4 pp.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New South Wales, 2001. / Also available online.

The writings of controversial ???underground??? figure Iceberg Slim feature identities and sub-cultures either antagonistic to, or otherwise not commensurable with, mainstream American Orders of Discourse. Within the ex-pimp???s narrative dystopia, a provocative and unreservedly profane idiom is employed not only to champion normatively marginalized or demonized subjectivities (such as African-Americans, the underclass, pimps and ???hustlers???), but also to identify and condemn the policies and praxes hegemonizing the Social domain. Moreover, although Slim is one of the most widely-read African-American authors, there has been to date almost no critical engagement with his work. The two primary objectives of this Thesis were: firstly, to evaluate and elucidate the transgressive potential posed by the Slimian narrative universe; and secondly, to demonstrate that the genus of Lacanian, post-Marxian and other dialectical heuristics developed by Slavoj ??i??ek offered the most expedient means of achieving the first objective. More specifically, via investigating the discursive and trans-discursive coordinates of marginal identity as dramatized in four of Slim???s most popular novellas (Pimp, Trick Baby, Mama Black Widow, and Death Wish), we sought to ascertain the degree to which Slim???s particular representational negotiations of identity and identification operate to undermine, or (inadvertently) support, dominant ideological formulations. Further, this investigation adopted a ??i??ekian approach to develop a framework through which the (social, ethical, ideological, aesthetic, psychical and libidinal) issues surrounding Power that are at stake could be meaningfully evaluated. Our cardinal hypotheses concerned the basic dialectical postulation that the key to understanding hegemonic operations lies not in the content of those operations, but rather in the form(s) through which they are brought to bear. The results obtained in this Thesis were consistent with the fundamental hypotheses posed and served also to achieve our primary objectives. Namely, our ??i??ekian approach identified and explained various structural and psychical features which were crucial in determining not only the antagonisms between (and inherent to) the vicissitudes of Power and the metastases of Its transgression (or not) within the Slimian universe, but also our apprehension of those antagonisms. In our enumeration of at least three discreet modalities of transgression, we finally concluded that the most radical dimension of the Slimian universe was to be located in the inherent undecidability between its affiliations with incommensurable ideological domains.

The writings of controversial ???underground??? figure Iceberg Slim feature identities and sub-cultures either antagonistic to, or otherwise not commensurable with, mainstream American Orders of Discourse. Within the ex-pimp???s narrative dystopia, a provocative and unreservedly profane idiom is employed not only to champion normatively marginalized or demonized subjectivities (such as African-Americans, the underclass, pimps and ???hustlers???), but also to identify and condemn the policies and praxes hegemonizing the Social domain. Moreover, although Slim is one of the most widely-read African-American authors, there has been to date almost no critical engagement with his work. The two primary objectives of this Thesis were: firstly, to evaluate and elucidate the transgressive potential posed by the Slimian narrative universe; and secondly, to demonstrate that the genus of Lacanian, post-Marxian and other dialectical heuristics developed by Slavoj ??i??ek offered the most expedient means of achieving the first objective. More specifically, via investigating the discursive and trans-discursive coordinates of marginal identity as dramatized in four of Slim???s most popular novellas (Pimp, Trick Baby, Mama Black Widow, and Death Wish), we sought to ascertain the degree to which Slim???s particular representational negotiations of identity and identification operate to undermine, or (inadvertently) support, dominant ideological formulations. Further, this investigation adopted a ??i??ekian approach to develop a framework through which the (social, ethical, ideological, aesthetic, psychical and libidinal) issues surrounding Power that are at stake could be meaningfully evaluated. Our cardinal hypotheses concerned the basic dialectical postulation that the key to understanding hegemonic operations lies not in the content of those operations, but rather in the form(s) through which they are brought to bear. The results obtained in this Thesis were consistent with the fundamental hypotheses posed and served also to achieve our primary objectives. Namely, our ??i??ekian approach identified and explained various structural and psychical features which were crucial in determining not only the antagonisms between (and inherent to) the vicissitudes of Power and the metastases of Its transgression (or not) within the Slimian universe, but also our apprehension of those antagonisms. In our enumeration of at least three discreet modalities of transgression, we finally concluded that the most radical dimension of the Slimian universe was to be located in the inherent undecidability between its affiliations with incommensurable ideological domains.

