For many decades in India, natural resource management (NRM) programs were implemented by government bureaucracies in a centralized, top-down manner. The programs were unsustainable and suffered from resource use inefficiency and inequity. In the 1990s, under pressure from civil society organizations and multilateral agencies, the Government of India and many State Governments introduced policies that decentralized NRM programs and mandated active participation of users in the management of resources. When implementation responsibilities were transferred to resource user-groups many of the problems associated with centralization could be reduced significantly. However, despite their proven capacity of being better resource managers than government agencies, the user-groups encountered difficulties as self-governed people's organizations. Participation of users declined and problems of equity resurfaced in many user-groups. This dissertation describes the research that examines the causes of problems in the governance of user-groups in villages of Mehsana District in Gujarat. Using an eight-fold criteria of good governance, the study looks at eight Water Users Associations (WUAs) that took over irrigation management responsibilities from the Irrigation Department. This program of decentralization of irrigation is called Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM). The assessment of each WUA on each of the eight criteria reveals a close link between characteristics of good governance and the process of democratization. It can be seen that the WUAs that performed well on participation, equity, transparency, accountability, rule of law and consensus-orientation were less likely to face situations of dysfunction than the WUAs that performed poorly on these criteria. These criteria for good governance are also the core elements of democratic governance. At the same time, the case-studies reveal the tension between the democratization process that is attempted within the WUAs and the historical and cultural legacy of the feudal, autocratic and patriarchal society that rural India has been for many centuries. The thesis supports the argument, with empirical evidence, that the decentralization process can be sustainable only when user-groups institutionalize democratic processes and the early leaders behave in a democratic manner. It also suggests that the transition from an undemocratic institution to a democratic one can be enabled when external support agencies play an important catalytic role.

For many decades in India, natural resource management (NRM) programs were implemented by government bureaucracies in a centralized, top-down manner. The programs were unsustainable and suffered from resource use inefficiency and inequity. In the 1990s, under pressure from civil society organizations and multilateral agencies, the Government of India and many State Governments introduced policies that decentralized NRM programs and mandated active participation of users in the management of resources. When implementation responsibilities were transferred to resource user-groups many of the problems associated with centralization could be reduced significantly. However, despite their proven capacity of being better resource managers than government agencies, the user-groups encountered difficulties as self-governed people's organizations. Participation of users declined and problems of equity resurfaced in many user-groups. This dissertation describes the research that examines the causes of problems in the governance of user-groups in villages of Mehsana District in Gujarat. Using an eight-fold criteria of good governance, the study looks at eight Water Users Associations (WUAs) that took over irrigation management responsibilities from the Irrigation Department. This program of decentralization of irrigation is called Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM). The assessment of each WUA on each of the eight criteria reveals a close link between characteristics of good governance and the process of democratization. It can be seen that the WUAs that performed well on participation, equity, transparency, accountability, rule of law and consensus-orientation were less likely to face situations of dysfunction than the WUAs that performed poorly on these criteria. These criteria for good governance are also the core elements of democratic governance. At the same time, the case-studies reveal the tension between the democratization process that is attempted within the WUAs and the historical and cultural legacy of the feudal, autocratic and patriarchal society that rural India has been for many centuries. The thesis supports the argument, with empirical evidence, that the decentralization process can be sustainable only when user-groups institutionalize democratic processes and the early leaders behave in a democratic manner. It also suggests that the transition from an undemocratic institution to a democratic one can be enabled when external support agencies play an important catalytic role.

For many decades in India, natural resource management (NRM) programs were implemented by government bureaucracies in a centralized, top-down manner. The programs were unsustainable and suffered from resource use inefficiency and inequity. In the 1990s, under pressure from civil society organizations and multilateral agencies, the Government of India and many State Governments introduced policies that decentralized NRM programs and mandated active participation of users in the management of resources. When implementation responsibilities were transferred to resource user-groups many of the problems associated with centralization could be reduced significantly. However, despite their proven capacity of being better resource managers than government agencies, the user-groups encountered difficulties as self-governed people's organizations. Participation of users declined and problems of equity resurfaced in many user-groups. This dissertation describes the research that examines the causes of problems in the governance of user-groups in villages of Mehsana District in Gujarat. Using an eight-fold criteria of good governance, the study looks at eight Water Users Associations (WUAs) that took over irrigation management responsibilities from the Irrigation Department. This program of decentralization of irrigation is called Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM). The assessment of each WUA on each of the eight criteria reveals a close link between characteristics of good governance and the process of democratization. It can be seen that the WUAs that performed well on participation, equity, transparency, accountability, rule of law and consensus-orientation were less likely to face situations of dysfunction than the WUAs that performed poorly on these criteria. These criteria for good governance are also the core elements of democratic governance. At the same time, the case-studies reveal the tension between the democratization process that is attempted within the WUAs and the historical and cultural legacy of the feudal, autocratic and patriarchal society that rural India has been for many centuries. The thesis supports the argument, with empirical evidence, that the decentralization process can be sustainable only when user-groups institutionalize democratic processes and the early leaders behave in a democratic manner. It also suggests that the transition from an undemocratic institution to a democratic one can be enabled when external support agencies play an important catalytic role. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate

Scientology holds considerable interest for scholars of new religious movements. As such, this study aims to contribute new data and insight to ongoing theoretical work within this area of religious studies scholarship. Engaged in this inquiry are the similarities between Scientology, the new religious movement founded in 1951 by L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986), and the Chinese religion, Confucianism, which originates with the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BCE). Though Hubbard admits being influenced by eastern thinking such as Buddhism and Daoism in shaping his worldview, he specifically discounts Confucius as relevant in this regard. However, through comparisons between Scientology and Confucianism, this study demonstrates that there are significant and numerous instances of similarities between the two religions ranging from their worldviews to concomitant soteriologies. In the cosmogonies of Scientology and Neo-Confucianism, for example, the world comes about from the interplay of two cosmic phenomena: 1) an ordering, non-physical life force, termed in this study as the quasi-transcendent and 2) the physical. All life, including human beings, occurs as the quasi-transcendent realm combines with the physical, creating three homogeneous, coextensive, and teleologically interdependent parts: 1) the quasi-transcendent domain, 2) the physical universe, and 3) the human sphere. Comparing both traditions further, human beings are innately good, endowed as such by the benevolent influence of their quasi-transcendent component. Error, or evil, is rendered no ontological status and is rationalized as confusion caused by the obfuscating effect of the mind's physical constituent upon its benevolent counterpart. Self-transformation occurs as the physical component of the human mind is purified restoring profound ontological awareness and cosmic creativity. A notion absent in Confucianism, which could be assessed as a significant theological difference between these traditions, is Scientology's reincarnation theme. This aspect, however, is peripheral to the larger conceptual model that both these religions share.

The dissociation behavior of the CH4+CO2 binary gas hydrate has been investigated using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This technique allows us to distinguish the hydrate structure present, as well as to quantify phase concentrations. Single-pulse excitation was used in combination with magic-angle spinning (MAS). Time-resolved in situ decomposition experiments were carried out at different compositions in sealed, pressurized samples. The decomposition profiles of the CH4+CO2 binary gas hydrate system obtained at various compositions suggest that the decomposition rate is a strong function of the fractional cage occupancy and temperature. An unexpected CH4 hydrate reformation was observed during our decomposition experiments when the temperature reached the ice melting point. A decrease on the CO2 content in the hydrate phase was found during the decomposition experiment, as the pressure and temperature of the system increases.

The act of terrorism is a widely discussed topic. How it is conducted as well as how it is countered. A term not so often discussed is the changes we have seen within the field itself, one example being the theory brought about by Peter R. Neumann. This theory is known as Older & Newer Terrorism which divides the terrorism of old with the type of terrorism nowadays. The theory indicates a shift in the structure, aim and methods of terrorist organizations. This being from a hierarchical, nationalist/marxist way with attacks aimed at legitimate targets towards a networked and transnational structure which is religiously inspired and makes use of mass-casualty attacks against civilians. With that aim the thesis seeks to put the theory to the test using the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM), and determine whether or not it holds up to the test of time. It shows that the theory has some struggle with defining the NRM as a terrorist organization which would operate under the Newer Terrorism term. This in turn leads to the questions of whether or not the theory is flawed in some way, or that the NRM simply should be considered an old terrorist organization.

This thesis seeks to understand and improve the effectiveness of partnerships formed by industry, community and government members of natural resource management (NRM) groups. The increasing popularity of partnership-based approaches to NRM is reflected in the rise of landcare, catchment management and other social mobilisation approaches throughout Australia and overseas. This thesis uses critical ethnographic methods to identify the characteristics of effective NRM partnerships and the factors influencing their effectiveness. This research also investigates appropriate methods for evaluating the effectiveness of such relationships and for determining when working in partnership with others may be the most appropriate response to a given NRM problem and context. The critical intent of the study means that it sought not only to understand the nature of such issues but also sought to enlighten and empower participants to improve the practice of partnerships in natural resource management. These characteristics and factors are analysed from three perspectives: the coordinators employed to broker and facilitate community-based NRM groups, the groups themselves and individual group members. This was done in order to reflect the importance of the continuous (re)negotiation of power that characterises long-term group relationships. It also enabled theories of power, cultural transformation, citizen participation, social capital and social learning to be used in the analysis of the NRM partnerships investigated in this study. These concepts were used to develop three tools for analysing NRM partnerships: a pendulum of citizen participation, an NRM citizen participation decision tree, and an NRM partnership typology. The study is based upon the analysis of nineteen cases, predominantly in South East Queensland, which were selected as examples of successful and effective NRM partnerships on the basis of referrals from regional managers and coordinators from State and Local Government. The research design was 'T' shaped, with Phase 1 of the study providing breadth through the analysis of fifteen partnerships. Depth was achieved in Phases 2 and 3. Phase 2 was a long-term ethnographic case study of one catchment management group while Phase 3 comprised a detailed analysis of three issue-specific partnerships formed by this group. These three phases concentrated on the viewpoint of coordinators, NRM groups and participants, respectively. Data on each of the nineteen cases were collected through interviews, field observations, workshops, document analyses and a short questionnaire. Data were analysed qualitatively. All data records were systematically coded to reveal themes and concepts relating to the research objectives from the viewpoints of coordinators, NRM groups and participants. Coding also revealed implications for governments seeking to enter into or to facilitate partnerships with others. The coding and interpretation of this data revealed a suite of twelve characteristics typical of effective natural resource management partnerships. These fell into five groups: (i) definitional characteristics (relating to effectiveness and shared power and responsibility) (ii) relationship characteristics (focusing on social capital building processes; communication; processes for knowledge acquisition and social learning; shared values, intent, action and risk-taking) (iii) participant characteristics (high levels of motivation and realistic expectations); (iv) a context characteristic (that the context is appropriate for a partnership) and (v) an 'outsider' perception characteristic (that the partnership is perceive positively by outsiders). A comparative analysis of cases reveals that only one of the nineteen cases exhibited all twelve characteristics. Importantly, three of these characteristics are not mentioned in the literature reviewed for this thesis. Two of these, share values and shared intent are relationship characteristics. Study findings emphasise that effective NRM partnerships are built on good personal relationships, based on shared values and intent. The third new characteristic is that people outside the partnership should perceive the relationship favourably. Since funds and other resources may be under the control of people outside a partnership, it is important that participants are able to effectively communicate their shared values and intent to others. Five factors were found to be significant in the development of effective partnerships (i) the need for participants and those brokering partnerships to realize that effective partnerships are built on positive personal relationships in which (ii) participants have high levels of motivation for being involved, particularly early in the relationship. The study further revealed that such relationships: (iii) need to be supported by a continuity of adequate funding and resources and (iv) the services of skilled, enthusiastic coordinators who (v) enjoy and are skilled at working in 'grey areas', the constantly changing social and organizational environment that is typical of NRM groups. These findings of the study are synthesized through a critical ethnography which depicts three years in the life of a typical, yet hypothetical, NRM group, the Armstrong Narrows-Yarooba Catchment Management Group (ANY Group). Based on the literature review and the analysis of results from this study, this composite story protects the anonymity of those who have participated in this research. Each of the three vignettes that make up this story contains two sections -As it was and As it could be. This 'double take approach' highlights the critical nature of the ethnography, emphasising how the development of collaborations and partnerships among members of NRM groups may be improved and evaluated. Coordinators, NRM group members and agencies supporting their efforts may use this ethnography as a basis for reflection and deliberation on the development of effective partnerships in natural resource management. Recommendations for how different stakeholders in NRM partnerships may develop the effectiveness of the partnerships they form are provided.

Numerous techniques are used to study the magnetic history and properties of rocks, which provides important data on the Earth’s interior. In this study we conducted a series of experiments on two different sample sets, comprising pure magnetite (Set1) and a mixture of magnetite-hemoilmenite-bearing quartzite (Set2), in order to gather information about their magnetic susceptibility and remanent magnetization. A miniature diamond anvil cell (mDAC) constructed from hardened non-magnetic alloy (40HNU) was used for high pressure experiments. With the help of high sensitivity susceptibility bridge (MFK1-FA Kappabridge, AGICO), we measured the susceptibility of three samples and of the mDAC. Consequently, we loaded one of the samples in the mDAC and acquired susceptibility measurements during the compression and decompression of the system. For remanence measurements we used a 2G Enterprises SQUID magnetometer. We measured the natural remanent magnetization (NRM) and performed alternating field (AF) demagnetization on ten samples and on the mDAC. Additionally, isothermal and anhysteretic remanent magnetization (IRM and ARM) acquisition were performed on nine and one samples, respectively and demagnetization on three and one samples, respectively. Results showed that Set1 samples consist of both SD and MD magnetite grains. Regarding Set2 samples, the main magnetic carriers are SD and MD magnetite or titanium bearing magnetite grains, while there are indications that hematite and ferrimagnetic titanohematite might be present as well. The presence of eddy currents, due to the conducting materials of the mDAC, resulted in masking the signal of the sample making it difficult to draw any safe conclusions regarding how the susceptibility of the sample changes with pressure. All in all, there was a satisfactory response of the instruments working with very small amounts of material and an adequate signal stability of both the samples and the mDAC. Our study provided us with an insight into high pressure experiments and showed possible directions for future studies. / Många metoder används för att studera magnetiska egenskaper i berg, vilket ger viktig information om Jordens inre. I denna studie genomförde vi en rad experiment på två olika uppsättningar prov, innefattande ren magnetit (Set1) och en blandning av magnetit-hemoilmenit-bärande kvartsit (Set2), för att samla information om deras magnetisk susceptibilitet och magnetiska remanens. En miniatyr diamantstädcell (mDAC) konstruerad av en härdad icke-magnetisk legering (40HNU) användes för högtrycksexperiment. Susceptibilitetet av tre prover och av mDAC mättes en MFK1-FA Kappabridge, AGICO. Följaktligen monterade vi ett av proverna i mDAC och vi genomförde susceptibilitetsmätningar under kompression och dekompression. Vi använde en 2G Enterprises SQUID magnetometer för remanensmätningar. Den naturlig remanentmagnetiseringen (NRM) mättes och vi utförde alternerande fält (AF) demagnetisering på tio prover och på mDAC. Dessutom genomfördes isotermisk och anhysteretisk remanentmagnetisering (IRM och ARM) på nio respektive ett prover, och demagnetisering på tre respektive ett prover. Resultaten visade att Set1-prover består av både enkeldomän (SD) och multidomän (MD) magnetit. SD och MD magnetit- och titanomagnetitkorn är de viktigaste magnetiska mineral av Set2-prover, medan finns det indikationer på att hematit och ferrimagnetisk titanohematit också bidrar till signal. Virvelströmmar, som skapats av mDACs ledande material, maskerade provets magnetiska susceptibilitet och det var svårt att kommentera på hur provets susceptibilitet förändras med tryck. Sammantaget var instrumentens prestanda tillfredsställande, även vid små mängder material. Prov och mDACs signalstabilitet var också adekvat. Vår studie gav oss en inblick i högtrycksexperiment och magnetiska egenskaper och den visade möjliga riktningar för framtida studier.

Le déclin voire la disparition de la religion dans les sociétés modernes est abondamment discuté dans le domaine des sciences sociales et particulièrement de la sociologie des religions durant la seconde moitié du XXe siècle.Interrogeant ce point de vue, cette thèse vise à rendre compte d'une nouvelle forme de religiosité, la spiritualité, qui tend à se développer mondialement, surtout dans les sociétés industrielles avancées, depuis la fin du XXe siècle, pénétrant diverses sphères de la vie sociale : les loisirs, la santé, la nutrition, l’éducation, l'économie, la politique, etc.Il s’agit de dresser un état des lieux de ce phénomène, qui se déroule en dehors des cadres religieux institutionnels et principalement via une démarche individuelle, en focalisant sur ses liens avec des facteurs socioculturels et avec les religions traditionnelles dans trois sociétés choisies : japonaise, française et néerlandaise. Au-delà, cette étude s’intéresse aux rapports de cette « religion invisible » avec la société civile, à ses potentialités comme source d’engagements multiples.Cette recherche repose sur le travail de terrain mené au sein de festivals dédiés à la spiritualité, l'une des expressions centrales de ce phénomène, en s’appuyant sur des méthodes qualitatives : l’entretien et l’observation participante sont les principales approches. Ce travail nous amène à constater que la spiritualité, phénomène mondialisé, se nuance et se décline pourtant localement sous l’influence des contextes politiques et sociétaux. / The decline or even disappearance of religion in modern societies is extensively discussed in the field of social sciences and in particular in the world of sociology of religion during the second half of the 20th century.Questioning this view, this thesis aims to account for a new form of religiosity, spirituality, which tends to develop on a worldwide scale, especially in advanced industrial societies, since the late 20th century, penetrating various spheres of social life: leisure, health, nutrition, education, economy, politics, etc.The goal is to provide an overview of this phenomenon, which has been unfolding outside institutionalized religious frameworks, mainly through an individual approach, focusing on links with socio-cultural factors and with traditional religions in three selected societies: Japanese, French, and Dutch. Furthermore, this study is interested in the relationship of this "invisible religion" with the civil society and in its potentialities as a source of multiple commitments.This research is based on fieldwork conducted in festivals dedicated to spirituality, a central expression of spirituality, which this work attempts to assess through qualitative methods: interviews and participant observation are the main approaches. This research makes us understand that spirituality, although globalized, is nuanced and declined nevertheless locally under the influence of political and societal contexts.

To develop a sustainable future for the rangelands, partnerships are needed — partnerships between scientists, policy makers, visitors, and most significantly, the various communities of people who live and work in the rangelands. The views of these people are as variable as the country about which they care; rangeland communities are not homogeneous. The power relations between these people are at the base of many conflicts. How we handle the relationships between these groups, and manage these conflicts, are crucial for success in land management. ¶ The first part of this thesis reviews the history of both community participation and power theory. While participatory approaches are part of the rhetoric in Australian land management, proponents are generally naïve about the complexities of power and power relations. The philosophical literature highlights that power is a contested concept; and these divisions are epitomised by the works of Habermas and Foucault. Their writings are compared and contrasted to provide a rich understanding of power relations in community participation. ¶ Power relations influence whose voices are heard: those who exercise power, and the sets of rules that define what is seen as true or false at any given time in history. Power relations also determine whose knowledge is incorporated in land management policy and practice. The model proposed in this thesis demonstrates that power relations interact with every dimension of community participation: context, goals, scale, stage, who is involved, the capacity of those involved, and the methods used. ¶ Research was undertaken within agricultural and natural resource management programs and projects in south-west Queensland. A variety of participatory approaches are used by government agencies to encourage grazier participation and the adoption of more sustainable practices, such as Landcare, Bestprac and the regional groups, such as the South West Strategy. While government staff in south-west Queensland purport to share decision-making power with landholders, landholders tend to have different perspectives about the level of power that is being shared. ¶ One of the key findings of this research is that power is not static within any project. Rather, power is ultradynamic, fluid, and highly dependent on context. In terms of land management programs, the levels of power sharing fluctuate over time and between actors. The micro-physics of power, or the power relations among individuals, are often invisible to, or neglected by, the facilitators of land management programs. ¶ Government agencies tend to focus on the processes used, and on finding the best participatory methods, rather than on the individuals who implement the process or the individuals who participate. Greater flexibility is needed in approaches to land management; correspondingly, greater responsibility is needed from all individuals who have a stake in it. To find sustainable solutions for the rangelands and its people, all involved in participatory land management projects need to better understand the dynamics of power, so as to manage any negative effects.