Thesis advisor: Penelope Ismay / This dissertation traces the changing distributions of social responsibility for fire in Calcutta and London across the long-nineteenth century. While these two cities were the capitals of the British Empire, with similar adoptions of municipal fire brigades, the public trust systems that undergirded these institutions varied greatly, revealing how municipal fire protection required more than municipal authority and technological innovation to be effective and acceptable to urban citizens. This dissertation examines how these cities endeavored to limit the fire danger that went hand in hand with imperial economic growth and in the process created systems by which the social responsibility for fire was divided between urban citizens and newly-instituted municipal fire brigades. Specifically, I ask how did the British Empire approach the destructive force of fire as a social problem in the rapidly modernizing urban environments of the nineteenth century? Other historians have argued that growing municipal authority or technological innovation in the name of efficiency account for the changes in nineteenth-century fire protection, but this dissertation argues instead that expanded municipal control, adopting new technologies, and the creation of municipal firefighting institutions were all a response to breakdowns in trust. Solving the fire problem could not be entirely top-down, nor completely bottom-up, but required a trusting relationship between urban citizens and municipal governments that was rare in the nineteenth-century British Empire. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: History.

The purpose of this thesis is to study the proposed Disarmament, Demobilization & Reintegration (DDR) policies of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and the recommendations of the Rift Valley Institute in the wake of the surrender of the M23 Movement, an armed rebel faction, in December 2013. The study seeks to assess the capability of these policies to address the grievances of the members of the M23 Movement and whether they will bring lasting peace between the rebels and the Government.To assess these policies, a content analysis of five key documents is conducted. The analysis uses a theoretical framework inspired by the work of John Paul Lederach (1997) on Conflict Transformation and that of Stina Torjesen (2013) on reintegration of former combatants. The framework explores the content of the policies according to four “pillars” of successful DDR – actors, context, timeframe & action.The study concludes that while efforts for political integration has had some success, the cause for the M23 rebellion was economic grievances which has not yet been addressed. Furthermore, a lack of political will has delayed the implementation of the demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants, which bears a resemblance to previous attempts at DDR. A new amnesty law that exempts perpetrators of gross human rights violations has had some success in ending impunity for the worst offences. MONUSCO has been criticized for partiality towards the National Government, and its increasingly forceful stance in the conflict has persuaded some groups to submit to DDR while others have intensified their aggressions on UN personnel.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

The subject of this dissertation is Prague Fire Brigade. The purpose of this thesis is a basic element of integrated rescue system presentation in a context of legislative requirements and their practical impletion. A complex insight on fire brigade functioning, which provides fire protection in the metropolis, should eventuate.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

De la Deffence, et illustration de la langue françoyse (1549) au tombeau de Ronsard réuni par Binet (1586), la sociabilité littéraire mise en scène dans quelque trois cents recueils d’environ soixante-dix poètes est envisagée comme le support de constructions identitaires à la fois collectives et individuelles. En effet, le foisonnement des pièces de contact valorise l’émulation lettrée et donne de la visibilité à l’émergence d’un « champ poétique » où le positionnement de chacun est fait, tout à la fois, d’identification à des groupes et de différenciation pour défendre un style singulier. L’identité valorisée collectivement est celle de « Poète ». Dans un élan commun et à la suite de Marot, il s’agit de donner tout son prestige à ce « mestier » – dont la visibilité est favorisée par la publication imprimée – ainsi que de convaincre les grands de son utilité politique. L’étiquette fédératrice se subdivise en identités collectives aux contours plus restreints, par exemple autour d’un genre pratiqué (les « Amours »), autour d’une langue (« poëtes françoys »), ou encore autour d’une implantation géographique (les poètes du Clain, les poètes gascons, etc.). Ce morcellement s’accompagne de tentatives de classements de valeur. Cela provoque des mouvements d’humeur (des poètes de province contre le milieu parisien naissant, par exemple), voire des conflits (poètes nouveaux contre poètes vieux, poètes chrétiens contre poètes païens, etc.), ainsi qu’une démultiplication des figures de chefs de file. Dans le même temps, chaque auteur essaie de faire valoir sa singularité, notamment en développant l’ethos du poète solitaire ou du poète mélancolique, et s’attache à ouvrir des voies nouvelles, dans un mouvement collectif de valorisation de l’originalité. Entrent ainsi en tension la structure pyramidale hiérarchique et l’affirmation d’un droit à la différence qui rend inclassable. / From the Deffence, et illustration de la langue françoyse (1549) to Ronsard's tomb texts collected by Binet in 1586, the literary sociability depicted in some three hundred volumes of poetry gathering together about seventy poets is regarded as the mean to construct identities both collective and individual. Indeed the flurry of common topics is at the origin of a literary emulation and makes the emergence of a "poetic field" noticeable; so the position of each poet is both defined with an identification to groups or with a differentiation to defend their proper styles.Being "a poet" is the identity collectively valued. Altogether on Marot's tracks, the point is to make this "craft" prestigious - printed publication makes it visible - and to convince the greats of its political importance. The unifying label is subdivided in collective identities with restricted outlines like a popular topic (the "Amours"), a language ("poëtes françoys") or eventually a location (the poets from the river Clain, the Gascon poets, etc). Therefore this fragmentation leads to an attempt of classification of value. This is at the origin of disagreements (some provincial poets against the emerging Parisian milieu for instance), even conflicts (modern poets against old poets, Christian poets versus pagan poets, etc), as well as an increase of leading figures. Meanwhile each author attempts to defend their own singularities, notably by working on the ethos of the solitary poet or of the melancholic poet and endeavours to open new poetic paths, within a collective movement defending originality. Hence the tension opposing the hierarchical organisation and the assertion of the right to be different and thus unique.

