The Onsager heat of transport for p-tert-butyltoluene was measured, as part of a series of preliminary experiments towards the determination of the importance of temperature gradients on the air-sea flux of carbon dioxide. The results presented in this thesis imply that the temperature gradient is a major contributor to the magnitude of the air-sea flux. The heat of transport has been measured for the p-tert-butyltoluene system by measuring stationary-state pressure changes for known temperature differences on the vapour side of the interface. At the pressure ranges used the number of mean free paths was always outside the Knudsen zone, but the values of Q* were approximately 100 % of the latent heat of vaporisation. Departures from linearity of plots of P against ΔT are attributed to temperature jumps at the surface of the dry upper plate. Both the results taken for p-tert-butyltoluene and the earlier results for water from this laboratory fit to a Type III BET isotherm, where the c parameter is not constant. They also reveal the importance of the temperature gradient in determining the value of the thermal accommodation coefficient, and provide a new method of measuring thermal accommodation coefficients for a variety of surfaces and vapours

While motor neuron activity has been studied for many decades, the relative contribution of synaptic and non-synaptic mechanisms underlying this activity during natural behaviors is not well understood. Thus, the goal of this dissertation was to further understand the role of non-synaptic properties of motor neurons during voluntary activity. In particular, I considered three non-synaptic properties: persistent inward currents (PICs) that boost synaptic inputs, spike-threshold accommodation that affects recruitment threshold as excitation rates of rise slow, and spike-frequency adaptation that leads to a decrease in firing rate despite constant excitation levels. Computer simulations were employed to understand the potential effect that these properties could have on firing rate behavior. In particular, the focus was on paired motor unit recordings where a lower threshold motor unit’s firing rate served as a proxy for synaptic drive, and differences in firing rate (ΔF) were compared at a higher threshold unit’s recruitment and derecruitment. While ΔF has been used by others to estimate PIC activation, the simulation results indicated that each of these non-synaptic mechanisms could lead to positive ΔF. Furthermore, by varying contraction speed and duration it seemed possible to determine which property contributes to ΔF in vivo. The results from human experiments indicated that adaptation is most likely the predominant contributor to ΔF during natural behaviors. Additionally, positive ΔF was even observed in the genioglossus muscle of the tongue, where the role of PICs has been debated. These results suggested that ΔF may not the best method to detect PICs during natural behaviors. As such, I also considered whether there might be another metric to infer PIC activation during natural behaviors. Motor unit firing rates tend to plateau, or saturate, despite continued force increase, and one hypothesis is that PICs contribute to this behavior. Indeed, motor unit firing rate saturation was diminished by the addition of inhibition, which should have limited PIC activation. Therefore, this final study provided possible evidence for PIC activation during natural behaviors. Overall, this dissertation highlights that non-synaptic properties of motor neurons are activated during natural behaviors and that they contribute significantly to firing rate output.

The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) is currently emerging as a theoretical alternative to the Modern Synthesis (MS) in which to frame evolutionary observations and interpretations. These alternative frameworks differ fundamentally in their understanding of the relative roles of the genotype, phenotype, development and environment in evolutionary processes and patterns. While the MS represents a gene-centred view of evolution, the EES instead emphasizes the interactions between organism, development and environment. This novel theoretical framework has generated a number of evolutionary predictions that are mutually incompatible with the equivalent of the MS. While research and empirical testing has begun on a number of these in a neontological context, the field of palaeontology has yet to contribute meaningfully to this endeavour. One of the reasons for this is a lack of methodological approaches capable of investigating relevant evolutionary patterns in the fossil record. In this thesis morphometric methods capable of providing relevant data are developed and employed in the analysis of Cambrian fossils. Results of these analyses provide empirical support for the process of evolution through phenotypic plasticity and genetic assimilation hypothesized by the EES. Furthermore, theoretical revision to the species concept in a palaeontological context is suggested. Finally, predictions of the EES specific to the fossil record are made explicit and promising directions of future research are outlined.

