近兩、三年來，地下電台以打破媒體壟斷的鮮明定位，以及全民參與的口號，快速打出知名度，並給予瓦解中的廣電體制重重的一鎚。為何一個可以說是處於劣勢的小電台，能夠在短短的時間內席捲台灣，並促使政府正視民眾需求，加速媒體改革，其背後成因著實耐人尋味。處於這個媒體面臨解構的年代，民間與政府都在尋求新的定位，探視地下電台的抗爭、政府開放頻道的政策及輿論的諸多反應，其中隱含著許多值得深思的問題，站在客觀觀察的立場，試著呈現這個有趣又深具啟蒙意義的媒體現象，探討其背後成因與問題，並提出建議，正是本文的研究動機。 　　本研究為發掘性研究，採取文獻探討、深度訪談及節目表分析等研究方法，以便針對地下電台進行深入的剖析與討論，同時並對民意調查的次級資料做進一步分析，以瞭解地下電台的聽眾群。所依據的理論基礎包括電波公有、稀有頻道、言論自由、近用權及多元化等五種。綜合而言，地下電台的成因來自三方面：廣電生態的不平衡、政治環境的漸趨成熟以及整體社會文化環境的配合。根據本研究的分析發現，這一波地下電台大多集中在83年3月至9月間出現，其成立的動機主要有三：突破媒體壟斷、追求言論自由以及出於對弱勢族群的關懷或為宣揚自己的理念等；而通常設立一家小功率電台約需花費150萬至200萬。 　　地下電台的出現固然混亂了電波的使用、引發多起的群眾運動及社會些許的動璗，但不可否認的，它也喚醒政府及民間重新正視一些存在多時的問題。面臨廣電媒體的重組，地下電台在歷經抗爭後，應開始正視自己的存在價值，認真考慮申請合法的可行性，並試著走出地下的圍籬，開拓更多元的發展空間；而政府在處理地下電台的問題時，亦應一改威權時代的作風，以民主、公開、公平的態度，從根本著手，深入瞭解頻道分配、電台換照及地下電台違法法源等種種問題，真正做到主權在民、資源共享，地下電台才有可能化暗為明，也才不會又有地下電視等未可知的非法媒體出現。

Development drilling is used in underground mining to create access tunnels. A common method involves using a drilling rig, known as a jumbo, to drill holes into the face of a tunnel. Jumbo drill rigs have two or more articulated arms with drills as end-effectors, that extend outwards from a vehicle. Once drilled, the holes are charged with explosives and fired to advance the tunnel. There is an ongoing imperative within the mining industry to reduce development times and reducing time spent drilling is seen as the best opportunity for achieving this. Notwithstanding that three-boom jumbos have been available for some years, the industry has maintained a preference for using jumbo rigs with two drilling booms. Three-boom machines have the potential to reduce drilling time by as much as one third, but they have proven difficult to operate and, in practice, this benefit has not been realized. The key difficulty lies in manoeuvering the booms within the tight confines of the tunnel and ensuring sequencing the drilling of holes so that each boom spends maximum time drilling. This thesis addresses the problem of optimally sequencing multi-boom jumbo drill rigs to minimize the overall time to drill a blast hole pattern, taking into account the various constraints on the problem including the geometric constraints restricting motion of the booms. The specific aims of the thesis are to: ² develop the algorithmic machinery needed to determine minimum- or near-minimum-time drill assignment for multi-boom jumbos which is suitable for "real-time" implementation; ² use this drill pattern assignment algorithm to quantify the benefits of optimal drill pattern assignment with three-boom jumbos; and ² investigate the management of unplanned events, such as boom breakdowns, and assess the potential of the algorithm to assist a human operator with the forward planning of drill-hole selection. Jumbo drill task assignment is a combinatorial optimization problem. A methodology based around receding horizon mixed integer programming is developed to solve the problem. At any time the set of drill-holes available to a boom is restricted by the location of the other booms as well as the tunnel perimeter. Importantly these constraints change as the problem evolves. The methodology builds these constraints into problem through use of a feasibility tensor that encodes the moves available to each boom given configurations of other booms. The feasibility tensor is constructed off-line using a rapidly exploring random tree algorithm. Simulations conducted using the sequencing algorithm predict, for a standard drill-hole pattern, a 10 - 22% reduction in drilling time with the three-boom rig relative to two-boom machines. The algorithms developed in this thesis have two intended applications. The first is for automated jumbo drill rigs where the capability to plan drilling sequences algorithmically is a prerequisite. Automated drill rigs are still some years from being a reality. The second, and more immediate application is in providing decision support for drill rig operators. It is envisaged that the algorithms described here might form the basis of a operator assist that provides guidance on which holes to drill next with each boom, adapting this plan as circumstances change.

Abstract Given that most utilities are located beneath public right of ways, it is difficult to perform repairs to the utility without significantly disturbing the existing roadway. Currently there are several standard orders of procedure that deal with small-scale repairs on asphaltic surfaces. This study investigates the use of Grade D Aggregate as a backfill during a utility repair versus the condition of the repair. Five East Tennessee utilities provided a total of 60 utility repair locations over three years of age; 30 of which incorporated Grade D Aggregate and 30 incorporated #57 Stone. The Tennessee Department of Transportation specifies a smoothness criterion of the roadway to regulate any deviation of the surface of the roadway greater than ¼ inch over a 12-foot span. The parameters measured during this study include smoothness, condition of the asphalt topcoat, adjacent stress cracking, depth of repair and disturbed surface area. Multiple linear regression and analysis of variance tests were used to analyze the results. Results suggest that there is no difference between using and not using Grade D Aggregate except with failures of one inch or greater. The results also suggest that there is little to no relationship between roadway characteristics and the performance of the repair except with failures one inch or greater. There is a correlation between slope and failures that had a deviation of one inch or greater. The results suggest that Grade D Aggregate performs better when significant failures occur. Recommendations include implementation of a cutback area, development and implementation of installation guidelines within the municipality, and implementation of a maintenance program that will address the repair cut failures in a timely manner.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-141).

