本論文將Poterba(1984)所建構的房屋市場模型由部分均衡擴展為一般均衡，引入貸款成數及加碼利率做宣示效果分析。探討民眾在未預料到和預料到的兩種情況下，貸款成數及加碼利率變動對房價和房屋存量的影響，可得到結論如下： 一、當貸款成數降低時，不論房量變動的正負效果相對大小如何，均會使長期的房屋價格下跌和房屋存量減少。 二、當加碼利率提高時，在加碼利率變動的正效果大於負效果的情況下，長期的房屋存量和房屋價格均上升；反之，當加碼利率變動的正效果小於負效果，長期的房屋存量和房屋價格均會減少。 三、政府可利用降低貸款成數達到抑制房價的政策目標；但若要以提高加碼利率達成抑制房價的目標，則要視加碼利率的正負效果相對大小而定。 四、政策宣告會改變民眾的預期，促使房價於政策宣告後立即跳動，並在政策執行前就已對房屋存量和房價做出反應。在宣告降低貸款成數的瞬間，房價會有跳躍性減少的情況；但在宣告提高加碼利率的瞬間，房價則視加碼利率變動的正負效果相對大小，有跳躍性上升或下降的情況。 / This thesis extends the housing market model pioneered by Poterba(1984) from a partial equilibrium analysis to a general equilibrium analysis. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how the anticipated and unanticipated policies of the loan-to-value ratio and the mark-up rate govern the transitional dynamics of housing prices and the housing stock. There are two main findings emerge from the analysis. First, a reduction in the loan-to-value ratio leads to a decline in both of housing prices and the housing stock, regardless of whether the increased loan-to value ratio is beneficial or harmful to the return on housing. Second, in response to a rise in the mark-up rate, whether the steady-state housing prices and the housing stock go up or go down depends on the mark-up rate effect. Both housing prices and the housing stock go up if the increased mark-up rate contributes a positive effect on the return of holding houses. By contrast, the steady-state housing prices and the housing stock go down if the increased mark-up rate causes a negative effect on the return on housing holdings.

Holistic studies of mammalian life history factors and their consequences on population demography require an intensive, multifaceted field methodology and effort over long temporal scales. A 25-year longitudinal mark-recapture experiment on southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, at Subantarctic Marion Island provide such a foundation for demographic analyses and relevant methodology advancement. Two gaps in the methodology related to life history and population demographic research are, the absence of large samples of known mass individuals, and an inability to identify mother-pup relatedness. A novel three-dimensional photogrammetric technique is designed here that allows for mass estimation of large samples of southern elephant seals in the field. An effective temporary marking technique for unweaned pups is implemented that allows for identification of large samples of pups with known mothers prior to the maternal bond being severed at weaning. These known pups can then be marked with more robust tags and relatedness information is preserved long-term. Thus, mass estimates can now be applied as covariates in modelling analyses to address questions of, for example, maternal investment, kinship associated behaviour, and the consequences thereof on survival and reproductive parameters. The state change in the Marion Island southern elephant seal population from decrease to stabilisation/increase is shown to have resulted from improved survivorship in both juvenile and adult female age classes. Male seals of all ages did not indicate improved survivorship following the period of decline. The inflexion in survivorship is identified as 1994, whence improved survivorship of juvenile seals preceded that of young adult females. This inflexion in survivorship is postulated to have resulted in a population trend inflexion around 1998. Female southern elephant seals do not show evidence of actuarial senescence, but reproductive senescence is apparent after 12 years of age. A longterm reproductive cost (reduced breeding effort) is associated with early primiparity (age three) as compared with later primiparity (4- 5- or 6-year-old). The mean proportion of 3-year-old breeders has not increased after 1994 as has been hypothesized in previous studies. Contrary to previous assumptions, females do not as a rule breed every year. Annually interrupted breeding efforts are more common than consecutive breeding efforts. No difference in the proportions of interrupted versus uninterrupted breeding efforts was identified between periods of population decline and stabilisation/increase. Longevity as predicted by survival estimates exceeds the observed frequencies. This study provides unique longevity and fertility schedules for the species. The improved survivorship, reproductive senescence and breeding schedules of female southern elephant seals in this population provide groundwork for reevaluation of previous studies and their conclusions. The addition of relatedness and body condition information will allow for sophisticated multistate modelling of population demography in future studies. However, analytical procedures and techniques employed need to be meticulously designed and thoroughly thought through to avoid mis-interpretation of biological data. In addition to a multistate single species analytical approach, the importance of an ecosystem approach to species population demographic studies is highlighted through the augmenting of data on relevant potential drivers of population change, such as killer whales, Orcinus orca. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