Icebergs calved from high-latitude glaciers and ice shelves pose a threat to vessels and offshore infrastructure at a time when Arctic shipping and resource exploration are increasing. Knowledge of the location of potential ice hazards is therefore critical to ensure safe and efficient operations in this remote region. The Canadian Ice Service (CIS; Environment and Climate Change Canada) provides information to stakeholders on the observed and predicted distribution of icebergs in Canadian waters by combining iceberg observations with forecasts from the North American Ice Service (NAIS) iceberg drift model. The NAIS model estimates the forces acting on an iceberg to predict its future position and velocity. It is widely used for the east coast of Canada but largely unproven in the Arctic and suffers from insufficient validation due to a paucity of reliable in-situ observations of iceberg drift. This study represents the first comprehensive validation of the NAIS iceberg drift model for the Canadian Arctic. A total of 133 hindcast simulations for the period 2009-2019 were performed against in-situ drift observations of 44 icebergs. These data, collated in an iceberg beacon database (compiled by Carleton University and CIS), includes observations collected by Cryologgers; novel iceberg tracking beacons designed as part of this study. Quantified comparisons of the distance error between observed and modelled drift tracks indicate that the NAIS model produces realistic simulations of iceberg drift in Baffin Bay. Root mean square error after 24-hours of simulated drift ranged from 18-22 km and increased at a daily rate of 11-13 km, which is typical of previous model verification and validation studies. Improved model performance was observed for longer (>250 m) and deeper-keeled (>100 m) icebergs, which appears to counteract the model’s tendency to overestimate drift by reducing the influence of stronger surface ocean currents acting on the iceberg. Ocean current direction, wind direction, and iceberg keel geometry were identified by a sensitivity analysis as the model parameters and environmental driving forces that have the greatest influence on modelled iceberg drift. These results emphasize the need for accurate environmental information and underscore the importance of properly representing the physical characteristics of icebergs in drift models.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Knowledge of iceberg location and size is important for safety reasons as well as for understanding many geophysical and biological processes. This dissertation analyzes large tabular icebergs in the Southern Ocean using the SeaWinds scatterometer. SeaWinds is a spaceborne radar designed to measure the microwave backscatter from the Earth's surface. Using resolution-enhancement techniques, backscatter measurements are processed into backscatter images in which icebergs can be observed. An iceberg detection methodology is formalized using daily scatterometer images. Radar profiles from common Antarctic scatterers are quantified and an iceberg detection methodology is formalized using daily scatterometer images. Iceberg positions are determined in real-time and a time-series of iceberg positions is maintained in an Antarctic iceberg database. Using the Antarctic iceberg database, characteristic iceberg motion trends are identified. Iceberg detection and tracking is demonstrated through real-time operational support of the 2005, 2008, and 2009 National Science Foundation Antarctic cruises. To supplement iceberg position reports, I develop multiple algorithms to estimate iceberg size and rotational orientation from backscatter images and from raw backscatter measurements. Estimates derived from SeaWinds images are found to be more accurate. Using iceberg size parameters in conjunction with Newton's equations of motion and forcing profiles (e.g., ocean and air currents), I also develop an iceberg motion model to predict the translational and rotational motion of large tabular icebergs. To improve model results, a Kalman filter is used to incorporate actual iceberg measurements into the motion model, and statistics from the Kalman filter are used to evaluate model performance. Simulated iceberg motion is found to best coincide with observed iceberg motion in regions where slower iceberg drift speeds are observed. The model is less accurate at high speeds. The iceberg motion model is inverted to produce estimates of ocean currents given observations of iceberg size and motion. Multiple ocean current estimates are combined using reconstruction techniques and compared with numerically-derived ocean currents from the Ocean Circulation and Climate Advanced Modeling (OCCAM) project. It is found that reconstructed ocean currents coincide with OCCAM currents in regions where observed iceberg motion is not extreme. Also, reconstructed ocean currents coincide more with OCCAM currents that have been averaged over multiple years than with monthly-reported values.

Association rule mining (ARM) is the task of identifying meaningful implication rules exhibited in a data set. Most research has focused on extracting frequent item (FI) sets and thus fallen short of the overall ARM objective. The FI miners fail to identify the upper covers that are needed to generate a set of association rules whose size can be exploited by an end user. An alternative to FI mining can be found in formal concept analysis (FCA), a branch of applied mathematics. FCA derives a concept lattice whose concepts identify closed FI sets and connections identify the upper covers. However, most FCA algorithms construct a complete lattice and therefore include item sets that are not frequent. An iceberg lattice, on the other hand, is a concept lattice whose concepts contain only FI sets. Only three algorithms to construct an iceberg lattice were found in literature. Given that an iceberg concept lattice provides an analysis tool to succinctly identify association rules, this study investigated additional algorithms to construct an iceberg concept lattice. This report presents the development and analysis of the Quick Iceberg Concept Lattice (QuICL) algorithms. These algorithms provide incremental construction of an iceberg lattice. QuICL uses recursion instead of iteration to navigate the lattice and establish connections, thereby eliminating costly processing incurred by past algorithms. The QuICL algorithms were evaluated against leading FI miners and FCA construction algorithms using benchmarks cited in literature. Results demonstrate that QuICL provides performance on the order of FI miners yet additionally derive the upper covers. QuICL, when combined with known algorithms to extract a basis of association rules from a lattice, offer a "best known" ARM solution. Beyond this, the QuICL algorithms have proved to be very efficient, providing an order of magnitude gains over other incremental lattice construction algorithms. For example, on the Mushroom data set, QuICL completes in less than 3 seconds. Past algorithms exceed 200 seconds. On T10I4D100k, QuICL completes in less than 120 seconds. Past algorithms approach 10,000 seconds. QuICL is proved to be the "best known" all around incremental lattice construction algorithm. Runtime complexity is shown to be O(l d i) where l is the cardinality of the lattice, d is the average degree of the lattice, and i is a mean function on the frequent item extents.

