Da diversi anni la letteratura economica raccomanda l'utilizzo del road pricing come strumento efficiente per internalizzare le esternalità (ambientali e di congestione) prodotte dalla circolazione dei veicoli sulle strade. Tuttavia, l'accettabilità di questo strumento è in genere molto bassa. Pertanto, il lavoro di ricerca svolto è stato indirizzato allo studio di uno schema di road pricing più accettabile, giungendo alla elaborazione di una politica innovativa, il charge-subsidy road pricing (CSRP). Il CSRP prevede che gli automobilisti ricevano gratuitamente un certo numero di permessi che consente loro di guidare in un'area soggetta a pricing nelle ore in cui è in richiesto il pagamento. Inoltre, il CSRP consente a coloro che hanno bisogno di un numero maggiore di permessi di comprarne di aggiuntivi dentro pagamento di una charge; allo stesso tempo lo schema prevede che coloro che riescono a risparmiare parte dei permessi ricevuti possano restituirli e ottenere in cambio un beneficio (monetario/fiscale o in natura ) dall'amministrazione incaricata di gestire il sistema. L'idea di fondo che sta dietro il CSRP è il fatto che la distribuzione gratuita di un certo numero di permessi dovrebbe rendere il CSRP più accettabile di altre politiche di road pricing più tradizionali: il lavoro svolto testa questa ipotesi sia da un punto di vista teorico che empirico. / Economists tend to support road pricing for its efficiency properties in tackling road usage externalities (in particular, congestion and environmental impacts), but usually the acceptability of this instrument is really low both among the general public and politicians. Thus, this PhD research is an attempt to design and analyse a more acceptable road pricing scheme, i.e. a charge-subsidy road pricing scheme (CSRP) where car owners are allotted an amount of free units they can use in place of money to pay for the kind of road pricing scheme implemented. Under the CSRP those who want to drive more than the allowance provided are required to pay a charge, while a (monetary/fiscal or in kind) subsidy might be given to those who manage to spare some of the initially distributed rights. The presence of an initial amount of free units should make the CSRP more acceptable than other traditional road pricing schemes: indeed this work investigates this hypothesis by means of a theoretical and an empirical analysis.

For water suppliers, using chlorine is necessary to ensure water bacteriological quality from the treatment plant to the consumers' tap. However, chlorine flavour is one of the most common reasons advocated for choosing tap water alternatives as drinking water. As a consequence, the putative link between chlorine flavour perception and tap water consumption is an issue in drinking water habits studies. Since the sensory mechanisms involved in chlorine flavour perception remained largely unknown, the main objective of this thesis work was to first highlight those mechanisms and then to identify potential lever chlorine flavour sensory neutralisation.In a first step, we demonstrated that hypochlorous acid associated, which is likelyresponsible of chlorine flavour in tap water, could activate the olfactory system at low concentrations and the trigeminal system for concentrations up to 4 mg/L Cl2. Additionally, our results suggested that tap water consumption does not seem to be related to sensitivity to chlorine flavour but rather to consumers' tap water representation.In a second stage, we explored the impact of water mineral matrix on chlorine flavour perception. We demonstrated first that water molarity and cationic content variations modulate drinking water taste. We also evidenced that chlorine flavour intensity is modulated according to water composition. Nevertheless, our data suggest that physico-chemical, in- mouth physiological and sensory mechanisms are likely involved in such modulation.In the last part of the Thesis work, we investigate the putative influence of aroma perceptionon chlorine flavour. Our results showed that beyond chemical reactions between hypochlorous acid and odorants, aromas at peri-threshold concentration enhance chlorine flavour and decrease tap water acceptability

Des voitures complètement automatisées pourraient circuler sur les routes dans les décennies à venir. Elles permettraient aux automobilistes d’être conduits dans leur véhicule par un système informatique. Une telle innovation pourrait engendrer une révolution qui affecterait le rôle du conducteur et ses activités pendant le trajet. Actuellement, ces véhicules ne sont pas encore accessibles au grand public, et il demeure difficile de prédire précisément quand cela se produira, et quelles seront leurs caractéristiques techniques finales. Dans ce contexte, un des objectifs de cette thèse a été d’étudier dans quelle mesure la conduite complètement automatisée sera acceptée. Bien que l’automobiliste soit conduit par son véhicule, il pourrait être amené à en reprendre le contrôle manuel dans différentes circonstances. En effet, cette manœuvre pourrait être effectuée en situation d’urgence ou de manière anticipée par le conducteur alors qu’il pourrait être engagé dans une autre activité que la conduite. La réalisation de cette reprise de contrôle manuel pourrait être plus ou moins difficile selon la situation et l’expérience d’interactions avec le