This thesis describes the construction of a mobile Insect Monitoring Radars (IMR) and investigations of: the reliability of IMRs for observing insect migration in inland Australia; possible biases in IMR migration estimates; the relation between an insect???s size and its radar properties; radar discrimination between insect species; the effect of weather on the migrations of Australian plague locusts and of moths; the scale of these migrations; and here IMRs are best located. The principles of entomological radar design, and the main features of insect migration in inland Australia, are reviewed. The main procedures used in the study are: calculation of radar performance and of insect radar cross sections (RCSs); reanalysis of a laboratory RCS dataset; statistical analysis of a fouryear dataset of IMR and weather observations; and a field campaign using both two existing fixed IMRs and the new mobile unit. Statistical techniques used include correlation, multiple regression, discriminant analysis, and principal components analysis. The original results of this work include design details of the mobile IMR, extension of radar performance calculations to IMRs and evaluation of flight speed biases, a holistic approach to IMR design, the relation of insect RCS magnitudes and polarization patterns to morphological variables, an estimate of the accuracy of the retrieved parameters, evaluations of three approaches (oneparameter, theory-based, and a novel two-stage method) to target identification, and verification of inferred target identities using results from nearby light traps. Possible sites for future IMRs are identified. The major conclusions are that: a mobile IMR can be built with a performance equal to that of a fixed IMR but at half the cost; significant biases in the signal processing results arise from insect speed; locusts and moths can be distinguished if all RCS parameters are used; IMRs can be designed to match particular requirements; weather has a significant effect on insect migration, the best single predictor of insect numbers being temperature; moonlight has no effect; the spatial correlation of migration properties falls to 50% at a separation of 300 km; and migrating insects can be carried by the wind for 500 km in a single night

Diss. (sammanfattning)--Lund : Lunds, 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2007. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

This study examined the impact of tourism on the environment and Jeddah citizens’ perceptions toward tourism in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The sample consisted of citizens who reside in the city of Jeddah. The variables analyzed included the following: cleanliness of the city, crowding, access to facilities, availability of water, and the quality of air and sea. An explanatory research design was utilized to generate the study, and purposive sampling was employed to gather the analysis. A total of 115 participants participated in the study. The study results suggested that cleanliness of the city, crowding, access to facilities, availability of water, and the quality of air and sea affect the perception of Jeddah citizens toward tourism. Particularly, both crowding and quality of air and sea were significant predictors of perceptions toward tourism.

Les études théoriques en épidémiologie utilisent principalement des équations différentielles pour étudier (voire tenter de prévoir) les processus infectieux liés aux maladies contagieuses, souvent sous des hypothèses peu réalistes (ex: des populations spatialement homogènes). Cependant ces modèles ne sont pas bien adaptés pour étudier les processus épidémiologiques à différentes échelles et ils ne sont pas efficaces pour prédire correctement les épidémies. De tels modèles devraient notamment être liés à la structure sociale et spatiale des populations. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons un ensemble de nouveaux modèles dans lesquels différents niveaux de spatialité (par exemple la structure locale de la population, en particulier la dynamique de groupe, la distribution spatiale des individus dans l'environnement, le rôle des personnes résistantes, etc.) sont pris en compte pour expliquer et prédire la façon dont des maladies transmissibles se développent et se répandent à différentes échelles, même à l'échelle de grandes populations. La manière dont les modèles que nous avons développé sont paramétrés leur permet en outre d'être reliés entre eux pour bien décrire en même temps le processus épidémiologique à grande échelle (population