This paper aims to spell out the post-syntactic operations involved in the placement of second-position subject clitics in Alsea, an extinct language of the central Oregon coast. It assumes that the subject clitic is a syntactic head that is moved to a complementizer position in syntax, but is linearized in a post-syntactic morphological component in PF; operations in morphology account for the deviation of the subject clitic from its syntactic output position. Based on Buckley (1994), this paper proposes a two-stage post-syntactic derivation to account for the subject clitic distribution in Alsea: (i) concatenation, in which the subject clitic adjoins to an adjacent head of the same type to satisfy its suffixal requirement, (ii) prosodic readjustment, whereby a clitic whose morphological host is non-overt, leans rightward to procliticize to the first prosodic constituent.

A major challenge in plant ecology is in understanding how species strategies mediate interactions between the environment and fitness. Variation in niche strategies that affect phenological, physiological, and reproductive traits will allow species to partition resources differently in space and time, allowing for coexistence of many species and strategies within a community. How species differentially respond to variable environments will ultimately influence their population dynamics and geographic distribution. This dissertation approaches this topic from two perspectives: (a) examining the interaction between biogeography and variable demographic strategies in desert annual plants, and (b) examining the costs and benefits of contrasting reproductive strategies in co-occurring selfing and outcrossing desert annuals. Firstly, I tested the abundant center model to determine the role of range position on plant population dynamics. I examined how the geographic and climatic position of 13 desert annuals found at a common location, the Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill in Tucson, Arizona, related to their demography over a 25-year time span. I found that species for which the Desert Laboratory was close to the center of their geographic range have less variable long-term survival and fecundity compared to species for which the Desert Laboratory was further from the center of their range. Secondly, I studied how related species with contrasting mating systems respond to variable environments to affect plant performance. In a three-year field study I investigated how inter-annual variation in plant reproductive phenology affects synchrony with pollinators and herbivores. Since selfing species are guaranteed to reproduce in the absence of pollinators, seasonal and annual variation in phenology resulted in less variable plant reproductive success compared to outcrossing species. Greater variation in reproduction in outcrossing species resulted from asynchrony in some years between plants and pollinators. In a greenhouse study examining the interaction between mating system and drought, I found that the physiological functioning and survival of outcrossing species was more strongly negatively affected by drought conditions, suggesting that selfing species have an advantage in more arid environments. These studies demonstrate how plant reproductive and physiological strategies can play a critical role in influencing fitness, population dynamics and geographic distribution.

No description available.

台灣企業歷經多年進化，經營品牌的各項優點已經深植於管理者的心中，對於以「品牌力」作為競爭優勢的觀念已經有相當程度的認同。但企業在實際操作品牌時，會發現問題層出不窮，導致企業心有餘卻力不足，始終摸不著做品牌的門路。 整理台灣企業在經營品牌時會遇到的問題，不外乎以下四類。第一、當企業品牌經營不善時，是產品價值不清？還是客戶的需求不明？亦或是選擇了無效的訊息去溝通？這是很容易混淆的問題。第二、因為對客戶需求不瞭解，甚至不知道目標客戶是誰，使得企業訴求和客戶在意的價值之間產生了鴻溝。第三、企業陷入me-too產品的困境，即使提供更好的產品，仍舊進入價格競爭。第四、全球化所帶來的組織運作與文化挑戰，再加上人才資源準備不足，使戰場更形複雜。 本研究嘗試以「品牌管理之產品與顧客矩陣」去解構企業在品牌經營上所遇到的問題，並藉以發展出各種解決模式、執行步驟與規畫等，試圖架構出現有學術理論中所欠缺的執行細節，以做為本研究的研究發現。 此「品牌管理之產品與顧客矩陣」以「產品」和「客戶」做為切割的縱軸和橫軸，將企業在品牌與行銷上的議題區分為四個象限：「相同的產品賣給相同的客戶」、「相同的產品賣給不同的客戶」、「不同的產品賣給相同的客戶」、「不同的產品賣給不同的客戶」。在這四個象限之下，分別發展出「步驟一二三」，以釐清經營品牌時的企業問題現狀、判斷不同的解決構面、並提出解決方案之執行方式。

