<p>The impact of trade policies on the pursuit of gender equality is often ignored. Recognising the link between trade and gender, this dissertation aims to enhance the capacity of policy-makers to mainstream gender in trade policy and to help identify ways for using trade to respond to women&rsquo / s needs in South Africa. In order to meet this objective, it analyses the impacts that trade liberalisation has had on the economy and on gender in general and in South Africa in particular. In addition, it evaluates the impacts on men and women in order to see if trade has contributed to reducing, accentuating or perpetuating gender inequality in South Africa. Findings have confirmed that Trade liberalisation has had both positive and negative impacts on women and men. But, they have also demonstrated that trade liberalisation has affected women and men differently having negative influences on the pursuit of gender equality. The research has, however, concluded that the impact of trade liberalisation on the pursuit of gender equality is influenced by other key factors. As strategy to mainstream gender in trade policies, the research suggests that policy-makers should analyse the implications for women and men of any trade policy before adopting such policy. This analysis would help him/her to see the possible imbalances of the new policy and implement policies and programmes to eradicate them. Also, it will help him/her to identify possible ways for using trade to empower women. The research is based on the idea that the elimination of the existing inequalities will put women at the same stage with men and will, therefore, contribute to women&rsquo / s empowerment in South Africa.</p>

The thesis is focussed on improving the material yield in closed-die forging and rolling. The former is restricted to the manufacturing of heavy crown wheels and front axle beams and the latter to the hot rolling of steel slabs. To enhance the yield the commercial FE-codes Form2D and Dyna3D are used. Results from forging simulations are strengthened by full scale experiments. The research is carried out in near contact with the Swedish steel and engineering industry. In closed die forging, two bulk forming problems are treated: How to improve the tool design and how to change the pre-form geometry for decreasing the amount of material exiting the flash gap? In slab rolling, two problems related to material defects are considered: How to eliminate existing surface cracks and how to prevent the formation of voids around macro-inclusions embedded in the steel matrix? Internal voids might be the reason for scrapping the whole workpiece. Considering the forging of crown wheels, a new concept is proposed. For making the central hole of the product, the traditional method was forging a thin circular plate which was then sheared off and scrapped. Using the new technique this operation is replaced by forging a conical tap in the centre, which is then discarded. Doing so, the inner scrap material decreased with about 15%. The idea has been used in production for seven years. – Regarding the forging of front axle beams, a quasi-3D method is used comprising full scale measurements of the axial material flow. Here the theoretical material yield increased 2-7%. Regarding rolling, the initial surface cracks in the simulations are V-shaped with a crack angle of 6o and of depth 5-20 mm. The inclusions are cylindrical and either three times harder or three times softer than the matrix. The behaviour of the cracks and the inclusions are studied as influenced by process parameters. Current industrial input data are used as a reference. – It is concluded that longitudinal cracks cannot be totally eliminated. During rolling their V-shape gradually changes to Y-shape and a remaining oxide flake separates the crack bottom surfaces. For minimizing the detrimental influence of the entrapped oxide, an early closure of the crack bottom is important. Throughout the remaining rolling schedule the entrapped oxide is then torn to pieces with large areas of virgin metal in between ensuring a strong bond. The following recommendations are given for the longitudinal cracks: Light drafts/pass at the beginning of the rolling schedule followed by heavy ones. – Contradictory to longitudinal cracks it is concluded that transversal cracks are possible to eliminate. When eliminated, the initial bottom of the crack coincides with the slab surface. No folds are formed. For the transversal cracks light drafts/pass are proposed together with reversal rolling, the latter for avoiding crack folding. – Voids are easiest formed around hard macro-inclusions in the centre of the slab. Large rolls and heavy drafts are recommended to avoid this. / QC 20100720

Summery The main objective of this essay is to analyze the challenges caused by today’s modern phenomenon of change in our society and to discuss it in relationship to the process of migration. In doing so I focus on questions like, “what does it really mean when a person becomes a migrant and what does it mean to be the host country?” Becoming a migrant or a host country is a complex process which involves variety of challenges both for individuals and the locality. New inventions are made in the field of science and technology. Societies and social institutions are subjected to change and we undergo several changes or modifications to fit in to this changing system. This makes intigration process more difficult and complex. I feel that the process of accepting and adopting begins from the very first moment in the new society. The one who comes in also brings in new cultural perspectives, new ideologies and beliefs. This establishes the background of plurality which has both positive and negative consequences.     I believe that every factor from bigger social institutions to minute incidents associated with an individual are of equal importance in understanding society as a whole. So I approach my research question here by considering both micro and macro theorists. I have also referred to migrations history of Sweden which provides general idea of types and mode of migration in the past few decades.

