Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Framed by the South African imperative of widening epistemological access to undergraduate science studies, this research takes the form of a case study to investigate the educational affordances of an extended introductory physics course. Using theoretical tools from Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) (Maton, 2014a) – in particular, semantic gravity and semantic density – the study characterizes the pedagogical practices and student learning in this Extended course, in relation to a Mainstream course in the same Physics Department. Data was collected through classroom observations, observations of student groups working on Mechanics physics tasks, and interviews with students. Two external languages of description were developed in order to translate between the LCT concepts of semantic gravity and semantic density and the empirical data from the physics context. The first language of description was used to characterize the semantic shifts in pedagogical practices, using a Concrete-Linking-Abstract continuum. The second language of description drew on physics education research on representations (Knight, 2007; Van Heuvelen, 1991a) tasks. Semantic profiles (Maton, 2013) were then constructed to show the semantic shifts in the pedagogical practices and in lecturers’ and students’ approaches to physics tasks. The study has shown that the extra curriculum time enabled different pedagogical practices. The Extended course showed a steady progression in pacing, initially with a less compressed semantic profile, while the Mainstream course showed a consistent compression. The Extended course showed a greater prevalence of the Linking level, with more time spent at the Concrete level and greater semantic flow. The courses also exhibited different communicative approaches, with students in the Extended course more engaged in making the semantic shifts together with the lecturer. The Extended course used more real-life illustrations as a starting point, whereas the Mainstream course tended to use verbal problem statements. Looking particularly at how problem tasks were dealt with, the study suggested that the lecturers’ pedagogical practices in dealing with physics tasks influenced the way in which the students tackled these tasks. The semantic profiles showed a more rapid shift up the semantic continuum in the Mainstream pedagogy and student work, while in the Extended pedagogy and student work, the semantic profiles indicated that more time was spent initially unpacking the concrete problem situation and explicitly shifting up and down the semantic continuum. In terms of methodological contribution, this study has demonstrated the usefulness of LCT tools for characterizing pedagogical practices and student learning in a physics context. Furthermore, the study has linked LCT to physics education literature and to research on epistemological access and academic literacies in a novel way. It has modified Maton’s form of semantic profiling, through introducing the following: a more detailed time scale, gradations of semantic strength on the semantic continuum, and coding for interactive engagement in pedagogical practices. The study thus has important implications for how curriculum and pedagogical practices might better support epistemological access to disciplinary knowledge in the field of physics, not only at the Extended course level but for introductory physics courses more generally.

Studiens syfte var att genom intervjuer med verksamma gymnasielärare inom ämnet Svenska som andraspråk undersöka hur de arbetar med det centrala innehållet jämförelse mellan svenska och elevens modersmål i kursen Svenska som andraspråk 1. De intervjuade lärarna berörde fyra olika teman: andraspråksutveckling, transspråkande, språktypologi och språksociologi. Språksociologi utgör det område inom vilken lärare aktivt arbetar med språkjämförelse även om språktypologiska övningar förekommer i undervisningen där jämförelse mellan språken är i fokus. Lärarna beskrev transspråkande som ett arbetssätt att arbeta med språkjämförelse samt var elevernas andraspråksutveckling ständigt närvarande vid lärares motivering av sin praktik. Teman analyserades utifrån dimensionen specialisering där lärares beskrivna undervisning tolkas utifrån hur det antingen förekommer högre grad av fokus på kunskapsinnehåll eller högre grad av fokus på eleverna och deras förhållande till sitt modersmål. Resultatet visade att lärarna arbetade med språkjämförelsen i högre grad för att stärka elevernas identitetsskapande samt utifrån ett synsätt där flerspråkighet i klassrummet ses som något naturligt.

