This thesis explores the theoretical foundations of cross-phase modulation (XPM) between optical fields in the N-configuration atom. This is the process by which the refractive index experienced by one field can be modulated by controlling the intensity of another. The electro-optical version of this effect was first discovered by John Kerr in 1875 and found applications in photonics as a means of very rapidly modulating the phase and intensity of electromagnetic fields. Due to recent advances in experimental techniques there has been growing interest in generating nonlinear optical interactions in coherently prepared atomic ensembles. The use of coherently prepared media brings the possibility of achieving a much larger cross-phase modulation than is possible using classical materials. This is particularly useful when trying to create large optical nonlinearities between low-intensity electromagnetic fields. Much of the current research into cross-phase modulation is directed towards realising potential applications in the emerging field of quantum information processing. Above all, the possibility of constructing an all-optical quantum computer has been at the heart of much research and controversy in the field. In this thesis the theory of steady-state, transient and pulsed cross-phase modulation is developed. Moreover, care has been taken to relate all research back to experimentally feasible situations. As such, the relevance of the theory is justified by consideration of the situation present in rubidium-87. Due to the close relationship between XPM in the N-configuration atom and electromagnetically induced transparency in the Lambda-atom, many similarities and insights act as link between these two fields. Indeed, it is frequently demonstrated that the key to understanding the various properties of XPM in the N-configuration atom is by comparison with the situation in the corresponding Lambda-atom equivalent.

This study provides an understanding on how Relationship Quality is conceptualised in business-to-business marketing relationships. It investigates the relationships of Jordanian Banks with their small and medium sized enterprise (SMEs) customers in terms of Commitment, Satisfaction, Trust, Communication, Transparency, Understanding, and Cooperation. It examines the antecedents and outcomes of the quality of corporate customer relationships by developing a conceptual model which empirically tests this relationship. This research builds and validates a research model based on the literature survey and uses a mixed methods approach. Qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews to achieve the goal of refining the initial research model. The second stage is a quantitative empirical study that uses a questionnaire and tests the empirical model generated in the first stage. This integration of methods provides a more complete view of this emerging area of marketing theory. Using Structural Equation Modelling; research findings support the use of a secondorder relationship quality construct consisting of Trust, Commitment, and Satisfaction as a direct outcome of a relationship and is named 'Attitudinal Loyalty'. Antecedents including; Transparency, Communication, Understanding and Cooperation were found to have a positive impact on relational outcome in a business-to-business context in Jordan. The importance of Transparency emerged as one of the most significant determinants of Relationship Quality, which is considered to be a new finding and not common among previous studies. Communication appears to make the biggest contribution overall and have direct and indirect relationships with other variables. It is therefore a major source of success in a business relationship. This research has several implications for the theory and practice. An important issue is the affects on change management. It requires the establishment of business communications to strengthen existing relationships and to form new ones. This implies developing an interactive approach with other parties. This study gives the banking industry an insight for developing their marketing strategy. It also provides a tool to assess the portfolio of relationships, which helps in targeting specific customers. Furthermore, Transparency in the flow of information imposes cultural change. Studying the Jordanian market can help to provide an insight into an emerging economy. Several qualitative findings showed that the relationship between banks and their small and medium enterprises is interesting. All this enriches and adds to the originality of this work and contributes to existing theory by investigating how relationships between partners can be enhanced.

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a governing mechanism whereby citizens decide how to allocate part of a local budget. It promises greater accountability, efficiency, and citizen participation in the budgetary process with minimal cost and effort. The process is in place in hundreds of cities in Latin America, but what is unclear in the scholarship is what factors and pre-conditions determine its success. This case study of Córdoba, Argentina is useful for analyzing whether a consideration of pre-conditions is useful in predicting success. This study isolates the primary influential factors to determine why only 10% of projects have been completed and participation rates are declining by: examining the structure, funding, history, and political and social context of participatory budgeting; comparing Córdoba to other similar countries that have adopted participatory budgeting; conducting key informant interviews; and participating in PB workshops. Of the pre-conditions identified in the study, waning political will and political distractions most influenced the evolution of PB in Córdoba. Despite these setbacks, key individuals both inside the government, such as Director of Participatory Budgeting Jorge Guevara, and outside, such as the members of the Grupo Promotor de Participación Ciudadana (GPPC), operated as a web to generate social capital where institutional knowledge and political will were lacking. The presence of such a web suggests that given the opportunity, PB in Córdoba may yet improve and thrive. I conclude by recommending a strategic planning methodology as a means for cities to independently evaluate their participatory budgeting performance. / text

