The archaeological record indicates that there are differences in Viejo period (A.D. 700 or 900-1200/1250) and Medio period (A.D. 1200/1250-1400s) agricultural strategies and settlement distribution between the Casas Grandes River basin in northern Chihuahua and the Babícora Basin and upper Santa María River basin area in west central Chihuahua. During the Viejo period in the Casas Grandes region temporal, rainfed, agriculture is proposed and only a few settlements are associated with this system. In the Medio period irrigation and trincheras (stone terraces) were implemented increasing the land’s ability to support large populations and numerous settlements were aggregated around fields associated with these methods. For the latter two regions temporal agriculture is posited for both the Viejo and Medio periods. While populations thrived, the numerous settlements in each area are not aggregated but rather are dispersed across the landscape and on various topographic features. The objectives of this thesis were to investigate environmental and cultural influences as explanatory factors for the regional differences. Current environmental data indicate that the combinations of annual precipitation, soil types, and hydrology determine whether temporal or irrigation agriculture is possible. Temporal agriculture is not a viable option for the Casas Grandes region but irrigation is. The conditions in the Babícora Basin and the upper Santa María River basin are conducive to temporal farming while water for irrigation is not easily attainable. In that paleoenvironmental data demonstrate the antiquity of current environments then the agricultural options would have been similar in the past. Together, the archaeological and ethnographic data demonstrate the longevity of temporal agriculture in these areas. How temporal agriculture can be achieved and sustained is demonstrated in the tradition-based practices of modern farmers. The agency of modern farmers can be used as an analogy for agency in the past. When tested against the archaeological record the postulated temporal system and associated settlement patterns are indicative of a domesticated landscape structured for planting flexibility.

Purpose: The purpose is to investigate and analyse the impact of intra-organizational purchasing synergy on periodic price adjustment (PPA) process. Specifically, paper provides a view on how  purchasing process synergy through an operational IT platform can increase process reengineering opportunities within PPA.  Methodology: So, to fulfil the purpose of the research, the in-depth case study approach is chosen as a strategy that goes along with exploratory nature of the study, aimed at gaining rich insights in the context in which the phenomenon happens. Findings: The findings emphasize the importance of global process standardization and balanced governance among regional affiliates in successful implementation of PPA process synergy. We also identify a set of specific process reengineering needs  in PPA such as company wide information sharing,  standardization of part specifications and cost bases, and joint world-wide cost reduction activity within global buyer community (BGC). Then it is observed that all these process reengineering initiatives will not be possible without solid and flexible IT infrastructure  to improve buyer productivity and support their further development.   Research limitations/implications: Primarily, this study was conducted on single in-depth case study which makes it difficult to completely generalize the findings. Next, there are many factors impacting intra-organizational pricing processes besides global synergy projects. In fact, regional and organizational contexts are of high importance, which are addressed but not analysed in detail in the current study.   Practical implications: Together, the findings contribute to our understanding of the step-by-step pricing activity from industrial customer perspective and how buyers can improve cost competitiveness through various tangible and commercial part cost reduction activities.   Originality/value: Current study has addressed the pricing process from industrial customer perspective. It has two main theoretical contributions: (1) Detailed step-by-step description of PPA process between OEMs and their suppliers happening after SOP; and (2) groundwork for implementation guidance on intra-organizational price revision process synergy.