This thesis explores the politics and problematics of Asian American self-representation in popular cinema by focusing on film adaptations of Asian American texts. In the first chapter I consider the Chinese American director Wayne Wang's adaptations of Amy Tan's novel The Joy Luck Club (1989) and Louis Chu's novel Eat a Bowl of Tea ( 1961). Here I demonstrate how the representations of Asian Americans in the domain of popular cinema are "simplified" and constrained to universalizing tropes, such as "generational conflict," that negate the heterogeneous factors (i.e. culture, gender, class) that contribute to the making of Asian American subjectivity. As well, though I find that both films tend to de-problematize the United States as a context for the Asian American's assimilation, Eat a Bowl of Tea, in its historicizing efforts and cinematic flair, manages to posit a more ironic view towards the narrative of assimilation than Joy Luck does. In the second chapter I shift my discussion to David Henry Hwang's 1988 play M. Butterfly and its film adaptation by David Cronenberg. The opening (longer) section of this chapter explores Hwang's critiques of Western (American) discourses of sexism, racism, and imperialism in relation to Edward Said's and Judith Butler's theories of orientalism and gender performance respectively. When Hwang' s arguments are also understood in the context of Asian American history and contemporary debates over "identity" in the Asian American community, it is possible to see how his antiessentialist stance challenges all (Western and Asian) impositions of discursive power. The second section of this chapter compares the formal/performative construction of the play to that of the film version. Here I argue that Hwang' s utilization of Brechtian theatrical techniques corroborates his anti-essentialist political argument. Cronenberg's film, however, attempts to situate this critique within the traditions of realist cinema, and thereby significantly diminishes (and "simplifies") the Asian American perspective of the play. Taken collectively, these film adaptations, despite moments of opposition, attest to the ideological limitations that severely restrict the possibilities for complex Asian American self-representations in the realm of popular cinema. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Moveable bridges in Florida typically use open steel grid decks due to the weight limitations. However, these decks present rideability, environmental, and maintenance problems, for they are typically less skid resistant than a solid riding surface, create loud noises, and allow debris to fall through the grids. Replacing open steel grid decks that are commonly used in moveable bridges with a low-profile FRP deck can improve rider safety and reduce maintenance costs, while satisfying the strict weight requirement for such bridges. The performance of the new deck system, which includes fatigue and failure tests were performed on full-size panels in a two-span configuration. The deck has successfully passed the preliminary strength and fatigue tests per AASHTO requirements. It has also demonstrated that it can be quickly installed and that its top plate bonds well with the wear surface. The thesis also describes the analytical investigation of a simplified finite element approach to simulate the load-deformation behavior of the deck system for both configurations. The finite element model may be used as a future design tool for similar deck systems. Loadings that were consistent with the actual experimental loadings were applied on the decks and the stresses, strains, and the displacements were monitored and studied. The results from the finite element model showed good correlation with the deflection and strain values measured during the experiments. A significant portion of the deck deflection under the prescribed loads is induced by vertical shear. This thesis presents the results from the experiments, descriptions of the finite element model and the comparison of the experimental results with the results from the analysis of the model.

