Discontinuity surfaces generally consist of undulations termed as roughness. It is well known that surface roughness plays an important role on the shear strength and shear behavior of discontinuities. However, the effect of roughness will not be the same when the direction of shearing changes. This effect causes variation of shear strength with shearing direction or in other words anisotropy on shear strength. In this thesis, an experimental study was performed to investigate the effect of roughness and anisotropy on shear strength. For this purpose, joint samples were prepared using a model material and direct shear tests were conducted at different normal stress levels and shearing directions.

In this work, methylmethacrylate, MMA was polymerized by ATRP method to obtain low molecular weight living polymers. The initiator was p-toluenesulfonylchloride and catalyst ligand complex system were CuCl-4,4&rsquo / dimethyl 2,2&rsquo / bipyridine. Polymers with controlled molecular weight were obtained. The polymer chains were shown by NMR investigation to be mostly syndiotactic. The molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of some polymer samples were measured by GPC method. The K and a constants in [h]=K Ma equation were measured as 9.13x10-5 and 0.74, respectively. FT-IR and X-Ray results showed regularity in polymer chains. The molecular weight-Tg relations were verified from results of molecular weight-DSC results.

The purpose of this thesis is to research the relation between spatial structures and social relations including the cultural ones. This study specifically researches the relation between the construction and the representation of urban space and urban culture in Sakarya Caddesi as an instance of society-space interaction. This research focuses on Sakarya Caddesi where various urban cultural practices such as entertainment, has intensified. It deals with the constitution and representation of this entertainment space and researches how a particular place is constructed materially and imaginarily, how different social actors perceive, interpret and constitute a particular place in different ways. Accordingly, the contestation over the representation and use of place is discussed in this study. In order to comprehend a local place and culture, the issues should be thought in a wider context. Therefore, Sakarya Caddesi which is a part of urban space and the urban practices which occur in this area, are evaluated in global context. This study, discusses the influences of global changes on urban space, urban cultural practices and lifestyles. Discussing Sakarya Caddesi and its culture through discourses, this thesis relates spatial categories with some concepts of cultural politics such as identity.

The year of 1989 was a milestone in re-creation of the European continent and the relations between states of Western and Eastern Europe. After the collapse of Eastern Bloc, namely the end of the Cold War era, the relations were reshaped and there was a convergence of the Western and Eastern sides of the continent to common values, rules and political and economic structures. As a result of these new developments in the continent, the fifth enlargement wave of the European Union occurred. This was a controversial issue for the entire Europe. According to many scholars and researchers, Poland&rsquo / s political history and geography caused Poland to be perceived as a special case for the European Union. Poland could be seen as the most difficult candidate for the European Union membership in terms of its population and size. Because of its so-called &ldquo / special position&rdquo / , its membership was discussed in terms of whether being a stumbling block in the enlargement process. The main motivations behind Poland&rsquo / s goal of being a member of the Union were political and security-related. On the other hand, the challenges of membership were mostly concerning economic effects of membership on &ldquo / losers&rdquo / of the process, and social issues. Accession and integration process was a very difficult and complex period for all candidate countries. Poland created new institutions, bodies and charged many people for this process. The analysis of the organisational structure established in Poland for negotiations and the entire integration process shows that Poland created a well-functioning and efficient structure and was able to execute a stable integration process. The negotiations were carried out in 31 chapters with each candidate country. While some negotiation chapters could be accepted as easy topics, some of them required a hard &ldquo / bargaining&rdquo / in order to close the chapter. Five problematic chapters, free movement of persons, free movement of capital (particularly acquisition of real estate by foreigners), agriculture, environment, financial and budgetary provisions, could be accepted as the examples of tricky and hard negotiation chapters. As a conclusion, it can be said that Poland achieved NATO and EU membership, which were its twin goals in 1990s. Although, Poland was perceived as one of the most controversial candidates in European Union&rsquo / s most comprehensive and difficult enlargement movement, the &ldquo / big bang&rdquo / , it could constitute well-functioning coordination mechanisms and conclude the negotiations on time with the other candidate countries. Poland did not become a stumbling block in the enlargement process and concluded its accession process successfully.

This study presents a contrastive analysis of the pronominal uses of this and that in academic written discourse. As data, the pronominal uses of this and that are retrieved from journal articles on linguistics. From these journals, 586 articles are scanned for the pronominal uses of this and that and 198 tokens are analysed. The contrastive analysis is done in terms of the kind and span of referents this and that pick out in discourse, the types of centering transitions they signal and the rhetorical relations in which they are used. In order to investigate the types of transition they signal, the version of centering theory proposed by Grosz and Sidner (1986) and Grosz, Joshi and Weinstein (1995) is used. Also, Marcu&rsquo / s version (2000) of Rhetorical Structure Theory is used to analyze the rhetorical relations in which the expressions are used. The study also investigate the possible factors that lead an addresser to select one deictic expression instead of the other. The study concludes that this and that are cue phrases rather than discourse markers that construct local and global coherence.

