The world we live in is full of material objects that serve as signs and thus are an important tool in literary texts. The purpose of the present essay is to illustrate how material objects are used to portray personalities of female characters, their inner world and attitudes, their ways of life and position in society. It is especially interesting in the context of the 20th century in the Western world, when the culture of consumption was gaining momentum and the role of a woman was gradually changing. The short stories analysed in the essay are written in the Western context in the 20th century, which are “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” by J.D. Salinger, “Moments of Being: ‘Slater’s Pins Have no Points’” by V. Woolf and “The Bottom Line and the Sharp End” by F. Weldon. The material objects mentioned in the texts are classified and analysed due to their role and purpose in the short stories.

Dans cette thèse, nous étudions l’existence, non existence et multiplicité des ondes stationnairesavec les normes prescrites pour deux types d’équations aux dérivées partiellesnon linéaires elliptiques découlant de différents modèles physiques. La stabilité orbitale desondes stationnaires est également étudiée dans certains cas. Les principales méthodes denos preuves sont des arguments variationnels. Les solutions sont obtenues comme pointscritiques de fonctionnelle associée sur une contrainte.La thèse se compose de sept chapitres. Le Chapitre 1 est l’introduction de la thèse. Dansles Chapitres 2 à 4, nous étudions une classe d’équations de Schrödinger-Poisson-Slaternon linéaires. Nous établissons dans le Chapitre 2 des résultats optimaux non existencede solutions d’énergie minimale ayant une norme L2 prescrite. Dans le Chapitre 3, nousmontrons un résultat d’existence de solutions L2 normalisées, dans une cas où la fonctionnelleassociée n’est pas bornée inférieurement sur la contrainte. Nos solutions sonttrouvées comme des points de selle de la fonctionnelle, mais ils correspondent à des solutionsd’énergée minimale. Nous montrons également que les ondes stationnaires associéessont orbitalement instables. Ici, puisque nos points critiques présumés ne sont pas desminimiseurs globaux, il n’est pas possible d’utiliser de façon systématique les méthodesde compacité par concentration développées par P. L. Lions. Ensuite, dans le Chapitre4, nous montrons que sous les hypothèses du Chapitre 3, il existe une infinité de solutionsayant une norme L2 prescrite. Dans les deux chapitres suivants, nous étudions uneclasse d’équations de Schrödinger quasi-linéaires. Des résultats optimaux non existence desolutions d’énergie minimale sont donnés dans le Chapitre 5. Dans le Chapitre 6, nousprouvons l’existence de deux solutions positives ayant une norme donnée. L’une d’elles,relativement à la contrainte L2, est de type point selle. L’autre est un minimum, soit localou global. Le fait que la fonctionnelle naturelle associée à cette équation n’est pas biendéfinie nécessite l’utilisation d’une méthode de perturbation pour obtenir ces deux pointscritiques. Enfin, au Chapitre 7, nous mentionnons quelques questions que cette thèse asoulevées. / In this thesis, we study the existence, non-existence and multiplicity of standing waves withprescribed norms for two types of nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations arisingfrom various physical models. The orbital stability of the standing waves is also discussedin some cases. The main ingredients of our proofs are variational arguments. The solutionsare found as critical points of an associated functional on a constraint.The thesis consists of seven chapters. Chapter 1 is the Introduction of the thesis.In Chapters 2 to 4, we study a class of nonlinear Schrödinger-Poisson-Slater equations.We establish in Chapter 2 sharp non-existence results of least energy solutions having aprescribed L2-norm. In Chapter 3 we prove an existence result for L2-normalized solutions,in a situation where the associated functional is unbounded from below on the constraint.Our solutions are found as saddle points of the functional but they correspond to leastenergy solutions. We also prove that the associated standing waves are orbitally unstable.Here a key feature is that, since our suspected critical points are not global minimizers, itis not possible to use in a standard way the machinery of compactness by concentrationdeveloped by P. L. Lions. Then, in Chapter 4, we prove that under the assumptions ofChapter 3, there do exist infinitely many solutions having a prescribed L2-norm. In thefollowing two chapters, we investigate a class of quasi-linear Schrödinger equations. Sharpnon-existence results of least energy solutions are given in Chapter 5. In Chapter 6 weprove the existence of two positive solutions having a given norm. One of them, is relativeto the L2-norm constraint, of saddle point type. The other one is a minimum, either localor global. The fact that the natural functional associated with this equation is not welldefined requires the use of a perturbation approach to obtain these two critical points.Finally, in Chapter 7 we mention some questions that this thesis has raised.