système complètement automatisé. Nous avons examiné la manière dont cette manœuvre pourrait être apprise par des conducteurs, en testant l’effet de différentes formes d’entrainement sur la performance et la sécurité (temps de réponse et qualité de la reprise de contrôle). L’acceptabilité et la confiance, les attitudes des conducteurs, les intentions d’utilisation du système de conduite complètement automatisée et l’impact de ces variables sur les comportements dans le véhicule ont été mesurés. / Fully automated cars could possibly be on the road in the decades to come. They will allow drivers to be driven by an informatics system in their own vehicle. Such an innovation could lead to a revolution that would change the driver’s status and its activities during the trips, but also the infrastructure, freight, some professions, etc. Nowadays, these vehicles are not available for sale yet, and it is difficult to forecast accurately when they will be, and also what their features will be. Considering this, one of the aims of the present thesis is to examine to what extend fully automated driving will be accepted. Even though the driver is driven by its vehicle, he could have to resume manual control in different circumstances. Indeed, this maneuver could be performed in an emergency or in an anticipated situation while he could be engaged in a non driving-related activity. Performing a manual control recovery could be more or less difficult according to the situation and the experience with the fully automated system. The way this maneuver could be learned by drivers has been examined, testing the impact of different kinds of training on performance and safety (response time and control recovery quality). Acceptability, trust, drivers’ attitudes, intentions to use the fully automated driving system and the impact of these variables on behaviors inside the vehicle have been assessed.

D’Implantation de Systèmes d’Information. Etude de cas : Les PME AlgériennesNotre thèse est consacrée à l’étude des technologies de l’information et de communication (TIC), leurs usages, impacts et leurs appropriations ainsi que les contraintes qui freinent leur intégration dans les petites et moyennes entreprises (PME). Notre étude a permis : Analyser les facteurs d’acceptabilité du système d’information (SI) en adoptant une approche comportementale et montrer la nécessité d’une approche immatérielle (Humaine/Culturelle, organisationnelle /managériale…) dans la conduite et la gestion du projet SI.Prendre en considération deux niveaux d’analyse : Le niveau micro pour l’analyse des facteurs immatériels relatifs à la méthodologie du projet d’implantation de SI, et les facteurs immatériels relatifs aux phases du projet SI. Le niveau macro pour l’analyse des facteurs immatériels relatifs à la stratégie d’aide et d’assistance, de diffusion des TIC dans les PME. La conception d’un modèle de recherche et effectuer deux tests : Le premier test de base de notre modèle en pré-adoption a permis de révéler une corrélation positive et statistiquement significative entre les facteurs immatériels et les facteurs d’acceptabilité. Communiquez les résultats du premier test. Le deuxième test en post-adoption qui nous a permis de : Confirmer la continuité de l’acceptabilité du SI en post-adoption avec l’augmentation du taux d’acceptabilité du SI. Confirmer la continuité de la prise en compte des facteurs immatériels dans le projet d’implantation du SI avec l’augmentation du taux d’immatérialité. Déduire que notre approche immatérielle a permis d’améliorer le taux d’acceptabilité du SI et, par conséquent, augmenter le taux de succès du projet d’implantation du SI. / Our thesis is devoted to the study of information technology and communication (ICT), their uses, impacts and their appropriations as well as the constraints which slow down their integration in small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). Our research allowed :To analyze the acceptability factors of the information system by adopting a behavioral approach and aims at showing the necessity of an immaterial approach (Human / Cultural, organizational / managerial ...) in the conduct and management of the project of the information system (IS). To Consider two levels of analysis: The micro level to analyze the immaterial factors relative to the methodology of the implementation project of IS and the immaterial factors relative to the phases of the project of the IS. The macro level to analyze the immaterial factors relative to the strategy of assistance and support, diffusion of ICT in SME. To Concept design of a research model and doing two tests: The first basic test of our model in pre-adoption allowed to show a statistically significant correlation between the immaterial factors and the acceptability factors. Communicate the results of the first test. The second test model in post-adoption phase allowed to confirm the continuity of the acceptability of IS in post-adoption with the increase of the rate of acceptability of IS. Confirm the continuity of the consideration of the immaterial factors in the project of implementation of an IS with the increase of the rate of system immateriality. Deduct that our immaterial approach allowed to improve the rate of acceptability of the IS and, consequently, to increase the rate of success of the project of implementation of IS.

