Li, Bingjing. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 21-22). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter I. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- Background --- p.4 / Chapter 2.1 --- The One Child Policy in 1980s --- p.4 / Chapter 2.2 --- Spatial Variation in Policy Enforcement Intensity --- p.6 / Chapter III. --- Data and Identification Strategy --- p.6 / Chapter 3.1 --- Data --- p.6 / Chapter 3.2 --- Identification Strategy --- p.9 / Chapter IV. --- Empirical Results --- p.10 / Chapter 4.1 --- Effect of Policy Enforcement Intensity on Family Size --- p.10 / Chapter 4.2 --- Effect of Policy Enforcement Intensity on Educational Attainment --- p.12 / Chapter 4.3 --- Causal Effect of Family Size on Children's Educational Attainment --- p.14 / Chapter V. --- Robustness --- p.16 / Chapter 5.1 --- Sex Selection --- p.16 / Chapter 5.2 --- Region-specific Changes in Educational Provision --- p.17 / Chapter VI. --- Conclusion --- p.18 / Appendix --- p.20 / References --- p.22

Nos últimos anos o mercado de moda plus-size, segmento especializado em tamanhos grandes, vem crescendo no Brasil e ganhando relativa visibilidade por meio da construção de seus próprios espaços legitimação - como desfiles, ensaios fotográficos, concursos de beleza, marcas e lojas - e da divulgação feita por blogs e veículos de comunicação. As interlocutoras desta pesquisa, mulheres que se identificam como gordinhas, têm acompanhado de perto a expansão deste mercado, atuando como consumidoras ou como profissionais do segmento e defendendo que não é preciso ser magra para se vestir bem e para se sentir bonita e atraente. Um dos principais objetivos desta pesquisa é investigar este recente boom da moda plus-size, mostrando a importância dos eventos do segmento, dos blogs e dos discursos de profissionais e consumidoras. Outro objetivo importante é analisar de que maneira as interlocutoras, frente aos estereótipos que as definem de maneira negativa em função de sua forma física, procuram construir uma imagem mais positiva de si mesmas e de seus corpos, reelaborando discursos de saúde, beleza e feminilidade. / In the last years, the plus-size fashion market, specialized in larger sizes, has been growing and gaining a relative visibility in Brazil through the constitution of its own spaces of legitimacy - fashion shows, photo shoots, beauty pageants, brands and stores - and its diffusion via blogs and media. The subjects of this research, women who identify themselves as chubby, have closely followed the expansion of this market, acting as consumers or as professionals of this area, supporting it is not necessary be skinny to be well-dressed and to feel beautiful and attractive. A major goal of this research involves investigating this recent boom in plus-size fashion, pointing out the importance of the events, blogs and discourses of professionals and consumers. Another important objective is to analyze how the subjects, facing stereotypes that define them negatively because of their body size and shape, seek to build a more positive image of themselves and their bodies, reworking discourses of health, beauty and femininity.

Denna studie undersöker hur olika graderingssätt jämförs mot företagets graderade grundliv. Undersökningen görs på uppdrag från ett svenskt modeföretag. Tidigare hade företaget en avdelning för sig med de största storlekarna, vilket togs bort för att istället slå ihop hela graderingsintervallen av storlekar till ett. Företaget har jobbat med att hitta de rätta intervallerna kring de största storlekarna och tyckte därför det vore intressant att jämföra sin gradering mot andra graderingssätt med deras grundliv som utgångspunkt. Metoder som har använts i denna studie har varit gradering, jämförelse av mönster och 3D simulering i Lectras programvaror Modaris, 3D prototyping och KaledoStyle. Uppsydda prover har även provats av på docka, person och avatar i storlek 50 samt analyserats och utvärderats efter ett avprovningsprotokoll. Studiens resultat visar att graderingen från företagets grund är jämförbar med det andra graderingssättet i övervägande koordinater. Det som skiljer dem markant åt är axelns längdgradering i de största storlekarna. Där har företaget valt att stanna av sin gradering, vilket de andra graderingssätten inte gör. De andra graderingssätten följer den data som finns tillgänglig kring kroppsmått och axelns ökning i de olika storlekarna. / This study examine how a grading system are compared to the company’s graded base pattern. The study is an assignment on a Swedish fashion company. The company used to have a section for plus-sizes in their clothing line, but decided to remove it. Instead, they merge the whole grading system into one. They have tried to find the right intervals of grading in the biggest sizes, which makes it interesting to compare their grading to other grading systems. The methods used in this study are grading, comparison of patterns and 3D prototyping in Lectra Softweares Modaris, 3D prototyping and KaledoStyle. Sewn samples have been fitted in size 50 and analyzed by a test protocol. The result of the study shows that the grading system from the company is comparable with the other grading system. The most distinct part that separates the grading systems is the shoulder length in the bigger sizes. The company has chosen to stop their grading, which the other grading system does not. The other grading system follows dada where body measurements are established.