Gas turbine vanes find themselves in very hostile environments – extremely high temperature combustion gases, much exceeding material melting temperatures, flowing over them at enormous pressures. It is necessitated due to the increased efficiency and power output at these conditions. However, this also means that, in spite of the technological advancements made, these parts need frequent repairing compared to parts placed in milder environments. Primarily due to economic reasons, gas turbine parts are repaired by companies other than the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). While multitude of condition monitoring techniques have been developed and are used in the industry for regular maintenance checks, there is no easy way to characterize the impact on thermal performance of the repairing processes involved. This thesis reports the development of a technique to address this issue. It also chronicles the test rig design, experiments conducted, development and significance of the thermal performance metric. Heated air (250 ̊C – 300 ̊C) is flown through the internal cooling passages of 8 samples each of OEM and repaired parts at two different pressure ratios (vane inlet over ambient pressure), 1.1 and 1.3. First, steady state mass flow rates through each airfoil (one part is a cluster of 4 airfoils) is experimentally determined and compared among the OEM and repaired sample sets. Second, a transient experiment is run and the surface temperatures of the airfoils are measured using multiple infrared cameras viewing both the pressure and suction side of the airfoils. A parameter involving localized vane surface temperature, airfoil inlet temperature and ambient temperature is formulated to characterize the vane thermal performance. Using statistical analysis, it is found that there is no significant difference between the OEM and repaired samples tested. The development of the discussed technique, it is expected, will help companies in the gas turbine vane repairing business to qualify their parts in a robust and efficient manner without the need to invest a lot of money in buying precision equipment, or, control chambers. Finally, a couple of further studies are recommended to further improve the qualifying procedure and thereby increase the efficiency of the technique. / Master of Science / Most manufactured parts, during its lifetime, go through wear and tear of some form. Some much more than others – a gas turbine vane is one example, owing to the hostile environments it finds itself in. While repairing turbine vanes make economic sense instead of replacing the worn-out vanes with new ones, due care must be taken to ensure that the repairs pass high quality standards of the original manufactured parts. Most, if not all, companies in the turbine repairing business rely on room-temperature air-flow testing through the internal passages of these vanes to qualify their repaired parts. This is done partly due to the complexity in replicating engine-like conditions in a test environment in addition to being very time-intensive. While room-temperature air flow comparison between repaired and original parts is a necessary test, it does not paint the whole picture. Thermal performance, or, how the vane exchanges heat with the surrounding media, is the other part which completes the puzzle. A plurality of techniques has been developed to ascertain the thermal performance of gas turbine vanes, however, these are limited in the scope of their applicability – the reason why industry is still mostly relying on airflow measurements for their part qualification. In this study, a new technique has been proposed which is agnostic of the unavoidable variations in operating conditions and easy to apply while still upholding high quality standards. This translates to huge savings to organizations which are in the business of repairing original parts, not necessarily restricted to gas turbine industry.

This study har aimed to examine why there are still so few women working full time as firefighters in the Swedish municipal firefighting services, even though there has been a political goal for about twenty years to increase gender equality in firefighting. The study uses a structured focused comparison of two groups of municipal firefighting organizations to compare them against each other in order to understand why they differentiate, and identify factors that has made some organizations more successful than others. The study uses Lundquist’s (1987) simplified actor model’s three factors, understand-can-will, to explain the failed implementation. The study concludes that the simplified actor model can be used to explain differences in implementation and to identify factors that have led to successful implementation, and that the most important one seems to be the understanding of the problem. However, they seem to enable each other in a way that makes it impossible to say that they could create successful implementation if one was lost.