Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1982.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Cornell University, Aug. 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-130).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1982.

Almost 250 years ago, ‘gang-masters’ – those who mediated between rural employers and roving bands of migrant workers - were vividly brought to life within the pages of Marx’s Capital. By contrast the modern-day phenomenon of how paid-for labour market intermediaries – temporary staffing agencies and their rural ‘gangmaster’ counterparts – construct transnational workforces remains remarkably undocumented, let alone theorised. Similarly, although a burgeoning literature sheds light on the increasing privatisation of international migration flows, the precise role of profit-seeking ‘recruiters’ within a broader migration industry remains underexposed. This thesis explores how - and why - agencies recruited migrant workers from his or her home countries and placed them in temporary employment in the UK. In response to the apparent growing significance of temporary staffing agencies in facilitating migration into the UK from the EU8 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as from beyond the EU, the research was funded by an ESRC CASE studentship. Evidence was gathered from qualitative interviews conducted with representatives of agencies in the UK, in Poland, the Philippines, and Australia, as well as with a range of respondents from government departments, labour organisations, regulatory bodies, and journalists in all four countries. The multi-scale fieldwork sites were selected in order to offer a comparative analysis of variable institutional and regulatory settings. Within the following pages I argue that agencies in both the origin countries, as well as in the UK, made markets in the recruitment and supply of temporary migrant workers; selling migration to recruits, and migrant workers to client employers in the process. Activities of agencies were highly embedded within the precise institutional and regulatory regime that resulted from the interaction between that in place in the origin country as well as that in the UK. The thesis seeks to contribute empirically and conceptually to a growing literature which exposes the behaviour of temporary staffing agencies within national labour markets as well as the migration industry literature which looks at the behaviour of actors which transport workers between national labour markets.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / Introduction: Coronal microleakage caused by temporary restorative materials is viewed as one of the reasons for endodontic failure. Efforts have been made in recent years to create a temporary restorative material capable of preventing that problem. Objective: Compare in vitro coronal microleakage of an "experimental cement" and four temporary restorative materials used in endodontics. Methods: Class I cavities were made in 90 premolar teeth divided into 10 groups (n= 9) and evaluated at two time periods (1 and 2 weeks). The "experimental cement" was prepared and then coronal sealing of the teeth was performed with the experimental Cement, F (VOCO), Eugenato (MOYCO), Ketac™ Molar Easymix 3M (ESPE) and Coltosol® F. The pieces were submerged in India ink (Pelikan)for 1 and 2 weeks. Microleakage was evaluated on the interface dentin wall / temporary restoration using a stereo microscope (Leica Microsystems LAS EZ version 2.0.0). Measurement was made in millimeters using the software LAS EZ version 2.0.0. Results: Statistically significant differences were found (p< 0.05) when comparing coronal microleakage in the five temporary restorative materials according to exposure time in ink (1 and 2 weeks). Conclusions: The experimental cement had less microleakage than Coltosol® F and Ketac™ Molar EasyMix 3M (ESPE). However, none of the four materials was capable of completely preventing microleakage. / Revisión por pares

The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between the personalization of one’s physical environment and the degree of place identity the person has toward their space, specifically those living in temporary student housing. There have been several studies on peoples’ inherent need to personalize their space. While previous research has identified key factors that help to define place identity in general, this study addresses the fact that not much has been said about how people in temporary housing, specifically student housing, actually go about creating their living spaces. The key issues this research addressed were the degree of place identity achieved by those living in temporary student housing, the manner in which they went about personalizing their spaces, and the relationship between the two. Also, because this is a study of the primary residence or home of the participants, special attention was given to the concept of home. Undergraduate students living in student housing on a university campus were recruited to complete a questionnaire and participate in an interview. The purpose of this research technique was to better understand each person’s attitude toward their space and the factors involved in the way they personalized their space. The researcher also conducted a visual analysis of each space to determine the level and type of personalization. Eight methods (or factors) of personalizing space were compared to the three dimensions of place identity. Significant positive correlations emerged between the place-self congruity dimension of place identity and the personalization of space factors of traditional decoration, decorative complexity, and decoration to create image, therefore showing there is a possible link between gaining a sense of place identity and the level and type of personalization of space displayed in a temporary student housing setting. The study also found that the definition of home is dependent on the context and can have various meaning for the same person.

