Over the last century, Americans have come to understand literature as a powerful tool for shaping individuals and society. Indeed, this perception of literature animates how Americans have and continue to debate what books to include—or exclude—in secondary school curricula. Texts dealing with issues of race, gender, and sexuality have proven especially controversial. This dissertation examines the claims people make about how reading literature can change readers and society through moral lessons. It offers case studies focused on three books that have been celebrated, banned, and taught in terms of their potential to inform readers’ moral and empathetic development: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), and Toni Morrison’s Beloved (1987). This dissertation shows how assumptions about literature’s ability to inform a readers’ moral and empathetic development can be better understood in relation to the tradition of sentimental literature—a genre and rhetorical mode of storytelling aimed to promote moral and social reform by evoking certain feelings in readers. The case studies illustrate instances when the didactic rhetorical models of sentimental literature appear as a mode of reading and interpretation, which I refer to as sentimental hermeneutics. Building on studies of religion, literature, and secularism, this dissertation analyzes the religious dimensions that emerge in the ostensibly secular interpretive methods and ‘universal’ moral frameworks used to teach and interpret these texts. Contemporary sentimental hermeneutics are indebted to an historical synthesis between Christian devotional reading practices and sentimental fiction in the 19th century. The novels examined are at various levels of conformity and dissonance with the rhetorical modes and religious foundations of this sentimental tradition. My study shows how the unacknowledged religious lineage of interpretive and moral frameworks commonly used to teach these books enacts certain religious, social, and ontological exclusions. Each case study outlines limits of sentimental hermeneutics and the analysis of Beloved offers an alternative framework for readerly empathy. By restoring to view the often-hidden religious histories of these reading strategies, this project pushes readers to parochialize the universalizing claims of these ostensibly secular moral messages: it calls for a form of reading that moves past the exclusions of sentimental hermeneutics.

We propose a ratio estimator to determine population estimates using capture-recapture sampling. It's different than traditional approaches in the following ways: (1) Ordering of recaptures: Currently data sets do not take into account the "ordering" of the recaptures, although this crucial information is available to them at no cost. (2) Dependence of trials and cluster sampling: Our model explicitly considers trials to be dependent and improves existing literature which assumes independence. (3) Rate of convergence: The percentage sampled has an inverse relationship with population size, for a chosen degree of accuracy. (4) Asymptotic Attainment of Minimum Variance (Open Systems: (=population variance). (5) Full use of data and model applicability (6) Non-parametric (7) Heterogeneity: When units being sampled are hard to identify. (8) Open and closed systems: Simpler results are presented separately for closed systems. (9) Robustness to assumptions in open systems

Platta på mark är en av de vanligaste grundkonstruktionerna i Sverige idag, där ett stortproblem är uppkomsten av oönskade sprickor. En vanlig orsak till att betongplattor spricker ärförhindrad krympning på grund av tvång. För platta på mark är det undergrund, plintar ochvoter som skapar tvånget i plattan då den fria krympningen delvis blir förhindrad av denfriktion som skapas mellan konstruktion och undergrund. Det har länge antagits att tvånget ien platta på mark ökar med plattstorleken, men storleken på ökningen har varit okänd. Syftetmed detta arbete är att med hjälp av FEM-analys ta reda på vilket tvång som bildas i en plattapå mark på grund av gradientkrympning för olika undergrunder.För att kunna verifiera resultaten från FEM-analysen har två olika program används,Cervenka Consultings Atena och StruSofts FEM-design. I Atena var det endast möjligt attskapa en 2D-modell av problemet och därför användes både en 2D- och 3D-modell i FEMdesignför att lättare kunna jämföra de två programmen. De olika undergrunderna somundersöktes var 2 och 5 m djup sand, 1 m djup packad sprängbotten, voter med 2 m djup sandoch fast inspända plintar med storlekarna 0,5!0,5 och 1,0!1,0 m2 med 2 m djup sand ovanberg. För de tre första fallen undersöktes fyra plattstorlekar, 5!5, 10!10, 30!30 och 50!50m2, för att kunna bedöma en skalfaktor av krafttvånget. Den utbredda lasten som belastade enplatta var satt till 40 kN/m2 för alla modeller, men sänktes även till en tiondel för tvåplattstorlekar för att se hur stor inverkan den utbredda lasten hade på krafttvånget. FEMmodellernavar enbart utsatta för konstant krympning medan gradientdelen av krympningenberäknades teoretiskt och adderades till slutresultatet. Armeringshalter och sprickbredderberäknades i StruSofts Concrete Section, som belastningssprickor, utifrån det sammanlagdaresultatet av en konstant krympning och en gradientkrympning. Sprickbredder har beräknatsför krympning efter ett år med aktuellt kryptal. Den betong som användes var byggbetongmed hållfasthetsklass C35/45. Den fria krympningen, !cs, beräknades till 0,44 ! normenligtutifrån Eurokod 2.Som förväntat ökade krafttvånget med plattbredden, där ökningen var störst för den styvaundergrunden av packad sprängbotten. Det som påverkades minst av den styva undergrundenvar skillnaden i krafttvång för olika storlekar på den utbredda lasten, där skillnaden ikrafttvång minskade för ökad plattbredd. Ett annat förväntat resultat var att plintar och voterbidrog till ett större krafttvång än ett flytande golv. En 2D-modell visade sig vararepresentativ för en platta av mindre bredd. Översteg plattstorleken 10x10 m2 var en 3Dmodellnödvändig för att erhålla ett med verkligheten bättre överensstämande resultat.Resultaten från de två FEM-programmen skilde sig väsentligt åt, så för att på ett säkert sättarbeta med FEM-program måste rimlighetsbedömningar kunna genomföras. Resultaten visadeäven att plattor, som var utformade som flytande golv, med en plattbredd under 40 m mediisand som undergrund inte behöver armeras med hänsyn till gradientkrympning. För enundergrund av packad sprängbotten går gränsen vid en plattbredd på 25 m. Det är därförmöjligt att gjuta relativt stora plattor utan armering. En viktig del för att undvikasprickbildning är att gjutningen sker omsorgsfullt där uttorkningen kan ske underkontrollerade förhållanden och betongreceptet uppfyller normens värden på krympning.