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The diversity of sizes and uses of dams and embankments, in Brazil, is reflected, in terms of these structures, too. Some are impeccably designed, meeting safety standards consistent with national and international standards more stringent, while others have serious risks that safety limits are exceeded, and may even result in the disruption of the structure, given the complexity and excessive hand-labor calculations of slope stability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the methods of slope stability analysis less accurate, to reduce the number of operations which make use the most accurate methods available in the literature. The development work was given from the performance index of 4 methods of calculating slope stability, being Fellenius (1936), Bishop (1955), Simplified Bishop (1995) and Janbu Simplified (1973) compared with the method of Spencer (1967) considered an exact method for calculating the safety factor, however, which requires more computational time to obtain the results. The procedure was performed in scenarios with different soil types, heights and inclinations of slopes, and for conditions subject to reservoir emptying fast and slow. Based on the calculated FS values were adjusted linear regression equations, where the dependent variable was obtained by the FS equation Spencer, and independent variable FS values estimated by other methods. Thus, comparative analyzes were performed using the correlation index "r" accuracy "d" (WILLMOTT et al., 1985) and performance "c" suggested by Camargo & Sentelhas (1997). The methods we have obtained optimum performance for all conditions with the highest levels of trust were Simplified Bishop and Janbu Simplified, and the values obtained by these FS calculated determination coefficients of 99% and 96.59%, respectively, and can be used alternatively, replacing the Spencer s method, in the analysis of slope stability in earth dams. / A diversidade de tamanhos e usos das barragens e aterros, no Brasil, reflete-se, também, nas condições dessas estruturas. Algumas são impecavelmente projetadas, atendendo normas de segurança compatíveis com os padrões nacionais e internacionais mais exigentes, enquanto outras apresentam sérios riscos de que os limites de segurança sejam ultrapassados, podendo, inclusive, resultar no rompimento da estrutura, visto a complexidade e excessiva mão-de-obra dos cálculos de estabilidade de taludes. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho dos métodos de análise de estabilidade de taludes menos precisos, visando reduzir a quantidade de operações dos quais se utilizam os métodos de maior acurácia existentes na literatura. O desenvolvimento do trabalho se deu a partir do índice de desempenho de 4 métodos de cálculo de estabilidade de taludes, sendo Fellenius (1936), Bishop (1955), Bishop Simplificado (1995) e Janbu Simplificado (1973) comparados ao método de Spencer (1967) considerado um método exato no cálculo do fator de segurança, porém, que requer maior tempo computacional para a obtenção dos resultados. O procedimento foi realizado em cenários com diferentes tipos de solos, alturas e inclinações de taludes, e para condições de reservatório sujeito a esvaziamento rápido e lento. Com base nos valores de FS calculados, foram ajustadas equações de regressão linear, onde a variável dependente foi o FS obtido através da equação de Spencer, e variável independente os valores de FS estimados pelos demais métodos. Com isso, foram feitas análises comparativas usando o índice de correlação r , exatidão d (WILLMOTT et al, 1985) e desempenho c sugeridos por Camargo e Sentelhas (1997). Os métodos que obtiveram desempenho ótimo para todas as condições com os maiores índices de confiança foram Bishop Simplificado e Janbu Simplificado, sendo que os valores de FS calculados por estes obtiveram coeficientes de determinação de 99% e 96,59%, respectivamente, podendo ser utilizados como alternativa, em substituição ao método de Spencer, na análise de estabilidade de taludes em barragens de terra.

This study comprises an introduction and six chapters. The introduction presents a chronological synopsis of the development of Arabic language teaching up to now. Chapter One presents a broad framework for this study as well as the problem and associated questions whose resolution is being sought, namely treating shortcomings relating to the teaching of Arabic to non-Arabic speakers as regards reading. Chapter Two is a survey of the theoretical study that classifies the most psychological, pedagogic, cultural, linguistic and reading competence principles needing compliance in the compilation and simplification of texts. Chapter Three comprises texts that have been simplified by this researcher. Chapter Four analyses and appraises simplified texts by providing mechanisms used for that purpose. Chapter Five comprises a model lesson, based on the principles outlined above. Chapter Six reviews the most important findings in terms of the ideal time needed for realising the hypothesis of the research and provides other proposals and concluding comments. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Arabic)

This study comprises an introduction and six chapters. The introduction presents a chronological synopsis of the development of Arabic language teaching up to now. Chapter One presents a broad framework for this study as well as the problem and associated questions whose resolution is being sought, namely treating shortcomings relating to the teaching of Arabic to non-Arabic speakers as regards reading. Chapter Two is a survey of the theoretical study that classifies the most psychological, pedagogic, cultural, linguistic and reading competence principles needing compliance in the compilation and simplification of texts. Chapter Three comprises texts that have been simplified by this researcher. Chapter Four analyses and appraises simplified texts by providing mechanisms used for that purpose. Chapter Five comprises a model lesson, based on the principles outlined above. Chapter Six reviews the most important findings in terms of the ideal time needed for realising the hypothesis of the research and provides other proposals and concluding comments. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Arabic)