Concrete slabs used in thepulp and paper industries are often situated outdoors, which means that theslabs are exposed to temperature variations due to different weatherconditions. These temperature variations together with operational temperaturesassociated with the manufacturing process, may introduce high temperaturegradients in the concrete. It is believed that the combination of these thermalloads have resulted in cracking in a slender concrete slab.The aim of this degree project has been to determine if the combination ofseasonal temperature and operational temperature is sufficient to introduce thetype of cracking seen in-situ in the concrete slab of a factory in Sundsvall,400 km north of Stockholm. This was achieved by simulating the development ofcracks in a slender concrete slab exposed to thermal loads using finite elementanalysis (FEA). In order to determine the accuracy of the model, the resultswere compared and evaluated against a crack mapping produced by Sweco. Furthersimulations were also carried out, in order to investigate if continuedcracking would occur beyond the time span of the Sweco investigation.The material model Concrete damage plasticity (CDP) in BRIGADE/Plus and Abaquswas used to predict the crack pattern and crack width in the concrete slab.Linear-elastic and non-linear material properties were used in the modelling ofthe concrete slab. The linear-elastic model indicated that thermal variationshowed significant risk of cracking. Thereafter, non-linear material propertieswere used in the modelling process. The cracking was simulated using ambienttemperature data and operational temperatures from the production plant.The results showed that cracking started when thermal loads were introduced tothe model. The ambient seasonal temperature alone was not enough to introducethe type of cracking seen in-situ on the slab. The combination of seasonalambient temperature and operational temperature was needed, in order for cracksto develop in the concrete slab. The results also indicated that the crackswill propagate further, but this can only be confirmed by performing additionalcrack mapping on site. / Betonggrunder som används för utrustning inom massa- och pappersindustrin befinner sig ofta utomhus vilket betyder att dessa är utsatta för vädrets förändringar. Temperaturvariationer i omgivningen och temperaturer som kommer från tillverkningsprocesserna kan medföra att höga temperaturgradienter skapas i betongen. Det är troligt att kombinationen av dessa termiska belastningar har gett upphov till sprick-bildning i en betonggrund.Målet för detta examensarbete har varit att bestämma, om huruvida kombinationen av års- temperaturer och temperaturer från industriprocessen är tillräckligt för att skapa den typ av sprickbildning i betonggrunden som iaktagits på plats hos en fabrik i Sundsvall. Det gjordes genom simulering av sprickbildning på betonggrunden, där grunden utsattes för termiska belastningar genom att använda finita element analys (FEA). För att bestämma tillförlitligheten hos metoden jämfördes och utvärderades resultatet mot en sprickkartering utförd av Sweco baserad på observationer ute på fabriken. Vidare gjordes ytterligare simuleringar utöver det tidsspann som Swecoundersökningarna visade, detta för att undersöka om huruvida sprickningen skulle fortgå.Materialmodellen Concrete damage plasticity (CDP) som finns i programmen BRIGADE/Plus och Abaqus användes för att förutse sprickbildning och sprickbredd i betonggrunden. Linjärelastiska och icke-linjära materialparametrar användes i modelleringen av betonggrunden. Utetemperatursdata tillsammans med temperaturer från industriprocessen användes för att undersöka anledningen till sprickbildningen.Resultaten av analyserna visade att sprickbildning uppkom när betonggrunden ut-sattes för termiska laster. Temperaturer från omgivningen var inte tillräckligt för att initiera sprickbildning. Kombinationen av temperaturer från omgivningen och industriprocessen behövdes för att sprickbildning skulle ske. Resultaten visade även att sprickbildningen kan fortsätta, med fler och bredare sprickor som följd.För att förhindra att sprickor uppstår i framtiden är det väsentligt att betona vikten av att minska uppkomsten av stora temperaturgradienter i betonggrunden.

This two part thesis investigates the lack of definition of the wording “all necessary means” and how it ultimately impacts a decision making gap between the Security Council and the troop contributing countries regarding the use of force in UN peace operations. The assumptions are based on Reus-Smit’s constructivist theory, emphasizing that both politics and international law needs to be studied with a holistic approach in order to understand how the two realms shape each other. The assumption of this thesis is that “all necessary means” is not providing enough guidance to constrain the TCCs to behave as sovereign, equal actors in an anarchical structure. The second part of the thesis is a within-case-study of MONUC/MONUSCO, and the Security Council resolution 2098 that established the Force Intervention Brigade.