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I den här uppsatsen kommer korruptionens påverkan på Bosnien-Hercegovinas demokrati att analyseras. Korruptionen har ett starkt fäste inom landet då det ses som en vanlig del av samhället både från medborgare och politikerns synvinkel, detta ses som ett hinder för fortsatt utveckling på flera nivåer. Tanken finns, om att Daytonavtalet möjliggör för korruption på grund av avtalets stiftande av landets komplexa struktur och uppdelning. Uppsatsen metod är en fallstudie, där landets korrupta tillstånd kommer analyseras utifrån ett teoretiskt ramverk. Korruptionens påverkan på demokratin kommer att analyseras utifrån Marks Warrens (2004) teori: den moderna tanken om korruption, där korruptionens effekt inom olika domäner i samhället analyseras. Domänerna som undersöks är, den rättsliga makten, den legitima makten, den verkställande makten, den offentliga makten och det civila samhället. Utifrån en teoretisk analys av dessa domäner dras sedan slutsatsen om korruptionen haft någon påverkan på demokratin i landet. Trots demokratiska val är demokratin svår att upprätthålla om de demokratiska normerna i Bosnien-Hercegovina bryts genom korruption. Demokratin har påverkats starkt inom de ovannämnda domänerna och korruptionen är ett hinder för demokratins existens i Bosnien-Hercegovina. / In this paper, the impact of corruption on Bosnia-Herzegovina's democratic development will be analyzed. Corruption has a strong foothold in the country where it is seen as a normal part of society both from citizens and politicians' point of view; this is seen as an obstacle to further development at multiple levels. An existing idea is, that the Dayton agreement is enabling for corruption, because of the agreement's founding of the country's complex structure and division. The paper method is a case study, where the country's level of corruption will be analyzed from a theoretical framework. Bribery impact on democracy will be analyzed from Mark Warren's theory (2004): the modern idea of corruption, where corruption efficacies in various domains of society are analyzed. The domains under consideration are the legal power, legitimate power, the executive power, the public authorities and civil society. Based on a theoretical analysis of these domains, a conclusion is drawn about the corruptions impact of the democracy in the country. Despite democratic elections, democratic standards are difficult to maintain in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a country broken by corruption. The democracy has been strongly influenced in the domains mentioned, and corruption is an obstacle for democracy to exist in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Mark Morris is deeply engaged with dance traditions and the classics, but he transforms them into modern, eclectic pieces. He often dissolves the distinctions between reality and fantasy, and good and evil, emphasizing reconciliation and love. Morris sculpts his own story and characters from musical elements within the overarching musical structure, portraying the characters and their emotions through detailed variations of movement quality. Characterizing Morris' dual attitudes as ambivalence, this study aims to highlight the dynamic structure and complexity of meaning in his works. I suggest that Morris' ambivalence is related to his perspective, the way he sees the world. / Dance

