In dieser Arbeit beschäftigen wir uns mit zwei Ansätzen zur Quantengravitation (QG), die einander konträr gegenüberstehen: - Erstens mit der Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG), einem eher konservativen Ansatz zur QG, dessen Startpunkt eine Hamiltonsche Formulierung der klassischen Allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie (ART) ist, - zweitens mit der sogenannten Topos-Theorie, angewandt auf die Allgemeine Relativitätstheorie, die die mathematischen Konzepte der Quantentheorie (und möglicherweise auch der ART) radikal umformuliert, was eine immense Redefinition von Konzepten wie Raum, Zeit und Raumzeit zur Folge hätte. Der Grund für die Wahl zweier so verschiedener Ansätzen als Gegenstand dieser Arbeit liegt in der Hoffnung begründet, dass sich diese beiden Ansätze auf einen gemeinsamen Ursprung zurückführen lassen können und somit gegenseitig ergänzen können. Im ersten Teil dieser Arbeit führen wir den allgemeinen Formalismus der LQG ein und gehen dabei insbesondere auf den semiklassischen Sektor der Theorie ein; insbesondere untersuchen wir die semiklassischen Eigenschaften des Volumenoperators. Dieser Operator spielt in der Quantendynamik der LQG eine tragende Rolle, da alle bekannten dynamischen Operatoren auf den Volumenoperator zurückgeführt werden können. Aus diesem Grund ist es auerordentlich wichtig zu überprüfen, dass der klassische Limes des Volumenoperators wirklich mit dem klassischen Volumen übereinstimmt. Anschließend beschäftigen wir uns mit sogenannten Spin Foam Modellen (SFM), welche als ein kovarianter oder Pfadintegralzugang zur kanonischen LQG angesehen werden können. Diese Spin Foam Modelle beruhen auf einer Langrange-Formulierung der LQG mittels einer kovarianten sum-over-histories Beschreibung. Die Entwicklung eines Lagrange-Zuganges zur LQG wurde motiviert durch die Tatsache, dass es in der kanonischen Formulierung der LQG überaus schwierig ist, Übergangsamplituden auszurechnen. Allerdings weichen die Spin Foam Modelle, die wir in dieser Arbeit behandeln in einem entscheidenden Punkt von den bisher in der Literatur diskutierten ab, da wir die Holst-Wirkung Holst [1996] und nicht die Palatini-Wirkung als Ausgangspunkt nehmen. Dies ermöglicht es uns, explizit gewisse Zwangsbedingungen zu lösen, was in den gegenwärtig diskutierten SFM problematisch scheint. Im zweiten Teil dieser Arbeit führen wir in die Topos-Theorie ein und rekapitulieren, wie diese Theorie benutzt werden kann, um die Quantentheorie derart umzuformulieren, dass eine konsistente Quanten-Logik definiert werden kann. Darüber hinaus definieren wir auch eine Topos-Beschreibung der Quantentheorie in der sum-over-histories Formulierung. Unser Ansatz entscheidet sich vom gegenwärtigen consistent-histories Ansatz vor allem dadurch, dass das Konzept der konsistenten Menge (eine Menge von Historien, die nicht mit sich selbst interferieren) keine zentrale Rolle spielt, während es in letzterem grundlegend ist. Diese Tatsache bietet einen interessanten Ausgangspunkt, da eine der Hauptschwierigkeiten im consistent-histories Ansatz darin besteht, die richtige konsistente Menge der Propositionen von Historien zu finden: Im allgemeinen gibt es viele solcher Mengen, und die meisten davon sind nicht miteinander kompatibel. Wir zeigen, dass in unserer Topos-Beschreibung der sum-over-histories Quantentheorie jeder Proposition von Historien Wahrheitswerte zugeteilt werden können; daher ist das Konzept einer konsistenten Menge von Propositionen redundant. Dies bedeutet, dass es im Rahmen einer Quantengravitationstheorie möglich sein könnte, jeder Proposition von vierdimensionalen Metriken (welche als allgemein relativistisches Analogon einer Historie angesehen werden können) einen Wahrheitswert zuzuweisen. / One of the main challenges in theoretical physics over the last five decades has been to reconcile quantum mechanics with general relativity into a theory of quantum gravity. However, such a theory has been proved to be hard to attain due to i) conceptual difficulties present in both the component theories (General Relativity (GR) and Quantum Theory); ii) lack of experimental evidence, since the regimes at which quantum gravity is expected to be applicable are far beyond the range of conceivable experiments. Despite these difficulties, various approaches for a theory of Quantum Gravity have been developed. In this thesis we focus on two such approaches: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Topos theoretic approach. The choice fell on these approaches because, although they both reject the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory, their underpinning philosophical approach to formulating a quantum theory of gravity are radically different. In particular LQG is a rather conservative scheme, inheriting all the formalism of both GR and Quantum Theory, as it tries to bring to its logical extreme consequences the possibility of combining the two. On the other hand, the Topos approach involves the idea that a radical change of perspective is needed in order to solve the problem of quantum gravity, especially in regard to the fundamental concepts of `space'' and `time''. Given the partial successes of both approaches, the hope is that it might be possible to find a common ground in which each approach can enrich the other.

