We examined the relationship between cesarean section (C-section) and the risk of overweight and obesity in children in grade 6 (mean age, 11.92 years; standard deviation = 0.34). Data from phase I through phase III of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were used. Children with complete data from 1991 through 2004 were included in this study (n = 917). Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to adjust for potential confounding and to evaluate the association of C-section and childhood overweight and obesity. Compared to children delivered vaginally, children delivered by C-section had approximately twice the likelihood of being overweight (odds ratio (OR) = 1.86, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.27–2.73) or obese (OR = 1.87, 95 % CI = 1.19–2.95). However, when examined according to sex, males delivered by C-section had an increased risk for being overweight (OR = 1.78, 95 % CI = 1.01–3.12) and obese (OR = 2.58, 95 % CI = 1.36–4.88), while females had an increased risk only for being overweight (OR = 1.99, 95 % CI = 1.17–3.39). Conclusion: C-section was associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity in children in grade 6, but the relationship differed according to gender. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to examine the long-term effect of delivery mode on the risk of childhood overweight.

The goal of this Project was to monitor and measure ongoing changes in the geomorphology of one reach of The Desert Knolls Wash (DKW), an unstable ephemeral stream channel in Apple Valley, California. The DKW flows into the Mojave River just upstream of the Upper Mojave Narrows, a historic site that has been the focus of recorded human activity in the region since 1776. Two surveyed cross-sections were established for three periods of time between November 2012 and November 2014 which were to be re-measured after significant flows. However, owing to the persistent drought in the location, there were no significant changes observed. Aerial photos from 1938 to 2005 and historic photos from 1919 covering the DKW were studied to note the increase in urban density. The project has established baseline field measurements to document the magnitude and timing of the ongoing channel changes as well as predict what will happen over the next two decades if measures are not taken to stabilize the channel permanently.

Concerto for Viola Section and Orchestra is a two-movement work lasting nineteen minutes. Its first movement in entitled Frenetic, and the second, Song and Finale, is made up of a slow and fast section. The concerto is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B-flat, bass clarinet, two bassoons, two horns in F, two trumpets in C, tenor trombone, bass trombone, four percussion, a section of seven violists, violins 1, violins 2, violoncellos, and double basses. Balance can be one of the main problems with writing a work for solo viola and orchestra. While the viola’s timbre makes it an enticing instrument, there is a restriction that keeps it from easily projecting over an orchestra. Composers have devised several methods for solving the problem. For example, Paul Hindemith was careful not to over orchestrate in his concerto entitled Der Schwanendreher. By limiting the number of cellos and basses to four and three respectively, and by omitting violins and other violas altogether, Hindemith thinned out and removed timbres that might obstruct the viola. In my concerto for a section of violas, I also consider orchestration as a solution to the problems of balance and projection. However, I focus on the soloists in contrast to the orchestra. By composing for seven violas, I utilize the thickness of sound achieved through chorusing. Using any combination of the violas, it becomes easier for the listener to perceive the viola timbre. Furthermore, this use of multiple violas allows for more complex counterpoint in solo passages, something a single instrument is not able to manage on its own. This piece is not a concerto grosso in any sense. The soloists do not perform as a smaller chamber ensemble extending from the larger orchestra. Instead, the soloists are treated as a single entity. They act as one unit, using seven performers to do the work of one soloist.

A multi-scale Monte Carlo simulation was performed on nine streams of increasing Horton order to investigate the role that variability in hydraulic geometry and resistance play in modifying a flood hydrograph. This study attempts to determine the potential to replace actual cross-sections along a stream reach with a prismatic channel that has mean cross-sectional properties. The primary finding of this work is that the flood routing model is less sensitive to variability in the channel geometry as the Horton order of the stream increases. It was also established that even though smaller streams are more sensitive to variability in hydraulic geometry and resistance, replacing cross-sections along the channel with a characteristic reach wise average cross-section, is still a suitable approximation. Finally a case study of applying this methodology to a natural river is performed with promising results.

