is to decide which location in the visual field we must pay attention first. An object containing distinctive features (such as different orientation, shape, color, size, shine, texture, etc.) can attract attention in a bottom-up way. Top-down information is based on the previous knowledge and has a large influence on the attended locations. Inspired on human visual attention mechanisms, although it doesn\'t want simulate it, this work presents a new methodology to integrate two different kind of information: bottom-up and top-down. Bottom-up features are obtained from Moment Theory and this information is used in salience maps, while a previous knowledge is used to create top-down hints. In this work, an specific methodology to visual search and recognition was developed to be applied to scenes containing multiple objects by a fuzzy net with three fuzzy subsystems. The aim of this methodology is to detect regions that may contain the most significant information, in order to guide and to restrict most complex processing. The inclusion of attentional mechanisms (the selection of a region of interest in the image) is fundamental and can be used to control the image acquisition in a dynamic way. The proposed model is structured in three main stages. The first stage segments the objects and extracts global features of them, based on the Moment Theory such as size, orientation, shape and distance and gray level average. By comparing one object with the other ones present in the scene, bottom-up features of conspicuity are used to guide the attention to the most different object. The Fuzzy Logic allows us to infer with great flexibility some of decision rules based on the visual perception principles such as the Gestalt Laws. The second stage is a top-down fuzzy subsystem that combines different features according to the relevance of them in different tasks. Finally, the third stage is a fuzzy subsystem that integrates the information obtained from the previous sub-systems and gives us a general salience index. The new methodology was tested in geometrical objects considering the feature that attracts attention to human beings

Cette thèse s’intéresse à la relation complexe entre processus ascendants (bottom-up) et processus descendants (top-down) dans la compréhension de l’oral L2 ; c’est-à-dire entre l’utilisation du signal sonore et de l’input linguistique d’une part, et l’intégration de connaissances diverses (linguistiques, discursives, pragmatiques, générales) d’autre part. Malgré de nombreux travaux en psycholinguistique, en acquisition des langues étrangères (L2) et en didactique (par exemple, Cutler & Clifton, 1999 ; Field, 2008; Rost, 2002 ; Brown, 1990), notre connaissance des processus cognitifs complexes de l’écoute ainsi que l’effet de certains facteurs sur la compréhension de l’oral restent à approfondir. Une appréciation plus fine de ces processus est indispensable aux questions relatives à l’enseignement et à l’apprentissage de la compréhension de l’oral en L2.Partant du principe que l’écoute a la même architecture cognitive en L1 et L2, nous commençons par un résumé – et une synthèse – des modèles psycholinguistiques récents de la compréhension de l’oral en L1. Nous examinons également les principaux facteurs rendant la compréhension difficile. Notre résumé des études en L2 consacrées au rôle de l'information descendante et au comportement stratégique des auditeurs L2 souligne la contribution importante de la métacognition. Nous tenterons donc ici de clarifier un certain flou terminologique qui caractérise ces travaux, et nous proposerons un modèle qui fait part de la métacognition dans la compréhension unidirectionnelle de l’oral en L2. Nous présentons ensuite les résultats d'une étude que nous avons menée pour analyser la contribution exacte de certains facteurs à l'écoute en L2.Les participants à cette étude sont des enseignants (n=23) et surtout des apprenants (n=226) français et tunisiens de l’anglais. En s’appuyant sur des méthodes multiples, à la fois quantitatives (différent tests et questionnaires) et qualitatives (questionnaires, tâches de réflexion à haute voix - Ericsson & Simon, 1993 - et de dévoilement graduel - gating, Grosjean, 1980), nous nous interrogeons: 1) sur les facteurs perçus par les apprenants et les enseignants comme étant déterminants dans la compréhension de l’anglais oral ; 2) sur la contribution relative de la compétence linguistique en L2, la discrimination auditive, la reconnaissance lexicale, et les compétences en méta-compréhension à une compréhension auditive réussie; 3) sur les problèmes que rencontrent nos auditeurs L2 lors de l’écoute, et sur les comportements stratégiques adoptés pour y faire face. Nous regardons plus particulièrement (pour ces différents paramètres) les différents niveaux de compétence en compréhension des sujets (avec une analyse poussée des auditeurs compétents et des auditeurs moins-compétents), ainsi qu’à de possibles influences de deux langues maternelles distinctes (français vs arabe tunisien). Nos analyses montrent : 1) ce que les apprenants et les enseignant perçoivent comme facteurs influant la compréhension de l’oral diffère relativement de ce qui la rend réellement problématique; 2) que la reconnaissance des mots et la connaissance lexicale contribuent significativement à la variation dans la compréhension, avec la reconnaissance des mots étant le prédicteur le plus fort ; 3) que les problèmes rencontrés en temps réel sont principalement de bas-niveau (segmentation de la parole), et que si les stratégies généralement contribuent à la compréhension, elles ne