Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-08-13Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:46:25Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 binotti_ffs_dr_ilha.pdf: 5975802 bytes, checksum: 90bef1ffaba7ce8cb7d8049d45949057 (MD5) / O nitrogênio é um nutriente que pode propiciar efeitos benéficos na produtividade, na qualidade química e fisiológica das sementes de feijão. Assim, é de fundamental importância saber qual o momento adequado para sua aplicação e a fonte de N a ser utilizada, além da interação com a prática da inoculação de sementes com Rhizobium spp., em sistema plantio direto. O objetivo do trabalho foi o de estudar o efeito da inoculação de sementes, fontes e modos de aplicação de nitrogênio no desenvolvimento, produtividade, qualidade química e fisiológica de sementes do feijoeiro de inverno no sistema plantio direto em sucessão a milho e Brachiaria. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos casualizados em esquema fatorial 2x2x8, com quatro repetições. O trabalho foi desenvolvido em Latossolo Vermelho Distrófico argiloso, Selvíria (MS) em dois anos (2006 e 2007) e os tratamentos foram constituídos pela combinação de inoculação de sementes (presença e ausência) com Rhizobium tropici (estirpes SEMIA 4077 + SEMIA 4080), fontes de nitrogênio (uréia – 45% de N e Entec 26® - 26 % de N + 13% de S + inibidor da nitrificação) e modos de aplicação de nitrogênio (testemunha – sem N, 30 dias antes da semeadura – DAS, 15 DAS, semeadura, 15 dias após semeadura no estádio V2 – DASe, 30 DASe no estádio V4, 1/3 Semeadura + 2/3 15 DASe, 1/3 Semeadura + 2/3 30 DASe) na dose de 90 kg ha-1. A uréia é o adubo nitrogenado recomendado para feijoeiro de inverno irrigado, podendo ser aplicado antecipadamente aos 15 DAS ou na semeadura e/ou cobertura. A inoculação propiciou maior teor de carboidratos (açúcares livres e amido) nas sementes, porém, não tem influencia diretamente na qualidade fisiológica e produtividade / Nitrogen is a nutrient that may provide beneficial effects on yield, physiological and chemical quality of common bean seeds. So, it is fundamental importance to know what the right time for its application and the source of N to be used in addition to interaction with the practice of seed inoculation with Rhizobium spp. in no tillage system. The objective of the work was to study the effect of seed inoculation, nitrogen sources and split in the growth, yield, physiological and chemical quality of the common bean seeds in the winter in no tillage system over graminea, in a dystrophic clayey Latosol – Haplustox, MS. The work was carried out in two years (2006 and 2007) in a randomized blocks design using a factorial scheme 2x2x8 and 4 repetitions, constituted by seed inoculation with Rhizobium tropici (presence and absence), two sources of nitrogen (urea - 45% nitrogen and Entec 26® - 26 % de N + 13% de S + DMPP molecules aiming to inhibit nitrification) and eight stadia of nitrogen application (control without N application, 30 days before sowing – DBS, 15 DBS, at sowing – S, 15 days after sowing – DBSe, 30 DBSe, 1/3 S + 2/3 15 DBSe, 1/3 S + 2/3 30 DBSe) at 90 kg ha-1. The urea nitrogen is recommended for irrigated winter common bean and can be applied in advance at 15 DBS or at sowing and/at sidedressing. The inoculation provided higher content of carbohydrates (free sugars and starch) in seeds however, does not directly influence the physiological quality and yield

This thesis investigates the sensitivity of derived monetary valuations of the well-being effects of non-market goods, by considering, in turn, the four components that contribute to these calculations. Comparisons are made to the current subjective well-being (SWB) literature by altering one component at a time in a willingness to pay (WTP) function, in addition to varying the estimator used when calculating WTP. The first component varied is the measure of income used; a more robust, up-to-date measure is proposed that takes into account household size, economies of scale and composition, plus other improvements over current income scaling approaches including equivalence scales. Secondly, anticipation and adaptation effects are examined, in order to allow for the dynamics of SWB in WTP valuations. Thirdly, due to the ordered nature of the dependent variable, the effects of both cardinal and ordinal models on WTP derivations are investigated. Such models include the ordered logit fixed effects (FE) model (see for example Das and Van Soest (1999), Ferrer-i-Carbonell and Frijters (2004) and Baetschmann et al. (2011)). The final input to be varied is whether income endogeneity is accounted for. A control function approach is used in this case. A key finding is that all four inputs in the WTP calculation contribute significantly to the estimated WTP values. However, the degree to which each input influences the variation in WTP values differs substantially. The three main contributing factors to WTP variations are the income variable chosen, anticipation and adaptation effects, and controlling for endogeneity. Additionally, this thesis proposes a new way to define WTP that is also valid for ordered estimators. Whilst the standard WTP approach relies simply on coefficient ratios at a point in time, the method proposed here uses the finding that statistically significant anticipation and adaptation effects, along with adaptation to all non-market events (except for unemployment) suggest that there are concerns