People are active participants in coral reef ecosystems. This ethnobiology study considers and contrasts folkbiological knowledge of people living in two groups of artisanal fishing villages in Kadavu Province, Fiji. The high level of biological diversity on the Astrolabe Reef provides insights into folk categorization and classification methods that include colour, shape, size, physical features, and habits of certain reef fish and marine animals. Surveying large numbers of experts and novices on defined groups of creatures yields more depth and range of responses allowing higher confidence levels in response accuracy. A comparison of the data with Berlins (1992) proposed principles yields mixed results. Sea cucumbers have high ecological salience and their identification requires attention to the affect of two centuries of trade on Fijian society. Effective ethnobiological research provides productive options to contribute to coral reef sustainability programs with long term benefits for local people and marine life. Key words: Kadavu, naming and classification of fish, coral reef ethnobiology.

The purpose of this doctoral dissertation has been to increase the knowledge of customers’ view on relation to commercial restaurant meals and thereby to increase the knowledge within the restaurant industry about customers’ perspectives about meals. The dissertation is based on four studies of customers’ meal experiences in á la Carte restaurants in Norway. In addition, a methodological paper has been written to illuminate central aspects of the method used in the dissertation. An explorative and qualitative approach was selected in the data collection, focus group interviews and semi-structured interviews of experienced restaurant customers from à la Carte restaurants were used and analysed within a modified grounded theory approach. The participants were from the cities of Oslo and Stavanger in Norway. The conceptual models in the four studies are first of all the result of the analysis of the data collected. The first study includes a conceptual model illustrating different aspects of the payment process of the bill; important aspects were expectations, sensibility, and reactions. It was demonstrated how a delay in the payment process had negative affects on the customers meal experiences. In the second study, the five important elements of customers’ meal experiences were: The core product, the restaurant interior, the personal social meeting, the company, and the restaurant atmosphere. These five aspects were woven tightly together and the restaurant atmosphere occurred as the “glue” that connected the different meal experience aspects into a whole. The third study focused on the customers’ choices of restaurants, and the occasion occurred as an important element in the decision-making process of choosing a restaurant. The fourth study revealed which consumer values were important by restaurant visits, and identified 13 single values that were integrated into five consumer value categories: Excellence, harmony, emotional stimulation, acknowledgement, and circumstance value. The fifth paper provides a thorough discussion of the usefulness of the modified grounded theory applied in the studies. When an overall comparison of the different studies is made, there are several indications that the restaurant employees, and especially the waiting staff, represent the restaurant’s most important assets in the meetings with customers. Increasing the knowledge level of the staff about the customers seems to be an actual element, and thus education and training will be of great importance for development of the restaurant field. / Hensikten med denne avhandlingen har vært å øke kunnskapen omkring kunders oppfatninger i forhold til kommersielle måltider, og gjennom det, øke kunnskapen til restaurantnæringen om kundenes perspektiv. Avhandlingen er en artikkelbasert doktorgrad, og består av fire ulike studier knyttet til kunders måltidsopplevelser på à la Carte restauranter i to ulike byer i Norge. I tillegg er en metodeartikkel skrevet for å belyse sentrale metodiske aspekter som er viktige for å forstå de ulike deler av metoden som er benyttet. En eksplorativ og kvalitativ metodisk tilnærming til forskningsfeltet ble valgt, datainnsamlingen er basert på ulike typer intervjuer, fokusgruppe og seminstrukturerte intervjuer av erfarne restaurantgjester med ulike bakgrunn verdrørende deres måltidsopplevelser på à la Carte restauranter. De empiriske data er analysert ved bruk av en modifisert grounded theory tilnærming. Deltagerne i intervjuene kom fra to byer i Norge, Oslo og Stavanger. I alle fire studiene ble det utviklet konseptuelle modeller basert på de empiriske data som var samlet inn og tolket i de kvalitative intervjuene. De ulike modellene beskriver på hvert sitt sett ulike sider av kunders måltidsopplevelser på restauranter. Det første studiet inneholder en modell som beskriver ulike aspekter ved betalingsprosessen. Sentrale aspekter er forventinger, sensibilitet, og reaksjoner på betalingen av regningen på restaurant. I det andre studiet ble fem aspekter under måltidsopplevelsen utledet som viktige for restaurant gjestene: Kjerneproduktet, restaurantens interiør, det personlige service møtet, selskapet, og restaurantens atmosfære. Disse elementene henger tett sammen, og restaurantens atmosfære binder sammen de ulike delene til en helhetlig måltidsopplevelse. I den tredje studien var det kunders valg av restaurant som sto i fokus. Det ble avdekket at anledningen var svært viktig for kunders restaurantvalg. I den fjerde studien var det avdekningene av hvilke konsumentverdier som er sentrale for restaurantbesøk. Den femte studien foretar en gjennomgående diskusjon av den modifisert grounded theory tilnærmingen som blir benyttet i de fire andre studiene. Når funnene i de ulike studiene blir sammenholdt, kan en avlede at de restaurant ansatte, spesielt serveringspersonale, synes å være den mest kritiske ressursen for restauranten i møte med kundene. Utdanning og trening av personalet er derfor av stor viktighet for utviklingen av restaurantnæringen.

