The Rocker b Ranch on the southern Rolling Plains has one of the last sizeable populations of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in Texas. To investigate habitat utilization on the ranch, pronghorn were fitted with GPS/VHF collars and were released into pastures surrounded by a variety of fences to determine how fence types affected habitat selection. Habitat parameters chosen for analysis were vegetation, elevation, slope, aspect, and distances to water, roads, and oil wells. Results showed that pronghorn on the ranch crossed modified fencing significantly less than other types of fencing. Pronghorn selected for all habitat parameters to various degrees, with the most important being vegetation type. Habitat selection could be attributed to correspondence of vegetation type with other parameters or spatial arrangements of physical features of the landscape. Seasonal differences in habitat utilization were evident, and animals tended to move shorter distances at night than they did during daylight hours.

[pt] As flexibilidades observadas em contratos de Parcerias Público-Privadas (PPPs) para projetos de infraestrutura rodoviária podem também ser compreendidas como opções contratuais. O modelo desenvolvido no presente estudo teve como principal foco o estabelecimento do nível ótimo de garantia governamental a ser ofertada à iniciativa privada em uma concessão de rodovia por PPP, utilizando a teoria de opções reais de forma integrada à métrica de performance Ômega, a qual obteve melhor resposta entre demais métricas VaR e CVaR propostas. Ainda de forma original, o modelo contemplou o apreçamento de garantias de receita mínima, como parte integrante do apreçamento de opções do tipo collar europeia (calls e puts) com caps, integrado ao apreçamento da opção americana de expansão (call) do projeto. O valor presente (VP) do projeto, considerando a opção de expandir a capacidade, foi calculado em 2,73 bilhões de Reais, que comparado ao valor esperado de 2,65 bilhões de Reais sem flexibilidade, representa um aumento de 73 milhões de Reais ao valor do projeto no caso base. O valor presente do projeto com a flexibilidade de expansão (call americana) e com garantia de receita mínima (put europeia) com cap 10 por cento do Capex permite atingir o valor de 3,33 para a medida Ômega, que é muito superior ao valor anterior de 0,996 obtido somente com a modelagem de opções tipo collar. / [en] The flexibilities observed in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) contracts for road infrastructure projects can also be taken as contractual options. The model developed in the present study had as main focus the establishments of the optimal level of government guarantee to be provided to private initiative in a PPP highway concession, using real option theory integrated with Omega measure, in which had a better response among other proposed VaR and CVaR metrics. Also in an original way, the model contribute to set a minimum revenue guarantees, as part of the european collar option (call and put), integrated to an expansion american call option. The project s present value (PV), considering an option for capacity expansion, was calculated at BRL 2.73 billion, which compared to the expected value of BRL 2.65 billion without flexibility, represents an increase of BRL 73 million to the value of the project in the base case scenario. The present value of the project with the flexibility of expansion (call) and with a minimum revenue guarantee with cap 10 percent of Capex, allows to reach the value of 3.33 for the Omega measure, which is much higher than the previous value of 0.996, obtained only with the european collar option.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020 / Employee perceptions of Workplace Health Promotion (WHP) are pivotal for researchers to ascertain the degree of employee satisfaction and as a quality indicator of such an initiative within an organisation. However, there are considerable challenges faced regarding participation in WHP as employees do not trust the confidentiality of the programme. The problem is further exacerbated in that employees experience the wellness programme as a demand by the employer rather than a beneficial resource to the employee. Thus, this research study aimed to determine the effect of workplace health promotion on downstream outcomes within an organisation. To realise the primary research objective, this study looked into the effect of WHP on clothing and textile employee’s (CTE) physical, mental, cognitive and affective outcomes, and social wellbeing. It also explored the effect of the facilitation of preventive interventions. This study evaluated the perceptions of employees on workplace health promotion in the clothing and textile industry in Cape Town. A combination of both qualitative and quantitative research approaches was followed. Quantitative data were collected from 121 CTEs through a survey questionnaire. The qualitative data were collected via interviews amongst managers, clinical staff and WHP program promotors. SPSS was utilised for analysing the quantitative data, and content analysis was conducted for qualitative data. The results of the study mostly pointed to the fact that employees in the clothing and textile industry perceived WHP in a very positive light. Most respondents recognised the benefits of WHP to the organisation which includes reduced healthcare costs in the long term and employee satisfaction, among others. The findings further revealed that the majority of CTEs were either unsure or noticed no effect of WHP on their physical health. However, this statement is contradicted in that 84.3% of respondents stated that they feel physically better due to participation in the WHP service offering. A previous study reported disagreement or indecisiveness to this statement amongst WCWs. This study revealed that there had been a positive impact on absenteeism and psychosocial issues. Most of the CTEs perceived that participation in WHP made the prevention of illnesses financially affordable.

