The lack of success in restoring oyster, Crassostrea virginica, populations to Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries has raised many questions about why many restoration efforts have failed. A number of studies have focused on the larval stage of oysters and considered the variables that impact oyster setting behavior in an effort to understand why oyster populations have not recovered. Studies that have examined setting surfaces suggest that biofilms promote oyster larval settlement; however, similar studies with barnacle larvae have found an inhibitory relationship. The present study utilized field-produced biofilms of different ages to determine if natural biofilms inhibit or promote setting of larval oysters. Several aspects of the biofilms where analyzed including biomass, chlorophyll a concentration, percent organic matter, bacterial cell counts, and bacterial community composition. Larval setting was found to increase as biomass and age of biofilm increased. No effects of chlorophyll a concentration, percent organic matter, bacterial cell counts, or bacterial community composition were detected. The predator Stylochus elipticus was observed to have a profound effect on newly set larvae. A new method for enumerating bacterial cells was explored to promote high throughput analysis of biofilm specimens. This method involves applying bacterial suspensions to bio-adhesive slides with subsequent staining and was compared to the standard method of enumeration on filters. The bio-adhesive slide procedure allowed processing of ten times more specimens per slide, resulted in lower background fuorescence, and higher bacterial counts than the standard filter method. The method promoted high throughput while yielding more accurate counts than filters when compared to dilution curves and was found to be useful for direct enumeration of bacteria in laboratory cultures, wastewater, sediments, and biofilms.

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Actuellement interprétée par des musiciens spécialisés, la musique du Moyen Âge subit un processus de décontextualisation et de recontextualisation qui la mène du cloître ou du château vers la salle de spectacle. Cette thèse tente d’approcher cette problématique par le biais de l’analyse. En prenant l’exemple de Rose tres bele, création pluridisciplinaire de l’ensemble Diabolus in Musica, il s’agit de comprendre comment les spécificités musicales et poétiques d’un pan du répertoire médiéval, en l’occurrence la lyrique féminine en langue d’oïl, induisent une organisation spécifique des différents éléments du spectacle, en particulier les corps et le dispositif dans lequel ils prennent place.Le premier chapitre présente le matériau médiéval, poèmes, musiques, images, utilisé dans le spectacle.Le second chapitre en décrit le déroulement, sous-tendu par les poèmes chantés, dont les textes constituent un véritable fil conducteur pour la représentation. Leur analyse permet de distinguer des particularités poétiques éclairantes pour le spectacle : celui-ci se fonde sur les lieux communs de la poésie courtoise ainsi que sur la notion bien particulière de personnage que celle-ci construit. Cette analyse littéraire débouche, au troisième chapitre, sur une analyse du spectacle proprement dit, notamment en ce qui concerne la relation texte-image. Le quatrième chapitre envisage les enjeux esthétiques de la pluridisciplinarité dans cette création. Il revient notamment sur la question du corps et de son rapport à l’écriture. Le cinquième chapitre retrace la filiation médiévalisante de Rose tres bele, dans une perspective allant du XIIIème au XXIème siècle en passant par le XIXème. / Medieval Music, currently performed by specialist musicians, undergoes a process of decontexutalization and recontextualization. This PHD attempts to approach such problematics through analysis. Rose tres bele is a newly devised pluridisciplinary show by the ensemble Diabolus in Musica that presents one aspect of the Medieval repertoire, the female voice in langue d’oil Medieval lyric. Through its case study, this thesis tries to understand the ways in which the specific musical and poetic elements of this genre induce a specific organization of the different performance elements, particularly in terms of physicality and of the configuration the physical bodies take in space. The first chapter introduces the medieval material: poems, music, images used in performance. The second chapter gives the show’s structure, underpinned by the sung poems, whose texts establish a real narrative line for the performance. The analysis of these poems allows one to single out characteristic poetic elements that shed some insight into the performance. The performance is based on the conventions of courtly poetry, as well as on the specific notions of characterization this poetry expresses. This literary analysis leads to an analysis, in the third chapter, of the show itself, particularly as far as the text-image relationship is concerned. The fourth chapter considers the aesthetic issues raised by this devised show’s pluridisciplinarity. The chapter goes back, notably, to the question of physicality and its relationship to writing. The fifth chapter retraces the origins of Rose tres bele’s Medieval aesthetic, in an overview that goes from 13th. to 21rst century and includes 19th. century.