Orientador: Marco Antonio de Assis / Resumo: Epífitas são plantas que, em algum estágio do ciclo de vida, sobrevivem sem estar conectadas ao solo. Estão presentes em todos os grandes grupos de traqueófitas e abrangem cerca de 10% de suas espécies. Diversos estudos têm sido feitos com o intuito de se conhecer a flora epifítica dos remanescentes florestais brasileiros, porém, apesar dos esforços dos pesquisadores, ainda há muito trabalho a ser feito, sendo a pesquisa taxonômica um instrumento importante para se compreender a biodiversidade. O presente trabalho foi desenvolvido no Parque Estadual do Morro do Diabo, uma área de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual localizada no extremo oeste do estado de São Paulo. Desse modo, pretendeu-se contribuir para o conhecimento da biodiversidade da região, realizando um inventário florístico das epífitas vasculares, com a elaboração de chaves de identificação dicotômicas e de um guia ilustrado das epífitas vasculares do Parque. As epífitas vasculares amostradas foram classificadas de acordo com categorias ecológicas e síndromes de dispersão. Foram coletadas 75 espécies de epífitas vasculares, distribuídas em 49 gêneros e 11 famílias. Orchidaceae, Bromeliaceae e Polypodiaceae foram as famílias mais representativas, totalizando 68% das espécies amostradas. Peperomia e Tillandsia foram os gêneros mais ricos. A categoria ecológica das holoepífitas características compreendeu 85% das espécies e a anemocoria foi a síndrome de dispersão predominante, ocorrendo em 76% das espécies. A análise d... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Epiphytes are plants that at some stage in their life cycle survive without being connected to the soil. They are present in all major groups of tracheophytes and comprise about 10% of their species. Several studies have been done with the purpose of knowing the epiphytic flora of brazilian forest remnants, but despite the efforts of the researchers, there is still much work to be done, and taxonomic research is an important tool to understand biodiversity. The present work was developed in the Parque Estadual do Morro do Diabo, an area of semideciduous seasonal forest located in the extreme west of São Paulo state. The aimed of this present study was contribute to the knowledge of the region's biodiversity, by making a floristic inventory of the vascular epiphytes with the elaboration of dichotomous identification keys and an illustrated guide of the vascular epiphytes of the Parque. The vascular epiphytes sampled were classified according to ecological categories and dispersion syndromes. Seventy five species of vascular epiphytes were collected, corresponding 49 genera and 11 families. Orchidaceae, Bromeliaceae and Polypodiaceae were the most representative families, totalizing 68% of the sampled species. Peperomia and Tillandsia were the richest genera. The ecological category of the characteristic holoepiphytes comprised 85% and anemochory was the predominant dispersion syndrome, corresponding 76% of the species. The analysis of floristic similarity indicated an area in ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

The purpose of this thesis is to define a “local” version of Ozsváth and Szabó’s Heegaard Floer homology HFL^ for links in the 3-sphere, i.e. a Heegaard Floer homology HFT^ for tangles in the 3-ball. The decategorification of HFL^ is the classical Alexander polynomial for links; likewise, the decategorification of HFT^ gives a local version ∇ˢ of the Alexander polynomial. In the first chapter of this thesis, we give a purely combinatorial definition of this polynomial invariant ∇ˢ via Kauffman states and Alexander codes and investigate some of its properties. As an application, we show that the multivariate Alexander polynomial is mutation invariant. In the second chapter, we define HFT^ in two slightly different, but equivalent ways: One is via Juhász’s sutured Floer homology, the other by imitating the construction of HFL^. We then state a glueing theorem in terms of Zarev’s bordered sutured Floer homology, which endows HFT^ with additional structure. As an application, we show that any two links related by mutation about a (2,−3)-pretzel tangle have the same δ-graded link Floer homology. This result relies on a computer calculation. In the third and last chapter, we specialise to 4-ended tangles. In this case, we give a reformulation of HFT^ with a glueing structure in terms of (what we call) peculiar modules. Together with a glueing theorem, we can easily recover oriented and unoriented skein relations for HFL^. Our peculiar modules also enjoy some symmetry relations, which support a conjecture about δ-graded mutation invariance of HFL^. However, stronger symmetries would