Submitted by ROBSON FLÁVIO CASTRO null (robson.afl@gmail.com) on 2016-05-04T14:03:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ROBSON_CASTRO_AUTOARQUIVAMENTO.pdf: 19394323 bytes, checksum: 7e472e92d451cc588e98cedecc565eba (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Juliano Benedito Ferreira (julianoferreira@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-05-06T14:50:11Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 castro_rf_me_bauru.pdf: 19394323 bytes, checksum: 7e472e92d451cc588e98cedecc565eba (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-06T14:50:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 castro_rf_me_bauru.pdf: 19394323 bytes, checksum: 7e472e92d451cc588e98cedecc565eba (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Por meio de experimentos baseados em simulação computacional, este trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o desempenho do Sistema de Coordenação de Ordens (SCO) Simplified Drum-Buffer-Rope (S-DBR) aplicado a ambientes de produção para estoque, denominado Make-to-Availability (MTA). Composto por um conjunto de técnicas, o MTA visa maximizar o nível de serviço a partir da garantia de estoques de produtos acabados para pronta entrega. Nesta pesquisa, são criadas derivações do MTA com as retiradas das técnicas Gerenciamento do Pulmão, Priorização pelo Status do Pulmão e Carga Planejada. O desempenho das derivações é comparado com o MTA em sua forma completa. Para tanto, quatro indicadores de desempenho são utilizados: fill rate, estoque em processo, estoque de produtos acabados e tempo de reposição. Quatro cenários foram simulados, variando as taxas médias de demanda e o coeficiente de variação dos tempos de processamento. O MTA não obteve o melhor desempenho em nenhum dos indicadores, nos quatro cenários, porém a retirada das técnicas não trouxe melhoras significativas na disponibilidade dos produtos, e em alguns casos aumentou extremamente os níveis de estoque e o tempo de reposição. Ao final as técnicas se mostraram importantes para manter a disponibilidade dos produtos com menores níveis de estoque e menor tempo de reposição. / Through experiments with computer simulation, this work aims to evaluate the performance of an Ordering System Coordinator (OSC), Simplified Drum-Buffer-Rope applied to a make to stock environment, called Make-To-Availability (MTA). Composed of a set of techniques, the MTA aims to maximize the level of service from the supply guarantee for immediate delivery. In this research, MTA derivations are created pulling out the techniques Buffer Management, Status of Buffer Prioritization and Planned Load. The performance of derivations was compared with MTA in its complete form. For this purpose, four performance indicators were utilized: fill rate, work in process, finished goods inventory and reposition time. Four scenarios were simulated, with different median demand rates and the coefficient of variation of the process time. The MTA does not obtain the best performance in any indicator, at the four scenarios, however the pulling out of techniques does not bring significant improvement on product availability, and in some cases, stocks and reposition time greatly increased. In the end, the techniques have shown important to keep the availability of products with lower stocks and smaller reposition time.

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The English language is widely used throughout the world and has become a core subject in many countries, especially for students in the upper elementary classroom. While textbooks have been the preferred EFL teaching method for a long time, this belief has seemingly changed within the last few years. Therefore, this study looks at what prior research says about the use of authentic texts in the EFL upper elementary classroom with an aim to answer research questions on how teachers can work with authentic texts, what the potential benefits of using authentic texts are and what teachers and students say about the use of authentic texts in the EFL classroom. While this thesis is written from a Swedish perspective, it is recognized that many countries teach EFL. Therefore, international results have also been taken into consideration and seven previous research studies have been analyzed in order to gain a better understanding of the use of authentic texts in the EFL classroom. Results indicate that the use of authentic texts is beneficial in teaching EFL. However, many teachers are still reluctant to use these, mainly because of time constraints and the belief that such texts are too difficult for their students. Since these findings are mainly focused on areas outside of Sweden, additional research is needed before conclusions can be drawn on the use of authentic texts in the Swedish upper elementary EFL classroom. / <p>Engelska</p>