<p>Purpose/Aim: The aim of this paper is to study how guild leaders in World of Warcraft (WOW) and leaders of real life organizations compare in terms of tasks, every-day experiences, environment, responsibilities and motivation. This comparison is used to build a new theory describing leadership in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs).</p><p>Material/Method: The paper uses the grounded theory approach to build a new theory. 12 interviews were conducted, six with WOW guild leaders and six with leaders of real life organizations. The Four Capacities Framework and the Leadership Grid were used to analyze and compare the results of the interviews.</p><p>Main results: Leadership in MMORPGs is as complex and challenging as real life leadership with the difference that it stresses the internal relationships of the organization very much while neglecting outside relations to a big extend. Guild leadership is in many ways similar to real life leadership as both require long term political decisions, policy setting and good work in the field of human resources. However, it stresses the ability to build working social relationships and to motivate using only digital communication. Some aspects of real life leadership like customer orientation and an organizational instance over the leader like an owner or share holders that the leader is responsible to are not existent.</p>

Cherchant des voies de réduction drastique des émissions de CO2 d'origine sidérurgique (projet européen ULCOS), nous avons envisagé une réduction du minerai de fer par l'hydrogène pur dans un réacteur du type four à cuve. L'approche suivie a associé bibliographie, expérimentation et modélisation. Le déroulement de la réaction chimique et sa cinétique ont été analysés à partir d'expériences thermogravimétriques et de caractérisations physico-chimiques d'échantillons en cours de réduction. Un modèle cinétique spécifique a été mis au point, qui simule les réactions successives, les différentes étapes du transport de matière et le frittage éventuel du fer, à l'échelle d'une particule de solide. Enfin, un modèle numérique bidimensionnel du four à cuve a été écrit. Il décrit l'évolution des températures et des compositions des solides et des gaz en tous points d'un réacteur fonctionnant sous hydrogène. Une des originalités de ce modèle est l'utilisation de la loi des temps caractéristiques additifs pour exprimer les vitesses des réactions. Celle-ci permet de coupler les deux échelles que sont celles des particules et du réacteur, tout en gardant des temps de calculs raisonnables. A partir des simulations réalisées, l'influence des paramètres du procédé a été quantifiée. Des conditions opératoires optimales ont été dégagées, qui illustrent bien le potentiel du procédé.

This thesis examines stylistic technique and narrative strategy in a range of George Orwell’s fictional and non-fictional texts to demonstrate how personal experience and detached interpretation interact dialectically in his work to create layers of narrative complexity. Moving from Raymond Williams’ observation that the figure of “Orwell” is the writer’s “most successful” creation, this study asserts a vital correlation between form and content in Orwell’s work, specifically in the central position that perspective occupies in his political outlook. The multiple perspectives that surface in Orwell’s texts – the reluctant Imperial policeman, the tramp in disguise, the advocate of the working poor, the rebellious and satirically-inclined anti-totalitarian writer – correspond with the author’s life experiences, and yet are revealed as rhetorically constructed positions that are adopted strategically to generate nuanced, and at times contradictory, impressions of a wide range of subject matter. Chapter 1 treats Orwell’s Burmese writings as ethnographically-inflected texts; Chapter 2 examines the figure of the mask in Down and Out in Paris and London and in The Road to Wigan Pier; Chapter 3 analyses a dialectic of experience and interpretation at play in Homage to Catalonia; Chapter 4 scrutinizes the mobilization of the rebel writer figure in a selection of Orwell’s mature essays; and Chapter 5 examines the strategic deployment of competing perspectives in Nineteen Eighty-Four’s anatomy of the totalitarian state. This array of analytical approaches serves the dual function of highlighting the versatility and sophistication of narrative strategy across a range of individual texts in Orwell’s oeuvre, and of demonstrating a trajectory in his work that adheres simultaneously to both formal and political considerations. Orwell’s highly prolific two-decade-long writing career, I argue, can be productively understood as an ongoing experiment with narrative strategy, and this experiment exerts at each stage a direct influence on his evolving political aesthetic.