Mastering the physical aspect of piano technique has long been a topic of great interest and importance to pianists. This is borne out in the numerous pedagogical approaches on the topic of piano technique. Despite the many contributions from pedagogues and scholars in developing an understanding of piano technique, many conflicting approaches often cause more confusion than clarity. After reviewing the literature on pedagogical approaches to piano technique, this study determined that problematic language might lie at the root of the confusion. Core concepts identified in the review of literature as recurring areas of misunderstanding were tension, relaxation, co-contraction, arm weight, and hand and finger shape. The purpose of this study is to seek where issues of language exist in contemporary piano pedagogical approaches and to show how these problems may contribute to the systemic confusion in piano technique. To do this, the language that is used to describe and define the core concepts identified in the review of literature is analyzed in five modern pedagogical approaches. Five authors who have developed approaches that reflect current trends in piano technique have been selected for this study: Barbara Lister-Sink; Dorothy Taubman; Thomas Mark; Fred Karpoff; and Alan Fraser. The first step of this study entails collecting data from each of the five pedagogical approaches. The data is then analyzed for consistency and accuracy. Problems in language that contribute to the inconsistencies and inaccuracies are examined and illustrated with material from the data collection. This study concludes by identifying the main sources of confusion in the use of language: inconsistent and inaccurate use of terms; wavering between scientific, common, and invented language; challenges in describing opposing qualities that come from tension and relaxation; and failing to discern between the individual subjective experience and the mechanics of movement. By recognizing where the problems in language exist, this study represents an important first step for the pedagogical community to reach a common understanding of the language used to describe the physical aspect of piano technique.

Local food is a current topic within the Czech food market. The Thesis is focused on the food quality mark "Regionalni potravina" as an instrument for local production promotion. Aim of the thesis is to verify whether labeling local food with the quality mark "Regionalni potravina" contributes to the local food production. An analysis has been performed, that focuses on The Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic's project "Regionalni potravina" in The Usti Region. The analysis contributes to the current local food issue from the perspective of consumers and producers. A questionnaire survey among The Usti Region's consumers and local food producers, that were awarded the quality mark, has been performed. Half of the respondents claim to consume local food, they appreciate its quality and clear origin. The food quality mark "Regionalni potravina" has appealed to the consumers, thus they are motivated to buy local products. That leads to promotion of local food production. The survey was able to prove that the food quality mark "Regionalni potravina" truly leads to promotion of local food production. Considering these conclusions and consumers' attitude towards local food, it would be worth considering to promote a wider range of local food producers who meet the quality and local origin requirements.

The main objective of my diploma thesis is to analyse customers perception of Pure Jatomi Fitness brand. Based on results of a questionnaire survey, I recommended improvements that the management of the company should take into consideration in order to reach better results. In the theoretical part, I defined the concepts of service marketing, mark and its elements. Then I also focused on terms such as segmentation, targeting and positioning. The next chapter is devoted to the qualitative and quantitative research methods. In the practical part, I mentioned characteristics of Pure Jatomi Fitness company as to it's history and philosophy. I analysed the competitive market of Prague fitness centers and I presented the SWOT analysis. In the research part, I defined target segment of this fitness center chain with emphasis on analysing the perception of the respondents. In the final chapter, I proposed appropriate improvements that would strenghten the accurate position of Pure Jatomi Fitness.

The aim of this master thesis is to is to present the company P&P Jewelry Ltd., it's activities and to describe the current way of building brand Lilien Czech Jewelry, as well as an analysis of key markets and on the basis of the results to draft a new strategy of brand building. The first theoretical chapter deals with the specifics of brand building in the offline and online environments. The next part contents presents the company P&P Jewelry Ltd., it's project Lilien Czech Jewelry and markets on which the jewelery is exported. The following chapter focuses on the analysis of the competitiveness of the brand on the most important markets for by using the PEST analysis and the Porter's five forces model. The fourth part analyzes contemporary brand building strategy of the brand Lilien Czech Jewelry. In conclusion of this thesis is analysis of research of customers perception of the brand.

