Climate change tests the limits of human understanding of complexity and uncertainty. It challenges assumptions about our presumed power of control over this planet. This paper examines the theory of how governmental executive branch agencies make regulation decisions about climate change using the decision-making methodologies of cost-benefit analysis and the precautionary principle, and as influenced by perceptions of the bounds of human rationality and ability to deal with risk and uncertainty.

For many of Latin America’s small farmers, a future in agriculture may be short lived. Due to increasing mechanization, land consolidation, and globalization, the demand for agricultural labor is declining, and small landowners are feeling the brunt of this change. Given this reality, the non-farm rural economy should become a much greater priority on the rural development agenda. Many non-farm positions demonstrate significant potential for poverty alleviation, but these jobs often present substantial barriers to entry. In order for smallholders to access these positions rather than low-skilled, low-productivity, and low-paying jobs, government involvement is essential. By helping small farmers build non-farm skills and knowledge, facilitating profitable land transactions, and fostering a business environment that supports rural job creation, governments can ensure that small farmers are not only able to transition to non-farm employment, but that they are able to do so in a way that maximizes the impact on overall rural welfare.

The increasingly competitive market is forcing the industry to develop higher-quality products more quickly and less expensively. Engineering analysis, at the same time, plays an important role in helping designers evaluate the performance of the designed product against design requirements. In the context of automated CAD/FEA integration, the domain-dependent engineers different usage views toward product models cause an information gap between CAD and FEA models, which impedes the interoperability among these engineering tools and the automatic transformation from an idealized design model into a solvable FEA model. Especially in highly coupled variable topology multi-body (HCVTMB) problems, this transformation process is usually very labor-intensive and time-consuming. In this dissertation, a knowledge-based FEA modeling method, which consists of three information models and the transformation processes between these models, is presented. An Analysis Building Block (ABB) model represents the idealized analytical concepts in a FEA modeling process. Solution Method Models (SMMs) represent these analytical concepts in a solution technique-specific format. When FEA is used as the solution technique, an SMM consists of a Ready to Mesh Model (RMM) and a Control Information Model (CIM). An RMM is obtained from an ABB through geometry manipulation so that the quality mesh can be automatically generated using FEA tools. CIMs contain information that controls the FEA modeling and solving activities. A Solution Tool Model (STM) represents an analytical model at the tool-specific level to guide the entire FEA modeling process. Two information transformation processes are presented between these information models. A solution method mapping transforms an ABB into an RMM through a complex cell decomposition process and an attribute association process. A solution tool mapping transforms an SMM into an STM by mimicking an engineers selection of FEA modeling operations. Four HCVTMB industrial FEA modeling cases are presented for demonstration and validation. These involve thermo-mechanical analysis scenarios: a simple chip package, a Plastic Ball Grid Array (PBGA), and an Enhanced Ball Grid Array (EBGA), as well as a thermal analysis scenario: another PBGA. Compared to traditional methods, results indicate that this method provides better knowledge capture and decreases the modeling time from days/hours to hours/minutes.

