Magister Legum - LLM / 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'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's empowerment in South Africa. / South Africa

Introduction In Senegal, as in many countries, physicians are unevenly distributed. This situation leads to health inequalities, but the solutions adopted to distribute physicians equitably do not give satisfactory results. This situation pushes decision-makers and researchers to look for other solutions such as telemedicine. This technology-based solution is considered to be a good means to improve physician recruitment and retention in underserved areas, thus improving access to healthcare in these areas, but it is still underused in Senegalese health facilities. Objective This study aimed to identify the determinants of the use of telemedicine in Senegal. More specifically, it aimed to identify the individual (micro) and contextual (meso and macro) factors that influence the use of telemedicine in Senegal. Method The study involved mixed methods: a descriptive qualitative study involving individual interviews and a cross-sectional quantitative study involving questionnaires. The first method was used to study the individual (micro) factors such as physicians’ beliefs on the use of telemedicine and physicians’ perception of the impact of telemedicine on their recruitment and retention in underserved areas. It was also used to study the contextual meso (technical, organizational and ethical) and macro (financial, political, legal and socioeconomic) factors that influence the use of telemedicine. The second method was used to study participants’ intention to use telemedicine in their professional activities, another individual (micro) factor. This study included physicians working in public hospitals, those working in district health, and telemedicine projects managers. Qualitative data was collected through individual interviews, transcribed and imported into NVivo 10 where they were coded thematically. Quantitative data was collected by administering questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS 23. Results The results showed that telemedicine could contribute to, but could not guarantee the recruitment and retention of Senegalese physicians in underserved areas. It was found that physicians in Senegal have both positive and negative behavioural, normative and control beliefs that can encourage or discourage them from using telemedicine in their professional practice. The most salient behavioural beliefs were that telemedicine makes experts’ opinions accessible across distances (positive behavioural belief), but could lead to medical errors (negative behavioural belief). The most common normative beliefs were that their patients would most probably approve the use of telemedicine (positive normative belief) while their colleagues working in the public sector might disapprove of it (negative normative belief). The most reported control beliefs were that the use of telemedicine is easy (positive control belief), but could be time-consuming (negative control belief). For physicians in Senegal, the findings also demonstrate that the probability that they will use telemedicine in their professional activities is moderate and influenced by their perceived behavioural control which, in turn, is influenced by their positive and negative control beliefs. Finally, the results demonstrate that many contextual meso (technical, organizational and ethical) and macro (financial, political, legal and socioeconomic) factors influence the use of telemedicine in Senegal. Conclusion The results of this study can inform the choice of telemedicine development strategies. These strategies can help to promote the use of telemedicine in Senegal, which in turn can help to increase physician recruitment and retention in underserved areas, resulting in better access to healthcare and, and as a result improved population health.

I develop a novel method for computing globally accurate solutions to recur- sive macro-epidemic models featuring aggregate uncertainty and a potentially large number of state variables. Compared to the previous literature which either restricts attention to perfect-foresight economies amendable to sequence- space representation or focuses on highly simplified, low dimensional models that could can be analyzed using standard dynamic programming and linear projection techniques, I develop a deep learning-based algorithm that can han- dle rich environments featuring both aggregate uncertainty and large numbers of state variables. In addition to solving for particular model equilibria, I show how the deep learning method could be extended to solve for a whole set of models, indexed by the parameters of government policy. By pre-computing the whole equilibrium set, my deep learning method greatly simplifies compu- tation of optimal policies, since it bypasses the need to re-solve the model for many different values of policy parameters. 1

The graduation thesis deals with AT commands and the implementation of these in modules of wireless communication. These commands are mainly used for the obtaining and setting of different parameters of such modules. A form of the AT commands and a manner in which these are sent to modules are described. For selected wireless modules, there is a set of AT commands determined together with a brief description of the functions of these. A manner of creation of macroblocks for the TeraTerm program is also mentioned; macroblocks are able to establish communication with the module connected and allow for measurement and testing of communication appliances. This is suitable especially for the automation of such a process. As such a system (program) is not widely known, a thorough description of this system is given together with a description of measuring and testing macroblocks. The last part of the thesis deals with the creation of an application enabling the user to control quickly and easily an inserted appliance. A very detailed description of this application is given. Due to an absence of an advanced graphic interface, such an application has not been created by means of a system of macroblocks for the TeraTerm program, but it has been created in the JAVA programming language.