sont pas discriminatoires. Ce qui distingue donc l’auditeur expert du novice est son traitement formel (plus efficace et automatique) et non pas stratégique de l’information orale. Ces résultats sont discutés en rapport avec notre cadre théorique et selon une perspective pédagogique. / This thesis focuses on the complex relationship between bottom-up and top-down processes in L2 speech comprehension; i.e. between the use of the signal and the linguistic input on one hand, and the integration of various types of knowledge (linguistic, discourse, pragmatic, general) on the other hand. Despite a large body of research on the cognitive processes underlying listening in psycholinguistics, foreign language (L2) acquisition and teaching (e.g., Cutler & Clifton, 1999; Field, 2008a; Rost, 2002; Brown, 1990), there are still gaps in our understanding of these processes and the impact certain factors have on listening comprehension. Assuming that L1 and L2 listening follow the same cognitive architecture, we first review recent psycholinguistic models of L1 listening. We also examine the main factors constraining L2 listening comprehension. As our summary of the few SLA studies that have investigated the role of bottom-up information and the strategic behavior of L2 listeners points to the important contribution of metacognition, we clarify the terminological fuzziness characterizing this concept, and propose a model of metacognition in real-world unidirectional L2 listening. We then present the results of a study that we conducted to investigate the exact contribution of these different factors to L2 listening. The participants in this study were EFL French and Tunisian teachers (n=23) and learners (n=226). Using mixed quantitative (different tests and questionnaires) and qualitative (protocol analysis and gating experiments - Ericsson & Simon, 1993; Grosjean, 1980) methods, our aim was to investigate: 1) the factors perceived by learners and teachers as influencing L2 listening; 2) the relative contribution of linguistic knowledge, auditory discrimination, spoken word recognition (SWR), and meta-comprehension knowledge to successful L2 listening; 3) on-line listening problems and strategy use. For all of these parameters, we looked more closely at different levels of listening proficiency (various analyses of the performance of skilled and unskilled L2 listeners), as well as the possible influence of the two L1s (French and Tunisian Arabic) involved in the study.Our analyses show that: 1) there is a general discrepancy between what is perceived as making L2 listening difficult and what really renders it problematic; 2) SWR and vocabulary knowledge contribute significantly to the variance in L2 listening, with SWR being a stronger predictor; 3) listening problems encountered on-line are mainly lower-level (segmentation) and, although strategies contribute to speech comprehension, they are not discriminatory. What characterizes a proficient L2 listener seems to be accurate formal processing, not strategic processing of oral input. The findings are discussed from a theoretical and pedagogical perspective. Keywords: listening comprehension, French and Tunisian learners of L2 English, bottom-up and top-down processes, formal processing, integration and situation model, attentional resources, gating, protocol analysis, comparative analysis

This research seeks to establish a methodology by which transitional justice strategies ought to be incorporated within the International Criminal Court (ICC) framework. The study is based on the situation in Uganda as an example of the state that has a situation and cases before the ICC. The aim of the thesis was achieved through the adoption of a combination of theoretical legal research and the non -doctrinal approaches. This research establishes that the primary responsibility to prosecute persons suspected of violating international law lies with the states. The importance of the concept of individual criminal responsibility, the idea that every person suspected of committing the most serious offences must be held accountable regardless of status. The principle of individual criminal responsibility is further developed with the creation of the ICC. This research clarifies that there are limitations in terms of what prosecutions can achieve during transitional periods; further, that trials in the ICC and national courts can be undertaken together with proceedings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions or indigenous mechasims. Such an approach will allow for confines of prosecutions to be addressed. Despite the existence of principles and institutional framework that are intended to ensure individuals are held accountable for the most serious offences of international concern, the majority of individuals are not held accountable. In order for the ICC to operate effectively it would need to seek to go beyond deterrence and retribution. This would require post – conflict states to devise transitional arrangements that compel with the ICC structure. Thus the research recommends that it would be better for judicial and non- judicial measures to be adopted in states that have cases before the ICC. Particularly Uganda must adopt the mato oput method formally as a tool to address the past human rights abuses in Uganda. All persons regardless of whether they have been granted amnesty or not must be held accountable under the mato oput measures. This implies all persons with exception to those that the ICC has issued the warrants of arrest against. / Public, Constitutional and International Law / LL. D.