In recent years there has been significant progress in increasing the scope, accuracy and flexibility of 3D photography methods. However there are still significant open problems where complex optical properties of mirroring or transparent objects cause many assumptions of traditional algorithms to break down. In this work we present three approaches that attempt to deal with some of these challenges using a few camera views and simple illumination. First, we consider the problem of reconstructing the 3D position and surface normal of points on a time-varying refractive surface. We show that two viewpoints are sufficient to solve this problem in the general case, even if the refractive index is unknown. We introduce a novel ``stereo matching'' criterion called refractive disparity, appropriate for refractive scenes, and develop an optimization-based algorithm for individually reconstructing the position and normal of each point projecting to a pixel in the input views. Second, we present a new method for reconstructing the exterior surface of a complex transparent scene with inhomogeneous interior. We capture images from each viewpoint while moving a proximal light source to a 2D or 3D set of positions giving a 2D (or 3D) dataset per pixel, called the scatter-trace. The key is that while light transport within a transparent scene's interior can be exceedingly complex, a pixel's scatter trace has a highly-constrained geometry that reveals the direct surface reflection, and leads to a simple ``Scatter-trace stereo'' algorithm for computing the exterior surface geometry. Finally, we develop a reconstruction system for scenes with reflectance properties ranging from diffuse to specular. We capture images of the scene as it is illuminated by a planar, spatially non-uniform light source. Then we show that if the source is translated to a parallel position away from the scene, a particular scene point integrates a magnified region of light from the plane. We observe this magnification at each pixel and show how it relates to the source-relative depth of the surface. Next we show how calibration relating the camera and source planes allows for robustness to specular objects and recovery of 3D surface points.

This thesis deals with a very important issue in government, i.e. the process of procuring goods and services. The state is the biggest consumer of goods and services in South Africa and with the increasing privatisation of government services, the ambit of procurement is expanding.<br /> <br /> Government procurement is afforded constitutional status in South Africa. Section 217 of the Constitution provides that the state must contract for goods or services in a manner which is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective. This does not prevent the state from using procurement as a policy instrument, i.e. to, for example, address past discriminatory policies and practices. Legislation must furthermore be enacted to make provision for the use of procurement as a policy tool.<br /> <br /> A number of statutes have been enacted to reflect the constitutional status of government procurement in South Africa. In addition to these statutes, government procurement decisions and procedures are regulated by the common law, in particular, the law of contract and the law of delict. The general rules of constitutional and administrative law also apply to government procurement.<br /> This thesis evaluates the way in which the legal regime in South Africa collectively gives effect to section 217 of the Constitution. First, the constitutional standard against which the elements of the legal regime can be measured is set out. In doing so, meaning is given to the different principles in section 217 (fairness, equity, transparency, competitiveness and cost-effectiveness) and attention is given to the legal nature of the principles and the relationship that exists between the different principles. The focus then shifts to how the principles are given effect to in legislation / how the courts give meaning to the different principles / whether there is compliance with the principles throughout the procurement process, i.e. from the time that the decision is made to procure goods or services until the conclusion of a contract and completion of contractual performances / and whether adequate provision is made for the effective enforcement of the principles in practice.<br /> <br /> It is argued that aside from a few shortcomings, the legal regime in South Africa generally gives adequate effect to section 217 of the Constitution. Not only has the procurement procedures and decisions of the state been constitutionalised, section 217 can be said to capture the most essential elements of a good procurement system. The principles of fairness, transparency and value for money, in particular, are generally regarded as the cornerstone of good procurement practices. The principles in section 217 will furthermore form part of South Africa&rsquo / s government procurement system for a very long period of time. The state will therefore always have to take serious account of the principles in section 217 and ensure compliance therewith.