This thesis attempts to understand and conceptualize the contemporary popularity of conspiracy theories. While doing this, conspiracy theories are approached as symptoms of current society. Moreover, the issue of what peculiar characteristics of contemporary society are responsible from conspiracy theories has been discussed. Heretofore, the concept of conspiracy theory is defined and its dangerous traits such as, being anti-scientific knowledge types and their ability to be used by fundamentalist ideologies, have been elaborated. In this regard, the success of conspiracy theories is associated with a crisis of modern ideals of society. In this context, Karl Popper&rsquo / s &ldquo / Open Society&rdquo / ideal and his scientific methodology was updated and stressed upon to widen the discussion on conspiracy theories with the reason that Popperian logic offer crucial solutions about widespread conspiracy theories. Lastly, and in parallel to Popper&rsquo / s deductive logic, the arguments about the reasons of conspiracy theories are tested within the context of two different discussions. First, a discussion on Turkish cultural transformation after 1980s was made in order to understand whether the symptoms which were held responsible from popularity of conspiracy theories are applicable and observable in the Turkish case or not. As a second part, the analysis of a book Efendi, which is a popular conspiracy theory in Turkey will be discussed. In consequence, conspiracy theories and conspirational thinking are presented as important and dangerous symptoms of current society, whose reasons should be understood and conceptualized for the sake of peace and democracy.

Abstract: This palynostratigraphic study of Mesozoic successions in hydrocarbon-prospective Tanzanian coastal basins utilizes cores, ditch cuttings, and outcrop samples. These contain rich and diverse dinoflagellate suites ranging in age from Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) to earliest late Cretaceous (Cenomanian). Spores and pollen grains are also recorded, but these are, with some exceptions, subordinate to the dinoflagellate components.In the systematic section, one new dinoflagellate cyst genus, Kipatimudinium, is formally described and nine new species are established: Amphorulla ruvuense, Dichadogonyaulax mandawaense, Egmontodinium annaiae, Hystrichodinium playfordii, Kipatimudinium foliatum (type species), Limbodinium patulum, Pseudoceratium redactum, Sentusidinium tanzaniensis, and Yalkalpodinium africanum. Six, informal, stratigraphically successive dinoflagellate assemblages are distinguished:Assemblage I (Bajocian-Bathonian); Assemblage II (Callovian); Assemblage III (Oxfordian); Assemblage IV (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian); Assemblage V (Berriasian-Barremian); and Assemblage VI (Aptian-Cenomanian).Coastal Tanzania appears referable to the Austral dinoflagellate realm due to the presence of, inter alia, Broomea ramosa, Komewuia glabra, Wanaea clathrata, and Wanaea digitata. Some minor biostratigraphic anomalies are noted, including the introduction of Glossodinium dimorphum; this is datable as early Oxfordian in Tanzania whereas in Australasia the species appears earlier (in the Callovian). A few noteworthy quantitative phenomena are evident; for instance, the abundance of Lithodinia jurassica in the vicinity of the Callovian-Oxfordian boundary and the marked increase of Wanaea spp. in the Oxfordian, specifically in the Ruvu Basin of the northern coastal belt. These events are of chronostratigraphic significance and could be applicable to regional correlation. Middle-Late Jurassic assemblages show a conspicuous degree of cosmopolitanism, and include some species previously considered to be restricted to certain regions in the low and high latitudes.The Early Cretaceous (Berriasian-Barremian) assemblages show close affinity to the Tethyan Realm. The latest Early Cretaceous (Albian) to earliest Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) strata are allied to the Albian-Cenomanian Elaterates province. The presence of elater-bearing pollen in offshore and onshore sections of Tanzania indicates that the elaterates had a wider geographic distribution than previously reported: i.e., extending beyond the northern part of the African and South American continents.The lower part of the Kipatimu Formation, which contains Assemblage IV, yielded Komewuia glabra, Broomea ramosa, and Rigaudella aemula and their presence precludes the Early Cretaceous age previously ascribed to this part of the formation. Likewise the Makonde and Mkindani Beds have yielded typically Early Cretaceous pollen grains including Classopollis braziliensis, Retitricolpites vulgaris, and Elaterocolpites castelainii.The Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary is coincident with the upper limit of Assemblage IV based on the last appearances of, in particular, Komewuia glabra and Rigaudella aemula. Within the Kipatimu Formation (as represented in wells SS-5 and SS-7), the systemic boundary appears conformable. But elsewhere in the coastal belt, the boundary is clearly unconformable.On the basis of palynostratigraphic data, significant biostratigraphic events, such as introductions and exits of certain dinoflagellate species often match sequence boundaries.From palynofacies analyses and palynostratigraphic data the Kipatimu Formation is dominated by phytoclasts indicating high terrestrial inputs during its deposition. Abundance of black wood (of high buoyancy) in the majority of samples implies high energy settings and abundance of brown wood (less buoyant) is an indication of a sudden terrestrial input into the marine system. The organic composition of sedimentary rocks is an important means of which the depositional history of the enclosing sediments can be understood. Different environmental settings clearly influence the character of palynofacies. For example, abundant chorate cysts (e.g., Systematophora spp.) in samples from the upper sections of SS-5 suggest open marine settings. Therefore, palynofacies analyses can be viewed as providing useful pointers to interpreting the environmental circumstances in which the rocks, in this case the Kipatimu Formation, were deposited.