<p><font face="Arial"> <p align="left">The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of and risk factors contributing to work-related musculoskeletal injuries amongst underground mine workers in Kitwe, Zambia.</p> </font></p>

The consequences of mine seismicity can be mitigated by installing support systems capable of absorbing the energy generated by seismic events. Recent work has focused on the testing of individual support or reinforcement units under laboratory impact loads; this, however, does not render itself to easy extrapolation to field conditions. Hence, this thesis focuses on improving the understanding of the performance of support systems in real-world applications through passive monitoring of past rockburst events. 14 years of rockburst history were collected from Coleman Mine and Copper Cliff Mine, two of Vale’s underground (nickel) operations in Sudbury Ontario. Statistical analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square projection (PLS) were utilized to find relation between collected parameters and performance capacity. This thesis discusses the adequacy of various support systems and investigates the validity of perceived support performance as compared to the actual performance based on analyses of field data.

The consequences of mine seismicity can be mitigated by installing support systems capable of absorbing the energy generated by seismic events. Recent work has focused on the testing of individual support or reinforcement units under laboratory impact loads; this, however, does not render itself to easy extrapolation to field conditions. Hence, this thesis focuses on improving the understanding of the performance of support systems in real-world applications through passive monitoring of past rockburst events. 14 years of rockburst history were collected from Coleman Mine and Copper Cliff Mine, two of Vale’s underground (nickel) operations in Sudbury Ontario. Statistical analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square projection (PLS) were utilized to find relation between collected parameters and performance capacity. This thesis discusses the adequacy of various support systems and investigates the validity of perceived support performance as compared to the actual performance based on analyses of field data.

The dissertation aims at broadening our understanding of tax evasion and government spending in developing countries. It comprises three essays. The first essay deals with estimation of tax evasion in a cross-section of developing countries by estimating their underground economies using the currency demand method. By including enforcement parameters of the tax authorities as another factor of tax evasion in the currency demand equation, it presents theory-consistent tax evasion measurement. Our estimation strategy includes the use of the Arellano-Bond dynamic panel data method that is suitable for correcting the endogeneity problem in the currency demand estimation. The study finds substantial underground economy in developing countries, ranging from 2-67 percent of GDP. The second essay is concerned with time series measurement of the underground economy in South Africa using the currency demand method. Unlike other similar studies on South Africa, it gives sufficient attention to the unit root problem that is common in time series analysis of the currency demand method. Using the Error Correction Method (ECM), it investigates the relationship between the tax rate and the currency demand, and presents yearly estimates of the underground economy for the period 1965-2002. The third essay deals with the behavior of government spending in South Africa for the period 1960-2002. Since South Africa went through various political and macroeconomic shocks during this period, we augment measures of these shocks to the standard median voter model to assess the determinants of government spending in South Africa. Using the Error Correction Method (ECM), we investigate the long-run and short-run behavior of government spending. We find that, in addition to the tax share and the income of the median voter, macroeconomic and political shocks were also significant factors in determining government spending in South Africa. This study broadens our understanding of the behavior of government spending in the presence of political and macroeconomic shocks that are common in small open developing economies.

Insufficient information on the host medium can cause serious problems, even collapse, during construction in a tunnel. This study focuses on understanding the reasons behind the collapse of the Tunnel BT24 to be opened within the framework of Ankara-Istanbul High Speed Railway Project. The tunnel is located near Boz&uuml / y&uuml / k in the Bilecik Province. The collapsed section of the tunnel was driven into a highly weathered, weak to medium rock mass. Unanticipated geological/geotechnical circumstances caused excessive deformations at the section on which the primary support system was applied, leading eventually to collapse. To understand the response of the tunnel and the collapse mechanism, the construction sequence is simulated using two-dimensional plane-strain and axisymmetric finite element models. The analyses were carried out for the section with and without invert closure of the shotcrete liner. To implement the effects of likely unfavorable ground conditions on the tunnel response, a number of fault scenarios and possible creep effects were also considered with those two alternatives. Displacements in the tunnel periphery, forces and moments in the primary liner as well as the plastic deformation zones in the surrounding ground were determined for each case and comprasions were made accordingly. It is concluded that the unforseen ground circumstances might have substantially aggravated the deformations in the section and that the lack of ring closure of the primary liner at invert played the key role in the collapse.

In this thesis I searched for an Underground Man in Nietzsche and Marx. My search depends on an epistemological ascertainment. Kant&rsquo / s argument that the human mind cannot achieve knowledge of the thing-in-itself lies in the background of my thesis. I think that this argument is connected with the origins of modern philosophy. My thesis is concentrated on the 19th century. I perceived that with Kant&rsquo / s argument the fact that we can know this world within a subjective framework is emphasized especially in this century. The emphasis on a subjective framework is grounded on Kant&rsquo / s philosophy. This emphasis has a significant role in the epistemological arguments of Nietzsche and Marx. They also insist on the role of subjective contribution in knowledge. However their attitude towards epistemology is different from Kantian philosophy in that they emphasize social, historical and economical conditions. Thus, I call attention to the fact that they transpose epistemology into a social and historical context. My conception of the Underground Man is born in this social context. My thesis aims at making room for an analysis of the Underground Man who is conceived in opposition to the Kantian understanding of the subject, in the context of are Nietzsche&rsquo / s and Marx&rsquo / s social and epistemological analyses.