The AM2 aluminum airfield matting system is currently deployed by the United States military for the creation of temporary, rapidly constructed airfields. The ability to predict the number of allowable aircraft passes across an AM2 installation is challenging because of the complex design of the joining system and the fatigue behavior of critical stress elements in the joints. Prior to the writing of this dissertation, the prevailing methods used to predict the performance of AM2 were based on the CBR design procedure for flexible pavements using a small number of full-scale test sections over CBRs ranging from 4 to 10% and simulated aircraft that are no longer in service. The primary objectives of this dissertation are to present the results from nine full-scale experiments conducted on sections of AM2 matting installed on unstabilized soil and gravel subgrades with CBRs of 6, 10, 15, 25, and 100%, and to provide improved relationships that can be used to predict subgrade deformation underneath an AM2 mat installation and the associated fatigue damage when subjected to F-15E and C-17 traffic. Additionally, a laboratory fixture and procedure is described that can be used to evaluate an AM2 style joint in fatigue and directly relate its performance to in-situ field CBR conditions without requiring the expense of full-scale testing. These relationships are suitable to be implemented into design and evaluation frameworks currently used for airfield pavements and matting systems. The main body of this dissertation is a compilation of three complementary articles that describe different components of the main objectives and results from the full-scale experiments on AM2 mat surfaced airfields. The subgrade deformation relationships developed for the F-15E aircraft are presented in Chapter 2, the fatigue damage relationships and the development of the laboratory procedure for the F-15E aircraft are presented in Chapter 3, and the subgrade deformation relationships, fatigue relationships, and laboratory experiments for the C-17 are included in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 presents conclusions and recommendations.

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Communities affected by climate impacts, political or cultural conflicts and rapid demographic shifts are the most vulnerable to the effects of poverty, disease and communal violence. Addressing their needs through appropriate architectural responses can help them to recover social, economic and environmental well-being. This thesis defines strategies to address the challenges involved in the design of spaces after three causes of forced migration: natural disaster, conflict and urban development. The methodology is based on literature review which served as theoretical background to work in three design competitions related to shelter after natural disasters, refugee camps and slums. The need to provide accommodation after a natural disaster is essential. Therefore, a shelter that can be transported and deployed quickly and effectively, and that contemplates the uniqueness and complexity of the event, is studied in this thesis. Refugee camps have become the protective and safe place that provide shelter, food and health safety to all kinds of survivors and refugees. Due to the complexity of the problems related to this forced migration situation, the presence of refugee camps tends to be longer than the expected. Therefore, a design that contemplates this duality of time and that addresses peoples' needs and rights is part of this research. Slums are often related to deprivation and socio-spatial exclusion and due to the lack of security of tenure, they are vulnerable to evictions caused by redevelopment pressures, gentrification processes and episodes of ethnic cleansing. Therefore, a neighborhood's transformation with cohesive public spaces and incremental housing prototypes is proposed in this thesis. Through the study of architectural responses to natural disaster, refugee camps and slums design considerations related to the site, the culture and the urban context are established as guidelines. In addition, a time-based design strategy, a dual design approach and a multiple scales design strategy are defined as essential to give an architectural response to forced-displaced communities. / Master of Architecture / Devastating effects of natural disaster, political conflicts and demographic changes are experienced everyday worldwide. People who have faced them long for protection, safety and peace to have the strength to start again. Therefore, this thesis proposes some possible architectural solutions for situations where entire populations have lost their homes or have been displaced. Temporary shelters provided after a natural disaster was the first theme studied. The research was complemented with the design of a shelter for a rural community in Ecuador which was devastated by the 2016 earthquake. Research and design demonstrated the need to design a structure aligned with the features of its context and that could be easily and quickly transported and deployed. Thousands of people are forced to flee every day due to political and social conflicts. The second design that was part of this thesis was for Mosul, one of the cities that had been destroyed due to the conflicts in Iraq. The aim was to provide shelter for people that want to return to this city during its reconstruction. Through the design and research, it was defined that it is important to integrate the temporary camps in the reconstruction plan of the city to obtain a more appropriate approach towards the refugees’ needs and values. Neighborhoods wrongly categorized as slums are exposed to human displacement due to real state pressures, urban interventions and social reforms. The third and last project that was part of this thesis looked for a response to this problem in a neighborhood in Mumbai. Several projects were reviewed and diverse sources were consulted leading to the conclusion that public space should work in these neighborhoods as the meeting point of different groups of people and activities. In addition, it was established that affordable housing solutions should respond to economic situation of the dwellers and their future needs. The importance of understanding the site, the culture and the context of every scenario was established essential to formulate an accurate solution for people that seek shelter after a natural disaster, armed conflict or eviction. In addition, considering different design scales and providing spaces with diverse uses and with the possibility to change through time was defined important to develop these projects.