Les textes de Maria Velho da Costa et de Teolinda Gersão sont habités par des paysages, des archétypes et des autoréflexivités configurés dans des marges, lieux périphériques, qui révèlent simultanément la place centrale occupée par le sujet féminin. La notion de paysage, matière de la première partie de cette étude, s’articule avec celle d’archétype (de relation archétypique) et d’autoréflexivité, notions traitées respectivement dans la deuxième et troisième parties, à travers - une coordonnée commune - l’espace envisagé sous les trois aspects suivants : le physique, le social et le mental. Les paysages apparaissent dans une marge physique par rapport au centre occupé par le sujet qui les construit. Les archétypes de l’Amazone, de la Sorcière et de la Folle, dans lesquels les personnages féminins se retrouvent, actualisent leur exclusion du cercle social en les renvoyant vers les marges périphériques que peuvent être la nature sauvage ou l’asile psychiatrique. L’autoréflexivité à la marge du texte, « à côté » de ce qui serait censé être le contenu de l’œuvre, s’avère un lieu marginal par rapport au centre traditionnellement occupé par la diégèse. L’intention sous-jacente à cette étude est d’analyser les configurations de paysages, d’archétypes, de relations archétypiques et de réflexions sur l’écriture au sein des récits fictionnels, qui manifestent une dimension marginale périphérique et paradoxalement contribuent à l’actualisation des subjectivités et des quêtes identitaires « au féminin » recherchées par les Auteurs, les narratrices et les personnages femmes dont la vitalité centrale déstabilise dichotomies et dualismes. / The texts of Maria Velho da Costa and Teolinda Gersão are inhabited by landscapes, archetypes and self-reflexivity configured in margins, peripheral zones, that simultaneously unveil the central place occupied by the female subject. The matter of the first section of this work, the concept of landscape hinges on the ones of archetype [the archetypal relation] and of self-reflexivity - both being respectively dealt with in the second and in the third sections of this work - through a co-ordinate they share: space considered in these three aspects, the physical, the social and the mental. Landscapes appear in a physical margin in relation to the centre inhabited by the subject that builds them. Embodied by female characters, the archetypes of the Amazon, the Witch and the Madwoman emblematize these characters’ being excluded from the social circle as they are being pushed off to the periphery, whether it be the wilderness or the lunatic asy! lum. Situated in the margins of the text, “beside” the would-be content of the work, self-reflexivity turns out to be a marginal place with regard to the centre, traditionally held by the diegesis. This study aims at analysing configurations of landscapes, archetypes, archetypal relations and reflections on writing within fictions that, while possessing a peripheral and marginal dimension, still manage to paradoxically contribute to rendering female subjectivities and identity quests sought by the Authors and the female narrators and characters whose central vitality unsteadies dichotomies and binary oppositions.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu / This study assessed the farm and farmer characteristics influencing the profitability of broiler chicken farms in Ghana. It used data obtained from the 2015 census of the poultry industry conducted by USAID-METSS in collaboration with Ghana's Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers. Results show that broiler production in Ghana is operated on a small scale basis with an average number of 1,410 birds. Broiler chicken production is profitable in Ghana with national average gross margin/bird of GHS 9.22 and standard deviation of 8.40. Regression analysis was carried out using Ordinary Least Square method to estimate the effect of farm and farmer characteristics on profitability and also explore regional differences. Results shows that farm income and feed were negative and statistically significant such that a farmer with primary income from broiler chicken production had a decrease in gross margin of GHS 1.24 per bird compared to a farmer with other sources of income; a farmer that increases one unit of own feed production will have a decrease in gross margin of GHS 0.06 per bird. Additionally, regional differences exist such that farms situated in Ashanti, Central, and Eastern had higher gross margin per bird of GHS 3.21, GHS 6.10 and GHS 6.26 respectively compared to farms situated in Brong Ahafo Region. In conclusion, the study shows that both farmer (primary source of income) and farm characteristics (such as regional location and the extent to which feed was prepared on the farm) were important in explaining broiler chicken profitability. Finally, continuous research is recommended to examine the robustness of these factors in explaining profitability.