d'une grande ville, pays ...) mais avec précision dans des zones de surface limitée (immeubles de bureaux, des écoles). Nous sommes d'abord parvenus à inclure la notion de groupes dans des systèmes d'équations différentielles de modèles SIR (susceptibles, infectés, résistants) par une réécriture des dynamiques de population s'inspirant des réactions enzymatiques avec inhibition non compétitive : les groupes (une forme de complexe) se forment avec des compositions différentes en individus S, I et R, et les individus R se comportent ici comme des inhibiteurs non compétitifs. Nous avons ensuite couplé de tels modèles SIR avec la dynamique globale des groupes simulée par des algorithmes stochastiques dans un espace homogène, ou avec les dynamiques de groupe émergentes obtenues dans des systèmes multi-agents. Comme nos modèles fournissent de l'information bien détaillée à différentes échelles (c'est-à-dire une résolution microscopique en temps, en espace et en population), nous pouvons proposer une analyse de criticité des processus épidémiologiques. Nous pensons en effet que les maladies dans un environnement social et spatial donné présentent des signatures caractéristiques et que de telles mesures pourraient permettre l'identification des facteurs qui modifient leur dynamique.Nous visons ainsi à extraire l'essence des systèmes épidémiologiques réels en utilisant différents modèles mathématique et numériques. Comme nos modèles peuvent prendre en compte les comportements individuels et les dynamiques de population, ils sont en mesure d'utiliser des informations provenant du BigData, collectée par les technologies des réseaux mobiles et sociaux. Un objectif à long terme de ce travail est d'utiliser de tels modèles comme de nouveaux outils pour réduire les épidémies en guidant les rythmes et organisation humaines, par exemple en proposant de nouvelles architectures et en changeant les comportements pour limiter les propagations épidémiques. / Theoretical studies in epidemiology mainly use differential equations, often under unrealistic assumptions (e.g. spatially homogeneous populations), to study the development and spreading of contagious diseases. Such models are not, however, well adapted understanding epidemiological processes at different scales, nor are they efficient for correctly predicting epidemics. Yet, such models should be closely related to the social and spatial structure of populations. In the present thesis, we propose a series of new models in which different levels of spatiality (e.g. local structure of population, in particular group dynamics, spatial distribution of individuals in the environment, role of resistant people, etc) are taken into account, to explain and predict how communicable diseases develop and spread at different scales, even at the scale of large populations. Furthermore, the manner in which our models are parametrised allow them to be connected together so as to describe the epidemiological process at a large scale (population of a big town, country ...) and with accuracy in limited areas (office buildings, schools) at the same time.We first succeed in including the notion of groups in SIR (Susceptible, Infected, Recovered) differential equation systems by a rewriting of the SIR dynamics in the form of an enzymatic reaction in which group-complexes of different composition in S, I and R individuals form and where R people behave as non-competitive inhibitors. Then, global group dynamics simulated by stochastic algorithms in a homogeneous space, as well emerging ones obtained in multi-agent systems, are coupled to such SIR epidemic models. As our group-based models provide fine-grain information (i.e. microscopical resolution of time, space and population) we propose an analysis of criticality of epidemiological processes. We think that diseases in a given social and spatial environment present characteristic signatures and that such measurements could allow the identification of the factors that modify their dynamics.We aim here to extract the essence of real epidemiological systems by using various methods based on different computer-oriented approaches. As our models can take into account individual behaviours and group dynamics, they are able to use big-data information yielded from smart-phone technologies and social networks. As a long term objective derived from the present work, one can expect good predictions in the development of epidemics, but also a tool to reduce epidemics by guiding new environmental architectures and by changing human health-related behaviours.

