Compostos farmacêuticos são detectados em diversas matrizes ambientais. Estes compostos, quando não eliminados por técnicas avançadas de tratamento, contribuem para impactos ambientais negativos. Especificamente, efluentes hospitalares apresentam altas concentrações destes compostos principalmente pela excreção por pacientes. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho visa contribuir com a pesquisa científica em relação a efluentes hospitalares no Brasil, propondo alternativas de tratamento com ozônio para a remoção de fármacos. Para atingir o objetivo proposto, foi realizado um diagnóstico em um hospital visando identificar o consumo das principais classes farmacêuticas. A partir deste estudo, desenvolveu-se um planejamento de experimentos para avaliar os parâmetros mais adequados do processo de ozonização para a remoção de cafeína (CAF), amoxicilina (AMX) e ampicilina (AMP) em soluções aquosas. Foram avaliados experimentalmente os processos O3, O3/UV, O3/Fe2+, O3/UV/Fe2+. Investigou-se a influência da concentração inicial de fármaco, do pH, da potência de luz UV aplicada e da concentração inicial de Fe2+ utilizado como catalisador homogêneo. A variável de resposta foi a eficiência de mineralização. Os parâmetros obtidos pelo planejamento experimental foram aplicados para o Atenolol (ATE) e para soluções aquosas contendo a mistura de todos os compostos analisados (CAF, AMX, AMP e ATE). Um estudo cinético para determinação das constantes de reação foi realizado para a cafeína e atenolol. Para avaliar o tratamento com efluente hospitalar, uma caracterização (detecção de compostos farmacêuticos e parâmetros físico-químicos e toxicológicos) foi realizada antes e após o processo que apresentou a melhor eficiência de mineralização. Com o objetivo de extrapolar os estudos realizados e avaliar outros poluentes emergentes, além dos compostos farmacêuticos, realizaram-se experimentos com 90 compostos como drogas de abuso, hormônios e produtos de higiene pessoal que também podem estar presentes em efluentes hospitalares, avaliando a influência do pH e da dosagem de ozônio aplicada. Como principais resultados, os antibióticos e cardiovasculares foram as classes farmacêuticas mais consumidas no hospital. Pelo planejamento de experimentos, observou-se que todos os compostos avaliados foram rapidamente degradados (100% em menos de 15min) e as melhores eficiências de mineralização atingiram 70,8%, 60,4% e 63,6% para CAF, AMX e AMP, respectivamente. O sistema O3/UV/Fe2+ obteve a melhor eficiência de mineralização para o ATE (67,9%) e para a mistura dos compostos (69,5%). O estudo cinético possibilitou o cálculo das constantes cinéticas: kO3 =697,46 M-1 s-1 e kOH = 6,41x109 M-1 s-1 para a cafeína; e kO3 =146,56 M-1 s-1 e kOH = 15,29x109 M-1 s-1 para o atenolol. A eficiência de mineralização para os experimentos com efluente hospitalar atingiu 54,7% para o sistema O3/UV, sendo eficiente para a completa eliminação de diversos compostos farmacêuticos e remoção da toxicidade. Em relação à remoção dos 90 poluentes emergentes, observou-se que 53,3% dos compostos foram completamente degradados utilizando uma razão mMO3/mMC=0,3 em pH neutro. Os resultados encontrados indicam que o presente trabalho contribui para o avanço da pesquisa sobre efluentes hospitalares, pois apresenta uma alternativa de tratamento eficiente para a completa remoção de diversos compostos farmacêuticos, minimizando o impacto negativo destes no meio ambiente. / Pharmaceutical compounds (PhCs) are detected in various environmental matrices. These compounds, whether not eliminated by advanced treatment techniques, contribute to bacterial resistance and negative environmental impacts on water resource. Specifically, hospital wastewaster exhibit high concentrations of these compounds mainly by the excretion by patients. In this context, this paper aims to contribute to scientific research regarding hospital wastewater in Brazil, proposing treatment alternatives by ozone to remove PhCs. To achieve this purpose, it conducted a diagnosis in a hospital to identify the consumption of major pharmaceutical classes. With this result, it developed an experimental design to evaluate the most appropriate parameters of the ozonation process for the removal of