L’activité magmatique miocène en Petite Kabylie s’exprime par la mise en place de roches plutoniques et volcaniques de composition majoritairement riche en K ainsi que moyennement riches en K. Ces roches forment des pointements dispersés sur près de 130 km le long de la marge méditerranéenne de l’Algérie. Dans les deux secteurs d’étude : la Kabylie de Collo et l’Ouest Edough-Cap de Fer, elles recoupent les empilements de nappes de socle et de flyschs crétacés et numidiens. De nouvelles datations U-Pb sur zircons et K-Ar sur roche totale et minéraux séparés ont permis de fixer à 17 Ma le début de l’activité magmatique post-collisionnelle à affinité calco-alcaline riche en K2O. Ces âges obtenus sur le batholithe granitique de Bougaroun (200 km2) sont les plus anciens jamais obtenus dans toute la Marge Méditerranéenne du Maghreb. L’activité magmatique s’étend vers l’Est et atteint la zone ouest-Edough-Cap de Fer vers ~16 Ma puis se poursuit de façon intermittente dans les deux secteurs d’étude à ~15 Ma, 14-13 Ma jusqu’à 11 Ma avec la mise en place de corps filoniens mafiques et felsiques en Kabylie de Collo. En outre, un âge oligocène supérieur (27.0 ± 3.0 Ma et 23.3 ± 3.2 Ma) a été mesuré par la méthode Ar/Ar sur amphiboles des gabbros à caractère océanique du Cap Bougaroun s.s (Kabylie de Collo). Les nouvelles données géochimiques et isotopiques ont permis de mettre en évidence deux sources pour le magmatisme dans les deux secteurs étudiés. Une première source mantellique appauvrie, non modifiée par un composant de subduction qui est à l’origine des gabbros à caractère océanique du Cap Bougaroun s.s et de Bou Maïza au Sud de l’Edough. Ceux-ci pourraient représenter des reliques du stade de rifting d’âge oligocène supérieur en prélude à l’ouverture en position arrière-arc du bassin algérien. Une deuxième source enrichie en terres rares légères et en éléments mobiles est représentée par le manteau lithosphérique subcontinental kabyle précédemment métasomatisé durant la subduction à vergence nord de la lithosphère océanique téthysienne au Paléogène. Les magmas mafiques enrichis en LREE issues de cette source ont ensuite évolué par cristallisation fractionnée et contamination crustale pour former les roches intermédiaires et felsiques de la marge est-algérienne. Nous proposons un modèle tectono-magmatique de rupture de slab téthysien associée à une délamination crustale au niveau des bordures des deux lithosphères continentales africaine et kabyle. A 17 Ma, le flux thermique d’origine asthénosphérique ascendant à travers la déchirure du slab téthysien induit la fusion du manteau téthysien. Les magmas mafiques calco-calcalins moyennement potassiques subissent des échanges chimiques avec le socle africain durant leur ascension à travers celui-ci, générant les magmas intermédiaires et felsiques calco-alcalins riches en K caractérisés par une importante signature crustale. / The Miocene igneous activity in Lesser Kabylia includes a ~130 km-long EW-trending lineament that extends along the eastern Algerian margin from Kabylie de Collo to Ouest-Edough-Cap de Fer area. It includes mostly medium-K to High-K calc-alkaline plutonic and volcanic rocks. In the studied area, these magmatic rocks crosscut and/or overlie the inner zones of the Maghrebides represented by basement and Kabylian cretaceous and Numidian flyschs nappes. New U-Pb dating on zircons and K-Ar ages on whole rocks and separated minerals document a 17 Ma onset for the post-collisional K-rich calc-alkaline magmatism. These Upper Burdigalian ages obtained on the Bougaroun pluton are the oldest presently identified for Krich calc-alkaline rocks in the whole 1200 km-long EW trending magmatic belt located along the Mediterranean coast of Maghreb. However, according to new K-Ar ages, magmatic activity started in Ouest Edough zone at ~16 then persisted intermittently in the two studied areas at ~15.5 Ma, 14-13 Ma and stopped at ~11 Ma, with the emplacement of mafic and felsic dykes in Kabylie de Collo. In addition, we measured older (Upper Oligocene) Ar-Ar hornblende ages of 27.0 ± 3.0 Ma and 23.3 ± 3.2 Ma on LREE-depleted gabbros outcropping at Cap Bougaroun sensu stricto. According to our new geochemical and isotopic data, we distinguish two sources for magmatic rocks in the studied area: a depleted mantle source which could represent the ambient asthenosphere still not modified by the subduction processes at the time of emplacement of the Upper Oligocene LREE-depleted gabbros. The latter could be related to the Upper-Oligocene rifting before the back-arc crust formation in Algerian basin or to dyke systems or gabbroic intrusions crosscutting the stretched Kabylian continental crust. An enriched mantle source modified by a subduction component (melt or fluid) escaping from a northward-dipping subducted Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. The enriched mafic magmas are believed to come from this metasomatized mantle and are genetically related to the differentiated rocks through crystal fractionation and assimilation of large amounts of crustal lithologies, during their ascent through the African continental crust. We propose a tectono-magmatic model involving an Early Miocene Tethyan slab breakoff combined with delamination of the edges of the African and Kabylian continental lithospheres. At 17 Ma, the asthenospheric thermal flux upwelling through the slab tear induced the thermal erosion of the Kabylian lithospheric mantle metasomatized during the previous subduction event and triggered its partial melting. We attribute the strong trace element and isotopic crustal signature of Bougaroun felsic rocks to extensive interactions between ascending mafic melts and the African crust underthrust beneath the Kabylie de Collo basement.

