The purpose of this dissertation is to study the fantastic in the tales of the Italian children’s author Gianni Rodari. This analysis is grounded in the hypothesis that the fantastic is primarily characterized by two esthetic qualities, play and lightness, both of which are manifested at different levels in these texts, as well as in the relation between children and adults. As a background for the textual analysis in the present work, an introductory review is provided of previous research, followed by a historical and theoretical consideration of fantastical children’s literature, together with a study of Rodari’s own relation to the fantastic. For previous research, the results clearly indicate an arbitrary relationship to Rodari’s texts, such that the fantastic is admittedly recognized, but is often confused with the fairy-tale. However, the present review of the history of Italian fantastical literature for children indicates that Rodari is writing in a fantastical and humorous tradition that begins with Pinocchio, a tradition that is inter alia characterized by its ability to bridge the gap between children’s and adult literature. Based on theoretical definitions of the fairy-tale (Propp, Thompson, Lüthi) and the fantastic (Todorov, Rabkin, Jackson, Held), the present work presents its own model for the study of Rodari’s texts, which are also compared with the author’s own poetics, The Grammar of Fantasy. A narratological analysis of a tale with both a children’s and an adult version (in itself an example of crosswriting) demonstrates that the fantastic and the humoristic are given freer rein when Rodari is writing for children. This appears to be linked to his concept of the child as the ideal reader, a reader primarily defined by an open and unprejudiced attitude to literature, rather than by age per se. The dissertation’s study of play and lightness (lack of weight) clearly confirms the hypothesis that these elements are a major component of the fantastic in Rodari’s texts; the results nevertheless indicate that play dominates on the level of language, and lightness on that of content. One of the most important results of this dissertation is that Rodari’s texts, in addition to possessing certain stylistic characteristics, do not demonstrate any deeper similarities to fairy tales. Instead, the author’s tales share numerous characteristics with the traditional concept of the fantastic such as a clear reaction to the supernatural element, and a particular interest in both the material nature of language and existential liminal regions. At the same time, the results indicate several specific characteristics that distinguish the fantastic in Rodari from that which is written for adults, such as its explicit grounding in the child’s everyday existence and imaginative world, as well as its backgrounding of frightening aspects, with prominence instead being given to playfulness.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-149). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / vi, 149 leaves, bound ill. (some col.), col. map 29 cm

Between 1914 and 1945 the Australian air services, the Australian Flying Corps (AFC ??? 1914 to 1919), the Australian Air Corps (AAC ??? 1920 to 1921) and their successor, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF ??? 1921 to 1945), developed from a marginally effective air arm into a major air force with a continental strike capability. The interwar period saw a series of pioneering flights which not only laid the foundations for the air defence of Australia but also assisted in national development. Essential to the development of the AFC and the RAAF was the practice of air navigation. While much has been written on World War II RAAF operations, almost nothing has been published on the policy, training and practice of air navigation in support of wartime operations or the interwar period. This omission is addressed by the examination of air navigation in the AFC and the RAAF from the rudiments of World War I to the emergence of air navigation as a critical specialist function which culminated in its practice in World War II tactical and strategic air operations. It was the wartime development of Australian air power between 1939 and 1945, and the parallel practice of advanced navigation techniques, that underscored Australia???s contribution to the allied air offensive.

