Success of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) largely depends on whether the deployed network can provide desired area coverage with acceptable network lifetime. In hostile or harsh environments such as enemy territories in battlefields, fire or chemical spills, it is impossible to deploy the sensor nodes in a predeter- mined regular topology to guarantee adequate coverage. Random deployment is thus more practical and feasible for large target areas. On the other hand, random deployment of sensors is highly susceptible to the occurrence of coverage holes in the target area. A potential solution for enhancing the existing coverage achieved by random deployments involves the use of mobility capable sensors that would help fill the coverage holes. This thesis seeks to address the problem of determining the current coverage achieved by the non-deterministic deployment of static sensor nodes and subsequently enhancing the coverage using mobile sensors. The main contributions of this dissertation are the design and evaluation of MAPC (Mobility Assisted Probabilistic Coverage), a distributed protocol for ensuring area coverage in hybrid wireless sensor networks. The primary contribution is a pragmatic approach to sensor coverage and maintenance that we hope would lower the technical barriers to its field deployment. Most of the assumptions made in the MAPC protocol are realistic and implementable in real-life applications e.g., practical boundary estimation, coverage calculations based on a realistic sensing model, and use of movement triggering thresholds based on real radio characteristics etc. The MAPC is a comprehensive three phase protocol. In the first phase, the static sensors calculate the area coverage using the Probabilistic Coverage Algorithm (PCA). This is a deviation from the idealistic assumption used in the binary detection model, wherein a sensor can sense accurately within a well defined (usually circular) region. Static sensors execute the PCA algorithm, in a distributed way, to identify any holes in the coverage. In the second phase, MAPC scheme moves the mobile nodes in an optimal manner to fill these uncovered locations. For different types of initial deployments, the proposed movement algorithms consume only 30-40% of the energy consumed by the basic virtual force algorithm. In addition, this thesis addresses the problem of coverage loss due to damaged and energy depleted nodes. The problem has been formulated as an Integer Linear Program and implementable heuristics are developed that perform close to optimal solutions. By replacing in-operational nodes in phase three, MAPC scheme ensures the continuous operation of the WSN. Experiments with real mote hardware were conducted to validate the boundary and coverage estimation part of the MAPC protocol. Extensive discrete event simulations (using NS2) were also performed for the complete MAPC protocol and the results demonstrate that MAPC can enhance and maintain the area coverage by efficiently moving mobile sensor nodes to strategic positions in the uncovered area.

Success of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) largely depends on whether the deployed network can provide desired area coverage with acceptable network lifetime. In hostile or harsh environments such as enemy territories in battlefields, fire or chemical spills, it is impossible to deploy the sensor nodes in a predeter- mined regular topology to guarantee adequate coverage. Random deployment is thus more practical and feasible for large target areas. On the other hand, random deployment of sensors is highly susceptible to the occurrence of coverage holes in the target area. A potential solution for enhancing the existing coverage achieved by random deployments involves the use of mobility capable sensors that would help fill the coverage holes. This thesis seeks to address the problem of determining the current coverage achieved by the non-deterministic deployment of static sensor nodes and subsequently enhancing the coverage using mobile sensors. The main contributions of this dissertation are the design and evaluation of MAPC (Mobility Assisted Probabilistic Coverage), a distributed protocol for ensuring area coverage in hybrid wireless sensor networks. The primary contribution is a pragmatic approach to sensor coverage and maintenance that we hope would lower the technical barriers to its field deployment. Most of the assumptions made in the MAPC protocol are realistic and implementable in real-life applications e.g., practical boundary estimation, coverage calculations based on a realistic sensing model, and use of movement triggering thresholds based on real radio characteristics etc. The MAPC is a comprehensive three phase protocol. In the first phase, the static sensors calculate the area coverage using the Probabilistic Coverage Algorithm (PCA). This is a deviation from the idealistic assumption used in the binary detection model, wherein a sensor can sense accurately within a well defined (usually circular) region. Static sensors execute the PCA algorithm, in a distributed way, to identify any holes in the coverage. In the second phase, MAPC scheme moves the mobile nodes in an optimal manner to fill these uncovered locations. For different types of initial deployments, the proposed movement algorithms consume only 30-40% of the energy consumed by the basic virtual force algorithm. In addition, this thesis addresses the problem of coverage loss due to damaged and energy depleted nodes. The problem has been formulated as an Integer Linear Program and implementable heuristics are developed that perform close to optimal solutions. By replacing in-operational nodes in phase three, MAPC scheme ensures the continuous operation of the WSN. Experiments with real mote hardware were conducted to validate the boundary and coverage estimation part of the MAPC protocol. Extensive discrete event simulations (using NS2) were also performed for the complete MAPC protocol and the results demonstrate that MAPC can enhance and maintain the area coverage by efficiently moving mobile sensor nodes to strategic positions in the uncovered area.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 464-479).

