Thesis (M.A.)--Lancaster Bible College, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-66).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Duke University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1975. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-94).

Thesis (M.S.)--Pennsylvania State University, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-70).

Thesis (M.A.)--Lancaster Bible College, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-66).

Thesis (M. S.)--Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Lowell, Robert, Committee Chair ; Newman, Andrew, Committee Member ; Peng, Zhigang, Committee Member.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2008. / Includes graphs and tables. Includes list of publications. Title from title screen (viewed December 16, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Division of Geology and Geophysics, School of Geosciences, Faculty of Science. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

The late Neogene represents an exceptionally dynamic period in Earth history during which the Northern Hemisphere has transitioned from a warmer, more equable climate to a cooler, more transient state characterized by waxing and waning continental ice sheets. While geographical distal, the tropical ocean has played a significant role in shaping the evolution of the climate system, as the opening and closing of low latitude (LL) ocean gateways and reorganization of oceanic and atmospheric circulation structure have helped shape the climate system into its present form. This study provides a reconstruction of sea surface temperature (SST), ocean circulation, and thermal structure of the LL eastern Pacific and North Atlantic based upon the compilation of proxy data derived from planktic foraminifer assemblages and geochemical techniques. This research begins with a paleoceanographic reconstruction of the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP) and subtropical Northwest Atlantic (NWA) during the early stages of uplift of the Central American Isthmus and associated shoaling of the Central American Seaway (CAS). In the subtropical NWA (DSDP 103 and ODP 1006), the 5.2 to 5.1 Ma interval is characterized by an increase in SST and sea surface salinity, indicating a strengthening of the Florida Current (FC) and Gulf Stream (GS). Sea surface temperature in the ETP Warm Pool (DSDP Site 84) remained relatively stable between 6.9 and 5.1 Ma, during which El Niño-like conditions persisted. A slight cooling is observed after this interval (with synchronous warming in the NWA), followed by the onset of major cooling at ~3.2 Ma, both of which are preceded by a shallowing of the thermocline. Stepwise cooling is attributed to enhanced Atlantic meridional overturn circulation (AMOC), which caused a shoaling of the main tropical thermocline, thereby strengthening the Walker Circulation and weakening the Pacific North Equatorial Counter Current. During the mid-Piacenzian warm period (MPWP; ~3.3-3.0 Ma), SST in the Panama Basin was ~0.8°C cooler than today, while the subtropical NWA was only ~1.1°C warmer. This corroborates evidence for reduced meridional SST gradients during the mid-Pliocene as well as the hypothesis that more vigorous ocean circulation--particularly in the NWA--was critical during this period. The timing of SST changes in the ETP and NWA (~5.1 Ma) suggest that the termination of permanent El Niño and enhanced AMOC did not contribute significantly to the onset of major Northern Hemisphere glaciation (NHG), as both of these events occur well before the beginning of the glacial cycles. However, these processes may have contributed to the development of the small ice sheets of the late Miocene and early Pliocene, but were most likely only preconditioning factors for the onset of major NHG. In contrast, changes in SST and relative thermocline position suggest that high latitude (HL) processes and global cooling may have influenced thermal structure in the ETP. The SST estimates provided indicate that even in its early stages, the shoaling of the CAS had significant implications for low-latitude ocean circulation and thermal structure, as well as for some of the most significant global climate events of the late Neogene, including the MPWP. During the MPWP, mean global surface temperatures were similar to those predicted for the next century (2-3˚ C warmer) while atmospheric CO2 concentrations, paleogeography, and paleobiology were similar to today. As such, the MPWP has been studied in detail as a potential (albeit imperfect) analog for future climate change and has provided a natural and unique test-bed for the integration of proxy data and general circulation models. Central to this research effort is the Pliocene Research, Interpretation, and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) project, an iterative paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the MP focused on increasing our understanding of warm-period climate forcings, dynamics, and feedbacks by providing three-dimensional data sets for general circulation models. A mainstay of the PRISM project has been the development of a global sea surface temperature (SST) data set based primarily upon quantitative analyses of planktic foraminifer assemblages, supplemented with geochemical SST estimates wherever possible. In order to improve spatial coverage of the PRISM faunal and SST data sets in the LL North Atlantic, this study provides a description of the MP planktic foraminifer assemblage and multiproxy SST estimates from five Ocean Drilling Program sites (951, 958, 1006, 1062, and 1063) in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre (NASG), a region critical to Atlantic Ocean circulation and tropical heat advection. Assemblages from each core provide evidence for a temperature- and circulation-driven 5-10° northward displacement of MP faunal provinces, as well as regional shifts in planktic foraminifer populations linked to species ecology and interactions. General biogeographic trends also indicate that, relative to modern conditions, gyre circulation was stronger (particularly the Gulf Stream, North Atlantic Current, and North Equatorial Current) and meridionally broader. Overall, SST estimates suggest that surface waters in this region were not significantly warmer (1-2˚ C) than today and that mean annual SSTs along LL western boundary currents were indistinguishable from modern. Multiproxy SST data also provide evidence for enhanced northward transport of warm, salty, oligotrophic surface waters via a vigorous western boundary current system with warmer (cooler) cold-season (warm-season) temperatures. Collectively, this reconstruction of SST and ocean circulation provides support for a model of an enhanced Atlantic meridional overturn circulation (AMOC) system, with particularly vigorous LL western boundary currents and thus, more efficient northward heat transport. These trends therefore suggest that more vigorous thermohaline circulation, in conjunction with elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations, played a significant role in shaping the global surface temperature distribution during the MPWP. A strengthening of the AMOC under warmer-than-modern conditions has significant implications for future climate change. The current generation of climate models suggests that HL warming and associated ice-sheet melting will induce a freshening of the North Atlantic and thus, to a reduction in the strength of the AMOC, thereby buffering surface temperature increases in the Northern Hemisphere. However, if after this transient period of climate system adjustment, Earth returns to a more Pliocene-like climate state the AMOC system may strengthen, thereby exacerbating the HL warmth caused by elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Thus, through the reconstruction of warm-period SST and ocean circulation, this research provides insight into the potential operation of the LL North Atlantic and its associated impact on broad-scale Northern Hemisphere climate.

