In this research, Communicative Accommodation Theory (CAT) is investigated while native speakers address nonnative peers. For the intentions of this research, three native speakers of Canadian English were asked to have conversations with native and nonnative peers. The conversations were in the form of giving directions on the map. Later on, the participants’ formants and vowel durations were measured and used for comparing native-nonnative peer effect(s) on the speakers’ vowel formants and duration. Based on the analyses, it is suggested that accommodation may take place based on providing stereotypical vowel durations and formants, as well as reducing inter-token variations in the nonnative peer context.

Die vorliegende Analyse diente dem Ziel, Krankheitsschwerpunkte bei Rindern in den Jahren 1968 bis 1999 aus der Sicht der Medizinischen Tierklinik, Leipzig, nach Häufigkeit, Rasse-, Alters-, Jahreszeit- und Geschlechtsdisposition, Behandlungsdauer sowie –erfolg aufzuzeigen. In dem genannten Zeitraum wurden 2295 Rinderpatienten gemäß der Daten in den Kliniktagebüchern unter Berücksichtigung der wechselnden gesellschaftlichen und Besitzverhältnisse ausgewertet. Im Analysezeitraum nahmen Infektionskrankheiten ab, manche, wie z.B. Leukose, Brucellose und Tuberkulose, verschwanden ganz. Auch die Puerperale Hämoglobinurie sowie die Rachitis werden nicht mehr beobachtet. Dafür stieg der Anteil Verdauungsstörungen durch die Dislocatio abomasi beträchtlich an.

This thesis consists of four essays, mainly related to the fields of industrial organization and political economy. The focus is on deregulation of electricity retail markets and on the continued regulation of parts of such markets after the introduction of competition. The first essay is an empirical essay on the causes of deregulation. The timing of implementation of competition in retail electricity markets in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand is studied. One conclusion is that there exist important qualitative differences between the United States and Europe. While deregulation in the United States to a large extent seems to have been driven by consumer interest concerns, the influence from interest groups is more pronounced in Europe.The second (theoretical) and third (empirical) essays deal with the interaction between the regulation of distribution networks and the retail market. When the regulated and unregulated operations are conducted within vertically integrated companies the regulation may not only have an effect on the regulated market, but also affect the behavior in the unregulated market. In the third essay a test that uses prices to detect patterns of cross-subsidization is developed and used on Norwegian data. Especially the effects of a regulatory change on cross-subsidization behavior are analyzed. The results both highlight the importance of a well-designed regulation of the regulated market and give support to requirements of vertical separation between regulated and unregulated operations.The fourth essay is a study of domestic electricity demand. It is thus somewhat different than the other papers since it is not directly connected to the issue of electricity market deregulation. Since the energy sector is an essential part of any modern economy and energy production has considerable environmental effects, the sector has for a long time been subject to political interventions. To some extent the policy instruments available to the legislator are reduced by deregulations. The use of taxes to affect prices and thus the demand for electricity may at the same time become an even more important policy instrument and more difficult to implement due to the internationalization of the electricity market. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk., 2003

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, Center for Neuroscience. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on September 17, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

The current boilers at the Brunna plant were installed in 1979 using oil and solvents to produce steam for the production and heating of the plant. To reduce the carbon dioxide emissions in compliance with Fresenius Kabi strategy a new biofuel boiler is about to be installed. Since the steam demand has been reduced during the years and it’s expensive to install a new boiler this study has been performed to calculate the actual steam demand for the plant at different scenarios. A smaller boiler requires a lower investment, achieves higher efficency and contributes to reduced carbon dioxide emissions. This report is intended to supply the management with information so that a decision regarding investments and employees can be made. The result is presented as different possible scenarios that are of great importance when deciding which boiler effect that is needed. Destillation, heating and the production have a major impact and must be considered when installing a new boiler. The results show that a boiler should be between 2-4 MW net effect depending on which scenario that is most likely to occur.

