Partnering is a broad term used to describe an integrated team working approach; and integration means combining various elements into a whole. Partnering became popular within the UK construction industry largely as a result of two distinct 1990 reports (i.e. Latham, 1994 and Egan, 1998). The corollary of this relied to some extent on parties being dependent upon one another for success whether this arrangement was for a one off project or a longer term relationship over a number of projects. Partnering was also proffered as a vehicle for providing greater efficiencies and a higher ‘value’ through an agreement where a set of actions could help project teams improve their conjoined performance. The partnering approach was seen as an agreement that endorsed better collaboration, engendered mutual trust and team working, whilst also creating a platform for sharing both risk and rewards. Therefore, whilst not meant to be a fixed way of working per se, it was acknowledged from the outset that certain cultural, attitudinal and procedural changes would be required throughout the relevant supply chain. This to enable partnering to develop as project teams evolved within their relationships in order to find the most effective ways of achieving agreed objectives. Meaning partnering was about achieving ‘best value’ for all parties. Yet, while the positive aspects of partnering have been espoused in extant literature, covering various industry sectors, including: manufacturing, retail and construction; there was no explicit definition as to what partnering was [specifically] within the UK construction industry, or what it was supposed to achieve. Considerable debate therefore continues to challenge the partnering paradigm, for as it remains unestablished with limited systematising or standardisation, organisations commonly communicate with those one tier removed. As a result, the UK construction industry remains relatively unchanged despite successive reports, recommendations and potential collaborative solutions. Thus organisations continue to pursue their own self-interests to such an extent that ‘true’ collaborative working is often rendered impossible to achieve. This has had a negative impact on the industry as a whole, including the supply chain. In summary therefore, the industry still remains fragmented, adversarial and divided, which impedes communication, trust and a willingness to embrace the true ‘spirit’ of partnering per se. The study, taking a pragmatic post-positivist stance, focuses on four key disciplines (Client, Consultant, Main Contractor and Sub-contractor). The rationale supporting this approach endeavoured to capture actors and context, such that observations and research findings could be grounded and linked back to theory generation. An explicit mixed method research methodological approach was adopted in this research to purposefully explore phenomena and reason, especially to increase understanding and affirmation in respect of the partnering paradigm. This engaged both quantitative and qualitative approaches which engaged domain practitioners across the four disciplines. Content analysis of that qualitative data provided a vehicle for mapping the fabric, resilience and veracity of the core partnering drivers. This helped develop the second phase of the measuring instrument. Accordingly, theoretical codes were then generated and subsequently administered to 40 individual companies across the four disciplines. Purposive sampling was then used to select two case studies for data capture and model explication. Quantitative data analysis was then used to evaluate a series of drivers and variables. These were then mapped into a conceptual process model using an iterative approach (within the case studies) to affirm process conformity, accuracy and relevance. The model was then tested and validated with independent domain experts to ensure cogency (internal/external), reliability (inter-rater/observer) and homogeneity (consistency). This work presents a new conceptual model for strengthening and supporting the partnering paradigm; which, it is proffered will open up new discourse in both theory and practice. The philosophical underpinnings of this work support the concepts of sustained partnering growth, through guidance, governance and commonality. It presents stakeholders with a systematised and standardised approach to supply chain collaboration. The conceptual model identifies eight key drivers, the granularity of which highlight dynamic drivers, dependencies and relationships needed to support and promote ‘true’ partnering. The causal relationships and dependencies embody different organisational ‘cultures’ where partnering parties can work together regardless of their perceived dominance and/or tier position. Thus, the entire supply chain can be actively and more purposefully engaged in the partnering paradigm the full potential of partnering. Moreover, as the success of partnerships depends to a large extent on selecting appropriate partners; there is a concomitant need to evaluate the ‘quality’ of these relationships. The conceptual partnering model presented in this thesis offers new insight into these dynamic relationships. In doing so, it offers readers detailed evidence for further reflection – specifically cognisant of partnering organisations’ different perceptions, positioning and responsibilities for making the partnering ethos work in practice.

