Three types of poly(norbornane carbonate) or PNC oligomers were synthesized and characterized via spectroscopic methods and elemental analyses to validate their chemical structures. Using the results from proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) experiments, the degree of polymerization and size of each PNC chain was estimated via end-group analysis. All three types of PNC structures were both thermally-labile and acidolytically-labile, allowing them to be used as sacrificial materials in both direct-write and thermally-processed template systems. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data was used to determine the kinetic parameters for the thermolytic decomposition reactions and evolved-gas analysis via mass spectrometry (TGA-MS) was used to determine the mechanisms for thermolytic degradation. PNC oligomers were freely-mixed with hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) to form solutions that were spin-coated to form templated films. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the free-mixing of PNCs with HSQ resulted in the agglomeration of the porogen molecules during the spincoating step. This phase-segregation produced domain sizes much larger than those of the individual chains, and during decomposition large pores were produced. To combat the phase segregation, hydrosilylation reactions were used to covalently bond vinyl end-capped PNC chains to silane-functionalized siloxane and silsesquioxane molecules. These matrix-like materials served as compatibilizers in order to improve the phase-compatibility of the sacrificial polymers in HSQ films. NMR and GPC analyses showed that the solids recovered from the hydrosilylation reactions were binary mixtures of hybrid nanocomposite molecules and residual ungrafted PNC chains. TEM imaging showed that the domains in these nanocomposite films had bimodal size distributions due to the presence of two components in the mixtures. The hybrid molecules produced pores ranging in size from about 6-13 nm as a result of improvements in the phase-compatibility of the grafted oligomers. However, the residual ungrafted oligomers in the blends produced larger domains measuring 30-40 nm. It is believed that separation difficulties can be avoided if the vinyl termination reaction conditions can be adjusted to ensure 100% conversion of all the terminal hydroxyl groups to vinyl groups. Doing so would allow all PNC chains to be grafted during hydrosilylation reaction; thus, avoiding the recovery of free PNC oligomers.

<p>This thesis explores the formation of segregation and inclusions during solidification of steel and cast iron. A better understanding of the formation mechanism should result in decreasing fraction of defects during solidification of ingot and strand material.</p><p>Density driven macrosegregation was studied both experimentally and theoretically to see the effect of channel segregation on the total segregation. Formation of these pencil-like segregations is due to natural convection in the solidifying metal caused by liquid enrichment of elements with lower density compared to the bulk. It is suggested to change the composition to compensate for this density difference.</p><p>Inclusion precipitation can be finite by limitations in segregation. Saturated liquid is found in the last solidified areas, often between dendrites. Here the enrichment of the liquid is possible due to microsegregation. Meanwhile crystals form and solidify the elements with low solubility in the solid is pushed out in the remaining liquid. Soon the liquid is saturated to the level where spontaneous formation of inclusions occurs. Microstructure studies by aid of SEM and micro-probe measurements are analysed to find at what point during solidification process the inclusions start to form. In steel making this formation has a detrimental effect on the mechanical properties in contrary to the production of nodular cast iron where the inclusions have a beneficial effect on the graphite formation.</p><p>Inoculation of cast iron aims at reaching higher number density of graphite nodules, nodule morphology modification and control of nodule distribution during solidification. Late precipitation of nucleation sites has shown to have a positive impact on preventing chill. To find the most potent inoculation agent different additives were tested. Special effort has been made to analyse the effect of oxides and sulphides as nucleation sites.</p>

<p>Denna uppsats syftar till att tydliggöra de mediala diskurser som finns om integration och utanförskap i tidningsartiklar. Tidningsartiklarna sträcker sig över två tidsperioder, 1996-1997 och 2006-2007. En frågeställning som uppsatsen försöker besvara är om analysens tidningsartiklar går att koppla till Ruth Levitas diskursmodeller om socialt utanförskap. Den centrala teoretiska utgångspunkten är ett postkolonialt perspektiv. Uttrycket ”vi och dem” utgör en röd tråd genom hela uppsatsen. Metoden för analysen är det diskursanalytiska verktyget diskursteori. Uppsatsens analys visar på tre centrala teman där samtliga utgår från utanförskap. Dessa teman är kultur och utanförskap, fördelning och utanförskap samt arbete och utanförskap.</p>

This problem was selected as a subject for research in connection with an effort to determine the extent and nature of the effect of social classes on the town and community of Clinton, Tennessee. It was assumed that social classes do have an effect on the community, and that the influences exerted upon the town and community because of pressure of social classes were significant and noticeable to one who puts forth the effort to make a study and an analysis of the situation. It was also assumed that these influences have a direct bearing on the life of the people in the community, and that the effect of such influences was usually unnoticed by most of the people.

