The complexity of ecological and evolutionary processes that govern species distributions has long presented a challenge to understanding community assembly history. The work presented here develops a conceptual framework for integrating phylogenetics and biogeography to reconstruct the assembly of communities, provides empirical support for the broad applicability of this framework, tests whether morphology can serve as a proxy for behavioral ecology, and develops a novel metric of assemblage vulnerability and shows how vulnerability is related to biogeographic history. This dissertation demonstrates the need to merge evolution and ecology to reconstruct community assembly, and provides a framework for doing so. Further, the findings presented here suggest that such an interdisciplinary approach has the potential to both reveal fundamental processes shaping the assembly of natural systems, and to illuminate the functions and properties of ecosystems based on the evolutionary histories of their constituent species.

Although it is widely recognized that exotic plant invaders can affect diversity of native plant communities, a few studies of natural systems concern about the nature abundance and diversity loss and the associated consequences for higher trophic levels. Little is known impact of exotic riparian plant on higher-order consumers, such as birds. Such is requirement to understand underlying mechanisms of invasive processes and formulating effective management strategies. We examined interaction between invasive knotweed (Reynoutria sp. div., next only knotweed) and bird communities. We recorded occurrence of birds along three rivers in riverbanks that were either dominated by native vegetation or invaded by knotweed. Birds were recorded in breeding seasons in 2011 and 2012 near town Frýdek-Místek and Valašské Meziříčí. We interested especially in (i) how knotweed composition within riparian systems affects avian communities and (ii) what common bird characteristics are influenced by knotweed. Our outcome found positive effect of Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris) and Great Tit (Parus major) in high knotweed cover and negative effect of Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea). Interspecific comparison common avian characteristics suggest that knotweed invasion can impact avian abundance living in lower...

Dataspelsbranschen har vuxit explosionsartat de senaste åren, med skenande resultat och en stor ökning av nya företag. Forskning har visat att företag som har en utvecklad marknadsavkänningsförmåga (MAF) tenderar att prestera bättre när marknaden är i hastig förändring. Forskning har även gett indikation på att communities skulle kunna användas för att förstå hela företagets marknad. Syftet med uppsatsen är således att få förståelse för dataspelsföretagens val av communityhantering och vilken betydelse det har för företagens framgång. Vi har skapat vår egen analysmodell baserat på MAF, vilket vi kallar communityavkänningsförmåga (CAF). Spelrecensioner användes som en representativ variabel för att kunna studera företagens framgång. Intervjuer genomfördes med communityansvariga på fyra dataspelsföretag och uppgifter samlades in om användarnas spelrecensioner. Vi fann att företagen har en väletablerad CAF och att nästan hälften av alla produktutvecklings- och marknadsföringsbeslut baseras på communityt. Dock såg vi inget tydligt förhållande mellan hur mycket tid och resurser som läggs på CAF och vilka recensioner spelen får.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / Decentralisation is the transfer of power, responsibilities, capacities and resources from the centre to the sub-units of the government. The main objective is to foster the capacity of local government to deliver services to the local communities in an effective manner.1 In a multilevel system of government, various institutions are established at different levels of government to deliver goods and services to the people. In delivering goods and services, these institutions usually combine efforts within the same and different levels of government. As a mechanism for improved service delivery, decentralisation has become increasingly important in the recent past together with the enhanced citizen participation in decision making process in the matters that affect the people. However, for decentralisation to be effective in achieving its intended objectives, it should be supported by intergovernmental relations and cooperative governance. Intergovernmental relations exist between and across various institutions and actors.2 They are relationships which develop or exist between governmental units of all types and levels in a multilevel system of government.3 These relations are significant in a multilevel system of government because it is impossible to distribute powers and functions among governments within a nation state into watertight compartments.4 The IGRs help in dispute resolution that may emerge from the overlap of powers and functions across tiers of government consequently hampering the smooth functioning of the government system.

abstract: International schools and international education initiatives are experiencing tremendous growth as the world’s economy continues to globalize. International schools operating outside of the traditional boundaries of state and national contexts have become havens noted for their diverse and multicultural staff, student bodies and school communities. However, the challenges facing international education have only recently begun to be studied independent from their traditional teaching counterparts. International schools, and any study associated with them, require an individual approach for identifying and solving the challenges unique to their context. “I’m Leaving!” is an action research study which incorporates phenomenological hermeneutics, action research, and a transformational innovation to examine the social structures associated with the decision-making process of the “I’m Leaving!” phenomenon and the administrative action developed in response. Guided by Transformational Leadership Theory (TLT), this study combined the latest action research methodological perspectives with hermeneutic tradition and Professional Learning Community (PLC) theory to provide a deep and unflinching view into the real and lived experiences of the one subject often forgot about in educational research: the teacher. The study results confirm previous study findings that teacher feelings and perceptions of the leadership effectiveness, teacher-leader relationships, and teacher professional growth opportunities were all improved after teachers participated in an action research communities. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2018

This dissertation reports a research project conducted as part of the Doctor of Practical Theology professional doctorate programme at the University of Birmingham. The research explored how the perceived needs of older people in an Anglican Parish Church might be more adequately understood and addressed through an Action Research strategy. Initial investigation by means of focus groups led to the design and implementation of a short course for people over 55 through which they could share their practical wisdom about how to age well. The course is described and reflected on in detail as the key action within this Participative Action Research process. The research adopted a strengths-based philosophy and was influenced by the approach of Asset Based Community Development. Emergent theory from reflection on practice include non-essentialist, general and specific experiences of ageing which are related back to pastoral ministry. The findings suggest some ordinary ways in which older people can be enabled to adopt a positive attitude, overcome obstacles and challenge a deficit model of ageing. Theological reflections explore issues of normalizing ageing, the ethic of abundance, fullness of life, and a Christian theological anthropology which holds ageing to be a Creation good.