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:36:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Arquivototal.pdf: 2561986 bytes, checksum: 74797f211d7b343c444badcf4d968ad1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Nowadays, the digital television systems do not have specific standards for sign languages (SL). The solution used in TV is to transmit a window with a SL interpreter over the video program. This solution is ineffective in several aspects: it has high operational costs, is dependent of a interpreter, and distract nondeaf viewers. In addition, it does not respects the regional differences in SLs. To reduce these problems, the main objective of this work is to propose a protocol to encode and transmit Brazilian sign language (LIBRAS) windows into digital television systems. In this propose, the frames of LIBRAS windows are not transmitted. Instead, a set of codes is transmitted, where each code is related to a visual representation of a sign in LIBRAS stored in the TV receiver. Thus it is possible to respect the regional differences of SL and to reduce the used bandwidth. Additionally, some strategies to represent sound effects, voice intonation and emotion nuances are also being investigated. / Os sistemas de TV Digital atuais não possuem padronização específica para língua de sinais (LS). A solução utilizada na TV nos dias de hoje, consiste em transmitir uma janela com um intérprete de LS sobreposto ao vídeo do programa. Esta solução se mostra ineficaz em vários aspectos: possui um alto custo operacional, é dependente de um intérprete em tempo integral, além de distrair os telespectadores que não são surdos. Além disso, a geração de uma mesma janela para todos os usuários, não respeita as diferenças regionais das LS. Para reduzir esses problemas, o objetivo principal desse trabalho é propor um protocolo que viabilize a codificação e transmissão de janelas em Língua Brasileira de Sinais (LIBRAS) para sistemas de televisão digital. Nessa proposta, os quadros do vídeo da janela de LIBRAS não são transmitidos. Em vez disso, é transmitido um conjunto de códigos, em que cada código está relacionado à representação visual de um sinal de LIBRAS armazenada no receptor. Dessa forma, é possível respeitar as diferenças regionais e reduzir a largura de banda utilizada na transmissão. Adicionalmente, também são investigadas estratégias para representar efeitos sonoros, entonação de voz e nuances emocionais na sinalização.

The archaeological record indicates that there are differences in Viejo period (A.D. 700 or 900-1200/1250) and Medio period (A.D. 1200/1250-1400s) agricultural strategies and settlement distribution between the Casas Grandes River basin in northern Chihuahua and the Babícora Basin and upper Santa María River basin area in west central Chihuahua. During the Viejo period in the Casas Grandes region temporal, rainfed, agriculture is proposed and only a few settlements are associated with this system. In the Medio period irrigation and trincheras (stone terraces) were implemented increasing the land’s ability to support large populations and numerous settlements were aggregated around fields associated with these methods. For the latter two regions temporal agriculture is posited for both the Viejo and Medio periods. While populations thrived, the numerous settlements in each area are not aggregated but rather are dispersed across the landscape and on various topographic features. The objectives of this thesis were to investigate environmental and cultural influences as explanatory factors for the regional differences. Current environmental data indicate that the combinations of annual precipitation, soil types, and hydrology determine whether temporal or irrigation agriculture is possible. Temporal agriculture is not a viable option for the Casas Grandes region but irrigation is. The conditions in the Babícora Basin and the upper Santa María River basin are conducive to temporal farming while water for irrigation is not easily attainable. In that paleoenvironmental data demonstrate the antiquity of current environments then the agricultural options would have been similar in the past. Together, the archaeological and ethnographic data demonstrate the longevity of temporal agriculture in these areas. How temporal agriculture can be achieved and sustained is demonstrated in the tradition-based practices of modern farmers. The agency of modern farmers can be used as an analogy for agency in the past. When tested against the archaeological record the postulated temporal system and associated settlement patterns are indicative of a domesticated landscape structured for planting flexibility. / Graduate Studies, College of (Okanagan) / Graduate

The aim of this thesis is to find out how developing countries are involved into the global economy, what are the differences in engagement of different regions, and how international organizations (in particular IMF, WB, WTO and UNCTAD) influence the position of developing countries. The thesis also aims to evaluate conditions and possible developmental strategies, as well as causes of unsuccessful engagement. Further, the critical view on functioning of international organizations is brought. The thesis is divided into two parts; each of them consists of four chapters. The first part as a whole deals with the differentiation among developing countries and ways they are involved into the world economy. The second part shows the role of international institutions in the process of integration of developing countries.