Obesity and physical inactivity have been identified as risk factors for knee pain in elderly populations. There has been an increase in the prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity in younger adults. Therefore, it is important to investigate whether they are risk factors for knee disorders among young adults. This thesis explored the epidemiology of knee problems in young adults. A literature review, using systematic methods, identified 19 studies reporting on the incidence of and/or risk factors for knee disorders in young adults. Knee disorder incidence varied across studies (0.07% to 42.0%), because of the different knee conditions and study populations (military and sports) investigated. There was conflicting evidence on whether obesity and physical activity were risk factors for knee disorders; and physical inactivity had not been investigated. A longitudinal study was undertaken to estimate the incidence of knee problems in young adults and explore whether physical activity, physical inactivity and obesity were risk factors. It was designed as a feasibility study to inform a large-scale cohort study in the general population. Three hundred and fourteen staff and students of the University of Central Lancashire, Preston campus were recruited and followed up for 12 months. Data was collected through self-report questionnaire and where possible direct measurement of weight and height was taken. Logistic regression was used to investigate any plausible relationship between knee problems and body mass index (BMI), physical inactivity, and physical activity levels. The mean (SD) age was 22 (5.2) years. There were more men (n=176, 56.1%) than woman (n=138, 43.9%). At baseline, the mean (SD) score for the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-10 (mental distress) was 1.5 (0.4); mean (SD) BMI was 24.3 (4.1) and mean (SD) total hours spent sitting per day was 5.6 hours (2.6). Over half of the participants (n=165, 52.9%) reported low physical activity with similar proportions reporting moderate (n= 75, 24.0%), and high (n= 72, 23.1%) physical activity levels. The prevalence of knee problems was high (31.8% [95% CI 26.9% to 37.2%]); knee pain was the most prevalent symptom. Multivariate logistic regression analysis on cross- sectional data showed that high physical activity levels (OR 2.6 [95% CI 1.4-4.9]) and mental distress (OR 2.3 [95% CI 1.2-4.6]) were independent risk factors. Only 126 (40.1%) participants responded to the follow up at 12 months: 76.9% still had knee problems and 11.5% had a new knee problem. Knee problems are common in young adults. The study provided an estimate of incidence to inform the design of a large-scale population based study but attention needs to be paid to ensure lower attrition. The study suggests that more attention may need to be paid towards prevention of knee problems and that further work on the economic burden of knee problems among young adults is warranted. This is particularly important as there is increasing emphasis in public health policy on promoting physical activity.

CARVALHO, Mayara Pinho de. O sujeito como operador de uma indeterminação: dialética, psicanálise e ato educativo. 2015. 117f. – Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Programa de Pós-graduação em Educação Brasileira, Fortaleza (CE), 2015. / Submitted by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-04-25T11:30:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_mpcarvalho.pdf: 827996 bytes, checksum: 6d2c1e944b3c1d9e2a2cc09dab12498e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-04-26T14:45:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_mpcarvalho.pdf: 827996 bytes, checksum: 6d2c1e944b3c1d9e2a2cc09dab12498e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:45:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_mpcarvalho.pdf: 827996 bytes, checksum: 6d2c1e944b3c1d9e2a2cc09dab12498e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / The experience of modernity enables a comprehension of the subject based on regularities on the way of being, acting, judging and so on. There is a normativity that regulates social life, and the subject exists as this possibility of setting up its own field of experience. A theory of the subject, from this perspective, corresponds to an understanding that the human founds his ground of experience as a process of unity and self-identity, lying there the core of normativity that organizes social life. Criticising the category of the subject corresponds to grounding a theorisation that is not compromised with identitary modes of determination of the subject, but that understands