Cílem této diplomové práce je analýza odbytu ve vybraném podniku. Na základě teoretických poznatků a koncepcí posoudit, zda vybraný podniku používá nástroje odbytové politiky správně a efektivně. Praktická část vychází z marketingového průzkumu, makroekonomických a vnitropodnikových dat, na jejichž základě jsou zjištěné skutečnosti konfrontovány se skutečností. Závěr práce je potom věnován konkrétním doporučením pro odbytovou politiku vybraného podniku.

The subject of the doctoral thesis is the study of moisture resistance of macro-defect-free (MDF) composites based on calcium-aluminate cement and polyvinylalcohol used as polymer. MDF cements are perspective materials providing unique properties relative to traditional cement pastes with great potential to incoming constructional utilization. But it is known that MDF cements exhibit sensitivity to water, with swelling and reduction of strength. Therefore the work is aimed in monitoring of an organic polymer effect on the moisture resistance of MDF materials and phase changes. The effects of three different organotitanate cross-linking agents on the properties were investigated. The organotitanate-modified MDF cement samples exhibited improved moisture resistance as compared to the standard samples when exposed to 100 % relative humidity or water at laboratory conditions. The influence of composition at different curing on the properties of model MDF cement samples was observed. The characterization of MDF samples was based especially on test of flexural strength, XRD, DTA/TGA and EGA, EDS and scanning electron microscopy analyses.

This thesis presents the results of a research program examining the effects of macro-synthetic fibers on the shear and flexural behaviour of high-strength concrete (HSC) beams subjected to static and blast loads. As part of the study, a series of seventeen fiber-reinforced HSC beams are built and tested under either quasi-static four-point bending or simulated blast loads using a shock-tube. The investigated test parameters include the effects of: macro-synthetic fibers, fiber hybridization, combined use of fibers and stirrups and longitudinal steel ratio and type. The results show that under slowly applied loads, the provision of synthetic fibers improves the shear capacity of the beams by allowing for the development of yield stresses in the longitudinal reinforcement, while the combined use of synthetic fibers and stirrups is found to improve flexural ductility and cracking behaviour. The results also show that the provision of synthetic fibers delays shear failure in beams tested under blast pressures, with improved control of blast-induced displacements and increased damage tolerance in beams designed with combined fibers and stirrups. The study also shows that the use of hybrid fibers was capable of effectively replacing transverse reinforcement under both loading types, allowing for ductile flexural failure. Moreover, the use of synthetic fibers was effective in better controlling crushing and spalling in beams designed with Grade 690 MPa high-strength reinforcement. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that synthetic fibers can possibly be used to relax the stringent detailing required by modern blast codes by increasing the transverse reinforcement hoop spacing without compromising performance. As part of the analytical study, the load-deflection responses (resistance functions) of the beams are predicted using sectional (moment-curvature) analysis, as well as more advanced 2D finite element modelling. Dynamic resistance functions developed using both approaches, and incorporating material strain-rate effects, are then used to conduct non-linear single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) analyses of the blast-tested beams. In general, the results show that both methods resulted in reasonably accurate predictions of the static and dynamic experimental results.