A lane position system and enhancement techniques, for increasing the robustnessand availability of such a system, are investigated. The enhancements areperformed by using additional sensor sources like map data and GPS. The thesiscontains a description of the system, two models of the system and two implementedfilters for the system. The thesis also contains conclusions and results oftheoretical and experimental tests of the increased robustness and availability ofthe system. The system can be integrated with an existing system that investigatesdriver behavior, developed for fatigue. That system was developed in aproject named Drowsi, where among others Volvo Technology participated. / Ett filpositioneringssystem undersöks och förbättringstekniker för ökandet av robusthetoch tillgängligheten av ett sådant system genom att använda ytterligaresensorkällor som kartdata och GPS. Detta examensarbete presenterar beskrivningenav ett system, två modeller och två implementerade filter. Examensarbetetinnehåller också slutsatser och resultat av teoretiska och experimentella testersom plottar och grafer av ökad robusthet och tillgängligheten av systemet. Dettasystem kan bli integrerat med ett framtaget system som tittar på körrelaterat beteendevid trötthet. Systemet är utvecklat i ett projekt kallat Drowsi, där blandandra Volvo Technology deltog.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Background Patients who experience a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) are at high risk of recurrent stroke, but little is known about temporal trends in unselected populations. Reports of low adherence to recommended treatments indicate a need for enhanced secondary preventive follow-up to achieve the full potential of evidence-based treatments. In addition, socioeconomic factors have been associated with poor health outcomes in a variety of contexts. Therefore, it is important to assess the implementation and results of secondary prevention in different socioeconomic groups. Aims The aims of this thesis were to assess temporal trends in ischemic stroke recurrence and evaluate the implementation and results of a nurse-led, telephone-based follow-up program to improve blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels after stroke/TIA. Methods In study I, we collected baseline data for unique patients with an ischemic stroke event between 1998 and 2009 (n=196 765) from the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke). Recurrent ischemic stroke events within 1 year were collected from the Swedish National Inpatient Register (IPR) and the cumulative incidence was compared between four time periods using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and the logrank test. Implementation (study II) and 1-year results (study III-IV) for the secondary preventive follow-up were studied in the NAILED (Nurse-based Age-independent Intervention to Limit Evolution of Disease) study. Between 1 Jan 2010 and 31 Dec 2013, the baseline characteristics of consecutive patients admitted to Östersund Hospital for acute stroke or TIA were collected prospectively (n=1776). Consenting patients in a condition permitting telephone-based follow-up were randomized to nurse-led, telephone-based follow-up or follow-up according to usual care. Follow-up was cunducted at 1 and 12 months after discharge and the intervention included BP and LDL-C measurements, titration of medication, and lifestyle counseling. In study II, we analyzed factors associated with non-participation in the randomized phase of the NAILED study, including association with education level. In addition, we compared the 1-year prognosis in terms of cumulative survival between participants and non-participants. In study III, we compared differences in BP and LDL-C levels between the intervention and control groups during the first year of follow-up and, in study IV, in relation to level of education (low, ≤10 years; high, >10 years). Results The cumulative 1-year incidence of recurrent ischemic stroke decreased from 15.0% to 12.0%. Among surviving stroke and TIA patients, 53.1% were included for randomization, 35.7% were excluded mainly due to physical or cognitive disability, and 11.2% declined participation in the randomized phase. A low level of education was independently associated with exclusion, as well as the patient’s decision to abstain from randomization. Excluded patients had a more than 12-times higher risk of death within 1 year than patients who were randomized. After 1 year of follow-up, the mean systolic BP, diastolic BP, and LDL-C levels were 3.3 mmHg (95% CI 0.3 to 6.3), 2.3 mmHg (95% CI 0.5 to 4.2), and 0.3 mmol/L (95% CI 0.1 to 0.4) lower in the intervention group than among controls. Among participants with values above the treatment goal at baseline, the differences in systolic BP and LDL-C levels were more pronounced (8.0 mmHg, 95% CI 4.0 to 12.1; 0.6 mmol/L, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.9). In the intervention group, participants with a low level of education achieved similar or larger improvements in BP and LDL-C than participants with a high level of education. In the control group, BP remained unaltered and the LDL-C levels increased among participants with a low level of education. Conclusion The 1-year risk of ischemic stroke recurrence decreased in Sweden between 1998 and 2010. Nurse-led, telephone-based secondary preventive follow-up is feasible in just over half of the survivors of acute stroke and TIA and achieve better than usual care in terms of BP and LDL-C levels, and equality in BP improvements across groups defined by education level. However, a large proportion of stroke survivors are in a general condition precluding this form of follow-up, and their prognosis in terms of 1-year survival is poor. Patients with a low education level are over-represented within this group and among patients declining randomization for secondary preventive follow-up.