External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) is a common treatment option for patients with prostate cancer. When treating the prostate with EBRT, a geometric volume (PTV margin) is added around the prostate to account for uncertainties in treatment planning and delivery. Current methods for estimating PTV margins rely on the analysis of population-based inter- and intra-fraction motion data. These methods do not consider the patient-to-patient differences in demographic or clinical presentation of patient specific factors (PSFs), such as age, weight, body-mass index, health and performance status, prostate-specific antigen levels, Gleason scores, presence of bowel problems, or other health conditions. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility using regression-based predictive algorithms to predict the extent of prostate motion for the purpose of personalizing the PTV margin using PSFs as inputs. Benchmarking simulations of Linear, Ridge, LASSO, SVR, kNN, and MLP algorithms were performed by simulating prostate intra-fraction motion and realistic variations in PSFs. Sample sizes ranged from n=20 to 800, with varying levels of noise into the motion data (0-10mm). Leave-one-out cross validation was used to train and validate algorithm performance. The results suggest that algorithm performance improves significantly within the first 50 – 100 patients, and this rate of improvement is independent of noise in prostate motion. The Ridge regression algorithm predicted intra-fraction motion to the lowest mean absolute error in simulated motion, performing especially well in small datasets. To evaluate the clinical utility of this approach, pre- and post-treatment prostate motion data, treatment time data, and rectal distension data was recorded in 21 patients, along with a variety of PSFs. In the analysis of patient data, the LASSO algorithm out-performed the Ridge algorithm, predicting the mean and standard deviation of an individual prostate cancer patient’s intra-fraction motion to within 0.8mm and 0.4 mm mean absolute error, respectively. However, prostate motion predictions did not correlate with PSFs, possibly due to the small sample size. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using regression-based algorithms for predicting prostate motion, and hence the opportunity to personalize PTV margins in prostate cancer patients. / Graduate / 2018-08-22

Le principe de subsidiarité, en droit de la Convention européenne, est un principe empreint d’ambiguïtés. D’origine prétorienne, il ne fait l’objet d’aucune définition formelle dans les textes ou la jurisprudence afférente et se voit ainsi marqué d’une indétermination sémantique et juridique certaine. Doté d’une double dimension à la fois procédurale et matérielle, il n’en reste pas moins un principe fondamental du droit européen, un principe qui structure, d’une part, l’organisation et le fonctionnement même du système et guide, d’autre part, l’interprétation et le contrôle du juge de Strasbourg. Parce que naturellement ambigu mais néanmoins directeur du droit européen, le principe de subsidiarité se présente donc comme un principe souple et malléable, par conséquent, adaptable. L’analyse de sa mise en oeuvre dans la jurisprudence européenne met ainsi en exergue l’inconstance et la variabilité d’application du principe, à la libre disposition du juge strasbourgeois. Mais analysée à la lumière du contexte actuel d’un engorgement sans précédent du système et donc d’une réaffirmation urgente de son caractère subsidiaire, l’utilisation fluctuante du principe s’apprécie sous un jour nouveau, visant à faire de la subsidiarité un principe non plus garant des libertés nationales mais désormais source d’un encadrement de celles-ci. Parce que moteur d’une responsabilisation accrue des Etats membres, le principe de subsidiarité apparaît donc comme une pièce maîtresse de la politique jurisprudentielle du juge européen. / As part of the European Convention, the principle of subsidiarity is marked by ambiguity. Originating from judges, it has not been formally defined in legal texts nor in any related jurisprudence and is therefore characterized by a semantic and legal indeterminacy. Featuring both a procedural and a tangible dimension, it remains a fundamental principle of European law. On the one hand, it structures, the system’s organization and operations. On the other hand, it guides the court of Strasbourg’s interpretation