Com a evolução dos projetos de multirotores e dos seus componentes, os projetistas vem tendo inúmeras opções de combinações de componentes na fase de projeto do multirotor, buscando melhor performance e menor custo. Isto deixa um problema em aberto: como atingir o multirotor pode atingir uma boa performance ainda na fase de projeto. A motivação para realização deste estudo se justifica no fato que não há trabalhos relacionado ao levantamento de métricas e análise de performance dos multirotores. Assim como o fator de não haver formas de mensurar a qualidade dos projetos e ter possibilidade de comparação, uma vez que tem-se várias formas de projetar um multirotor para diferentes aplicações. Este trabalho propõe uma abordagem para a análise do projeto de multirotores em termos de sua capacidade de voo (definida como voabilidade), levando em consideração as características de seus rotores, peso e topologia. O principal objetivo é apresentar uma forma de qualificar e quantificar uma aeronave multirotor para otimizar seu projeto. A abordagem discutida tem como objetivo analisar as habilidades de voo dos multirotores em seu projeto teórico para suportar os requisitos de projeto (como tamanho da hélice, torque do motor, topologia de armação), garantindo as capacidades de voo exigidas pela tarefa. Como resultado deste trabalhos, um conjunto de índices foi proposto para avaliar a qualidade de projeto de multirotores, sendo eles: voo, estabilidade, posicionamento e flutuação. A soma destes índices compõem o índice de voabilidade. Este índice oferece a possibilidade de comparação da análise do veículo em função das especificações do conjunto motor, hélice, topologia e tamanho do quadro. Para a validação destas métricas, uma análise das topologias tradicionais foi realizada, permitindo uma comparação em função do desempenho e esforço delas. / With an evolution of the multi-curral projects and their components, the designers have been having numerous options of combinations of components in the multirotor design phase, seeking better performance and lower cost. This leaves an open problem: as what the multirotor can achieve a good performance still in the design phase. One motivation to carry out this study is justified in that there are no works related to the survey of metrics and analysis of the performance of multirotors. As well as the factor there are no ways to measure a quality of projects and possibility of comparison, since there are several ways to design a multirotor for different applications. This work proposes an approach for an analysis of the design of multirotors in terms of their flight capacity, defining as characteristics of their rotors, weight and topology. The main objective is to present a way to qualify and quantify a multirotor aircraft to optimize its design. An approach approached for design design to support design requirements (such as power size, engine torque, frame topology), ensuring as required flight capabilities. As a result of this work, a set of indexes proposed to evaluate a multirole project quality, being: flight, stability, hover and heading. The sum of these indices compose the voleability index. This index offers a possibility of comparing the vehicle analysis according to the specifications of the engine assembly, propeller, topology and frame size. For a metric validation, an analysis of the topologies was performed, allowing a comparison for the performance function and their effort.

Les principaux critères de comparaison des convertisseurs sont le rendement, la masse, le volume, le coût et la fiabilité. Le contexte environnemental et économique et le développement des applications nomades ouvrent à l’électronique de puissance un domaine d’application de plus en plus vaste. Mais pour imposer cette technologie, il faut sans cesse améliorer ces performances et les compromis entre celles qui sont antagonistes (augmentation du rendement et diminution de la masse par exemple…) ce qui amène naturellement à la problématique de conception et d’optimisation. Le cas spécifique de l’aéronautique n’échappe pas à la règle et les contraintes y semblent encore plus fortes. La réduction de la masse, du volume et l’augmentation du rendement et de la fiabilité sont parmi les défis principaux actuels, et la transition de systèmes hydrauliques ou pneumatique vers des systèmes électriques laisse espérer à une amélioration des performances globales de l’avion. Les architectures des convertisseurs sont un moyen efficace d’améliorer les convertisseurs parce qu’ils permettent de réduire les contraintes au sein des convertisseurs tout en améliorant les formes d’onde en entrée et/ou en sortie. Parallèlement, les composants classiques en silicium ont bénéficié de larges avancés au cours de ces dernières décennies et approchent de leurs limites théoriques. Pour espérer une amélioration, des technologies en rupture sont désormais nécessaires. Au cours de ces dernières années, les technologies de semi-conducteurs dit « à grand gap », essentiellement à base de Nitrure de Gallium ou de Carbure de Silicium (resp. GaN et SiC) se sont considérablement amélioré et sont d’ores et déjà plus performant que les composants Si dans de nombreux cas. Les semi-conducteurs