Theme of this master’s thesis is design of software support for business intelligence. Design is realized in cooperation with corporation ZZN Pelhřimov a.s. Introduction is focused on theoretical description of business intelligence and datamining and also on development environment in which is project designed. Corporation is characterised also in introduction. Main part contains data collecting and definition of individual modules. In conclusion of this thesis will be several types of analysis from collected data and then according to these analysis, we can draw measures to improve current state of corporation.

Geometrical discontinuities, like sharp notches, appear in constructions and engineering structures and lead to stress concentrations. These technical objects are very dangerous due to the fact that they reduce the structural conformity and can lead to crack initiation. Technical objects are not always designed as homogenous bodies but can consist of two or more materials with sharp notches on the interface of these materials. The influence of free surface on crack initiation conditions is studied and assessed by means of 3D model of sharp and bi-material notches with finite thickness. Stress fields around the singular stress concentrators are calculated with finite element method and the results are evaluated by means of criterion of critical quantity. This approach is easy applicable and can be used in combination with the knowledge of basic material properties and results of finite element analysis of the assessed notches. In order to estimate weather crack will initiate from the middle of the observed notched specimen or from its free surface, the value of averaged critical applied stress was introduced. With this value it’s possible to determine the location of crack initiation thru the sample thickness. Thru the ratio of values of critical applied stress in the middle and on the free surface of the observed specimen it’s possible to quantify the influence of the free surface on the location of crack initiation. With the use of this approach it’s shown, that the location of crack initiation depends on more parameters, loading direction, the notch opening angle and the sample thickness. In case of bi-material notches it depends also on the ratio of young modulus.

No description available.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This thesis examines the widely unknown history and origins of Muscatatuck Colony, located in Butlerville, Indiana. The national eugenics movement impacted the United States politically, medically, legally, and socially. While the United States established mental institutions prior to the eugenics movement, many institutions, including ones in Indiana, were founded as eugenic tools to advance the agenda of achieving a “purer” society. Muscatatuck was one such state institution founded during this national movement. I explore various elements that made the national eugenics movement effective, how Indiana helped advance the movement, and how all these elements impacted Muscatatuck’s founding. I investigate the language used to describe people that were considered “mentally inferior,” specifically who the “feeble-minded” were and how Americans were grouped into this category. I research commonly held beliefs by eugenicists of this time-period, eugenic methods implemented, and how these discussions and actions led to the establishment of Muscatatuck in 1920. Muscatatuck Colony, though a byproduct of the national eugenics movement, outlived this scientific effort. Toward the mid and late twentieth century, Muscatatuck leadership executed institutional change to best reflect American society’s evolving thoughts on mental health and how best to treat people with mental disabilities. Muscatatuck Colony reveals a complicated narrative of how best to treat or care for people within these institutions, a complex narrative that many mental institutions share.

Due to the nature of war, persons are killed with various types of weapons. Throughout the history of humanity, weapons were used in this regard and these weapons left injuries on the victims that are distinguishable. The type of force conveyed by the ancient weapons effected injuries that enable modern-day bioarchaeologists to extrapolate which weapons caused which injuries. The Assyrians depicted their wars and battles on reliefs. An analysis of these depictions, with an extrapolation of the lesions expected in skeletal remains, could contribute to better understanding of the strategies of war in ancient times. This dissertation will discuss how the evaluation of human remains in comparison to Assyrian reliefs may contribute to the chronological knowledge of war and warfare in the Iron Age Ancient Near East – especially at Lachish. A discourse of the approaches available to researchers regarding access to data in the forensic bioarchaeological field will be presented. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / M.A. (Biblical Archaeology)

Text in Afrikaans / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil (Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil (Psychology)