In this thesis, I problematize the United States’ response to the global phenomenon characterized as human trafficking. The framing of trafficking as policy issue takes place in the context of politicized claims about the nature and prevalence of trafficking, its relation to the sex industry, and the kind of response that is required. U.S. anti-trafficking policy was built and shaped in the context of fears about immigration, global labor, and the sex industry. As a result, trafficking has been used to justify oppressive domestic reactions such as border crackdown, scrutiny of immigrant and sex worker communities, and victim “protection” that barely differs from prosecution. The United States has also leveraged anti-trafficking measures such as the policy prescriptions in the Trafficking in Persons Report and sanctions for countries that fall in the bottom tier to build a global response to trafficking that suits the hegemony of the United States rather than the needs of vulnerable populations. Through the government-subsidized “rescue industry”—an army of U.S.-based NGO’s and humanitarian groups—the United States has effectively exported an imperialistic response to trafficking based on Christian ethics and neoliberal economics around the world. These policies are distinctly out of touch with the experiences and needs of the supposed “victims of trafficking,” those attempting to survive at the bottom of global capitalist labor markets. As a result, I characterize anti-trafficking as a form of structural violence, and emphasize the need for an alternative movement that addresses the actual problems experienced by global laborers and the complicity of the United States in creating the conditions for labor exploitation.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3755.pdf: 3612414 bytes, checksum: e80a028a9b64b5753bef71155748f139 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-25 / Despite the benefits provided by the ergonomic approach to the design process, their participation is still limited, given that the specifics of workers as gestures and reasoning, in most cases, are not covered by the professionals responsible for developing new systems work. Thus, this work is to present a case study involving the practice of ergonomic design in the development of a crane cab in a petroleum refining industry. For this, we developed an Ergonomic Work Analysis (EWA), used as the basis for the development of concepts supported by sketches, plans and digital models. It was also used as a way of representing the human-environment system, digital human dummy that gave rise to the scenarios used in the construction of simulated situations. These situations were aimed at the confrontation of different representations of the members of the design process. From the conclusions of the case study, we presented the constraints and the contributions that simulation can bring to the process of designing work situations, whether in the construction of scenarios, or in simulated situations or participating in ergonomic designs. / Apesar de os benefícios proporcionados pela abordagem da ergonomia ao processo de concepção, sua participação ainda se encontra limitada, tendo em vista que as especificidades dos trabalhadores como gestos e raciocínios, na maioria dos casos, não são contemplados pelos profissionais responsáveis em desenvolver os novos sistemas de trabalho. Nesse sentido, este trabalho se propõe a apresentar um estudo de caso envolvendo a prática da ergonomia de concepção no desenvolvimento de uma cabine de ponte rolante em uma indústria de refino de petróleo. Para isto, foi desenvolvida uma Análise Ergonômica do Trabalho (AET), utilizada como base para a elaboração de conceitos suportados por croquis, plantas e maquetes digitais. Também foi utilizado, como forma de representação do ambiente homem-sistema, manequim humano digital que deu origem aos cenários utilizados na construção de situações de simulação. Essas situações tiveram como objetivo a confrontação das diferentes representações dos integrantes do processo de projeto. A partir das conclusões do estudo de caso, foram apresentados os constrangimentos e as contribuições que a simulação pode trazer ao processo de concepção de situações de trabalho, seja na construção dos cenários, seja nas situações de simulação ou na participação da ergonomia nos projetos.

With the changing significance of caste and caste identity, this thesis explores the role of affirmative action or "reservations" in Indian higher education. Specifically, it aims to reopen the debate on the dominance of a "creamy layer" among the OBCs in an increasingly nationalist India. Viewing caste through the lens of ethnic identity, this thesis draws comparisons between the identity of OBCs and Scheduled Castes and Tribes, OBCs of the "Hindi Belt" and OBCs of the South, followed by an analysis of the politicization of caste identity today. The thesis concludes with an evaluation of affirmative action today and possible policy avenues that the State must prioritize.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo principal o conhecimento e o reconhecimento de dez edifícios de feições brutalistas do estado do Piauí. Por meio de um reconhecimento arquitetônico, crítico e referenciado dessas obras, construídas nas décadas de 1970 e 1980, procura-se compreender os seus valores projetuais, a relevância das mesmas na identidade da paisagem urbana em que se inserem e a origem e as peculiaridades do seu contexto de criação e implantação. Esta pesquisa leva em consideração os pormenores locais e as individuais contribuições intelectuais dos arquitetos, fatores que, vinculados a um contexto arquitetônico nacional, originaram exemplares concretos, cujos reconhecimento e interpretação se fazem necessários para melhor compreensão da cultura arquitetônica estadual e seu desdobramento nos âmbitos regional e nacional. Apesar de o caráter brutalista ser o denominador comum e o ponto de partida para o estudo do conjunto edificado, a pesquisa não se reduz a uma abordagem exiguamente estilística, pela crença de que uma categorização não é suficiente, nem mesmo determinante para a compreensão desses exemplares arquitetônicos, devendo os mesmos serem analisados como parcela do seu próprio contexto. Dessa forma, toma-se como princípio o enfoque propriamente arquitetônico da investigação, em que é \"a própria realidade da obra que se constitui objeto e oportunidade de pensamento\"(OYARZÚN; ARAVENA; QUINTANILLA et al., 2007, p. 11). Assim, por meio do estudo das obras em si, apoiado por documentos que elucidam suas características originais, realizou-se um trabalho de documentação e análise, considerando a importância desse conjunto para o patrimônio arquitetônico piauiense e para os ambientes urbanos, tendo em vista sua preservação e valorização, assim como o fortalecimento da historiografia arquitetônica piauiense. / This paper has as main purpose the acknowledgement and understanding of ten edifices of brutalist features in the state of Piauí. By meanings of architectonic, critic and referenced recognition of these buildings, constructed in the 1970s and 1980s, it is intended to comprehend its design value, their relevance in the identity of the urban landscape as well as the origin and peculiarities of their creation and implantation context. This research considers the local singularities and the individual intellectual contribution of the architects, factors which, associated to the national architectural scene, originated concrete precedent, making it necessary its interpretation and recognition to better comprehend the architectural culture of the state and its unraveling in the regional and national purview. Despite the brutalist characteristic being the common denominator and the starting point for the study of the edifice lot, the research is not reduced to a particularly stylistic approach, for believing that a mere categorization is insufficient, nor is decisive for the comprehension of this architectonic examples, these must be analyzed as a fraction of its own context. Thus being, a properly architectonic focus is taken as principle, where as \"the own reality of the product that constitutes object and opportunity of reflection\" (OYARZÚN; ARAVENA; QUINTANILLA, 2007, p.11). This way, by the study of the structure of the buildings, supported by documentation that clarify its original characteristics, a work of documentation and analysis was accomplished, considering the importance of this lot of architectonic heritage of Piauí and to other urban settlements, in behalf of its preservation and estimation, as well as the fortification of architectural historiography of Piauí.

