A cana-de-açúcar e produtos derivados são de grande relevância econômica para o Brasil e vários outros países. Inúmeras variedades de cana-de-açúcar são cultivadas e novas variedades têm sido desenvolvidas para buscar ganhos de produtividade. Nesse sentido, são indispensáveis materiais de referência certificados (CRMs) para o controle da qualidade de sistemas de medição e validação de métodos, objetivando o estudo do estado nutricional das diferentes variedades de cana-de-açúcar, de modo a otimizar os procedimentos de fertilização e incrementar a produção. Contudo, segundo a base de dados internacional de materiais de referência certificados (COMAR) não existe um CRM que atenda adequadamente a avaliação do estado nutricional da cana-de-açúcar. Assim, este trabalho investigou a possibilidade de produção de um material de referência de folhas de cana-de-açúcar que supra essa demanda. O trabalho foi dividido em duas etapas principais: 1) estudo de variedades de cana-de-açúcar quanto à composição elementar e 2) desenvolvimento do material de referência. Doze variedades de cana-de-açúcar cultivadas no Estado de São de Paulo foram abrangidas no estudo: CTC2, CTC4, CTC11, CTC14, CTC15, CTC17, CTC20, IACSP955000, RB855156, RB965902, RB966928 e SP832847. As técnicas analíticas utilizadas para a avaliação foram a análise por ativação neutrônica instrumental (INAA) e a espectrometria de emissão óptica com plasma acoplado indutivamente (ICP OES), além do método de Kjeldahl para determinação de N. Em geral, os resultados mostraram macronutrientes em níveis adequados, enquanto, dentre os micronutrientes, Cu e Zn foram encontrados no limite crítico para quase todas as variedades estudadas. A seleção da variedade RB966928 para produção do material de referência candidato foi baseada nas características nutricionais para alta produtividade, nos menores valores de coeficientes de variação de amostragem em campo (CV<30%) e nas características agronômicas. A produção do material candidato foi realizada a partir de 90 kg de folhas, utilizando apenas 15 cm da parte central sem a nervura principal. Após diversos testes para determinar o melhor procedimento de preparo, as folhas foram liofilizadas, moídas e homogeneizadas, obtendo-se 410 frascos do material candidato contendo 20 g cada. A caracterização física mostrou umidade residual do material de 3,8 % e tamanho de partículas < 115 µm. Testes de homogeneidade dentro do frasco e entre frascos foram realizados utilizando INAA e método de Kjeldahl. Os resultados de fração de massa demonstraram a homogeneidade do material dentro de frascos para dezoito elementos, usando massas de 180 mg a 200 mg. Já a homogeneidade entre frascos foi comprovada para vinte elementos. Estudos de estabilidade a curto e a longo prazo demonstraram que o material manteve-se estável nas três condições avaliadas (40°C com umidade relativa a 100%, 20°C e -20°C). A caracterização química final do material foi realizada no National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Estados Unidos, onde foram atribuídos valores para dezoito elementos com respectivas incertezas expandidas associadas: Al, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cs, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sc, Sm, Th e Zn. Além disso, foram atribuídos valores estimativos para Hf, N, P, Sb, Sr e V determinados pelo método de Kjeldahl e INAA / The sugarcane and derived products are of great economic importance for Brazil and several other countries. Many varieties of sugar cane are grown and new varieties have been developed to seek productivity gains. In this sense, certified reference materials (CRMs) are necessary for the quality control of measurement systems and validation of methods, aiming at the study of the nutritional status of the different sugarcane varieties for optimizing fertilization and increasing production. However, according to the international database of certified reference materials (COMAR) there is not a suitable CRM for the assessment of nutritional status of sugarcane. Thus, this work investigates the possibility of producing a reference material from leaves of sugarcane to fulfill such a demand. The work was divided into two main steps: 1) study of sugarcane varieties regarding elemental composition and 2) development of the reference material. Twelve varieties of sugarcane grown in the State of São Paulo were covered