Master s thesis is focused on flaring of tubes endings. There are also mentioned theoretical pieces of knowledge which relate to tubes endings by a flat edge and a cone. The following experiments performed with the own material and tools made by the author s design. Experiments in the production of the flat collar led to the speedy rotation of the sample ending. Experiments with the conical ending brought valuable results from the point of view of comparison of theoretical and measured powers, distribution of thicknesses and utilization of the deformation web to set voltage-deformation state. The dimension excent of the conical ending was limited by the formation of buckling in the cylindrical part of the tube.

Le parasite Trypanosoma brucei est retrouvé en Afrique sub-Saharienne et est responsable de la maladie du sommeil chez l’homme et de la Nagana chez les animaux. Il cause de graves problèmes sanitaires et économiques car il affecte le bétail. La vaccination est impossible à cause de la variation antigénique. Les traitements actuels sont difficiles à mettre en place avec des effets secondaires importants. Il est donc urgent de trouver de nouvelles cibles thérapeutiques afin de développer de nouveaux médicaments. T. brucei possède un flagelle unique qui émerge de la cellule par une structure appelée la poche flagellaire (FP). Cette FP est une invagination de la membrane plasmique. Elle est nécessaire à la survie du parasite car c’est le seul site d’endo- et d’exocytose. Au cou de la FP on trouve le collier de la poche flagellaire (FPC) en forme d’anneau. Le FPC est composé de nombreuses protéines dont BILBO1 qui est nécessaire à la biogenèse de la FP et du FPC. De nombreux partenaires de BILBO1 ont été identifiés. Dans cette thèse, je caractérise deux d’entre eux : FPC5, une kinésine putative et FPC9, une synaptotagmine putative. J’ai pu montrer que FPC5 est localisée aux corps basaux mais aussi au FPC. Cette protéine n’est pas essentielle à la survie des parasites bien que des phénotypes de croissance et de ségrégation de la FP apparaissent après induction de l’ARNi. Nous ne sommes pas parvenus à prouver sa fonctionnalité, cependant j’ai pu montrer que son domaine moteur est capable de lier les microtubules. FPC9 est trouvée au niveau de la zone de transition du flagelle. L’ARNi contre cette protéine n’étant pas effectif, nous ne pouvons pas conclure quant à sa fonction dans la cellule. / Trypanosoma brucei is a parasite found in sub-Saharan Africa and is responsible for sleeping sickness in humans and Nagana in animals. It is the source of serious health and economic problems because it kills livestock. Vaccination is not possible because of antigenic variation and current treatments are difficult to implement or have toxic side effects. For these reasons it is urgent to find new therapeutic targets in order to develop effective treatments. T. brucei has a single copy flagellum that emerges from the cytoplasm through a unique structure called the Flagellar Pocket (FP). This pocket is an invagination of the pellicular membrane and because it is the sole site of endo- and exocytosis, it is essential for parasite survival. At the neck of the FP there is a cytoskeletal structure: the Flagellar Pocket Collar (FPC) that forms a “ring” around the flagellum. The FPC consists of numerous proteins, including the first to be identified - BILBO1, which is necessary for FP and FPC biogenesis. A number of potential BILBO1 partners were identified. In this thesis I characterize two of these proteins: FPC5, a putative kinesin and FPC9, a putative synaptotagmin. I show that FPC5 localizes mainly in the basal body area, but also at the FPC. This protein is not essential for parasite survival although reduced FP segregation and growth phenotypes appear after RNAi induction. We are not able to prove its functionality, however I could show its motor domain is able to bind microtubules. FPC9 is found in the transition zone of the flagellum. However RNAi knockdown against this protein was not efficient, so we are currently unable to define a function for this protein.

This study focused on analysing the diet composition of nestlings of different age during two breeding seasons in rural environment of agricultural farm near Veselí nad Lužnicí, South Bohemia. Feeding behaviour and habitat selection by parents was also monitored. Population decline of the species as a consequence of low invertebrates rate in nestlings diet and disappearing of important habitats are discussed. Most of studies on feeding behaviour in the Czech Republic focused only on feeding frequency. Two commonly used methods for diet determination, neck- collars and faecal analysis, were compared. The feeding frequency of male and female were also determined. Coleoptera (Scarebeidae) were the most often determined group in samples of feacals, while Diptera (Tipulidae) were the most often determined group in samples from ligatures. The differences between diet of younger and older nestling were assessed. While diet of young nestlings contained Diptera, Coleoptera dominated in diet of older nestlings. The vegetable food, mainly seeds of Poaceae, dominated in diet of older nestlings. Amount of food increased along age gradient (samples of older nestlings were heavier). Different effect of animal proportion in the nestling diet was determined. Increase in animal proportion in the dietof young nestlings caused...