La saisonnalité de la reproduction consiste en l’alternance entre des périodes d’activité et de repos sexuel. Ce phénomène s’observe chez les caprins de la région subtropicale du Mexique et rend impossible la reproduction à contre saison. La réintroduction d’un mâle dans un groupe de femelles peut rompre l’anoestrus saisonnier et rapidement stimuler leur activité ovarienne. Cependant, l’utilisation de boucs induits à un comportement sexuel intense pendant la période de repos sexuel au moyen d’un traitement lumineux –mâles photo-stimulés- est nécessaire afin d’assurer la qualité de la stimulation fournie par ceux-ci. Le temps de contact entre les sexes est un autre facteur pouvant moduler la réponse des femelles et il a longtemps été suggéré que ce contact devait être maintenu de manière continue (24h/24) pendant plusieurs jours afin que la majorité des femelles ovulent. L’objectif de cette thèse a été de déterminer si une réduction du temps de contact journalier entre les sexes diminue les réponses ovulatoire et reproductrice de chèvres en anoestrus saisonnier exposées aux mâles. / Seasonality of reproduction consists of alternations between periods of sexual activity and sexual rest (anoestrus). This seasonality is observed in goats from subtropical Mexico and makes impossible out-of-season reproduction. The reintroduction of a male in a group of females can break the seasonal anoestrus and quickly stimulate ovarian activity. However, the use of bucks induced to a high sexual activity during the sexual rest by a treatment of long days –photo-stimulated males- is necessary to ensure the quality of stimulation provided by them. The duration of contact between sexes is another factor that modulates the response of females and it has long been suggested that it should be maintained continuously (24h/24) for several days so that the majority of females ovulate. The purpose of this thesis was to determine whether a reduction of daily contact between sexes decrease ovulatory and reproductive responses of goats exposed to males during the seasonal anoestrus. The results indicate that duration of contact between sexes can be drastically reduced from 16 to 1 h per day without reducing the ovulatory and reproductive responses of females.

O presente trabalho investiga as transformações nas formas de prestação de trabalho e nos tempos de trabalho em razão do rearranjo das relações laborais e das novas tecnologias de comunicação e informação. O objetivo dessa dissertação é compreender se a reordenação do modelo de trabalho clássico e a proliferação das novas tecnologias de comunicação e informação compatibilizam-se com o regime de sobreaviso e se este serve como resposta aos novos problemas decorrentes da conexão e disponibilidade dos trabalhadores. Na primeira parte do trabalho é feita uma análise das formas de organização do trabalho que motivaram o desenvolvimento das normas de Direito do Trabalho que regulam o controle da jornada e do contexto fático que contribuiu para o surgimento das regras limitadoras da duração do trabalho. No segundo capítulo, analisa-se as transformações determinadas principalmente pelo modelo pós-industrial, marcado por um grande avanço das tecnologias da informação, que reformulou as características da duração do trabalho para o qual foi concebido o Direito do Trabalho tradicional. No terceiro capítulo aborda-se justamente os reflexos das transformações do mundo do trabalho especificamente sobre o modelo do sobreaviso, para verificar a compatibilidade das normas já existentes com os novos meios de prestação de trabalho. A abordagem do trabalho é marcada pelos métodos indutivo e dialético, e a técnica de pesquisa adotada é a documentação indireta, a partir de pesquisa documental e de pesquisa bibliográfica. Ao final, como resultado do estudo, compreende-se que o regime de sobreaviso não se revela adequado como única resposta aos problemas decorrentes das transformações dos modos de prestação de trabalho e dos tempos de trabalho, razão pela qual se faz necessário buscar alternativas para assegurar outras respostas a essas situações laborais. / This work investigates the transformations in work patterns and working times due to the rearrangement of labor relations and the new technologies of communication and information. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand whether the reorganization of the classic work model and the proliferation of new communication and information technologies are compatible with the 'oncall/ standby time" and whether it serves as an answer to the new problems arising from the connection and availability of workers. The first part of this paper analyzes the forms of labor organization that motivated the development of Labor Law rules that regulate the control of time and the context that contributed to the emergence of the regulations limiting the duration of work. In the second chapter, it is analyzed the transformations determined mainly by the post-industrial model, marked by a significant advance in information technology, which reformulated the characteristics of the duration of work for which the traditional Labor Law was conceived. In the third chapter, the consequences of the transformations of the labor world are explicitly approached on the model of "on call time/standby time," to check if the existing rules are compatible with the rearrangement of labor. This work approach is marked by the inductive and dialectical methods, and the research technique adopted is the indirect documentation, based on documentary research and bibliographic research. In the end, as a result of the study, it is understood that the "on call time/standby time" is not appropriate as the only answer to the problems arising from the changes of work and working hours, which is why it is necessary to seek alternatives to ensure other responses to these situations.

