Engineers Without Borders New Zealand (EWBNZ) has recently reached a stage in its organisational growth where a new strategy is needed to ensure its future engineering development initiatives are more consistent with its guiding philosophy of delivering sustainable long term development projects. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of the perceptions of the committee tasked with delivering projects revealed a preference for a strategy which enabled ‘placement’ type projects. To develop this strategy a qualitative analysis was conducted which focused on ascertaining what strategies and organisational structures are employed by comparable EWB organisations to deliver development projects. This process revealed EWB Australia to have a placement project process model which was deemed as the most acceptable to replicate. An implementation strategy and supporting set of recommendations were provided for this new placement project strategy. The most significant recommendation given to support this new strategy was to concentrate EWBNZ’s resources by prioritising projects in only two of the four countries EWBNZ currently operates. The countries deemed a strategic priority were Samoa and Tonga.

The remarkable synchrony between changes in temperature recorded in Greenland ice cores and variations in N isotope records from sedimentary cores recovered from the Arabian Sea and the Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP) has provided evidence for teleconnections between changes in marine denitrification in the tropics and climate variations in the northern high latitudes. Changes in tropical denitrification have been attributed to changes in productivity, changes in the source of intermediate waters and the flux of dissolved oxygen to suboxic zones. Variations in marine denitrification and anammox occurring at intermediate depths in proximity to productive continental margins have had profound effects on the N:P ratio of upwelled waters between stadials and interstadials, and may have indirectly affected carbon sequestration in the ocean by changing the balance of nutrients available to primary productivity. Competitive equilibrium, the changing stoichiometric balance of elements available as nutrients and the shorter residence time of N compared to P are factors that are believed to favour diazotrophs (N2-fixing organisms) during interstadials and shift the competitive advantage to non-N2-fixing ecosystems during stadials. This study presents a very high-resolution analysis of sedimentary nitrogen isotope records, phosphorus concentrations and bulk detrital element concentrations from two cores collected along the Pacific Mexican Margin. The results show that the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) bathing intermediate waters in ETNP is modulated by the interaction of a Northern Hemisphere climate component with the “leakage” of heavy nitrate believed to derive from the Eastern South Pacific (ESP). This southerly component has a more “Antarctic” timing and is similar to records from the Peru-Chile margin. The sedimentary core recovered from the Mazatlan margin shows a “Greenland” timing of millennial-scale events, with reduced upwelling and reduced primary productivity, a less intense OMZ leading to reduced denitrification and a more southerly position of the mid-tropospheric subtropical ridge during stadials. This would have increased the onshore flow of moist air, ultimately leading to increased precipitation along the western Mexican Margin. Interstadials show a reversal of these conditions. In contrast to the Mazatlan core, the N isotope record from the core recovered from the Gulf of Tehuantepec records an element of “Antarctic” timing superimposed on local, millennial-scale variations in denitrification that are more similar in timing to Greenland temperature changes. In addition, the interpretation of observed variations in detrital elements from the Gulf of Tehuantepec highlights latitudinal displacements of the ITCZ that are consistent with those observed in the Cariaco Basin in Venezuela. Bulk P concentrations from both cores suggest that although phosphorite formation in the ETNP during interstadials is not as widespread as previously thought, the very high accumulation rates in the Gulf of Tehuantepec and Mazatlan Margin lead to total Holocene phosphorus burial rates that are up to 4-5 times higher than had been estimated in previous studies. These observations lead to the argument that the ETNP may play a more important role in regulating global P budgets than was previously thought and call for an improved appreciation of the benthic microbial communities that modulate biomes at tropical latitudes.

This thesis undertakes an analysis of the law pertaining to the regulation of telecommunications in Nigeria generally and more specifically with regards to the extension of access to telecommunications services to unserved and underserved persons and areas in Nigeria. The study is situated in the context of privatisation and liberalisation reform of the Nigerian telecommunications sector. It addresses the question of how to extend access to telecommunications services in Nigeria to unserved and underserved persons and areas. This question is researched by focusing on the sector regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission and analysing the mechanisms, ranging from licensing to interconnection to universal service provision and the National Rural Telecommunication Programme, that have been deployed in the past to achieve this objective to ascertain how these may be improved to ensure that as many persons and areas as possible have access to telecommunications services. The issue of securing the accountability of the regulator responsible for the deployment of these access extension mechanisms is also addressed. The research identifies the main international influences on the development of the Nigerian regulatory framework and shows the country’s ability to borrow from a number of sources while adapting and refining the borrowed rules to solve Nigerian problems. The thesis makes a contribution to knowledge in at least three material ways. It is, to the best of my knowledge, the first work on the legal framework for the regulation of telecommunications in Nigeria after the enactment of the Communications Act 2003. Secondly, it is also the first work that I am aware of which analyses issues of access to telecommunications services using a variety of regulatory mechanism as opposed to focusing on universal access and universal service alone. Finally it presents a positive illustration of a successful outcome of globalisation of rules, specifically the transposition or transplantation of specific legal rules in the economic context of a developing African country.