with taking WTP values as yearly valuations that assume constant effects on SWB. By instead defining WTP as the summation of the value of all WTP effects over all lag and lead effect periods, the total value of an event can be calculated. This definition presents further weaknesses of the original method by showing that because of significant lag and lead effects for events such as divorce and widowhood, these events have substantially larger WTP values than first thought. This leads to the major finding in this study that rank orders are not preserved when controlling for income endogeneity, even when comparing two model specifications that are identical in all other respects. Therefore, despite absolute WTP valuations appearing more similar for linear and ordered estimators when a more appropriate model specification is in place, the rank orders are affected. This finding argues against papers such as Powdthavee and van den Berg (2011) that find that rank orders are preserved for WTP valuations when modelling SWB. In conclusion, given rank orders are generally not preserved when a small change is made in the model specification, the validity of the WTP method is significantly reduced. Finally, the above methodology is applied to education, with the main contribution to the education literature being that the positive effects on SWB from education only exist in terms of lead effects.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-02-11Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T21:00:09Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 nascimento_rs_me_ilha.pdf: 622801 bytes, checksum: 733c24ed2e9dfd88a5d08bda687e622e (MD5) / O nitrogênio é o nutriente absorvido em maior quantidade pelo feijoeiro, sendo que o manejo da adubação nitrogenada pode interferir no desenvolvimento e na produtividade da cultura. Neste sentido, o trabalho foi desenvolvido na Fazenda Experimental da UNESP – Ilha Solteira localizada em Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul, com o objetivo de estudar o efeito de fontes e épocas de aplicação do nitrogênio no desenvolvimento e produtividade do feijoeiro de inverno no sistema plantio direto utilizando irrigação por aspersão em dois anos de cultivo (2006 e 2007). O solo do local é do tipo Latossolo Vermelho argiloso, a área foi cultivada nos 5 anos anteriores com milho no verão e feijão no inverno. O cultivar utilizado foi o Pérola e o delineamento experimental foi o em blocos casualizados com 16 tratamentos dispostos em esquema fatorial 2 x 8, sendo duas fontes de nitrogênio (uréia e sulfonitrato de amônio), aplicadas em sete ocasiões (30 dias antes da semeadura, 15 dias antes da semeadura, na semeadura, 15 dias após a semeadura, 30 dias após a semeadura, 1/3 na semeadura + 2/3 15 dias após a semeadura, 1/3 na semeadura + 2/3 30 dias após a semeadura) na dose de 90 kg de N ha-1, além da testemunha (sem aplicação de N). Os resultados obtidos revelaram influência das fontes na população de plantas somente no segundo ano de cultivo e a população média de plantas em cada ano de cultivo pode ter influenciado direta ou indiretamente as demais variáveis. Maiores valores de massa seca de plantas foram observados quando o nitrogênio foi aplicado em dose total na semeadura. O teor de nitrogênio foliar não apresentou diferença entre os tratamentos devido à fontes ou épocas de aplicação de N, porém em 2006 os tratamentos que receberam N foram superiores à testemunha. O número de vagens planta-1 e de grãos planta-1 não foram influenciados... / Nitrogen is the nutrient uptaken in larger amount in common bean, and the management of the nitrogen fertilization can interfere in common bean crop yield. The work was developed at experimental station of University of São Paulo State – Ilha Solteira - Campus, located in Selvíria, State of Mato Grosso do Sul – Brazil, on a dystrophic clayey Haplic Acrustox cultivated in the previous five years with corn in the summer and common bean in the winter. The objective was to study the effect of sources and time of N application in common bean growth cropped under no-tillage, irrigated by sprinkle. Pérola cultivar was used and the experimental design was a randomized complete blocks, with 16 treatments in a factorial scheme 2 x 8: two sources of nitrogen (urea and ammonium sulfonitrate - fertilizer with inhibitor of nitrification), applied in seven times (30 days before sowing, 15 days before sowing, at sowing, 15 days after sowing, 30 days after sowing, 1/3 at sowing + 2/3 15 days after sowing, 1/3 at sowing + 2/3 30 days after sowing) and the control (without N) in two cropping years (2006 and 2007). The obtained results only revealed influence of sources in the stand at the second cropping year and the medium stand obtained in each cropping year might have influenced direct or indirectly the other results. Higher values of plant dry mass were obtained when the nitrogen was applied in total dosage at sowing. The nitrogen content on the leaves did not present difference among treatments; however, in 2006 the treatments that received N were superior to the control. The number of pods per plant and seeds per plant were not influenced by treatments. The number of seeds per pod and the mass of 100 grains were influenced by times of nitrogen application in 2006; however, with apparent relation to other production components results. The sources and nitrogen time application did not influence the grain yield of winter common bean in no till system.