Suite à la tendance de miniaturisation des convertisseurs d'électronique de puissance, un type de composant passif hybride mariant trois composants conventionnels y compris une inductance, un condensateur et un transformateur est étudié au G2Elab depuis 2001. Ce composant baptisé LCT donne plusieurs avantages tant en terme d'intégration qu'en performance. Pourtant, le dimensionnement classique des composants passifs ne garantisse pas de résultats optimaux pour les composant LCT. En contexte d'optimiser du dimensionnement des ces composants, cette thèse propose une nouvelle approche. L'optimisation se base tout d'abord sur une modélisation électrodynamique qui est quand à-t-elle basé sur la méthode du schéma équivalent des plaques déjà développé au G2Elab, ensuite sur une modélisation thermique analytique des composant magnétique planar. L'outil d'optimisation du dimensionnement permet de minimiser le volume des composants LCT sous une contrainte principale de la thermique. Les travaux expérimentaux constituent un moyen important pour la validation des modèles développés.

Dans le contexte de l'amélioration de la compacité des alimentations d'électronique de puissance, l'intégration des composants passifs constitue l'un des principaux leviers pour atteindre des niveaux de miniaturisation conséquents. Dans ce cadre, différents travaux ont déjà été engagés de part le monde. Les travaux présentés dans ce mémoire concernent la réduction des volumes des composants passifs, inductance - transformateur – condensateur, indispensables à toute structure d'électronique de puissance, en mariant ces trois éléments en un seul et unique appelé composant « LCT ». L'adaptabilité de cette association dépend en grande partie des performances des diélectriques utilisables dans cette réalisation permettant l'intégration de capacités élevées pour ainsi insérer ce dispositif LCT dans tout type de structure. Actuellement, le développement des matériaux ne permettant pas d'envisager toutes les applications classiquement rencontrées en électronique de puissance, nous avons étudié une nouvelle structure de convertisseur à transfert d'énergie mixte (MET) adaptée au LCT pouvant offrir un intérêt industriel dans un futur proche compte tenu de sa similitude avec une alimentation à découpage classique Forward. Outre les matériaux diélectriques en cours d'évolution, l'expansion de ce concept passe par un travail de modélisation conséquent, ainsi que par des technologies de mise en œuvre performantes comme les circuits multicouches. A l'issu de ce travail, un prototype a été réalisé dont les performances sont présentées, comprenant un composant LCT au sein de cette structure MET.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia, particularly In the information and communications technology (lCT) sector, are faced with an increasingly volatile environment. The Malaysian business scene has opened up their markets to the world where smaller businesses find themselves competing with newly launched multinational subsidiary and subdivision companies, along with the large local firms. The Malaysian Government has launched several campaigns and support for smaller local businesses to be more competitive and to continuously compete at par with these larger companies. This research project supports the Malaysian Government's objective of instilling a more structured approach towards a more competitive SME by focusing on the management of competitive information related to these companies. In recognising the rising need for competitive support, management and executives are increasingly relying on a concept called Competitive Intelligence (Cl), a systematic and ethical process for gathering, analysing, and managing information that can affect a company's plans, decisions, and operation. In managing competitive information, several companies have emerged especially to develop online tools and software that would enhance the Cl process and the value competitive intelligence brings to organisations. The success of these Cl software tools depends, however, on the sophistication of an organisation's understanding of the Cl process and scope of usage. Different companies derive different values from different approaches to competitive intelligence, and therefore require a flexible tool that is very specific to the company's needs. Therefore, this research investigated the structures and contexts of Malaysian Small and Mediumsized Enterprises (SMEs) based on competitive intelligence (Cl) concepts to derive a more customised approach to the use of Cl for SMEs in the ICT sector, as well as in the selection of appropriate Cl software. Mintzberg's approaches to analysing organisational structures and contexts, Bouthillier and Shearer's Intelligence Cycle, Herring's Key Intelligence Topics, and Davis' concept of effectiveness were used in two main stages. The first stage involved identifying the nature and range of SMEs, which exist under Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor, a government benchmarking body for local businesses. This gives an account, on the basis of cluster analysis, of a taxonomy of SME categories consisted of ten clusters. The relationships between the categories were also examined in the first stage of the research. The relationships and clusters found in the first part of the research offered the basis for the second part of the research, which constructs the criteria for evaluating online tools and software for competitive intelligence. The evaluation criteria are then used to evaluate eight Cl-ready software packages in finding suitable tools for the different categories of SMEs. Finally, the research concludes with a study of the prospective users' perceptions of effectiveness in SMEs drawn from the identified clusters. This 'multiple constituency' approach to understanding effectiveness evaluates both Davis' concept of effectiveness (usefulness), as well as the differential evaluations of perceived effectiveness. The research findings provide evidence of a range of SME structures in a variety of contexts. Levels of importance placed on different levels in the Cl process are identified, as well as aspects that need support, automation and/or augmentation. The software evaluation in the second part of the research provided ten recommendations of suitable software package(s) for each SME cluster. However, an initial review by SME managers of perceived effectiveness mostly did not reveal results that were parallel to the findings from the software evaluation study. All in all, the research confirms that SMEs can be analysed by clusters but further research would be necessary to confirm the effectiveness of using the recommended Cl software over a longer period of time.