This study investigates second language (L2) acquisition of word orders and markers of collectivity in Chinese and Thai. One of the differences between Chinese and Thai is that Chinese nominal phrases appear with a “numeral + classifier + noun” word order while Thai phrases appear as “noun + numeral + classifier”. Another difference is that men, the Chinese collective marker, cannot be used with nouns referring to animals or indefinite nouns, while phûak, the Thai collective marker, can do so. Based on the cross-linguistic differences, an empirical study was conducted to answer whether Thai learners of Chinese and Chinese learners of Thai would be able to acquire target language (TL) structures that are different from those in their native language (L1) and whether they could reject incorrect TL structures. One hundred and forty-four participants were recruited to complete an acceptability judgment task and a self-paced reading task. It is found that both Chinese and Thai learners could perform native-like in their acceptance of TL word orders since early stages of acquisition. However, it took them until an advanced level to be able to completely reject incorrect TL word orders that resembled structures in their L1. Thai learners also faced difficulty rejecting the use of men with animal and indefinite nouns in their L2 Chinese. In contrast, Chinese learners tended to be successful in their acquisition of phûak. The results are interpreted in terms of roles of positive evidence and form-function transparency. In general, L2 learners tend to acquire a TL structure earlier when they can receive positive evidence in TL input and when a form-function connection of the structure is transparent. Nonetheless, these factors do not have an absolute effect on acquisition outcome since some learners may be able to use a probabilistic learning strategy to successfully acquire L2 knowledge even when positive evidence is unavailable.

No description available.

From the literature we learn that existing educational frameworks that inform law and policy- making on the education of disabled children deal extensively with the curricular and educational concerns of disabled children. Yet, these frameworks leave out the pivotal issue of children‟s human right to education. The rights-based frameworks address human rights issues in a grand fashion, but give scanty educational guidelines on the actual education of disabled children, rendering hollow the human rights credo they espouse. South Africa has been one of a few countries which made attempts at addressing both the human rights concerns facing learners with disabilities and their curricular and pedagogic needs. The country embarked upon extensive efforts of legislative and policy formulation that are, in some respects, unparalleled in the world. Hence, this country is a potential storehouse of good practices on the education of children with disabilities with the potential to inform the re-formulation of existing African and global frameworks on the right to education of disabled children. Furthermore, the impressive novelty contained in South African education laws and policies notwithstanding, there are a number of issues which should be addressed in the country‟s education environment, including how the laws and policies are implemented. It is to be acknowledged that laws and policies are only as good as their implementation. Mindful of the above situation prevailing at the global level and the national (South African) level, this study offers a framework that marries the right to education of children with disabilities with educational theory on and practice in regard to the education of disabled children. The framework is constructed on the basis of current international literature on both disability and education and related South African law and policy instruments. In terms of its methodology, the study employed a generic or non-categorical qualitative design, also called methodological bricolage. Under this overall design, two principal modes of inquiry were applied, namely the enlightenment mode to policy analysis and critical law and policy discourse analysis. Theoretically, the study is anchored in the human rights variant of the Social Model of Disability, Critical Theory and Post-structural paradigms. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of dietary linseed oil with or without injection of sodium selenite upon fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of milk from dairy cows as well as the acceptance of the milk and the increasing order of preference by the evaluators. Chapter 1 describes the experiment where fourteen cows were allocated into four treatments: Group 1 which received daily 400 mL of linseed oil (LIN); Group 2, 400 mL of linseed oil + 0.2 mg/BW sodium selenite IM (LINSe); Group 3, untreated controls (C). The oil was supplied daily after 15 days of de single application of sodium selenite. Treatments lasted 4 weeks. Linseed oil supplemented animals produced milk with higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid and omega 3 but also more susceptible to oxidation. The application of sodium selenite was effective to prevent premature oxidation of milk. Chapter 2 describes the acceptance and increasing order of preference by the evaluators. The evaluators were not able to identify differences in color, odor and flavor among samples of milk from treated and control groups in relation to a known standard. The inclusion of linseed oil on the cows diet promotes and increase in CLA and omega 3 in milk, which in turn becomes more susceptible to oxidation, requiring the use of antioxidants. Even