“Diversity” has become one of the most commonly used words by U.S. corporations. Indeed, many companies claim that they have spent millions, sometimes billions of dollars to create an egalitarian workplace for all workers. Given the amount of money spent and the increased amount of research that corporations have done on the issue of diversity, we should expect some progress in terms of equality or equal rights for minority and female workers. However, while there has been a substantial increase in the rise of corporate philosophy espousing diversity, there is also overwhelming data that suggests minorities and women are still unable to obtain opportunities or to achieve success at the same rates as their white male counterparts. How can we explain the apparent contradictions? Furthermore, why are many companies that have historically barred minorities and women from their workplace now publicizing their support for racial and gender integration? I suggest that corporations are using the word “diversity” as an ideological tool designed to promote themselves at the forefront of equality in the U.S. Using in-depth interviews conducted with 40 middle and senior-level managers and upper-level executive officers from Fortune 1000 companies, I find that while the word diversity is frequently uttered by managers (and strategically used in various media outlets), most managers are unable to clearly define diversity. Moreover, while managers claim their companies are interested in diversity, there is no convincing evidence that would suggest this is true. Thus, my findings suggest that many corporations use “diversity” as a shield to hide the fact that nothing has really changed in the structure of U.S corporations. That is, U.S. corporations have been, and continue to be, exclusive clubhouses for upper class white males.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L] Moench) was first introduced to the United States in the 1800s. These introductions consisted of tropical varieties with a short day photoperiod response that limited their use in temperate hybrid breeding programs. Commercial exploitation of F1 hybrids in grain sorghum started by the mid 1950s with the use of cytoplasmic male sterility system CMS (A1). Even though other CMS are available, most sorghum hybrid seed production still relies on the A1 system. Genetic gain in most agronomic crop species is limited by several factors. In the specific case of sorghum, the uniform use of the CMS (A1) system and the recent introduction of sorghum to the United States have resulted in a reduction of its genetic base. In order to create enough genetic variability, plant breeders might utilize exotic non adapted material, exotic adapted material or existing elite material as a source of new alleles that will protect and improve genetic gain through selection. This study provides an estimate of the genetic diversity existing in a set of sorghum conversion lines. The objectives of this study were: (1) to estimate the genetic diversity present among a set of 16 sorghum conversion lines; (2) to classify this set of lines based on genetic similarities estimated using AFLP markers and (3) to estimate heterosis, general and specific combining ability for grain yield among the set of conversion lines. Genetic diversity was present in the set of conversion lines evaluated. For the lines included only in this study, Caudatum was the most homogenous race (average GS = 0.69), and this race was closely related to the Durra race (Average GS = 0.66). Two other homogenous races were Bicolor and Kafir with average GS of 0.67. Highest GCA effects were obtained from the Kafir and Caudatum races. Good heterotic responses were obtained from DurraKafir races and CaudatumKafir races. Estimation of SCA, MPH and BPH identified specific crosses that were numerically superior than those of the checks. The use of AFLP markers allowed the identification of five strong clusters through estimates of genetic similarities. This classification did not group the lines by either their genetic background or their fertility reaction. This study provides information to identify specific combinations that would help to understand heterotic relationships in sorghum, and support the suggestions made by Menz and Gabriel that races in sorghum are not well defined.

In frequency-hopping (FH) system, the signal is not only impaired by receiver thermal noise, but also impaired by jamming, interference or multipath fading. Therefore, diversity techniques are used to reduce these impairments. Two systems are considered in this thesis, the first one is fast frequency-hopping/M-ary frequency-shift-keying (FFH/MFSK) System and the second one is fast frequency-hopping multiple access/M-ary frequency-shift-keying system (FFHMA/MFSK) System. In the first system, we consider three cases, multitone jamming (MTJ), broad-band noise jamming (BBN) and partial-band noise jamming (PBN).In the second system, we consider multiuser cases with multiple access interference, frequency-selective fading, and AWGN channels. In this thesis, two modified diversity combining methods are proposed. These methods are modified product and Order Statistics-Normalized Envelope Detection (OSNED) methods by adding the reliable order statistics. From simulation results, these methods can effectively combat multitone jamming and partial-band noise jamming. When comparing with product and OSNED in multiple access interference channel and frequency-selective fading channels, the proposed methods have better performance at high SNR. The proposed methods also do not need the additional side information as hard limiting majority vote (HLMV) and soft limiting combiner (SLC) needed.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2001. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-78). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.E.S.)--York University, 1998. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-104). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ27357.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

This case study is dealing with a new city district in Uppsala and its potential for social interaction asking: how can visions regarding social development in Uppsala be implemented on the Field of Rosendal through its public spaces? The question is answered by using a territorial approach interviewing informants in the entire city being active in meeting places, concerning their view on social meetingplace and furthermore by analysing the zoning plan of the Rosendal area, mapping what public spaces that are planned, The study shows that Rosendal has great potential both in being in a strategic postition and having many types resources in the area, above all many green areas. The study however suggest that Rosendal needs to develop more public spaces with few threshholds such as limitating costs, opening hours and degree of specialisation of the place and safeguarding the cultural heritage that there is.

This dissertation describes several strategies used to create diversity in non-immune antibody libraries. Two of the strategies were used to create two separate peptide focused libraries. Both of these strategies used to create these antigen-class focused libraries used a single scaffold antibody gene that contained diversity only in the variable heavy region. The scaffold antibody gene one of the libraries, the M:anti-pep library, was chosen based on hypervariable loop canonical structures that are characteristic of other anti-peptide antibodies. Additionally, all of the contact residues of this antibody are commonly used contact residues in other anti-peptide antibodies. These positions and others were varied to incorporate the natural diversity of other anti-peptide antibodies. The second library, the Hu:anti-pep, is based on a widely used, unique combination of human germline antibody segments that express well in bacterial expression. Positions were chosen for variation based on their usage as contact residues in both anti-peptide and anti-protein antibodies. The diversity was less focused than with the M:anti-pep library, incorporating all 20 amino acids at "high usage" positions and only four amino acids at "low usage" positions. Both libraries were validated by phage display selections against the peptide angiotensin (AT) and neuropeptide Y (NPY). The M:anti-pep library yielded specific antibodies to both peptides with dissociation constants as low as 14 nM against AT and 18 nM against NPY. The Hu:anti-pep library yielded specific clones with higher dissociation constants: 49 nM against NPY and 11 [mu]M against AT. The final strategy used to introduce diversity is widely used for affinity maturation of low affinity, previously selected antibodies. Extremely high rates of mutagenesis (2.2% of the gene to 2.7%) were used to create two libraries of the anti-digoxin antibody 26-10. The libraries had been screened by others in an attempt to examine the effects of highrates of mutagenesis on the directed evolution of an antibody. A total of 91 isolated clones from both libraries were sequenced. Several consensus mutations were identified near the CDRH3 in the isolated clones, indicating that they had a positive, selectable effect. This study confirmed that high-error rate antibody libraries contain more active clones than expected. Combinations of the selected consensus mutations from these libraries provide moderate enhancements to the kinetics and expression of the wild-type antibody in a non-synergistic manner. / text