Magister Artium - MA / This study, in contrast to contemporary held views relating to the US policy premises, aimed to look at the inherent disabilities and inconsistencies of the policies of successive Washington administrations. More so, it investigated the US interventionist strategies to perceived threats from communist regimes and their allies, especially in Southern Africa. To be able to embark on such an investigation, Namibia and the Soviet-Cuban involvement in Southern Africa were selected as a special focus of this study. / South Africa

Magister Legum - LLM / South Africa

This study describes the subjective psychological experience of African women positively living with and dying of HIV/AIDS, with a focus on the significant cognitive, emotional and social themes involved in their subjective sense of coping. HIV-positive African women have been identified as being at risk psychologically, due to gender inequality in African culture and society and the stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDS. Their traditional role as caregivers also places them at risk, but highlights the importance of understanding their experience in order to assist these women and their children. Drawing on interpretive methods within a qualitative research approach, ten women who are coping with their HIV-positive status were interviewed in order to gain an understanding of their experiences of coping with HIV/AIDS. The analysis of the interview material suggests that coping is a process of disconnection and reconnection that entails the ability to know one’s own experience. Coping was found to be a process of mourning in which the individual moves from a time of not coping toward acceptance of their status and the changes this necessitates in their relationships. Resolution of mourning seemed to entail greater integration of these women’s sense of themselves and psychological strength was found to originate in coping with adversity. The study draws on three theoretical approaches, namely positive psychology, object relations theory and analytical psychology. Carl Jung’s theory of individuation and Joseph Campbell’s interpretation of it, The Hero’s Journey, was used as a frame for the theoretical discussion. Within this frame, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’ stages of mourning were integrated with Donald Winnicott’s description of separation in the move from dependence to independence, Winnicott’s ideas around the capacity to be alone, Melanie Klein’s description of the move from the paranoid-schizoid to the depressive position and Wilfred Bion’s ideas around the desire to know one’s own experience. Throughout the discussion a number of concepts from positive psychology were explored, such as: coping styles, social support, participation in life, positive goals, autonomy and resilience. The core of Jung’s theory, which is the integration of all aspects of the self, allowed space to explore distress and coping, both of which are entailed in the process of coping. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

There is an increasing need for tuneable spectrally pure semiconductor laser sources as well as broadband and polarization insensitive semiconductor optical amplifiers based on the InGaASP/InP material system, to be monolithically integrated with other active and passive components in a photonic integrated circuit. This thesis aims to contribute to finding a solution through modelling, experimental characterization and design improvements. In this thesis we have analyzed laterally-coupled distributed feedback (LC-DFB) lasers. These lasers have the gratings etched directly out of the ridge sidewalls thus lowering the cost associated with the re-growth process required if the gratings were otherwise embedded above the active region. The performance characteristics are analyzed for the LC-DFB lasers partitioned into 1-, 2-, and 3-, electrodes with individual bias control at various operating temperatures. The laser exhibits a stable single mode emission at 1560 nm with a current tuning rate of ~14 pm/mA for a tuning of 2.25 nm. The side modes are highly suppressed with a maximum side-mode suppression ratio of 58 dB. The light-current characteristics show a minimum 40 mA threshold current, and power saturation occurring at higher injection currents. The linewidth characteristics show a minimum Lorentzian linewidth of 210 kHz under free-running and further linewidth reduction under feedback operation. The multi-electrode LC-DFB laser devices under appropriate and selective driving conditions exhibit a flat frequency modulation response from 0 to above 300 MHz. The multi-electrode configuration can thus be further exploited for certain requirements. Simulation results and design improvements are also presented. The experimental characterization of semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and Fabry-Perot (FP) laser operating in the E-band are also presented. For the SOA, the linear vertical and horizontal states of polarization corresponding to the transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes were considered. For various input power and bias, performance characteristics shows a peak gain of 21 dBm at 1360 nm, gain bandwidth of 60 nm and polarization sensitivity of under 3 dB obtained for the entire wavelength range analyzed from 1340 to 1440 nm. The analysis presented in this thesis show good results with room for improvement in future designs.