A verificação de uma trajetória de valorização do câmbio ao longo de 2004 e 2005, que diminui a competitividade do produto brasileiro e a rentabilidade do setor exportador, ressaltou a importância das operações com adiantamentos de contratos de câmbio (ACCs) como meio de driblar os percalços de um câmbio adverso e manter a atratividade, em termos de lucratividade, da atividade exportadora. Este trabalho, então, busca aumentar o conjunto de informações dos exportadores que vislumbram a possibilidade de realizar operações de arbitragem com ACCs, analisando mais detalhadamente os fatores que determinam os resultados das operações com ACCs e verificando o papel da dinâmica cambial sobre esses ganhos. Para tal, são utilizados modelos econométricos de variância condicionada auto-regressiva (ARCH), cujos resultados sinalizam uma relação significativa e positiva entre volatilidade do câmbio e maiores margens de retorno na arbitragem com ACCs. / The appreciation path described by the exchange rate along 2004 and 2005, which reduced the Brazilian product competitiveness and the exportations profitability, showed the anticipation of exchange rate contracts (ACCs) importance as a way to overcome an adverse exchange rate and maintain the attractiveness of the exportation activity. Afterward, we try to increase the set of information of the exporters that look forward an ACC arbitrage operation possibility, analyzing more carefully the issues that determine their results and verifying the exchange rate dynamics role in those gains. Indeed, employing auto regressive conditioned heteroscedasticity (ARCH) econometric models, the results point out a significant and positive relationship between exchange rate volatility and larger ACC arbitrage returns.

Lagartos teiú eclodem no verão e enfrentam o desafio de crescer e armazenar substratos em um curto período de tempo, antes do início do período de jejum e depressão metabólica (≈80%) a temperaturas amenas durante o inverno (≈17 °C). No despertar, o aumento do metabolismo e a reperfusão de órgãos favoreceriam a ocorrência de estresse oxidativo. Na primeira parte do presente estudo investigou−se os ajustes que compatibilizam as demandas em teiús neonatos, especialmente na pré-hibernação, por meio da gravação do comportamento em vídeo e da análise da massa dos corpos gordurosos abdominais e do nível plasmático de corticosterona (CORT) durante o primeiro ciclo anual. No início do outono a massa corpórea dos teiús foi 27 g e o comprimento rostro−cloacal 9,3 cm e aumentaram 40% e 20%, respectivamente, ao longo do outono, enquanto que as taxas diminuíram progressivamente até atingirem o valor zero no início do inverno. Na primavera, a massa corpórea dos teiús aumentou 80% em relação ao despertar e dobrou em relação ao final do verão; o comprimento acumulou um aumento de 27% em relação ao final do verão. A massa relativa dos corpos gordurosos foi 3,7% no início do outono e diminuiu nos meses subsequentes; no despertar, este estoque acumulou uma perda de 63% da sua massa. No início do outono 74% dos teiús estavam ativos por 4,7 h e permaneceram 2 h assoalhando diariamente; ao longo do outono o número de animais ativos e o tempo em atividade diminuíram até que todos se tornaram inativos. Na primavera 83% dos teiús estavam ativos por 7 h e permaneceram 4 h assoalhando. Um padrão sazonal similar foi observado na atividade locomotora e na alimentação. No outono, a alimentação cessou antes da atividade diária e os teiús tornaram−se afágicos algumas semanas antes da entrada em hibernação. Os maiores níveis de CORT foram observados no início do outono, reduzindo progressivamente até valores 75 e 86% menores na dormência e despertar, respectivamente; na primavera os níveis de CORT foram 32% menores em comparação com o início do outono. Este padrão sugere um papel da CORT nos ajustes que promovem a ingestão de alimento e a deposição de substratos energéticos no outono. A redução da atividade geral no final do outono contribuiria para a economia energética e manutenção da massa corpórea, apesar da redução da ingestão de alimento. O curso temporal das alterações fisiológicas e comportamentais em neonatos reforça a ideia de que a dormência sazonal nos teiús é o resultado da expressão de um ritmo endógeno. Na segunda parte do estudo foi investigada