étant généralement plus performants lorsqu’ils ont une tenue en tension plus faible, on envisage ici de cumuler plusieurs avantages en envisageant la mise en série de composants GaN basse-tension pour améliorer l’intégration des convertisseurs de puissance. Dans un premier temps, un convertisseur multi-niveaux élémentaire de type Flying Capacitor (FlyCap) est mis en oeuvre. Des condensateurs de puissance intégrés sont utilisés, ce qui pourrait permettre de réduire l’empreinte de ces composants et de proposer une dissipation thermique commune par le dessus des composants. L’utilisation de composant au temps de commutation réduit est critique pour la fiabilité des convertisseurs. Une étude de l’influence des paramètres physique du circuit électrique sur les inductances parasites de la maille de puissance et de commande est menée permettant de mettre en évidence des règles de conception dans le but d’améliorer la fiabilité des convertisseurs. Dans un second temps, l’équilibrage dynamique de la topologie FlyCap qui est critique pour les formes d’onde et la sureté de fonctionnement est étudié. La prise en compte des pertes dans les semi-conducteurs permet d’améliorer l’estimation de la dynamique d’équilibrage. Une base de réflexion sur le dimensionnement d’un équilibreur passif est également proposée pour optimiser sa dynamique et les pertes associées. Un prototype expérimental à 5 cellules de commutation est présenté permettant d’atteindre une tension d’entrée de 270 V avec des composants 100V. / Performance, weight, volume, cost and reliability are key criteria to compare converters. Environment and economical context and the development of mobile applications lead electronics to have a wider field of application. Improving performances and tradeoff between conflicting characteristics (high efficiency and reduced weight for example) is thus constantly needed to impose this technology, which calls for design and optimization methods and tools. The specific case of aeronautics is no exception and there is in this field a high demand. Mass and volume reduction, efficiency and reliability improvement is one of the most important challenges, and the change from hydraulic and pneumatic systems to electric systems is expected to allow a global improvement of aircraft performances. Converter’s topology is a good candidate to improve and reduce the size of converters because it can reduce stress while improving the input and/or output waveforms. Meanwhile, conventional silicon components have taken advantage of wide advances in recent decades and are now close to their theoretical limits. To hope for a significant improvement, breaking technologies are now needed. In recent years, GaN and SiC Wide Band Gap semiconductors have seen significant development and are already often better than Si power devices. Lowvoltage semiconductors are generally better than higher voltage ones. Thus, we consider here cumulating advantages with a serial arrangement of low voltage GaN semi-conductors to improve power converter’s integration. First, a basic multilevel Flying Capacitor GaN-based converter is implemented. The integration of power capacitors is proposed to evaluate this technology, which could reduce the footprint of these components and could allow a common heatsink dissipation through the top of the components. Very fast turn-on and turn-off of GaN devices is critical for safe operation due to parasitic inductances. A study of physical parameters of the electrical circuit on parasitic inductances of power and control loop is conducted to lay down design rules in order to improve the reliability of converters. Secondly, dynamic balancing of Flying Capacitor which is critical for the waveforms and reliability is studied. Semi-conductor’s losses are considered to improve the estimation of dynamic balancing. A method for the design of a passive balancer is also proposed to optimize the balancing and associated losses. An experimental prototype with 5 switching cells is presented to achieve an input voltage of 270 V with 100 V rated voltage devices.

Presented graduation thesis is focused on the life and public activity of the teacher at the secondary school Jaroslav Maňák. By his activity and sedulity he had merit in prosperity of club life in České Budějovice. We owe him to the development of amateur flying (sporting aviation) in South Bohemia. The thesis is divided into five main chapters except the oddments. The first chapter shortly deals with the whole life of Jaroslav Maňák. The second chapter describes level of secondary education in the town and his pedagogic activity. The most extensive chapter devoted to aviation follows this part. It is divided into six subchapters and I introduce the field of the greatest interest of Jaroslav Maňák. The next chapter deals with the meteorologic observation and it also resumes level of observation before Maňák{\crq}s activity. The last fifth chapter deals with Maňák{\crq}s activity in lesser-known associations in the town. Each association has got its separate subchapter. The Epilogue, which recapitulates the career and activity of personality, is followed by the list of used sources, literature and presentation of supplements.