Stable isotope analysis (SIA) is a valuable tool in ecotoxicology because δ13C and δ15N may provide insights into the trophic transfer of contaminants in a food web. The relationship between a species’ trophic position (TP, determined from δ15N) and internal concentration of biomagnifying contaminants can be established and used for regulatory purposes. However, the exposure of organisms to xenobiotics incurs physiological costs, and the stable isotope signature of a consumer reflects not only diet but also a physiological state. The latter raises questions regarding the interpretation of stable isotope signatures in contaminated areas. Therefore, the aim of this Thesis was to evaluate the behaviour of consumers’ stable isotope signatures in stressed systems, with a primary focus on the effects of environmental contaminants. In paper I, the physiological costs of chemical exposure were found to alter incorporation rates of dietary nitrogen and carbon in a consumer by influencing both growth and metabolic turnover, with resulting changes in isotope signatures relative to a control system. In paper II, the diet-consumer discrimination factors for 15N and 13C were confirmed to increase under chemical exposure mediated via increased metabolic costs. However, the physiological response was low and translated into only minor shifts in the δ13C and δ15N. The predictability of exposure effects on the stable isotope signature was demonstrated in paper III, in which animals exposed to a chemical with a known mode of action presented expected effects on elemental composition, body size, biomarkers of oxidative stress and the stable isotope signatures. Moreover, consumers’ oxidative balance was found to be related to their δ15N values, thus providing evidence of the kinetic isotope effect on the oxidative status. However, despite the alterations in stable isotope signatures observed in laboratory settings (papers I-III), the effect of xenobiotics on the TP estimates was nil or minor in the field-collected animals. Moreover, the TP values were not significantly different between the animals in the contaminated and the reference habitats because of the high overall uncertainties in the TP estimates (paper IV). Also, the TP estimates based on δ15N in bulk material were more similar between the contaminated and the reference systems than TP estimates based on δ15N values in amino acids. Therefore, the latter method appears more sensitive towards xenobiotics (and, possibly, other environmental stressors) and thus less suitable for TP assessment in contaminated areas. This Thesis improved the overall understanding of the applicability of SIA in stressed systems by establishing relationships between various exposure regimes, physiological responses and the stable isotope signatures in consumers. In model species at low trophic levels, the exposure to xenobiotics was found to significantly affect δ13C and δ15N values, which can be expected whenever physiological responses are detected. However, because of the overall high uncertainty in TP estimates, no significant differences between contaminated and control systems were detected, although the estimated TP were consistently higher in the contaminated systems. Future research should focus on higher trophic levels, in which effects of a greater magnitude can be expected. Moreover, the effects in entire food webs should be addressed rather than single prey–consumer relationships as well as other environmental variables that may contribute to the stable isotope variability in and among systems under various environmental pressures. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify the possibilities for a garment producing country, with high supplier and buyer dependency, to implement a yarn-forward value chain. Design/methodology/approach - This study analyzes existing literature along with collected data conducted through a field study in Vietnam. Primary data was collected through interviews with actors within the Vietnamese garment industry. Findings - What has been concluded through this case research is that monetary investments, relationships, and education of employees are dimensions that seem to be foundational in building a yarn-forward value chain successfully. Research limitations/implications - This study is limited to a specific case, only focusing on Vietnam's textile industry, meaning that the identified factors needed for establishing a yarn- forward value chain may differ depending on each country's native capabilities and access to raw materials. Practical implication - The findings of this study may contribute to an increased understanding of the surrounding factors regarding the implementation of yarn-forward production in a garment producing country. Originality/value - This study contributes to a deeper insight in what factors that affects a country’s garment industry and how a more competitive position can be created on the global textile market by taking these factors into consideration.

Background: To evaluate the toric intraocular lens (IOL) calculation considering posterior corneal astigmatism, incision-induced posterior corneal astigmatism, and effective lens position (ELP). Methods Two thousand samples of corneal parameters with keratometric astigmatism >= 1.0 D were obtained using boot-strap methods. The probability distributions for incision-induced keratometric and posterior corneal astigmatisms, as well as ELP were estimated from the literature review. The predicted residual astigmatism error using method D with an IOL add power calculator (IAPC) was compared with those derived using methods A, B, and C through Monte-Carlo simulation. Method A considered the keratometric astigmatism and incision-induced keratometric astigmatism, method B considered posterior corneal astigmatism in addition to the A method, method C considered incision-induced posterior corneal astigmatism in addition to the B method, and method D considered ELP in addition to the C method. To verify the IAPC used in this study, the predicted toric IOL cylinder power and its axis using the IAPC were compared with ray-tracing simulation results. Results The median magnitude of the predicted residual astigmatism error using method D (0.25 diopters [D]) was smaller than that derived using methods A (0.42 D), B (0.38 D), and C (0.28 D) respectively. Linear regression analysis indicated that the predicted toric IOL cylinder power and its axis had excellent goodness-of-fit between the IAPC and ray-tracing simulation. Conclusions The IAPC is a simple but accurate method for predicting the toric IOL cylinder power and its axis considering posterior corneal astigmatism, incision-induced posterior corneal astigmatism, and ELP.