M.B.A. / The aim of this research is to determine whether a glass ceiling does exist in education, and if so, possible reasons why women teachers fail to break through the so-called "glass ceiling". Objectives The objectives identified include the following: To determine historical perspectives on women and work To explore the incidence of glass ceilings To ascertain the value the Department of Education places on women teachers To determine by means of questionnaires whether there is a 'glass ceiling' in education To determine issues relating to the inability of so few women teachers to break through the glass ceiling

Le sujet de cette thèse est né de l'observation de phénomènes incompris des mécanismes à l'origine des très faibles efficacités de discrimination neutron/gamma (n/g) dans les scintillateurs plastiques en comparaison à leurs homologues liquides. Le flash lumineux qu'ils génèrent suite à une interaction avec un rayonnement ionisant (majoritairement des protons de recul dans le cas des neutrons et des électrons dans le cas des gamma) présente des caractéristiques temporelles qui dépendent de la nature de la particule détectée (type et énergie). C'est sur la forme du signal que la séparation peut être réalisée (PSD). Les scintillateurs liquides ont largement été étudiés. C'est seulement récemment qu'il a été démontré qu'une séparation nette pouvait être réalisée à l'aide de plastiques spécialement conçus. L'étude de ces systèmes et la compréhension des processus photophysiques en plastique par rapport à leur efficacité de PSD est toujours d'actualité. Ce travail est dédié à la compréhension des phénomènes en amont des émissions de luminescence, juste après l'interaction rayonnement/matière. Dans un premier temps un état de l'art qui s'étend de 1960 à nos jours a été réalisé. Une deuxième partie est consacrée à la caractérisation des matériaux scintillants mis en jeu pour définir leurs propriétés de fluorescence et de scintillation sous rayonnement. La troisième partie se focalise sur la simulation de traces neutrons via un faisceau de protons pour quantifier dans des conditions contrôlées leur dépôt spécifique d'énergie dans notre plastique présentant des capacités de discrimination n/g-. Une quatrième partie est dévolue à la détermination de leur efficacité de PSD en fonction de leurs paramètres de structure moléculaire. Ces travaux ont conduit à la préparation d'un plastique dans notre laboratoire présentant des propriétés de PSD considérées efficaces, ce qui a donné lieu à un dépôt de brevet. Enfin une étude photophysique conclut ce travail à l'aide d'un laser femtoseconde pour simuler de façon purement optique des interactions neutron avec la matière donnant lieu à de la fluorescence retardée. Nous tentons ainsi de définir la nature des transferts d'énergie mis en jeu. Nous concluons enfin sur la corrélation structure/propriétés de discrimination. Ces avancées permettront de guider le potentiel en termes d'applications industrielles et le développement de nouveaux matériaux.Ce travail est dédié à la compréhension des phénomènes en amont des émissions de luminescence, juste après l'interaction rayonnement/matière. Dans un premier temps un état de l'art qui s'étend de 1960 à nos jours a été investigué. Une deuxième partie est consacrée à la caractérisation complète des matériaux scintillants mis en jeu pour définir leurs propriétés de fluorescence et de scintillation sous rayonnement. Une troisième partie est dévolue à la détermination de leur efficacité en termes de discrimination neutron/gamma en fonction de leurs paramètres de structure moléculaire. Ces travaux ont menés à la préparation d'un plastique dans notre laboratoire présentant des propriétés de PSD considérées efficaces, ce qui a donné lieu à un brevet. La quatrième partie se focalise sur la simulation de traces neutrons via un faisceau de protons pour quantifier dans des conditions contrôlées leur dépôt spécifique d'énergie dans notre plastique, présentant des capacités de discrimination neutron/gamma. Enfin une étude photophysique conclut ce travail à l'aide d'un laser femtoseconde pour simuler de façon purement optique des interactions neutron ou gamma avec la matière donnant lieu à de la fluorescence retardée, et tenter de définir ainsi la nature des transferts d'énergie mis en jeu. Nous concluons enfin sur la corrélation structure / propriétés de discrimination. Ces avancées permettront de guider le potentiel en termes d'applications industrielles et le développement de nouveaux matériaux. / This PhD topic was born from misunderstandings and incomplete knowledge of the mechanism and relative effectiveness of neutron and gamma-ray (n/g) discrimination between plastic scintillators compared to liquid scintillators. The shape of the light pulse these materials generate following interaction with an ionizing particle (predominantly recoil protons in the case of neutrons and electrons in the case of gamma-rays) is different in time in a way that depends on the detected particle (nature and energy). It is this fact that enables separation (PSD). The behavior in liquid scintillators has been extensively studied experimentally for practical applications. Only recently has it been shown that a weak separation can also be achieved using specially prepared plastics. The study of this system presents an open field and the understanding of both liquids and plastics with respect to their PSD properties is far from complete. This work is dedicated to exploring the fundamental photophysical phenomena at play in the generation of luminescence emission, following the interaction of ionizing radiation with organic scintillators. For this purpose, firstly a detailed literature review of the state-of-the-art has been conducted extending from 1960 to the present day. Secondly a complete characterization of the main scintillating materials has been conducted to define their fluorescence properties and the characteristics of their scintillation under irradiation. Thirdly a proton beam has been used to simulate recoil protons to quantify under controlled laboratory conditions their specific energy deposition in a plastic scintillator with PSD properties. The fourth part of this thesis is devoted to the study of PSD efficiency of scintillators as a function of their molecular structure. This investigation has led to a plastic scintillator prepared in our laboratory with good PSD properties and a patent submission. Finally, photophysical experiments were performed using a femtosecond laser to simulate, purely optically, neutron/matter interactions giving rise to delayed fluorescence. This technique was chosen so as to examine the fundamental energy transfers involved. Overall this work led to an improved understanding and greater insight about the correlation between the chemical structure of organic scintillating materials and their n/g- discrimination properties. This will guide both applications and future materials development.