L’objectif de cette étude était d'étudier les différences de mortalité régionales en Ukraine, les structures par causes de décès et les tendances à différentes échelles spatiales. Tout d'abord, des contrastes géographiques nets ont été mis en évidence : pour les hommes, entre l'ouest et l'est de l'Ukraine, et pour les femmes - entre l'ouest et le sud-est. L’étude des disparités régionales en fonction de l’âge révèle que les régions les plus avancées sont caractérisées par une diminution de la mortalité chez les personnes les plus âgées. Dans les grandes villes, pour la plupart des causes de décès (à l'exception du cancer et des maladies infectieuses) vivre dans une grande métropole est un avantage pour survivre. Le cas de la ville de Slavoutytch qui avait particulièrement souffert de l'accident de Tchernobyl a fait l’objet d’une analyse spécifique. Deuxièmement, une attention particulière a été portée aux schémas régionaux de mortalité par causes médicales de décès et a montré que les régions ukrainiennes se trouvent à différents stades de la lutte contre les maladies dégénératives. Enfin, les particularités de la dynamique de deux dernières décennies ont été étudiées. Pendant cette période l'espérance de vie a connu une forte baisse, suivie d’une stagnation, puis d’un début de reprise. Ces évolutions se sont accompagnées d’une transformation des schémas régionaux de mortalité par cause. Ces changements, qu’ils soient majeurs ou plus modestes n’ont pas été réellement identifiés par les pouvoirs publics et aucune avancée sanitaire décisive ne s’est produite dans aucune des régions de l'Ukraine. Il n'y a eu ni stratégies, ni mesures ou réformes efficaces mises en œuvre pour permettre une amélioration substantielle de la santé de la population. / The aim of this study was to investigate regional mortality differences in Ukraine, cause-of-death patterns and trends at different spatial scales. First of all, general contrasts were established: for males between the west and east of Ukraine, while for females between the west and south-east. Study of regional disparities in respect of different age groups revealed that regions that succeeded the most are those characterized by decreased mortality at older ages. As for big cities, for the most of cases of death (except cancer and infectious diseases) living in a big metropolis is an advantage to surviving. The special case of the city of Slavutych that suffered the most from Chernobyl accident was studied. Second, special attention was given to regional patterns of mortality for different medical cause of death, and which showed that Ukrainian regions are at different stages in the fight against man-made and degenerative diseases. Lastly, peculiarities of dynamics over last two decades were investigated. During this period life expectancy has experienced a sharp decrease, followed by stagnation, and recovery. This evolution was accompanied by transformation of regional cause-specific mortality patterns. These changes, larger and smaller, were not actually accounted for by public authorities and no important breakthroughs happened in any Ukraine region. There were no efficient strategies, measures or reforms implemented that would allow substantial improvements in the health of the population.

A divisão de competências entre o governo central e os regionais definida durante a primeira metade do século XIX deixou às províncias a responsabilidade sobre um dos mais importantes itens do serviço público relacionados ao desenvolvimento econômico de um país ou região, a educação básica. Durante o Império Brasileiro, não obstante a centralização da maior parte dos recursos em mãos do governo central, foi possível às províncias manterem seus orçamentos equilibrados e, portanto, a definição sobre como tratariam suas finanças e investimentos em suas regiões. Esta divisão, que deixava a responsabilidade sobre a oferta de educação básica às províncias, foi mantida após a Proclamação da República e a adoção do federalismo no final do século XIX, em um contexto no qual a autonomia das antigas províncias, renomeadas como estados, foi ampliada. Portanto, o desenvolvimento da educação básica e dos itens que a compõe, como oferta de escolas, alcance da escolaridade e da alfabetização, estiveram, entre 1850 e 1930, sob a responsabilidade dos governos regionais e, dessa forma, os resultados que obtiveram vinculados ao modo com que cada uma delas tratou tal item do serviço público. Mesmo que, no plano geral, os resultados educacionais no Brasil tenham sido desfavoráveis se comparados ao que outros países alcançaram, é possível identificar diferenças relacionadas ao desenvolvimento da instrução primária que estiveram vinculadas à maneira com que cada região analisada Pernambuco, São Paulo e Rio Grande do Sul trataram e, principalmente, financiaram a educação básica, item reconhecidamente como um dos mais relevantes na formação e desenvolvimento de uma nação. / The division of powers between the central government and regional set during the first half of the nineteenth century has left the provinces responsibility for one of the most important items of public service related to the economic development of a country or region, the basic education. During the Brazilian Empire, despite the centralization of most resources in the hands of the central government, provinces was possible to keep their budgets balanced and therefore the definition on how they would treat their finances and investments they made in their regions. This division, which left the responsibility for the provision of basic education to the provinces, was retained after the Proclamation of the Republic and the adoption of federalism in the late nineteenth century, in a context in which the autonomy of the former provinces, renamed as states, was extended. Therefore, the development of basic education and the items that comprise an offering of schools, access to schooling and literacy, were between 1850 and 1930 under the responsibility of regional governments and thus the results obtained related to so that each item was treated as public service. Even though, in general terms, educational outcomes in Brazil have been unfavorable compared to what other countries have achieved, it is possible to identify related to the development of primary education differences were linked to the way that each region analyzed - Pernambuco, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul - treated and mainly financed basic education, admittedly item as one of the most important in the formation and development of a nation.