a hipótese de que ocorreriam ajustes das defesas antioxidantes durante a hibernação, em antecipação ao despertar. Foram analisados marcadores de estresse oxidativo e antioxidantes em vários órgãos de teiús em diferentes fases do primeiro ciclo anual. A CS, um indicador do potencial oxidante, não variou no fígado e foi menor no rim e no pulmão na hibernação. As enzimas antioxidantes revelaram (1) um efeito abrangente de redução das taxas na hibernação e despertar; por exemplo, GR e CAT foram menores em todos órgãos analisados e a GST tendeu a diminuir no fígado e no rim, embora constante no coração e no pulmão. A G6PDH no fígado e no rim não variou. (2) No fígado, a GST, a Se−GPX e o teor de TBARS foram maiores na atividade de outono em relação à primavera e a Se−GPX permaneceu elevada na hibernação. (3) No fígado, a SOD foi maior na hibernação e despertar em relação ao outono e a Mn−SOD seguiu este padrão. Em contraste, no rim, coração e pulmão a SOD foi menor na hibernação e as taxas se recuperaram no coração e pulmão no despertar. A Mn−SOD seguiu este padrão no pulmão. A concentração e o estado redox da glutationa não variaram no fígado, rim e coração; no pulmão o teor de Eq−GSH e GSH foi menor na hibernação, com tendência à recuperação no despertar. O teor de PC no rim foi maior na hibernação e diminuiu no despertar. No fígado, as alterações no jejum se assemelham às sazonais, como sugerem a inibição da CAT e GR e aumento da Se−GPX. Os efeitos do jejum na primavera no rim diferem dos efeitos sazonais, como sugerem a redução do teor de Eq−GSH e GSH e o aumento da razão GSSG:GSH, a redução da G6PDH e o aumento de PC. No conjunto, houve um efeito predominante de redução das taxas enzimáticas na hibernação e no despertar, exceto pelas taxas aumentadas da SOD e Se−GPX no fígado e pela recuperação da SOD no coração e da GR, SOD e Mn−SOD no pulmão no despertar. As elevadas taxas das enzimas antioxidantes no teiú em comparação a outros ectotermos e a ausência de evidências de estresse oxidativo no despertar sugerem que a atividade enzimática remanescente é suficiente para prevenir danos aos tecidos face às flutuações do metabolismo / The tegu lizards hatch during the summer, when they face the challenge of growing and storing substrates during a short time before going into fasting and metabolic depression (≈80% at 17 °C) during winter. The reactivation of metabolism and of blood perfusion during arousal could favor the occurrence of oxidative stress in the tissues. The first part of his study investigated adjustments which potentially conciliate energy demands in neonatal tegus, particularly during pre-hibernation, by video recording of animal behavior and by measuring the mass of fat bodies and levels of plasma corticosterone (CORT) during the annual cycle. In the early autumn the body mass of the tegu was 27 g and the rostro−cloacal length was 9.3 cm, which increased 40% and 20%, respectively, while the rates decreased progressively until reach zero in winter. In spring activity body mass increased 80% in relation to values during arousal and duplicated in relation to late summer. The fat bodies mass relative to body mass was 3.7% in early autumn, and decreased during the subsequent months accumulating a mass loss of 63% during arousal. In early autumn, 74% of the tegus were active for 4.7 h and they basked for 2 h daily; during the autumn the number of animals and the time spent in activity decreased until they become totally inactive. In spring 83% of the tegus were active for 7 h and they basked for 4 h daily. Similar seasonal pattern was observed in the locomotory and feeding activities. In the autumn, feeding was interrupted prior to the interruption of daily activity and the tegus were aphagic a few weeks before the entry into hibernation. The CORT level was the highest in early autumn and reduced progressively to 75% and 86% during winter and arousal in early spring, respectively; later during spring the levels were 32% lower than the autumn levels. These changes suggest a role of CORT in the adjustments which promote food intake and substrate storage during the autumn. Despite a reduced food intake, the widespread decrease of daily activities in late autumn would contribute to energy saving and body mass maintenance. The time course of physiological