Les travaux présentés dans ce mémoire s'inscrivent dans une thématique nouvelle pour 1*équipe Electronique de Puissance du LEG : "l'intégration hybride des composants passifs". Us portent sur la conception de composants passifs et s'attardent sur leur modélisation, leur réalisation et leur caractensation. Ces composants seront employés au sein d'un convertisseur AC-DC à prélèvement sinusoïdal qui servira de support à notre étude. Il ressort d'une évaluation de quelques convertisseurs que la structure à résonance série se prête bien à l'intégration. Les effets des interactions électriques en haute fréquence ont été pris en compte grâce à une nouvelle formulation axisymétrique. Cette dernière couplée avec les équations de circuit électrique s'avère bien adaptée pour la caractérisation électromagnétique des composants magnétiques. Les travaux de modélisation des composants passifs, développés au LEG, ont permis de caractériser la structure LCT en prenant en compte tous les aspects utiles de son comportement. Cela a conduit, en particulier, à l'évaluation des pertes dues au diélectrique. Les mesures ont montré que la structure LCT intégrée apporte surtout une meilleure compacité.

Last chance tourism (LCT) is defined as an endangered place due to climate change which creates motivations for tourists to travel to these places before they vanish. These trips also involve interaction with and observation of rare species that is about to disappear due to climate change. By integrating the Value-Belief-Norm and cognitive dissonance theory models, the main purpose of this research was to investigate psychological antecedents of engaging in LCT in higher educational institutions in Sweden. A survey was administered to 234 academics on seven universities in Sweden consisting of items measuring beliefs, pro-environmental personal norms, cognitive dissonance, and intentions to engage in Last Chance Tourism. The data was later analyzed using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation (PLS-SEM) approach. The results revealed a significant impact of cognitive dissonance on intentions to engage in LCT. These findings are important since they support the advantage of using cognitive dissonance theory within the context of LCT. The implications will hopefully spark an interest among academics to develop a sustainable tourism rescue plan and transfer this knowledge to a younger generation. For practitioners, this could be food for fought for organizations that are operating within the field of LCT.

The objectives of the thesis were to find the mechanisms that govern compression failures in paperboard and to find the link between manufacturing process and paperboard properties. The thesis also investigates two different test methods and evaluates how suitable they are for paperboard grades. The materials are several commercial board grades and a set of hand-formed dynamic sheets that are made to mimic the construction of commercial paperboard. The method consists of mounting a stereomicroscope on a short-span compression tester and recording the compression failure on video, long-span compression testing and standard properties testing. The observed failure modes of paperboard under compression were classified into four categories depending on the appearance of the failures. Initiation of failure takes place where the structure is weakest and fiber buckling happens after the initiation, which consists of breaking of fiber-fiber bonds or fiber wall delamination. The compression strength is correlated to density and operations and raw materials that increase the density also increases the compression strength. Short-span compression and Long-span compression are not suitable for testing all kinds of papers; the clamps in short-span give bulky specimens an initial geometrical shape that can affect the given value of compression strength. Long-span compression is only suitable for a limited range of papers, one problem with too thin papers are low wavelength buckling.