be needed to actually prove this conjecture. Finally, we explore the relationship between peculiar modules and twisted complexes in the wrapped Fukaya category of the 4-punctured sphere. There are four appendices, some of which might be of independent interest: In the first appendix, we describe a general construction of dg categories which unifies all algebraic structures used in this thesis, in particular type A and type D modules from bordered theory. In the second appendix, we prove a generalised version of Kauffman’s clock theorem, which plays a major role for our decategorified invariants. The last two appendices are manuals for two Mathematica programs. The first is a tool for computing the generators of HFT^ and the decategorified tangle invariant ∇ˢ. The second allows us to compute bordered sutured Floer homology using nice diagrams.

Artificial intelligence is a concept based on making machines think. The disciplines that study this range from behavioral science to computer science and mathematics. The different approaches have contributed to categorize the field of artificial intelligence into different areas and the definitions of artificial intelligence are many. The aim of this study has been to investigate how IT consulting companies define and position themselves against artificial intelligence. To achieve this goal, literature on the subject has been studied to define artificial intelligence and to categorize the different areas of artificial intelligence. With the help of these areas, a survey has been conducted with IT consultancies as a target group. It turned out that most respondents work with different types of algorithms based on logic computations and big data, which differ from those areas experts believe will be significant for the future of AI. Both experts and the IT-consultancies are convinced that in the future neural networks will be one of the fields with greatest potential.

The study aims to review the regulatory powers exercised by the South African Revenue Services (SARS) with regard to the issuing, decline or revocation of a taxpayer’s tax clearance certificate, to highlight any remedial measures and procedures available to the aggrieved taxpayer in order to protect the right of taxpayers to fair administrative action in their dealings with SARS. Previously, a tax clearance certificate was not issued in terms of any statute or provision of any Tax Act. However, since the introduction of the Tax Administration Act, as amended (TAA), the issuing of the tax clearance certificates are more efficiently regulated. The issuing of tax clearance certificate’s must conform to the values and principles prescribed for under current legislation, and more particularly, as espoused under the Constitution of South Africa, 1996 (the Constitution). However, it has been reported some taxpayer were experiencing unreasonable and incomprehensible delays in obtaining responses to the objections lodged with SARS for assessment. Taxpayers seeking resolution of their disputes with SARS, currently opt to incur litigation costs in order to obtain appropriate relief from the High Courts. Taxpayers must take note that there is nothing in Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) or the common law, which empowers a Court to order an administrator to take action, including the making of a decision which the administrator is not lawfully allowed to make. The study highlights remedial measures and procedures available to the aggrieved taxpayer to prevent the misapplication of fiscal power by SARS in the issuing of the taxpayer’s compliance status, thus protecting the right to fair administrative action in their dealings with SARS. Taxpayers who are aggrieved by a decision taken by the Revenue Authority are encouraged to timeously address their grievances, commencing with the internal dispute resolution remedies provided for within the TAA. / Taxation

xviii, 216 p. : ill. (some col.) / The focus of this dissertation is on how language experience shapes perception of a non-native prosodic contrast. In Tokyo Japanese, fundamental frequency (F0) peak and fall are acoustic cues to lexically contrastive pitch patterns, in which a word may be accented on a particular syllable or unaccented (e.g., tsúru 'a crane', tsurú 'a vine', tsuru 'to fish'). In English, lexical stress is obligatory, and it may be reinforced by F0 in higher-level prosodic groupings. Here I investigate whether English listeners can attend to F0 peaks as well as falls in contrastive pitch patterns and whether training can facilitate the learning of prosodic categories. In a series of categorization and discrimination experiments, where F0 peak and fall were manipulated in one-word utterances, the judgments of prominence