<p>In studying the art of Counterinsurgency Warfare we are usually inclined to the reading of several books regarding this matter. Because of this some writers have the power to influence the minds of the reader. This can be of great benefit since it enables information sharing and for the reader a chance to learn from the triumphs, but also mistakes of others. However each writer is the creation of the time and context under which he existed. Because of the wheel of time certain things change, and because of the context a myriad of factors came into play affecting the outcome and product of the doings and thoughts of that specific occurrence. Because of this, books need to be read and viewed from a certain perspective to be used to the full. Out of the large number of factors I have chosen one in particular which is to be revealed in the pages you are about to read; The strategic culture. This work deals with the task of examining the COIN-based books of John A Nagl, Frank Kitson and David Galula in order to see the influence of the strategic culture from the countries from which they were spawned. The result will be an evaluation of the similarities of the writers to that of the strategic culture of their country of origin and a set of guidelines to regard in the advent of reading the three writers.</p>

In studying the art of Counterinsurgency Warfare we are usually inclined to the reading of several books regarding this matter. Because of this some writers have the power to influence the minds of the reader. This can be of great benefit since it enables information sharing and for the reader a chance to learn from the triumphs, but also mistakes of others. However each writer is the creation of the time and context under which he existed. Because of the wheel of time certain things change, and because of the context a myriad of factors came into play affecting the outcome and product of the doings and thoughts of that specific occurrence. Because of this, books need to be read and viewed from a certain perspective to be used to the full. Out of the large number of factors I have chosen one in particular which is to be revealed in the pages you are about to read; The strategic culture. This work deals with the task of examining the COIN-based books of John A Nagl, Frank Kitson and David Galula in order to see the influence of the strategic culture from the countries from which they were spawned. The result will be an evaluation of the similarities of the writers to that of the strategic culture of their country of origin and a set of guidelines to regard in the advent of reading the three writers.

<p>This thesis will examine the effects of divorce on the benefit payable to a member of a retirement fund, where divorce has occurred before the member has reached retirement age. In&nbsp / particular, parametric (that is, piecemeal) amendments to the relevant legislation will be analysed in order to outline the development of the legislation relating to divorce and the consequent distribution of&nbsp / assets (including retirement savings). The previous and current legal position in South Africa relating to divorce and retirement savings will be set out and critically analysed to determine whether the current position can be regarded as an improvement upon the previous legal position, or whether other and/or new problems in this area have been created. Parametric amendments to&nbsp / relevant legislation have thus far been the subject of many cases in our courts and adjudicative tribunals. A systemic overhaul of a particular area of law is a useful tool in providing legal certainty&nbsp / and clarifying the laws applicable to that area. This thesis will therefore argue in favour of a systemic overhaul of the legislation applicable to the allocation of retirement benefits at divorce, as opposed to the ineffectual parametric (i.e. piecemeal) amendments that have been implemented thus far. An essential aspect of this study is a comparative study of South African legal principles&nbsp / relating to retirement benefits and divorce with the legal principles of this subject in the United Kingdom (UK).</p>

This thesis investigates whether IFRS adoption has led to an increase in the relevance of accounting information for investment decisions. Furthermore, the effects of IFRS are implicitly compared across accounting traditions. As such,  the effects of IFRS on the “quality” of financial reporting are measured based on the cases of listed firms in Germany and listed firms in the UK. This study approaches the effects of IFRS on the quality of financial reporting from two angles. First a review of the academic literature is done to determine whether there has been a general consensus about the effects of IFRS adoption on financial reporting of listed firms in Germany and the UK. As a result of this literature study, a number of propositions are deduced about the effects of IFRS. Subsequently, the investigation of the effects of IFRS takes a statistical perspective. Financial and accounting data are obtained for two samples, one of German listed firms and another of UK listed firms. A number of empirical models are used to determine the quality of financial reporting, including the earnings-returns association (Lev ,1989; Lev &amp; Zarowin, 1999), asymmetric sensitivity of earnings and asymmetric persistence of earnings (Basu, 1997), and the market-to-book ratios (Roychowdhury &amp; Watts, 2003). Additionally, a new tool is introduced for a joint interpretation of the econometric test results, leading potentially to a new method of financial report analysis under dynamic regulatory conditions. Significant statistical evidence is found suggesting a drastic reduction (to the point of complete elimination) in income smoothing in Germany corresponding to the transition from the German national GAAP to IFRS. Additionally, with the introduction of IFRS, the information content of accounting earnings in German firms appears to have increased substantially, while market-to-book ratios have converged towards “1”. On the other hand, the introduction of IFRS in the UK corresponds to statistical evidence consistent with a shift from asymmetric timeliness of earnings under UK GAAP to a significant downward bias in earnings under IFRS. The study also shows significant inter-industry differences in the effects of IFRS that suggest that the inconsistencies in the results of previous studies may have been due to the significant noise created by diverse samples, or due to biased industry representations in the data.