It is expected that the ICTs can maximise the benefits for improved governance and electronic democracy in the information age. This study explores the impact of e-government upon citizens and demonstrates how this kind of electronic medium affects the quality of democracy in the context of the new democracies. Taiwan's peculiar characteristics, which combine a Confucian context, a new democracy and a leading performance in e-government, offers an interesting example of the conceptual diversity of e-government in itself, especially in relation to the level of democracy. Thus, this study uses the Taiwanese experience of developing, using and understanding e-government to identify the effect of e-governance in the new democracies. It integrates larger theoretical and empirical evidence, drawing upon several disciplines, including political science and public administration, communications studies, education and the sociology of technology. The research methods deployed are: documentary analysis, secondary analysis, content analysis and interview. The data are cross-referred and the analysis is presented in different sections. In this study, four themes are discussed: civil education, the policy initiatives, the public use and the public understanding of e-government. I first indicate that civic education in Taiwan has gradually paid more attention to the mode of participation, but the values supporting democracy have not yet been fully instilled. Secondly, the Taiwanese government has been more inclined to use e-government to reorganise itself than to incorporate more of the public in its operation. Thirdly, democratic participation has not yet extended in the public use of e-government in Taiwan. Fourthly, e-government in Taiwan has a modem format, but lacks political efficacy, since it lacks the mechanisms through which people can affect public policy. I conclude that e-government has been used as a modem means to rework authoritarianism. People suffer from a 'democratic deficit' in their understanding and use of e-government. The effects of e-governance have been constrained by the legacy of authoritarianism and the public's democratic deficit. Therefore, in the new democracies, the prospects of electronic democracy should not be overestimated. E-government may be over-rated as a weapon for consolidating democracy.

No description available.

The underrepresentation of gifted Black and Biracial students is a pervasive problem in and of itself, and indicates a much larger struggle of disproportionality of Black and Biracial students who are not called upon or supported in efforts to meet their academic potential. Therefore, an evaluation of the inequity generated by gifted education is warranted. It is true that the majority of gifted programs are often predominantly White. Accordingly, Black and Biracial students who qualify for gifted programs may face unique challenges in their development of racial identity and their socio-emotional health. Using ethnographic techniques, this case study explored the ways that Discovery School, a predominantly White gifted school (PWGS), addresses race. It asked how Black and Biracial students at Discovery School understood themselves as racial beings. The fundamental research questions that guided this study were: (1) how is race addressed at a PWGS, and (2) how does a student of color feel Otherness at a PWGS? The case study was designed, and findings were analyzed, through the theoretical lens of critical race theory. Data was collected through several means, including interviews, surveys, direct observation, and email prompts. Interviews were conducted with four gifted students of color, three teachers, and three parents. Surveys were sent home for student participants and their parents to fill out together. Teachers and administrators were asked to complete two email interview questions. Throughout the data collection, I frequently observed students learning and playing at the school and recorded field notes. Findings indicate that: 1. Talented and gifted students thrive in programs that are uniquely tailored to meet their advanced academic and cognitive needs. 2. Policies and inadequate communication act as barriers for gifted Black and Biracial students. 3. Within a positive educational community, racial microaggressions- including the silencing of racial dialogue and individual bullying- exist. The results of this study suggest that Discovery School operates in ways that benefit the participants of the study. Overall, the student participants (and most parent participants) were satisfied with their experiences at Discovery School. Additionally, results indicate that Discovery School could strengthen their program with a commitment to diversifying the student population and implementing culturally responsive pedagogy and antiracist practices that change the consciousness of education professionals and offer support systems for gifted Black and Biracial students, and develop curriculum that is more reflective of students of color.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. / The Tropical Cyclone Vorticity Tracking Program is used to identify vortices in the western North Pacific from the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) analyses and forecasts during May- October 2002 and 2003. Based on the NOGAPS analyses, several parameters are different between the 23vortices that developed into storms during 2002 according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and the231 vortices that did not develop. After eliminating 127 vortices that did not persist at least 24 h, this left 104 nondevelopingcases. For the developing circulations, the average 850-mb relative vorticity value at the first JTWCwarningtime was 5.0 x 10-5 s-1, with an easterly deep layer wind shear of -1.8 m s-1. The average 850-mb relativevorticity maximum for the non-developing cases was 3.3 x 10-5 s-1, with a westerly vertical shear of 4.1 m s-1. TheNOGAPS model tends to over-forecast relative vorticity prior to formation time for both developers and nondevelopers.Especially for the 72-h and 96-h forecasts, the over-forecasting tendency leads to non-developingvortices meeting the threshold vorticity value of the developing vortices. The tendency for NOGAPS to forecastthe non-developing deep layer wind shear to become increasingly easterly with time is considered to be a majorfactor in these over-forecasts of formation. Some adjustments in the cumulus parameterization heating andmoistening plus convective momentum transport may improve these forecasts of tropical cyclone formation. / Captain, United States Air Force