by naïve English listeners and native Japanese listeners were compared. The results indicated that while English listeners had phonetic sensitivity to F0 fall in a same-different discrimination task, they could not consistently use the F0 fall to categorize F0 patterns. The effects of F0 peak location and F0 fall on prominence judgments were always larger for Japanese listeners than for English listeners. Furthermore, the interaction between these acoustic cues affected perception of the contrast by Japanese, but not English, listeners. This result suggests that native, but not non-native, listeners have complex and integrated processing of these cues. The training experiment assessed improvement in categorization of Japanese pitch patterns with exposure and feedback. The results suggested that training improved identification of the accented patterns, which also generalized to new words and new contexts. Identification of the unaccented pattern, on the other hand, showed no improvement. Error analysis indicated that native English listeners did not learn to attend specifically to the lack of the F0 fall. To conclude, language experience influences perception of prosodic categories. Although there is some sensitivity to F0 fall in non-native listeners, they rely mostly on F0 peak location in language-like tasks such as categorization of pitch patterns. Learning of new prosodic categories is possible. However, not all categories are learned equally well, which suggests that first language attentional biases affect second language acquisition in the prosodic domain. / Committee in charge: Susan Guion Anderson, Chairperson; Melissa A. Redford, Member; Vsevolod Kapatsinki, Member; Kaori Idemaru, Outside Member

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No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao-william-tito-schuman-marinho.pdf: 1564748 bytes, checksum: 901cf14e5cdf77cf922cb8a7fc6e229a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-10-18 / A ideia central da teoria da justiça de John Rawls, a justiça como equidade, como elaborada desde os seus escritos iniciais até a “edição-tradução revista” de A theory of justice, é apresentar uma concepção de justiça que generalize e eleve a um nível mais alto de abstração a tradicional concepção do contrato social, tal como estabelecida por Locke, Rousseau e Kant. O contrato social, no entanto, é substituído por uma situação inicial que contém certas restrições (sobre a concepção de bem e pelo véu de ignorância) aos argumentos, com o objetivo de conduzir as partes a um consenso justo sobre princípios de justiça. Essa interpretação (mais geral e abstrata da concepção do contrato social) é alcançada por intermédio da ideia, tanto intuitiva, quanto fundamental e de justificação, da posição original. A posição original é apresentada como artifício hipotético e heurístico de representação, verdadeiro experimento do pensamento, e a sua construção é analisada segundo suas categorias próprias. Em linhas gerais, é ela uma situação hipotética de liberdade igual (definição) sobre o justo no status quo que, semelhante ao estado de natureza do contrato social (fundamento filosófico), assegura que pessoas livres e iguais (pressupostos), de forma racional, na condição de representantes dos cidadãos de uma sociedade bem-ordenada, sob um véu de ignorância (característica), escolham certa concepção de justiça, com a finalidade de chegar a um consenso sobre os princípios de justiça para a regulação, na cooperação entre todos, da estrutura básica da sociedade (objetivo). A perspectiva adotada na pesquisa é tanto histórica quanto interpretativa. É sugerida, logo na Introdução, uma reanálise da leitura da obra de John Rawls, considerando-a, na perspectiva histórico-evolutiva, não segundo sua “data de publicação”, mas segundo a “evolução de seus conceitos”. Por isso, a edição-revista de A theory of justice e Justice as fairness: A restatement, sob tal justificativa, são realocadas. No Capítulo 1 é apresentada uma visão geral sobre os pontos de vistas morais adotados, como justificativas, pela justiça como equidade. No Capítulo 2 é iniciada a descrição da “evolução conceitual” da posição original, segundo os escritos iniciais de John Rawls, em consideração aos anos de 1950 até 1971. Neste período são apresentados os elementos estruturais da posição original. No Capítulo 3 é analisada a posição original como estabelecida em A theory of justice, nos aspectos que diferem dos escritos anteriores e no que veio a ser considerado como mais polêmico. A “natureza” da posição original como “experimento do pensamento” é discutida. O Capítulo 4 retoma a descrição da “evolução conceitual” da posição original, mas, agora, a partir dos escritos posteriores a 1971, e