Student Number : 0315885J - PhD thesis - School of Journalism and Media Studies - Faculty of Humanties / This study responds to the generalization by traditional agenda setting or media effects studies, especially media agenda-setting hypothesis that people accept as important whatever the media considers to be so; and being so, have the capability to structure issues for its audience. Also, the thesis is uncomfortable with the media’s blanket use of the term ‘mass’ to refer to its audience particularly when considered against the background of Africa’s rurality. This study therefore is an attempt to stake out a new conceptual approach to the media’s agenda-setting capabilities with an emphasis on the ‘other neglected agents of power’, that is, this study’s proposition as ‘the established structures of community’ in Africa, especially rural Africa, in setting be it the media or ‘territorial’ agenda. Using the multifaceted and predominantly qualitative methodology of histories and the triangular orientation of personal interviews, survey questionnaires and content scanning of relevant media, the thesis amongst other issues of conceptual relevance re-awakens the theoretical issue of ‘whose agenda is the media agenda?” and whether the media and its agenda setting capabilities are not an urban phenomenon? The universality and applicability of the theory especially in Africa’s rural setting where language, illiteracy, poverty and the lack of access to modern media constitute obvious barriers is also a major concern of this study. With the above as a background, the three part (I – conceptual framing of the problem and relevant issues, ii – a proposition and iii – data presentation and research findings) study then agues, proposes and concludes that: [a] Media agenda is ‘source’ oriented as its sources quite often are identifiable and that, the media serves better (as against the overwhelming claim of agenda-setting) as a conduit or arena for contending issues, views, opinions, even sentiments; there is therefore no significant category of intellectual analysis called media agenda, at least, in Nigeria. [b] Media is urban based and centred, urban driven and even urban cultured …it is simply an urban phenomenon. [c] Indeed there are significant indicators that the ‘established structures of community’ functions and play major roles both in setting the media-agenda (where there is one) and in political power dynamics. [d] Media agenda is plausible but an ‘uncertain’ agenda; in Africa, especially rural Africa.

This thesis examines the role of conventions of setting in Chaucerian dream poetry. Setting, by my definition, refers not only to the physical features of landscape in these dreams, such as bedchambers and gardens, but also the position of the genre of dream poetry itself within wider literary contexts. I argue that conventions of setting, familiar themes or locations which create expectations in the reader about the content of the dream itself, provide a valuable and largely overlooked perspective upon the genre of Chaucerian dream poetry. By paying close attention to the way that conventions of setting are combined and altered in the landscapes of Chaucerian dream poetry, we can understand more fully the lines of authorial influence that shape the genre, particularly by considering conventional settings such as the temple of glass that are used by a number of different dream poets in differing contexts. Moreover, by considering the dream in its broader setting or context, as autobiographical reflection, mnemonic device, and simultaneous lament for the ephemeral nature of literature and attempt to preserve oneself for posterity, I argue that we can better understand the nature of the genre as a whole. Throughout, I offer an understanding of the Chaucerian dream poem not only as it was written, but also as it was read and responded to, both by contemporary authors and readers, and later critics.

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This thesis presents a qualitative study investigating the understandings of social workers from non-statutory settings (health, hospital and mental health) of their assessment practices with children and families where child protection concerns have been identified. The study aims were to describe the considerations social workers identified as significant when undertaking such an assessment, as well as gain insight about how these considerations interact and relate. The study was developed under a constructivist paradigm influenced by post-modern and post-structuralist thinking. Data collection involved a semi-structured in-depth interview based on concepts drawn from reflective practice and the critical incident technique. The participants were asked about their agency, their role and a recent case in which they had undertaken an assessment. Data collection and analysis were consistent with constructivist grounded theory methods. Review of the literature suggests that social workers in statutory child protection practice and other settings consider factors relating to the case, themselves and their context in their assessment practice. Similar conclusions have been reached through this study. This study is unique in being the only qualitative study of social work assessment practices with child protection cases in non-statutory settings in NSW, to date. The study found that social workers identified a range of considerations as important in their assessment practice. These considerations have been grouped thematically as context, relationship, intervention, content and self, in the presentation of findings in this thesis. These themes interact and relate in ways that are unique to the individual assessment circumstances rather than in a regular or consistent manner. The findings of the study are relevant to social work practitioners, educators and researchers. The study furthers the understanding of social work assessment practice, and develops a clearer understanding and articulation of what is recognised and termed as ‘tacit knowledge’ or ‘practice wisdom’ in this particular area of social work practice. / Masters Thesis