Thesis (MPhil (Journalism))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / This study presents an observation, analysis and effect indication of the media portrayal of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine in Western Cape daily newspapers. The research is aimed at ascertaining the quality and consequences of science reporting on an essential, yet too often politically controversial, AIDS treatment within the South African context. This work ultimately offers suggestions as to how the media could play a more beneficial role for the South African public when reporting on nevirapine and HIV/AIDS treatment in general.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim and function of this paper is to provide a balanced account of how the media, international and South African, have dealt with the issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). A selection of interviews, presentations, articles, transcripts and published reports forms the background of this interpretation, and offers insight into the history of the technology, the major role players, the legislation required and implemented, the question of environmental accountability, and the power of the media's influence. It addresses aspects of the causal relationship between the media and public understanding, and the subsequent power of the consumer as manifested by the perception of risk. The central theme of genetic engineering conjures up a variety of meanings and applications, and the plethora of available information is evaluated in an attempt to develop informed understanding for reporters covering the many dimensions of this development within the arena of science and technology. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie verhandeling is om 'n ewewigtige oorsig te verstrek van hoe die media - Suid-Afrikaans sowel as internasionaal - die kwessie van geneties gemodifiseerde organismes gehanteer het. 'n Seleksie onderhoude, aanbiedinge, artikels, transkripsies, en gepubliseerde verslae vorm die basis van hierdie interpretasie, en verskaf 'n insig in die geskiedenis van die tegnologie, die belangrike rolspelers, nodige en géimplementeerde wetgewing, die vraag van omgewingstoerekenbaarheid, en die mag van die media se invloed. Dit spreek aspekte aan van die kousale verwantskap tussen die media en begrip deur die algemene publiek, en die daaropvolgende mag van die verbruiker, soos dit duidelik word in hulle insig in en begrip van die risiko-faktor. Die sentrale tema van genetiese modifisering bring te voorskyn 'n verskeidenheid betekenisse en aanwendings; en 'n oorsig van die massa beskikbare inligting word hier aangebied in 'n poging om aan verslaggewers ingeligte begrip aan te bied van die veelsydige omvang van die ontwikkeling van genetiese modifisering in die gebied van wetenskap en tegnologie.

Afin de mieux comprendre le succès spectaculaire des récits policiers de Fred Vargas, la thèse s’efforce de resituer l’auteure dans le paysage éditorial, analyse son positionnement dans les trois sous-catégories du genre policier, et vise à mettre en lumière la fonction cathartique dans sa création littéraire. L’étude porte par conséquent sur les mutations romanesques et la diffusion transnationale et multimédiatique des œuvres de Fred Vargas, sur un corpus concernant essentiellement le cycle des Trois Evangélistes et le cycle du Commissaire Adamsberg. Des approches complémentaires sont mobilisées, relevant de la sociologie de la littérature, de l’analyse textuelle et de la psychologie des émotions dans une conception pragmatique. On parvient ainsi à comprendre comment Fred Vargas, en l’espace de trente ans, est consacrée “Reine du polar français" par la critique journalistique, qui célèbre sa posture singulière et contribue à sa reconnaissance médiatique et symbolique. Polareuse atypique, l’auteure mixe en effet différents sous-genres policiers et propose une œuvre originale fondée sur un art avéré du décalage, qui résiste aux tentatives de classification mais procure un plaisir consolatoire au lecteur. / In order to have a better understanding of the impressive success of Fred Vargas' detective novels, this thesis endeavours to place the writer in editorial landscape, analyses her positioning among the sub-categories of crime fiction, and aims to clarify the cathartic function in her literary creation. As a result, the study is about novelistic mutations, about transmedia and transnational spreading of Fred Vargas' works, with a corpus basically relating to the serie of the Three Evangelists and the serie of Commissaire Adamsberg. Some further approaches come from sociology of literature, textual analysis, and psychology of emotions in a pragmatic way. In this way, we can understand how Fred Vargas, within thirty years, was recognized as “the Queen of French crime novel" by literary critics, who celebrate her specific position and contribute to her mediatic and symbolic recognition. As an atypical author of detective novels, Fred Vargas mixes different sub-genres of crime fiction and proposes an original work based on an established art of “décalage", resisting to classification attempts, but providing a comforting pleasure to the reader.