Luis Serrano Alarcón is one of the most important and relevant composers of our time. He is sought after as a composer, lecturer, and conductor throughout the world. His works have been performed in over 30 countries worldwide by some of the leading musical ensembles in the United States, Europe, and Asia, as well as being highly decorated by winning many prestigious composition contests including the International Band Competition Contest of Corciano, Italy. Born in Valencia, Spain, Alarcón is relatively self-taught in composition, which is a testament to his natural-born gift for composition. His compositional output ranges from the traditional Spanish pasodoble to chamber music, solo pieces, and sophisticated masterpieces for orchestra and wind ensemble. His work Duende: Four Preludes for Symphonic Wind Ensemble was commissioned by the University of St. Thomas Wind Ensemble, Minnesota (USA) in 2010. From its premiere, it became an extremely popular piece among wind band conductors. Duende’s appeal can be attributed to its fusion of Spanish popular music, the symphonic energy of Manuel de Falla’s scores, Iberia by the Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz, and the presence of jazz and Latin music. A detailed conductor’s guide will be provided in this document that includes but not limited to an analysis of form and structure for each movement, conducting considerations, and rehearsal suggestions and techniques. Last but not least, an in-depth exploration into the composer’s background, Spanish musical influences, and the Spanish Band movement and traditions has been conducted. Through this process, an uncovering of intriguing and relevant points of interest have come to the surface. Alarcón’s music sounds the way it does and appeals to the masses because of the juxtaposition of its infectious, Spanish musical elements, as well as its traditional symphonic music components. Moreover, the long and historical past, culture, and traditions of Spanish Bands creates an enormous influence and motivation to compose for the wind band genre. More than two-thirds of all municipalities in Valencia, Spain have musical societies that serve as sponsors for the bands and other ensembles, provide music education, and function as a social center to the townspeople. They are also supported by the Valencian Federation of Musical Societies, all branches of government, the business community, and the media. The musical ensembles participate in both non-competitive and competitive performance activities. Non-competitive performances include concerts, wind band festivals, honor bands, and massed bands. Wind band competitions are sponsored at the municipal, provincial, regional, and international levels. Many of these performance types are combined for special celebrations like patron saint holidays, including Las Fallas and Moros y Cristianos.

The effects of pore density and distribution were investigated on the fatigue crack initiation behavior in an A713 sand cast aluminum alloy plate of 12 mm thickness. The applied stress- the number of cycles to failure (S-N) curves of the samples taken from 2 mm and 5 mm from the free surface were obtained using four-point bend fatigue testing at room temperature, frequency of 20 Hz, stress ratio of 0.1, sinusoidal waveform, and in ambient air. The fatigue strengths of both, the 2 mm and 5 mm samples were 60% of the yield strength (σy=171.9 MPa) of the alloy. Optical microscopy, SEM, and EDS mapping were used to characterize pores and particles in 2 mm and 5 mm samples. The average pore sizes of the 2 mm and 5 mm samples were measured to be 10 to 14 μm, and 14 to 32 μm, respectively. The pore number densities in 5 mm and 2 mm samples were comparable, but higher number densities of non-clustered coarse pores (gas pores) were observed in 5 mm samples. The crack population found after fatigue testing showed a Weibull function of stress level. The peaks of strength distributions of fatigue weak link density of 5 mm and 2 mm samples were measured to be 0.017 mm-2 at 67.6 % σy, and 0.01027 mm-2 at 69.5% σy. Crack populations, when normalized by number densities of gas pores (non-clustered) and number densities of shrinkage pores (clustered), giving crack nucleation rate (crack/pore, mm-2), showed a good fit with the Weibull function in 2 mm and 5 mm samples. Shrinkage and gas pores could both become the main crack initiation sites (i.e. fatigue weak links) in this alloy. Higher nucleation rates of gas pores and shrinkage pores were observed in 5 mm samples compared to those rates in 2 mm samples. At high applied stresses, the 2 mm samples showed better fatigue lives than those of 5 mm samples. Fractured surfaces were analyzed using SEM and found that the main crack initiation were predominately from pores. The pores on the fractured surfaces were counted and their depth and width were measured. It was found that the cracks may not necessarily initiate from coarse pores, but sometimes from shrinkage pores (i.e. group of pores). The depth from the free surface, the width, the size, and the orientation of pores are key factors in increasing the driving force for crack initiation and subsequently those pores turn into long cracks. Moreover, the aspect ratios of pores on the main cracks were measured and found that in 5 mm samples, some pores have an aspect ratios of less than 0.7, which means that these pores are elongated in depth and have a narrow width which increase the stress concentration on the surface, thus, increasing the driving force for crack nucleation.