The purpose of this study was to interview seven preschool teachers' experiences of meeting refugee children in six Swedish preschools. We wanted to find out the conditions underlying the meeting between the preschool teachers' and the refugee children. From an intercultural perspective, we have investigated how preschool teachers', more or less, address the children in relation to their past experiences and cultural background. In this study, we have applied a hermeneutical approach as a method that has allowed us to interpret the preschool teachers' stories of this phenomenon; the meeting between preschool teachers' and refugee children. Based on these interpretations, we’ve acquired a result that shows that children with a refugee background are received in different ways in Swedish preschool. Secondly, our readings show that there is a variation in how the preschool teachers' choose to highlight the child's previous experiences or not. We can also see a difference in what is regarded as important in the reception of the children. There is a difference in how preschool teachers' meeting with refugee children is conditioned by how they relate to the child’s refugee status and cultural background. Our result shows that the conditions underlying the preschool teachers' meeting with the refugee children is either assimilation into existing preschool frameworks, or accommodation to the child’s present situation with regard to their cultural background.

Ce mémoire porte sur la polémique qui a eu lieu au Québec entre mars 2006 et décembre 2007 autour des pratiques d’« accommodements raisonnables » pour motif religieux. À partir d’une approche compréhensive et d’un cadre théorique propre à la sociologie des relations ethniques, il propose une analyse qualitative de lettres d’opinion publiées dans des quotidiens québécois. Une première analyse, thématique, a permis de constituer des registres argumentaires dans lesquels ont puisé les participants au débat public sur les « accommodements raisonnables » par le biais de lettres d’opinion. Une seconde analyse, comparative, a permis de construire des figures d’intervenants du débat public qui témoignent non seulement des forces idéologiques qui se sont affrontées dans le débat public, mais également de leur positionnement au croisement des axes saillants de la différenciation sociale dans cette polémique Les résultats de ces analyses suggèrent d’abord que la polémique résulte d’un conflit entre marqueurs identitaires devant servir au positionnement des frontières ethniques, et ensuite que la polémique des « accommodements raisonnables » a donné lieu à une reconfiguration des rapports ethniques au Québec, attribuable à la dissociation entre le conflit entre deux nations et celui sur les critères d’inclusion à la nation. / This master’s thesis addresses the polemic that took place in Québec between March 2006 and December 2007 on the “reasonable accommodation” of religious minorities. Starting from a comprehensive perspective and a theoretical framework peculiar to the sociology of ethnic relations, it offers a two-pronged qualitative analysis of the open letters published in Québec newspapers. First, the various arguments made by participants in the debate are identified and categorized by means of thematic analysis. Second, a comparative approach is used to identify the various types of participants in this debate, taking into account both the nature of the ideological forces at work and their position on the most salient social-differentiation axes that structured the debate. The results suggest that the polemic arose from a conflict between the various “identity markers” used to place ethnic boundaries. Moreover, it suggests that the polemic also gave rise to a reconfiguration of ethnic relations in Québec, due to the distinction between the debate on the nation-to-nation conflict and that on the criteria for inclusion in the nation.

Title: Of physical activity in the lives of students staying at the youth home Author: Bc. Radka Slováková Department: Department of Physical Education Supervisor: Doc. PhDr. Jiří Hrabinec, CSc. Abstract The present research work deals with the influence of education to active leisure of adolescents accommodated in the school facility. It is mapping their leisure time physical activity and their relation to sport. First part focuses on specific characteristic of secondary school students in the field of developmental psychology. The following chapter is devoted to terminological concept of leisure time, physical activities, sport and its differentiation and also lifestyle. Second part maps with quantitative method of the survey the current state of leisure time physical activities of accommodated students of secondary school, secondary vocational school and grammar school . After that I chose the method of structured interviews with educators of individual educational groups. In conclusion of this work are stated the recommendations for theory and practice resulting from the facts of empirical investigation. Keywords: adolescence, school accommodation, leasure time, physical activity, sport, lifestyle.

Sharing economy services have grown significantly in the last decade. Thereby, P2P accommodation sharing services represent one of the largest sectors and play a crucial role in the tourism industry. The purpose of this paper is to explain the relationship between motives as well as concerns and the customer satisfaction of users in accommodation sharing services. Furthermore, it is investigated if the generation is affecting this relationship. In order to answer the research questions a quantitative method was used. A survey was carried out, which delivered 157 valid responses from existing users of accommodation sharing services. The findings of this research support the positive impact of the motives and the negative impact of the concerns on customer satisfaction. However, no effect of generation on the relationship could be found, whereas there is an indication that nationality might be an influencing factor. Since only the motives and concerns of existing users are studied, the sample is limited to a small share of the whole population, which has already used accommodation sharing services. The paper tests empirically the concept of generation and its impact on the relationship between the motives as well as concerns and the customer satisfaction in the setting of accommodation sharing services. This study shows that it is important for P2P accommodation sharing platform providers and hosts of P2P accommodations to deal with the concerns of the customers as well as to address aspects of the motives in their marketing campaigns to increase the customer satisfaction.