caffeine (CAF), amoxicillin (AMX) and ampicillin (AMP) in aqueous solutions. This study evaluated the following processes experimentally: O3, O3/UV, O3/Fe2+ O3/UV/Fe2+. The influence of ozone dose, initial PhCs concentration, pH, power UV light applied and Fe2+ initial concentration used as homogeneous catalyst were investigated. Mineralization efficiency was the response variable. Parameters obtained by the experimental design were applied for Atenolol (ATE) and aqueous solutions containing the mixture of all compounds analyzed (CAF, AMX, AMP and ATE). A kinetic study for the determination of reaction constants was carried out for caffeine and atenolol. To evaluate the hospital wastewater treatment, a characterization (detection of pharmaceutical compounds and physico-chemical and toxicological parameters) was performed before and after the process that showed the best mineralization efficiency. In order to extrapolate the studies and evaluate other emergent pollutants, in addition to pharmaceutical compounds, were conducted experiments with 90 compounds such as illicit drugs, hormones and personal care products, which also may be present in hospital wastewater, evaluating the influence of pH and ozone dosage. Main results showed that antibiotics and cardiovascular were the most consumed pharmaceutical classes in the hospital. For the design of experiments, it was observed that all the evaluated compounds were rapidly degraded (100% in less than 15 minutes) and the best mineralization efficiency reached 70.8%, 60.4% and 63.6% for CAF and AMX AMP, respectively. The system O3/UV/Fe2+ obtained the best mineralization efficiency for ATE (67.9%) and mixture of compounds (69.5%). The kinetic study allowed the determination of the kinetic constants: kO3 = 697.46 M-1 s-1 and kOH = 6.41x109 M-1 s-1 for caffeine; and kO3 = 146.56 M-1 s-1 and kOH = 15.29x109 M-1 s-1 for atenolol. Mineralization efficiency for hospital wastewater experiments reached 54.7% by the system O3/UV, being efficient for complete elimination of various PhCs and removal of toxicity. Regarding the removal of 90 emergent pollutants, it was observed that 53.3% of the compounds were completely degraded using a ratio mMO3/MMC = 0.3 at neutral pH. The results indicated that this work contributes to the advance of research on hospital wastewater, because it presents an effective alternative treatment for complete removal of various pharmaceutical compounds, minimizing the negative impact on the environment.

Denna studie handlar om pedagogers arbete med små barns tidiga littracitetsutveckling. Vårt syfte med studien var att undersöka hur verksamma pedagoger arbetar och tänker gällande miljöns erbjudanden likväl som den egna rollen för att väcka och fånga upp barns intresse och lärande i litteracitetsaktiviteter i spontana situationer. För att uppnå detta har datainsamlingen innefattat såväl observationer av pedagogers arbete med barn under icke styrda aktiviteter, samt efterföljande intervjuer med pedagogerna. Resultatet har visat att pedagogernas individuella kunskapsnivå i området varierar och verksamhetens utformning har varit mer fördelaktig på de avdelningar där pedagogerna besitter en större kunskap. Detta kan antas påverka i vilken utsträckning de tar sig an rollen som stöttande och inspirerande pedagog i och till litteracitets-aktiviteter. Genom analys av observationer och intervjuer synliggjordes det kopplingar mellan miljöns erbjudanden och pedagogernas kunskap för området.Vi upplever att pedagogernas intresse och vilja att arbeta på ett litteracitetsfrämjande sätt finns men att detta inte synliggjorts under studien. / <p>Godkännande datum: 2018-06-10</p>