In recent years, YouTube has evolved from a user-generated platform to a platform that thrives on professionalized and marketable content, otherwise known as the era of the social media influencer (Kim, 2012;). This thesis applies neutralization and Millsian theories to help unpack the widespread fraud and deceptive advertising on the platform within a neoliberal capitalist context. The focal points of this thesis are apology videos in the wake of deceptive/fraudulent advertising scandals, cancel culture, and the symbiotic relationship that influencers and corporations share in paid sponsorships on YouTube. The findings indicate that influencers function similarly to corporate entities during scandals and engage in neutralizations to protect their reputation, brand, and business relationships (Schoultz & Flyghed, 2019; Whyte, 2016). This thesis also points to the legal challenges in holding influencers accountable at the level of domestic advertising agencies and on YouTube itself. Lastly, this thesis questions the invisibility of corporations in these scandals regarding how this may be indicative of larger manifestations of corporate power in society.

The mushroom bodies (MBs) are insect brain regions important for sensory integration, learning, and memory. In adult worker honey bees (Apis mellifera), the volume of neuropil associated with the MBs is larger in experienced foragers compared with hive bees and less experienced foragers. In addition, the characteristic synaptic structures of the calycal neuropils, the microglomeruli, are larger but present at lower density in 35-day-old foragers relative to 1-day-old workers. Age- and experience-based changes in plasticity of the MBs are assumed to support performance of challenging tasks, but the behavioral consequences of brain plasticity in insects are rarely examined. In this study, foragers were recruited from a field hive to a patch comprising two colors of otherwise identical artificial flowers. Flowers of one color contained a sucrose reward mimicking nectar; flowers of the second were empty. Task difficulty was adjusted by changing flower colors according to the principle of honey bee color vision space. Microglomerular volume and density in the lip (olfactory inputs) and collar (visual inputs) compartments of the MB calyces were analyzed using anti-synapsin I immunolabeling and laser scanning confocal microscopy. Foragers displayed significant variation in microglomerular volume and density, but no correlation was found between these synaptic attributes and foraging performance.

The finances of blue-collar workers were the most acutely impacted as these workers lost their jobs during the Great Recession of 2007 through 2009. The literature revealed a minimal understanding of how blue-collar workers allocated funds for their retirement, and what their investments might be when they invested. To address this problem, the current qualitative study addressed (a) how blue-collar workers chose to invest or not invest for retirement and (b) how blue-collar workers diversified their portfolio if they chose to invest. Theoretical foundations of the study were based on regret theory and prospect theory. A nonrandom purposeful sample of 10 blue-collar worker participants answered 19 open-ended questions. Data from these questions were analyzed inductively. Findings revealed that, as participants reached the age of 30, they started to consider investing for their retirement. Participants under the age of 30 were not as likely to invest. Only one person over the age of 30 did not invest for retirement. The factors that contributed to these blue-collar workers' investment decisions for retirement were based on an employer-provided retirement accounts, the fear of running out of money later in life during retirement, and the addition of new family members. One of the most popular retirement investment products for the participant group, which included mechanics, laborers, and material movers, was the U.S. Treasury Bonds. Other popular investments were mutual funds, 401(k)s, and IRAs. These findings may inform researchers who are conducting a study on the investment decisions of blue-collar workers. The findings can also be beneficial for other blue-collar workers by showing them that other blue-collar workers do invest, and by revealing their rationales in doing so.

A novel flame spray collar called the Coanda Assisted Spray Manipulation collar (CSM) has been tested for use on the Sulzer Metco 5P II combustion flame spray gun. A comparison study of the stock nozzle and the CSM has been performed by evaluating the porosity, surface roughness, microhardness, tensile strength and microscopy of normal and off-normal sprayed NiAl deposits. The use of the CSM collar resulted in the need to position the sprayed coupons closer to the gun, which in turn affected the particle impact energy and particle temperatures of the NiAl powder. For the CSM, porosities had a larger scatterband, surface roughness was comparably the same, microhardness was lower, and tensile strength was higher. The microscopy analysis revealed a greater presence of unmelted particles and steeper intersplat boundaries for the CSM. For both processes, the porosity and surface roughness increased and the microhardness decreased as the spray angle decreased.