The binary conception of gender as solely male or female has had a great impact to nonbinary and intersex people in the societal and legal field. Their ability to enjoy human rights is impacted by the current normative confines of sex and gender. The aim of the following paper is to investigate how Malta and Germany have included intersex people and/or nonbinary identities in their legislation and through a socio-legal analysis examine whether their legislations achieved to provide non-discrimination policies. The paper concludes that the third legal recognition in Malta and Germany is based on different perspectives in order to include populations that do not conform to the binary dichotomy and that seek legal recognition.

Age estimation in living individuals around the legal age of 18 years remains a difficult challenge, with limited options available. In this study third molar development was used, along with the novel method of anterior inferior vertebral ring apophysis development, to assess the age of living individuals and the probability of being 18 years. For third molar development, panoramic radiographs of 705 white and 563 black South Africans were scored using a 10 stage scoring system. Vertebral apophysis development of C2, C3, and C4 of 496 white and 478 black South Africans were assessed from cephalometric radiographs, using a four-stage scoring system. Likelihood values were determined for individuals in each sex and population group being 18 years, based on developmental stages. For apophysis development, the median ages for attainment of stages 0, 1, and 2 were below the 18-year threshold for all ancestry and sex groups, while stage 3 was also below this threshold in some groups. For third molar development, black South African individuals consistently matured earlier than white South African individuals, while for most of the stages the opposite was true for apophysis development. Differences between the sexes were also noted for third molar, but not for vertebral apophysis development. These age indicators were also combined by using a generalised linear model (GLM). The combined sample comprised of 165 females and 122 males aged between 15 and 18 years. Four additional models were obtained from data sets only containing data for third molar and cervical ring apophysis development respectively. The performance of all the models were quantified and compared using the Akaike information criterion (AIC) as an estimator of the relative quality of the statistical models and the prediction error as a mean square error value. The best performance resulted from third molar development, although the vertebral data adds a component related to skeletal development which may better reflect biological reality. These results show that cervical vertebral apophysis development is a valuable, novel addition to the assessment of age in living individuals. Both these methods are easy to use and can be assessed from standard and routinely used radiographic images. The developed models need to be sex and ancestry specific, as clear differences were noted. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Anatomy / PhD / Unrestricted

Democracies worldwide are facing a third wave of autocratization, in which a new model tactic has emerged to end democracies. During previous waves coup d’état have been the main reason why democracies breakdown. However, they do still occur during the third wave of autocratization, but previous research has focused on theoretically develop the reasons for why coups occur through focusing on the military and specific regions. In addition, various definitions exist regarding coup d’état, and as a result, its definition has become fragmented, which has had real-life implications. The Capitol Insurrection that occurred in the United States on January 6th, 2021, introduced an unprecedented attack on one of the world’s most prominent and noticeable democracies, intending to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election. The Capitol Insurrection has been defined as a domestic terrorist attack and, thus, not an attempted takeover. Therefore, this thesis aims to analyze the concept of coup d´état to develop the understanding of takeover attempts in democracies. In addition, it aspires to theoretically develop the concept of takeovers in democracies through applying a multiple-case design consisting of three cases that have been defined as coups and three cases that follow the new tactic used in the third wave of autocratization. The thesis summarizes the previous definitions and explanations regarding takeovers and applies that to analyze how and what characterized the six cases. In addition, the findings of the six cases are compared to the previous definitions to analyze what speaks for and against a broadened definition of a takeover. The analysis of this thesis finds and argues for that there is a need to redefine the model tactic during the third wave of autocratization to a type of takeover performed by the chief executive and political elites, in other words, performed by the government for government.

In this article, I examine the notion that perceptions of media have a perceived effect on performance and morale on both the athlete and the team. I test this idea on a sample of college athletes at Nicholls State University (N=94), at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. Findings show that the presumed media influence is displayed in the context of athletics and that there are some indirect effects from one's perceptions of how their teammates were portrayed in the media. Research found that positive media had a perceived effect on the team but not on ones' self. Findings also showed that positive and negative media can be a predictor of overall team performance. Nothing was found to support the idea that positive or negative media had an impact on personal performance or morale. Nothing was found that gave credence to the fact that perception of media whether positive or negative has an impact on personal or team morale.

This diploma thesis deals with taxonomy independent methods for classification of metagenomic signals, aquired by a MinION sequencer. It describes the formation and character of metagenomic data and already existing methods of metagenomic data classification and their development. This thesis also evaluates an impact of the third generation sequencing techniques in the world of metagenomics and further specialises on the function of the Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing device. Lastly, a custom method for metagenomic data classification, based on data obtained from a MinION sequencer, is proposed and compared with an already existing method of classification.