Compostos farmacêuticos são detectados em diversas matrizes ambientais. Estes compostos, quando não eliminados por técnicas avançadas de tratamento, contribuem para impactos ambientais negativos. Especificamente, efluentes hospitalares apresentam altas concentrações destes compostos principalmente pela excreção por pacientes. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho visa contribuir com a pesquisa científica em relação a efluentes hospitalares no Brasil, propondo alternativas de tratamento com ozônio para a remoção de fármacos. Para atingir o objetivo proposto, foi realizado um diagnóstico em um hospital visando identificar o consumo das principais classes farmacêuticas. A partir deste estudo, desenvolveu-se um planejamento de experimentos para avaliar os parâmetros mais adequados do processo de ozonização para a remoção de cafeína (CAF), amoxicilina (AMX) e ampicilina (AMP) em soluções aquosas. Foram avaliados experimentalmente os processos O3, O3/UV, O3/Fe2+, O3/UV/Fe2+. Investigou-se a influência da concentração inicial de fármaco, do pH, da potência de luz UV aplicada e da concentração inicial de Fe2+ utilizado como catalisador homogêneo. A variável de resposta foi a eficiência de mineralização. Os parâmetros obtidos pelo planejamento experimental foram aplicados para o Atenolol (ATE) e para soluções aquosas contendo a mistura de todos os compostos analisados (CAF, AMX, AMP e ATE). Um estudo cinético para determinação das constantes de reação foi realizado para a cafeína e atenolol. Para avaliar o tratamento com efluente hospitalar, uma caracterização (detecção de compostos farmacêuticos e parâmetros físico-químicos e toxicológicos) foi realizada antes e após o processo que apresentou a melhor eficiência de mineralização. Com o objetivo de extrapolar os estudos realizados e avaliar outros poluentes emergentes, além dos compostos farmacêuticos, realizaram-se experimentos com 90 compostos como drogas de abuso, hormônios e produtos de higiene pessoal que também podem estar presentes em efluentes hospitalares, avaliando a influência do pH e da dosagem de ozônio aplicada. Como principais resultados, os antibióticos e cardiovasculares foram as classes farmacêuticas mais consumidas no hospital. Pelo planejamento de experimentos, observou-se que todos os compostos avaliados foram rapidamente degradados (100% em menos de 15min) e as melhores eficiências de mineralização atingiram 70,8%, 60,4% e 63,6% para CAF, AMX e AMP, respectivamente. O sistema O3/UV/Fe2+ obteve a melhor eficiência de mineralização para o ATE (67,9%) e para a mistura dos compostos (69,5%). O estudo cinético possibilitou o cálculo das constantes cinéticas: kO3 =697,46 M-1 s-1 e kOH = 6,41x109 M-1 s-1 para a cafeína; e kO3 =146,56 M-1 s-1 e kOH = 15,29x109 M-1 s-1 para o atenolol. A eficiência de mineralização para os experimentos com efluente hospitalar atingiu 54,7% para o sistema O3/UV, sendo eficiente para a completa eliminação de diversos compostos farmacêuticos e remoção da toxicidade. Em relação à remoção dos 90 poluentes emergentes, observou-se que 53,3% dos compostos foram completamente degradados utilizando uma razão mMO3/mMC=0,3 em pH neutro. Os resultados encontrados indicam que o presente trabalho contribui para o avanço da pesquisa sobre efluentes hospitalares, pois apresenta uma alternativa de tratamento eficiente para a completa remoção de diversos compostos farmacêuticos, minimizando o impacto negativo destes no meio ambiente. / Pharmaceutical compounds (PhCs) are detected in various environmental matrices. These compounds, whether not eliminated by advanced treatment techniques, contribute to bacterial resistance and negative environmental impacts on water resource. Specifically, hospital wastewaster exhibit high concentrations of these compounds mainly by the excretion by patients. In this context, this paper aims to contribute to scientific research regarding hospital wastewater in Brazil, proposing treatment alternatives by ozone to remove PhCs. To achieve this purpose, it conducted a diagnosis in a hospital to identify the consumption of major pharmaceutical classes. With this result, it developed an experimental design to evaluate the most appropriate parameters of the ozonation process for the removal of caffeine (CAF), amoxicillin (AMX) and ampicillin (AMP) in aqueous solutions. This study evaluated the following processes experimentally: O3, O3/UV, O3/Fe2+ O3/UV/Fe2+. The influence of ozone dose, initial PhCs concentration, pH, power UV light applied and Fe2+ initial concentration used as homogeneous catalyst were investigated. Mineralization efficiency was the response variable. Parameters obtained by the experimental design were applied for Atenolol (ATE) and aqueous solutions containing the mixture of all compounds analyzed (CAF, AMX, AMP and ATE). A kinetic study for the determination