and behavioral changes in neonates reinforces the idea of an endogenous rhythm underlying seasonal dormancy in the tegu. The second part of this study investigated the hypothesis of adjustments in antioxidant system preparatory to the moment of arousal by the analysis of markers of oxidative stress and of antioxidants in several organs of neonatal tegus, during different phases of the annual cycle and during starvation in the spring. The Vmax of CS, an indicator of the oxidative potential, did not vary in the liver and was smaller in the kidney and lung of dormant tegus. The antioxidant enzymes revealed (1) a widespread effect of lowering rates during dormancy and arousal; for instance, GR and CAT were lower in all organs examined and GST had a tendency to be lower in the liver and in the kidney tissues, although it was constant in the heart and in the lung. (2) In the liver, GST and Se-GPX, and the levels of TBARs were higher in the autumn than in the spring activity. (3) In the liver, SOD was higher during dormancy and arousal in relation to the autumn, and Mn−SOD followed this pattern. Contrastingly, SOD in the kidney, heart and lung was lower during dormancy, and rates recovered in the heart and lung during arousal before food intake. The Mn-SOD followed this pattern in the lung. The glutathione concentration and the redox balance did not change in the liver, kidney and heart; in the lung, the levels of Eq−GSH and GSH were lower and had a tendency to increase during arousal. Importantly, carbonyl proteins were increased in the kidney during dormancy and recovered during arousal. The effects of starvation during spring differed of those of fasting during winter in the kidney, as shown by the lower Eq−GSH levels and increased GSSG:GSH ratio, the lower G6PDH, and the increased carbonyl proteins. In the liver, changes during starvation followed seasonal patterns, as shown by increased Se-GPX, and decreased CAT and GR, together indicating a consistent effect exerted by interruption of food intake. The high rates of antioxidant enzymes in neonatal tegus compared with other ectotherms, and the absence of evidence of oxidative stress at arousal suggest that remaining enzyme activities are sufficient to prevent tissue damage that could be caused by the metabolic fluctuations during the annual cycle in the tegu

Le développement des systèmes intelligents pour contrôler la stabilité du véhicule et éviter les accidents routier est au cœur de la recherche automobile. L'expansion de ces systèmes intelligents à l'application réelle exige une estimation précise de la dynamique du véhicule dans des environnements diverses (dévers et pente). Cette exigence implique principalement trois problèmes : ⅰ), extraire des informations non mesurées à partir des capteurs faible coût; ⅱ), rester robuste et précis face aux les perturbations incertaines causées par les erreurs de mesure ou de la méconnaissance de l'environnement; ⅲ), estimer l'état du véhicule et prévoir le risque d'accident en temps réel. L’originalité de cette thèse par rapport à l’existant, consiste dans le développement des nouveaux algorithmes, basés sur des nouveaux modèles du véhicule et des différentes techniques d'observation d'état, pour estimer des variables ou des paramètres incertains de la dynamique du véhicule en temps réel. La première étape de notre étude est le développement de nouveaux modèles pour mieux décrire le comportement du véhicule dans des différentes situations. Pour minimiser les erreurs de modèle, un système d'estimation composé de quatre observateurs est proposé pour estimer les forces verticales, longitudinales et latérales par pneu, ainsi que l'angle de dérive. Trois techniques d'observation non linéaires (EKF, UKF et PF) sont appliquées pour tenir compte des non-linéarités du modèle. Pour valider la performance de nos observateurs, nous avons implémenté en C++ des modules temps-réel qui, embarqué sur le véhicule, estiment la dynamique du véhicule pendant le mouvement. / Enhancing road safety by developing active safety system is the general purpose of this thesis. A challenging task in the development of active safety system is to get accurate information about immeasurable vehicle dynamics states. More specifically, we need to estimate the vertical load, the lateral frictional force