The purpose of this study is to find how managers make sense of a future threat that does not have an urgent trigger. The method applied in this study is qualitative case study. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted of managers at the case company. In the context of the case company facing a threat of creative destruction, we study the sensemaking process of the managers we interview. Special focus is dedicated to prospective, future-oriented sensemaking. We apply a Weickian approach in the operationalization of the research. We found that the managers shared a collective sense of the past, but that there was a loss in shared collective sense of the future. The lack of collective sensemaking of the future is caused by the ambiguous nature of the case company’s future. We further found that emotional dedication impeded prospective sensemaking for some of the managers resembling wishful thinking about the future.

Medieval castle slighting is the phenomenon in which a high-status fortification is demolished in a time of conflict. At its heart are issues about symbolism, the role of castles in medieval society, and the politics of power. Although examples can be found throughout the Middle Ages (1066–1500) in England, Wales and Scotland there has been no systematic study of the archaeology of castle slighting. Understanding castle slighting enhances our view of medieval society and how it responded to power struggles. This study interrogates the archaeological record to establish the nature of castle slighting: establishing how prevalent it was chronologically and geographically; which parts of castles were most likely to be slighted and why this is significant; the effects on the immediate landscape; and the wider role of destruction in medieval society. The contribution of archaeology is especially important as contemporary records give little information about this phenomenon. Using information recovered from excavation and survey allows this thesis to challenge existing narratives about slighting, especially with reference to the civil war between Stephen and Matilda (1139–1154) and the view that slighting was primarily to prevent an enemy from using a fortification. The thesis proposes a new framework for understanding how slighting is represented in the archaeological record and how it might be recognised in the future. Using this methodology, a total of 60 sites were identified. Slighting often coincides with periods of civil war, illustrating the importance of slighting as a tool of social control and the re-assertion of authority in the face of rebellion. Slighting did not necessarily encompass an entire site some parts of the castle – halls and chapels – were typically deliberately excluded from the destruction. There are also examples which fit the old narrative that slighting was used to prevent a fortification falling into enemy hands, but these cases are in the minority and are typically restricted to Scotland during the Scottish Wars of Independence. Given the castle’s role in shaping the landscape – acting as a focus for seigneurial power and precipitating the creation and growth of towns – it is important to understand how slighting effected nearby associated settlements. The evidence suggests that larger towns were able to prosper despite the disruption of slighting while smaller settlements were more likely to decline into obscurity. Importantly towns themselves were very rarely included in the destruction of slighting.