of reaction constants was carried out for caffeine and atenolol. To evaluate the hospital wastewater treatment, a characterization (detection of pharmaceutical compounds and physico-chemical and toxicological parameters) was performed before and after the process that showed the best mineralization efficiency. In order to extrapolate the studies and evaluate other emergent pollutants, in addition to pharmaceutical compounds, were conducted experiments with 90 compounds such as illicit drugs, hormones and personal care products, which also may be present in hospital wastewater, evaluating the influence of pH and ozone dosage. Main results showed that antibiotics and cardiovascular were the most consumed pharmaceutical classes in the hospital. For the design of experiments, it was observed that all the evaluated compounds were rapidly degraded (100% in less than 15 minutes) and the best mineralization efficiency reached 70.8%, 60.4% and 63.6% for CAF and AMX AMP, respectively. The system O3/UV/Fe2+ obtained the best mineralization efficiency for ATE (67.9%) and mixture of compounds (69.5%). The kinetic study allowed the determination of the kinetic constants: kO3 = 697.46 M-1 s-1 and kOH = 6.41x109 M-1 s-1 for caffeine; and kO3 = 146.56 M-1 s-1 and kOH = 15.29x109 M-1 s-1 for atenolol. Mineralization efficiency for hospital wastewater experiments reached 54.7% by the system O3/UV, being efficient for complete elimination of various PhCs and removal of toxicity. Regarding the removal of 90 emergent pollutants, it was observed that 53.3% of the compounds were completely degraded using a ratio mMO3/MMC = 0.3 at neutral pH. The results indicated that this work contributes to the advance of research on hospital wastewater, because it presents an effective alternative treatment for complete removal of various pharmaceutical compounds, minimizing the negative impact on the environment.

abstract: As digital media practices become readily available in today's classrooms, literacy and literacy instruction are changing in profound ways (Alvermann, 2010). Professional organizations emphasize the importance of integrating new literacies (New London Group, 1996) practices into language-arts instruction (IRA, 2009; NCTE, 2005). As a result, teachers search for effective ways to incorporate the new literacies in an effort to engage students. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the potential of digital storytelling as participatory media for writing instruction. This case study was conducted during the fall semester of 2012 in one first-grade classroom and one second-grade classroom in the Southwestern United States. The study addressed ten interrelated research questions relating to how primary-grade students performed in relation to the Common Core writing standards, how they were motivated, how they formed a meta- language to talk about their writing, how they developed identities as writers, and how they were influenced by their teachers' philosophies and instructional approaches. Twenty-two first-grade students and 24 second-grade students used the MovieMaker software to create digital stories of personal narratives. Data included field notes, interviews with teachers and students, teacher journals, my own journal, artifacts of teachers' lesson plans, photographs, students' writing samples, and their digital stories. Qualitative data were analyzed by thematic analysis (Patton, 1990) and discourse analysis (Gee, 2011). Writing samples were scored by rubrics based on the Common Core State Standards. The study demonstrated how digital storytelling can be used to; (a) guide teachers in implementing new literacies in primary grades; (b) illustrate digital storytelling as writing; (c) develop students' meta-language to talk about writing; (d) impact students' perceptions as writers; (e) meet Common Core State Standards for writing; (f) improve students' skills as writers; (g) build students' identities as writers; (h) impact academic writing; (i) engage students in the writing process; and (j) illustrate the differences in writing competencies between first- and second-grade students. The study provides suggestions for teachers interested in incorporating digital storytelling in primary-grade classrooms. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2013