A lacunary series is a Taylor series with large gaps between its non-zero coefficients. In this thesis we exploit these gaps to obtain results of linear independence of values of lacunary series at integer points. As well, we will study different methods found in Diophantine approximation which we use to study arithmetic properties of values of lacunary series at algebraic points. Among these methods will be Mahler's method and a new approach due to Jean-Paul Bézivin.

Au Congo Brazzaville s'est développé, depuis les Trois Glorieuses (13, 14 et 15 août 1963), un espace littéraire très créatif. La plupart de ses écrivains, et particulièrement les romanciers, sont (ont été) engagés, à des titres et à des niveaux divers, dans la vie politique effective de leur pays. Une approche sociocritique des romans congolais à partir des microlectures, dans une perspective intertextuelle, fait émerger la politique comme un moule structurateur de la plupart des fictions. L'analyse du contexte du roman congolais à thématique politique en révèle des particularités (1ère partie). Cette contextualisation permet de comprendre pourquoi le référent politique est si envahissant dans la fiction romanesque congolaise. La thématisation de la politique (2ème partie) comme sujet, motif ou topos permet une meilleure appréhension des univers imaginaires. La représentation des indépendances, des révolutions et de la vie sociale éclaire les complexes rapports entre le scribe et le prince. Les personnages des fictions se positionnent par rapport aux pouvoirs institués comme des révoltés, des révolutionnaires ou des collaborateurs. En général, ils dénoncent le vécu quotidien dans la dissidence et le refus du statu quo. Toute une rhétorique du politique ressort du traitement que les auteurs font de ce dernier (3èmepartie), et met en évidence une politique de l'écriture, à savoir des stratégies d'expression des univers politiques. Sont ainsi utilisés: le masquage par l'anthroponymie et la toponymie, le surgissement d'univers étranges (magique, merveilleux, carnavalesque, onirique, etc.) dans la trame narrative, ainsi que le recours à un langage crypté. Les postures pour dire le politique varient selon les écrivains. Qu'ils participent au pouvoir ou non, et du fait de leurs appartenance à la phratrie, tous se retrouvent en Congolie, contrée imaginaire libérée, et déclarent leurs « rêves du changement », ou leur aspirations à un mieux vivre ensemble, rendu de façon originale par Henri Djombo dans Lumières des temps perdus. Les fictions s'interrogent sur le politique, mais aussi et surtout sur l'acte d'écrire et sa finalité. Les textes posent ainsi une large problématique : la rencontre des champs politique et littéraire, la difficulté de l'écrivain à dire la politique en pays de dictature, ou le statut des valeurs. / In Congo Brazzaville, beginning from the Three Glorious 13th, 14th and 15th August 1963, there developed a very creative literary space. Most of its writers, especially as concerns the novelists, are (have been) committed, by titles and diverse levels, to the political life of their country. From a socio-critical perspective of Congolese novels using micro-lectures, from an intertextual perspective, brings out politics as a structuring mould for most fiction. An analysis of the context of the Congolese novel, with politics as a thematic concern reveals a number of particularities (Part 1). Putting things to context in this manner allows for understanding why the political referent permeates romanistic Congolese fiction. Thematizing politics (Part 2), as subject, motive or topos allows for a better understanding of imaginary universes. The representation of independences, of revolutions and of social life brings light to the complex relationships between the scribe and the prince. Characters in fictions position themselves in revolt to institutionalized powers, as revolutionaries or as collaborators. Generally, they denounce the day to day experience in dissidence and reject the status quo. An entire political rhetoric springs forth from the treatment which the authors give to the latter (Part 3) and establishes a writing policy, namely, strategies of political expression. Here employed are: masking by anthroponomy and toponymy, the cropping up of strange universes, (magic, the sublime, carnival, imaginary, etc) in the plot as well as making use of crypt language. Postures of political expression differ with writers. Whether they participate in power or not, and from the fact of their belonging to the phratry, all find themselves in Congolie, the imaginary liberated territory and declare their « Dream for Change » or their aspirations to a better communal life, rendered in an original manner by Henri Djombo in Lumières des temps perdus. The fictions dwell on politics, but also, and especially on the act of writing and its finality. In this wise, the texts pose a large statement of the problem: the meeting of political and literary spheres, the difficulty of the writer to express political issues in a dictator nation or the statutes of values.

This thesis describes history of Catalan nationalism and analyzes the motives that lead to separatist tendencies in Catalonia. It also focuses on the impact of devolution and separation on Catalonia and Spain. Catalans are a historic nation with their own language and traditions. Since the establishment of the Kingdom of Spain they have sought a greater autonomy within pluralistic Spain until now. In the history, they experienced numerous efforts of assimilation and suppression, mostly during the dictatorship of General Franco. But the Catalans defended their uniqueness and during the transition to democracy and with the new Constitution of 1978, they gained considerable portion of autonomy. In the history, Catalans did not demand independence, they wanted to be part of the federal Spain. However, due to the economic crisis and the rejection of the greater autonomy, Catalan nationalism converted to separatism.

This Master's thesis focuses on the analysis of the competitiveness of the Spanish economy. It studies how to measure and express competitiveness. It also describes the path of Spain to economic growth through periods of recession and looks into the different Spanish economic sectors and thoroughly examines the economic situation of the various autonomous communities. This thesis also includes a case study of the Catalan separatist movement. The last chapter tries to make an economic outlook.

La liberté et l'universalité sont des critères de la moralité fondés en raison et qui n'admettentrien de relatif. Dans cette étude, nous soupçonnons le relativisme d’être à l’origine de la crisemorale d’aujourd’hui. Ensuite, parce ce que ce courant de pensée soulève un doute sur l’unitéde la raison, et donc de la liberté et de l’universalité pour le genre humain. Pour cela, nousvoulons opposer au relativisme la philosophie kantienne, laquelle pose la liberté etl’universalité comme étant deux concepts fondamentaux dans la conception kantienne de lamoralité, atemporels et dépassant le champ de toute expérience. De fait, nous comprenonsmieux l’effort de Kant qui consiste à poser l’autonomie de la volonté comme le principeunique et universel de la morale (pour le genre humain) et à désapprouver toutes les doctrinesmorales qui sont fondées par exemple sur la culture, la religion ou le bonheur personnel. AvecKant, on ne peut donc dériver la morale de tout cela. / Liberty and universality are criteria of morality ; they are grounded in reason and admitnothing relative. In this study, relativism is put into question as being at the origin of today’smoral crisis. More to the point, this school of thought raises a doubt about the unity ofreason, and therefore the liberty and universality for mankind. In this perspective, the thesisconfronts relativism to the Kantian philosophy, which puts forward the concepts of ‘freedom’and ‘universality’ as fundamental in understanding morality that is timeless and goes beyondthe scope of any experience. In fact, we understand better Kant's premise which consists inputting forward the principle of party autonomy as the unique and universal criteria ofmorality (to mankind) and in disapproving all moral doctrines which are based, for example,on culture, religion or personal happiness. From a Kantian point of view, one cannot derivemorality from the latters.

Graphical models in statistics and econometrics provide capability to describe causal relations using causal graph in classical regression analysis and others econometric tools. Goal of this thesis is description of causal modelling of time series with help of structural models of vector autoregression. There is description of procedure of building structural VAR model, principle of graphical models and building model for causal dependence analysis. For purpose of comparison there are used data from both USA and Czech Republic and comparison of similar models for both countries is presented. Best models are then selected, to show causal relations between macroeconomic variables. For purpose of analysis, impulse-response functions are used to show impact of demand shock on GDP and other macro indicators.