Cléomadès d’Adenet le Roi et Méliacin de Girart d’Amiens constituent ensemble une énigme de l’histoire littéraire du Moyen Âge. Nés d’un même conte oriental, ils forment deux romans distincts, exactement contemporains. Le travail mené dans cette thèse vise à percer une part du mystère de la gémellité des textes. L’enquête sur les sources et les conditions de composition des romans nous mène à la cour de France, sous le mécénat de Marie de Brabant, et nous conduit à postuler une mise en concurrence délibérée des poètes. L’étude littéraire conjointe des romans vise à établir les modalités de la transformation du conte en roman, et celles de l’adaptation d’une fable orientale aux goûts d’une société aristocratique de la fin du XIIIe siècle. Dans des œuvres unies par la même contrainte, deux poétiques distinctes se déploient. La dernière partie de la thèse se penche sur la postérité des deux romans, dans laquelle nous cherchons les traces d’une histoire de leur réception. / Cléomadès by Adenet le Roi and Meliacin by Girart d’Amiens are both an enigma in the literary history of the Middle Ages. Both originate from the same oriental tale but they are actually two different, exactly contemporary novels. The research work in this thesis aims at understanding part of the mystery of the twin nature of the texts. The research on the sources and the conditions in which these novels were written takes us to the court of France, under the patronage of Marie de Brabant, and leads us to assume that the poets may have been deliberately led to compete with each other. The literay study of the two novels tries to establish the way the tale became a novel, and to understand how an oriental tale was adapted to the tastes of an aristocratic society of the late thirteenth century. In these two works submitted to the same constraints, two distinct poetics appear. The last part of the thesis examines the fate of the two novels, looking for clues on the history of their reception.

M.Sc. / The grassland biome of South Africa harbours rich ecosystem diversity. Some of the distinctive features of grassland biodiversity in South Africa include globally significant centres of plant endemism, half of the country's endemic mammal species, a third of its endangered butterfly species and 10 of 14 of its globally threatened bird species. Grassland is one of the most inadequately maintained biomes in Southern Africa because 23% is under cultivation, 60% is irreversibly transformed and most of the remaining natural area is used as rangeland for livestock. Only 2% of the grassland biome is currently protected. Grasslands provide essential ecosystem services for economic development, but this biome also supports a large human population whose resource demands have serious environmental implications that threaten the grasslands‘ biodiversity. Urbanisation is possibly one of the major immediate threats to the grassland ecology in South Africa. This is also the case in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site (COHWHS) and adjacent areas. New housing complexes and informal housing are encroaching on the COHWHS. Indigenous fauna and flora are being affected by ecologically insensitive urban development. This poses a major threat to the fauna of this region including the insects that occur in grassland habitats. The insects play a vital role as pollinators in grassland habitats and form an essential food source to a range of predators, including grass owls, shrews, bull frogs, lizards and bats. In order to conserve the insects and therefore the food web of which they form part, it is necessary to understand the diversity of the insects in the grassland in the dolomitic areas. The COHWHS is a world renowned heritage site devoted to the origin of humankind and is characterised by dolomitic caves. These caves are also the home of a large population of bats consisting of several species. The negative impact on the grasslands in the COHWHS and surroundings pose a threat to the survival of these bat populations if the food source they depend on is negatively affected. For this reason it is important to determine which flying nocturnal insect species are available in the grasslands surrounding bat roosts in the COHWHS and surroundings. 3 The choice of location for the primary trap site was made on the basis of its proximity to known bat roosts and the fact that it is situated in a nature reserve that, although the river is polluted, contains an otherwise relatively unspoilt grassland habitat. Sampling took place over a period of 14 months during which fluctuations in the insect population was observed. The fluctuations can be ascribed to seasonal climate changes and the three veld fires that occurred during this period. This fluctuation was most evident in the representatives of the Orders Lepidoptera and Coleoptera sampled.