in the study: CTC2, CTC4, CTC11, CTC14, CTC15, CTC17, CTC20, IACSP955000, RB855156, RB965902, RB966928 and SP832847. The analytical techniques used for the assessment of composition were neutron activation analysis (NAA) and optical emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP OES), in addition to the Kjeldahl method for determination of N. In general, the results showed macronutrients in adequate levels, while, among the micronutrients, Cu and Zn were found in the critical limit for almost all the varieties studied. The selection of the variety RB966928 for producing the candidate reference material was based on the nutritional characteristics for high productivity, on the lower coefficients of variation of sampling in the field (RSD < 30%) and on the agronomic characteristics. The candidate material was produced from 90 kg of leaves, using only 15 cm from the central part without the main rib. After various tests for determining the best preparation procedure, the leaves were lyophilized, milled and homogenized, obtaining 410 bottles of the candidate material containing 20 g each. The physical characterization found residual moisture of 3.8 % and particle size < 115 µm. Homogeneity tests within and between bottles were performed using NAA and Kjeldahl method. The results confirmed the within bottle homogeneity of the material for all eighteen elements, using masses from 180 mg to 200 mg, while the homogeneity between bottles was confirmed for twenty elements. Stability studies in the short and the long term demonstrated that the material was stable in the three conditions used (40°C with a relative humidity of 100%, 20°C and 20°C). The final characterization of the candidate material was performed at NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology, United States, where values were assigned for eighteen elements with respective expanded uncertainties: Al, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cs, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sc, Sm, Th, and Zn. In addition, estimated values were also assigned for Hf, N, P, Sb, Sr and V determined by the Kjeldahl method and INAA

In this dissertation, I argue that Fauré’s reuse and recombination of certain material musical elements throughout his life deserves recognition as a central aspect of his musical style. The inspiration for my work has primarily been drawn from the work of the musicologist Carlo Caballero, who argues that Fauré would have believed that consistency of style over time, or homogeneity, is a crucial property of any music that is truly original. Yet, few scholars have analyzed the degree to which homogeneity is manifest in Fauré’s music. More often, their focus has been directed at analyzing topics within segments of the three major periods of Fauré’s compositional output and highlighting stylistic contrasts between those periods. In contrast to this more common approach, I build on Caballero’s ideas to present a two-stage argument. First, I delineate certain criteria fundamental to defining a musical style, and observe that a straightforward classification of Fauré’s music is not easily discerned upon applying those criteria to Fauré’s music. Second, I offer support for the more novel perspective that acknowledging homogeneity itself, absent the need to classify the music materially, constitutes an important, informative perspective on Fauré's musical style. The dissertation is structured in two parts. Part I, encompassing the first three chapters, reviews the struggle to gain widespread understanding that Fauré’s music has historically faced. Chapter 1 discusses the criteria of style as they have historically been understood and used; Chapter 2 applies those criteria to Fauré’s music; and Chapter 3 explores Caballero’s assertion that Fauré’s music should in fact display homogeneity. In order to support Caballero’s claim, the following seven chapters of Part II present analytic evidence from the piano Nocturnes. Chapters 4 through 10 identify recurring usages of harmony, tonality, motivic processes, formal events, and textures by Fauré in Nocturnes dating from all three major periods of his compositional life. I conclude that a strong degree of homogeneity has been demonstrated across the piano Nocturnes, and suggest ways in which that perspective can contribute to more widespread understanding and dissemination of Fauré’s music.