During this study, the challenges and best practices of youth participation in problem identification, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes were investigated and the effect of project outcomes on the youth and its implications for community development observed. The use of the qualitative research methodology to examine the extent to which the youth are involved in the decision-making processes was employed. In addition, a literature review that pertained to youth development and participatory community development was conducted. In particular, the participatory concept, and its relation to the inclusion of the youth at the decision-making table, was examined. By providing evidence from the empirical data, an argument is presented that there are internal rigidities that are a hindrance to the youth in expressing their voice in the decision-making platform. However, the conclusion can be drawn that in order to understand the process of participatory development, it is crucial for the youth,community development practitioners and other stakeholders to understand the socio-economic conditions surrounding the youth as these will ensure positive programme outcomes as well as subsequent sustainable youth development.

Qatar is a small country in the Middle East which has used its oil wealth to invest in the country's infrastructure and education. The technology for Internet voting now exists or can be developed, but are the people of Qatar willing to take part in Internet voting for national elections?. This research identifies the willingness of government and citizens to introduce and participate in Internet voting (I-voting) in Qatar and the barriers that may be encountered when doing so. A secure I voting model for the Qatar government is then proposed that address issues of I-voting which might arise due to the introduction of such new technology. Recommendations are made for the Qatar government to assist in the introduction of I-voting. The research identifies the feasibility of I-voting and the government s readiness and willingness to introduce it. Multiple factors are examined: the voting experience, educational development, telecommunication development, the large number of Internet users, Qatar law which does not bar the use of I-voting and Qatar culture which supports I-voting introduction. It is shown that there is a willingness amongst both the people and the government to introduce I-voting, and there is appropriate accessibility, availability of IT infrastructure, availability of Internet law to protect online consumers and the existence of the e government project. However, many Qataris have concerns of security, privacy, usability, transparency and other issues that would need to be addressed before any voting system could be considered to be a quality system in the eyes of the voters. Also, the need to consider the security threat associated on client-side machines is identified where a lack of user awareness on information security is an important factor. The proposed model attempts to satisfy voting principles, introducing a secure platform for I-voting using best practices and solutions such as the smart card, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and digital certificates. The model was reviewed by a number of experts on Information Technology, and the Qatari culture and law who found that the system would, generally, satisfy voting principles, but pointed out the need to consider the scalability of the model, the possible cyber-attacks and the risks associated with voters computers. which could be reduced by enhancing user awareness on security and using secure operating systems or Internet browsers. From these findings, a set of recommendations were proposed to encourage the government to introduce I-voting which consider different aspects of I-voting, including the digital divide, e-literacy, I voting infrastructure, legal aspects, transparency, security and privacy. These recommendations were also reviewed by experts who found them to be both valuable and effective. Since literature on Internet voting in Qatar is sparse, empirical and non-empirical studies were carried out in a variety of surveys, interviews and experiments. The research successfully achieved its aim and objectives and is now being considered by the Qatari Government.

No description available.

More and more complex semi-automated systems are being developed, aiding human operators to collect and analyze data and information and even to recommend decisions and act upon these. The goal of such development is often to support the operators make better decisions faster, while at the same time decrease their workload. However, these promises are not always fulfilled and several incidents have highlighted the fact that the introduction of automated technologies might instead increase the need for human involvement andexpertise in the tasks carried out. The significance of communicating information regarding an automated system's performance and to explain its strengths and limitations to its operators is strongly highlighted within the system transparencyand operator-centered automation literature. However, it is not common that feedback containing system qualifiers is incorporated into the primary displays of the automated system, obscuring its transparency. In this thesis, we deal with the investigation of the effects of explaining and visualizing system reasoning and performance parameters in different domains on the operators' trust, workload and performance. Different proof-of-concept prototypes have been designed with transparency characteristics in mind, and quantitative and qualitative evaluations together with operators of these systems have been carried out. Our results show that the effects of automation transparency can positively influence the performance and trust calibration of operators of complex systems, yet possibly at the costs of higher workload and longer decision-making times. Further, this thesis provides recommendations for designers and developers of automated systems in terms of general design concepts and guidelines for developing transparent automated systems for the future. / Fler och fler komplexa semiautomatiserade system utvecklas idag, vilka hjälper operatörer att samla in och analysera data och information och även att rekommendera beslut och agera på dessa. Det yttersta målet med implementeringen av automatiserade system är ofta att hjälpa operatörerna att fatta bättre beslut snabbare och samtidigt minska deras arbetsbelastning. Dock blir detta inte alltid fallet och flera olyckor har uppmärksammat faktumet att introduktionen av automatiserade system istället kan öka behovet av mänsklig inblandning och expertis. Inom forskningsområden såsom automationstransparens och operatörscentrerad automation har vikten av att kommunicera information angående automationens prestanda betonats, likaså att förklara dess styrkor och svagheter för operatörerna. Dock är det inte vanligt att sådan meta-information inkorporeras i de automatiska systemens primära användargränssnitt, vilket kan försvåra det för operatörerna att tillgodogöra sig denna information. I denna avhandling undersöks effekterna av att förklara och visualisera semiautomatiserade systems resonerande och prestanda i olika domäner på operatörernas tillit till systemen, deras upplevda arbetsbörda och deras prestation. Olika konceptprototyper har designats med inkorporerade transparensegenskaper och kvalitativa och kvantitativa utvärderingar tillsammans med operatörer av dessa system har genomförts. Resultaten visar att automationstransparens kan ha positiva effekter på operatörers prestanda och tillitskalibrering, dock med möjliga kostnader i form av högre upplevd arbetsbelastning och längre beslutstider. Avhandlingen erbjuder även rekommendationer till designers och utvecklare i form av generella riktlinjer och designegenskaper vid utvecklandet av framtida transparenta semiautomatiserade stödsystem. / <p>The author is also affiliated to the university of Skövde</p><p>This research has been founded by The Swedish Governmental Agency for InnovationSystems (Vinnova) through the National Aviation Engineering Research Program(NFFP5-2009-01315) and supported by Saab AB.</p>

We are witnessing a time of unprecedented human impact on the natural environment. Coral reefs, one of the most biologically diverse and productive ecosystems, are at the forefront of enduring these human impacts. Despite widespread recognition of coral reef degradation, counter measures have not reached a scale to offset the threat. The magnitude of this and other environmental issues call for a deeper understanding of the role the private sector can play in sustainable development. In response to environmental pressures and the shortcomings of global-scale governance, private sustainability governance initiatives have developed. In the last decade, these initiatives have flourished, resulting in a diversity of formats including third-party certification, consumer product transparency systems, and industry roundtables. In many industries, these programs compete to define the transformation and evolution of sustainability governance in an industry. This dissertation draws on a case study of the marine cultured-pearl industry to highlight the early adoption dynamics of private sustainability governance initiatives. The marine cultured-pearl industry provides an illuminating case study for the adoption of private governance, based on the potential strength of the positive environmental impact and farm presence in ecologically vulnerable coral reef areas. Yet despite these strengths, no formal sustainability initiatives have developed. This research project explores the early adoption of private governance initiatives through a mixed-methodological, case-study approach. The first study, a quantitative survey of US jewelry consumers, examines the impacts of environmental messages on perceptions of luxury value. The second study assesses the effect of networked legitimacy on producer perceptions in private governance initiatives. The final study investigates the impact of value chain structure on competing private governance initiatives. The research results provide evidence of a strong business case for the development of industry-wide sustainability initiatives and highlights distinctions between the rival private governance initiatives. The US jewelry consumer research shows that consumer messages featuring sustainability standards to protect coral reefs outperform third-party certification on luxury attributes. The marine cultured-pearl producer research highlights the legitimacy advantages of consumer product transparency when compared to third-party certifications. The value chain research indicates that, when compared to third-party certifications, consumer product transparency systems have characteristics that provide an advantage in addressing producer upgrading opportunities. Results from each of the three studies highlight the potential advantages of consumer product transparency systems over third-party certification initiatives in this and other settings. These results helped inform participatory action research to assess alternative pathways for private sustainability governance.