A divisão de competências entre o governo central e os regionais definida durante a primeira metade do século XIX deixou às províncias a responsabilidade sobre um dos mais importantes itens do serviço público relacionados ao desenvolvimento econômico de um país ou região, a educação básica. Durante o Império Brasileiro, não obstante a centralização da maior parte dos recursos em mãos do governo central, foi possível às províncias manterem seus orçamentos equilibrados e, portanto, a definição sobre como tratariam suas finanças e investimentos em suas regiões. Esta divisão, que deixava a responsabilidade sobre a oferta de educação básica às províncias, foi mantida após a Proclamação da República e a adoção do federalismo no final do século XIX, em um contexto no qual a autonomia das antigas províncias, renomeadas como estados, foi ampliada. Portanto, o desenvolvimento da educação básica e dos itens que a compõe, como oferta de escolas, alcance da escolaridade e da alfabetização, estiveram, entre 1850 e 1930, sob a responsabilidade dos governos regionais e, dessa forma, os resultados que obtiveram vinculados ao modo com que cada uma delas tratou tal item do serviço público. Mesmo que, no plano geral, os resultados educacionais no Brasil tenham sido desfavoráveis se comparados ao que outros países alcançaram, é possível identificar diferenças relacionadas ao desenvolvimento da instrução primária que estiveram vinculadas à maneira com que cada região analisada Pernambuco, São Paulo e Rio Grande do Sul trataram e, principalmente, financiaram a educação básica, item reconhecidamente como um dos mais relevantes na formação e desenvolvimento de uma nação. / The division of powers between the central government and regional set during the first half of the nineteenth century has left the provinces responsibility for one of the most important items of public service related to the economic development of a country or region, the basic education. During the Brazilian Empire, despite the centralization of most resources in the hands of the central government, provinces was possible to keep their budgets balanced and therefore the definition on how they would treat their finances and investments they made in their regions. This division, which left the responsibility for the provision of basic education to the provinces, was retained after the Proclamation of the Republic and the adoption of federalism in the late nineteenth century, in a context in which the autonomy of the former provinces, renamed as states, was extended. Therefore, the development of basic education and the items that comprise an offering of schools, access to schooling and literacy, were between 1850 and 1930 under the responsibility of regional governments and thus the results obtained related to so that each item was treated as public service. Even though, in general terms, educational outcomes in Brazil have been unfavorable compared to what other countries have achieved, it is possible to identify related to the development of primary education differences were linked to the way that each region analyzed - Pernambuco, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul - treated and mainly financed basic education, admittedly item as one of the most important in the formation and development of a nation.