This thesis investigates competition law, State aid law and free-movement law in their interaction with Article 11 TFEU’s obligation to integrate environmental protection requirements into all activities and policies of the Union. The Article is formulated in broad and sweeping terms which makes integrating environmental protection requirements complex and context-dependent. The challenge of integrating environmental considerations is further increased as such integration in competition, State aid and free- movement law is different from other areas of EU action. The three areas are the core provisions protecting the internal market by prohibiting certain actions of the Member States and undertakings. Unlike in other areas, the EU is therefore not in the position to develop or design the actions but has to scrutinise the measure according to pre-established parameters. To address this challenge, a novel functional approach to environmental integration is developed. The approach should facilitate a better understanding of environmental integration and in particular its application to competition law, State aid and free-movement law. An important element of this thesis equally the comparison between the three areas of law. It sheds light on conceptual issues that are not only relevant to the integration of environmental protection. The comparison advances the understanding in relation to questions such as how restrictions are defined and how the respective balancing tests are applied. The contribution of this research is therefore twofold. One the one hand, it compares how the different tests in competition, State aid and free-movement law operate, thereby offering opportunities for cross-fertilisation. On the other hand, this comparison and the improvements suggested as a result help to conceptualise environmental integration thereby paving the way for a more transparent and consistent integration of environmental protection in competition, State aid and free-movement law.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Cherchant des voies de réduction drastique des émissions de CO2 d’origine sidérurgique (projet européen ULCOS), nous avons envisagé une réduction du minerai de fer par l’hydrogène pur dans un réacteur du type four à cuve. L’approche suivie a associé bibliographie, expérimentation et modélisation. Le déroulement de la réaction chimique et sa cinétique ont été analysés à partir d’expériences thermogravimétriques et de caractérisations physico-chimiques d’échantillons en cours de réduction. Un modèle cinétique spécifique a été mis au point, qui simule les réactions successives, les différentes étapes du transport de matière et le frittage éventuel du fer, à l’échelle d’une particule de solide. Enfin, un modèle numérique bidimensionnel du four à cuve a été écrit. Il décrit l’évolution des températures et des compositions des solides et des gaz en tous points d’un réacteur fonctionnant sous hydrogène. Une des originalités de ce modèle est l’utilisation de la loi des temps caractéristiques additifs pour exprimer les vitesses des réactions. Celle-ci permet de coupler les deux échelles que sont celles des particules et du réacteur, tout en gardant des temps de calculs raisonnables. A partir des simulations réalisées, l’influence des paramètres du procédé a été quantifiée. Des conditions opératoires optimales ont été dégagées, qui illustrent bien le potentiel du procédé / In an effort to find new ways to drastically reduce the CO2 emissions from the steel industry (ULCOS project), the reduction of iron ore by pure hydrogen in a shaft furnace was investigated. The work consisted of literature, experimental, and modelling studies. The chemical reaction and its kinetics were analysed on the basis of thermogravimetric experiments and physicochemical characterisations of partially reduced samples. A specific kinetic model was designed, which simulates the successive reactions, the different steps of mass transport, and possible iron sintering, at the particle scale. Finally, a 2-dimensional numerical model of a shaft furnace was developed. It depicts the variation of the solid and gas temperatures and compositions throughout the reactor. One original feature of the model is using the law of additive characteristic times for calculating the reaction rates. This allowed us to handle both the particle and the reactor scale, while keeping reasonable calculation time. From the simulation results, the influence of the process parameters was assessed. Optimal operating conditions were concluded, which reveal the efficiency of the hydrogen process

Individuals and organisations need to do much more if sustainable development is to be achieved. Appropriate environmental vocational education and training (EVET) is essential for current decision makers. Crucial decisions need to be made before the present generation of school and college students achieve significant positions of authority. An increasing range of EVET courses and course providers are available within the UK. However, availability is not synonymous with suitability for either the attendee and/or his/her (future) employer. Previous research indicates that, as a component of lifelong learning, EVET courses should and the methods used to evaluate them should be student-centred. This thesis describes the development and validation of a new studentcentred evaluation framework. Preliminary literature reviews identified six fundamental issues which needed to be addressed. Existing academically productive evaluation models were examined and critically appraised in the context of these problems. The output from this process was used to develop a bespoke research methodology. Empirical research on four commercial EVET programmes revealed distinct personal, teaching and work-based presage factors which influenced course attendance, individual learning and subsequent organisational learning. Modified versions of Biggs¿ 3P model and Kirkpatrick¿s Four level Evaluation Model were shown to provide an effective student-centred evaluation framework for EVET courses. Additional critical elements pertaining course utility and the student¿s long(er) term ii retention of knowledge/skill were derived from previous research by Alliger et al (1997). Work-based presage factors and the student¿s return on expectation were added as a direct consequence of this research. The resultant new framework, the Presage-Product Evaluation Framework, was positively received during an independent validation. This confirmed inter alia that the framework should also be capable of adaption for use with other VET courses. Recommendations for additional research focus on the need to demonstrate this through further empirical studies.

This essay will compare the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), Fama and French threefactor model and Carhart´s four-factor model, to see which of these models that can explain portfolio excess returns best on the Swedish stock market. This thesis will tempt to validate the three and four-factor models because of the limited amount of research done on the Swedish stock market. The results indicate that the three-factor model improves explanatory power for portfolio returns in comparison to the CAPM, and the four-factor model gives a small improvement in the explanatory power compared to the three-factor model. The results also indicate that all models have a low explanatory power when the market is volatile.