Esta pesquisa parte de uma indicação de Freud, encontrada no caso do Homem dos Ratos, de que a ironia não estaria atrelada às forças compulsivas. Assim, com o objetivo de investigar o uso da ironia nesse tipo específico de neurose, destaca-se inicialmente a necessidade de percorrer as teorizações acerca da neurose obsessiva ao longo da obra freudiana. O percurso demonstra que a renúncia da destrutividade culmina nas defesas sintomáticas obsessivas. Com a segunda tópica, essas formações tornam-se consequências da submissão do Eu à severidade do Supereu. A regressão à fase sádico-anal também passa a ser atribuída à desfusão pulsional e à proeminência da pulsão de morte. De fato, percebe-se que os estudos sobre neurose obsessiva conduzem Freud a um maior entendimento da destrutividade, exigindo reorganizações teóricas nas esferas clínica, metapsicológica e cultural. Deste modo, diante do exposto na primeira parte, o estudo possibilita a tradução do modo de ser obsessivo em uma retórica própria, denominada de retórica anal da reatividade e da supermoralidade. Associa-se a esta retórica figuras de linguagem que visam atenuar, interromper, anular e corrigir desejos, tais como o eufemismo, as reticências, a elipse e a epanortose. Já a presença da negativa (Verneinung) sinaliza uma possibilidade de constatação do recalcado sem aceitação do conteúdo. De posse de uma retórica obsessiva, a segunda parte do estudo compreende a ironia à luz da teoria freudiana. A obra do Witz tem uma relevância particular nesse entendimento ao proporcionar: o único momento em que Freud define ironia; e o primeiro modelo de sublimação em Freud a partir de uma estética da criação verbal. Já a teoria freudiana do humor, juntamente com a obra de Kupermann, contribui para a articulação da sublimação com o campo do trágico. É o caso do humor irônico presente no comentário do condenado à morte: Bem, a semana começa bem!. É evidenciado, assim, o trabalho da desidealização na passagem de uma identificação narcísica para uma identificação sublimatória, o que colabora para a hipótese de uma possível flexibilização identificatória na neurose obsessiva via desidealização (humorística e irônica). Em seguida são analisados dois exemplos de uso da ironia em casos freudianos (O Pequeno Hans e a Jovem Homossexual). A ironia é percebida como ceticismo e vingança à palavra do pai, aproximada ora da denegação, ora do desmentido. Por fim, a última etapa do trabalho dedica-se à exposição das relações entre destrutividade e criação na psicanálise, mais particularmente no tocante à problemática da sublimação das pulsões destrutivas. Portanto, diante das balizas teóricas traçadas, concluise que o uso da ironia na neurose obsessiva compreende quatro tempos: o tempo do inconsciente, onde a palavra é recalcada; o tempo da constatação, onde a palavra é denegada; o tempo transgressor, onde a palavra é sádica; e o tempo do desamparo, onde o uso é criativo e a palavra é sublimada / This research is part of a Freud indication, found in \"The Rat Man\", which tells that irony is not linked to the compulsive forces. So in this sense, aiming at investigating the use of irony in this kind of neurosis, the need to go about the obsessional neurosis theories is a must-do at first, in the course of Freud`s work. This line of thought proves that the destruction resignation leads to the symptomatic obsessive defenses. With the second topography, these formations become a result of the Ego submission to the Super-ego severity. The regression to the anal-sadistic stage is also related to the instinctual defusion and the prominence to death instincts. In fact, we can notice that the studies on obsessive neurosis lead Freud to a wider understanding of destructivity, demanding theoretical reorganizations in the clinical, metapsychological and cultural fields. This way, from what could be gathered, the study enables the translation of the obsessive way of being in a proper rhetoric, named reactivity and super-morality anal rhetoric. This is attached to figures of speech that aim at diminishing, interrupting, blocking and correcting desires, such as euphemism, ellipsis and epanorthosis. As for the presence of negation (Verneinung), this makes it possible to confirm the repressed without a content acceptance. Bearing an obsessive rhetoric, the second part of the study analyzes irony in accordance with Freud`s theory. The Witz work has particular importance in this understanding as it provides: the only moment when Freud defines irony; and the first sublimation moment in Freud starting from the verbal creation aesthetics. As for the Freudian theory of humor, together with Daniel Kupermann`s work, it contributes to the bond between sublimation and the idea of tragedy. That`s the case of ironic humor which shows up in the comments of the sentenced to death: Well, the week starts well!. It`s proved, then, the work of deidealization in the passage of a narcissistic identification to a sublimating identification, what contributes to the hypothesis of a possible identifying flexibilization of obsessive neurosis through deidealization (humorous and ironic). Then, two examples of the use of irony in Freudian cases will be analyzed, The Little Hans and Homosexuality in a Woman. Irony is perceived as skepticism and revenge to the father words, closer sometimes to negation and some other times to denial. At last, the final stage of this job refers to the explanation on the relations between destructivity and creation within psychoanalysis, especially in what refers to the problem of sublimation of destructive instincts. Finally, in light of all the preset theory bases, it could be stated that the use of irony in the obsessional neurosis bears four times: unconscious time, when word is repressed; confirmation time, when word is denied; transgressive time, when word is sadistic; and helplessness, when use is creative and word is sublimated

Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) - MSc (Biodiv and Cons Biol) / There have been many cases reported of amphibian populations declining. These are often due to anthropogenic factors such as habitat destruction and pollution. However, some declines have not had an obvious cause and many of these have been investigated and found to be due to pathogenic disease. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a recently described pathogen of frogs. The population declines that have been associated with chytridiomycosis have occurred in relatively undisturbed areas such as national parks. The declines tend to occur at higher altitudes or in colder climates. This is thought to be because of the frog immune system being slower at lower temperatures. Chyt1id fungus has been found in frog populations throughout the world. Little research has been carried out in Africa although, chytridiomycosis has already been seen in Kenya and South Africa. In this project frogs were sampled from selected transects in the Western Cape and three sites in the Northern Cape. The effect of altitude on the occurrence of infection was tested in the Western Cape. It was found that 18 frogs were infected in the Western Cape and the effect of altitude was not significant. Large numbers of dead and dying frogs were found in two of the Northern Cape sites and the incidence of chytridiomycosis was high in these populations. Chytrid was found in two Bufogariepensis from the Eastern Cape and in Xenopus petersii from Kasanka National Park, Zambia. More research is needed on chytridiomycosis in these populations. The frogs in the Western Cape seem to survive with chytrid fungus infection whereas, the frogs in the Northern Cape are dying. This suggests another factor acting on the Northern Cape frog populations.

With a focus on multiracial perspectives on race, region, and sexuality, Quest for Blackness interrogates the efforts of diverse black subjects to transcend the objectifying limits of the white gaze and the effects of internalized hatred and destructiveness. To clarify the tenuous shift from object to subject, the first two chapters of this dissertation examine the formation of African American subjectivity within the prism of the white gaze, as it takes shape in novels by Eudora Welty, Lewis Nordan, Toni Morrison, and Bebe Moore Campbell. The following chapters probe the pernicious effects on black psyches that develop when African Americans unwittingly internalize any part of the white gaze. Tackling the controversial discourse that comedian Bill Cosby re-ignited with his comments in 2004 on the responsibilities of the black poor in improving their own lives, Quest for Blackness engages fully in the debate that erupted after Cosby's speech. Taking a stand, alongside other African American voices in literature, politics, and social activism, this study not only recognizes the interrelated issue of white racism and economic inequality but also calls for greater black accountability in addressing the pathologies that affect black communities. In airing dirty laundry, African Americans only strengthen their pursuit of equality and lasting, meaningful agency, a point that Z Z Packer, Alice Walker, and others powerfully demonstrate in their fiction. / acase@tulane.edu

Le superalliage à 22%mas. en chrome, Haynes 230®, est un matériau candidat pour les échangeurs de chaleur (température maximale 850°C-950°C) des Réacteurs à Caloporteur Gaz, également appelés HTRs (High Temperature Reactors). Dans l'optique de valider les performances de cet alliage, il faut garantir sa résistance à la corrosion dans l'environnement d'hélium impur de ces réacteurs. Dans cet objectif, la réactivité de surface de l'Haynes 230® a été examinée à des températures comprises entre 850 et 1000°C. On s'est attaché à caractériser l'influence de différents paramètres tels que concentrations en impuretés du gaz (monoxyde de carbone, méthane et rapport vapeur d'eau/dihydrogène), caractéristiques de l'alliage (activités en Cr et en C, teneurs en éléments mineurs) et température d'exposition. Deux principaux comportements ont pu être mis en évidence : la formation d'une couche d'oxyde riche en Cr et Mn à 900°C et sa réduction à plus hautes températures. A 900°C, la vapeur d'eau est l'oxydant principal. Toutefois dans les temps initiaux, le monoxyde de carbone réagit à l'interface métal/oxyde ce qui implique un transport de gaz au travers de la couche ; CO semble préférentiellement oxyder les éléments mineurs aluminium et silicium. A partir d'une température critique TA, le carbone en solution dans l'alliage réduit l'oxyde de chrome. Un modèle de destruction de la couche basé sur les grandeurs thermodynamiques interfaciales de l'alliage, la morphologie de la couche et la pression partielle en monoxyde de carbone dans l'hélium est proposé puis validé.