Functional size is among the few software size measures for which well-structured and standardized methods exists for its measurement. Although Functional Size Measurement(FSM) methods have gone a long way, one ongoing criticism on FSM methods is the discrepancies in the measurement results of the same software obtained by different measures. In this thesis study the sources of discrepancies that involve the functional properties of measurands and constructs of the FSM method models are investigated in two exploratory case studies. In the light of the findings, a software functionality model for functional size measurement is proposed. The model is founded on a characterization of software functionality from a requirements engineering point of view and it aims is to facilitate reliable size measurements on the basis of formalized concepts and rules. Two case studies are conducted in order to evaluate the applicability of the model and validate its effectiveness.

This thesis dissertation assessed workers who work in poultry barns and their occupational environment in relation to the type of bird housing in which they were exposed (cage-housed birds (CH) or floor-housed birds (FH)) and examined the environmental variables including dust and endotoxin and potential relationships to respiratory symptoms of workers. <p>A cross sectional study was undertaken to assess the environmental exposure levels and respiratory health effects of workers who worked in CH and FH poultry operations. The respiratory results suggested an asthma-like syndrome in these workers. Workers who worked in CH facilities reported greater current and chronic respiratory symptoms and significantly greater current and chronic phlegm as compared to workers from FH facilities. Workers from CH poultry facilities were exposed to greater endotoxin load than workers from FH facilities, but workers from FH operations were exposed to greater levels of total dust. It was found that endotoxin load (EU/mg) was a significant predictor of chronic phlegm for all poultry workers.<p>The effects on dust and endotoxin measurements when utilizing a Marple impactor with greased or ungreased impaction surfaces when sampling in an agricultural environment were unknown, and the potential for effects was tested. There were no significant differences in the aerosol mass median aerodynamic diameters between the greased and ungreased Marple impactors. Endotoxin analysis results appeared to be influenced by impaction grease particularly when very low amounts of endotoxin were present. <p>Size fractioning the dust and endotoxin using Marple impactors in CH and FH poultry operations showed that endotoxin load (EU/mg) was significantly higher in the respirable fraction of area samples in CH poultry operations as compared to FH operations. There were no differences in endotoxin load in the non-respirable size fractions for area samples between CH and FH operations. FH poultry operations had significantly greater dust mass and dust concentration in both respirable and non-respirable fractions for FH operations. There was significantly greater endotoxin load (EU/mg) in the 3.5-6.0 micron size fraction for the CH poultry operations as compared to the FH operations.

This thesis dissertation assessed workers who work in poultry barns and their occupational environment in relation to the type of bird housing in which they were exposed (cage-housed birds (CH) or floor-housed birds (FH)) and examined the environmental variables including dust and endotoxin and potential relationships to respiratory symptoms of workers. <p>A cross sectional study was undertaken to assess the environmental exposure levels and respiratory health effects of workers who worked in CH and FH poultry operations. The respiratory results suggested an asthma-like syndrome in these workers. Workers who worked in CH facilities reported greater current and chronic respiratory symptoms and significantly greater current and chronic phlegm as compared to workers from FH facilities. Workers from CH poultry facilities were exposed to greater endotoxin load than workers from FH facilities, but workers from FH operations were exposed to greater levels of total dust. It was found that endotoxin load (EU/mg) was a significant predictor of chronic phlegm for all poultry workers.<p>The effects on dust and endotoxin measurements when utilizing a Marple impactor with greased or ungreased impaction surfaces when sampling in an agricultural environment were unknown, and the potential for effects was tested. There were no significant differences in the aerosol mass median aerodynamic diameters between the greased and ungreased Marple impactors. Endotoxin analysis results appeared to be influenced by impaction grease particularly when very low amounts of endotoxin were present. <p>Size fractioning the dust and endotoxin using Marple impactors in CH and FH poultry operations showed that endotoxin load (EU/mg) was significantly higher in the respirable fraction of area samples in CH poultry operations as compared to FH operations. There were no differences in endotoxin load in the non-respirable size fractions for area samples between CH and FH operations. FH poultry operations had significantly greater dust mass and dust concentration in both respirable and non-respirable fractions for FH operations. There was significantly greater endotoxin load (EU/mg) in the 3.5-6.0 micron size fraction for the CH poultry operations as compared to the FH operations.