The retromolar foramen represents a little known anatomical variation in the posterior mandible of uncertain clinical importance. It has been the subject of limited study. Findings and conclusions of these studies have been placed under little scrutiny. Suggested clinical consequences associated with the presence of the retromolar foramen include local anaesthetic failure, local haemorrhage during surgery, perineural spread of infectious and invasive pathology, and loss of sensation in the normal distribution of the buccal nerve due to surgical intervention. Reports of the possibility of these complications seem to suggest that the retromolar foramen, canal and its associated neurovascular bundle are structures of great clinical importance. Case reports seem to have, however, only included reports of loss of gingival and buccal sensation as a consequence of third molar surgery in the presence of this anomaly. This study therefore aimed to report the prevalence of the retromolar foramen and canal in the South African population, describe its course and structure, and produce a clinical framework in which to approach the presence of the retromolar foramen. Comparisons between the present and existing studies were made and conclusions concerning the clinical importance of this structure were drawn. Inspection of a sample containing 946 mandibles was performed. Of these, 885 were regarded as suitable for inclusion. These mandibles were inspected for the presence of a retromolar foramen in which a 1 mm diameter needle could pass through without resistance. The distance from the last tooth in the arch to the retromolar foramen was also measured. Fifty of these mandibles were then randomly selected and scanned using microfocus computed tomography. Seventy mandibles were found to have at least one retromolar foramen (7.9% of the total sample). No statistically significant differences were found when the presence of the retromolar foramen was correlated with race, sex or age. The finding that sex and age played no significant role in the presence of the retromolar foramen is in agreement with available literature. Detected prevalence seemed to be heavily influenced by the method used to determine the presence of the retromolar foramen. The average distance between the second mandibular molar and the retromolar foramen was 16.83 ± 5.57 mm and the average distance between the third mandibular molar and the retromolar foramen was 10.47 ± 3.77 mm. These findings were found to be in agreement with most other reports. Fifty retromolar canals were selected at random and scanned using microfocus computed tomography. Analysis revealed four basic patterns. These were type A, a vertical canal between the inferior alveolar canal and the retromolar area of the mandible, type B, a curved canal taking a recurrent course between the inferior alveolar canal and the retromolar area, type C, a canal with an approximately horizontal path between the inferior alveolar canal and the retromolar area, and the temporal crest canal (TCC, not designated as type D to create a distinction between it and types A, B and C), a canal terminating on either side of the temporal crest. Type B was the most common presentation (68% of retromolar canals in the study), a finding contrary to that of other studies. The presence of the retromolar neurovascular bundle is of uncertain clinical importance and requires further anatomical and pharmacological study to determine its effect on local anaesthetic failure. A model in which the retromolar canal branches from the inferior alveolar canal does not seem to support a conclusion in which local anaesthetic failure may be directly attributable the presence of this anatomical variation alone. Classification of the retromolar canal is of limited clinical use and may require a revised scheme if clinical application is sought. Complications associated with the presence of the retromolar foramen are poorly documented and seem to be of little consequence. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Anatomy / MSc / Unrestricted

The history of United States – Latin American relations has been dominated by discourses of development since the earliest stages of independent nationhood. In the twentieth century, these discourses found an epistemological anchoring in the geopolitical concepts of First World and Third World well past the Cold War Era, as well as in the related notions of Empire and Neo-Colony in more recent postcolonial studies. As cultural concepts, these binary categories exceed the economic basis to which they claim reference. The dissertation examines this projection beyond the economic foundation as a function of spectacular media and focuses on the degree to which these categories (which regulate crucial aspects of the mutual U.S. – Latin American imagination) may constitute compromised epistemological dogmas firmly governed by the very capitalist status quo that they attempt to counter. In order to develop a theorization of the textual forces at work in the formation of the cultural concepts of First and Third World, this dissertation examines the work of Cuban revolutionary filmmaker Santiago Álvarez in dialogue with an update of Guy Debord’s theories on the spectacle, the dérive, and psychogeography. Together with critical considerations of theories of space-time, modernity and postmodernity, as well as of the nation-state epistemological order, it formulates a reading of the development discourses, called here “demarcational critique.” This model is also put into conversation with a key theoretical work on the topic (John P. Leary’s A Cultural History of Underdevelopment), a fictional film (Gregory Nava’s El Norte), and an experimental montage of crucial meta-reflective value (Arthur Tuoto’s Não Me Fale Sobre Recomeços). Through an exploration that seeks to blur the line between theoretical and fictional texts, this dissertation concludes that development discourses, and their main subsidiary notions of First and Third World, generally studied as purely economic categories, possess a spectacular dimension, and that the analysis of this dimension must involve cultural studies. It further highlights the problematic nature of those notions in relation to a postcolonial project by examining their Eurocentric, moralizing, and racialized nature. Finally, this dissertation proposes and demonstrates an alternative, non-national model for postcolonial discourse.