and review. Naturally ambiguous but still guiding European law, the principle of subsidiarity is presented as a flexible and malleable principle, and therefore adaptable. The analysis of its implementation in the European jurisprudence highlights its inconsistency and variability at the free disposal of the court of Strasbourg. However, in the light of the current context of an unprecedented saturation of the system and therefore of an urgent reassertion of its subsidiary nature, a fluctuating use of the principle is assessed differently to make it not a guarantee of national liberties, but a guide for them. As a driving force for increased accountability of member states, the principle of subsidiarity appears to be essential to the judicial policy of the European court.

There are several timing mechanisms on presently available commercial operating systems. Two operating system platforms that immediately come to mind are the Microsoft Windows environment (the WIN32 platform) and its UNIX-based counterpart, Linux (with its POSIX standard). The timing mechanisms under these operating systems are adequate for use in conventional multimedia applications currently run on these platforms. However, the requirements of such applications are not as stringent within a real-time environment. The goal of this dissertation was to determine if it would be possible to find a workaround for applications where current timing mechanisms in the WIN32 and POSIX environments do not meet the requirements of real-time. Before a proposed workaround is presented, a clarification is given as to what is meant by the notion of a timer. Attention is also given to the fact that its accuracy is quantified in terms of its resolution. It is acknowledged that real-time extensions to both the Windows and Linux operating systems exist. However, it was decided to find a solution without such assistance. Real-time is also defined and sub-classified into hard- and soft real-time, differentiating environments that have precise constraints (hard real-time) on timing as opposed to environments where demands on accuracy and efficiency are less stringent (soft real-time). The timer that was ultimately implemented had to conform to the latter form of real-time. This dissertation therefore aims to provide a solution in a soft real-time environment. The current timing mechanisms are discussed and their performance is quantified. Their deficiency in measuring a reliable periodic interval of 1 ms is highlighted. From this qualification of timers stems the requirements for the soft real-timer timer. The areas in which improvement is sought are stated. The design and implementation of a soft real-time timer that meets these requirements is presented and its performance at various frequencies is quantified. A comparison is given between the timer and the existing timing mechanisms as well as comparison between its implementation under both Windows and Linux. Additionally, the viability of the proposed timer compared to a proven hard real-time timer is presented. Finally it is recognised that a timer would not be useful if it was not effective in a practical environment. Consequently, the timer’s performance under the same load that it would experience in a practical soft real-time environment is investigated as well. The dissertation concludes with a discussion on the compatibility of this timer with expected advances in future Central Processing Unit (CPU) technologies. / Dissertation (MSc (Computer Science))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Computer Science / MSc / unrestricted

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the economic potential and opportunities for introducing Genetically Modified (GM) cassava that is Cassava Mosaic Virus (CMV) resistant and has improved starch properties in South Africa. The level of cassava production in South Africa is limited and thus a study on a new technology for this crop may seem strange. However, with innovations like the CMV resistance trait or amylose free cassava starch, cassava production in South Africa can possibly become more viable and relatively more profitable than competing crops such as maize and potatoes. Various ex ante economic methods and approaches to assessing economic impacts exist in the subject literature: the partial budget approach, cost benefit analysis, consumer and producer or economic surplus approach and the computable general equilibrium (CGE) or simulation model. For the purpose of this study and due to available data, a simple gross margin analysis was applied to analyse the economic profitability of genetically modified cassava in South Africa in comparison to maize and potato. Due to data limitations, this study relies on a synthesis between secondary information from various studies in other African countries and interviews with experts. The information collected was used to assess the potential for genetically modified cassava in South Africa. Secondary information and interviews with experts were used to provide more insights and information relating to the possible opportunities, constraints, performance