M.A. / The post-apartheid period has seen growing literary interest in issues of gender and sexuality. This dissertation reads literature as a type of cultural history and engages critically with the discursive and epistemological role of fiction within a broader palimpsest of discourses, theories and nomenclatures relating to sexuality. It maps the limitations of existing epistemological hierarchies and argues for the recognition of fiction as an ephemeral and complementary archive of same-sex subjectivities. While fiction can construct and shift signifying regimes, it also engages with the complexities and nuances of individual subjectivities as well as the affective elements of narratives in interesting and important ways. Focussing particularly on K. Sello Duiker’s The Quiet Violence of Dreams (2001), Gerald Kraak’s Ice in the Lungs (2006), and Mark Behr’s Kings of the Water (2009), this dissertation examines the ways in which representations of non-heteronormative sexualities impact on post-transitional literary culture in South Africa. Transition-era texts and discourses tend to serve particular political imperatives that demand the politicisation of identities. This dissertation destabilises the existing taxonomies of sexual identities and foregrounds the fluidity of both sexual desire and individual subjectivities. Furthermore, this dissertation interrogates the signifying regimes and discursive practices with which same-sex intimacies between men are represented. In addition, it interrogates the prevailing frameworks for the study of masculinities and shows how the novels under consideration illustrate alternative ways of conceptualising gender performativity. While there are of course a multiplicity of masculinities, through a close reading of the novels I argue that the performativity of masculinities is produced by the indeterminate, though undeniable, intersections between cultural gender norms and individual agency. This dissertation’s analysis of gender representations identifies masculinities as the site for the interrogation of myriad historical and cultural discourses including those relating to the South African Defence Force, the anti-apartheid movement and post-apartheid Cape Town. Accordingly, I argue that the three post-transitional novels under consideration resist the politics of collective mobilisation and undermine ideologically-sanctioned ‘official’ histories. As both a literary and a cultural history, this dissertation engages not only with the literariness of the novels but also with how they contribute to a broader cultural history of same-sex male subjectivities in South Africa.

Informed by the methodology utilized in Peter Williams's Houses of God: Region, Religion, and Architecture in the United States (1997), the thesis examines Mark Lemmon's Gothic Revival design for the Highland Park Presbyterian Church (1941) with special attention to the denomination and social class of the congregation and the architectural style of the church. Beginning with the notion that Lemmon's church is more complex than an expression of the Southern cultural region defined by Williams, the thesis presents the opportunity to examine the church in the context of the unique cultural region of the city of Dallas. Church archival material supports the argument that the congregation deliberately sought to identify with both the forms and ideology of the late nineteenth-century Gothic Revival in the northeastern United States, a result of the influence of Dallas's cultural region.

