One main goal of this thesis is to show that for every K it is possible to find K consecutive natural numbers that cannot be written as sums of three nonnegative cubes. Since it is believed that approximately 10% of all natural numbers can be written in this way, this result indicates that the sums of three cubes distribute unevenly on the real line. These sums have been studied for almost a century, in relation with Waring's problem, but the existence of ``arbitrarily long gaps'' between them was not known. We will provide two proofs for this theorem. The first is relatively elementary and is based on the observation that the sums of three cubes have a positive bias towards being cubic residues modulo primes of the form p=1+3k. Thus, our first method to find consecutive non-sums of three cubes consists in searching them among the natural numbers that are non-cubic residues modulo ``many'' primes congruent to 1 modulo 3. Our second proof is more technical: it involves the computation of the Sato-Tate distribution of the underlying cubic Fermat variety {x^3+y^3+z^3=0}, via Jacobi sums of cubic characters and equidistribution theorems for Hecke L-functions of the Eisenstein quadratic number field Q(\sqrt{-3}). The advantage of the second approach is that it provides a nearly optimal quantitative estimate for the size of gaps: if N is large, there are >>\sqrt{log N}/(log log N)^4 consecutive non-sums of three cubes that are less than N. According to probabilistic models, an optimal estimate would be of the order of log N / log log N. In this thesis we also study other gap problems, e.g. between sums of four fourth powers, and we give an application to the arithmetic of cubic and biquadratic theta series. We also provide the following additional contributions to Number Theory and Combinatorics: a derivation of cubic identities from a parameterization of the pseudo-automorphisms of binary quadratic forms; a multiplicity estimate for multiprojective Chow forms, with applications to Transcendental Number Theory; a complete solution of a problem on planar graphs with everywhere positive combinatorial curvature.

The purpose of the study was to determine how the Fourth Amendment is treated in the age of the internet. To determine the degree of the significance of this relationship a comparative approach is used. Court opinions from cases involving other technological innovations and the Fourth Amendment were examined and their reasoning was compared to that of cases involving the internet and the Fourth Amendment. The results indicated that contrary to some fears that the internet would require a different approach with respect to the law it actually did not present many novel barriers to its application. The principle conclusion was that the reasoning used in cases involving older technologies, namely the test outlined in Katz v. United States, was consistently applied even in the age of the internet.

This thesis broadens the discussion surrounding the fourth wall and immersion in games; the hypothesis being that there are more ways to manipulate the fourth wall other than breaking it, and that manipulation of the fourth wall does not necessarily break immersion. Four types of fourth wall manipulation have been labeled in this body of work: breaking, expansion, contraction, and grazing. Expansion and contraction derive from Simon Conway (2010), with minor augmentations to the contraction category having been made by this thesis. The term breaking has been narrowed down and specified while grazing was invented for this particular study. The aim is to update terminology surrounding the fourth wall to introduce it as a narrative tool for game designers, where the tool can be used in different ways that underline the narrative experience that designers want to convey. The study was done by a close reading of the games Metal Gear Solid and NieR: Automata, but references other games relevant to the different types of manipulation. The results show that the identified instances of fourth wall manipulation within the two focus games can all fit in the proposed updated terminology, with some instances elevating the play experience.

This study focuses on the numerical solution of a fourth-order cell problem obtained through a two- scale expansion approach applied to a higher gradient heat equation microscopic problem involving temperature distributions. The main objective is to investigate the temperature field within the macroscale domain and compute the effective conductivity using finite element methods. The research utilizes numerical techniques, specifically finite element methods, to solve the fourth-order cell problem and obtain the temperature distribution.

No description available.

Thesis (LLM. (Development and Management Law)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / We live in a Fourth Industrial Revolution(4IR) era where people exchange goods and services through the internet. Such transactions and communications are regulated by the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA) 25 of 2002. The ECTA however amongst others, excludes the execution of testamentary wills from its application thus leaving no room for electronic wills. The execution of a valid will in South Africa is governed by the Wills Act 7 of 1953. Against this background, the study investigates whether the presence of enhanced 4IR innovations and methods have the potential to render the Wills Act obsolete and how the exclusion in the ECTA will contribute towards the formation of legal gaps in the law of succession. In confronting these questions, the study seeks to create a synergy between the two abovementioned statutes. The formalities of a valid will are contained in section 2(1) of the Wills Act, it can be deduced from them that a will should be in writing and signed by the testator and two witnesses. Any will not complying with the formalities is dependent upon the discretion of the High Court for validity as per section 2(3) of the Wills Act. The cases of MacDonald v The Master 2002 5 SA 64 (N) and Van der Merwe v The Master 2010 6 SA 546 (SCA) have confronted issues that relate to wills executed in electronic formats. The study interrogates the meaning of ‘writing’ and ‘signature’ and their significance and probes whether they can be fulfilled using electronic means. A comparative approach is adopted to establish the status of electronic wills in the USA and UK. The USA has promulgated legislation to deal with electronic wills and the UK has initiated the process of adopting their own electronic wills legislation in response to the 4IR. With the lessons learned from these jurisdictions the study makes recommendations on how synergy can be created between the Wills Act and the ECTA.