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-04-26T10:41:11Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Lara Cristina Pereira da Silva Pacheco - 2017.pdf: 3161074 bytes, checksum: 69afc236d4b1540e17072504bc7db6b9 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-04-26T11:21:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Lara Cristina Pereira da Silva Pacheco - 2017.pdf: 3161074 bytes, checksum: 69afc236d4b1540e17072504bc7db6b9 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-26T11:21:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Lara Cristina Pereira da Silva Pacheco - 2017.pdf: 3161074 bytes, checksum: 69afc236d4b1540e17072504bc7db6b9 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-29 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / The behavior of the herbicides in the environment is not determined solely by the physicochemical characteristics of the products (pKa, Kow, vapor pressure, water solubility and etc.). Soil attributes (CTC, organic matter, texture, mineralogy, pH, etc.), environmental factors (temperature, rainfall, winds) and the practices adopted in the production systems (cropping system, vegetation cover, chemical fertilization Or organic) also affect the behavior of herbicides in the environment. The objective of this work was to evaluate: 1 - The effect of the soil type on the activity of the herbicides clomazone, diclosulam, oxyfluorfen and sulfentrazone and to determine the ideal dose of this herbicide in each type of soil, through dose- answer; 2 - The activity of the herbicide Oxyfluorfen in soil with addition of biochar of sewage sludge; 3 - The activity of pre-emergent herbicides, in the absence and presence of Pennisetum glaucum straw. The soil type affected the the herbicides activities and, therefore, should be considered when deciding the herbicide applied doses. In Cerrado soils CEC is the most suitable soil attribute to predict the ideal herbicides doses of oxyfluorfen. The addition of biochar from sewage sludge obtained by pyrolysis at 500 ° C increased the sorption of the herbicide Oxyfluorfen to the soil, reducing its availability to the plants. The herbicide efficacy of the herbicides atrazine, clomazone and diclosulam is negatively affected by the presence of straw of Pennisetum glaucum. The presence of straw of Pennisetum glaucum does not affect the effectiveness of the herbicides Oxyfluorfen and Sulfentrazone. / O comportamento dos herbicidas no ambiente não é determinado, somente, pelas características físico-químicas dos produtos (pKa, Kow, pressão de vapor, solubilidade em água e etc). Os atributos do solo (CTC, teor de matéria orgânica, textura, mineralogia, pH, etc), os fatores ambientais (temperatura, precipitação pluviométrica, ventos) e as práticas adotadas nos sistemas de produção (sistema de cultivo, cobertura vegetal, adubação química ou orgânica) também afetam o comportamento dos herbicidas no ambiente. Diante disso, objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar: 1 – O efeito do tipo de solo na atividade dos herbicidas clomazone, diclosulam, oxyfluorfen e sulfentrazone e determinar a dose ideal desse herbicida em cada tipo de solo, por meio de curvas de dose-resposta; 2 – A atividade do herbicida Oxyfluorfen em solo com adição de biochar de lodo de esgoto; 3 – A atividade de herbicidas pré-emergentes, na ausência e presença de palhada de Pennisetum glaucum. O tipo de solo afeta a atividade dos herbicidas estudados e, portanto, deve ser considerado quando da tomada de decisão das doses aplicadas dos herbicidas. Nos solos de Cerrado, a CTC é o atributo do solo mais indicado para predição das doses a serem aplicadas do herbicida oxyfluorfen. Quanto ao impacto de resíduos orgânicos na atividade de herbicidas, a adição de biochar de lodo de esgosto, obtido pela pirólise a 500°C, aumentou a sorção do herbicida Oxyfluorfen ao solo, reduzindo sua disponibilidade às plantas. A eficácia no controle de plantas daninhas dos herbicidas atrazina, clomazone e diclosulam, éafetada negativamente pela presença de palhada de Pennisetum glaucum. A presença de palhada de Pennisetum glaucum não afeta a eficácia dos herbicidas Oxyfluorfen e Sulfentrazone.