Dans le cadre d’une sémantique linguistique reposant sur la distinction signification/sens et partant du principe que le sens se construit en discours, nos recherches ont pour objectif de rendre compte de la diversité des emplois d’un signe dans une perspective intégrant la prosodie, afin de définir un processus de discrimination prosodique des différents sens d’une même unité tels qu'ils peuvent être décrits sur la base de corpus oraux authentiques. Elles portent sur un ensemble d’objets empiriques, de enfin à quelques ou oui en passant par disons, mais principalement sur des connecteurs discursifs. Après avoir mis au jour des corrélations forme prosodique/sens au niveau du lexique, et en prenant en compte le caractère gradable de la langue ainsi que la notion d’argumentation dans la langue, nous proposons un nouveau format de représentation sémantique distinguant, sur la base de nos résultats, deux niveaux de sens que sont l’interprétation-type et l’emploi-type, ce dernier présentant la particularité de comporter un commentaire exprimé par la prosodie, commentaire qui porte sur le rapport à la situation et/ou à l'énonciation. L’intégration d’un niveau de sens supplémentaire constitue l’originalité de ce nouveau format et présente l’avantage de réduire les phénomènes de surgénéralisations observables dans les caractérisations sémantiques des emplois. Nous présentons ensuite la façon dont nos résultats pourraient être intégrés à une perspective lexicographique, et dont ils pourraient permettre d'obtenir à la fois une plus grande cohérence et une plus grande exhaustivité des articles d’une entrée de dictionnaire, et une prise en compte systématique de la prosodie des emplois. / Within a linguistic approach to semantics based on the distinction between signification and sense (lexical meaning) and the assumption that sense is built it in discourse, our research aims is to account for the diversity of uses of a sign in a perspective that integrates the prosodic dimension of the interpretative process. Based extensively on authentic oral corpora and, its goal is to define a process of prosodic discrimination of the different senses of the same lexical unit. It deals with of empirical objects, from French enfin to quelques (some) or oui (yes) passing by disons (so to say, etc.), but essentially about discourse connectives (discourse markers). After establishing the existence of an association of prosody and senses at the level of lexicon, which takes into account the gradable nature of language (la langue) and its argumentative nature, we present a new semantic model in which the classical level of sense or lexical meaning is described as split between two levels of sense which are interpretation-type and use-type, the specificity of the latter being to include a prosodically expressed lexicalized comment about the speaker's relationship with the situation and/or its own discourse or enunciation. The integration of an additional level of sense is the originality of the new model. It aims at reducing the otherwise constant fatality of over-generalisation in the semantic characterisations of lexical uses. We further present the way our results could be integrated into a lexicographic perspective in order to obtain both more coherent and more exhaustive descriptions of actual language use in dictionaries and a systematic description of prosody within each entry.