Uma das tarefas básicas dos mecanismos atencionais é decidir qual a localização dentro do campo visual, em que devemos prestar atenção primeiro. Um objeto que contenha características distintas, tais como orientação, forma, cor, tamanho, brilho, textura, etc. diferentes, pode atrair a atenção de uma maneira \"bottom-up\". A informação \"top-down\" baseia-se no conhecimento prévio e tem uma grande influência nas localizações atendidas. Inspirado nos mecanismos da Atenção Visual Humana, embora sem a pretensão de simulá-la, este trabalho prevê o desenvolvimento de uma nova metodologia que integra os dois tipos de informações: \"bottom-up\" e \"top-down\". Características \"bottom-up\" são geradas a partir de Momentos e essas informações são utilizadas em mapas de saliência, enquanto que um conhecimento prévio é utilizado para gerar pistas \"top-down\". Neste trabalho, desenvolveu-se uma metodologia específica para a busca e o reconhecimento visual em cenas com múltiplos objetos, utilizando para isso uma rede \"fuzzy\" contendo três subsistemas \"fuzzy\". Dada uma imagem de entrada, o objetivo consiste em se detectar regiões que possam conter informações mais significativas, a fim de que se possa guiar e restringir processamentos mais complexos. A inclusão de mecanismos de atenção (seleção de uma região de interesse dentro da imagem) é de fundamental importância pois os resultados obtidos pelo método podem ser usados para controlar a aquisição da imagem de uma maneira dinâmica. O modelo proposto está estruturado em três estágios principais: O primeiro estágio consiste em se segmentar os objetos e extrair características globais dos mesmos baseadas principalmente na teoria dos momentos, tais como tamanho, orientação, formato e distância e também média de nível de cinza. Por intermédio da comparação de um objeto com os outros presentes na cena, características \"bottom-up\" de conspicuidade são usadas para guiar a atenção ao objeto mais diferente. Por intermédio do uso da lógica \"fuzzy\" é possível inferir com grande flexibilidade algumas regras de decisão baseadas nos princípios de percepção visual tais como as leis Gestalt. O segundo estágio consiste de um subsistema \"fuzzy top-down\" que combina diferentes características de acordo com a relevância das mesmas em diferentes tarefas. Finalmente, o terceiro estágio consiste de um subsistema \"fuzzy\" que integra as informações obtidas dos subsistemas anteriores e fornece um índice geral de saliência, e indica a provável localização do objeto a ser reconhecido. A nova abordagem foi testada com objetos geométricos levando-se em consideração as características que atraem a atenção dos serem humanos / One of the basic tasks assigned to the human attentional mechanisms is to decide which location in the visual field we must pay attention first. An object containing distinctive features (such as different orientation, shape, color, size, shine, texture, etc.) can attract attention in a bottom-up way. Top-down information is based on the previous knowledge and has a large influence on the attended locations. Inspired on human visual attention mechanisms, although it doesn\'t want simulate it, this work presents a new methodology to integrate two different kind of information: bottom-up and top-down. Bottom-up features are obtained from Moment Theory and this information is used in salience maps, while a previous knowledge is used to create top-down hints. In this work, an specific methodology to visual search and recognition was developed to be applied to scenes containing multiple objects by a fuzzy net with three fuzzy subsystems. The aim of this methodology is to detect regions that may contain the most significant information, in order to guide and to restrict most complex processing. The inclusion of attentional mechanisms (the selection of a region of interest in the image) is fundamental and can be used to control the image acquisition in a dynamic way. The proposed model is structured in three main stages. The first stage segments the objects and extracts global features of them, based on the Moment Theory such as size, orientation, shape and distance and gray level average. By comparing one object with the other ones present in the scene, bottom-up features of conspicuity are used to guide the attention to the most different object. The Fuzzy Logic allows us to infer with great flexibility some of decision rules based on the visual perception principles such as the Gestalt Laws. The second stage is a top-down fuzzy subsystem that combines different features according to the relevance of them in different tasks. Finally, the third stage is a fuzzy subsystem that integrates the information obtained from the previous sub-systems and gives us a general salience index. The new methodology was tested in geometrical objects considering the feature that attracts attention to human beings