institui um diálogo das ideias de John Rawls com outros, a partir de seus esclarecimentos, de suas réplicas e de suas (eventuais) revisões, considerando as críticas que lhe foram dirigidas após a edição original de A theory of justice até 1975, ano de publicação da sua “edição-tradução revista” em alemão. Como Conclusão, sugiro que a posição original, ao menos até 1975, é essencial ao sistema filosófico sobre a justiça de John Rawls; porém, isolada, é insuficiente para, no seu plano, justificar, seja inicialmente, a escolha dos dois princípios de justiça da justiça como equidade, ou, seja posteriormente, estabilizá-los. A justiça como equidade, nestas duas etapas ou graus de justificação, de escolha e de estabilidade – e sem considerar o “giro” do liberalismo político –, além da posição original, necessita, como “complemento”, de outras ideias fundamentais: a de pessoa, a de sociedade bem-ordenada e a de equilíbrio reflexivo. / The central idea of John Rawls’ theory of justice, the justice as fairness, as elaborated from his first writings up to the “translated-edition revised” of A theory of justice, is to present a conception of justice that generalizes and elevates to a higher level of abstraction the traditional concept of social contract, such as established by Locke, Rousseau and Kant. The social contract, however, is replaced by an initial situation that contains certain restrictions (about the conception of good and by the veil of ignorance) to the arguments, with the purpose of conducting the parties to a fair consensus about the principles of justice. This interpretation (more general and abstract of the conception of social contract) is reached through the idea, both intuitive and fundamental, and of justification of the original position. The original position is presented as hypothetical and heuristic artifice of representation, a real thought experiment, and its construction is analyzed according to its own categories. In outline, it is a hypothetical situation of equal liberty (definition) about the just in the status quo that, similar to the state of nature of the social contract (philosophical fundament), assures that free and equal persons (presuppositions), in a rational way, in the condition of representatives of citizens of a well-ordered society, under the veil of ignorance (characteristic), choose certain conception of justice, with the purpose of reaching a consensus about the principles of justice for the regulation, in the cooperation among all, of the basic structure of society (objective). The perspective adopted in the research is both historical and interpretative. It is suggested, soon in the Introduction, a re-analysis of the reading of John Rawls’s work, considering it, in the historicalevolutional perspective, not according to “the date of its publication”, but according to the “evolution of their concepts”. For that reason, the revised-edition of A theory of justice and Justice as fairness: A restatement, under such justification, are relocated. On Chapter 1 is presented a general view about the moral point of views adopted, as justifications, by the justice as fairness. On Chapter 2 is initiated a description of the “conceptual evolution” of the original position, according to John Rawls’s initial writings, in consideration to years 1950 to 1971. In that period, the structural elements of the original position are presented. On Chapter 3 is analyzed the original position as established in the A theory of justice, in the aspects that differ from previous writings and which came to be considered as the most controversial. The “nature” of original position as “thought experiment” is discussed. The Chapter 4 retakes the description of the “conceptual evolution” of the original position, but now beginning from writings after 1971 and establishes a dialogue of John Rawls’s ideas with others, starting from his explanations, his replies and his (eventual) revisions, considering the critiques directed to him after the original edition of A theory of justice, up to 1975, year of the publication of the “translatededition revised” in German. As Conclusion, I suggest that the original position, at least until 1975, it is essential to the John Rawls’s philosophical system about justice; however, isolated, it is not sufficient to, in his plan, justify, be initially, the choice of the two principles of justice of the justice as fairness, or, be later, to stabilize them. The justice as fairness, in these two stages or justifications degrees, of choice and of stability – and without considering the political liberalism’s “turn” – besides the original position, needs, as “complement”, of other fundamental ideas: of person, of well-ordered society and of reflective equilibrium.