A cana-de-açúcar e produtos derivados são de grande relevância econômica para o Brasil e vários outros países. Inúmeras variedades de cana-de-açúcar são cultivadas e novas variedades têm sido desenvolvidas para buscar ganhos de produtividade. Nesse sentido, são indispensáveis materiais de referência certificados (CRMs) para o controle da qualidade de sistemas de medição e validação de métodos, objetivando o estudo do estado nutricional das diferentes variedades de cana-de-açúcar, de modo a otimizar os procedimentos de fertilização e incrementar a produção. Contudo, segundo a base de dados internacional de materiais de referência certificados (COMAR) não existe um CRM que atenda adequadamente a avaliação do estado nutricional da cana-de-açúcar. Assim, este trabalho investigou a possibilidade de produção de um material de referência de folhas de cana-de-açúcar que supra essa demanda. O trabalho foi dividido em duas etapas principais: 1) estudo de variedades de cana-de-açúcar quanto à composição elementar e 2) desenvolvimento do material de referência. Doze variedades de cana-de-açúcar cultivadas no Estado de São de Paulo foram abrangidas no estudo: CTC2, CTC4, CTC11, CTC14, CTC15, CTC17, CTC20, IACSP955000, RB855156, RB965902, RB966928 e SP832847. As técnicas analíticas utilizadas para a avaliação foram a análise por ativação neutrônica instrumental (INAA) e a espectrometria de emissão óptica com plasma acoplado indutivamente (ICP OES), além do método de Kjeldahl para determinação de N. Em geral, os resultados mostraram macronutrientes em níveis adequados, enquanto, dentre os micronutrientes, Cu e Zn foram encontrados no limite crítico para quase todas as variedades estudadas. A seleção da variedade RB966928 para produção do material de referência candidato foi baseada nas características nutricionais para alta produtividade, nos menores valores de coeficientes de variação de amostragem em campo (CV<30%) e nas características agronômicas. A produção do material candidato foi realizada a partir de 90 kg de folhas, utilizando apenas 15 cm da parte central sem a nervura principal. Após diversos testes para determinar o melhor procedimento de preparo, as folhas foram liofilizadas, moídas e homogeneizadas, obtendo-se 410 frascos do material candidato contendo 20 g cada. A caracterização física mostrou umidade residual do material de 3,8 % e tamanho de partículas < 115 µm. Testes de homogeneidade dentro do frasco e entre frascos foram realizados utilizando INAA e método de Kjeldahl. Os resultados de fração de massa demonstraram a homogeneidade do material dentro de frascos para dezoito elementos, usando massas de 180 mg a 200 mg. Já a homogeneidade entre frascos foi comprovada para vinte elementos. Estudos de estabilidade a curto e a longo prazo demonstraram que o material manteve-se estável nas três condições avaliadas (40°C com umidade relativa a 100%, 20°C e -20°C). A caracterização química final do material foi realizada no National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Estados Unidos, onde foram atribuídos valores para dezoito elementos com respectivas incertezas expandidas associadas: Al, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cs, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sc, Sm, Th e Zn. Além disso, foram atribuídos valores estimativos para Hf, N, P, Sb, Sr e V determinados pelo método de Kjeldahl e INAA / The sugarcane and derived products are of great economic importance for Brazil and several other countries. Many varieties of sugar cane are grown and new varieties have been developed to seek productivity gains. In this sense, certified reference materials (CRMs) are necessary for the quality control of measurement systems and validation of methods, aiming at the study of the nutritional status of the different sugarcane varieties for optimizing fertilization and increasing production. However, according to the international database of certified reference materials (COMAR) there is not a suitable CRM for the assessment of nutritional status of sugarcane. Thus, this work investigates the possibility of producing a reference material from leaves of sugarcane to fulfill such a demand. The work was divided into two main steps: 1) study of sugarcane varieties regarding elemental composition and 2) development of the reference material. Twelve varieties of sugarcane grown in the State of São Paulo were covered in the study: CTC2, CTC4, CTC11, CTC14, CTC15, CTC17, CTC20, IACSP955000, RB855156, RB965902, RB966928 and SP832847. The analytical techniques used for the assessment of composition were neutron activation analysis (NAA) and optical emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP OES), in addition to the Kjeldahl method for determination of N. In general, the results showed macronutrients in adequate levels, while, among the micronutrients, Cu and Zn were found in the critical limit for almost all the varieties studied. The selection of the variety RB966928 for producing the candidate reference material was based on the nutritional characteristics for high productivity, on the lower coefficients of variation of sampling in the field (RSD < 30%) and on the agronomic characteristics. The candidate material was produced from 90 kg of leaves, using only 15 cm from the central part without the main rib. After various tests for determining the best preparation procedure, the leaves were lyophilized, milled and homogenized, obtaining 410 bottles of the candidate material containing 20 g each. The physical characterization found residual moisture of 3.8 % and particle size < 115 µm. Homogeneity tests within and between bottles were performed using NAA and Kjeldahl method. The results confirmed the within bottle homogeneity of the material for all eighteen elements, using masses from 180 mg to 200 mg, while the homogeneity between bottles was confirmed for twenty elements. Stability studies in the short and the long term demonstrated that the material was stable in the three conditions used (40°C with a relative humidity of 100%, 20°C and 20°C). The final characterization of the candidate material was performed at NIST, National Institute of Standards and Technology, United States, where values were assigned for eighteen elements with respective expanded uncertainties: Al, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cs, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sc, Sm, Th, and Zn. In addition, estimated values were also assigned for Hf, N, P, Sb, Sr and V determined by the Kjeldahl method and INAA

The effects of degree of sexual homogeneity, in groups of preschool children, on performance of a task were studied. Twenty four-year-old male children from the Utah State Child Development Laboratories served as subjects. Each subject performed the task of placing pegs in a pegboard during a sixty-second time interval; once in a group of opposite-sex peers; once in a group of same-sex peers; and once on a one-to-one basis with the author. The findings seemed to indicate that preschool children's rate of task performance is not influenced by the presence or absence of peers of the same-and opposite - sex. Differences between scores of subjects under each experimental condition were not significant.

Hospital information systems in China are improving and a casemix system for describing inpatient care is looking more feasible than previously. Implementing a casemix classification system for acute inpatient care in China could help to improve regional planning and hospital quality and efficiency. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Australian DRG system as the basis for developing an acute inpatient casemix system appropriate for China. The applicability of the Australian AR-DRG system has been evaluated (in terms of homogeneity achieved and comparability of rank order) using inpatient data from Chengdu in Sichuan. Homogeneity achieved was good. The R2 value (the coefficient of multiple determination) was 0.12 for LOS and 0.17 for cost using untrimmed data and using (L3H3) trimmed data, R2 was 0.45 for LOS and 0.59 for cost. This explanatory power is comparable to other DRG classification systems although there are a few MDCs in which AR-DRGs exhibit poorer explanatory power. Rank order of groups was generally comparable. The AR-DRG system incorporates hierarchies of DRGs within groups of adjacent DRGs, within medical and surgical partitions and across all DRGs within each MDC. I have compared the ranking of DRGs based on average cost with the ranking assumed by the AR-DRG system, at the adjacent group level, within partitions and at the level of the MDC. I used the Spearman Rank Correlation coefficient to compare DRG order across partitions and whole MDCs. In general the cost relativities of the Chinese inpatient episodes grouped by the AR-DRG system correspond to the logical hierarchies assumed by the system. On this basis Chinese and Australian episodes of care within most of the MDCs appear to reflect the same broad pattern of resource consumption. Further research will be needed to determine where and how the grouping rules used in the AR-DRG system might need to be changed to more accurately reflect Chinese circumstances. For example the cost structures of Chinese health services are different from those in Australia. The Australian Refined DRGs (AR-DRGs) would provide a sound basis from which to develop a Chinese version of DRGs.

Most of Shopping malls in Taiwan locate in downtown. In city Taipei, city Taichung, and city Kaohsiung, homogeneous competitiveness between rapidly growing department stores blooms. The majority of survivalists are with great enterprise groups as capital back-up. Chain shopping mall becomes a trend. The growth of shopping mall steps into a high density and intense competitiveness age. When facing such highly homogeneous competitive shopping malls, how to find the way out from the price competition of the red ocean, and to create the successful market share, is the main point of this paper. In this study, we adopted the Satty¡¦s Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to establish individual multi-estimate criteria models of the key decision-making factors, and then by AHP qualitative and quantitative questionnaires, undertook research and analysis of various key decision-making factors. Finally, the Analytic Hierarchy Process was applied to calculate the ¡§weighting¡¨ and to sequence the priority of these factors so that the weighting of key success factors can be discussed and proved. Through SWOT analysis and five forces as well as a comparison with Treasure Island, the key success factors for the Dream Mall were identified. The result of the research is to help to offer a develop-oriented location of shopping malls and to invent the management strategies which differ from competitors. According to the result of survey that we can define the sequence are transportation, parking, multifunction and customer stratify. Meanwhile, in the factor of transportation which the public transportation system is first priority; in the factor of parking which the parking space is the first priority; in the factor of multifunction which the department store and movie town is the first priority; in the Customer stratify which the safety is most concern by customer. It is helpful and meaningful which provide to President Shopping mall owner define the strategy according to the key success factor.