Submitted by Beatriz Kiss (etikiss@gmail.com) on 2018-07-21T15:36:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Beatriz C K Kiss_MPA2018_VF.pdf: 5774553 bytes, checksum: f7a736345e8bcf3d363db5e574484eb1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Mayara Costa de Sousa (mayara.sousa@fgv.br) on 2018-07-31T18:28:48Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Beatriz C K Kiss_MPA2018_VF.pdf: 5774553 bytes, checksum: f7a736345e8bcf3d363db5e574484eb1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzane Guimarães (suzane.guimaraes@fgv.br) on 2018-08-01T12:44:54Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Beatriz C K Kiss_MPA2018_VF.pdf: 5774553 bytes, checksum: f7a736345e8bcf3d363db5e574484eb1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-01T12:44:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Beatriz C K Kiss_MPA2018_VF.pdf: 5774553 bytes, checksum: f7a736345e8bcf3d363db5e574484eb1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-07-03 / Este trabalho apresenta uma análise da inserção do Pensamento de Ciclo de Vida (PCV) na gestão empresarial e se este conceito tem permeado as diversas áreas das empresas. Para ilustrar a pesquisa foram analisados três casos de empresas brasileiras que já utilizam a técnica de Avaliação de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) para mensurar os impactos ambientais de seus produtos e que desenvolvem atividades relacionadas ao tema. A partir de uma análise qualitativa dos elementos internos das empresas e dos fatores influenciadores externos, buscou-se identificar o estágio de maturidade de cada empresa frente à incorporação do PCV em sua gestão – dentro de seu contexto setorial nacional. Para isso, foram mapeados os desafios desse processo e as etapas envolvidas no uso do PCV e dos resultados de estudos de ACV na construção das estratégias de sustentabilidade das empresas. Também foram identificados os benefícios presentes e futuros para as empresas e para suas cadeias de valor. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que a ACV é uma ferramenta abrangente e valiosa para os gestores e tomadores de decisão corporativos, mas ainda pouco utilizada no contexto empresarial brasileiro. Os principais motivos para tal fato são: (i) a falta de conhecimento das diversas aplicações da ACV pelas empresas; (ii) a baixa integração entre as diversas áreas da empresa; (iii) a necessidade de desenvolvimento de competências específicas nas empresas; (iv) os desafios relacionados à comunicação dos resultados de estudos de ACV; e (v) a baixa compreensão e maturidade do tema de ciclo de vida na sociedade brasileira. Outro resultado relevante diz respeito aos benefícios alcançados pelas empresas estudadas: como estas já encontram-se em estágio mais avançado na inclusão do PCV em sua gestão, estas obtêm benefícios e vantagens frente a seus concorrentes. Essas se dão a partir da oferta de produtos (bens e serviços) menos impactantes ao meio ambiente, como resultado da reestruturação de seus produtos, processos e da forma como se relacionam com sua cadeia de valor e com seus clientes. / This study presents an analysis of the inclusion of the Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) in the business management process and whether this concept has been incorporated in the different corporate divisions. In order to illustrate this research, an analysis was conducted with three study cases from Brazilian companies that are already using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) technique to measure the environmental impacts of their products and that are developing other related activities. A qualitative evaluation of both the internal aspects and the external influential elements was carried out, aiming at classifying the maturity level of the companies in the integration of the LCT into their management strategies within their sectorial context. The challenges and milestones of this process were mapped, taking into account the use of the LCT and the LCA studies’ results in the construction of the companies’ sustainability strategies. Furthermore, the current and future benefits for the businesses and their value chains were identified. The results of the research indicate that LCA is a comprehensive and valuable tool for corporate managers and decision makers, but still underutilised in the Brazilian business context. The main reasons for this scenario are: (i) the lack of knowledge regarding the various applicabilities of a LCA for businesses; (ii) the low integration among companies’ divisions; (iii) the need for developing specific skills and competencies in the companies; (iv) the challenges of communicating LCA results; and (v) the low maturity level and understanding of the life cycle issue in the Brazilian society. Another relevant outcome refers to the benefits achieved by the cases studied: as these companies have already reached a more advanced level in the inclusion of the LCT in their management practices, they have benefits and advantages over their competitors. These arise from the offer of products (good and services) with reduced environmental impacts. The impacts reduction can be conquered by the redesign of the company’s products, restructuring of processes as well as the rethinking of the way they do businesses and relate with their value chain and clients.