Breeding of water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) began to expand throughout the world from the centre of the buffalo domestication - India in the last years, especially because of their hard working, flexibility and resistance to disease. Buffaloes are currently more kept in farm condition especially for the production of milk and meat. Because of buffaloes are often kept in condition developed for cattle, reproductive efficient is reduced and displaying of social and maternal behaviour is often unnatural. The aim of study is focused on ethology of water buffaloes kept in semi- natural conditions in zoological garden Dvorec. The findings can contribute to the creation of better conditions for these animals, which are kept on farms and thereby improve their overall performance.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-05-06Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:55:27Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 candido_fm_me_arafcl.pdf: 676521 bytes, checksum: 580c9e0d445ea04ddf1e6ef8524e4ea6 (MD5) / Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo investigar os diferentes padrões das construções nas quais o pois está inserido, visto que, como se observa, as gramáticas tradicionais fazem uma descrição superficial e inadequada do comportamento desse elemento. Analisa-se, também, essas construções sob a ótica da gramaticalização, a fim de verificar quais dessas construções estão mais gramaticalizadas. A gramaticalização é uma ferramenta de descrição lingüística por meio da qual é possível depreender mudanças semânticas e categoriais de um item ou uma construção. Pode ser analisada a partir de duas perspectivas: (i) diacrônica, que investiga a origem das formas gramaticais, descrevendo os caminhos que essa forma percorre durante o processo de mudança; e (ii) sincrônica, na qual é possível investigar os usos lingüísticos do ponto de vista dos padrões fluidos da linguagem, dentro de um determinado recorte de tempo. São sob esses enfoques que se analisam os usos do pois encontrados nos corpora. Para alcançar esse objetivo, adotam-se alguns critérios sintáticos e semânticos propostos por Bally (1965), além dos critérios que foram aplicados ao pois nos estudos lingüísticos descritivos de Guimarães (2007), Vogt (1978) e na discussão de Carone (1991) sobre coordenação e subordinação. A respeito dos pressupostos da gramaticalização, recorre-se às propostas de Traugott (1982), Traugott e König (1991) e Sweetser (1990) que focalizam a mudança semântico-pragmática, às hipóteses de Heine et al. (1991) e aos critérios de Hopper (1991), com o objetivo de verificar o grau de gramaticalidade das construções encontradas nos corpora. Com relação aos corpora, eles estão divididos quanto ao grau de formalidade e são compostos por textos epistolares e oratórios do século XVI ao XX, organizados por Barbosa (2008). Por essa investigação... / This research aims at investigating the different patterns in constructions presenting the word “pois”, taking into account that the description of this element’s behavior, in traditional grammars, is superficial and inadequate. Such constructions are also analyzed under the perspective of grammaticalization in order to verify which constructions are more grammaticalized. The grammaticalization is a tool used in linguistic description through which is possible to infer semantic and categorical changes suffered by an item or a construction. It can be analyzed considering two perspectives: (i) diachronic, that investigates the origin of the grammatical forms, describing all changes that such form has passed; and (ii) synchronic, in which is possible investigate the linguistic applications through the point of view of the language fluid patterns for a specific period of time. It is under this focus that the applications related to “pois” found in the corpora are analyzed. Besides the criteria applied to “pois” in the descriptive linguistic studies of Guimarães (2007), Vogt (1978) and the Carone’s discussion (1991) about coordination and subordination, some syntactic and semantic criteria proposed by Bally (1965) are also utilized in order to achieve the objective of this work. In respect to the grammaticalization’s presuppositions, the Traugott’s proposals (1982), Traugott and Konig (1991) and Sweetser (1990) who focus semantic-pragmatic change, the hypotheses of Heine el al. (1991) and the Hopper’s criteria (1991) are applied with the purpose of verifying the degree of grammaticality of the constructions found in the corpora. Related to the corpora, they are divided taking the degree of formality into account and they are composed of epistolary and oratory texts from the XVI and XX centuries, organized by Barbosa (2008). In this research, it was possible... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)