As environmental quality strongly depends on human behaviour patterns, more attentions have been paid to understand and promote pro-environmental behaviour in the tourism sector with sustainable development. This thesis focuses on online Eco-label accommodation booking as a tourist pro-environmental behavior to study the effects of environmental self-identity and personal norms on prospective tourists’ pro-environmental behaviour. Based on a literature review on the contribution and potential of environmental social psychology for understanding and promoting pro-environmental behaviour, a conceptual framework was proposed, comprising: environmental self-identity, general personal norm and specific personal norm, and online Eco-label accommodation booking, which proposed 7 hypotheses. These hypotheses were tested by a quantitative online questionnaire to collect data and data analysis using a correlationand regression design. The results indicated that all the environmental self-identity and personal norms were positively related to online Eco-label accommodation booking. The findings demonstrated how environmental self-identity affected the intention of online Eco-label accommodation booking via a moral route and the likelihood of achieving this assumed model, which suggested that strengthening environmental self-identity could be an effective way to promotepro-environmental actions. The importance and potential ofenvironmental social psychology for understanding and promotingpro-environmental behaviour in the tourism sector have been discussed.

Accommodation is the change in the dioptric power of the eye altering the focus from distance to near. Presbyopia is the loss of accommodative function that occurs with age. There are many techniques used to measure accommodation, however, there is little consensus as to how clinical data should be collected and analysed. The overarching theme of this thesis is the in vivo examination of accommodation and how lifestyle can affect the onset of presbyopia. An open-field autorefractor with badal adaption was used to examine accommodative dynamic profiles under varying demands of vergence. From this data a new metric for assessing the time for accommodative change was derived. Furthermore this thesis describes a bespoke automated accommodative facility instrument that was developed to provide further assessment of accommodative speeds. Defocus curves are used for assessing accommodation and depth-of-focus; the work presented explores the use of non-linear regression models to define the most appropriate method of assessing defocus curves in phakic subjects, and pseudophakic subjects implanted with an extended depth-of-focus intraocular lens. Using an absolute cut-off criteria of +0.30logMAR improved the repeatability and reliability of the depth-of-focus metrics over a cut-off criteria relative to the best corrected visual acuity. A swept-source anterior segment optical coherence tomographer (AS-OCT) was used to image the morphology of the ciliary muscle during accommodation. The accuracy of ciliary muscle measurements was improved when using reference points on the sclera to align the AS-OCT scan. The use of a ciliary muscle area metric demonstrated poor repeatability and reliability when compared to the traditional assessment of muscle morphology via thickness measurements. Physiological ageing in the crystalline lens occurs in line with ageing in other structures in the body. The methods for assessing accommodative function examined in previous chapters, were used to examine whether lifestyle factors which affect the rate of systemic ageing, such as smoking, also affect accommodative function. Although being a current smoker and having greater central adiposity was associated with a slower time for accommodative change, further research is required before these findings can be applied to the target population.

Because of the increasingly demanding tasks that robotic systems are asked to perform, there is a need to make them more reliable, intelligent, versatile and self-sufficient. Furthermore, throughout the robotic system?s operation, changes in its internal and external environments arise, which can distort trajectory tracking, slow down its performance, decrease its capabilities, and even bring it to a total halt. Changes in robotic systems are inevitable. They have diverse characteristics, magnitudes and origins, from the all-familiar viscous friction to Coulomb/Sticktion friction, and from structural vibrations to air/underwater environmental change. This thesis presents an on-line environmental Change, Detection, Isolation and Accommodation (CDIA) scheme that provides a robotic system the capabilities to achieve demanding requirements and manage the ever-emerging changes. The CDIA scheme is structured around a priori known dynamic models of the robotic system and the changes (faults). In this approach, the system monitors its internal and external environments, detects any changes, identifies and learns them, and makes necessary corrections into its behavior in order to minimize or counteract their effects. A comprehensive study is presented that deals with every stage, aspect, and variation of the CDIA process. One of the novelties of the proposed approach is that the profile of the change may be either time or state-dependent. The contribution of the CDIA scheme is twofold as it provides robustness with respect to unmodeled dynamics and with respect to torque-dependent, state-dependent, structural and external environment changes. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified by the development of the CDIA scheme for a SCARA robot. Results of this extensive numerical study are included to verify the applicability of the proposed scheme.