Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2005. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-148). Also available via the World Wide Web.

MENVSC (Ecology and Resource Management) / See the attached abstract below

Paleontological documentation of hybridization events has the potential to address a multitude of evolutionary and paleobiological issues unanswerable by purely biological means. However, previous studies of modern hybrids suggest that their morphology is often insufficient for their reliable discrimination. This study analyzes the morphology of an extant, genetically-identified <i>Mercenaria</i> spp. (Bivalvia: Veneridae) hybrid zone using Bookstein coordinates and multivariate methods to answer two questions: (1) can hybrid <i>Mercenaria</i> spp. individuals be identified based on morphology alone, and (2) would a <i>Mercenaria</i> spp. hybrid zone be recognizable in the fossil record? Multivariate statistical procedures (principal components analysis, canonical variate analysis, etc.) using Bookstein coordinates demonstrate that, within the hybrid zone, hybrid individuals cannot be identified due to extreme overlap with the parental taxa. The hybrid zone as a whole, however, can be identified by comparison with pure-species populations sampled from outside the hybrid zone. Hybrid zones occupy parental species morphospace plus intermediate morphospace. The technique of using multiple pure-species populations to establish species morphospace is introduced to control for processes that may also result in morphological intermediates at ecological time scales (dimorphism, ecophenotypy, and geographic variation). Four alternative causal explanations of morphological intermediates through geological time (primary intergradation, uncoupled genetic and morphological divergence, time-averaged evolving populations, and developmentally instable populations) are evaluated. A literature survey strongly suggests that neither time-averaging nor developmental instability is occurring at the beginning of a lineage's evolutionary history, and that hybridization may be much more extensive than paleontological data suggest. / Master of Science

Yes / Pseudofractures, lucent bands that occur due to a build-up of osteoid, are a key feature of osteomalacia. In paleopathology, pseudofractures are often marked by small, linear cracks in the cortex of the bone surrounded by irregular, bony spicule formation. Radiography can be used to help diagnose pseudofractures, both clinically and in paleopathology. A detailed understanding of the radiographic appearance of pseudofractures and their development is, therefore, necessary to aid a diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency. The present study examined the clinical literature to determine current ideas on the appearance of pseudofractures with the aim of applying this knowledge to paleopathology. A radiographic study of the characteristics of pseudofractures was performed on five individuals with clear skeletal features of osteomalacia from archaeological sites in Canada and the United Kingdom dating to the medieval period (5th to 15th centuries) and the 18th to 19th century. Results show that the radiographic appearance of pseudofractures could potentially reveal information about the cause of the deficiency and the chronicity of pseudofractures. This type of information has the potential to further our understanding of the lived experiences of archaeological individuals with osteomalacia. / The equipment used at McMaster University was provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund (CFI-JELF), Ontario Research Fund Research Infrastructure (ORF-RI) and Institutional Support from McMaster University (#29497). Financial support was also provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC CGS-M). This research was undertaken, in part, thanks to funding from the Canada Research Chairs program.

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 24, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Dissertation advisor: Dr. Eric Sandvol. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 178-185).

There are over 5 million reported motor vehicle collisions annually in the United States, and while crash rates and fatality rates have declined in the past decades, rates in work zones are disproportionately high. There are strict standards for evaluating the crashworthiness of temporary traffic control devices, but not for evaluating drivers’ comprehension of existing or novel device deployments. This dissertation presents a series of three experiments evaluating driver comprehension for existing and novel traffic control devices conducted in a work zone setting. This evaluation is further expanded by decomposing the task of comprehending traffic control into the three subtasks of detection, localization, and identification. Methods are proposed for conducting a computer-based experiment with still image stimuli to measure participant performance at each of these subtasks. Next, procedures for categorizing localization responses and accounting for variation in participants physical responses are explored. Lastly, an application of Item Response Theory toward the evaluation and comparison of participant comprehension is demonstrated. It is hoped that these methods and procedures can be used by future researchers and experimenters to compare novel temporary traffic control devices and systems to inform future design.