A ferrovia, fenômeno econômico e social de grande relevância no contexto da industrialização e urbanização da região sul do Brasil, é interpretada aqui pela narrativa etnográfica. A pesquisa, que tem por horizonte temático a duração e a memória coletiva da ferrovia sul-brasileira, apresenta narradores aposentados, colecionadores e militantes do patrimônio cultural. Assim, este estudo insere-se em uma perspectiva da Antropologia Visual e Antropologia Urbana e da Memória. A dissertação também agrega reflexões sobre o papel do antropólogo e a da restituição no âmbito de pesquisas relacionadas ao campo do patrimônio cultural. Desta forma traz contribuições para as discussões temáticas sobre a patrimonialização da memória ferroviária no Brasil. Neste estudo reconhecemos os ferroviários aposentados como narradores e etnocolecionadores, habitantes e protagonistas que significam e estetizam o patrimônio cultural ferroviário através das suas identidades mobilizadas na forma discursiva. / The railroad, an economic and social phenomenon of great relevance in the context of the southern region of Brazil, is interpreted here by the ethnographic narrative. The research, whose thematic horizon is the duration and the collective memory of the South Brazilian railroad, presents retired narrators, collectors and militants of cultural heritage. Thus, this study is inserted in a perspective of Visual Anthropology and Urban Anthropology and Memory. The dissertation also includes reflections on the role of anthropologist and restitution in the field of research related to the field of cultural heritage. In this way it contributes to the thematic discussions on the patrimonialization of the railway memory in Brazil. In this study we recognize the retired railwaymen as narrators and ethnocontainers, inhabitants and protagonists who signify and aesthetize the railway cultural heritage through their identities mobilized in the discursive form.