This thesis examines the spatial representations of India as respectively a nation-state, a colony, and a member of the third-world countries in modern history in Anita Desai¡¦s Clear Light of Day. According to Henri Lefebvre, space is simultaneously a part in the production and a product. An abstract space has a goal in homogeneity; however, the realization of spatial plan is usually interfered by different ideologies. The flow of the entangling ideologies embedded in the novel is embodied in the family house, the modern city, and the imagination of India as a tourist attraction. Chapter One applies Cathy Caruth¡¦s traumatic theory to demonstrate the family house as a symbol of the dominating Hindu nationalist discourse. The separation of the Das family is taken as an allegorical representation of the Partition. Recollecting the traumatic past, the Das encounters repetitively the crisis of identity caused by the separation and the diversity of discourses. The Hindu nationalist discourse has occupied the family house as the position of articulation. The authoritative discourse promotes the establishment of India as a nation-state through excluding the elements of difference. In addition, the colonial design of establishing New Delhi as a modernist capital reflects the British government¡¦s plan to assimilate Indian colony. Chapter Two applies Michel Foucault¡¦s theories of power and space to analyze first British governmentality in making the new capital a homogeneous space and, secondly, the potential resistance generated from the variety of local cultures. Eventually, New Delhi exhibits itself a synthesis of the modern and the tradition, of the western and the local. Chapter Three explores Indian intellectuals¡¦ dilemma of cultural identity in diaspora. As Rey Chow indicates, the third-world intellectuals articulate for the marginalized; however, the minor of the minor has still been left in the dark. While the diplomat Bakul decides to tell the foreigners only the glory of India exclusive of the socio-political calamities, the local reality is estimated as dispensable for the first-world imagination. Furthermore, the Eurocentric grand narrative embedded in the third-world studies locates the diasporic¡¦s recognition of India oscillating between homeland and tourist attraction.

This thesis examines why, in spite of three decades of EO policy, workplace inequality persists between women and men. At the heart of this is the explicit question of whether the law is an effective vehicle for change. This thesis researches and analyses the four predominant areas in the EO policy process: EU approach to EO policy, national approach to EO policy, company approach to EO policy, and employee approach to and use of EO policy. This thesis argues that a liberal approach to the law (men's rules for women's rights) is not an effective means of attaining equality. In terms of both policy content and the process of policy making the status quo is upheld rather than challenged. In terms of policy content, the current trend for reconciliation of work and family, aimed predominantly at women, upholds the 'mother as carer' archetype. This has a marked effect even on women who are not mothers: childless women suffer from anticipatory discrimination yet do not benefit from child based policies. Importantly, this thesis shows that at a workplace with a more traditional EO policy awareness and use of EO policy, as well as attitude towards it, are all low. However, at a workplace with a more proactive EO policy, based on the inclusion of all groups of workers, these three areas are marked considerably higher. Despite their increased presence, women may continue to be marginaIised from policy making because they approach politics differently from men. The things women value, such as conciliation, inclusion, and the pooling of ideas, lose out to the confrontational 'power over' style of a political system designed for men. Research of UK MEP's demonstrates that women and men have different attitudes towards working women, towards EO policy, and towards the changes necessary to affect equality for women. Crucially, unless women's alternative approach is allowed to sit alongside the more traditional liberal approach to policy making, women will continue to be marginalised politically. However, women should not wait for change to happen, but orchestrate their own liberation. Women need to start setting the beat by banging their drums.