though causing biochemicals alterations, the addition of 400 mL daily of linseed oil in the diet of dairy cows is not capable of causing sensory changes in milk. / O presente trabalho descreve as avaliações feitas no leite de vacas leiteiras submetidas a suplementação com óleo de linhaça na dieta, com ou sem injeção de selenito de sódio, quanto ao perfil de ácidos graxos, estabilidade oxidativa e em relação às propriedades organolépticas do leite. O capítulo 1 descreve o experimento em que catorze vacas foram distribuídas em três tratamentos: Grupo 1, que recebeu diariamente 400 mL de óleo de linhaça (LIN); Grupo 2, 400 mL de óleo de linhaça + 0,2 mg / Kg de selenito de sódio IM (LINSe) e Grupo 3 controles não tratados (C). O óleo foi fornecido diariamente após 15 dias da aplicação única de selenito de sódio, e o experimento teve duração de quatro semanas. Foram feitas análises do perfil de ácidos graxos e de reações ao ácido tiobarbitúrico, que mede a estabilidade oxidativa do produto. Os animais suplementados com o óleo de linhaça produziram leite com altos níveis de ácido linoleico conjugado e de ômega 3, contudo, mais suscetível à oxidação. A aplicação injetável de selenito de sódio mostrou-se eficaz ao impedir a oxidação prematura do leite. O capítulo 2 descreve o experimento onde se verificou a aceitação e a ordem crescente de preferência pelos avaliadores, de amostras de leite, através de análises de cor, odor e sabor. Catorze vacas foram distribuídas em três tratamentos: Grupo 1, que recebeu diariamente 400 mL de óleo de linhaça (LIN), Grupo 2, 400 mL de óleo de linhaça + 0,2 mg /Kg de selenito de sódio IM (LINSe) e Grupo 3 controles não tratados (C). O óleo foi fornecido diariamente após 15 dias da aplicação única de selenito de sódio, e o experimento teve duração de dez semanas. O resultado deste estudo foi de que os avaliadores não foram capazes de identificar diferenças de cor, odor e sabor entre as amostras de leite dos grupos tratados e do controle, em relação a um padrão conhecido. Assim, concluiu-se que a inclusão do óleo de linhaça na dieta de vacas leiteiras resulta em aumento do CLA, ômega 3 e consequentemente da oxidação do leite, necessitando assim o uso de substâncias antioxidantes ou promotores antioxidantes, como o selenito de sódio injetável para retardar a oxidação. Entretanto, a inclusão de 400 mL diários de óleo de linhaça na dieta de vacas leiteiras não é capaz de provocar alterações sensoriais no leite.

Background: Approximately 48 000 meals are distributed to home-dwelling older adults every day in Sweden. The ability to influence the meals is of great importance for the quality of life and therefore it is important to include the views, needs and wishes of older adults when structuring the food distribution service. Objective: The purpose is to explore the perceptions and acceptability of home delivered meals among home-dwelling older adults and professional caregivers. Methods: The present study was the first qualitative phase of a mixed method study with an exploratory sequential design. Qualitative data was collected from five older adults >65 in five municipalities and two caregivers through interviews. Results: Most of the participants were able to choose from two alternative dishes every day and they were pleased with the selection of dishes most of the time. Overall the menus were considered variated and seasonal and holiday themes were highly valued. The Swedish cuisine was their favorite, however many ethnic dishes were appreciated as well. The meals were considered delicious, however the texture of the vegetables, potatoes and meat was not optimal. Conclusions: Sometimes two alternative dishes were not considered enough. More and a broader selection of dishes might increase older adults feeling of independence but also help meeting expectations of older adults with different cultural backgrounds. Familiar dishes, a conscious choice of condiments, enhanced flavors and improved textures and appearance might compensate for deteriorating senses. Descriptive information about the meals on the menus might also help meeting older adults’ expectations. / Bakgrund: Det levereras cirka 48 000 måltider till äldre i ordinärt boende varje dag i Sverige. Möjligheten att påverka måltiderna är en viktig förutsättning för äldres livskvalitet, därför är det viktigt att inkludera äldres uppfattningar, önskemål och behov vid strukturering av måltidsdistributionen. Syfte: Syftet var att utforska äldres uppfattningar och acceptans av hemlevererade måltider bland äldre och vårdgivare. Metod: Studien var den första kvalitativa fasen av en mixed method studie med en exploratory sequential design. Kvalitativ data samlades in genom intervjuer med fem äldre i fem kommuner samt två undersköterskor. Resultat: De flesta av deltagarna kunde välja mellan två måltidsalternativ varje dag och de var nöjda med måltidsutbudet för det mesta. Överlag ansågs menyerna vara varierande och säsongs-och högtids anpassade rätter var uppskattade. Även om det svenska köket var en favorit, uppskattades etniska rätter också. Måltiderna ansågs goda, men texturen på grönsaker, potatis och kött var inte optimal. Slutsatser: Ibland uppfattades inte två måltidsalternativ som tillräckligt. Fler rätter och ett bredare utbud av rätter skulle kunna öka äldres känsla av självständighet men också möta förväntningar hos äldre från olika kulturer. Välbekanta rätter, medvetna val av tillbehör, förstärkta smaker och optimerade texturer och utseende kan möjligtvis kompensera för nedsatta sinnen. Detaljerad information om maträtterna på menyerna skulle kanske också kunna hjälp till att möta äldres förväntningar.