AFRIKAANS: Die Antieke ruimtevaarder-teorie stel voor dat wesens uit die ruimte die Aarde in die antieke verlede besoek het. Hierdie wesens was betrokke by die vroeë geskiedenis van die planet. Hulle het bewoonbare toestande geskep asook menslike intelligensie deur 'n proses van genetiese ingenieurswese. Hul besoeke is opgeteken en deur mense oorgelewer in godsdienste, mitologieë en antieke legendes. Hul teenwoordigheid is ook nog waarneembaar in antieke fisiese oorblyfsels. Voorstanders van die Ruimtevaarderteorie bied dit aan as 'n wetenskaplike hipotese en as die "mees perfekte algemene noemer van alle tye" wat 'n moderne verklaring vir die oer-godsdiens bied. Afdeling A van die studie bied 'n oorsig oor die teorie en die bewyse wat daarvoor aangebied word. Daar word aangetoon dat, hoewel die meeste van die postulate nie deur die moderne wetenskap as "onsinnig" beskou word nie, dit nie oortuig as 'n werkbare wetenskaplike teorie nie. Omdat daar weinig verskille tussen die basiese onderneming van die wtenskap en die godsdiens bestaan (beide vertrek vanaf onbewysbare aannames om waargenome data te verklaar) word daar vermoed dat die Antieke ruimtevaarder-teorie eerder funksioneer op die vlak van religieusiteit. Hierdie tese word ondersoek in Afdeling B van die studie: Daar word voorgestel dat die Fenomenologiese metode van godsdienswetenskaplike ondersoek, wat poog om 'n fenomeen te verstaan nie soos dit manifesteer nie, maar op die dieper vlak van die funksie en betekenins daarvan, die mees paslike metode vir die ondersoek is. (p> Met gebruikmaking van die insigte van 'n Fenomenologiese benadering, word aangedui dat die Antieke ruimtevaarder-teorie funksioneer as 'n godsdienstige beweging met eienskappe van 'n kulte en 'n nieu-mitologie. Die aanvaarbaarheid van die teorie vir die vele volgelinge daarvan, en die gepaardgaande groei van die bcweging wat dit propageer, word verklaar uit 'n kombinasie van sosiologiese en psigologiese faktore wat aan die werk is in die moderne Westerse beskawing. Vanuit 'n fenomenologiese gesigspunt word gekonkludeer dat die Ruimtevaardcrteorie baie suksesvol op religieuse vlak is. Dit slaag daarin om die Bybel weer "geloofwaardig" te maak en skep weer 'n "kosmiese raamwerk" vir die betekenis van die menslike bestaan. Die teorie kan ook beskou word as 'n prysenswaardige poging tot die sintetisering van godsdiens en die modeme wetenskap vir die aanhangers daarvan, en om die geestelike behoeftes van mense in 'n verwarrende en verwarde wêreld aan te spreek. In 'n slotafdeling word die bevindinge van die studie teologies oorweeg en word die waarde daarvan vir die Chrislelike godsdiens aangetoon. ENGLISH: The Ancient astronaut theory proposes that beings from outer space came to Earth in the distant past. These beings were involved in the early history of the planet: They created habitable conditions and human intelligence by genetic engineering. Their visits were recorded and handed down by humans in their religions, mythologies and ancient legends. Their presence is also visible in ancient physical remains. Proponents present the Astronaut theory as a scientific hypothesis and as "the most perfect common denominator of all time", allowing a modem explanation for old-time religion: Section A of the study provides an overview of the theory and the evidence presented in support of it. It is shown that, although many of the postulates are being accepted by modem science as "not unreasonable", it is not convincing as a workable scientific theory. Since there is little difference between the basic enterprises of science and religion (both departing from unproven suppositions to explain perceived data) it is suspected that the Astronaut theory rather functions on a level of religiosity. This thesis is investigated in Section 8 of the study: It is proposed that the Phenomenological method of studying religion, which attempts to understand a phenomenon not in the way it manifests itself, but on the deeper level of its function and meaning, is the most appropriate for this investigation. Using the insights of a Phenomeno!ogical approach, it is shown that the Ancient astronaut theory functions as a religious movement with attributes of a cult and a new-mythology. The acceptability of the theory for its many followers and the resulting growth of the movement that proposes it, is explained from a combination of social and psychological factors at work in Western society. From a phenomenological point of view it is concluded that the Astronaut theory may be considered very successful on a religious level: It succeeds in making the Bible "respectable" again and it recreates a "cosmic framework" for the meaning of human existence. The theory may also be considered a praiseworthy attempt to synthesise religion and modem science for its supporters and to address the spiritual needs of man in a confusing and confused world. In a final section of the study, the results are being considered theologically and their value. being shown for Christianity. / Thesis (PhD (Science of Religion))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Science of Religion and Missiology / unrestricted

This thesis presents a decentralized electromagnetic formation flying (EMFF) control method using frequency-multiplexed sinusoidal control signals. We demonstrate the EMFF control approach in open-loop and closed-loop control experiments using a single-degree-of-freedom testbed with an electromagnetic actuation system (EAS). The EAS sense the relative position and velocity between satellites and implement a frequency-multiplexed sinusoidal control signal. We use a laser-rangefinder device to capture the relative position and an ARM-based microcontroller to implement the closed-loop control algorithm. We custom-design and build the EAS that implements the formation control in one dimension. The experimental results in this thesis demonstrate the feasibility of the decentralized formation control algorithm between two satellites.