IMF and World Bank Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) include conditional loans granted to developing countries to help them repay their debts while requiring them to undergo specific economic and political reforms. The most common SAP measures include the devaluation of currency, the reduction of public sector size and activities, the removal of subsidies, and the liberalization of trade. While the social impacts of these policies have already been acknowledged and to some degree mitigated, this paper examines their environmental impacts. The various impacts of structural adjustment on the environment are discussed in the framework of four main aspects of SAPs: export promotion, trade liberalization, the shrinking of the state, and increased poverty. <p> This paper argues that the macroeconomic policies promoted by structural adjustment have several direct and indirect impacts on the environment of borrowing countries. Further, without careful consideration of the environmental impacts, degradation is often the result. However, the fundamentally different perspectives and values on debt and development used by the IMF and World Bank and their critics may explain the differences in their conclusions on adjustment. As the IMF and the World Bank are currently experiencing a shift in the way they interact with borrowing countries to emphasize poverty reduction and country ownership of policies, it is possible that this will allow for more systematic and integrated approaches to addressing debt as well as long-term development. In order to minimize unintended harm to the natural resource base of these countries, economic, social and environmental issues should be addressed together. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

Orientador: Michelle Bianchi de Moraes / Coorientador: Fernando Vagner Raldi / Banca: José Benedito Oliveira Amorim / Banca: Renata Amadei Nicolau / Resumo: A eficácia do controle da dor em exodontias de terceiros molares está associada ao tipo e concentração do anestésico local. No entanto a taxa de sucesso pode variar de acordo com o anestésico usado, influenciando no controle da dor, nos índices de complicações, entre elas a parestesia, e alterações sistêmicas do paciente. Este estudo clínico controlado em boca dividida, comparou o uso dos anestésicos locais cloridrato de articaína 4% e do cloridrato de mepivacaína 2%, ambos com epinefrina 1:100.000, para a anestesia local em exodontias de terceiros molares inferiores. Vinte pacientes, de ambos os gêneros, com idade média de 21 anos, com terceiros molares inferiores bilaterais em posições semelhantes de acordo com as classificações de Winter e Pell & Gregory, foram submetidos às cirurgias para exodontias, em consultas separadas, com cada um dos lados (direito e esquerdo) randomizados e alocados em dois grupos diferentes, denominados: Grupo 1ART (articaína 4%) e Grupo 2MEP (mepivacaína 2%). Os parâmetros de comparação foram: índice de dor, medida por meio de Escala Visual Analógica (EVA) no trans e pós-operatório imediato; também análise da eficácia anestésica, parâmetros hemodinâmicos, complicações durante e após a cirurgia, dentre os quais se enquadram a ocorrência de parestesia pós-operatória, e a satisfação do paciente e do operador. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas nos índices de dor na comparação entre os dois anestésicos. O controle da dor foi mais efetivo... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The efficacy of pain control in third molars is associated with the type and concentration of local anesthetic. However, success rates may vary according to the anesthetic used, influencing pain control, complication rates, including paresthesia and systemic changes of the patient. This split-mouth controlled clinical study compared the use of local anesthetics with 4% articaine hydrochloride and 2% mepivacaine hydrochloride, both with epinephrine 1: 100,000, for local anesthesia in lower molar extractions. Twenty patients of both genders, with an average age of 21 years, with three bilateral inferior inferiors in the limits according to the statistics of Winter and Pell & Gregory, underwent extraction surgeries, in collected consultations, with each one of them. The following sides (right and left) were randomized and allocated into two different groups, namely: Group 1ART (4% articaine) and Group 2MEP (2% mepivacaine). The comparison parameters were: pain index, measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) in the trans and immediate postoperative period; also analysis of anesthesia efficacy, hemodynamic parameters, adverse events during and after surgery, which include the occurrence of postoperative paresthesia and patient and operator satisfaction. No significant differences were found in the comparison rates between two anesthetics. Pain control was more effective with in 2 hours of the immediate postoperative period and a smaller volume of mepivacaine was required to perform... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Since the mobile communication technology gains a big success in China, internet finance becomes one of the most emerging industries in China in the past decade. People’s living habits have been deeply changed by this emerging service. Nowadays the majority of Chinese citizens use cellphones to deposit and make payments, rather than use traditional debit and credit cards. They can even scan their cellphones to pay the bus and subway fares. While facilitating people’s lives, internet finance also causes new challenges for the commercial banks in China. It makes financial transactions more efficient and lowers transaction costs. Meanwhile, it also takes some profit sources of traditional commercial banks. This study first analyzes the current developing situation of internet finance in China and then introduce the banks efficiency of Chinese banks. Finally, the profitability that is measure by the ROA and ROE of 15 public commercial banks are chosen as the independent variables that measure the profitability of banks. The market scale of internet finance and its profitability are the independent variables. The study finds that while internet finance continues to develop in China, commercial banks’ profitability keeps a decreasing trend. The test results indicate that with the increase of one percent in total revenue, net income and ROA of the internet finance industry, the commercial banks’ ROA decreases by 0.02%, 0.04 and 2.52%, while ROE reduces by 0.22%, 1.04%, and 3.99% respectively.