Les proliférations de microalgues peuvent être nocives. L'augmentation récente de la fréquence et de l’étendue géographique des efflorescences de dinoflagellés benthiques toxiques comme Ostreopsis cf. ovata peut poser de réels problèmes de santé publique. La côte méditerranéenne Nord-Occidentale (lieu de cette étude) est l'une des nombreuses régions méditerranéennes où les proliférations d'algues nuisibles représentent une menace pour l’économie touristique. Dans les années à venir, une attention particulière devra être portée à la gestion et la prévision des proliférations de ces microalgues nuisibles benthiques et c'est dans ce contexte que cette étude a été menée. Une étude bibliographique portant sur les proliférations d’Ostreopsis spp. indique un manque important de données en relation avec l'écologie d’O. cf. ovata, en particulier concernant les substrats biotiques, ainsi que les communautés les habitats benthiques et, par conséquent, les rôles éventuels que ceux-ci peuvent jouer en tant que stimulateurs majeurs des efflorescences d’Ostreopsis spp. Durant les étés 2015 et 2016, des expériences in situ de courte durée ont été menées sur les récifs côtiers et ont été complétées par des expériences en laboratoire. Les résultats obtenus ont permis d’établir que quatre communautés distinctes de macroalgues abritent des abondances différentes d’O. cf. ovata. En particulier, les abondances les plus élevées ont été enregistrées dans des sites dominés par des structures communautaires peu complexes ; Turf et Dictyotales, alors que les sites dominés par des communautés complexes de Cystoseira n’ont montré aucune prolifération significative de microalgues. Ces résultats impliquent que les régions côtières dominées par les communautés composées de Cystoseira spp. pourraient potentiellement réduire les proliférations de Ostreopsis spp. En outre, d’autres facteurs abiotiques, tels que les concentrations en nutriments et métaux traces, ne contribuent pas (ou peu) à expliquer la dynamique des populations de O. cf. ovata. Les multiples facteurs de stress d’origine anthropique continueront à influencer le fonctionnement de l’écosystème marin. La compréhension de ces impacts et la façon dont ils influencent la dynamique des dinoflagellés benthiques toxiques est impérative pour prévoir, gérer et éventuellement réduire ces proliférations, à l’échelle de l’océan mondial. / Algal blooms can be harmful. The global management and forecasting of benthic harmful algal blooms (BHABs) will be of increasing importance in the years ahead and that is what this study sets out to address. The increase over recent decades, in both frequency and geographical range, of the potentially harmful benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis cf. ovata can pose real problems for human health. The French Côte d’Azur, the location for this study, is just one of many Mediterranean areas where harmful algal blooms pose a potential economic threat to a tourist-based economy. A review of the existing literature on Ostreopsis spp. blooms shows a severe lack of information about the ecology of O. cf. ovata in relation to biotic substrates, communities and habitats and thus any possible roles these may play in fostering major Ostreopsis spp. blooms. Through a series of in situ experiments on temperate reefs on the Côte d’Azur over the summers of 2015 and 2016 with follow-up experiments in the laboratory, this study establishes that four distinct macroalgal communities harbour different O. cf. ovata abundances. The results indicated that higher abundances were recorded in sites which were dominated by less complex community structures; Turf and Dicyotales, while sites with Cystoseira spp. communities present did not harbour significant microalgal blooms. These results imply that coastal regions with a dominance of Cystoseira-composed-communities could potentially be less prone to blooms or even inhibit Ostreopsis spp. proliferation. Although, no clear relationship was found between inorganic nutrient concentrations and O. cf. ovata abundances, it was observed that in the bloom onset period, nitrogen compounds were higher than in the rest of the study period (both in 2015 and 2016). Multiple human stressors will continue to impact marine vegetation, understanding these impacts and how they then influence bloom dynamics is imperative for the global management and mitigation of BHABs.

Steigende Komplexität von Maschinen und Anlagen sowie unternehmensindividuelle Produktstrukturen führen zu Herausforderungen im Handling großer 3D-Modelle in kommerziell verfügbaren CAD-Systemen. Der Vortrag thematisiert die Anwendung unterschiedlicher Automatisierungsmöglichkeiten des CAD-Systems CATIA V5® der Firma Dassault Systèmes. Hierbei wird zum einen auf die besonderen Herausforderungen im Konstruktionsbereich des Textilmaschinenbaus eingegangen. Zum anderen werden Vorschläge für eine parametergesteuerte Anlagenkonzeption auf Basis von Knowledgeware, eine automatisierte Abstraktion großer Baugruppen und für die automatisierte Ermittlung masseabhängiger Parameter komplexer Produkte vorgestellt.

The research examines how the banking sector in Zambia faired in the wake of the global financial crisis, and the ensuing global recession that followed. Even prior to the crisis, weaknesses within the Zambian Banking sector were already identified by a World Bank/IMF financial sector assessment. The research therefore aims to gain a better understanding of the potential destabilizing factors to the Zambia Banking sector, and provide key players (Policymakers, Regulators and Banks) with knowledge on how best to manage and overcome these adverse effects, in times of a financial crisis. A Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) is estimated using commonly identified macroeconomic and banking sector indicators from selected Anglophonic African countries that were affected by the crisis at the time. The selected variables include, Return on Assets (ROA); Non-Performing Loans (NPL); Foreign Assets (FA); Interbank Lending Rate (IBLR); Liquidity (LQD); Credit to Private Sector (PRV); Foreign Exchange Rate (FOREX); Inflation (INFL); Copper Price (CU); and a ‘dummy’ variable (CRISIS). The direction of causality between the variables is further established using the VAR Granger Causality Test. Results of the model suggests that although the CRISIS was found to cause the ROA, it had no significant effect on its outcome, implying that overall the crisis had very little effect on the Zambian banking sector’s profitability. It was the liquidity (LQD) variable instead which was found to have a significant effect on the ROA. In times of a financial crisis, it is therefore recommended that policy makers and regulators apply more stringent regulatory and monetary policy instruments. This would counter the adverse effects on the liquidity and profitability of the Banking sector, and thus ensure its stability.