This dissertation consists of three studies on the economics of education and labor economics. The first essay seeks to deepen understanding of high school student engagement and effort response to changes in incentives. Changing the incentives students face is one lever for educators and policymakers to improve student learning in the presence of student disengagement. A statewide postsecondary admission policy which changes minimum college admissions standards for North Carolina high school students wishing to attend college in-state provides a setting to test how student effort responds to incentive structures. Regression discontinuity estimates show that students respond to the admission policy by increasing GPA and decreasing absences and suspensions. These effects suggest an increase in student engagement, however, the boost in GPA is driven by changes in course composition, with students substituting away from more demanding coursework. These unintended consequences of admission policies on student course-taking decisions can lead students to miss important learning opportunities in high school, possibly generating detrimental effects on student postsecondary success. The second essay, coauthored with Hugh Macartney and Eric Nielsen, analyzes the effect of the Great Recession on racial employment inequality in the United States. It is well understood that adverse economic shocks affect workers non-uniformly. We explore a new channel through which unequal employment outcomes may emerge during a downturn: the extensive margin of establishment deaths. Intuitively, workers who are concentrated in less resilient establishments prior to an economic decline will be disproportionately affected by its onset. Using rich employment and establishment data, we show that black workers bore the brunt of the Great Recession in terms of within-industry employment changes arising from establishment deaths. This finding has important implications for the evolution of worker disparities during future downturns. Finally, the third essay, coauthored with Clive Belfield and Brooks Bowden, examines the use of benefit-cost analysis by the federal government on education regulations from 2006 to 2015. Benefit-cost analysis is an important part of regulatory decision-making, yet there are questions as to how often and how well it is performed. Here we examine 28 Regulatory Impact Assessments performed by the federal government on education regulations since 2006. We find many Regulatory Impact Assessments estimated costs, albeit using informal methods, but most failed to adequately report benefits. Also, most studies did not estimate net present value or clearly report methodological assumptions. In reviewing the relatively high quality studies we identified a number of discrepancies from best practice. Most importantly, few Regulatory Impact Assessments attempted a social benefit-cost analysis: Most examined ”administrative burdens” from compliance with legislation. This alternative focus on administrative burdens has significant implications for economic evaluation in practice. Together, these essays advance what we know about higher education policy, labor market policy, and means of evaluating policies in both fields.

L’analyse des extraits naturels est de nos jours réalisée à l’aide de nombreuses techniques d’analyse plus ou moins complexes. Parmi ces techniques, l’HPTLC est bien connue en tant qu’outil d’identification phytochimique. Le but de cette thèse a été d’étudier l’apport de cette technique dans l’analyse des extraits naturels en dehors de son aspect « identification ». Ce travail a conduit à différentes études permettant de mettre en évidence des applications peu connues de l’HPTLC comme par exemple son utilisation comme technique semi-preparative. De plus, sa capacité à avoir une phase stationnaire résistante à différente matrices a été testée. Il a ainsi pu être démontré que cette caractéristique lui donnait l’avantage de procéder à des préparations d’échantillon plus minimaliste que les autres techniques de chromatographie. L’aspect quantitatif a été évalué et comparé à l’HPLC et a ainsi pu démontrer que des résultats équivalents sont obtenus, néanmoins, le manque de résolution et de précision ne permet pas à l’HPTLC d’attendre les exigences parfois demandées. Enfin, l’analyse d’un grand nombre d’échantillon a permis de montrer un des avantages de l’HPTLC dans le retraitement de données, que ce soit par regroupement visuel des profils obtenus ou par retraitement statistique / The analysis of natural extracts is nowadays performed with numerous techniques more or less complex. Among these techniques, the HPTLC is well known as a tool for phytochemical identification. The aim of this thesis was to study the contribution of this technique in the analysis of natural extracts outside its "identification" appearance. This work led to various studies to highlight little known applications of HPTLC such as its use as a semi-preparative technique. In addition, its ability to have a robust stationary phase to different matrices was tested. It has been demonstrated that this characteristic gave the advantage of proceeding more minimalist sample preparation than other chromatographic techniques. The quantitative aspect was evaluated and compared with HPLC and was able to demonstrate that similar results are obtained, however, the lack of resolution and accuracy do not allow the HPTLC has to wait sometimes requested requirements. Finally, the analysis of a large number of samples has allowed to show an advantage of the HPTLC in the data reprocessing, whether by visual grouping or obtained by statistical retreatment profiles

This thesis is an attempt to research the effects of discrimination and how individuals perceive discrimination. This paper is based on ten different people’s experiences of discrimination in the workforce. The purpose of this study is, as previously mentioned, to examine the outcomes of discrimination, but also how discrimination can be minimized. This work is based on qualitative method. Therefore, qualitative interviews will be the method for this study. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews have been used and applied to this study. This essay has concluded that the programs that the state uses are not working in these cases. The result from this study is that discrimination has an effect on individual’s relationships at work. This study concluded that discrimination has a lot of outcomes and can occur based on several varied factors. The results of this study indicate that the states' programs against discrimination are not working in these ten separate cases.