Informed by the literature regarding the gap in wealth between white and non-white households in the United States, as well as the literature on segregation and neighborhood preference, this research explores the home value component of the wealth gap in Hillsborough County, Florida. It finds that homes in Predominantly Black or Hispanic neighborhoods are not only undervalued compared to Predominantly White and heterogeneous neighborhoods, but have appreciated more slowly at least since 2000. The research also finds that buyers identifying as black or Hispanic are more likely than those identifying as white or "other" to purchase homes in Predominantly Black or Hispanic neighborhoods. Controlling for income, loan amount and loan product, buyers identifying as Black or Hispanic select neighborhoods with lower median home values and lower rates of appreciation than do those identifying as white. Given that these homebuyers spend as much both initially and in payments over time as do those who identify as white, while their purchases are worth less and appreciate less, this research contributes to the literature by positing that the racial wealth gap will increase as blacks and Hispanics receive lower returns on their comparatively greater home investments than do whites.

ABSTRACT The numerous images of violence perpetrated by radicalized followers of Islam, has highlighted the complexities surrounding assimilation and integration of Muslims in Western society. Since the guest worker recruitment from French African colonies initiated after World War II, France has been witness to the unanticipated development of permanent communities of African laborers, many of whom are Muslim. Despite consistent promotion of French monoculture and specifically the use of the assimilation model for integration, segregation of African Muslims has occurred. Through the construction of a single country case study, I explore integration issues surrounding the French Muslim minority communities. I seek to assess the occurrences of segregation among African Muslims, and theorize that process established by the French government for the assimilation and integration of African Muslims into French society has culminated in the formation of segregated African Muslim diaspora communities. This topic was chosen because I possess a general interest in the integration of Muslims into Western society. Due to the broadness of the Muslim population, and given their high visibility I narrowed my focus on African Muslims. Furthermore, this topic was chosen to determine the viability of the French case as an alternative to the failed policies of multiculturalism. Therefore, I examine the assimilation strategy of French Republicanism established in France by the French Revolution of 1789. This thesis is relevant given the rising visibility of Muslims throughout Western society. Furthermore, the increased visibility highlights the position of African Muslim communities in France. The evidence presented in my thesis demonstrates that the presence of segregated African Muslim communities is an unintended consequence of the historical development of French monoculture and colonialism. French assimilation of African Muslims is not a complete failure due to marginal successes of African Muslims in political and economic arenas. Furthermore, the segregation of African Muslims in France does not diminish the viability of assimilation strategy in the overall integration of Muslims into Western society, especially as politicians across the European continent denounce the failed policies of multiculturalism.

This dissertation traces the history of Edwards High School in Gonzales, Texas, from its origins in the late 1800s through its closure in 1965 and situates Edwards within the larger framework of secondary schooling for African-Americans in Texas. Although more than two hundred high schools for African-Americans existed in Texas for some period by 1947, little is known about these institutions, especially those located in small towns. Schooling for African-Americans following the Civil War was irregular and normally consisted only of elementary grades. As more schools became available, black students received an inequitable share of resources for their education and they did not share in the groundswell of high schools available to white students. Many of the high schools that became available to African-Americans during the first part of the twentieth century were located in urban areas. Little is known of the secondary institutions for African-Americans in the small towns of Texas. This study serves to recount the story of one such school. The study pays particular attention to the students, teachers, and curriculum of Edwards High School, focusing on the years between 1935 and 1965, the year the school closed due to desegregation. Archival materials provided information on student demographics, enrollment and attendance patterns, as well as student participation in activities. Oral history interviews offered a glimpse into the lived experience of those who attended Edwards High. Teachers’ certification records and salary data informed an understanding of Edwards High School’s faculty. The study sheds light on the relationship between teachers and students and between faculty and the larger African-American community in Gonzales. The curriculum of Edwards High changed over time. Changing state classification and accreditation standards provided the impetus for these changes. This examination of Edwards High School informs a greater understanding of secondary education for African-Americans in Texas. / text