Barn med diagnosen intellektuell funktionsnedsättning, ADHD och autism kan uppleva en minskad delaktighet i sociala relationer och i samhället. Dessa diagnoser kan medföra symtom som kan ha en negativ påverkan på utförandet i vardagliga aktiviteter. Studier visar att ett symtom som påverkar aktivitetsutförandet hos dessa barn är den sensoriska bearbetningen av stimuli i barnets omgivning. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att beskriva hur sinnesrum kan användas som åtgärd hos barn med intellektuella funktionsnedsättningar, ADHD och/eller autism för ökad delaktighet i deras aktivitetsutförande. Examensarbetet var en Scoping Review där 20 artiklar och kapitel från en bok har inkluderats. Inklusionskriterier för artiklarna var studier om barn upp till 18 år, diagnostiserade med ADHD och autism samt användning av sinnesrum och sensorisk bearbetning vid ADHD och autism. Artiklarna skulle antingen vara kvantitativa-, kvalitativa- eller systematiska litteraturstudier. I de systematiska litteraturstudierna granskades dess referenslistor för att utesluta att en artikel inte redan blivit granskad. Artiklarna skulle vara skrivna på svenska eller engelska publicerade mellan 2005 och maj 2018, finnas tillgängliga i fulltext samt vara peer reviewed. Resultatet beskriver hur sinnesrum kan användas som en sensorisk integrationsåtgärd för examensarbetets målgrupp och dess effekter samt hur sinnesrummet erbjuder olika slags stimuli som ska tillfredsställa barnets sensoriska behov, vilket kan bidra till en positiv effekt genom ökat aktivitetsutförande och delaktighet. Slutsatsen är att sinnesrum är en sensorisk integrationsåtgärd som kan användas som åtgärd av arbetsterapeuter och kan erbjudas till barn med ADHD och autism som ger positiva effekter på deras delaktighet i aktivitetsutförandet. / Children diagnosed with intellectual disability, ADHD och autism may experience that they have a reduced participation in their social network and the community. These diagnoses have symptoms that may have negative impact on the performance in the daily activities. According to studies, one of the symptoms that has an impact on the occupational performance for these children is the sensory processing of the stimuli in the child’s environment. The purpose of this bachelor thesis was to describe how a multisensory room can be used as an intervention for children with intellectual disabilities, ADHD and/or autism to increase participation. The bachelor thesis was a Scoping Review where 20 articles and chapters from a book was included. Inclusion criteria for the articles was studies about children to the age of 18 years, diagnosed with ADHD and/-or autism, use of a multisensory room and sensory processing in children with ADHD and autism. The articles could be a quantitative-, qualitative-, or systematic review studies. The reference lists of the systematic reviews studies were reviewed to exclude that an article wasn't already reviewed. The articles would be written in Swedish or English, published between 2005 and May 2018, would be available in full text and peer reviewed, The results describes how a multisensory room can be used as an intervention for the population of the bachelor thesis, the effects and how the multisensory room offers different stimuli that can satisfy the child’s sensory needs. This can contribute to a positive effect by increasing the occupational performance and participation. The conclusion is that occupational therapists can use multisensory rooms as an intervention and it can be offered to children with ADHD and autism and it shows a positive effect on their participation in their occupational performance.

Esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida dentro da temática sobre motivação para aprender música e teve como objetivo geral investigar a interação entre os fatores individuais e ambientais que motivam os alunos para continuar seus estudos em música fora da escola. Segundo a literatura, os fatores individuais referem-se às crenças, às percepções e às características pessoais dos alunos, enquanto os fatores ambientais relacionam-se às experiências em determinado local e momento de vida, bem como com as interações estabelecidas com as pessoas desse ambiente. Como objetivos específicos, esta pesquisa verificou o papel do ambiente (pais, família, professores, pares e contexto escolar) e investigou os fatores individuais (metas e autoconceito) que possuem relação com a motivação para continuar os estudos em música fora da escola. O referencial teórico adotado foi o modelo de motivação em música (HALLAM, 2002, 2005, 2006), pois contempla a interação entre os dois tipos de fatores: individuais e ambientais. O método utilizado foi o estudo de entrevistas, com alunos das séries finais do ensino fundamental que possuíam aula de música na escola desde as séries iniciais e que optaram por estudar música fora da escola após a quinta série. Apoiada na literatura da educação e da educação musical, esta pesquisa justifica-se pela possibilidade de compreender tanto os diferentes fatores envolvidos na interação entre o indivíduo e o ambiente durante a aprendizagem musical quanto a maneira pela qual esses fatores incentivam o aluno a continuar os estudos em música. Os resultados apontaram para uma forte relação entre os fatores individuais e ambientais e para a correspondência entre a motivação para aprender música dentro da escola e a motivação para continuar os estudos em música fora da escola. Esses resultados poderão colaborar para o aprimoramento pedagógico dos professores de música, além de permitir reflexões e oferecer subsídios que possam melhorar a motivação dos alunos para aprender música, dentro e fora da escola. / This research is about motivation to learn music. Its general aim was to investigate the interaction between individual and environmental factors which motivate students to continue their studies in music outside school. According to literature, individual factors refer to students’ beliefs, perceptions and personal characteristics, whilst environmental factors are related to life experiences in some places and at some times, as well as the interaction with others. The specific aims to this research was to verify the role of environment (parents, family, teachers, peers and school context), as well as investigate individual factors (goals and self-concept about abilities) in students’ choice in continuing to learn music outside school. The theoretical framework adopted was the model of motivation in music (Hallam, 2002, 2005, 2006), because it considers the interactions between individual and environmental factors. The method chosen was the interview study, with middle school students who attended music classes at school since first cycle of fundamental education, and opted to study music outside school after the fifth grade. Based both on the education and the music education literature, the reason of this research is the possibility of understanding not only the different factors involved in the interaction between the individual and the environment during the musical learning, but also the way these factors motivate the student to continue studying music. The results of this research revealed a close link between individual and environmental factors. Moreover, data showed the relation between motivation to learn music inside school and motivation to continue music outside school.

Esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida dentro da temática sobre motivação para aprender música e teve como objetivo geral investigar a interação entre os fatores individuais e ambientais que motivam os alunos para continuar seus estudos em música fora da escola. Segundo a literatura, os fatores individuais referem-se às crenças, às percepções e às características pessoais dos alunos, enquanto os fatores ambientais relacionam-se às experiências em determinado local e momento de vida, bem como com as interações estabelecidas com as pessoas desse ambiente. Como objetivos específicos, esta pesquisa verificou o papel do ambiente (pais, família, professores, pares e contexto escolar) e investigou os fatores individuais (metas e autoconceito) que possuem relação com a motivação para continuar os estudos em música fora da escola. O referencial teórico adotado foi o modelo de motivação em música (HALLAM, 2002, 2005, 2006), pois contempla a interação entre os dois tipos de fatores: individuais e ambientais. O método utilizado foi o estudo de entrevistas, com alunos das séries finais do ensino fundamental que possuíam aula de música na escola desde as séries iniciais e que optaram por estudar música fora da escola após a quinta série. Apoiada na literatura da educação e da educação musical, esta pesquisa justifica-se pela possibilidade de compreender tanto os diferentes fatores envolvidos na interação entre o indivíduo e o ambiente durante a aprendizagem musical quanto a maneira pela qual esses fatores incentivam o aluno a continuar os estudos em música. Os resultados apontaram para uma forte relação entre os fatores individuais e ambientais e para a correspondência entre a motivação para aprender música dentro da escola e a motivação para continuar os estudos em música fora da escola. Esses resultados poderão colaborar para o aprimoramento pedagógico dos professores de música, além de permitir reflexões e oferecer subsídios que possam melhorar a motivação dos alunos para aprender música, dentro e fora da escola. / This research is about motivation to learn music. Its general aim was to investigate the interaction between individual and environmental factors which motivate students to continue their studies in music outside school. According to literature, individual factors refer to students’ beliefs, perceptions and personal characteristics, whilst environmental factors are related to life experiences in some places and at some times, as well as the interaction with others. The specific aims to this research was to verify the role of environment (parents, family, teachers, peers and school context), as well as investigate individual factors (goals and self-concept about abilities) in students’ choice in continuing to learn music outside school. The theoretical framework adopted was the model of motivation in music (Hallam, 2002, 2005, 2006), because it considers the interactions between individual and environmental factors. The method chosen was the interview study, with middle school students who attended music classes at school since first cycle of fundamental education, and opted to study music outside school after the fifth grade. Based both on the education and the music education literature, the reason of this research is the possibility of understanding not only the different factors involved in the interaction between the individual and the environment during the musical learning, but also the way these factors motivate the student to continue studying music. The results of this research revealed a close link between individual and environmental factors. Moreover, data showed the relation between motivation to learn music inside school and motivation to continue music outside school.