The ethnic composition of Britain's population continues to change. This thesis explores the health and healthcare experiences of the fastest-growing sector of our population; people of mixed ethnicity. The thesis contextualises the research with reference to 'race' and ethnicity, immigration, demography and statistics. This research is based within a Foucauldian theoretical framework and utilises narrative data collection methods and an innovative analysis process, based on the construction of a series of metanarratives, to investigate the manner in which people of mixed ethnicity construct their identifies. It also seeks to explain how their ethnicity impacts both on health status and the nature of the mixed ethnicity healthcare experience in the NHS, particularly within the doctor/patient relationship. The findings from the research are discussed in relation to existing health policy initiatives and recommendations made for changes in the way in which the needs of people of mixed ethnicity are assessed, concluding that the present analytical categorisation are inadequate and in need of review. The research also concludes that doctors use their powerful position to suppress the discourse of health and mixed ethnicity.

This thesis focuses on issues of religious diversity affecting police personnel in the workplace. The importance of these issues became apparent as a consequence of research, which I had previously undertaken. In 1995, I succeeded in gaining a Police Research Group Award to investigate chaplaincy within the police service. The research led to the publication of Police Chaplaincy – Servant to the Service. The paper was well received, but criticised for its lack of references to multi-faith chaplaincy to the police service. It was an appropriate criticism, especially as it became apparent that no previous research had addressed this issue. Initial investigation revealed that little, if any, analysis had been offered concerning the wider religious needs of police personnel recruited from the multi-cultural and religiously diverse society of Britain. Research into multi-faith chaplaincy to the police service was only one issue in the overall consideration of the religious needs of police personnel. The focus of my research thesis was therefore determined. The research would examine the multi-faceted issues of religious diversity affecting visible minority ethnic police personnel in the workplace specifically from 1995 to December 2003. This thesis neither engages in theological / philosophical debates concerning the encounter between religions, nor concentrates on theoretical / conceptual discussions. Its primary concern is to augment such discussion with practical and contextual issues that are highlighted in the complex sociological, political and economical contexts of the police service and similar institutions. The research offers a comprehensive and contextual examination of issues of religious diversity which impact on the police service; these issues include ethnicity, religious discrimination, employment law, policy and practice. As these concerns have not been previously examined in such contextual detail, the thesis will contribute to an academic understanding of issues that impact on religious diversity in the working environment and enhance the development of the multi-ethnic society of Britain. As the analysis makes recommendations, the research also offers a useful resource to those responsible for the creation of policies that directly relate to the employment of minority ethnic personnel within the police service. The research is consequently of benefit to the police service and other service providers.

Charter schools are often characterized as professional learning communities (PLCs). However, researchers have noted the importance of self-reflection of school staff related to their role as a PLC because perceptions can influence the effectiveness of achieving the full implementation of a PLC. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the perceptions of teachers and administrators at a large New York school district's 2 charter schools concerning their school site as a learning community. This study was grounded in social constructivist leadership theory in order to analyze a professional learning community as the social unit. Research questions examined differences in responses of all participants (N = 148) between the 5 scales of the School Professional Staff as Learning Community (SPSaLC) questionnaire as well as differences in responses between administrators (n = 30) and teachers (n = 100). A repeated-measures ANOVA indicated significant differences in SPSaLC scale scores (p <.001) with shared vision, addressed needs, and support learning scores significantly higher than democratic and feedback scores. To examine differences in perceptions between teachers and administrators, a MANOVA revealed significant differences (p <.001) indicating that administrators scored shared vision and addresses needs higher than did teachers. The study results may lead to positive social change by providing the local district with initial research findings on the perceptions of school staff related to the 5 major dimensions of a PLC. The district might use these findings to plan for professional development for teachers and administrators to strengthen the implementation of the learning community model at the local site.

acase@tulane.edu / The arrival of World War II triggered significant disturbances in global trade, forcing U.S. importers and exporters to find alternative sources of business to make up for lost markets in Europe and Asia. This study traces the efforts of business and civic leaders in Houston, New Orleans, and Miami to increase trade, transportation, and tourism income from Latin America and the Caribbean by adopting Pan Americanism as a business strategy. Businessmen and local civic officials believed they could combine new trade promotion institutions with a carefully cultivated Pan American civic identity to establish their cities as “gateways” to the Americas. This framework became a key component of the regional competition between Houston, New Orleans, and Miami in the late 1940s and 1950s. The implications for these Pan American business strategies stretched far beyond the Gulf South, however. Business and civic leaders often described their activities within the context of U.S.-Latin American diplomacy, connecting trade promotion and international relationship-building with broader national objectives of hemispheric cooperation and anticommunism. This connection attracted the interest of the Truman and Eisenhower administrations, whose officials hoped to leverage the influence of private enterprise to achieve Latin American economic development and discourage anti-foreign investment policies without significant government funding. Both local business communities and federal agencies used this harmony of vision to their advantage. Washington found ways to co-opt the Pan American business strategies of the Gulf South while local civic and business leaders drew legitimacy and sometimes even financial support for their programs from the federal government. Ultimately, for a variety of reasons, Pan Americanism eventually became unprofitable as a business strategy, and most of the institutions Houston, New Orleans, and Miami had established either failed or changed considerably by the 1970s. The lasting legacy of this phenomenon, however, lies in the frameworks these cities helped establish for reimagining the port city as a diplomatic space and business communities as diplomatic agents. / 1 / Joshua Goodman