Competition among individuals over shared resources reveals asymmetries in quality resulting in the formation of dominance hierarchies. These hierarchies act as a mechanism for social selection by partitioning resources among group-living animals. The following chapters describe my dissertation research which investigates the factors contributing to competitive asymmetries among broodmates as well as the short- and long-term consequences of the early social environment for the cooperatively breeding red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis). My research revealed that fledgling red-cockaded woodpeckers form male-biased, linear dominance hierarchies. Among fledgling males,, high relative nestling condition strongly predicted fledgling dominance, and this condition–rank relationship persisted through independence. Male nestlings are slightly larger and heavier than females; however, the sexual size dimorphism in mass is only present in mixed-sex broods, suggesting that the subtle structural size advantage gives males a competitive advantage over their sisters. Conflict rates among siblings increased with decreasing targeted feeding rates, and dominant fledglings were able to secure more food from provisioning adults through scramble competition. First-year survival favored males over females and dominant males over subordinates. Females were more dispersive overall than males, and subordinate males were more likely to disperse than dominants. The social environment prior to fledging influenced male dispersal decisions and subordinates delayed dispersal in the spring in situations where all dominants died over the winter. The probability of delayed dispersal in females was higher for females raised without brood-mates in one of two populations included in a long-term demographic data analysis. The availability of breeding vacancies may explain the differences in female dispersal behavior according to social environment between these populations. This research contributes to a greater understanding of the relative contribution of intrinsic benefits versus extrinsic constraints as an influence on delayed dispersal decisions in red-cockaded woodpeckers. Inter- and intra-sexual social rank is correlated with individual access to natal food resources and the probability of first-year survival. The intrabrood variation in dispersal strategies driven by social rank is sufficient to regularly produce both dispersal strategies among males and provides additional support that delaying natal dispersal is the preferred strategy for males in this system. / Ph. D.

I denna uppsats studeras hur Matt 7:24-30 har kommit att tolkats i modern tid av feministiska exegeter. Först ur en västerländsk kontext för att sedan övergå till en postkolonial kontext i Indien och södra Asien. I och med detta undersöks frågan: Hur har feministiska exegeter från olika kulturella kontexter förhållit sig till frågan om etnicitet, kön och tolkningen av de grekiska begreppen för barn respektive hundar i Mark 7:24-30?

The aim of this work is to provide fundamental information about trademarks and their legal regulation. This topic, very interesting nowadays, also have a potention of great importance in a close future. Following this, trademarks are very dynamically developing institute.

Esta tese é uma investigação sobre um conjunto de mapas e diagramas produzidos por artistas e ativistas entre as décadas de 1960 e 2010, a partir de diferentes contextos de transformação social, política e econômica em momentos de crise, de conflito e de formas potenciais de resistência. Através de documentos como catálogos, manifestos, artigos, fotografias, documentários, obras de arte, reproduções de mapas e entrevistas, a pesquisa realiza uma análise sobre esse conjunto de mapeamentos desenvolvidos por três gerações de artistas. No primeiro capítulo, este trabalho examina os jogos e mapas realizados nos anos 1960 e 1970 pelo sueco-brasileiro Öyvind Fahlström (1928-1976) durante as tensões geopolíticas da Guerra Fria (1947-1991) e as mudanças estruturais e organizacionais do capitalismo global na década de 1970. No segundo capítulo, a tese discute a obra do norte-americano Mark Lombardi (1951- 2000), artista que, durante a década de 1990, procurou mapear com suas estruturas narrativas redes internacionais de poder e transações financeiras obscuras envolvendo bancos, governos e elites dominantes da sociedade neoliberal. O terceiro capítulo trata das práticas de contracartografia conduzidas entre os anos 1990 e 2010 pelos coletivos de arte ativista Bureau dÉtudes (França), Counter-Cartographies Collective (Estados Unidos) e Iconoclasistas (Argentina). Com base nas articulações entre arte contemporânea, ativismo político e cartografia crítica, a tese considera que os mapeamentos realizados por esses artistas-ativistas trazem experiências importantes de produção de conhecimento e contribuem para a visualização das relações de poder no mundo contemporâneo, opondo-se também aos mapas supostamente imparciais, objetivos e naturalizantes do mundo guiados por interesses corporativos, militares e governamentais. / This thesis is an investigation on a series of maps and diagrams produced by artists and activists between the 1960s and the 2010s, in different social, political and economical contexts of change and crisis, conflict and potential forms of resistance. Through the analysis of documents, catalogs, manifestos, articles, photographs, documentaries, art works, reproductions of maps and interviews, the research approaches mappings developed by three generations of artists. The first chapter examines the games and maps created in the 1960s and 70s by the Swedish- Brazilian artist Öyvind Fahlström (1928-1976), during the geopolitical tensions of the Cold War (1947-1991) and the structural and organizational changes in global capitalism in the 1970s. The second chapter discusses the works of the American artist Mark Lombardi (1951-2000), who, during the 1990s, has tried to map international power networks and obscure financial transactions involving banks, governments, and neoliberal elites, using narrative structures. The third chapter addresses counter-cartography practices developed between the 1990s and 2010s by activist art collectives Bureau dÉtudes (France), Counter-Cartographies Collective (United States) and Iconoclasistas (Argentina). Based on the interrelations between contemporary art, political activism and critical cartography, the thesis considers that the mappings produced by this activists-artists are important experiences of producing knowledge and visualizing power relations in the contemporary world, creating an opposition to supposedly neutral and objective maps created according to corporate, governmental and military interests.