The field of urban hydrology is in need of high temporal resolution data series in order to effectively model and analyse existing and future trends in extreme precipitation. When high resolution data sets are, for any number of reasons, not available for a given location, the technique of disaggregation using a random cascade model can be applied. Previous studies have demonstrated the relevance of random cascades in the context of rainfall data disaggregation with temporal resolutions usually down to 1 hour. In this study, an attempt at disaggregation to a resolution of 1 minute was made. Using newly disaggregated rainfall data for different regions in Sweden, the possibility of clustering rain events into separate regional hyetographs was investigated. The random cascade model was calibrated using existing municipal rainfall data with a temporal resolution of 1 minute, in order to disaggregate continuous 15 minutes data series provided by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). The disaggregation process was then performed in multiple stochastic realisations, in order to correct the uncertainties inherent to the random cascade model. The disaggregation results were assessed by comparing them with calibration data: two main rainfall parameters, EV and ED, were analysed by determining their behaviours and distribution. The possibility of transfering calibration parameters from one station to another was also assessed in a similar manner, again by studying EV & ED for different scenarios. Finally, hyetographs were clustered, compared and contrasted, in order to ascertain previously theorized differences between regions. This research showed the feasibility of applying a random cascade model to very high temporal resolutions in Sweden, while replicating rainfall characteristics from the calibration data quite well. The analysis of the spatial transferability of calibration parameters yielded inconclusive results, as rainfall characteristics were preserved in some cases but failed in others. Lastly, distinct regional differences in hyetographs were noted, but no clear conclusions could be drawn owing to the delimitations of this study. / Inom småskalig hydrologisk modellering finns det idag ett behov av dataserier med hög tidsupplösning för att effektivt kunna modellera och analysera både aktuella och kommande trender hos extrema regnhändelser. När högupplösta dataserier är otillgängliga vid en önskad mätplats kan disaggregering med hjälp av en slumpmässig kaskadmodell tillämpas. Tidigare forskning har visat att kaskadmodeller är användbara för disaggregering av regndata med en tidsupplösning av 1 timme. I denna studie disaggregerades dataserier med syftet att uppnå en tidsupplösningav av 1 minut. För att kunna analysera eventuella skillnader mellan regioner klustrades även hyetografer med de framtagna dataserierna. Den slumpmässiga kaskadmodellen kalibrerades med befintlig kommunal data med en tidsupplösning på 1 minut, för att sedan kunna disaggregera 15 minuters data från SMHIs databaser. Disaggregeringen genomfördes i ett antal olika stokastiska realisationer för att kunna ta hänsyn till, och korrigera, de inneboende osäkerheterna i den slumpmässiga kaskadmodellen. Disaggregeringsresultaten bedömdes genom en jämförelse med kalibreringsdata: två regnegenskaper, regnvaraktighet (ED) och regnvolym (EV), analyserades för att kunna bestämma derasfördelningar och beteenden. Kalibreringsparametrarnas överförbarhet analyserades också med hjälp av ED & EV för olika scenarier. Slutligen klustrades hyetografer för att fastställa potentiella skillnader mellan regioner. Studien påvisade möjligheten att använda en slumpmässig kaskadmodell till höga tidsupplösningar i Sverige. Modellen lyckades återskapa regnegenskaper från kalibreringsdata vid disaggregeringen. Möjligheten att överföra kalibreringsparametrar från en station till en annan visade sig dock inte vara helt övertygande: regnegenskaper återskapades endast i vissa fall, men inte i samtliga. Slutligen konstaterades regionala skillnader i hyetografer, men tydliga slutsatser kunde inte dras på grund av underliggande begränsningar med studien.

In this introductory Chapter the rationale for this research is explained and an overview of the thesis is provided. This chapter serves as a concise introduction to the subject of the knowledge base and knowledge pipelines in a metropolis as Brussels, as well as providing an insight into the policy driven empirical research with additional focus on the appropriate spatial level of analysis to highlight the spatial inequality of innovation. The objectives of the thesis are reviewed by giving an overview of the research questions and the main hypotheses related to them. The theoretical background used in this thesis is briefly outlined. The structure of the thesis can be summarised as follows. The second chapter provides basic information about data on patents and scientific publications, the construction of indicators based on patents and scientific publications, as well as guidelines for the compilation and interpretation of patent and scientific publication indicators. The third chapter focuses on the determinants of the efficiency levels across regions in Belgium at different spatial levels. The fourth chapter builds on the research made in the previous chapters and focuses on the analysis of the impact of patent collaboration networks on the output growth of R&D active companies in Belgium. The fifth chapter analyses the impact of different collaboration ties on the productivity of innovative companies in Belgium, measured in several ways through the innovation survey and in terms of patents. The conclusion reported in the last chapter summarises the main findings and highlight possible suggestions for future research. / Benchmarking exercises are increasingly used as an assessment instrument to guide policy-makers. They contribute