<p>The initiation of metamorphosis causes the cessation of the larval growth period which determines the final body size of adult insects. Because larval growth is roughly exponential, differences in timing the initiation of metamorphosis can cause large differences body size. Although many of the processes involved in metamorphosis have been well characterized, little is known about how the timing of the initiation of metamorphosis is determined. </p> <p>Using different strains from <italic>Tribolium castaneum<italic>, <italic>Tribolium freemani<italic>, and <italic>Manduca sexta<italic> and varied nutritional conditions, I was able to document the existence of a threshold size, which determines when the larva becomes competent to metamorphose. Threshold size, however, does not dictate the exact timing of initiation. The exact timing for the initiation of metamorphosis is determined by a pulse of the molting hormone, ecdysone, but only after threshold size has been reached. Ecdysone pulses before the larva attains threshold size only cause the larva to molt to another larval instar. These results indicate the timing of metamorphosis initiation is controlled by two factors: (1) attainment of threshold size, at which the larva becomes competent to initiate metamorphosis and (2) the timing of an ecdysone pulse after attaining threshold size. </p> <p>I hypothesize the attainment of threshold size, and therefore competence to metamorphose, is mediated by the effect of changing juvenile hormone concentrations caused by the increase in size of the larva. While the larval body grows nearly exponentially, the corpora allata, which secretes juvenile hormone, grows very little if at all. The difference in relative growth causes juvenile hormone concentrations to gradually become diluted. When juvenile hormone concentrations fall below a threshold, changes in protein-protein binding occur that can cause changes in signaling networks and ultimately gene expression. These changes make the larva competent for metamorphosis. </p> <p>I have demonstrated that only threshold size is consistently correlated with body size; other growth parameters such as growth rate, duration of instars, or number of instars do not consistently correlate with variation in body size. Using the black mutant strain of <italic>M. sexta<italic> I have shown that lower juvenile hormone titers correlate with lower threshold sizes. My hypothesis is consistent with the large body of literature indicating the involvement of juvenile hormone. I also hypothesize that the diversity of metamorphosis types in holometabolous insects can be explained by heterochronic shifts in the timing of threshold size and other developmental events related to metamorphosis. The heterochronic shifts affect not only the morphology of organs, but can also affect the overall phenotypic response of the larva to changes in the environment. The different phenotypic responses among species may make the more or less suited for certain types of niches.</p> / Dissertation

No description available.

The cost and effort estimation of projects depend on software size. A software product size is needed at as early a phase of the project as possible. Conventional Early Functional Size Estimation methods generate size at the early phase but result in subjectivity and unrepeatability due to manual calculation. On the other hand, automated Functional Size Measurement calculation approaches require constructs which are available in considerably late software development phases. In this study we developed an approach called e-Cosmic to calculate and automate the functional size measurement based on the business processes. Functions and input and output relationship types of each function are identified in the business process model. The size of each relationship type is determined by assigning appropriate data movements based on the COSMIC Measurement Manual. Then, relationship type size is aggregated to produce the size of each function. The size of the software product is the sum of the size of these functions. Automation of this process based on business process model is performed by developing a script in the ARIS tool concept. Three case studies were conducted to validate the proposed functional size estimation method (e-Cosmic). The size of the products in the case studies are measured manually with COSMIC FSM (Abran et al, 2007) as well as using a conventional early estimation method, called Early and Quick COSMIC FFP. We compared the results of different approaches and discussed the usability of e-Cosmic based on the findings.

Die Charakterisierung von Nanopartikeln erfordert eine Messung des Dispersitätszustandes bei allen Schritten der Herstellung - von der Synthese bis zum fertigen Produkt. Dafür ist eine leistungsfähige Partikelmesstechnik notwendig, deren Methoden bei der Beschreibung des komplexen Materialverhaltens helfen können. Die Ultraschalldämpfungsspektroskopie ist eine Messmethode, die zur prozessbegleitenden Charakterisierung hochdisperser Pulver und Suspensionen geeignet ist. Mit Vergleichen von Messungen und Modellrechungen wurde festgestellt, dass für die Ultraschalldämpfungs-Modellierung in Dispersionen homogener Partikel ein auf dem Phänomen der elastischen Streuung basierendes Modell praktisch relevant ist. Dies betrifft sowohl die Anwendung zur Messung in Suspensionen als auch in Emulsionen homogener Partikel. Bei einem Vergleich von Modellrechungen und Messungen für ein System poröser Partikel bzw. Aggregate wurde das Modell der Streuung an poroelastischen Kugeln als geeignet zur Beschreibung der Dämpfung disperser Systeme identifiziert. Bei Vorhandensein grober Partikel in Suspensionen nanoskaliger Systeme ist somit eine korrekte Auswertung der Partikelgröße möglich; der bislang übliche Messbereich wurde erweitert. Sekundärer Schwerpunkt der Arbeit ist die Diskussion der numerischen Modellanwendung. Es werden weiterhin Lösungsmöglichkeiten zur Dämpfungsberechnung und zur Berechnung der Größenverteilungen beschrieben. Des Weiteren wurden Anregungen für Entwickler von Ultraschallspektrometern abgeleitet.