La thèse présentera nos recherches sur le pronom personnel du chinois sur les plans syntaxique, sémantique et pragmatique. Les approches synchronique diachronique et typologique seront conjuguées pour étudier le nombre, et sa fonction. Les conclusions qui en découlent sont les suivantes: (1) La fusion phonétique du pronom personnel et la marque du pluriel «men » [+humain] se divise en quatre types et son évolution pourrait s’expliquer par le phénomène « cline » dans le processus de grammaticalisation.(2) La subjectivité et l’objectivité ont causé la différence fonctionnelle des pronoms. (3) Les noms et les démonstratifs constituent les sources du système pronominal en chinois. Le contexte permet au démonstratif d’évoluer vers le pronom personnel ; (4) La distribution des pronoms inclusif et exclusifs est répartie en deux groupes, nord et sud. La ligne de démarcation traverse le dialecte Hui (situé à Anhui). Au groupe nord, la lexicalisation et la grammaticalisation du système de pronom s’avèrent plus développées que le groupe du sud. Le besoin de la restructuration interne en langue chinoise est responsable de l’apparition des pronoms inclusif et exclusif, cette opposition est d’une part héritée du chinois ancien et d’autre part influencée par les langues Altaïques au nord. Le système du pronom personnel en chinois ancien et moderne, manifeste une forte tendance de simplification, ceci est également attesté dans toutes les langue Sinitiques. / In this thesis, we set the personal pronouns as the studying object. Based on the three planes of syntax, semantic and pragmatic, we combine the diachronic and synchronic investigation methods and do the research respectively from the perspectives of number category, functional performance, diachronic evolution and typological language. The conclusions are: (1) we divide the phonetics fusion of plural marker “men” [+ human] and personal pronouns into four types, and its evolution could be explained by the phenomenon "cline" in the process of grammaticalization. (2) The subjectivity and objectivity are the cause of the different functions of pronouns. (3) The nouns and demonstratives constitute the sources of the pronoun system in Chinese. The context is the fundamental reason that affects the evolution of demonstrative pronouns to personal pronouns. (4) The distribution of inclusive and exclusive pronouns is divided into two group, north and south. The boundary line is the Hui dialect (located in Anhui). In North group, the lexicalization and grammaticalization of the pronoun system are more developed than the southern group. The need for internal restructuring in the Chinese language is responsible for the development of inclusive and exclusive pronouns. This opposition is firstly inherited from ancient Chinese and partly influenced by the Altaic north. The system of the personal pronoun in ancient and modern Chinese shows strong simplification trend, which is also attested in all Sinitic languages.