Wind energy is one of the most efficient renewable energies. The most used wind towers are tubularand lattice wind towers. Parts of lattice are easier to transfer, especially in the inland areas. Also, it is easier to build higher lattice tower in order to have more efficient energy conversion in inland areas.However, most of the cross sections for lattice tower are tubular cross sections.This thesis represents the parametric study of polygonal cross section of lattice tower. It consists ofthe numerical analysis based on finite element method (ABAQUS) and analysis based on EN 1993-1-3. The objective of this thesis is to find regular patterns of parametric influences on polygonal crosssection, and to compare them against calculation based on EN 1993-1-3. Also, to find regular patternsof parametric influences on the stiffness of the bolts on the lips.

This thesis is an interdisciplinary analysis of humans' relationship to the natural environment, specifically how wetlands are reflected in our legislative decisions. Our perceptions of wetlands and our relationship to the environment are influenced by our locality, history, and inter-generational relationships. These perceptions shape decision-making within a community. Our relationship to the natural environment and the way we interact with it can be explained through psychological and geographical theories. Historical trends reveal our consistently negative perspectives of wetlands in the United States and a rapid decline in wetlands acreage. At the federal, state, and local level, Americans have attempted to agree upon regulations that protect both essential wetland functions and private property rights. Literature, academic discourse, newspaper articles, local voices, county employees, and legislation help reveal the relationship between perceptions of wetlands and the regulations that affect these ecosystems. Hillsborough County's wetland controversy exemplifies a debate between differing public attitudes toward wetlands similar to that seen across the state and country. Pressure from landowners and developers encouraged the Hillsborough Environmental Protection Commission to vote to eliminate the county wetland protection division in the summer of 2007. Public concern following this decision led to debate about the significance of local wetland regulations. The decision to eliminate the wetland protection division was placed on hold for further discussion. In the first four chapters I examine the historical, social and psychological roots of our relationship to wetlands. Then, chapters five and six address wetland regulations on the federal and state levels. Chapter seven is a case study of Hillsborough County's wetlands controversy that arose in summer 2007 with a commission vote to do away with the county wetlands protection. Finally, in chapter eight I attempt to bring together all sides of the wetlands conversation into towards finding a solution to what position county governments should take in regulating wetland impacts and use.

The increasing rates of intervention in childbirth are an issue for women, their families, health professionals, and society across much of the Western World. This study is a response to these increasing rates of intervention, as reflected in the research question: 'What is shaping the practice of health professionals and the understanding of the public in relation to increasing intervention in childbirth?' The participants in the study were nine health professionals: midwives and obstetricians, who were interviewed individually, and thirty-three members of the public who took part in six focus groups. The research was carried out under the umbrella of critical hermeneutics, and the particular approach used was that of critical interpretation as formulated by Hans Kogler. This approach enabled a hermeneutical thematic analysis of that which is shaped (worldviews) and a critical structural analysis (discursive orders, social practices, relationships of power and structures of domination) of the shaping and shapers of practice and understanding. The research process facilitated by critical interpretation in identifying and describing the shaping and shapers of practice and understanding adds an important dimension to the statistical picture of increasing intervention that is of concern, both to health professionals and the public. The research revealed that the everyday world and its associated processes of socialisation in the 21st century - in particular pain, choice, and technology - shape the practice of health professionals and the understanding of the public in relation to increasing intervention. The study's findings were supported by the revelation that many of the social and cultural values, such as convenience, ease, and control, that underpin Western society in the 21st century, correlate with what intervention has to offer, which results in intervention being increasingly sought after and utilised. This milieu of intervention, which increasingly surrounds childbirth, is shown to be calling into question those things that have traditionally been at the heart of childbirth: the ability of the woman to birth and the clinical skills of the health professional. This research provides insight and awareness of those things that are shaping understanding and practice and birth itself and creating a milieu in which intervention is increasingly normalised.