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Despite concerns regarding working conditions in Scottish lap-dancing venues being raised in the 2006 report published by the then Scottish Executive’s Adult Entertainment Working Group, women’s experiences of working inside these venues remains under-researched. This thesis provides an up-to-date snapshot of working conditions in the Scottish lap-dancing industry. The study utilised in-depth, semi-structured interviews with dancers which benefitted from the researcher’s involvement in the industry. The inclusion of women’s voices led to the conclusion that wider cultural and economic changes are impacting negatively upon working experiences in venues by adversely altering the dynamics of supply and demand. This means power is felt to be partially shifting from workers to owners, and to a lesser extent, customers. Participants suggest that venues have changed from being enjoyable working environments where money could be made relatively easily to ones where the work embodies the characteristics of precarious labour where competition is rife and projected income is far less certain. A feminist and Foucoudian analysis assists in understanding and explaining these changes. The thesis suggests that simply improving working conditions for women may prove ineffective in the facilitation of a more satisfactory workplace, due to the overriding desire for profit held by both dancers and owners in an industry which has become less financially lucrative. Ultimately, the thesis reveals and explains how shifts outside the lap-dancing venues have affected dancers negatively in different ways, affecting relationships inside the venue, and the actual experience of carrying out the labour. This thesis argues that these shifts have been assisted by the provision of State policy that fails to recognise lap-dancing as a form of labour and is not concerned with dancers safety at work.

<p>This thesis will examine the effects of divorce on the benefit payable to a member of a retirement fund, where divorce has occurred before the member has reached retirement age. In&nbsp / particular, parametric (that is, piecemeal) amendments to the relevant legislation will be analysed in order to outline the development of the legislation relating to divorce and the consequent distribution of&nbsp / assets (including retirement savings). The previous and current legal position in South Africa relating to divorce and retirement savings will be set out and critically analysed to determine whether the current position can be regarded as an improvement upon the previous legal position, or whether other and/or new problems in this area have been created. Parametric amendments to&nbsp / relevant legislation have thus far been the subject of many cases in our courts and adjudicative tribunals. A systemic overhaul of a particular area of law is a useful tool in providing legal certainty&nbsp / and clarifying the laws applicable to that area. This thesis will therefore argue in favour of a systemic overhaul of the legislation applicable to the allocation of retirement benefits at divorce, as opposed to the ineffectual parametric (i.e. piecemeal) amendments that have been implemented thus far. An essential aspect of this study is a comparative study of South African legal principles&nbsp / relating to retirement benefits and divorce with the legal principles of this subject in the United Kingdom (UK).</p>

Seawater-fresh groundwater natural equilibrium conditions in the aquifers of the Sel&ccedil / uk sub-basin may be disturbed by the discharge occurred during the past 30 years in order to supply water for irrigation and domestic purpose usage. Two dimensional density dependent cross sectional saturated flow and solute transport simulations were carried out to determine whether seawater intrusion has occurred in the Sel&ccedil / uk sub-basin due to the imposed discharge or the determined salt-water in the western section of the aquifers represents natural interface equilibrium conditions. The numerical simulation model was calibrated using field measurements. The results of the simulations suggest that the seawater intrusion has occurred in the study area since the pumping activity increased in the region. Five scenarios were simulated for future predictions: (1) Present recharge and discharge conditions are maintained, (2) Discharge increases at a rate of the municipality need as a result of increasing population, (3) Discharge decreases by 12% from the present value, (4) Discharge decreases by 25% from the present value, and (5) No discharge occurs or recharge amount equals to the present discharge amount condition supplied to the aquifer. These scenario results suggest that seawater intrusion in the Sel&ccedil / uk sub-basin would progress in the following years unless proper management measures are taken into consideration. KEYWORDS: seawater intrusion, density dependent groundwater flow, solute transport, contamination, Sel&ccedil / uk sub-basin.

The UK has committed to deep, long-term reductions in national greenhouse gas emissions as part of a global effort to address climate change. Material efficiency, reducing the material inputs per service output, has long been identified as a globally underexplored mitigation strategy. Previous studies show unrealised technical potential to improve the efficiency of steel use, a large contributor of industry emissions, in the UK. This thesis explores why these opportunities may be unrealised along the steel supply chain.