<p>The disposal of combustible wastes by incineration is a controversial issue that is strongly debated by both scientists and environmental activists due to the resulting emissions of noxious compounds, including (<i>inter alia</i>) polychlorinated dibenzo-<i>p</i>-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), heavy metals and acid gases like sulfur dioxide. Currently available air pollution control devices are capable of effectively cleaning flue gases, and PCDD/F emissions to air from modern municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerators are low. However, the PCDD and PCDF end up in ash fractions that, in Sweden, are usually deposited in landfills.</p><p>The European Union has recently set a maximum permitted total concentration of 15 µg TEQ/kg for PCDD/F species in waste. Fly ash from municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration containing PCDD/Fs at concentrations above this limit will have to be remediated to avoid disposing of them in landfills; an expensive and environmentally unfriendly option. Therefore, effective, reliable and cost-effective methods for degrading PCDD/F in fly ash are required, and a better understanding of the behavior of PCDDs and PCDFs during thermal treatment will be needed to develop them.</p><p>In the studies this thesis is based upon both the formation and degradation of PCDDs and PCDFs in ashes from MSW incineration were studied.</p><p>The main findings of the investigations regarding PCCD/F formation were:</p><p>- The concentrations of PCDD and PCDF in fly ash increased with reductions in the temperature in the post-combustion zone.</p><p>- The homologue profile in the ash changed when the temperature in the post-combustion zone changed.</p><p>- The final amounts of PCDD and PCDF present were affected by their rates of both formation and degradation, and the mechanisms involved differ between PCDDs and PCDFs.</p><p>The main findings from the degradation studies were:</p><p>- The chemical composition of ash has a major impact on the degradation potential of PCDD and PCDF.</p><p>- The presence of oxygen during thermal treatment can enhance the degradation of PCDD and PCDF.</p><p>- Thermal treatment is a viable option for degrading PCDD and PCDF in ashes from MSW.</p><p>- Shifts in chlorination degree occur during thermal treatment.</p><p>- Rapid heat transfer into the ash is a key factor for ensuring fast degradation of PCDD and PCDF.</p><p>- Degradation of other chlorinated organic compounds, e.g. PCB and HCB, also occurs during thermal treatment of ash.</p><p>- Reductions in levels of PCDD and PCDF were not solely due to their desorption to the gas phase.</p><p>- Differences between the behavior of 2378-substituted congeners of PCDD and PCDF and the other congeners during thermal treatment were observed.</p><p>- Differences in isomer patterns of both PCDD and PCDF were observed between the ash and gas phases after thermal treatment at both 300 and 500 oC.</p><p>Overall, the results show that the formation and degradation mechanisms of PCDDs differ substantially from those of PCDFs. Thus these groups of compounds should be separately considered in attempts to identify ways to reduce their concentrations.</p>

Comment comprendre les relations de l'Homme à la Nature ? Cette étude, menée autour d'enquêtés sensibles, s'appuie sur de l'anthropologie qualitative et réflexive, nourrie, entre autres, de paléoanthropologie, d'anthropozoologie et d'éthologie, de symbolique et d'imaginaire. Si l'Homme a peur de la Nature, comment le manifeste-t-il ? La Nature désacralisée, dominée, maîtrisée, « mise en boîte », polluée, détruite, recréée en ersatz et simulacres, interroge l'Homme, ses peurs multiformes et complexes, ses paradoxes. Et l'Homme en quête de Nature dans le quotidien ou dans des situations extrêmes, que recherche-t-il ? La Nature est alors vécue comme un incontournable besoin, une source d'exploration des sens, parfois un refuge pour un « repos social ». Elle permet un retour sur soi, s'apparente à une épreuve, et renvoie parfois à sa propre animalité. Ces relations sont ambivalentes : entre peur destructrice et communion intime, elles dévoilent autant de représentations, de comportements et d'engagements qu'il y a d'individus. Et les relations avec la vie sauvage, comment sont-elles vécues et pour quoi ? Elles se révèlent être la possibilité pour l'Homme de se (re)découvrir en découvrant l'Autre, l'animal, et offrent la richesse de compréhensions différentes face à cet inconnu qui accepte d'entrer en contact, d'échanger. La Nature offre de multiples nourritures : corporelles, sensorielles, émotionnelles, affectives, cognitives, psychiques, spirituelles. L'Homme accède ainsi à une évolution, une transformation intérieure