After the operation of medium-power and low-power radio stations being made to public access, the competition among broadcasting companies has reached its peak. As a result, considerable quantities of so-called ¡¥medicine-selling¡¦ broadcast hosts extensively stimulate the audience to buy advertised products by molding the settings. This research intends to study how broadcast hosts; as the main characters in broadcast programs, mold the settings by means of charisma, styles and techniques. Furthermore, this research intends to explore how the application of settings inspires audience¡¦s purchasing desire. The following three questions are designed to meet the research purpose. 1. Which techniques are used by broadcast hosts to mold the setting in the act of marketing merchandise? 2. Which interaction patterns are used by broadcast hosts to mold the setting in the act of marketing merchandise? 3. Which methods of molding the setting are used by broadcast hosts to serve the purpose of marketing merchandise? The author has adopted in-depth interviewing as the main method for this study, and interviewed five broadcast hosts from five different broadcasting companies. The analysis of these interviews has revealed that broadcast hosts don¡¦t necessarily need to exaggerate the effectiveness of the merchandise to increase sales. As a matter of fact, since the audiences¡¦ level of education has ascended, the old-fashioned hawking way is not that well-adopted nowadays. It is found that the relationship between the host and audience is similar to the one shared among family. That is to say the audiences¡¦ purchasing behavior results from the trust and dependency on the hosts. The audiences not only buy the medicine, but also seek empathy from the hosts. In addition, the exaggeration of effectiveness and gift give-aways are not the most effective ways any more. It is also found that phone-in are the fastest way to mold the interactive setting, and the host sharing personal experiences is the most effective way to increase sales.

Denna uppsats undersöker hur svenska musikjournalisters roll gentemot sina läsare påverkats av internets utbredning och den ökande fildelningen i samband med den digitala och tekniska utvecklingen. Genom fem kvalitativa intervjuer med musikjournalister från de fyra största tidningarna i Sverige: Dagens nyheter, Svenska dagbladet, Aftonbladet och Expressen, under-söks hur musikjournalisterna själva uppfattar denna utveckling. Med utgångspunkt i teorin om agenda-setting har resultatet sedan analyserats och diskuterats. Slutsatsen är att musikjourna-listernas makt gentemot sina läsare har minskat det senaste decenniet. Läsarna ser inte längre musiksidorna i dagspressen som lika viktiga för deras musikkonsumtion. Musikjournalister-nas arbete har också underlättats då tillgängligheten på information blivit större på internet. Samtidigt är en konsekvens av den tekniska utvecklingen att det produceras och sprids mer musik i dag än någonsin tidigare, vilket gjort musikscenen svår att överblicka samt medfört en ökad arbetsbörda för musikjournalisterna när det gäller att hålla sig uppdaterade inom sitt om-råde.

Globally, research has shown that media coverage of illicit drug issues can play an important role in influencing public opinion and shaping drug policies. However, in Afghanistan, the world’s largest opium producer, very little is known about the media coverage of illicit drug issues. Afghan media, especially radio and television have developed dramatically during the past 11 years. Using the theories of agenda setting and framing, this study explored what drug-related topics were covered in the Afghan news media; how were these topics covered; how were the health and social consequences of drug abuse depicted in the media; and how much time was devoted to drug related topics in the media. Employing content analysis, the study examined primetime news coverage of the two leading media outlets: Azadi Radio and Tolo Television from 1st March 2011 until 31st July 2011. This thesis found the following types of imbalances in Afghan media reporting on illicit drug issues: 1) media reports on drug issues were heavily focused on supply reduction issues (81%) while paying considerably less attention to drug demand reduction issues (19%); 2) media predominantly framed illicit drugs as a law enforcement issue (83%) with only 15% of the paragraphs in the sample framing illicit drug as a public health problem; 3) media reporting on illicit drugs heavily relied on official sources (79%) lacking voices of the public health practitioners and drug addicts; 4) media coverage of illicit drug issues was heavily centered in Kabul (56%) with considerably less reporting from southern Afghanistan, which is the largest opium producing region. This study, which is presumably the first of its kind, provides media organizations, policy makers, and public health officials with a broad picture on the drug-related information available to the public on the leading Afghan news outlets. In addition, it serves as a basis for future research on media coverage of illicit drug issues in Afghanistan.