Titel:“The Tip of The Iceberg” - Det dolda missnöjet. En kvalitativ studie kring icke-klagande kunders känslor och beteenden till följd av servicefel. Nivå:Examensarbete på Grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi   Författare:Lisa Palola och Sandra Ngene  Handledare:Signe Jernberg, Peter Edlund och Jens Eklinder-Frick  Datum:2019 – juni Syfte:Vårt intresse för tjänster och kringliggande problem väcktes tidigare under utbildningen varifrån vi skapade vår förförståelse om att en individs känslor influerar dennes handlingar. Därav var syftet med studien att öka förståelsen för att det är få missnöjda kunder som klagar vilket vi ansåg att individens känslor låg till grund för.  Metod:Med en utgångspunkt i hermeneutiken tillämpade vi en kvalitativ studie med semistrukturerade intervjuer för att finna en ökad förståelse för det studerade ämnet. Vår abduktiva tolkning av detta har varit en ständigt pågående process i det som senare resulterade i avsnittet för empirisk analys.  Resultat & slutsats:Fynd från studien betonar vikten av att serviceföretag ökar förståelsen för att känslor ligger till grund för kundens beteende relaterat till en serviceupplevelse. Därtill är det även centralt att anställda närmast kunden kan tolka och hantera kunden på för den ett lämpligt sätt då känslor och beteenden är ytterst individuellt. Detta belyser enligt vår mening vikten av vidare forskning inom ämnet.  Examensarbetets bidrag:Vår studie har bidragit med en ökad helhetsbild för känslornas inverkan över det icke-klagande beteendet och följande handlingar efter ett upplevt servicefel. Studien har även medfört praktiska implikationer för hur vi ansåg att serviceföretag bör hantera dolt missnöje.   Förslag till fortsatt forskning:Framtida forskning bör fortsätta söka efter en ökad förståelse för kunders känslor och beteenden. Förslagsvis bör detta studeras med hjälp av mer kvalitativa studier med en inriktningpå icke-verbala signaler kunden utsänder samt aspekter kring kulturella skillnader.  Nyckelord:Dolt missnöje, känslor, beteende, återupprättning av servicefel. / Title:“The Tip of the Iceberg”: A qualitative study on the emotions and behavior of non-complaining customers following service failure.  Level:Student thesis, final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration  Authors: Lisa Palola and Sandra Ngene Supervisor: Signe Jernberg, Peter Edlund and Jens Eklinder-Frick Date: 2019 – June Aim:Our interest with services and service failure were based on previous studies and knowledge from which we developed our understanding that an individual's emotions influence his actions. Hence, the purpose of the study was to increase the understanding that out of numerous dissatisfied customers, only a few complains. And that the individual emotions of the non-complainers play a major part in their behavioral conduct. Method: Initially we found ourselves in the hermeneutics where we applied a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews to extend the understanding for our research questions. Our abductive interpretation has been an ongoing process in what later resulted in the chapter “Empirical analysis”.  Result & Conclusions:Findings from our study emphasizes the need for service organizations to increase their understanding that human emotions influence customer's behavior in relation to service experience. In addition, it is also significant that employees that interact directly with the customer can interpret their behavior better, and also manage the customer in an appropriate manner since human emotions and behaviors varies. This highlights the need for further research in this field. Contribution of the thesis:Our study has contributed with an increased overall picture of the emotions impact on the non-complainant behavior and following post-actions in the customer's complaint process. The study also resulted in practical implications for how service organizations should manage this. Suggestions for future research:Future research should continue to seek and increase the understanding of customers' feelings and behaviors in relation to services and service failures. This topic should be studied through more qualitative approach to capture customers non-verbal signals and also to intercept aspects of customers cultural differences.  Keywords:“The tip of the iceberg”, emotions, behavior, service recovery.