The authoress of the diploma thesis aims to determine if it is possible for the public to learn serious information by means of media, i.e. information related to the prevention of health problems, and to monitor the state of medialisation of these problems by setting partial targets. The objective of the diploma thesis is to discover if media address such topics which should be medialised, in the view of statistically most frequent causes of death and the perspective of prevention and protection of the public health. The nature of significant health problems and the prevention of what topics should appear in daily newspapers have been determined in accordance with epidemiologic data and frequency of diseases which have been the most common causes of death in the Czech Republic in the long term, and which are summarized, inter alia, in mortality tables of the Czech Statistical Office. Another partial objective is to establish what types of themes appear most frequently, to determine the differences between the online and printed forms of media, and to discover who the authors engaging in these problems are. Two dailies were selected for our research - MfDnes (with its regional supplement Jižní Čechy) and the regional Českobudějovický deník in the printed form, including their supplements, including some of their thematic web pages. The research has also examined three independent magazines.The present diploma thesis is divided into a theoretical part and a research part. The theoretical part summarizes - based on the study of available literature and secondary data analysis - basic information regarding the problems of health and illness, prevention, media, the most common causes of death in the Czech Republic, briefly characterizing individual diseases and risk factors of their origin, as being familiar with such facts is essential for their prevention.The research part approaches the collection and evaluation of data in a combined manner. First, data were collected and studied by analysing documents. Afterwards, data were evaluated by means of qualitative statistics, whereas the methods of so-called descriptive statistics were utilized. The quantitative content analysis - which is usually used for the research into mass media - was used for analysing articles. The acquired data were tested statistically by bivariate analysis method. Copies of dailies and their magazines from 2010 were found in the Research Library of South Bohemia. News servers and thematic web pages were browsed by means of media archive.Individual objectives of the diploma thesis have been met. The reached conclusion stipulates that on the one hand, media do address the prevention of significant health problems; on the other hand, they fail to interconnect it with concrete diseases to an adequate extent. The medialisation of topics related to neoplasms is insufficient. Moreover, the thesis has discovered that the most common themes that media engage in are related to the problems of nutrition/overweight and slimming, both in the online and printed forms of all media analysed. It has been determined that the representation of article topics differ for individual media analysed. The most frequent authors of such articles are women. In most cases, there are most often two or three authors who participate in the medialisation of prevention of health problems. In the authoress?s view, the present diploma thesis may provide feedback to authors who examine issues of the prevention of health problems. In addition, with its illustrative overview of the most common causes of death in the Czech Republic, the thesis might highlight the necessity of medialisation of prevention of some themes; and, contrariwise, it could pinpoint less important, but frequently medialised themes, which take up too much space in both printed and online media.