The main objective of this essay is to analyze the challenges caused by today's modern phenomenon of change in our society and to discuss it in relationship to the process of migration. In doing so I focus on questions like, "what does it really mean when a person becomes a migrant and what does it mean to be the host country?" Becoming a migrant or a host country is a complex process which involves variety of challenges both for individuals and the locality. New inventions are made in the field of science and technology. Societies and social institutions are subjected to change and we undergo several changes or modifications to fit in to this changing system. This makes integration process more tedious and complex. I feel that the process of accepting and adopting begins from the very first moment in the new society. The one who comes in also brings in new cultural perspectives, new ideologies and beliefs. This establishes the background of plurality which has both positive and negative consequences. I believe that every factor from bigger social institutions to minute incidents associated with an individual are of equal importance in understanding society as a whole. So I approach my research question here by considering both micro and macro theorists. I have also referred to migrations history of Sweden which provides general idea of types and mode of migration in the past few decades.

The engineered barrier system is a basic element in the design of repository to isolate high level radioactive waste (HLW). In this system, the clay barrier plays a prominent role in dispersing the heat generated from the waste, reduce the flow of pore water from the host rock, and maintaining the structural stability of the waste canister. The compacted expansive clay (generally bentonite blocks) is initially in unsaturated state. During the life time of the repository, the barrier will undergo different coupled thermal, hydrological and mechanical (THM) phenomena due to heating (from the heat-emitting nuclear waste) and hydration (from the saturated host rock). The design of nuclear waste disposal requires the prediction of the long term barrier behavior (i.e. hundred or thousand years), so numerical modeling is a basic component of the repository design. The numerical analyses are performed using mathematical THM formulation and the associated numerical code. Constitutive models are an essential part of the numerical simulations. Those constitutive models represent the intrinsic behavior of the material for the individual physical phenomenon (i.e. thermal, hydraulic and mechanical). Deterministic analyses have shown the potential of such mathematical formulations to describe the physical behavior of the engineered barrier system. However, the effect of the inherent uncertainties associated with the different constitutive models on the global behavior of the isolation system has not been explored yet. The first part of this thesis is related to application of recent probabilistic methods to understand and assess the impact of uncertainties on the global THM model response. Experimental data associated with the FEBEX project has been adopted for the case study presented in this thesis. CODE_BRIGHT, a fully coupled THM finite element program, is used to perform the numerical THM analysis. The second part of this thesis focuses on the complex mechanical behavior observed in a barrier material subjected (during 5 years) to heating and hydration under actual repository conditions The studied experiment is the (ongoing) full scale in-situ FEBEX test at Grimsel test site, Switzerland. A partial dismantling of this experiment has allowed the inspection of the barrier material subjected to varying stresses due to hydration and heating. The clay underwent both elastic and plastic volumetric deformations at different suction and temperature levels with changes in the pre-consolidation pressure and voids ratio that are difficult to explain with conventional models. In this thesis a double structure elasto plastic model is proposed to study the mechanical behavior of this barrier material. The numerical modeling was performed with CODE_BRIGHT. The study shows that the double structure model explains satisfactorily the observed changes in the mechanical behavior of the clay material.

Dans le cadre du dépôt légal de la télévision, nous proposons une méthode de structuration automatique des flux télévisuels afin de procéder au catalogage des émissions.<br />La stabilité des grilles de programmes nous permet d'en proposer une modélisation statistique basée sur un modèle de Markov contextuel et un arbre de régression. Entraîné sur les grilles de programmes des années précédentes, ce modèle permet de pallier l'imprécision des guides de programmes (EPG, magazines). En rapprochant ces deux sources d'informations, nous sommes en mesure de prédire les séquences d'émissions les plus probables pour un jour de l'année et d'encadrer la durée des émissions.<br />A partir de ces grilles de programmes prédites et d'un ensemble de règles indiquant les éléments<br />caractéristiques d'une transition entre deux genres de programmes (images monochromes, silences ou logos), nous sommes en mesure de localiser ces ruptures à l'aide de d´etections effectuées localement dans le flux.

Le comportement spécifique des Alliages à Mémoire de Forme (AMF) est dû à une transformation de phase appelée transformation martensitique. Cette transformation de phase peut être activée par des variations de température mais aussi par des chargements mécaniques. Si le comportement 1D de ces alliages est bien connu, la modélisation du comportement de ces alliages sous sollicitations multiaxiales complexes pose encore quelques problèmes.<br />Dans un premier temps, nous nous intéressons à la validation expérimentale directe d'une relation entre la fraction volumique de martensite et la déformation de transformation qui est utilisée dans de nombreux modèles. Pour cela des essais en traction-compression-torsion avec suivi de résistance électrique sur un AMF de type Cu-Al-Be sont réalisés. Ces essais mettent en évidence les effets de la texture de ces alliages sur leur comportement.<br />Par ailleurs, des simulations numériques de type micro-macro sont réalisées, pour différentes textures et pour différents trajets multiaxiaux proportionnels. Ces simulations complètent, d'une part, la base de données expérimentale, et permettent, d'autre part, de valider les hypothèses retenues pour la modélisation.<br />Enfin, des essais anisothermes de traction compression torsion proportionnels et non proportionnels sont réalisés sur un AMF de type Ni-Ti. Une surface de début de réorientation de phase R est ainsi mise en évidence.