and longitudinal frictional force at each wheel, and also the sideslip angle at center of gravity. These states are the key parameters that could optimize the control of vehicle's stability. The estimation of vertical load at each tire enables the evaluation of the risk of rollover. Estimation of tire lateral forces could help the control system reduce the lateral slip and prevent the situation like spinning and drift out. Tire longitudinal forces can also greatly influence the performance of vehicle. The sideslip angle is one of the most important parameter to control the lateral dynamics of vehicle. However, in the current market, very few safety systems are based on tire forces, due to the lack of cost-effective method to get these information. For all the above reasons, we would like to develop a perception system to monitor these vehicle dynamics states by using only low-cost sensor. In order to achieve this objective, we propose to develop novel observers to estimate unmeasured states. However, construction of an observer which could provide satisfactory performance at all condition is never simple. It requires : 1, accurate and efficient models; 2, a robust estimation algorithm; 3, considering the parameter variation and sensor errors. As motivated by these requirements, this dissertation is organized to present our contribution in three aspects : vehicle dynamics modelization, observer design and adaptive estimation. In the aspect of modeling, we propose several new models to describe vehicle dynamics. The existent models are obtained by simplifying the vehicle motion as a planar motion. In the proposed models, we described the vehicle motion as a 3D motion and considered the effects of road inclination. Then for the vertical dynamics, we propose to incorporate the suspension deflection to calculate the transfer of vertical load. For the lateral dynamics, we propose the model of transfer of lateral forces to describe the interaction between left wheel and right wheel. With this new model, the lateral force at each tire can be calculated without sideslip angle. Similarly, for longitudinal dynamics, we also propose the model of transfer of longitudinal forces to calculate the longitudinal force at each tire. In the aspect of observer design, we propose a novel observation system, which is consisted of four individual observers connected in a cascaded way. The four observers are developed for the estimation of vertical tire force, lateral tire force and longitudinal tire force and sideslip angle respectively. For the linear system, the Kalman filter is employed. While for the nonlinear system, the EKF, UKF and PF are applied to minimize the estimation errors. In the aspect of adaptive estimation, we propose the algorithms to improve sensor measurement and estimate vehicle parameters in order to stay robust in presence of parameter variation and sensor errors. Furthermore, we also propose to incorporate the digital map to enhance the estimation accuracy. The utilization of digital map could also enable the prediction of vehicle dynamics states and prevent the road accidents. Finally, we implement our algorithm in the experimental vehicle to realize real-time estimation. Experimental data has validated the proposed algorithm.

This essay focuses on psychoanalytical notions in Robert Bloch’s novel Psycho. The theoretical framework is based on Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis. Slavoj Žižek’s idea that the house serves as a symbol of Freud’s concept of the Super-Ego, Ego and Id is presented and further developed. Moreover, it is exemplified how the idea of repression as a defense mechanism can be traced in the novel. It is then explained that repression is used as a tool for making the reader feel sympathy for Norman Bates. In addition, Wolfgang Iser’s reception theory is used to explain how Bloch uses gaps and pre-intentions in order to create anticipation and retrospection in the reader to produce suspense and horror. The intention is to prove that the attention to the psychological issues is what makes the monster of the novel more sympathetic and recognizable to us as readers. Thus, the result is that we position ourselves closer to the monster, which leaves us wondering if we could, due to our shared psychology, be monsters as well.