Peu de travaux se sont attachés à estimer les statistiques relatives aux crues fréquentes en sites non jaugés. Celles-ci ont de fait été délaissées par la communauté hydrologique, plus encline à s’intéresser aux événements extrêmes (périodes de retour d’au moins 10 ans) utilisés dans la gestion du risque inondation. Cependant, le régime des hautes eaux ne se limite pas à ces seules caractéristiques. Une bonne connaissance des crues modérées est requise dans de nombreux domaines comme l’hydroécologie ou l’hydromorphologie. La fréquente occurrence de ces crues implique en effet un modelage régulier du lit. Elles concourent ainsi à conditionner les habitats écologiques au sein des hydrosystèmes d’eau douce.L’objectif de cette thèse consiste à caractériser le régime des crues fréquentes, i.e. de périodes de retour de 1 à 5 ans, en France métropolitaine. Pour cela, il est nécessaire de considérer les chroniques disponibles au plan national, et d’en extraire l’information hydrologique pertinente. La constitution d’un échantillon fiable permettant une analyse robuste représente à ce titre une étape importante. La sélection de stations s’appuie sur une analyse des valeurs extrêmes de débit, extraites des chroniques de débit à pas de temps variable (longueur de la série, stationnarité, comportement des distributions statistiques…), ainsi que sur les informations fournies par les gestionnaires des stations hydrométriques. La démarche adoptée consiste à décrire les évènements de crues modérées dans un souci d’exhaustivité, à la fois en termes de débits mais aussi de volumes, selon une analyse multi-durées décrite par les courbes QdF (débit-durée-fréquence), qui fournissent les quantiles de crue (pic et volumes). Le modèle QdF convergent exploité ici permet de réduire à 3 le nombre de paramètres descriptifs du régime des crues.Pour caractériser le régime des crues fréquentes sur l’ensemble du réseau hydrographique français, la démarche intègre la mise en œuvre de méthodes dites « de régionalisation ». Il s’agit de transférer l’information hydrologique disponible aux sites de mesures vers l’ensemble du réseau hydrographique français. Plusieurs approches ont été envisagées. Ainsi, des formulations empiriques établies sur des découpages régionaux ont été mises en œuvre. Fréquemment utilisée, cette technique nécessite de limiter le nombre de stations présentant des enregistrements disjoints afin d’éviter le risque de représenter une variabilité temporelle plutôt qu’un effet spatial. Le respect de cette contrainte entraîne une perte de 30% de stations hydrométriques de l’échantillon initial.C’est pour limiter cette perte d’information non négligeable que la méthode TREK (Time-REferenced data Kriging) a été développée. Cet algorithme de cartographie a été conçu afin de prendre en compte le support temporel des données disponibles en plus du support spatial. Les données disponibles participent plus ou moins aux estimations selon leur période d'observation propre. TREK permet ainsi d'atténuer la perte de données provoquée par le recours à une période de référence commune ou un seuil maximal de lacunes autorisées. Pour répondre aux objectifs de la thèse, les différentes méthodes d’estimation en sites non jaugés sont mises en œuvre et leur efficience est évaluée dans le cadre d’une validation croisée. Cette démarche de comparaison objective permet de sélectionner le modèle optimal pour caractériser le régime des crues fréquentes sur le réseau hydrographique français. / Only a few studies have focused on frequent floods regimes at ungauged locations. Most of works have put their efforts on extreme flood events (return periods of 10 years or more) needed for solving many engineering issues in flood risk management. However, high flows regime is not confined to extremes values. A good understanding of frequent floods is required in a wide array of topics like hydroecology and hydromorphomology. Frequent floods provide many functions, maintaining and rejuvenating ecological habitats and influencing the geomorphology of the streambed, so their distribution must be also known.The main objective of this work is to characterise the frequent floods from a statistical point of view (with a return period between 1 and 5 years) in France. Forming the dataset is a preliminary crucial step to derive both robust and reliable statistics. The selection relies on different criteria, for example related to the quality of discharge measurements, the length of records, the self-assessment of people in charge, and finally on an analysis of extreme values extracted from time series (stationarity, shape of the distributions…).A comprehensive description of frequent floods regimes (intensity, duration and frequency) is required. It is achieved by applying the flow-duration–frequency (QdF) model which takes into account the temporal dynamics of floods. This approach is analogous to the intensity-duration–frequency (IdF) model commonly used for extreme rainfall analysis. At gauged locations, the QdF model can be summarised with only three parameters: the position and scale parameters of the exponential distribution fitted to the samples of instantaneous peak floods and a parameter homogeneous to a decay time computed from observed data.Different regionalisation methods were applied for estimating these three QdF parameters at ungauged locations. Regionalisation methods rely on the concept of transferring hydrological information from a site of measurement to ungauged sites. However these approaches require simultaneous records to avoid that the map is spoiled by temporal variability rather than display truly spatial patterns. Regional empirical formulas were derived but the constraints discussed above lead to discard 30% of the dataset.Time-REferenced data Kriging method (TREK) has been developed to overcome this issue. This alogrithm was developped in order to account the temporal support over which the variable of interest has been calculated, in addition to its spatial support. This approach aims at reducing the loss of data caused by the selection of a common reference period of records required to build a reliable dataset. The performances of each method have been assessed by cross-validation and a combination of best features is finally selected to map the frequent flow features over France.

The goal of the paper is to compare impacts of interest rate risk measuring meth-ods on capital requirements. The first section identifies methods for measuring interest rate risk and capital requirements for interest rate risk set by regulators. The second section compares capital requirements of model portfolio calculated by using standardized methods as well as internal models.