Subsidies, taxes, premiums, and eligibility for health insurance can potentially cause "marriage lock," in which couples stay married for the sake of health insurance coverage, and marriage lock may change under the Affordable Care Act. In the first two chapters, marriage lock is examined in the context of two key health insurance decisions: divorce decisions upon qualification for Medicare at age 65, and marriage and divorce decisions associated with the introduction of the Massachusetts insurance mandate and health insurance exchange market reforms in 2006. In the first chapter, using the Health and Retirement Study data, I find evidence of a 7 percentage point increase in the number of divorces upon achieving Medicare eligibility at age 65 for people with spousal insurance coverage relative to those without it. In the second chapter, using the American Community Survey data, I find that the 2006 Massachusetts healthcare reform increased incentives for marriage in the health insurance exchange market relative to control states. Specifically, the Massachusetts reform appears to have reduced the divorce rate by 0.5 percentage point and increased marriage rate by 1.4 percentage points. In the third chapter, I use data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) to explore three decisions potentially affected by the implementation of Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs). First, I find that individuals with MSAs incur 17 RMB more medical expenses per 1000 RMB increase in their MSAs balance, while I find no significant effect of after-tax income on medical expenses. Second, I study preference heterogeneity as revealed by three types of risky behaviors. I find undertaking risky investments is associated with 23% more medical expenditures, while always using a seatbelt and obeying traffic signals are associated with 16% and 22% higher medical expenditures, respectively. Finally, I find evidence suggesting that individuals become more risk adverse with MSAs than without, specifically by increasing their use of seatbelts and obeying traffic signals. These findings, using recent Chinese data, suggest that MSAs play an important role when consumers make health expenditure decisions, and that preferences involving risk and prevention also appear to be influenced by the MSA scheme.

PROBLEM: As part of Indonesia’s strategy to achieve the goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), large investments have been made to increase health access for the poor. These have resulted in the implementation of various public health insurance (PHI) schemes, including Jamkesmas, the largest health insurance program in Indonesia in 2012, targeted towards the poor and near-poor. In the backdrop of Indonesia’s aspiration to reach UHC is the high rate of maternal mortality that disproportionally affects poor women. With the implementation of various pro-poor PHI programs in Indonesia, there is limited understanding of how these programs impact maternal health services among poor women. METHODS: This study used a mixed-methods design. The quantitative component entailed secondary analysis of the Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS) from 2007 and 2012 on key outcomes of interest: health facility delivery (HFD) and skilled birth delivery (SBD). Qualitative interviews (n=55) were conducted from May-Aug 2015 in the province of Jakarta and Banten among community representatives and key stakeholders to describe the successes and challenges of health insurance membership and maternal health services among the poor. RESULTS: Controlling for all independent variables, poor women with Jamkesmas were 21% (OR=1.21 [1.05–1.39]) more likely to have HFD and 20% (OR=1.20 [1.03–1.39]) more likely to have SBD compared to poor women without health insurance. Qualitative interviews provide some explanation to the modest effect of Jamkesmas health insurance on HFD and SBD seen in the quantitative analysis, including: the preference for pregnant women to deliver in their parents’ village; the use of traditional birth attendants; lack of proper documentation for health insurance registration, distance to health facilities; shortage of qualified health providers; overcrowded health facilities; and lack of health facility accreditation. CONCLUSION: Poor women with Jamkesmas membership had a modest increase in HFD and SBD. These findings indicate that pro-poor PHI schemes may be able to reduce financial barriers to care. However, factors such as socio-cultural beliefs, accessibility, and quality of care are important elements that need to be addressed as part of the national UHC agenda to improve maternal health services in Indonesia.