BACKGROUND: Faculty vitality is integral to the endurance of higher education. Strengthening vitality is particularly important for mid-career faculty, who represent the largest and most productive segment, but also the most dissatisfied. While the mid-career phase is particularly vulnerable, the backdrop of academic medicine appears to be another factor that may put faculty at risk of attrition. To address these issues, Boston University School of Medicine initiated the Academy for Collaborative Innovation and Transformation (ACIT), a ten-month mid-career faculty development program consisting of six two-day interactive learning modules and multidisciplinary group projects. METHODS: This study is a mixed-methods evaluation of ACIT using a quasi-experimental design to assess the program's impact on faculty and institutional vitality. Pre-post surveys compared participants with a matched reference group. The quantitative data were augmented by interviews and focus groups with participants, senior leadership, department chairs, and ACIT staff members. RESULTS: At the program's conclusion, ACIT participants showed marked gains in knowledge, skills, attitudes, and connectivity when compared to the referents. Results also indicate that the program was largely successful in equipping participants to accomplish the four primary learning goals: to self-reflect and pursue an individual development plan; to connect longitudinally to one's peer cohort and to the larger organization; to collaborate effectively with colleagues across disciplines, sectors, and roles; and to enhance ability to implement transformative work. Lastly, the majority of didactic sessions were rated highly for both content areas and speakers, while the group projects and learning communities received mixed reviews. Based upon these results, recommendations were made to improve the design, execution, and costs of the program. CONCLUSION: Given that mid-career faculty development in academic medicine has not been extensively studied, this evaluation is able to provide a novel perspective to guide future initiatives aimed at this specific subset of higher education.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:25:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-03-18Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:33:06Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 cabral_km_me_prud.pdf: 868084 bytes, checksum: 7f340bc9f034e463289b1b4a937ee770 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A proposta desta pesquisa é analisar a possibilidade que a sociedade brasileira possui de buscar o Direito ao ensino fundamental de qualidade junto ao Poder Judiciário, quando este Direito, que deveria ser assegurado pelos órgãos competentes (Poder Executivo), for violado, desrespeitado e/ou não efetivado. O objetivo do trabalho, portanto, é verificar se é possível exigir judicialmente o Direito a um ensino fundamental de “qualidade”, conforme prevê o artigo 206, inciso VII, da CF e, também, de que forma isto se pode ser efetuado. O Direito à educação de qualidade é um Direito inerente à pessoa humana, um Direito Fundamental, garantido pela Constituição Federal, pela LDB, pelo Plano Nacional de Educação e pelo Plano de Desenvolvimento da Educação, e, portanto, por ser característica essencial de todos os seres humanos, não poderia ser desrespeitado. Isto porque, o cerne da educação escolar é produzir e transmitir conhecimento e é através dele que o homem pode vir a transformar a natureza, organizar-se socialmente e elaborar a cultura. Assim, se a educação que os alunos brasileiros estão recebendo não é de qualidade, não há a possibilidade de produzir este conhecimento. Por isso, apesar da dificuldade para determinar a “qualidade da educação”, é importante esta discussão, para que se possa suscitar sua exigibilidade judicial dos órgãos competentes (Poder Executivo), quando não cumprida devidamente. Na prática, a exigência do Direito à Educação guarda enormes desafios, tanto quanto ao despreparo do Sistema de Judiciário Brasileiro para lidar com esta temática, como na ausência ou ineficácia de políticas públicas que garantam este Direito, sobretudo o Direito à qualidade desta educação. Esta pesquisa apresenta, portanto, como resultado principal alguns meios jurídicos capazes de garantir a qualidade do ensino fundamental, partindo, esta exigibilidade... / The aim of this research is the analyze the possibility of Brazilian society to demand the right to quality in education, in the “ensino fundamental” in the Judiciary Power, when this right, that should be assured by the competent power (Executive Power), is violated, disrespected or not effectuated. The objective of this work, therefore, is to verify if it is possible to demand in court the right to “quality education”, that is written in the Federal Constitution, article 206, incise VII, and, also, how can it be put into effect. The right to quality education is a right that is inherent to every human person, a Fundamental Right, assured by the Constitution and other lacus such as the 9.394/96, the National Plan of Education and the Plan for the Development of Education and, therefore, being inherent to every human person, could not be disrespected. That’s because the very core of Education in Schools is the transmission and production of knowledge and it’s thru it that men can transform nature, organize themselves on a society and elaborate culture. So, if educations that Brazilian students are getting have no quality, there’s no may to produce this knowledge. Therefore, in spite of the difficulty to determine “quality of education”, this is an important discussion, in order to make possible this quality education to be demanded, thru Judiciary Power, from the instances that are supposed to carry it out, when they are not doing so. Practically, the demand to the right of education yields huge challenges, referring both to the little preparation that the Judiciary System has to deal with this theme, and to the absence or ineffectiveness of public policies aimed at guaranteeing this right, especially the right to the quality of this education. Therefore, this research presents, as its main result, same legal means able to guarantee the quality of this education...