Le Mercosur en Amérique Latine a montré - au terme de 10 années d'existence- des résultats très relatifs et même négatifs en termes réels (croissance, stabilité, dynamisme commercial). Néanmoins, nous ne remettons pas en cause l'idée même d'intégration économique latino-américaine mais les caractéristiques du type de régionalisme spécifique appliqué dans le Mercosur – le Régionalisme Ouvert - qui devait constituer un facteur de stabilité pour la région en période de crises. Pour évoquer la désactivation de la protection du marché régional face aux turbulences de l'économie mondiale, nous aurons recours à la notion de démercosurisation. Le concept de Régionalisme Ouvert au service de la Transformation Productive avec Equité soutenu par la CEPAL sera discuté dans la Première Partie en recherchant ses fondements dans les nouvelles théories du commerce international (croissance endogène et nouvelle économie géographique). Le processus d'intégration régionale perd de sa pertinence comme facteur de stabilité et de croissance pour la zone. Cette préoccupation concernant le débat intégration régionale et stabilité macro-économique constitue le premier axe de recherche de ce travail (Deuxième Partie). L'approche théorique historico-structurelle qui structure notre analyse du Mercosur ne se satisfait pas de la recherche d'une trajectoire ou d'un régime de croissance sans que soient considérées simultanément l'équité et la qualité de la croissance mettant l'homogénéité structurelle et sociale au centre des préoccupations. Tel sera le second axe de recherche (Troisième Partie). Nous plaidons pour une restructuration productive latino-américaine avec homogénéité sociale comme alternative viable et durable au projet de l'ALCA.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 459 pages. / Dissertation originally submitted in HTML and can be accessed at http://www.lib.usf.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-12032001-125326/unrestricted/index.htm / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The virtual world exists as a dimension between concrete physical reality and abstract fictional fantasy. This cyber essence has become a place of commerce, social development, and educational pursuit. To build an understanding of the Kingdom of the Internet, the resulting case study sought to explore the community learning experiences of groups involved in an international online distance education program to create a tale of the process of a system. An assumption in this research was that the program under study was framed within a social learning context. Therefore, the recommendations and findings must be considered within this context and applied within similarly framed learning programs. The method of this study followed an input-process-output model with an added element of outcomes. / ABSTRACT: Participants completed a preliminary technology survey, locus of control instrument, self-regulated learner instrument and a learning styles inventory along with provided background information to form group input profiles. The process of the system was observed through the use of focus groups with the participants, process leaders and instructors as well as transcripts from discussion and chats. The group interaction, the site usage information and technical feedback all served as output information. The outcomes were measured through the use of a group effectiveness measure and instructor rating of final products. The result of the system study was a story of challenge and frustration, excitement and yearning, experimentation and comfort, good and best intentions. A portraiture approach was used as the vehicle for sharing the unique experiences of the international leaders during the first semester of learning. / ABSTRACT: As an essay on not only this particular system but also the dynamics of on-line research, the study illustrated the difficulties in virtual data collection. Major themes that were determined to be critical to virtual group social learning include: role differentiation, concise curriculum development, minimization of intimidation factors, and the initial group characteristic (input relationships). The wide focus of this study provided an overview of many topics that demand further research from both the lens of individual virtual learning experience and in depth exploration of various program components. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Date: 6/16/2008 Institution: School of Sustainable Development of Society and Technology, Mälardalen University, Västerås (Sweden) Authors: Brüning, Andrea 830111 Västerås Curtolo,Anna 820517 Västerås Tutor: Tobias Eltebrandt Title: A Study of Switch Pac: what would be the efficient ways for Switch Pac to increase potential demand and capitalize on green attitudes and behavior in the Swedish market? Problem: What would be the efficient ways for Switch Pac to increase potential demand and capitalize on green attitudes and behavior in the Swedish market? Purpose: The aim of our project is to see the potential of Switch Pac’s oxo-biodegradable plastic bags on the Swedish market by capitalize on green attitudes and behaviour. Method: The report is based on primary data collected through questionnaires (end consumer/ B2B customers). For the investigation of Switch Pac’s macro- and microenvironment secondary data was used (books, journals, newspaper and the Internet) Conceptual Framework: The conceptual framework consists of certain models to investigate the following topics: Consumer behavior AIDA-Model STP-Model Switch Pac´s business environment PESTEL Conclusion/ Recommendations: In our conclusion based on our frameworks PESTEL, AIDA and STP we concluded that peoples’ awareness regarding environmental friendly plastic bags are not very high based on our questionnaire. The efficient ways for Switch Pac to increase potential demand is to target the customer in the age range from 20 – 49 years and cooperate with supermarkets and (department) stores. Furthermore, Switch Pac needs to position its products in the consumers mind through create brand awareness by using certain elements of the marketing mix model.