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Statistics / Wei-Wen Hsu / Evaluating heterogeneity in the class of zero-inflated models has attracted considerable attention in the literature, where the heterogeneity refers to the instances of zero counts generated from two different sources. The mixture probability or the so-called mixing weight in the zero-inflated model is used to measure the extent of such heterogeneity in the population. Typically, the homogeneity tests are employed to examine the mixing weight at zero. Various testing procedures for homogeneity in zero-inflated models, such as score test and Wald test, have been well discussed and established in the literature. However, it is well known that these classical tests require the correct model specification in order to provide valid statistical inferences. In practice, the testing procedure could be performed under model misspecification, which could result in biased and invalid inferences. There are two common misspecifications in zero-inflated models, which are the incorrect specification of the baseline distribution and the misspecified mean function of the baseline distribution. As an empirical evidence, intensive simulation studies revealed that the empirical sizes of the homogeneity tests for zero-inflated models might behave extremely liberal and unstable under these misspecifications for both cross-sectional and correlated count data. We propose a robust score statistic to evaluate heterogeneity in cross-sectional zero-inflated data. Technically, the test is developed based on the Poisson-Gamma mixture model which provides a more general framework to incorporate various baseline distributions without specifying their associated mean function. The testing procedure is further extended to correlated count data. We develop a robust Wald test statistic for correlated count data with the use of working independence model assumption coupled with a sandwich estimator to adjust for any misspecification of the covariance structure in the data. The empirical performances of the proposed robust score test and Wald test are evaluated in simulation studies. It is worth to mention that the proposed Wald test can be implemented easily with minimal programming efforts in a routine statistical software such as SAS. Dental caries data from the Detroit Dental Health Project (DDHP) and Girl Scout data from Scouting Nutrition and Activity Program (SNAP) are used to illustrate the proposed methodologies.

The subject of female leadership has been widely discussed during the last decades and previous studies has shown that the management is unequal in terms of gender. Previous studies regarding female leadership has often been compared to management administered by male leaders. In this study we want to eliminate the thoughts and norms about male leadership and instead focus on differences within a group of female leaders. Therefore, is the aim of this essay to examine how six female leaders experience their leadership and determine if age and former experiences have an effect. The method follows a qualitative research design based on six semi structured interviews. To unveil potential social differences and distinctions between diverse generations, we have compared responses form three older female leaders with at least 25 years of experience, with three younger leaders with less experience. The applied theories in this paper cover gender roles, leadership, habitus and different kinds of recruitment processes. The outcome shows that the differences between the two age groups are relative small. Despite this, the results shows that the perceived gender roles and its obstacles tend to diminish with increased age and experience. / Kvinnligt ledarskap har sedan flera årtionden tillbaka varit ett omtalat ämne där majoriteten av tidigare forskning studerat kvinnligt ledarskap i relation till det manliga. Eftersom samhället successivt förändras, i en riktning där allt fler kvinnliga ledare träder fram, har vi valt att inrikta oss på kvinnligt ledarskap. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka kvinnliga ledares upplevelser av hur det är att arbeta i en ledande position inom den privata sektorn. Vi har valt att jämföra äldre kvinnliga ledare med minst 25 års erfarenhet med yngre kvinnliga ledare med mindre erfarenhet av ledarskap. Anledningen till detta är för att undersöka om eventuella samhälls- och generationsskillnader har en inverkan. Studien tar utgångspunkt i ledarskapsteorier, genusteorier, Bourdieus habitusbegrepp samt olika rekryteringsstrategier. Då fokus har varit att studera kvinnornas upplevelser har vi valt en kvalitativ metod där vi genomfört sex stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studien visade att det är en förvånansvärt liten skillnad i upplevelsen av ledarskap mellan yngre och äldre kvinnliga ledare. Det går dock att konstatera att ökad erfarenhet samt ökande ålder minskar upplevelsen av könsstrukturernas begränsningar.