La thérapie photodynamique (PDT) est une modalité de traitement du cancer qui utilise la combinaison d'un photosensibilisant, de la lumière et d'oxygène moléculaire. L'application de nanosubstances liposomales pour délivrer les photosensibilisants dans la tumeur est devenu un sujet important de la recherche en PDT. La présente étude porte sur les formulations liposomales conventionnelles et stériquement stabilisées de photosensibilisant mTHPC, Foslip® et Fospeg®, dans le but de déterminer les paramètres pour l'optimisation de la PDT liposomale. La caractérisation du comportement in vitro de la mTHPC liposomale a été étudiée, particulièrement sa localisation, l'état d'agrégation et les propriétés photophysiques des drogues dans les liposomes. Nous avons démontré l'état monomérique de la mTHPC dans les vésicules lipidiques et une localisation partielle du mTHPC dans Fospeg® dans la partie PEG des liposomes, alors que la majeure partie est liée à la bicouche lipidique. Nous avons ensuite étudié les cinétiques de relargage des drogues, le mode de liaison aux protéines et la destruction des liposomes dans le sérum. Dans ce but, une méthodologie basée sur la fluorescence pour estimer le relargage de la mTHPC à la fois in vitro et in vivo a été développée, ainsi que d'un essai in vitro pour caractériser la destruction des liposomes. Le relargage de la mTHPC des liposomes PEGylés a été retardé par rapport aux liposomes conventionnels et la destruction des liposomes a été considérablement diminuée. La connaissance de tous ces paramètres permet de mieux prédire le taux de relargage de la drogue, les paramètres pharmacologiques et l'effet tumoricide in vivo. Le traitement PDT pourrait être plus avantageux avec le Fospeg® comparé à la mTHPC incorporée dans les liposomes conventionnels.

This thesis is about the heritage in Vientiane. In an attempt to go beyond a more traditional descriptive approach, the study aims at bringing forward a discussion about the definition, or rather the multiplicity of definitions, of the concept of heritage as such. The unavoidabe tension emanating from a modern western frame of thought being applied to the geographical and cultural setting of the study provides an opportunity to develop a criticism of some of the assumptions underlying our current definitions of heritage. For this particular study, heritage is defined as to include stories, places and things. It is a heritage that is complex and ambiguous, because the stories are parallel, the definitions and perceptions of place are manifold and contested, and the things and their meaning appear altered, depending on what approach to materiality is used. The objective is not to propose how to identify and manage such a complex heritage. Rather, it is about what causes this complexity and ambiguity and what is in between the stories, places and things. In addition, the study aims to critically deconstruct the contemporary heritage discourse, which privileges material authenticity, form and fabric and the idea that heritage values are universal and should be preserved for the future and preferably forever. In Laos, Buddhism dominates as religious practice. In this context, the notion of material impermanence also governs the perception of reality. Approaches to materiality in Buddhism are related to the general ideas that things are important from a contemporary perspective and primarily as containers for spiritual values, that the spiritual values carry the connection to the past, and that heritage is primarily spiritual in nature and has little to do with physical structure and form. By exploring the concepts of restoration, destruction and consumption in such a perspective, we understand that preservation and restoration are active processes of materialisation. We also understand that destruction and consumption are necessary for the appreciation of certain heritage expressions, and that heritage is being constantly created. With this understanding, this book is an argument for challenging contemporary western heritage discourse and question its fundamental ideology of preservationism.