I Sverige finns det ungefär 25 000 riskklassade förorenade områden samt ännu fler områden som potentiellt är förorenade. Naturvårdsverket har tagit fram generella riktvärden för olika förorenade ämnen. Halter över riktvärdena antyder att risken för negativa effekter på människan eller miljön bedöms vara stor och att efterbehandling av området är aktuellt. Ett vanligt, men kostsamt efterbehandlingsalternativ är urschaktning och bortforsling av jord innehållandes halter av ämnen över riktvärdena. Ett intresse finns för att utveckla lätt tillämpbara metoder för platsspecifik riskbedömning av mark i syfte att skydda markmiljön och dess funktioner. Mikroorganismer som ingår i kvävets kretslopp utför nyckelfunktioner i jorden. Flera studier indikerar att dessa mikroorganismers abundans och aktivitet påverkas av flera olika markföroreningar. Inom forskningsprojektet APPLICERA har ett lysimeterexperiment genomförts där två jordar, med olika egenskaper med avseende på bland annat kornstorleksfördelning och pH (svagt basisk sandy loam respektive sur sand), förorenats med koppar respektive PAH:er i varierande halter. Halterna motsvarar riktvärden för känslig markanvändning (KM), mindre känslig markanvändning (MKM) och 3xMKM. Provtagning av jorden har skett vid tre tillfällen under en period av 16 månader. I detta examensarbete har nitrifierande mikroorganismers potential för att användas som indikatorer för förändrad markfunktion i förorenad jord undersökts. Detta har gjorts genom att kvantifiera ammoniakoxiderande arkéer (AOA), ammoniakoxiderande bakterier (AOB) samt de nitritoxiderande bakteriesläktena Nitrospira och Nitrobacter i jord som provtagits vid de olika tidpunkterna i lysimeterexperimentet. Mätning av potentiell ammoniakoxidation (PAO) har skett för jord från det sista provtagningstillfället. Resultaten visade att abundansen av mikroorganismerna generellt var större i den svagt basiska jorden klassificerad som sandy loam än i den sura jorden klassificerad som sand. Med tiden minskade AOA:s abundans för den högsta koncentrationen av koppar och PAH, särskilt utpräglad var minskningen i den sura jorden. Även Nitrospira minskade i abundans i PAH-förorenad jord för båda jordtyperna, dock kunde en minskning i abundans i kopparförorenad jord statistisk endast säkerställas för den sura jorden. AOB:s och Nitrobacters abundans visade inte på någon tydlig uppåt- eller nedåtgående trend varken över tid eller för ökande föroreningshalt. Skillnaden i kvantitet av mikroorganismer mellan jordtyperna antyder att jordens kemiska och fysiska egenskaper påverkade mikroorganismernas abundans såväl som föroreningarnas biotillgänglighet. PAO minskade med ökande kopparhalt för båda jordtyper, däremot sågs en minskning i PAO med ökande PAH-halt endast i den sura jorden. Resultaten antyder att abundansen av AOA och Nitrospiras verkar ha störst potential att utgöra generella indikatorer över ändrad markfunktion, dock lämpligen med komplettering av förbättrade mätningar av PAO för att få mer information om kvävets kretslopp i förorenad jord. / In Sweden there are around 25,000 contaminated areas classified as a risk for human health or the environment, and even more potentially contaminated areas. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has developed generic guideline values for hazardous substances.  Contamination levels exceeding the guideline values indicate a large risk for human health or the environment and that there is a need to remediate the site. A frequently used and expensive aftertreatment is excavation and removal of contaminated soil. Therefore, there is an interest to develop easy applicable methods for site-specific risk assessment with the purpose to protect the soil environment and its functions. Microorganisms involved in the nitrogen cycle perform key functions in soil. Several studies indicate that the abundance and activity of N-cycling microorganisms are sensitive to various soil pollution. Within the research project APPLICERA, a lysimeter experiment was conducted with two different soil types (acidic sandy soil and slightly alkaline sandy loam) and different contamination levels of copper and PAH. The contamination levels corresponded to generic guideline values for sensitive land-use (KM), less sensitive land-use (MKM) and 3xMKM. Soil samples were taken at three times during a period of 16 months. The aim of this master thesis was to investigate nitrifying microorganism potential as indicators for altered soil functioning in contaminated soil. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria genera Nitrospira and Nitrobacter has been quantified in soil samples with the different treatments. Measurements of the potential ammonia oxidation (PAO) have been performed in soil from the last sample taking.  The abundance of the nitrifying microorganisms was in general higher in the slightly alkaline sandy loam soil. Over time there was a decrease in AOA abundance for the highest concentration of copper and PAH, most pronounced in the acidic sandy soil. Also, a decrease in the abundance of Nitrospira in soil contaminated with PAHs could be seen for both soil types. In copper contaminated soil a distinct decrease in the abundance of Nitrospira could only be seen in the acidic sandy soil. The abundance of AOB and Nitrobacter did not show any obvious pattern for different contamination levels or over time. The difference in abundance of nitrifying microorganisms between the soil types suggests that the soil’s chemical and physical characteristics as well as the bioavailability of the contaminant affected their abundance. A significant decrease in PAO could be seen for the highest contamination level of copper for both soil types, but for the PAH contaminated soil PAO decreased only in the acidic sandy soil. These results suggest that the abundance of AOA and Nitrospira seems to have greatest potential as general indicators for altered soil functioning. However, improved activity measurements are needed to gain greater insight into the soil N-cycle functioning in contaminated soils.