how the field of experience structures itself through events from a negativity. In Žižek, we can find the problem of the subject as the main core of his thought, but he operates an inversion from the tradition that contains a fundamental passage from a metaphysics of identity to a negative ontology. This way, the main problem of this paper is to develop alternatives in relation to a theory of the subject committed with the idea of human finitude, chained to an identitary principle: thinking the ways of comprehending the humane beyond representation. In opposition to a philosophy of identity, Žižek’s work has been directed on the problem of excess/lack in the order of being, and it is through the relation between German idealism and psychoanalysis that he developed his reflections. This perspective opens a fundamental political field, because the power of dismission of structural modes of subjetivation guards the possibility of new modes of subjectivation. Thus, the subject is the one who carries the transcendental condition of possibility and impossibility of the ways of being. A politics aiming at emancipation must break with the comprehension of man based on identitary figures. In face of these problemes, it is necessary to establish an humanity freed from the category of the “human”, that allows new political arrangements. The “inhuman”, then, would be precisely this dimension of the impersonal and depersonalized, that which cannot be singled out through the recognition of individual psychological processes. Thus, the critical pedagogical-political act institutes its own legality, suspending the Law of the prevailing oppressive power, opening up spaces for creativity and the establishment of a process of socioeconomic, cultural and political emancipation. / A modernidade possibilita uma compreensão da experiência do sujeito a partir de regularidades dos modos de ser, agir, julgar etc. Há uma normatividade que regula a vida social, e o sujeito existe enquanto essa possibilidade de fundar seu próprio campo de experiência. Uma teoria do sujeito, a partir dessa perspectiva, corresponde a uma elaboração do modo como o humano funda seu lugar enquanto processo de unidade e autoidentidade, estando aí o cerne de normatividade que organiza a vida social. Diante desse problema, criticar a categoria de sujeito corresponde a fundamentar uma teorização que não se comprometa com modos de determinação identitária do sujeito, mas que compreenda como o campo de experiência se estrutura através de acontecimentos a partir de uma negatividade. Em Žižek, podemos encontrar o problema do sujeito como o núcleo central de seu pensamento, mas esse realiza uma inversão da tradição que articula a passagem fundamental de uma metafísica da identidade para uma ontologia negativa. Dessa forma, o problema fundamental desse trabalho é desenvolver alternativas em relação a uma teoria do sujeito comprometida com a ideia de finitude humana, atrelada a um princípio identitário: pensar modos de compreensão do humano para além dos reconhecidos pela representação. Em contraponto a uma filosofia da identidade, o trabalho de Žižek tem se direcionado sobre a questão do excesso/falta na ordem do Ser, e é pela relação entre idealismo alemão e psicanálise que ele elabora suas reflexões. Essa perspectiva abre um campo político fundamental, pois a potência de desligamento de modos estruturais de subjetivação guarda a possibilidade de novas formas de subjetivação. Assim, o sujeito é isso que carrega a condição transcendental de possibilidade e impossibilidade dos modos de ser. Uma política que tem por horizonte a emancipação deve fazer um tipo de ruptura na compreensão do homem a partir de figuras identitárias. Diante desses problemas, é necessário estabelecer uma humanidade liberada da categoria "humano" e que possibilite novos rearranjos políticos. O “inumano”, então, seria precisamente essa dimensão do impessoal e do despersonalizado, o que não pode ser singularizado através do reconhecimento dos processos psicológicos individuais. A partir dessas reflexões sobre processos que acontecem para além dessa categoria de humano, o ato político-pedagógico crítico instaura sua própria legalidade, suspendendo a Lei do poder, abrindo espaços para a criatividade e a instauração de um processo de emancipação econômico-social, cultural e político.

Because of the lack of authoritative secondary material on the Mirror, the need for deeper study into the content of the Mirror appears necessary. In order to fill this need, this study has been undertaken to provide basic information about the Mirror's subject matter and the attitudes of its contributors.