This dissertation examines inequality in school funding in North Carolina from 1964 to 1997. It highlights local, county and state decisions about the distribution of educational funds, and shows that public officials have created and maintained school funding mechanisms that exacerbated inequalities between racial groups to preserve White capital and advantage White communities. Discriminatory taxation schemes, district-line gerrymandering and voter suppression ensured White control of school boards and boards of county commissioners, which presided over school budgets, resulting in uneven revenue distribution. I analyze these mechanisms as instances of theft—theft of civil rights and financial resources—within a tradition of kleptocracy in the state.I first focus on four case studies, including two rural and two urban and suburban counties, where I examine the correlation between financial inequities and racial segregation through quantitative and qualitative analysis. I ask how historical actors have addressed educational inequalities over time, and how local governments, courts and legislatures responded to these intertwined challenges. This study investigates the discrepancy between the legacies of Jim Crow in school finance and racially neutral arguments in education reform and school finance litigation. All four case-study counties became involved in the 1994 Leandro v. State lawsuit, which challenged the state’s school funding formula. The urban-rural plaintiff coalition highlighted contradictions in arguments about the root causes of resource inequalities in public schools. The Leandro case did not address racial discrimination, and I question and historicize this silence.

This dissertation explored existing tensions between legal structures aimed at achieving justice—specifically, concept of dignity and the concept of equality—and groups not fully recognized under the law (“Liminally-recognized groups”). It approached this tension from a critical perspective on identity, exploring it both in the U.S. and in Israel/Palestine. While not comparative in the traditional sense, the dissertation nevertheless journeyed between both geographies, drawing inspiration from each, and exploring similar questions and their differing (albeit parallel) answers in each locality. It examines the limitations of the concept of equality within anti-discrimination law, stemming mainly from its dependency upon legal recognition. Simultaneously, it similarly explores the perils of dignity-based universal protections, rooted in dignity’s cultural and racial biases. For this purpose, all three chapters center groups in a liminal state of legal recognition—groups that often challenge dominant binaries of sex/race/disability—as a methodological vantage point from which to examine legal systems and orthodoxies. It analyzes law’s ability to see past recognition, and its effectiveness for groups who have yet to meet—and shoulder—the burden of recognition. Simultaneously, it explores the ability of liminally-recognized groups to see past the law, and to seek alternative routes for political power. The first chapter, Coming Out of the Shadows: The Non-Western Critique of Dignity, focuses on the intersection between Mizrahi Jews (i.e., descendants of Jews from Arab and Muslim countries who immigrated to Israel) and the right to dignity, exploring this right’s racialized undertones within Israeli courts. Following a conceptual and cultural exploration of the development of dignity (a universal, status-neutral right) as the antithesis of honor, this chapter questions the strong divide and moral hierarchy between both terms. Applying critical race methodology, methods of close reading, and doctrinal analysis, it analyzes multiple legal cases to explore Western influences on the societal and judicial imagination of Israeli dignity. The chapter concludes by arguing that dignity’s pretense of universality obscures racial biases in its interpretation and application. The second chapter, Whiteness at Work, focuses on U.S. antidiscrimination law and identity groups at the margins of whiteness. The chapter analyzes workplace discrimination cases where whites have sued other whites for racial discrimination. Examining intra-white racial discrimination cases, this chapter demonstrate that they suffer from an under-theorization of whiteness, and from the judicial assumption that race becomes relevant only in instances involving racial minorities. Instead, I argue, courts should recognize instances in which white people police other whites to behave according to racial expectations regarding whiteness as instances of racial discrimination. This could be implemented through Title VII’s stereotype doctrine. Accordingly, discrimination against whites due to their association with people of color, as well as discrimination against poor whites not seen as ‘refined’ or ‘sophisticated’ enough for the workplace, are both instances in which whites are discriminated against for failing to perform their racial identities according to white supremacist expectations. The third and final chapter of the dissertation, Identity at Work, develops a thematic, overarching argument regarding liminally-recognized groups and their place within anti-discrimination law. Following an analysis of various types of liminal recognition under U.S. anti-discrimination law, and the normative case for and against recognition, I examine non-essentializing strategies to promote justice that do not force marginalized communities to leave their narratives of oppression (rooted in sexism, white supremacy, ableism, etc.) at the door, but that also do not force these communities to bind their oppression to a rigid sense of what it means to be who they are. The first strategy focuses on possible readings of anti-discrimination laws that enable recognition of patterns of racism, sexism, etc. without tying them back to specific (recognized) identities. The second strategy highlights the potential rooted in labor law to promote antidiscrimination ideals.

No description available.

No description available.