Over the years there have been major developments in corporate identity, which included the integration of the concept of the logo branding systems of both companies and products; extending thereby at the level of legal definitions or in the application forms, colors and uses of logos, as well as the design of the mark. Since then, the brand began to be considered one of the main intangible assets, providing the basis for a sustainable competitive advantage. Thus, the legal protection of this asset becomes indispensable. Considering the growth and importance of intangible assets |brand|, this study aimed to evaluate the profile of the trademark filing consolidated two Brazilian companies and national prominence in the food sector, including analysis of trademark protection since its evolution and extension the visual identity to the comparative study of management strategies relating to these distinctive signs. From data collected in the National Institute of Industrial Property for the years 2000 to 2013, exploratory-descriptive research was conducted, analyzing the evolution of marcarios records and protection of trademarks by the companies Sadia and Perdigao SA. According to the records, it was found that from the beginning to the present day, Perdigao brand and had a few minor alterations and identified records of change in mixed company brand in the years 1958, 1980 and 2005 On the other hand, for Sadia records modernization of its visual identification in the years 1960, 1993 and 2011, characterized by the association consumers make the brand together the stylized S and the image of the mascot were observed. The strategies of brands of both companies are extensions: line (creating different flavors and different features in various products); brand (using their names in different product categories, including meat products, pizza, snacks and pasta) and multi (insertion of brands introduced in the same product category market, such as margarines and Deline Qualy). Furthermore, firms make use of licensing strategies, for example: |Monica| (Sadia) and |The Smurfs| (Perdigao). As for the number of records was verified to occur in six different classes: 29, 30, 31, 32, 39, 43, however, with greater expressiveness in class 29, comprising 436 records of Sadia and Perdigao 162. However, 80% of the records of Sadia are active and 20% of applications filed, the total of 731 On the other hand, the 196 brands Perdigao 71% refers to the active. So mark protection is very important for both companies, evidenced by the high numbers of records over the years. Moreover, the construction of each brand was strategic element for both companies to consolidate the market, communicating its value proposition to consumers. It is noteworthy also that Sadia and Perdigao, during its existence, used strategies similar brands, however with regard to launching products, Sadia is still higher than Perdigao. / Ao longo dos anos houve grande evolução na identidade coorporativa, o que compreendeu a integração do conceito de logotipo aos sistemas de identidade visual tanto das empresas quanto de produtos; estendendo-se, desta forma, em nível de definições legais seja nas formas de aplicação, cores e usos de logotipos, como também ao design da marca. A partir de então, a marca começou a ser considerada um dos principais ativos intangíveis, proporcionando a base de uma vantagem competitiva sustentável. Logo, a proteção legal desse ativo torna-se indispensável. Considerando o crescimento e a importância do ativo intangível marca , este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o perfil do depósito marcário de duas empresas brasileiras consolidadas e de destaque nacional no setor alimentício, incluindo a análise de proteção das marcas desde a sua evolução e extensão da identidade visual até o estudo comparativo de estratégias administrativas referentes a estes sinais distintivos. A partir de dados coletados no Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial, correspondentes aos anos de 2000 a 2013, foi realizada pesquisa exploratório-descritiva, com análise da evolução dos registros marcario e da proteção de marcas pelas empresas Sadia S.A. e Perdigão. De acordo com os registros, foi constatado que do início até os dias atuais, a marca Perdigão teve poucas e discretas alterações, sendo identificados registros de modificação na marca mista da empresa nos anos de 1958, 1980 e 2005. Por outro lado, para a marca Sadia foram observados registros de modernização de sua identificação visual nos anos de 1960, 1993 e 2011, caracterizados pela associação que os consumidores fazem à marca conjuntamente ao S estilizado e a imagem da mascote. As estratégias de marcas de ambas as empresas se constituem de extensões: de linha (criando diversos sabores e características diferentes em vários produtos); de marca (utilizando seus nomes em diferentes categorias de produtos, incluindo derivados de carne, pizzas, salgadinhos e massas) e multimarcas (inserção no mercado de marcas introduzidas na mesma categoria de produto, como exemplo margarinas Deline e Qualy). Ademais, as empresas se utilizam de estratégias de licenciamento, por exemplo: Turma da Mônica (Sadia) e os Smurfs (Perdigão). Quanto ao número de registros foi verificada a ocorrência em seis classes diferentes: 29, 30, 31, 32, 39, 43, no entanto, com maior expressividade na classe 29, compreendendo 436 registros da Sadia e 162 da Perdigão. Contudo, 80% dos registros da Sadia encontram-se ativos e 20% de pedidos arquivados, do total de 731. Por outro lado, das 196 marcas da Perdigão 71% referem-se às ativas. Portanto, a proteção marcaria representa grande relevância para as duas empresas, constatada pelos elevados números de registros ao longo dos anos. Além disso, a construção da marca de cada uma foi elemento estratégico para ambas as empresas se consolidarem no mercado, comunicando sua proposta de valor aos consumidores. Ressalta-se, ainda, que a Sadia e a Perdigão, no decorrer de sua existência, utilizaram estratégias de marcas semelhantes, contudo no que diz respeito ao lançamento de produtos, a Sadia ainda é superior à Perdigão.