[pt] O período brasileiro 1946-1964 foi tradicionalmente denominado pela literatura brasileira como um período populista, com versões que desqualificam a primeira experiência democrática do país e que foram fortemente internalizadas na sociedade. Nesta pesquisa, o objetivo foi analisar a hipótese formulada no sentido de que a crítica da ideia de populismo é uma condição para se pensar a primeira experiência democrática brasileira, apresentando uma reflexão crítica da literatura sobre o que se chamou de populismo no Brasil. A metodologia adotada foi a pesquisa bibliográfica, por meio da revisão de literatura. Realizou-se um mapeamento da trajetória social e acadêmica do conceito de populismo, apresentando as formulações de alguns historiadores que participaram da problematização do uso desse conceito nesse período histórico do país. O resultado encontrado foi que o paradigma do populismo está empenhado em uma literatura negativa do período, pois, abandonando-se a chave negativa do populismo, foram encontrados elementos caracterizadores de um processo democrático, como exemplo, sujeitos sociais que foram capazes de tomar iniciativas próprias; houve criação de partidos com ampla consistência social, além da incorporação inédita da população no processo político. Concluiu-se que no período analisado ocorreu a vigência de um processo democrático com os seus limites e contradições. A democracia estava sendo construída, mas foi, prematuramente, interrompida pelo golpe militar. / [en] The Brazilian period 1946-1964 was traditionally called by Brazilian literature as a populist period, with versions that discredit the country s first democratic experience and that were strongly internalized in society. In this research, the objective was to analyze the hypothesis formulated in the sense that the critique of the idea of populism is a condition for thinking about the first Brazilian democratic experience, presenting a critical reflection of the literature on what was called populism in Brazil. The methodology adopted was bibliographic research, through literature review. A mapping of the social and academic trajectory of the concept of populism was carried out, presenting the formulations of some historians who participated in the problematization of the use of this concept in this historical period of the country. The result found was that the paradigm of populism is committed to a negative literature of the period, because, abandoning the negative key of populism, characterizing elements of a democratic process were found, as an example, social subjects who were able to take their own initiatives; there was the creation of parties with broad social consistency, in addition to the unprecedented incorporation of the population into the political process. It was concluded that in the analyzed period there was a democratic process with its limits and contradictions. Democracy was being built, but it was prematurely interrupted by the military coup.

Läsförmågan hos elever i svenska skolan sjunker och alla elever som kommer till mellanstadiet har inte utvecklat en automatiserad avkodningsförmåga. En begränsad avkodningsförmåga som kvarstår ända upp till mellanstadiet kan leda till svårigheter att inhämta kunskaper i skolans samtliga ämnen eftersom läsningen behövs för attlära genom läsning. Elever på mellanstadiet behöver därför erbjudas strukturerad avkodningsträning, något som inte alltid görs delvis på grund av avsaknad avspecialpedagogiska resurser, träningstid och kompetensbrist. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka om en undervisningsdesign som erbjuder strukturerad avkodningsträning i RtI-modellens lager 1 på mellanstadiet kan ge positiv effekt på samtliga elevers avkodningsförmåga. Eftersom studier visat att en förbättrad avkodningsförmåga även kan förbättra läsförståelsen mäts även denna förmåga. I studien, som omfattade 16 strukturerade träningspass i par under fyra veckor, ingick 62 elever i interventionsgruppen och 18 elever i jämförelsegruppen. Studien hade en mixed-methods design där effekten av avkodningsträningen i interventionen analyserades kvantitativt och de deltagande lärarnas upplevelser analyserades kvalitativt. Resultaten har visat att undervisningsdesignen Parläsning i helklass på mellanstadiet haft positiv effekt på avkodning och att den är användbar. Studien visade även att undervisningsdesignen kräver pre-test och post-test för att upptäcka och erbjuda elever med misstänkta läs- och skrivsvårigheter insatser enligt RtI-modellens olika lager.

The attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11) caused thousands of deaths, national and global panic, and immediate action by the federal government to protect the borders of the United States of America (USA) from terrorism. In response to these attacks, the United States (U.S.) government enacted laws for law enforcement agencies to protect against terrorist activities. Law enforcement agencies are effective in combating terrorism, but their measures contain a major flaw - the improper use of race in profiling to address national security and public safety concerns. Racial profiling is an ineffective measure for preventing terrorism. There are solutions to correct this flaw through reconstructing training and implementing policies for all law enforcement agencies. The intent of this thesis is to discuss the history and the effectiveness of profiling in U.S. post-9/11 counterterrorism through theoretical research of peer-reviewed journals and articles, relevant laws, and United States Supreme Court cases to offer solutions to the problems racial profiling presents. The discussion will generate a search for new ways law enforcement agencies could conduct daily counterterrorism operations.

No description available.