Development of new aircraft and the increasing number of passengers goes logically hand-in-hand with the improvement of airport facilities and equipment of airport fire departments so passengers and all airport staff are as safe as possible. The submitted diploma thesis deals with the equipment of the fire department of Jihočeské letiště České Budějovice a.s. and staffing for the service at this airport. Its goals are, first, to assess the current level of this equipment and, second, to propose optimization of this equipment. The Airport in Planá u Českých Budějovic is one of a few airports disposing of own fire department. Apart from České Budějovice, there are fire departments at the airports in Brno, Karlovy Vary, Ostrava, Pardubice and Praha Ruzyně. Airports in terms of general issues and their technical equipment are dealt with, and public international airports and public domestic/non-public international airports in the Czech Republic are listed in the theoretical part of the thesis. History of airport fire departments is examined, too. The analysis of the Aviation Regulation L14 is an important area in the theoretical part. Further, individual selected airports in the Czech Republic, especially their history and current characteristics are described and air accidents of both Czech and foreign machines in the territory of the Czech Republic between 2008 and 2012 are mentioned in the theoretical part of the thesis. A hypothesis has been defined for the diploma thesis: "The current equipment of the fire department and staffing for the service is sufficient for the airport RFFS Category 4C". In order to confirm or disprove this hypothesis, the equipment of the airport in České Budějovice was compared in terms of equipment of other selected airports in the Czech Republic and evaluated on the basis of studying the regulations, Aviation Regulation L14 in particular, in the practical part of the thesis. Detailed information on equipment of these airports comprises a separate chapter in the practical part and sufficiency of this equipment discussed is assessed on the basis of comparison with the aviation regulations. As I failed to get the needed information on the equipment of the fire department at the airport in Pardubice and as the Václav Havel Airport in Prague is not comparable as for the equipment, size, arrival and departure rate etc., the airport in Brno, Karlovy Vary and Ostrava were selected for the final comparison of assessment of the level of the technical means and staffing at the airport in České Budějovice. Despite the hypothesis "The current equipment of the fire department and staffing of the service is sufficient for the airport Category 4C" has been confirmed, optimization of the equipment of the fire department at the airport in České Budějovice has been proposed on the basis of the results of this thesis in order to provide sufficient preparedness of the airport for extraordinary events at the airport and in its surrounding and the main emphasis is put on saving human lives mainly. The optimization was carried out using the methods of operation analysis while taking the current equipment of the Airport in České Budějovice into account. When selecting new vehicles for purchase, the price of a vehicle was not the only criterion but also its equipment. The outcome of the optimization is a recommendation to purchase a modern vehicle fully equipped and it is possible to choose one of the three vehicles placed first to third in the analysis. These are the vehicles Panther HRET 6x6 KHA62, Panther 6x6 CA5 ECE and Mercedes - Benz Actross 3360 A42 6x6. To conclude, confirmation of the above-mentioned hypothesis is stated and particular vehicles recommended to be purchased by the South-Bohemian airport and its fire fighters are listed.

At the time when natural and industrial disasters are becoming more frequent than before, there is a growing need for the Czech Armed Forces to assist the Integrated Emergency System. Earlier, such emergency operations were in the competence of Rescue Battalions, which have since been disbanded. The 15th Engineer Rescue Brigade was transformed into the 15th Engineer Brigade, which now consists of Engineer Battalions as well as separate Rescue Companies. These units form the bases for forming detachments to provide assistance to the Integrated Rescue System. The first part of this thesis is dedicated to the beginnings of the Civil Defence and to the beginning of rescue units in the Czech Armed Forces, including preparation of planning of Engineer and Rescue units. The technology used for providing assistance to units within the Integrated Rescue System, i.e. the technology used throughout the spectrum of kind of troops as well as special engineer?s technology, is also elaborated on. The second part of this thesis is dedicated to elaborating on the implications of deploying the units of the 15th Engineer Brigade to perform tasks during natural or industrial disasters. The numbers of so far performed tasks of specific units of the 15th Engineer Brigade are also published in this part. Formation of rescue battalion, which would substitute the necessity of forming rescue detachments, represents an important part of this thesis. Despite the fact that the rescue battalion is only fictional, it is based on the real structure of the 15th Engineer Brigade, including specific positions and their formal requirements. Special courses, which are advertised in relation with the formal requirements, are based on an internal document of the Army of the Czech Republic, which is the 20-2012 Bulletin of the Ministry of Defence Education Activity, 2013. By analysing the internal documents of the 15th Engineer Brigade as well as analysing the ways of putting such documents into practice, it has been concluded that the units of the 15th Engineer Brigade are ready to deal with incidents which may occur during performing tasks within the Integrated Rescue System.