Most sport coaches are under the impression that if their athletes have 20/20 vision, nothing more is needed to be done in the visual arena. This is a common misconception in youth sport and professional sport. Every sport involves the visual system in one way or another, yet very few coaches or athletes spend any time training the visual system to perform optimally during competition. To perform at the highest level of competition, athletes have to be in tune with their visual motor and visual perceptual system. Participants consisted of 200 male and female recruits enrolled for Basic Military Training (BMT) at the training academy in Ellisras, South Africa. Only recruits who completed the informed consent and adhere to the inclusion exclusion criteria participated in the study. The primary purpose of this study was to see how the recruits improve their visual skills after intense training which included cardio-respiratory endurance, muscular strength (upper body and abdominal), muscular endurance, speed, power, agility and flexibility. The training intensity of the sessions exceeded 6 metabolic equivalents (METs). Data sampling was completed over a period of one week during weeks 1, 12 and 20. The proposed schedule for the data gathering is suggested to ensure the special requirements demanded by the different tests and to see at what rate their visual skill improve. Results in this study suggests that a Basic Military Training (BMT) programme, focusing on intense physical training, enhances hand-eye co-ordination, visual response speed, accuracy, anticipation, visual concentration and short term visual memory. The improvement of various visual skills observed in this research provides evidence that physical exercise, along with an enhanced state of physical fitness, does have a positive effect on visual proficiency. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Physiology / unrestricted

Les systèmes de recherche ont facilité l’accès à l’information disponible sur le web à l’aide de mécanismes de collecte, d’indexation et de stockage de contenus hétérogènes.Ils génèrent des traces résultant de l’activité des internautes. Il s’agit ensuite d’analyser ces données à l’aide d’outils de data mining afin d’améliorer la qualité de réponse de ces systèmes ou de la personnaliser en fonction des profils des utilisateurs. Certains acteurs, comme la société Marketshot, se positionnent comme intermédiaires entre les consommateurs et les professionnels. Ils mettent en relation les acheteurs potentiels avec les grandes marques et leurs réseaux de distribution à travers leurs sites Internet d’aide à l’achat. Pour cela, ces intermédiaires ont développé des portails efficaces et stockent de gros volumes de données liées à l’activité des internautes sur leurs sites. Ces gisements de données sont exploités pour répondre favorablement aux besoins des internautes, ainsi qu’à ceux des professionnels qui cherchent à comprendre le comportement de leurs clients et anticiper leurs actes d’achats. C’est dans ce contexte, où on cherche à fouiller les données collectées du web, que se placent mes travaux de recherche. L’idée est de construire des modèles qui permettent d’expliciter une corrélation entre les activités des internautes sur les sites d’aide à l’achat et les tendances de ventes de produits dans la « vraie vie ». En effet, ma thèse se place dans le cadre de l’apprentissage probabiliste et plus particulièrement des modèles graphiques « Topic Models ». Elle consiste à modéliser les comportements des internautes à partir des données d’usages de sites web. / Research systems have facilitated access to information available on the web using mechanisms for collecting, indexing and storage of heterogeneous content. They generate data resulting from the activity of users on Internet (queries, logfile). The next step is to analyze the data using data mining tools in order to improve the response’s quality of these systems, or to customize the response based on users’ profiles. Some actors, such as the company Marketshot, are positioned as intermediaries between consumers and professionals. Indeed, they link potential buyers with the leading brands and distribution networks through their websites. For such purposes, these intermediaries have developed effective portals, and have stored large volumes of data related to the activity of users on their websites. These data repositories are exploited to respond positively to the needs of users as well as those of professionals who seek to understand the behavior of their customers and anticipate their purchasing actions. My thesis comes within the framework of searching through the data collected from the web. The idea is to build models that explain the correlation between the activities of users on websites of aid for the purchase, and sales trends of products in « real life ». In fact, my research concerns probabilistic learning, in particular Topic Models. It involves modeling the users’ behavior from uses of trader websites.