<p>This dissertation provides a coherent and an in-depth analysis of Hawai&rsquo;i tourism&rsquo;s impact on N&amacr; Kumu, who are considered to be the fabric of Hawai&rsquo;i society. N&amacr; Kumu was identified to be the teachers of the Kanka Maoli or the Native Hawai&rsquo;ian culture, which was embedded into community connectivity. The varying perspectives of these teaching practices were examined through transcendental phenomenology and transcription data analyzed according to proximal expressions of invariant elements. Eight N&amacr; Kumu participated in this study, ranging in their degree of practice, community role, how they conceptualized the role of kumu, and what the lived experience of Hawai&rsquo;i tourism meant to them. These elements led to a greater understanding of how tourism in this state impacts K&amacr;nka Maoli societal teachings, which suggests Hawai&rsquo;i societal policy as the primary control mechanism to how Hawai&rsquo;i tourism is experienced by N&amacr; Kumu and contributed to N&amacr; Kumu sense of well-being as inhabitants of Hawai&rsquo;i. The findings may also suggest the cognitive construct of what community connectivity is believed to be according to N&amacr; Kumu values, which impacts their overall sense of well-being. This suggests the cognitive proximal approach of the kumu as either internal or external, which affects their perception of Hawai&rsquo;i tourism. However, the overall essence of Hawai&rsquo;i tourism&rsquo;s impact on N&amacr; Kumu was found to be causal by Hawai&rsquo;i societal policy because this mechanism ultimately provides regulation and control of a given industry. </p>

During 1998-2012, climate change and sea level rise (SLR) exhibit two notable features: a slowdown of global surface warming (hiatus) and a rapid SLR in the tropical western Pacific. To quantify their relationship, we analyze the long-term control simulations of 38 climate models. We find a significant and robust correlation between the east-west contrast of dynamic sea level (DSL) in the Pacific and global mean surface temperature (GST) variability on both interannual and decadal time scales. Based on linear regression of the multimodel ensemble mean, the anomalously fast SLR in the western tropical Pacific observed during 1998-2012 indicates suppression of a potential global surface warming of 0.16 degrees 0.06 degrees C. In contrast, the Pacific contributed 0.29 degrees 0.10 degrees C to the significant interannual GST increase in 1997/1998. The Pacific DSL anomalies observed in 2015 suggest that the strong El Nino in 2015/2016 could lead to a 0.21 degrees 0.07 degrees C GST jump.

Identification of effects that climate teleconnections, such as El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), have on wildfires is difficult because of short and incomplete records in many areas of the world. We developed the first multicentury wildfire chronologies for northeast China from fire-scarred trees. Regional wildfires occurred every 7years from the 1700s to 1947, after which fire suppression policies were implemented. Regional wildfires occurred predominately during drought years and were associated with positive phases of ENSO and PDO and negative NAO. Twentieth century meteorological records show that this contingent combination of +ENSO/+PDO/-NAO is linked to low humidity, low precipitation, and high temperature during or before late spring fire seasons. Climate and wildfires in northeast China may be predictable based on teleconnection phases, although future wildfires may be more severe due to effects of climate change and the legacy of fire suppression.