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-12T19:18:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PaulaGMLN_TESE.pdf: 802985 bytes, checksum: ea2cf5b10e3c0b5eb8042341897c1301 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-03 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study aimed to quantify the microbial community of soil cultivated with muskmelon and evaluate the incidence of root rot in muskmelon at the no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems associated with soil coverages.Two experiments (two muskmelon crop cycles) were conducted in a naturally infested area with soilborne pathogens. The incidence of root rot was evaluated in both crop cycles, while the microbial community was quantified only in the first crop cycle.The experiments were conducted at the AgrícolaFamosa s farm, located between the cities of Tibau-RN and Icapuí-CE, in the Northeast region of Brazil.The randomized block design was used with split-plot.At the main plots evaluated two planting systems with and without soil revolving (NT and CT) and the subplots consisted of seven soil cover crops (Sunn hemp; Pearl millet; Sunn hemp + Pearl millet; Corn + Brachiaria; Spontaneous vegetation, Spontaneous vegetation + Black polyethylene film and Soil without vegetation).At the conventional tillage system, the plant materials were dried and incorporated into the soil, while in the no-tillage system were maintained on the ground.It was realized six soil samplings (Fallowed area; Green manure implementation; Muskmelon transplantation and at 20, 40 and 60 days after transplantation-DAT) in each subplot for quantification of total bacteria, fungi, Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas fluorescens. For isolation and cultivation of microorganisms, serial dilutions were prepared and transferred to plates containing the desired solid medium for each analyzed group.After fruits harvest, all melon plants were collected from subplots, washed and analyzed for the incidence of root rot.The soil microbial communities (total bacteria, fungi, Bacillus spp. e Pseudomonas fluorescens) varied according to the tillage systems (no-tillage and conventional tillage) at the different epochs of sample collection during the muskmelon cycle. The sunn hemp cultivation associated with no-tillage in muskmelon provided greater amount of colony forming units (CFU) of total bacteria compared to the conventional tillage.The planting systems and soil coverages did not affect the amount of total fungi and Pseudomonas fluorescens. The microbial community of soil cultivated with muskmelon is influenced by the planting and soil coverage systems.The incidence of root rot in muskmelon was lower in the no-tillage system pre-cultivated with Sunn hemp, Pearl millet and Spontaneous vegetation. Fusarium solani, Macrophomina phaseolina, Monosporascus cannonballus e Rhizoctonia solani were the pathogens that occurred in muskmelon, being the first fungus the most frequent in both planting systems. The incidence of root rot in muskmelon depends on the cropping and planting systems / O presente trabalho teve como objetivo quantificar a comunidade microbiana do solo cultivado com meloeiro e avaliar a incidência de podridão radicular no meloeiro, nos sistemas de plantio direto (PD) e convencional (PC) associado à coberturas do solo. Dois experimentos (dois ciclos do meloeiro) foram conduzidos em área naturalmente infestada com patógenos habitantes do solo. A incidência de podridão radicular foi avaliada nos dois ciclos, enquanto a quantificação da comunidade microbiana do solo apenas no primeiro ciclo. O experimento foi conduzido na fazenda Agrícola Famosa entre os municípios de Tibau-RN e Icapuí-CE, no Nordeste do Brasil. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos casualisados, no esquema de parcelas subdivididas. Nas parcelas foram avaliados dois sistemas de plantio com e sem revolvimento do solo (PC e PD) e nas sub-parcelas, sete coberturas de solo (Crotalária; Milheto; Consórcio crotalária + milheto; Consórcio milho + braquiária; Vegetação espontânea; Vegetação espontânea + filme de polietileno; Solo sem vegetação). Os materiais foram dessecados e, incorporados ao solo, no plantio convencional enquanto no plantio direto, foram mantidos sobre o solo. Foram realizadas seis coletas do solo (Área em pousio; Implantação dos adubos verdes; Transplantio do meloeiro e, aos 20, 40 e 60 dias após o transplantio-DAT), em cada subparcela, para quantificação de Bacillus spp. , Pseudomonas fluorescens, bactérias totais e fungos totais. Para a quantificação de microrganismos, utilizou-se o método de diluição seriada e plaqueamento em meio de cultura específico para cada grupo analisado. Após a colheita dos frutos todas as plantas de meloeiro das subparcelas foram coletadas, lavadas e analisadas quanto à presença de podridão radicular. A comunidade microbiana do solo (Bacillus spp. ,Pseudomonas fluorescens bactérias totais e fungos totais) variou em função dos sistemas de plantio (direto ou convencional) nas diferentes épocas de coleta de amostras no ciclo do meloeiro. O cultivo da crotalária associada ao plantio direto do meloeiro causou maior quantidade de UFCs de bactérias totais em relação ao plantio convencional. Os sistemas de plantio e as coberturas do solo não alteraram a quantidade de fungos totais e Pseudomonas fluorescens. A comunidade microbiana do solo cultivado com meloeiro é influenciada pelo sistema de plantio e de cobertura do solo. A incidência da podridão radicular no meloeiro foi menor no sistema de plantio direto pré-cultivado com crotalária, milheto, ou vegetação espontânea. Fusarium solani, Macrophomina phaseolina, Monosporascus cannonballus e Rhizoctonia solani foram os patógenos que ocorreram no meloeiro, sendo o primeiro fungo, o de maior ocorrência em ambos os sistemas de plantio. A incidência de podridão radicular do meloeiro é dependente do sistema de cultivo e de plantio