This study investigates the aspects of resilience in the management strategies of the key stakeholders of flood risk management in the city of Accra, Ghana. The overall objective is to analyse the response capacity in the strategies of the key stakeholders in flood risk management for managing the unexpected course of flood disasters in addition to the expected features of flood risk. To achieve the set objective, the following research questions are addressed: Who are the key stakeholders of flood risk management in the city of Accra? How are these stakeholders dealing with the unexpected course of flood disasters in addition to the expected features of flood risk in their management strategies? How could the capacity of the strategies for responding to the unexpected course of flood disasters be advanced? The inductive case study design applies document analyses, semi-structured interviews as well as key stakeholder identification and validation methods. Scientific and policy documents about resilience and flood risk management were reviewed. The research participants were mainly directors and representatives of organisations in flood risk management of the study. Empirical findings include key stakeholders in flood risk management as well as aspects of resilience and anticipation in flood risk management strategies. The main finding on the key stakeholders of flood risk management are national, district, civil society, and private sector organisations as well as traditional authorities (local chiefs). Aspects of resilience in flood risk management strategies comprises omnivorousness, agile and timely flow of response resource, homoeostasis, flatness of the response structure and process, redundancy of the response resources and buffer capacity. Findings revealed resilience regarding diversity in sources of resource and responses for dealing with unexpected course of flood disasters. The aspects of anticipation are described as resistance to known risk, maintenance of boundary conditions of the management strategies and specialisation for dealing with specific flood risk within and among organisations. Regarding anticipation, results indicate that there are measures for resisting known flood risk but their implementation is ineffective. Based upon the findings, hypotheses are derived for advancement of resilience and anticipation in flood risk management strategies. Involvement of the local chiefs, Slum Union of Ghana, Local Development Associations of flood-prone communities and key private sector organisations in flood risk management strategies in the city of Accra would amend their response capacities in diversity of sources of response resources and allow for advanced resilience regarding their responses to the impacts of land-use changes and the waste disposal in watercourses. Recommendations refer to prospects to advance the response capacity of key stakeholders of flood risk management strategies by integrating traditional authorities and private organisations in flood risk management in the city of Accra. / Diese Arbeit untersucht Aspekte von Resilienz in den Strategien von Schlüsselakteuren des Hochwasserrisikomanagements in der Stadt Accra (Ghana). Das übergeordnete Ziel besteht darin, das Reaktionsvermögen dieser Akteure in ihren Management-Strategien nicht nur hinsichtlich des erwarteten, sondern vor allem hinsichtlich des unerwarteten Verlaufs von Hochwasserkatastrophen zu untersuchen. Die folgenden drei Forschungsfragen werden untersucht: Wer sind die Schlüsselakteure des Hochwasserrisikomanagements in der Stadt Accra? Wie berücksichtigen diese Akteure in ihren Management-Strategien den unerwarteten Verlauf von Hochwasserkatastrophen zusätzlich zu dem erwarteten Verlauf? Wie könnte das Reaktionsvermögen bezüglich des Umgangs mit dem unerwarteten Verlauf von Hochwasserkatastrophen in diesen Strategien ausgeweitet werden? Im Rahmen des induktiven Fallstudiendesigns werden Dokumentenanalysen, halbstandardisierte Interviews und Gruppendiskussionen eingesetzt. Die daraus resultierenden empirischen Befunde beziehen sich neben der Identifikation der Schlüsselakteure des Hochwasserrisikomanagements auch auf die Aspekte von Resilienz und Antizipation in ihren Management-Strategien. Zu den Schlüsselakteuren zählen nationale und lokale Organisationen, aber auch solche aus der Zivilgesellschaft, dem privaten Sektor und traditionelle Autoritäten. Bei den Aspekten von Resilienz in den Hochwasserrisikomanagement-Strategien handelt es sich um ganzheitliche Herangehensweisen, regen und zeitnahen Einsatz von Ressourcen zur Ereignisbewältigung sowie Pufferkapazitäten. Die Ergebnisse zeigten Widerstandsfähigkeit in Bezug auf die Vielfalt in den Quellen von Ressourcen und Antworten auf den unerwarteten Verlauf von Hochwasserkatastrophen. Die Ergebnisse hinsichtlich der Antizipation von Hochwasserrisikomanagement-Strategien umfassen den Widerstand gegen das bekannte Risiko, die Aufrechterhaltung von Rahmenbedingungen der Management-Strategien und die Spezialisierung auf bestimmte Hochwasserrisiken. Auf den Erkenntnissen über die Aspekte von Resilienz und Antizipation in den Hochwasserrisikomanagement-Strategien aufbauend werden Hypothesen abgeleitet. In den Handlungsempfehlungen werden die Chancen einer Integration traditioneller Autoritäten und anderer Interessensgruppen in das Hochwasserrisikomanagement der Stadt Accra aufgezeigt, wodurch eine Weiterentwicklung der Resilienz in den Hochwasserrisikomanagement-Strategien für die Zukunft erreicht werden kann.