The key mission of a defence force is the ability to execute successful operations. If it is unable to do this, it is only a liability to the nation, and its right to exist ceases. The White Paper on defence requires the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to be an affordable, small and technologically advanced force. The engineering technical family (ETF) is an integral part of this organisation and must contribute to its success. This study investigates how the ETF can enable the SANDF to be both successful and meet the requirements of the White Paper on defence. The success factors of a defence force are assumed to be based on the thirteen principles of war defined for the SANDF. This study proposes the ETF's contributions to the principles of war to increase the success of operations. The profiles of artisans, technicians, technologists and engineers, which are members of the ETF, are defined in terms of their technical and concomitant competences. This determines their roles. The ETF's competences are mapped to the requirements of the weapon systems during their life-cycle phases. This finding determines the mix of the ETF required over a typical weapon system's life. The strategy for aligning the ETF effort with the SANDF's core business is then developed. The ETF is divided into the technical services who ensure the readiness of weapon systems for the war-fighters, and the engineering services that change the baselines of the weapons systems to meet the changing demands of the the environment. Copyright 2001, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Blyth, DH 2001, An Alignment Strategy for SANDF Engineering Programmes , MBA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03202002-122729 / > / Thesis (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Graduate School of Management / unrestricted

This thesis critically interrogates the role of local context in the adoption and interpretation of video technology and gaming practices in the little studied locale of India. Video gaming is a recent phenomenon in India which has been rapidly increasing in popularity, yet it has gained little academic attention in digital gaming research. The project seeks to understand the emergence of practices of consumption of video games in India from the point of view of Indians themselves through the exploration of how Indian video gamers situate, interpret and negotiate the practice of video game play. In his book Video Gamers (2012), Gary Crawford makes a case for analysing game play as a practice, situated within everyday experiences and social networks. Crawford identifies two deficiencies in gaming studies: the dominance of a Western-centric viewpoint and the disregard for player context. This research addresses these shortcomings in two ways. First, through situating the field research in Chandigarh. Second, by employing a mixed methods qualitative approach - observations, interviews, focus groups, field notes, pictures and video recordings – to elicit the detail of the gamers' cultural context. Situating these practices within the broader social, historical, geographical and cultural milieu allows for the conceptualisation of contextual factors in terms of their influence on the adoption and interpretation of the global gaming practice in a local setting. These methods allow for the examination of, first, multiple culturally embedded factors and, second, the players' processes of sense making applied to video gaming. Each method makes the social world of the gamers visible in different ways. Fieldwork predominantly took place in video gaming parlours. Investigating game players in the space of the video gaming parlour enabled a more honed understanding of how the practice of video gaming was ‘glocalised’ within particular social, geographical and cultural contexts. A smaller second study was conducted in Manchester, to collect data in a setting that is culturally different from India. This contrasting data provided greater sensitivity to cultural factors in India which might have otherwise been overlooked or which had been obscured. The research draws theoretically upon Bourdieu’s theories of social field, habitus, and capital, combining these with Goffman’s notions of dramaturgy and framing, and Robertson’s concept of glocalisation. These concepts provided a theoretical framework that enabled a interrogation of the data to reveal the sociocultural processes embedded in the gaming parlours, and the individual’s creative engagements with video game products themselves. The methodological and theoretical framework, then, were complementary, offering both an experiential and contextual approach. This study found that video gamers interpret and make sense of the practice of video gaming through their contextual situation, and that they will both consciously and unconsciously attempt to glocalise the practice of video gaming so that it becomes culturally more acceptable.

This thesis concerns with both practical and theoretical aspects of phenomenon called Emergence. First part has been devoted to the research of available specialized resources on emergent topic and also on main features of complex systems. Acquired knowledge of two topics has been implemented on a real practical example of complex information system by creation of method which purpose is to help finding and determining emergent behavior. Last part of the thesis brings outcome of analysis of real system and discusses the recommendations for researchers on how to determine emergent behavior in their own systems.

The problem areas of the 'human side' of mergers andacquisitions as well as post-merger integration are focusedupon in this study. An extensive review of merger-relatedliterature points to the problematic nature of this area oforganisation. Through the analysis of two international casemergers, their post-merger integration processes and theirproblem areas, the nature and causes of these problem areas areinvestigated. The results of the investigation indicate thatexpectations influence mergers and post-merger integration.What seems to be expected of mergers, post-merger integration,of the management of these processes as well as the involvedparties plays a role in the interpretation of and reaction tomerger-related occurrences. If expectations of a merger or anyof its specific features are not met, attitudes towards themerger can get increasingly negative. This evidentlynecessitates 'expectation management' within mergers and theirpost-merger integration processes. KEY WORDS: merger, acquisition, post-merger integration,'human side' of organisations, expectation, experience, casestudy, emergent theory / <p>NR 20140805</p>