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / It has been noted by Lin (2013) that studies on multilingual talk, as illustrated by code switching in the classroom, have been repetitive and descriptive, and have for a while not been underpinned by substantially new or different questions (Lin, 2013:15). First, many of the studies in the literature have, for instance, concluded that there is a functional allocation of languages (FAL) in multilingual classroom teacher talk (e.g. Baker, 2012; Martin, 1996; Probyn, 2006, 2014; Jegede, 2012; Modupeola, 2013; Salami, 2008), such that language „a‟ is used for presentational knowledge, and language „b‟ is used for explanatory knowledge, and these claims have not been subjected to sustained scrutiny. Secondly, codeswitching and translanguaging increasingly have been the dominant and exclusive frameworks used, and this has limited the kinds of insights that can be obtained or the kinds of questions that can be posed. Thirdly, where the effects of multilingual teacher talk on students‟ understanding or knowledge are at all captured in studies, such effects have either been based on researcher intuition or have not been the object of sustained empirical demonstration. Fourthly, many studies have assumed merely that it is the configuration of languages that produces claimed effects of multilingual teacher talk, and attention has hardly been paid to repetition of content or to knowledge structure. Fifthly, it is not often the case that studies or findings are presented in a nuanced form that takes into account the possible effect of different subject types, school types or levels of study. Sixthly, and overall, many studies making claims on the effect of teacher‟s code-switching or trans-languaging on students‟ knowledge do not theoretically engage with knowledge, beyond the distinction between presentational and explanatory forms of knowledge, thus illustrating what Maton (2013) regards as “knowledge-blindness” (that is, the paradox of limited engagement with knowledge structures in pedagogical research making knowledge claims). As a result, little is known about how specific units of knowledge are encoded according to categories in a theory of knowledge, how knowledge encodings interface with languages, and how composite knowledge structures-language profiles can be visualised. This study draws on Legitimation Code Theory Semantic and Terminology Theory in order to investigate the interface of language and knowledge in multilingual teacher-talk in science and business studies classrooms in Yola, North-Eastern Nigeria. This focus should make it possible to answer questions such as the following which, though important, have not often been posed on account of the limited engagement in the research on classroom multilingualism with theories of knowledge: a) to what extent is it appropriate to claim that there is a functional allocation of language in multilingual teacher-talk (in which language „a‟ is used for so-called presentational knowledge, and language „b‟ for explanatory knowledge)?; b) what kinds of encodings of knowledge occur in a set of science and business studies lessons?; c) given documented visual patterns of knowledge dynamics emerging from recent research in the sociology of knowledge (e.g. semantic waves, semantic flatlines both high and low, downward shift and upward shift), (Maton: 2013, 2014a, 2014b), what knowledge profiles are observable and how does language use in multilingual teacher-talk map onto these patterns?; d) how are any observed differences in the composite knowledge-language profiles to be explained?; and e) what effects do various language-knowledge profiles have on students‟ understanding of the lesson and on their demonstration of their knowledge? Data for the study was derived from transcripts of audio-recorded multilingual teacher-talk in two subjects (integrated science and business studies) as taught in grades seven and nine in four secondary schools (two private and two public schools) in Yola, North-East Nigeria. Findings show, among others, that it is not always the case that the official classroom language (English) is used for introductory discourses, and the non-official classroom languages are used for explanatory discourses. Findings further reveal that it is not primarily the functional allocation of languages that explains perceptions or empirical claims of enhanced student understanding. We also observed that the number of content iterations, combined with knowledge structures, is an important factor that enhances or explains the performance of students. While this research has paid a lot of attention to teacher talk in the classrooms in two sites in Yola, North-East, Nigeria, where the use of Hausa and Fulfulde languages by the students is mainly in the spoken form, it would be interesting for future research to replicate this type of study in an environment where the non-official language of the classroom is perhaps used more frequently in reading and writing.