of the genetically modified events, and production practices for cassava and other competing crops like maize and potato in the country. The gross margin analysis results show that cassava production is not profitable at farm level for both dryland and irrigation scenarios. However, processing cassava into starch results in higher returns from the higher starch output and quality compared to potato and maize. The starch from cassava has many industrial applications. The scenario analysis for GM cassava and infected cassava at 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% expected yield loss showed that the CMV resistant and amylose free GM cassava provides additional benefits due to its better quality and higher starch yields compared to infected varieties. The higher quality starch yields a higher profit making it even more profitable to produce cassava for starch. The results of interviews with subject experts show that cassava production and utilisation has lagged behind other crops in South Africa and the crop is sparingly and informally traded. An analysis of market constraints showed that there is a strong consumer taste preference for maize and other cereals dominating the starch market. Other factors that have contributed to the lagging behind of cassava in South Africa and other African countries are the post colonial government policies that favoured maize over cassava. Cassava has a number of important traits that present a competitive advantage for cassava as a commercial crop for farmers compared to other crops such as maize and potato. For example, cassava can be grown under difficult environmental conditions and has a wide range of applications ranging from food products to industrial starches. Cassava can be grown as a monoculture crop, unlike maize and potato which require rotation. In addition, the special characteristics of cassava starch present an important alternative to maize, wheat, rice and potato. Cassava flour and starch have unique properties which make them ideal for many applications in the food, textile and paper industries where flour and starch from other crops hold a quasi monopoly. For example, among starch producing plants, cassava has been considered as the highest yield producer (25 to 40 percent higher than potato, rice and maize) and as the most efficient (the highest) converter of solar energy to carbohydrate per unit area. However, despite these advantages, cassava has remained a neglected crop in South African agricultural research and development activities compared to cereals. However, the increasing demand for starch based applications in the food industry and industrial sector and the fact that the industry is searching for a cheaper substitute for cereals present an impressive market growth potential for cassava starch. For example, industries including the paper industry, food industry and textile industry are the main buyers of cassava starch in South Africa. The results from interview discussions show that there are some concerns and questions related to the introduction of GM cassava in South Africa. One of the main concerns was that empirical studies in South Africa have shown that the occurrence of cassava mosaic virus in the country is very low; it has an approximate 2 percent incidence rate. As a result, large scale producers have been able to control CMV through good management practices, natural selection and chemical control. Also, bureaucracy and lack of transparency in the South African genetically modified organism (GMO) regulatory system, especially regarding socio-economic issues consumer perception on GM cassava, may result in an extended delay before contained field trials are conducted in the country. It has also become clear that the two proposed GM events are still relatively far from being commercialisable. Furthermore, the current availability of mutant varieties of conventional cassava varieties that can produce better quality starch with a very low amylose content provide an important alternative to GM cassava. The utilisation of the former tends to be less time consuming and less expensive compared to GM cassava. It is difficult to perform a socio-economic assessment before confined laboratory tests or field trials have been conducted. Further development of the potential product would supply crucial information that is needed for an ex ante socio-economic study. It is clear that this study was conducted far too early as GM technologies are not yet remotely close to being ready for commercialisation. Many basic studies still need to be conducted, including field trials. The South African GMO Act and regulations do not clearly stipulate when a socio-economic study should be conducted, but it is clear that the worth of a study conducted before any confined field trials had been performed would be questionable. Copyright / Dissertation (MScAgric)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

The purpose of this research was to quantify what value could be gained from cutting solid wood products from old-growth western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) logs that are used to produce pulp in British Columbia. These logs represent a significant portion of the resource and increasing their value recovery would be beneficial to the forest industry. One hundred and sixteen logs were sampled from the coastal and interior regions of British Columbia. Dimension and quality attributes were measured to enable estimates of gross and merchantable volume. Logs deemed likely to yield lumber were sawn with the aim of maximizing value recovery. The nominal dimension and grade of all lumber recovered was recorded. Margins and breakpoints at which sawing became profitable were calculated. Models to predict the volume of lumber and proportion of Clear grade lumber recovered (“C Industrial” grade at the interior mill, “D Select” grade at the coastal mill) were developed. Lumber recovery, especially Clear grade lumber, was significantly higher from logs from the coastal site. At current market prices, cutting lumber from these logs was profitable, with the highest margins achieved when chips were produced from the milling residue. It was not profitable to recover lumber from the interior logs regardless of whether chips were produced. The disparity between locations was attributed to differences between the logs, the sawmilling equipment, the sawyers’ motivations and the lumber grades. Between 60% and 67% of coastal logs and 13% to 21% of interior logs returned a profit, depending on whether chips were produced. Models were developed to better identify these logs using observable attributes. A linear model described the total volume of lumber recovered. Significant predictor variables in the model were the gross log volume, the average width of the sound collar and the stage of butt/heart rot at the large end. A second model predicted the proportion of Clear grade lumber. Regional models were developed to account for different Clear lumber grades between sawmills. Significant predictor variables were knot frequency, diameter at the large end, volume, length, taper and the width of the sound collar at the large end. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Conservation is plagued by the issue of prioritization - what to conserve and where to conserve it - which relies on identification and assessment of risks. In this body of work, I identify some of the risks related to climate change impacts on biodiversity, as well as potential solutions. Climate changes are underway across nearly all terrestrial areas and will continue in response to greenhouse gas emissions over centuries. Other extinction drivers, such as habitat loss due to urbanization, commonly operate over localized areas. Urbanization contributes, at most, less than 2% of the total range loss for terrestrial species at risk when averaged within an ecodistrict (Chapter 2). Documented impacts of climate change, to date, include: extinction, population loss, reduction in range area, and decreased abundance for multiple taxonomic groups. Examining species’ and populations’ physiological limits provides insight into the mechanistic basis, as well as geography, of climate change impacts (Chapter 3). Climate changes, and the ecological impacts of climate changes, are scale-dependent. Thus, the biotic implications are more accurately assessed through comparisons of local impacts for populations. Under a scenario of climate change, equatorward margins may be strongly limited by climatic conditions and not by biotic interactions. Yet, geographic responses at poleward margins do not appear directly linked to changes in breeding season temperature (Chapter 4). New ideas on how regions with attenuated climate change (climate refugia) may be used to lower species climate-related extinction risk while simultaneously improving habitat connectivity should be considered in the context of potential future consequences (i.e. range disjunction, alternative biological responses) (Chapter 5). Contemporary climate refugia are identifiable along multiple climatic dimensions, and are similar in size to current protected areas (Chapter 6). Determining how, when, and where species distributions are displaced by climate change as well as methods of reducing climatic displacement involves integrating knowledge from distribution shift rates for populations, occurrence of climate refugia, and dispersal barriers. Such assessments, in the Yellowstone to Yukon region, identify dramatically different pathways for connectivity than assessments that are not informed by considerations of species richness and mobility (Chapter 7).

The goal of thesis titled "Analysis of the impact of low interest rates on banking business in Sweden" is to define conditions of bank business and profitability of banks in Sweden. Bank management is monitored mainly in terms of low interest rate policy. Among the indicators observed in the period from 2011 to 2015 include particularly the net interest margin, profitability ratios and loans volume. Risk incurred by banks is also monitored through losses from credit operations and the share of risk-weighted assets to total banking assets.