The growth of mega-cities within the developing world has presented extreme challenges to ensuring the fundamental well-being of the general population and providing basic access to social services for all, especially adequate housing. Urban change in the mega-city has been particularly rapid and has involved a complex interaction between multiple actors at multiple levels. Tracing the patterns of urban development within this context is complex and involves incorporating the interactions between civil society, markets, and the state, operating at both micro and macro levels. Of key importance is the manner and degree to which the interaction or isolation between different agents shapes development patterns. This dissertation examines how residential segregation in Latin American cities in general, and Santiago, Chile in particular, is influenced by shifts in policy and planning and how advanced research methods can expose the linkages between social segregation, urban planning structures, and housing production. The primary goal of the research is to examine the nature of socio-spatial segregation in Metropolitan Santiago and the role that urban planning and formal housing provision plays in (re)producing or reducing the separation of different social groups. Santiago presents an ideal case for analyzing complex urban systems as it has developed under a strongly centralized state with formal housing provision processes and mature urban planning programs. While the physical patterns of socio-spatial segregation are broadly similar to many other Latin American cities, unique differences have emerged. Using a mixed-methods approach, the dissertation relates the policy and planning of housing programs, analytic evaluation of segregation patterns, and the simulation of segregation processes over time. The patterns and processes of socio-spatial segregation in Santiago are analyzed in detail via the macro- and micro-level structures of housing provision and urban planning. The central methodological contribution of the research is the employment of exploratory and simulation approaches, whereby formal methods that reinforce or reduce segregation are examined within a multi-level cellular automata model. The results of the dissertation suggest that patterns of segregation in Santiago are spatially and temporally heterogeneous, pointing to a complex relationship between the processes of urban governance, planning, and housing production. / text

Monterey County is one of the most economically productive regions in California. With its geographical range enclosing prime environmental conditions for agriculture production, pine forests lining the Pacific shore, and the Monterey Bay, people have flocked to the region in search of opportunity. Since the Spanish colonial period to the present, the region has been home to a variety of immigrants and migrants from around the world; thus, social and cultural interactions between residents have shaped the political, economic, and social conditions of the communities in Monterey County throughout history. Furthermore, with the influx of Europeans and Anglo Americans in the early nineteenth century, colonial hegemonies, racial politics, and cultural ideologies influenced the ways by which dominant groups gained power and attempted to control the distribution of social resources throughout Monterey County. As a result, a long record of racial discrimination, marginalization, resistance, and community shifts are prominent throughout the community histories of the region. Today, cultural ideologies and racial hierarchies continue to permeate social relations in the region and influence the socioeconomic differences between the minority-dominated communities and the Anglo dominated communities in Monterey County. Latinos are currently the largest group of the region, making up 55.4 percent of the population while Anglos make up the next largest group at 32.9 percent of the population. The social divisions between Anglos and minorities shape the ongoing struggle for equality in a variety of spheres of community life in the region. The goal of this project is to contribute to the social history of racial and ethnic relations throughout Monterey County in California. Moreover, I hope to create a foundation for future ethnographic field-work concerning current race and ethnic relations and the construction of cultural ideologies in Monterey County. This historical analysis begins with the Spanish colonization of California in the late eighteenth century and continues into the late twentieth century; however, I focus on exploring the racial and ethnic discrimination that was launched after the Spanish conquest and later, augmented by the United States government after the conquest of California in 1848, and continued to increase as war, political ties, and civil rights movements affected the Monterey County communities (Chavez 2007). My focus on the deeply embedded intersecting processes of discrimination, segregation, and marginalization in Monterey County’s history of ethnic and race relations reveals the heavy impact this long history has had on the social conditions of minorities and ethnic relations in the region today. / text

It is the main goal of this thesis to study the regularity of solutions for a nonlinear elliptic system coming from population segregation, and the free boundary problem that is obtained in the limit as the competition parameter goes to infinity [mathematical symbol]. The main results are existence and Hölder regularity of solutions of the elliptic system, characterization of the limit as a free boundary problem, and Lipschitz regularity at the boundary for the limiting problem. / text