Le 25 juin 2011, Kofi Annan, déclare « avec le problème du changement climatique, la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle mondiale est l’enjeu de notre époque ». En effet, les prévisions estiment que la population mondiale atteindra neuf milliards en 2050. Ces propos alarmants placent sur la sellette le phénomène en émergence de transactions internationales agricoles à grande échelle. Alors que la Banque mondiale encourage l’agrobusiness dans les pays en voie de développement, les mouvements sociaux crient à « l’accaparement des terres », avec une superficie totale de terres ayant changé de main, estimée entre 48,9 et 63,1 millions d’hectares. Le monde agricole est en crise, et le sujet de l’accaparement des terres est devenu incontournable dans les médias. Cette recherche interdisciplinaire se veut exploratoire. Elle a pour ambition de dégager comment pourrait s’amorcer la construction de l’acceptabilité sociale de l’industrie agricole à l’échelle internationale, en se basant sur les représentations des acteurs de « l’inacceptabilité de la situation ». Après avoir dégagé les grands enjeux du monde agricole, la question centrale de la légitimité des décisions publiques, c’est-à-dire des décisions ayant une portée publique, qu’elles soient prises par des acteurs privés ou publics, sera abordée. Par la suite, un parallèle sera établi avec le secteur minier, qui est confronté depuis plusieurs années à la notion de « risque social », en se concentrant plus particulièrement sur les instruments de régulation hybride, qui ont émergé en réponse à la crise de légitimité du secteur. La recherche se concentrera donc sur le processus d’homogénéisation du jugement d’acceptabilité sociale, au sein de l’industrie agricole, en analysant la couverture médiatique du phénomène, et en renforçant l’analyse par des entretiens semi-structurés avec différents acteurs oeuvrant dans des ONG internationales, des organisations internationales (comme la Banque mondiale ou la Société financière internationale), une multinationale d’envergure impliquée dans l’exploitation minière, ou des groupes d’investissement responsable. / June 25, 2011, Kofi Annan, said « the problem of climate change, global food and nutrition security is the challenge of our time. » As forecasts estimate the world population will achieve nine billion in 2050, the question of how the world is to be fed is thrust into startling focus. In this context, the emerging phenomenon of international agricultural transactions is on the spot. While the World Bank encourages agribusiness in developing countries, social movements denounce "land grabbing", with a total area of land that changed hands, estimated between 48.9 and 63.1 million hectares. The agricultural world is in crisis, and the subject of land grabbing has become a must in the media. This interdisciplinary research is intended to be exploratory and aims at identifying how the construction of the social acceptability of the agricultural industry at international level could be started, based on the representations of the actors of what is “unacceptable”. Having identified the main issues of the agricultural world, the central question of the legitimacy of public decisions, that is to say decisions having a public scope, whether taken by private or public actors, will be addressed. Subsequently, a parallel will be drawn with the mining sector, which has been confronted for several years with the notion of "social risk", focusing in particular on hybrid regulatory instruments, which emerged in response to the crisis of legitimacy of the sector. The research will therefore concentrate on the process of homogenization of the judgment of social acceptability within the agricultural industry, analyzing the media coverage of the phenomenon, and reinforcing the analysis by semistructured interviews with different actors working in international NGOs, international organizations (such as the World Bank or the International Finance Corporation), a large multinational involved in mining, or responsible investment groups.