Abstract The aim of this study was to understand the relationships among the personality traits, risk attitudes, risk management practices, and decision making processes of dairy farmers in SE Queensland. Risk management and decision making processes are two of many components of managerial ability. The hypothesis was proposed that dairy farmers’ personalities influence their risk attitudes, decision making processes, and risk management abilities. Case studies of 46 dairy farmers in SE Queensland involving the completion of personality inventories (NEO-PI-R) based on the Five-Factor Model of personality; questionnaires and informal interviews were used to test the hypotheses. The thesis contains three parts. The first part, Chapter 1, is the introduction to the thesis. The second part of the thesis, Chapter 2 through Chapter 6, consists of an extensive review of the literature on the major topics pertinent to the project. In Chapter 2, a definition of “competence” in the context of this study is given, and an explanation of the evidence for a connection between personality and competence and thus job performance is detailed. In Chapter 3, the literature on personality is reviewed with particular emphasis on trait theory and the development of the Five-Factor Model of personality (FFM). In Chapter 4, the literature review on personality assessment using testing instruments designed for use in the context of the FFM is presented, and the rationale for the personality test instrument is expounded. It is the task of the manager to manage risk, so that considering risk attitude when making decisions is also an integral part of the study of the role of managers. Chapter 5 reviews the contemporary literature on risk and risk management with an emphasis on the application of risk management principles to dairy farms. In Chapter 6, the literature on decision theory is reviewed. Decision-making and risk management are intertwined. The behaviour resulting from the process of making a decision reflects the personality and risk attitude of the decision-maker. In this chapter, the distinction is made between formal and informal models of decision making, and examples are given. The third part of the project comprises Chapters 7 through Chapter 11. Chapter 7 outlines the research approach used – case studies - and paves the way for the following two chapters, which present a qualitative and a quantitative analysis of the data from the case studies. Chapter 8 presents part 1 of the investigation - the qualitative analysis of the case studies. This chapter introduces and explains the terminology used in the questionnaire and examines the trends and feeling in the farmers’ answers. Chapter 9 presents part 2 of the analysis – quantitative results of the personality assessments and interviews from the case studies with SE Queensland dairy farmers which were conducted to assess their risk management and decision making abilities. Chapter 10 provides a summary of the research findings, and then discusses the results with respect to the diverse responses of farmers to common external pressures. The chapter discusses the relevance of personality to the formation of management strategy and concludes with a short introduction to systems thinking as a way of thinking about the complex systems inherent in dairy farming. Chapter 11 reviews the subjects covered in the thesis and draws conclusions from the research. It outlines implications for policy makers and managers and proposes directions for further research in this area of investigation. Key Words: Five-Factor Model of Personality, risk, decision making processes, dairy farmers, management

Abstract The task of the master's thesis was on the 10 meat products to determine the basic analytical value (content of water, fat, salt), then perform a sensory evaluation of measured data and confront with the sales price. The measured values for the sample analysis: the average water content: 76,34 %. The average fat content: 47,50 %. The average protein content was: 16,46 %. The average content of collagen, 3,23 %. And the average value of the salt content was 2,92 %. When the guest sensory the products were of the more expensive price category usually ranked better, but there were exceptions.

The teacher of the primary education at elementary school is becoming an important authority in the process of school attendance of every student. This is the reason for a preparation and knowledge in a variety of different subjects from various fields, more than in the case of the specialized teacher, because the general outlook and professionalism is expected. This diploma thesis is divided into a theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part deals with the problematic of preparation of the teacher for the profession in Czech Republic and abroad. Further it contains chapters touching the personality of the teacher and the key teacher's competences. The practical part presents the results of mixed research realized on students of the first and fifth years. For the purposes of the research survey the method of interview and questionnaire were used. The aim of this diploma thesis and the research survey is to outline the view and the expectations of the first and fifth year students of the primary education at the pedagogical faculty. Together with this aim the comparison of the results of the Hana Reifova's diploma thesis dealing with a similar question from the point of view of the beginner teacher is noticeable.