The study presents a review of the establishment and operation of the Curriculum Consultancy Section of the ACT Schools Authority over the period of the first decade of its existence. It considers the move to establish a new and different education system; the important reports which gave impetus to that move; first the Currie Report (1967.), Report on an Independent Education Authority for the Australian Capital Territory and the three further reports which kept the spirit of the Currie Report alive, i.e. the Neal-Radford Report (1972.), the Campbell Report (1973.), and the Hughes Report (1973.). The study emphasises the haste with which the new system was finally established; that there was not time to develop a 'coherent, imaginative and suitable plan' (Currie, 1967, p.9.) and that staff resources were inadequate. As Beare (1978.) has noted, 'At no time in its first four years was the Schools Office given the manpower needed merely for maintenance functions let alone for development activities ... .' (p.80.) The curriculum issues that arose in planning this new system and the curriculum context within Australia are considered prior to a close examination of the development and operation of the section during the decade; the pressures which affected it and the changes which occurred This examination as the main body of the study falls easily into three periods; The First Years; The Middle Years of the First Decade; and the Final Years of the First Decade; each period coinciding with the period of tenure of one of the three principals the section has had in those ten years. Throughout this main body of the study the major recurring themes affecting the life of the section are closely followed, i.e. the conflict within the system, the diversity of demands and the difficulties of meeting those demands, the difficulty of defining role and function and the problems of leadership. In conclusion the study reflects on these recurring themes and examines the changes which have occurred over the decade, e.g. the changes in role and function, the shift in orientation to consultancy, the changes in selection and professional development of consultants, the concentration of consultants in priority areas and the developing cohesiveness of the consultancy section. Finally the study addresses the future; consideration is given to the stage in the life cycle of an organisation that the ACT Schools Authority is at currently and to the effect that this may possibly have upon the undoubtedly troubled future of the Curriculum Consultancy Section. The study draws on the documents available; on interviews with people who have worked in the area and also on the extensive body of literature which is available.

Dans le contexte des études sur les systèmes innovants de production d'énergie, des réacteurs exploitant le combustible thorium sont envisagés. Les sections efficaces de fission induite par neutrons des actinides qui y sont engagés entrent en jeu dans les simulations de scénarios. Pour les alimenter, des bases de données sont produites à partir de résultats expérimentaux et de modèles. Pour certains noyaux, elles présentent des lacunes ou des désaccords. Pour compléter ces bases de données, nous avons construit un dispositif original constitué d'une alternance de PPACs(chambres à avalanches sur plaques parallèles) et des cibles ultra-minces, que nous avons installé auprès de l'installation n_TOF. Nous décrivons les détecteurs, le montage, et le soin apporté à la fabrication et à la caractérisation des cibles. La détection en coïncidence des produits de fission se fait grâce à des mesures de temps très précises et à leur localisation par la méthode de la ligne à retard. Nous avons contribué, au sein de la collaboration n_TOF, à la caractérisation de la nouvelle source intense de neutrons de spallation du CERN, basée sur le temps de vol des neutrons, et nous en décrivons les caractéristiques et les performances. Nous avons pu mener des mesures sur les actinides ^{232}Th, ^{234}U, ^{233}U, ^{237}Np, ^{209}Bi, et ^{nat}Pb relativement aux références ^{235}U et ^{238}U, en utilisant un système d'acquisition innovant. Nous avons pu tirer parti du large domaine d'énergie accessible, de 0,7 eV à 1 GeV, et de l'excellente résolution dans ce domaine. Le traitement des données et l'état d'avancée de l'analyse sont décrits afin d'éclairer les performances et les limites des résultats obtenus.

Ce travail présente les mesures de section efficace de production de photons isoles dans les collisions proton-proton avec l'expérience ATLAS au LHC, a une énergie de 7 TeV dans le centre de masse. Les résultats sont d'abord obtenus pour une luminosité intégrée de 880 nb−1, puis dans un deuxième temps pour une luminosité de 36 pb−1. Les mesures faites avec 880 nb−1 et 36 pb−1 couvrent, respectivement, les intervalles en énergie transverse 15 ≤ E < 100 GeV et 45 ≤ E < 400 GeV. Les résultats sont compares aux prédictions de la chromodynamique quantique perturbative à l'ordre NLO. Les premières études pour la recherche du Higgs dans le canal de désintégration en deux photons sont également présentées pour 38 pb−1 de données collectées par l'expérience ATLAS en 2010 (et plus récemment pour 210 pb−1 accumules en 2011). Les limites d'exclusion observées sont citées en fonction d'une masse de Higgs se situant dans l'intervalle 110-140 GeV.