My thesis traces policy developments in the nuclear power sector in the Republic of France, which is the most dependent country on nuclear energy in the world. The country’s particular brand of elitism, their highly centralized and technocratic government, their reputation for an extremely low rate of carbon emissions, and their discriminatory treatment of immigrants, refugees, and low-income communities all complicate this issue. I limit the scope of my analysis to changes in nuclear policy during the past ten years, under the leadership of Nicolas Sarkozy, François Hollande and as of May 2017, Emmanuel Macron. Using a policy science framework, I diagnose the points wherein the nuclear energy policy process has malfunctioned, which has rendered it stagnant and ineffective. By adding an environmental justice lens, I show the ways in which the nuclear industry and its advocates perpetuate social and economic inequities. I begin with Sarkozy and his politicization of nuclear energy during a time in which public resistance was growing, thus reaffirming utilitarian principles, colonial hierarchies, systems of exploitation, and the elitism of government. While Fukushima presented a window of opportunity for the country to advocate and lobby for an energy diversification, Sarkozy used the media exposure to his advantage to propagate the economic benefits of nuclear energy, which are discredited by my research. While the socialist party historically stands in ideological opposition to nuclear energy, their complicated relationship with various nuclear institutions and their poor public image inhibited Hollande’s ability to decrease France’s shares of nuclear energy. France’s newly-elected president, centralist Emmanuel Macron, could very well be the political leader that unpacks and remedies deeply embedded problems in the nuclear energy policy process, but it is perhaps to soon to tell. The institutionalization of neo-colonialism, the principle of value-maximization, the increasing party polarization, and the notions of elitism in the French government constrain it and any of its representatives from disrupting and reinvigorating the corrupted policy process. However previous successes at the local level through grassroots mobilization suggest that the tables could turn under a new government and an urgent need to transition to renewables.

Broadly speaking, this research is intended to shed light on how post-genocide societies attempt to address a traumatic history and reconcile the problems of ethnic and religious hatred. Germany and Poland are especially ripe cases for such research given their historical memories of the Holocaust and unique legal and diplomatic efforts to counter anti-Semitism. However, since many of the policies on this issue have only been implemented in the past ten to fifteen years, there has not yet been a comprehensive study that has evaluated their effectiveness. This dissertation will attempt to fill this gap in the literature and provide new insight as to how states can best grapple with this problem. The central question for this research is: Have state policies been effective in reducing levels of anti-Semitic attitudes and incidents in Germany and Poland since 1990? This question will be investigated by first examining the historical development of anti-Semitism in each country, then discussing the policies implemented to address the problem, and finally evaluating the results of such measures. From a public policy perspective, this research will contribute to our understanding of the approaches taken by these two countries and discover which measures have been most effective in reducing anti-Semitic behavior and ideology. The findings show that while the policies implemented have tended to be effective in reducing general anti-Semitic attitudes and helping revive domestic Jewish communities, they have been less successful in reducing levels of anti-Semitic crime. The policy analysis portions of the dissertation provide a number of explanations for these outcomes and acknowledge areas for potential policy improvement. This research has implications not only for the region of Central Europe, but also other societies that continue to grapple with problems of ethnic and religious hatred.

The Tea Party movement’s effect on local and regional planning in Virginia has received little study. This work identifies how conservative political activism has impacted planning in the Commonwealth and how planners have responded. The study relies on a qualitative approach involving 22 semi-structured interviews with activists, planners, and citizens, as well as textual analyses of planning documents, local and regional news reports, and Tea Party social media. The resultant findings show that Tea Party activism is rooted in deep seated ideals about private property rights and individualism. It also reveals that planning processes that increased the amount of public input had the effect of mitigating the impact of activism. The study concludes by suggesting that strategies based in the communicative style of planning offer an effective way to overcome such opposition while enhancing the many benefits of having significant citizen input in the planning process.