to policy-making in three broad ways: delineating and monitoring development and progress; facilitating the exchange and gathering of knowledge on practices and policies; and promoting the image and attractiveness of economies. This research complements existing information about the Brussels Regional Innovation System (BRIS) with additional data that is less frequently available through current channels or difficult to make public due to the number of data manipulations. This research illustrates the Brussels innovation system by focusing on various aspects related to intra- and interregional connections. The dataset is based on scientific publications and patents over the period 1993-2013 containing at least one author with an affiliation or one inventor located in the Brussels-Capital Region, Vienna and Berlin. Patents and scientific publications provide a clear picture of the nature of technological change and innovation. Moreover, these sources give some further indication of R&D activities in the field and the position and specialisation of countries. The main benefit of such indicators is the unique empirical characterization they provide of the way actors interact as a collective system of knowledge production and diffusion (OECD, 1996). The main objective of this work is to compare Brussels with Belgian regions, city agglomerations and districts, as well as with capital cities of metropolitan regions (Vienna and Berlin) in terms of patenting and producing scientific publications, in order to map and understand how knowledge exchange takes place when Brussels actors are involved and which partners, locations, scientific fields and technological sectors are preferred. The main focus is on providing basic information about patent and scientific publication data, the construction of indicators based on patents and scientific publications, as well as guidelines for the compilation and interpretation of patent and scientific publication indicators. / The topic of the spatial pattern in R&D activities was investigated by several scholars. It is worthwhile to explore the dynamism and change of R&D activities’ spatial spread as R&D activities are very much a dynamic phenomenon and the consequences in terms of past growth of these activities have painted the current relative position of the regions. Analysing the determinants of the efficiency levels across Belgian regions at different spatial levels (3 regions, 10 provinces, 43 districts, and city agglomerations), we derive a regression based on the measurement of regional output growth by estimating an extended Cobb-Douglas production function based on a representative sample of Belgian R&D active firms over the period 2000-2013. We investigate the role played by knowledge (private and public R&D stocks) on the output growth by applying spatial econometric methods that account for both heteroscedasticity and spatial autocorrelation. The chapter focuses on the comparison of obtained results with previous studies based on Belgium. It turns out that a large part of output growth differences across the Belgian regions are explained by disparities in the endowments of these determinants. / Although the literature on the relations between patents and output growth of R&D active companies has been widely investigated, there has been little research with respect to the impact of patent collaboration networks on the output growth of R&D active companies. Integrating theoretical developments from the literature, we propose and test a conceptual framework that allows us to explain to what extent patent collaboration networks affect output growth. Testing the framework by using a constructed company-level dataset for Belgium, the empirical analysis reveals that output growth is significantly influenced by patenting activities and by collaborative relations with respect to patents. The chapter focuses on two distinct spatial levels. First, the spatial reach of the patent collaboration network is considered. The findings show that output growth is higher when collaborative relations are internationally oriented. Second, the regional location of the company shows differences in patenting activity, patent collaboration, and the spatial reach of the patent collaboration network. / Inter-organisational relations are a crucial aspect of knowledge flows, which are at the same time an important engine for innovation. Collaboration has become an ever more important feature of entrepreneurial strategy to innovate. Network ties facilitate companies’ innovative capabilities by acting as key sources for innovations, helping to access the resources and boosting knowledge transfer. This chapter analyses the impact of different collaboration ties on the productivity of innovative companies in Belgium, measured in several ways through the innovation survey (Community Innovation Survey) and in terms of patents (Patstat). Patent statistics are used as an objective measure for innovation. Unlike patent data, innovation surveys measure innovation activities carried out in companies. This chapter is primarily concerned with the following research question: do collaboration networks, as measured by innovation surveys (CIS database) and by invention applications (Patstat database), impact productivity growth in the same way? Further, this chapter focuses on an alternative spatial approach in order to look into the role played by proximate and distant inter-organisational networks among organisations. The findings show that the collaboration ties between companies are contributing the most to productivity growth followed by collaboration ties involving universities and government, public or private research institutes. Second, the spatial reach of the inter-organisational networks shows divergent impact on productivity performance of innovating companies. / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished