In today’s Nordic construction industry, it is difficult for new and innovative building solutions to be introduced due to prescriptive and inflexible regulations. Trading products and services cross-border is something that could loosen the tough market, but this is not possible due to the lack of common international frameworks that is performance based with the possibility to perform fire safety engineering. This is something that the Nordic Innovation project group called Fire Safety Engineering for Innovative and Sustainable Building Solutions wants to change. By introducing a new probabilistic method to verify fire safety in buildings, with the intention to become a Nordic standard, so will hopefully parts of these problems be resolved. The fourth work package of the project includes field testing of the new method which this thesis is a part of. The idea is to asses and improve the new probabilistic approach by comparing it to an existing non-probabilistic method and introduce ameliorating recommendations. Comparison of the probabilistic method is performed against a Swedish verification process that’s based on the General recommendations on analytical design of fire safety strategy (BBRAD) by verifying fire safety in a car park, that is located below an office building, with both verification methods. The two performance-based analyses treat deviations from a prescriptive solution, performed with the Boverket’s Building Regulations (BBR), and the results of these verifications is compared. The requirements that is verified are; escape in event of fire, protection against the outbreak of fire, protection against the development and spread of fire and smoke in buildings, protection against spread of fire between buildings, possibility of rescue responses and ensuring fire resistance in the structural members. Fire safety designs and approaches for treatment of the deviations are compared and analysed which concludes in the improvement recommendation that’s been presented.  Questions that has been answered during the work process is: How do the methods treat the possibility of a fire safety design without sprinkler? What is the main difference between the two verification methods? Which improvements could be done to the new Probabilistic method?  The recommendations of improvement that has been presented is based on the work process of the probabilistic approach and the comparison with the Swedish verification process. Development of the following areas is advocated: Treatment of critical levels for evacuation scenarios  Form a common Nordic statistical database Improved guidance of how to complete the validation analysis The thesis does not include all parts that’s required in a fire safety design but will merely focus on the deviations of the pre-accepted solution. The verification is only performed on the car park, i.e. the office part of the building is not included. / I dagens nordiska byggbransch är det svårt för nya och innovativa byggnadslösningar att införas på grund av de preskriptiva och fyrkantiga regelverk som finns. Handel av produkter och tjänster över gränserna är något som kan luckra upp den tuffa marknaden, men det är svårt på grund av bristen utav gemensamma internationella regelverk som är funktionsbaserade med möjlighet till fire safety engeinnering. Det är något som ett nordiskt innovationsprojekt kallat Fire Safety Engineering for Innovative and Sustainable Building Solutions vill förändra. Genom att införa en ny probabilistisk metod för att verifiera brandsäkerheten i byggnader, med avsikten att skapa en nordisk standard, kan förhoppningsvis delar av dessa problem lösas. Det fjärde arbetspaketet inom projektet består av att testa den nya metoden, vilket denna avhandling är en del av. Tanken är att bedöma och ta fram förbättringsförslag till den nya probabilistiska metoden genom att jämföra den med en befintlig scenariobaserad metod och presentera förbättringsrekommendationer. Jämförelse av probabilistiska metoden utförs mot en svensk verifieringsprocess som baseras på Boverkets allmänna råd om analytisk dimensionering av byggnaders brandskydd (BBRAD) genom att verifiera brandsäkerheten i ett parkeringsgarage, som ligger under en kontorsbyggnad, med båda verifieringsmetoderna. De två funktionsbaserade analyserna behandlar avvikelser från en förenklad dimensionering, som är utförd enligt Boverkets Byggregler (BBR), och resultaten av dessa verifikationer jämförs. De krav som verifieras är; utrymning i händelse av brand, skydd mot uppkomst av brand, skydd mot utveckling och spridning av brand och rök i byggnader, skydd mot brandspridning mellan byggnader, möjlighet till räddningsinsats och att säkerställa bärförmåga vid brand. Brandskyddets utformning och metodernas behandling av avvikelserna jämförs och analyseras vilket konkluderar i de rekommendationer för förbättring som presenteras. Frågor som har besvarats under arbetsprocessen är: Hur behandlar metoderna möjligheten att dimensionera brandsäkerheten utan sprinklersystem? Vad är den stora skillnaden mellan de två verifieringsmetoderna? Vilka förbättringar kan göras på den nya probabilistiska metoden? Rekommendationerna till förbättring som har tagits fram är baserad på arbetsprocessen i den probabilistiska metoden och jämförelsen med den svenska verifieringsprocessen. Utveckling av följande områden förespråkas: Behandling av kritiska nivåer i utrymningsscenarion Uppställning av en gemensam statistiskdatabas för de nordiska länderna Förbättrad förklaring om hur man utför valideringarna av analysen Avhandlingen omfattar inte alla delar som behövs vid bandskyddsprojektering utan fokusera endast på avvikelserna från den förenklade dimensioneringen. Verifikationen är endast utförd på parkeringsgaraget, det vill säga kontorsdelen av byggnaden behandlas inte. / Fire Safety Engineering for Innovative and Sustainable Building Solutions

Le présent travail de recherche analyse l’acte d’achat et fait une brèche dans la relation mystérieuse que nous développons avec les biens de consommation. En microéconomie et en sociologie de la consommation, on considère que le consommateur fait des choix rationnels, et ce à travers un processus d’achat (Langlois, 2002). Ce processus est divisé en cinq étapes : la reconnaissance du problème, la recherche d’informations, l’évaluation des alternatives en concurrence, le choix et l’analyse post-achat (Brée, 2004). Bien que l’étape du choix soit certainement l’étape charnière du processus, car elle détermine le choix final menant à l’achat, elle est souvent comprise comme l’aboutissement de calculs préalables et non comme un moment régi par ses propres dynamiques. Le paradigme dominant en matière de choix, la théorie du choix rationnel, avance que nous formulons nos choix en recourant à des calculs d’utilité. Nous évaluons rationnellement les options afin d’optimiser notre situation en sélectionnant le choix qui nous rapporte le plus en nous coûtant le moins (Abell, 1991). Par contre, certains critiques de la théorie du choix rationnel allèguent que la multiplicité de choix encouragée par notre société engendre un stress lors de l’achat qui embrouille le jugement menant au choix. Cela invite à considérer la singularité du moment menant au choix. Que se passe-t-il chez le consommateur lorsqu’il est mis en présence d’un objet? En vérité, les disciplines qui s’intéressent au comportement du consommateur éludent la présence de l’objet comme forme d’influence sur le jugement. Dans le cadre de cette recherche, nous entendons par la mise en présence le moment où un individu est en présence d’un objet spécifique ou d’une représentation d’un objet. Lorsque mis en présence de l’objet, le consommateur fera un jugement qui sera potentiellement relatif aux sensations de beauté (Hutcheson, 1991) et aux émotions provoquées par un objet spécifique. Ainsi, les sens « externes » (la vue, l’ouïe, l’odorat, le goût, le toucher) stimulent un sens « esthétique » : le sens interne de la beauté (Hutcheson, 1991). De plus, il peut survenir, en consommation, lors de la mise en présence que l’émotion prenne la forme d’un jugement (Nussbaum, 2001). On définit les émotions comme un état affectif situationnel dirigé vers une chose (Desmet, 2002). C’est ainsi que la recherche s’est articulé autour de l’hypothèse suivante : de quelle manière la mise en présence influence le jugement du consommateur pendant le processus d’achat? Nous avons mené une enquête inspirée d’une approche qualitative auprès de consommateurs dont les résultats sont ici exposés et discutés. L’enquête tente dans un premier temps de cerner l’impact de la mise en présence dans le processus d’achat. Puis, le récit de magasinage de quatre participants est analysé à l’aide d’éléments tels les critères de choix, les facteurs, les influences et les contraintes. L’enquête montre notamment que la mise en présence intervient et modifie le jugement du consommateur. L’analyse des entretiens met en avant une tendance chez nos participants à la scénarisation tout au long du processus d’achat et particulièrement lors des moments de mise en présence. Nous avons observé que les moments de mise en présence alimentent le scénario imaginé par le consommateur et lui permet de créer des scénarios de vie future en interaction avec certains biens de consommation. / This research investigates the purchasing moment and opens a breach in the mysterious relationship that we develop with consumer goods. Micro-economics and the sociology of consumption considers that the consumer makes rational choices through a buying process (Langlois, 2002). This process is divided into five stages: problem recognition, information search, evaluating alternative options, choice and post-purchase analysis (Bree, 2004). Although the stage of choice is certainly the turning point, because it determines the final choice leading to the purchase, it is often understood as the result of prior calculations and not as a moment governed by its own dynamics. The dominant paradigm in terms of choice, the rational choice theory, argues that we choose to optimize our situation by selecting the choice that gives us the most value for the least cost (Abell 1991). However, critics of the rational choice theory argue that the multiplicity of choices encouraged by our society generates stress when buying that confuses the judgment. This invites us to consider the uniqueness of the moment leading to the choice. What is happening in the consumer’s mind when it is in the presence of an object? In fact, the influence of the object’s presence on judgement is often not considered by the disciplines interested in consumer behavior. The presence refers to the moment when an individual is in the presence of a specific object or a representation of an object. When placed in contact with the object, the consumer will make an aesthetic judgment, and will experience emotion. Indeed, the judgment will be potentially related to sensations of beauty (Hutcheson, 1991), or to emotions caused by a specific object. Despite this, the aesthetic judgment is disregarded when it comes to influences on consumer choice. Also, it appears that emotion can occur when brought in presence of an object in consumption and generate an emotional judgment. We define emotions as an affective state revealed in a situational moment (Desmet, 2002). Thus, we developed the main research question: in what ways the presence of object can impact the consumer judgment during the buying process. We conducted a survey based on a qualitative approach with consumers and the results are presented and discussed here. This allows an opening on new research possibilities. The survey attempted initially to identify the impact of the presence of the object in the purchasing process. The shopping story of four participants is analyzed using elements such as criteria, factors, constraints and influences. The survey shows among other things that the moment of presence intervenes and modifies the consumer's judgment. The analysis of the interviews highlights a trend among our participants to create imagined scenarios throughout the buying process, especially during times of development presence. We observed that the moments of presence feeds the scenario and allows him to create future life scenarios based on the interactions with other consumer goods.

Risk management plays a key role in water utilities. Although tools are well established at operational and tactical levels of management, existing methods at strategic level lack a holistic treatment and a long-term perspective. In fact, risks are analysed per se, despite being interconnected; and long-term scenarios are commonly used for strategic planning, rather than for risk management, most of the time being related to one single issue (for example: climate change). In order to overcome the limitations identified in the existing methodologies, a novel approach for water utilities to manage risk at strategic level was developed and tested in EPAL - the largest and oldest water utility in Portugal. It consists of (i) setting a baseline risks comparison founded on a systemic model developed ‗bottom-up‘ through the business; (ii) the construction of future scenarios and an observation of how baseline risks may change with time. Major contributions of this research are the linkage between operational and strategic risks, capturing the interdependencies between strategic risks; the ability to look at long term risk, allowing the visualizing of the way strategic risks may change under a possible future scenario; and the novel coupling of risks and futures research. For the water sector, this approach constitutes a useful tool for strategic planning, which may be presented to the Board of Directors in a simple and intuitive way, despite the solid foundations of the underlying analysis. It also builds on in-house expertise, promoting the dissemination and pervasiveness of risk management within the companies and, on the other hand, allowing unveiling of existing knowledge, making it explicit and more useful for the organization.

There exists no predefined framework for aviation policy making and development. While aviation policy planning in most developed countries comes as a result of institutional and industry coordination and is embedded within other national policies addressing the welfare and growth of the country, it is found that in many cases in less developed countries (LDCs), aviation policy planning is often influenced by political pressures and the interests of fund donors. The complexity of this situation in the developing countries results in aviation plans that represent stand alone studies and attempt to find solutions to specific problems rather than comprehensive aviation plans which fit well the country‘s competitiveness profile and are properly coordinated with other national policies for achieving medium and long-term objectives. This study provides a three-stage policy development framework for aviation strategic planning based on situational analysis and performance benchmarking practices in order to assemble policy elements and produce a best-fit aviation strategy. The framework builds on study results that indicate an association between air transport sector performance and aviation policy strategies, arguing that it is not sufficient to simply describe performance but also to be able to assess it and understand how policymakers can use strategic planning tools to affect the air transport industry efficiency levels. This can be achieved by recognizing the level of the country‘s stage of development and working on enhancing the policy elements that produce better output and induce more contributions by aviation to the national economic development and connectivity levels. The proposed aviation policy development framework is systematic and continuous. It helps policymakers in LDC to manage uncertainty in complex situations by allowing them to defend, correct and re-examine the policy actions based on a forward thinking approach which incorporates the contingency elements of the policy and tracks the developments that can affect the odds of its success. The framework‘s elements and its flow of process are explained by providing an illustrative example applied to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Dans les systèmes d'informations, les outils de détection produisent en continu un grand nombre d'alertes.Des outils de corrélation permettent de réduire le nombre d'alertes et de synthétiser au sein de méta-alertes les informations importantes pour les administrateurs.Cependant, la complexité des règles de corrélation rend difficile leur écriture et leur maintenance.Cette thèse propose par conséquent une méthode pour générer des règles de corrélation de manière semi-automatique à partir d’un scénario d’attaque exprimé dans un langage de niveau d'abstraction élevé.La méthode repose sur la construction et l'utilisation d’une base de connaissances contenant une modélisation des éléments essentiels du système d’information (par exemple les nœuds et le déploiement des outils de détection). Le procédé de génération des règles de corrélation est composé de différentes étapes qui permettent de transformer progressivement un arbre d'attaque en règles de corrélation.Nous avons évalué ce travail en deux temps. D'une part, nous avons déroulé la méthode dans le cadre d'un cas d'utilisation mettant en jeu un réseau représentatif d'un système d'une petite entreprise.D'autre part, nous avons mesuré l'influence de fautes touchant la base de connaissances sur les règles de corrélation générées et sur la qualité de la détection. / Information systems produce continuously a large amount of messages and alerts. In order to manage this amount of data, correlation system are introduced to reduce the alerts number and produce high-level meta-alerts with relevant information for the administrators. However, it is usually difficult to write complete and correct correlation rules and to maintain them. This thesis describes a method to create correlation rules from an attack scenario specified in a high-level language. This method relies on a specific knowledge base that includes relevant information on the system such as nodes or the deployment of sensor. This process is composed of different steps that iteratively transform an attack tree into a correlation rule. The assessment of this work is divided in two aspects. First, we apply the method int the context of a use-case involving a small business system. The second aspect covers the influence of a faulty knowledge base on the generated rules and on the detection.

Due to turbulence in the financial market throughout history, stress testing has become a growing part of the risk analysis performed by clearing houses. Events connected to previous crises have increased the demand for prudent risk exposure, and in this thesis we investigate regulators view on how CCPs should construct risk scenarios to meet best practice for stress testing their members’ composite portfolios. A method based on multivariate t-distributions and copula-transformations applied to historical time series data, is proposed for constructing an independent scenario generator which should be used as a compliment to other, more knowledge-based methods. The method was implemented in Matlab to test the theory in practice, and experiments were setup for pure stock portfolios as well as for derivative based portfolios. Backtests were then carried out to validate the underlying theory on historical data spanning 25 years in total. Results show that the method proposed in this thesis indeed has the potential to be a useful approach for creating stress scenarios. Its ability to render specific levels of plausibility seems to show a sufficient level of consistency with real life data, and further research is thereby justified.

A ambiguidade lexical é considerada uma das principais barreiras para melhoria de aplicações do Processamento de Língua Natural (PLN). Neste contexto, tem-se a área de Desambiguação Lexical de Sentido (DLS), cujo objetivo é desenvolver e avaliar métodos que determinem o sentido correto de uma palavra em um determinado contexto por meio de um conjunto finito de possíveis significados. A DLS é empregada, principalmente, no intuito de prover recursos e ferramentas para diminuir problemas de ambiguidade e, consequentemente, contribuir para melhorias de resultados em outras áreas do PLN. Para o Português do Brasil, pouco se tem pesquisado nesta área, havendo alguns trabalhos bem específicos de domínio. Outro fator importante é que diversas áreas do PLN engajam-se no cenário multidocumento, onde a computação é efetuada sobre uma coleção de textos, todavia, não há relato de trabalhos de DLS direcionados a este cenário, tampouco experimentos de desambiguação neste domínio. Portanto, neste trabalho de mestrado, objetivou-se o desenvolvimento de métodos de DLS de domínio geral voltado à língua Portuguesa do Brasil e o desenvolvimento de algoritmos de desambiguação que façam uso de informações multidocumento, bem como a experimentação e avaliação destes no cenário multidocumento. Para tanto, a fim de subsidiar experimentos, desenvolvimento e avaliação deste projeto, anotou-se manualmente o córpus CSTNews, caracterizado como um córpus multidocumento, utilizando a WordNet de Princeton como repositório de sentidos, que organiza os significados por meio de conjuntos de sinônimos ( synsets) e relações linguísticas entre estes. Foram desenvolvidos quatro métodos de DLS e algumas variações, sendo: um método heurístico (para aferir valores de baseline); variações do algoritmo de Lesk (1986); adaptação do algoritmo de Mihalcea and Moldovan (1999); e uma variação do método de Lesk para o cenário multidocumento. Foram realizados três experimentos para avaliação dos métodos, cujos objetivos foram: determinar o desempenho geral dos algoritmos em todo o córpus; avaliar a qualidade de desambiguação de palavras mais ambíguas no córpus; e verificar o ganho de qualidade da desambiguação ao empregar informação multidocumento. Após estes experimentos, pôde-se observar que o método heurístico apresenta um melhor resultado geral. Contudo, é importante ressaltar que a maioria das palavras anotadas no córpus tiveram apenas um synset, que, normalmente, era o mais frequente, o que, consequentemente, apresenta um cenário mais propício ao método heurístico. Outro fato importante foi que, neste cenário, a diferença de desempenho entre o método de DLS multidocumento e o heurístico é estatisticamente irrelevante. Já para a desambiguação de palavras mais ambíguas, o método heurístico foi inferior, evidenciando que, para a desambiguação de palavras mais ambíguas, são necessários métodos mais sofisticados de DLS. Por fim, verificou-se que a utilização de informação multidocumento auxilia o processo de desambiguação. As contribuições deste trabalho podem ser agrupadas entre teóricas e técnicas. Nas teóricas, tem-se a investigação e análises da DLS no cenário multidocumento. Entre as contribuições técnicas, foram desenvolvidos métodos de DLS, um córpus anotado e uma ferramenta de anotação direcionados à língua Portuguesa do Brasil, que podem avançar as pesquisas em DLS para o idioma / The lexical ambiguity is considered one of the main barries to improving applications of Natural Language Processing (NLP). In this context, it has benn the area of Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD), whose goal is to develop and evaluate methods to determine the correct sense of a word in a give context by a nite set of possible meanings. The DLS is used mainly in order to provide resources and tools to reduce problems of ambiguity and thus contribute to improved results in other areas of NLP. In the Portuguese of Brazil, little has been researched in this area, with some work and specic domain. Another important factor is that many areas of NLP commit themselves in multidocument scenario, where the computation is performed on a collection of texts, however, there is no report of WSD work directed to this scenario, either disambiguation experiments in this eld. Therefore, this master thesis aimed to develop methods of WSD general domain facing the Portuguese language in Brazil and the development of algorithms that make use of disambiguation multidocument informations, as well as experimentation and evaluation of the multidocument scenario. Therefore, in order to support experiments, development and evaluation of this project, the corpus CSTNews with 50 document collections, was manually annotated by means of synsets of the WordNet Princeton. Four methods were developed: A heuristic method (to measure values fo baseline); variations of the Lesk (1986) algorithm; a adaptation of the Mihalcea and Moldovan (1999) algorithm; and a variation of the Lesk method for multidocument scenario. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the methods, whose objectives were to determine the general performance algorithms across the corpus; evaluate the quality of disambiguation of most ambiguous words in the corpus, and check the gain quality of disambiguation by employing information multidocumento. After these experiments, it was observed that the heuristic method presents a better overall result. However, it is important to note that most of the words in the annotated corpus had only one synset, which usually was the most frequent, which, in turn, presents a scenario more conducive to the heuristic method. Another important fact was that in this scenario, the performance dierence between the heuristic method and multidocument algorithm was statistically irrelevant. As for the disambiguation of most ambiguous words, the heuristic method was lower, indicating that, for the disambiguation of ambiguous words, more sophisticated WSD methods are needed. Finally, it has been found that the use of multidocument information assists the disambiguation process. The contributions of this work can be divided between theoretical and technical. In theory, there is the research and analysis of WSD in multidocument scenario. Among the techniques contributions, WSD methods have been developed an annotated corpus and annotation tool targeted to the Portuguese language in Brazil that can advance research in WSD for the language

Os sistemas agroindustriais são estruturas complexas que são influenciadas pelas transformações econômicas, políticas e tecnológicas da sociedade. Assim, as organizações públicas e privadas que estão inseridas nesses sistemas precisam de informações setoriais que as permitam identificar cenários futuros e ajustar seus recursos internos às novas situações geradas pelo ambiente externo. Uma das alternativas para dispor dessa informação é a aplicação de ferramentas de projeção por meio da simulação de cenários. Este trabalho, nesse sentido, tem como foco principal a simulação de cenários para o setor sucroenergético brasileiro a partir do método de mapeamento e quantificação de sistemas agroindustriais. Para atingi- lo, foi aplicada uma pesquisa exploratória e qualitativa, cuja execução foi divida em três fases. A primeira considerou o desenho do sistema agroindustrial da cana-de-açúcar no Brasil, identificando os seus principais setores e variáveis participantes; a segunda compreendeu a quantificação do sistema, estimando, a partir de relações entre as variáveis, os fluxos comerciais dos elos de insumos agrícolas, produção de matéria-prima, insumos industriais e processamento industrial, no ano fiscal de 2008; e, finalmente, na terceira fase foi feita uma simulação de cenários para o período 2011-2015 com base em projeções de mercado e uso de ferramenta eletrônica. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de dados primários e secundários, levantados em entrevistas com executivos, pesquisadores, instituições governamentais e organizações setoriais dos diferentes elos do sistema agroindustrial, além de publicações como anuários estatísticos, relatórios, prognósticos, entre outros, elaborados por instituições governamentais e não governamentais. Já o processamento e simulação de cenários foram feitos com a utilização de um software de planilha eletrônica. Como resultados desta pesquisa, portanto, foram apresentadas as etapas necessárias para desenhar, quantificar e simular cenários para o setor sucroenergético, assim como os valores obtidos nos cálculos, que permitirá, em pesquisas futuras, explorar o aperfeiçoamento do modelo de simulação por meio da inserção de novas variáveis e da atualização dos valores atribuídos a elas. / Agroindustrial systems are complex structures that are subject to economic, political and technological changes within society. Therefore, the organization held within these systems must frequently adjust their specific resources to the situations created by the environment. One of the alternatives to identify opportunities and threats to the systems is the application of tools for exploring the future through scenario analysis. Thus, this research focuses on simulating scenarios for the Brazilian Sugarcane Agroindustrial System through the application of the Method for Mapping and Quantifying Agroindustrial Systems. In order to achieve this objective, an exploratory and qualitative research has been made in three phases. The first phase has considered the structure of the Sugarcane Agroindustrial System in Bra zil, identifying their key sectors and variables; the second one has addressed the quantification of the system, estimating the trade flows between farm input suppliers, sugarcane producers, industrial input supplier and sugarcane mills in 2008; and finally, in the third phase a scenario simulation has been done for the period of 2011-2015 based on market projections with the use of an electronic tool. Both primary and secondary data have been used. Primary data have been collected thought interviews with executives, researchers, governmental institutions and industrial organizations representatives, while secondary data have been gathered from publications such as statistical reports and prognostics from private and governmental institutions. The data processing and the scenario simulations have been done by using an electronic spreadsheet software. The results of the research show the necessary stages for drawing the systems structure, quantifying the trade flows between its links and simulating scenarios for the Sugarcane Agroindustrial System. They also show the values obtained from the calculations, which allows the further improvement of the simulation model in future research by updating the values given to the variables as well as by inserting new var iables.

Thesis advisor: Larry H. Ludlow / Preparing and supporting teachers to enact teaching practice that responds to diversity, challenges educational inequities, and promotes social justice is a pressing yet daunting and complex task. More research is needed to understand how and to what extent teacher education programs prepare and support teacher candidates to enhance the achievement of all learners while challenging systematic inequity (Cochran-Smith, Ell, Ludlow, Grudnoff, & Aitken, 2014). One piece of empirical evidence needed is a measure that captures the extent to which teachers enact teaching practice for equity. This study developed an instrument – the Teaching Equity Enactment Scenario Scale (TEES) - to measure the extent of equity-centered teaching practice by applying Rasch measurement theory (Rasch, 1960) and Guttman’s facet theory (Borg & Shye, 1995). The research question addressed whether the TEES scale can measure teachers’ self-reported enactment of practice for equity in a reliable, valid, and authentic manner. This study employed a three-phase design, comprising an extensive process of item development, a pilot study and a final full-scale administration. Fifteen scenario-style items were developed to capture the enactment levels of six interconnected principles of teaching practice for equity. Using the Rasch rating scale model the outcome was a 15-item TEES scale that reliably and validly measures increasing levels of teaching practice for equity progressing through low, moderate, and high levels of enactment. The distribution of the scenarios confirmed their hypothesized order and the instrument development principles of Rasch measurement - unidimensionality, variation and a hierarchical order of the items, as well as a uniform continuum defining the construct. The scale also provides meaningful interpretations of what a raw score means regarding one’s equity-centered teaching practice. The overall findings suggest that the novel approach of combining Rasch measurement and facet theory can be successful in developing a scenario-style scale that measures a complex construct. Moreover, the scale can provide the evidence needed in research on preparing and supporting teachers to teach with a commitment to equity and social justice.

Thesis advisor: James F. Keenan / Reviewing the current health care system in India which is grossly inadequate and inefficient, inaccessible and inequitable, this dissertation discusses the relevance of the principles of social justice such as equity, the common good and distributive justice, and the imperatives of social justice such as the option for the poor, subsidiarity, participation and solidarity and argues that a health care system informed and guided by these principles will be more effective, equitable and accessible to people. In addition to examining the numerous challenges faced by the primary health care system in the country, I also examine the many ethical challenges raised by the development of gene therapies in the country and suggest that the same principles of social justice offer guidelines to frame policies regarding the practice of them. This dissertation faces of the very complex health care situation in India. About 40% of people in the country have little or no access to basic health care because of poverty, abysmally low spending on health care by the government, neglect of basic health care facilities, and lack of social security measures like health insurance. However, the government in its effort to boost the country's GDP is making an all-out effort to promote health tourism in the country by investing in super specialty hospitals and in high-end medicines like gene therapy. The government also has been promoting and encouraging private investments in the sector, especially in setting up super-specialty hospitals and in the use of high-end medicines such as gene therapy. In an effort to boost health tourism and to earn greater foreign exchange, the government has drafted its industrial policies for the last three decades, encouraging private, for-profit health care sector. Substantial tax deductions and subsidies are provided to the private sector to allure private investment in the sector. However, in the process, the government has neglected primary health care centers that have been the primary source of health care for the poor and the underprivileged sections of people. In spite of announcing new policies in health care with high promises of programs and initiatives for the poor, women and children, the resource allocation to the sector betrays all promises. The administrative, structural, political and social anomalies, especially corruption at all levels, absenteeism among health care personnel, medical malpractices, a lack of political will, vision and transparency, poor allocation of funds, lack of monitoring and evaluation systems, etc., have crippled the health care system. It is in this context that I argue that the principles of social justice and its imperatives should inform and direct the government in its effort to provide health care in the country. These principles and imperatives should inform and direct not only provisions for basic health care but also the production and use of genetic medicines. A health care system that is based on equity, the common good, distributive justice, subsidiarity, solidarity and participation, that promotes health and meets the health care needs of all in an equitable way, irrespective of the socio-economic disparities that prevails, is the need of the hour in India. / Thesis (STD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.