The overall efficiency of plants to remediate soils contaminated by metals depends on their growth ability especially on soils with low-fertility. For twelve weeks, the ability of Psoralea pinnata to grow well and remove chromium and iron from artificially contaminated soil was tested. The concentrations of chromium and iron in two soils obtained from different sources namely, University of South Africa premises (US) and commercial potting soil (PS) were 80 ppm, 130ppm, 180ppm, 230ppm, 280ppm, 330ppm, 380pp, 430ppm and 480ppm. Psoralea pinnata was transplanted into the contaminated soils and the experiments were watered daily to maintain 70% moisture at field capacity in a greenhouse. Shoot height and root length of Psoralea pinnata before and after planting were measured. Other parameters that were measured were number of leaves, wet shoot and dry weights, and wet root and dry weights. The growth of Psoralea pinnata, after 12 weeks of experimentation was noticeably affected by the concentrations of chromium and iron in the soil. The percentage increases in shoot height of Psoralea pinnata in the PS Soil (C-PS, 48cm from initial shoot height of 12.6cm) treatments were generally higher than the increases in the US Soil (C-US, 45.2cm from initial shoot height of 12.8cm) treatments. Psoralea pinnata in the (US) treatments accumulated Fe (50.02 ppm) from the soil more than Cr (32.38ppm). In the (PS) treatments, Psoralea pinnata also accumulated more Fe (60.57 ppm) than Cr (38.34 ppm). In the experiments containing both Fe and Cr, the US treatments with 40 ppm each of Cr and Fe, chromium was initially mostly accumulated by Psoralea pinnata (68%). At higher concentrations (320 ppm) of the combined metals (Cr and Fe) treatment, more Fe (55%) was accumulated in Psoralea pinnata. This study however showed that Psoralea pinnata may not be an efficient phytoextraction plant for hyperaccumulation. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

L'utilisation du biote dans le suivi de la contamination métallique des milieux aquatiques est aujourd'hui une approche pertinente, car elle permet (i) de répondre aux difficultés analytiques liées à la présence des métaux à faible dose dans l'eau, (ii) d'intégrer la contamination dans le temps et (iii) de renseigner sur la biodisponibilité des métaux et leur potentiel toxique. Toutefois, l'interprétation des niveaux de contamination des organismes en termes de contamination biodisponible des milieux est difficile car elle dépend de facteurs confondants (physicochimiques et biologiques). Dans ce contexte, l'objectif de ce travail de thèse est d'étudier la variabilité des capacités de bioaccumulation des métaux par voie dissoute chez le gammare, en s'appuyant sur un modèle cinétique. Des expérimentations en laboratoire ont permis d'étudier l'influence de facteurs physicochimiques (cations majeurs de l'eau) et biologiques (histoire de vie) sur les constantes d'accumulation et d'élimination du modèle pour le Cd, le Cu, le Ni et le Pb. Les résultats de ces travaux ont montré l'importance de prendre en compte l'influence des teneurs calciques du milieu et la pré-exposition des gammares à certains métaux dans l'interprétation de la bioaccumulation. Des suivis de la contamination dans des gammares transplantés in situ à l'échelle de la France ont montré les limites du modèle pour relier la contamination du milieu à celle des organismes. Ainsi, pour une meilleure caractérisation de la contamination biodisponible des milieux, il est nécessaire d'approfondir les connaissances sur l'influence d'autres facteurs physicochimiques et sur l'importance de la voie trophique comme source de contamination biodisponible pour les gammares / The use of biota in order to monitor metallic contamination in freshwaters is a relevant tool to (i) overcome difficulties of measuring low concentrations in water, (ii) integrate metal fluctuations over time and, (iii) quantify the bioavailable fraction of metals, considered as potentially toxic. However, the interpretation of metal contents in aquatic organisms in terms of bioavailable contamination in freshwaters remains complex because it depends on confounding factors (physicochemical and biotic factors). In this context, the aim of this work was to study the variability of waterborne metal bioaccumulation abilities in gammarids, using the kinetic model. In the laboratory, the influence of water chemistry (major ions) and biological factors (local acclimation) on the accumulation and elimination rate constants of the kinetic model was assessed. The results showed that the consideration of calcium concentrations in water and the pre-exposure of gammarids to some metals were crucial for a reliable interpretation of bioaccumulation. Meanwhile, metal contamination was followed in transplanted gammarids at the national-scale (France) and showed the limits of kinetic modelling to link metal contamination in water to bioaccumulation. Therefore, to better characterize the bioavailable contamination in freshwaters, it is necessary to further study the influence of other physicochemical factors, such as temperature, and the importance of food as a source of bioavailable metals for gammarids