The purpose of dissertation is to examine whether the understandings of subject indexing processes conducted by human indexers have a positive impact on the effectiveness of automatic subject term assignment through text categorization (TC). More specifically, human indexers' subject indexing approaches or conceptions in conjunction with semantic sources were explored in the context of a typical scientific journal article data set. Based on the premise that subject indexing approaches or conceptions with semantic sources are important for automatic subject term assignment through TC, this study proposed an indexing conception-based framework. For the purpose of this study, three hypotheses were tested: 1) the effectiveness of semantic sources, 2) the effectiveness of an indexing conception-based framework, and 3) the effectiveness of each of three indexing conception-based approaches (the content-oriented, the document-oriented, and the domain-oriented approaches). The experiments were conducted using a support vector machine implementation in WEKA (Witten, & Frank, 2000). The experiment results pointed out that cited works, source title, and title were as effective as the full text, while keyword was found more effective than the full text. In addition, the findings showed that an indexing conception-based framework was more effective than the full text. Especially, the content-oriented and the document-oriented indexing approaches were found more effective than the full text. Among three indexing conception-based approaches, the content-oriented approach and the document-oriented approach were more effective than the domain-oriented approach. In other words, in the context of a typical scientific journal article data set, the objective contents and authors' intentions were more focused that the possible users' needs. The research findings of this study support that incorporation of human indexers' indexing approaches or conception in conjunction with semantic sources has a positive impact on the effectiveness of automatic subject term assignment.

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An unusual behavior of anaphors is to occur in embedded subject positions and bebound across a finite clause boundary by a matrix subject. This thesis, however, demonstrates that such constructions exist in Malki Arabic, besides other languages. First, this thesis shows that the clause size of the embedded clause in which subject anaphors are allowed is CP and not always a TP. Second, in light of current reductionist approaches to binding domains of the classical binding theory to phase theory, a cross-clausal binding relation bears issues to those approaches, as a long-distance antecedence relation crosses a phase boundary. Taking long-distance bound subject anaphors as the main empirical focus in this thesis, I show that the cross-clausal binding relation in Malki Arabic is not bona fide evidence against reducing binding domains to phases. Following Wurmbrand (2019) and Lohninger et al. (2022), I propose that constructions with long-distance bound subject anaphors theoretically resemble cross-clausal A-dependencies, like hyperraising and long-distance agreement, for undergoing movement to a position in the edge of the embedded clause and showing similar properties. Third, I show that reducing binding domains to whole phases is plausible, but taking spell-out domains as binding domains is untenable. Finally, the proposal suggested in this thesis also sheds lights on the possibility of the anaphor agreement effect as an interface condition, in addition to highlighting an account for the accusative-marked embedded subject in Modern Standard Arabic.

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Recently I discovered that preschool education has evolved from integration of various subject contents and working methods. The purpose of my study is to investigate preschool teachers' attitudes and ways of working with a theme-oriented approach. I also want to examine their opinions regarding the integration of subject content in terms of mathematics and science subjects (NO) in preschools theme-oriented work approach. My questions for this study are: What is a preschool teacher's attitude and their ways of working to a thematic-oriented approach? What is a preschool teacher's opinions regarding the integration of subject content, especially in mathematics and science subjects (NO) in their pre-schools theme-oriented work approach? I have used myself a qualitative method of investigation to produce materials for my research project. I collected my empirical material for my study from the semi-structured interviews that was done with four preschool teachers in two preschools in Botkyrka municipality. As for my theoretical perspective, I used John Dewey's well-known knowledge theory called “Learning by doing”, which he indicated as learning through practical work. These working methods based primarily on children’s experience and subject integration. My conclusion is that the four preschool teachers worked thematic in the preschool children in a natural way.  In fact, the thematic-oriented approach appeared in two different work situations (planned and unplanned work situations) in the pre-school. The four preschool teachers developed and improved their own professional skills in the working process and also the children's knowledge and learning skills by prioritizing the children's interests, needs and circumstances. It came to my understanding that both mathematics and science subjects content were integrated in a conscious way in these preschools thematic-oriented approach. The preschool teachers integrated the two subject contents through their creative and joyful way of working. The idea was that the children's curiosity, knowledge, experience and awareness can be raised through various activities and experiments. Hence through the subject integrated approach, the children develop both their skills and conceptual understanding of both subjects content.