South Africa’s youth unemployment figure ranks among the worst in the world and is one of the country’s major macro-economic challenges. Research identified the most significant cause of youth unemployment as being the high cost of labour in relation to the level of productivity by the youth of the country. The government is consequently attempting to reduce the cost of labour by means of the Employment Tax Incentive Act which subsidises employers for appointing new workers below the age of 29. The study reviewed international research performed on similar globally implemented incentive programmes, which established that the majority of wage subsidy programmes do not appear to have a net positive impact on the longer-term employability of the participants in these incentives. This was found to be particularly so in the case of developing countries, such as South Africa. The interaction between the Employment Tax Incentive Act (No 26 of 2013) and the proposed Special Economic Zones Bill was also evaluated by reviewing international research on geographically targeted wage subsidies. The research identified that incentives tied to the number of new jobs created within targeted areas are able to raise employment levels within those areas. However, the increased levels of employment within targeted areas are frequently offset by the consequent decreases in employment levels in surrounding areas, resulting in an absence of net impact. The study also found that when geographically targeted wage subsidies are used in conjunction with other forms of business incentives, existing establishments are, resultantly, at a competitive disadvantage. This causes business closures and loss of employment, which once again neutralises the positive effects of the new employment opportunities created by the subsidy. In the study, it was established that wage subsidies, such as those proposed by the Employment Tax Incentives Act, are probably not the answer to raising employment levels. Furthermore, the Employment Tax Incentives, used in conjunction with the proposed Special Economic Zones Bill, are also unlikely to yield any significant increase in employment levels in these specific zones. Recommendations were made for future research relating to international experience with other forms of active labour market programmes and the outcome of the Employment Tax Incentives, on the country’s employment levels, when actual data and statistics become available. / MCom (South African and International Taxation), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

South Africa’s youth unemployment figure ranks among the worst in the world and is one of the country’s major macro-economic challenges. Research identified the most significant cause of youth unemployment as being the high cost of labour in relation to the level of productivity by the youth of the country. The government is consequently attempting to reduce the cost of labour by means of the Employment Tax Incentive Act which subsidises employers for appointing new workers below the age of 29. The study reviewed international research performed on similar globally implemented incentive programmes, which established that the majority of wage subsidy programmes do not appear to have a net positive impact on the longer-term employability of the participants in these incentives. This was found to be particularly so in the case of developing countries, such as South Africa. The interaction between the Employment Tax Incentive Act (No 26 of 2013) and the proposed Special Economic Zones Bill was also evaluated by reviewing international research on geographically targeted wage subsidies. The research identified that incentives tied to the number of new jobs created within targeted areas are able to raise employment levels within those areas. However, the increased levels of employment within targeted areas are frequently offset by the consequent decreases in employment levels in surrounding areas, resulting in an absence of net impact. The study also found that when geographically targeted wage subsidies are used in conjunction with other forms of business incentives, existing establishments are, resultantly, at a competitive disadvantage. This causes business closures and loss of employment, which once again neutralises the positive effects of the new employment opportunities created by the subsidy. In the study, it was established that wage subsidies, such as those proposed by the Employment Tax Incentives Act, are probably not the answer to raising employment levels. Furthermore, the Employment Tax Incentives, used in conjunction with the proposed Special Economic Zones Bill, are also unlikely to yield any significant increase in employment levels in these specific zones. Recommendations were made for future research relating to international experience with other forms of active labour market programmes and the outcome of the Employment Tax Incentives, on the country’s employment levels, when actual data and statistics become available. / MCom (South African and International Taxation), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt formed by accretion subsequent to the contraction of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean that ultimately disappeared along the Solonker Suture Zone in East Asia. Since typical regional collisional features are absent, the tectonic evolution of the suture remains speculative. Integrated sedimentary provenance analyses across the accretionary collision zone between the Mongolian Arcs and the North China Craton place new constraints on the events that led to final suturing. An investigation on the geochronological and geochemical variability in Permian strata along a southeast-northwest transect revealed distinct differences across the Solonker Suture Zone: northern basins carry a broad Mesoproterozoic to latest Precambrian age signature, and their provenance terranes are of mixed juvenile to crustal magmatic origin. In contrast, southern basins contain detritus from the North China Craton, and their sources are of dominantly crustal contaminated magmatic origin. Provenance analysis suggests, that in the Early Palaeozoic (ca. 429 Ma) the Palaeo-Asian Ocean was consumed along the Uliastai Arc and the North China Craton, initiating the formation of the Northern and Southern Accretionary Orogens, respectively. By the end of the Middle Carboniferous the Mongolian Arcs consolidated after accretion of the Uliastai Arc. In the Late Carboniferous (ca. 314 Ma) the Hegenshan back-arc basin opened, detaching the Northern Accretionary Orogen. While subduction continued there, it may have temporarily ceased along the Southern Accretionary Orogen after accretion of a microcontinent (ca. 300 Ma). During the Middle Permian back-arc basin closure led to the formation and obduction of the Hegenshan supra-subduction zone ophiolite. Eventually, the Palaeo-Asian Ocean closed after wedge-wedge collision, which would not involve continental deep subduction, thus, leading to cryptic suturing from the Late Permian to Early Triassic. Statistical analyses on the heterogeneity and similarity of the age probability density functions require a complex Permian palaeo-geographic setting, involving a variety of arc basins, which received sediments dependent on the contemporary arc geometry. Early stages of the sequence likely resembled a Pacific-type scenario, including Japan-type back-arc basin opening, whereas the late stages were similar to the archipelago-type setting of present-day Southeast Asia. / published_or_final_version / Earth Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy