Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pennsylvania State University, 2005. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Theses (M.S.)--Marshall University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains viii, 113 pages including illustrations and maps. Bibliography: p. 44-45.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rhode Island, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 269-279).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2006. / "December, 2006." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-58). Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Social interest and recent advance in technology have made concussions on the largest topics is scientific research today. Knowledge continues to be uncovered and more data and information is studied on the effects of concussions and links to later in life cognitive decline. Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease have been known consequences of chronic traumatic encephalopathy but with recent findings in retired football players, more research is needed to show the correlation between concussions and the effects on cognition. Furthermore, with millions of youth athletes participating in sports each year, the impact of concussions on development and maturation need to be further researched. Initial retrospective studies seem to show the correlation between early in life concussions and decreased cognitive function later in life but longitudinal studies are lacking. Cognitive function data collected in longitudinal studies may help to show how early changes in function may be able to be identified and prevent further decline from repetitive impacts. Studies such as this would help fill the gap in research that could change youth sports as well as medical treatment and prevention to youth concussions.

At the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change COP15 (2009) Brazil presented ambitious commitments or Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), to reduce greenhouse gases emissions (GHGs) mitigation by 2020. At COP21 (2015), the country presented new commitments and a framework to achieve further mitigation targets by 2030 as so-called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Both NAMAs and INDCs focus on the land use change and agricultural sectors, but the INDCs include a commitment of zero illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. This research focuses on the contribution of the livestock sector to reducing GHGs through the adoption of sustainable intensification measures. A detailed linear programming model, called Economic Analysis of Greenhouse Gases for Livestock Emissions (EAGGLE), of beef production was developed to evaluate environmental trade-offs. The modelling encompasses pasture degradation and recovery processes, animal and deforestation emissions, soil organic carbon dynamics and upstream life-cycle inventory. The model was parameterized for the Brazilian Cerrado, Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes and further developed for farm-scale and regional-scale analysis. Different versions of the EAGGLE model was used to: (i) Evaluate the GHG mitigation potential and economic benefit of optimizing pasture management through the partitioning of initially uniform pasture area; (ii) to define abatement potential and cost-effectiveness of key mitigation measures applicable to the Brazilian Cerrado; (ii) to demonstrate the extent of cost-effective mitigation that can be delivered by the livestock sector as part of INDCs, and to show a result that underpins the national INDC target of zero deforestation; and (iv) to evaluate the consequences of reducing (or increasing) beef production on GHGs in the Cerrado. Counter-intuitively, a sensitivity analysis shows that reducing beef consumption could lead to higher GHG emissions, while increasing production could reduce total GHGs if livestock is decoupled from deforestation.

学位授与大学：京都大学 ; 取得学位: 博士(工学) ; 学位授与年月日: 2007-09-25 ; 学位の種類: 新制・課程博士 ; 学位記番号: 工博第2859号 ; 請求記号: 新制/工/1420 ; 整理番号: 25544 / Kyoto University (京都大学) / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第13388号 / 工博第2859号 / 新制||工||1420(附属図書館) / 25544 / UT51-2007-Q789 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科精密工学専攻 / (主査)教授 松久 寛, 教授 吉村 允孝, 教授 松原 厚 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当

This thesis examines the impact of the high-stakes International English Language Testing System (IELTS) across different stakeholders in Pakistan, and on Pakistani education, society and economy more broadly. The global profile of IELTS means that washback and impact studies (both comparative and country-specific) are now increasingly carried out by Cambridge ESOL (Hawkey, 2006; Moore et al., 2012). These are undertaken not simply with a view to improving the test, but with a view to investigating how it is used and perceived. In Pakistan, as elsewhere, IELTS has assumed great significance on account of its gate-keeping function in emigration, higher education abroad and professional registration. Demand and candidature grow daily. However, specific conditions that pertain in Pakistan, mainly political instability, and major disparities in wealth and development, have a particular effect on the role of IELTS in the country. The current impact study employs a sequential exploratory concurrent embedded mixed methods design to assess the impact. Phase 1 is a preliminary survey of 20 IELTS preparation institutes, followed by an in-depth qualitative study of two IELTS preparation centres. The qualitative study employs classroom observations, semistructured interviews with teachers (N=2), informal conversational interviews with test-preparers (N=20), and pre- and post-study testing to assess the efficacy of IELTS preparation. Phase 2 analyses questionnaires from a further ten preparation centres. Respondents comprised 200 IELTS test-preparers, 100 IELTS test-takers and 10 IELTS preparation teachers. The survey was supplemented by a focus group with four test-preparers and semi-structured interviews with five employers and five parents. The initial survey of the private English Language Teaching industry in Pakistan showed a radical expansion of IELTS preparation courses. Yet the in-depth study of two specific centres showed that the courses are not effective in improving the scores of students. Courses, although relatively expensive, are very short and most testpreparers enter them with lower English proficiency than is appropriate for IELTS. Questionnaires and interviews showed that IELTS test-preparers and test-takers are primarily motivated to take the test for emigration and study abroad. The test preparers have high expectations from the course regarding improvement of their English proficiency which are generally not met. Disappointed test-takers hold some beliefs that their IELTS course and test will be of benefit to them in Pakistan. Although English ability is always considered as part of recruitment, employers interviewed for this project confirmed that an IELTS certificate is never explicitly required. It is likely that the local uses of IELTS that are emerging in Pakistan are much more indirect. I argue that because public education is not meeting the demand for English, IELTS is now perceived as a route of English education and general certification, and a badge of middle class status if not actual material gain. These findings have implications for both providers of state education in Pakistan, and providers of the IELTS test (Cambridge ESOL). The former needs to address the lack of publicly funded English education and English qualifications; and the latter needs to consider whether IELTS is appropriate for large numbers of low proficiency candidates, and for purposes other than admission to universities abroad and immigration.

A partir de l’étude d’une structure composite multifonctionnelle prédéfinie, cette thèse a pour objectif l’analyse du comportement thermomécanique et des modes d’endommagement d’une structure composite intégrant des conducteurs électriques. Des éprouvettes représentatives sont fabriquées et testées sous différentes conditions mécaniques, thermiques et électriques. L’influence des chargements mécaniques hors-plan, et plus particulièrement d’un impact basse énergie, sur la fonctionnalité électromécanique de la structure est ensuite étudiée. Des mesures de résistance électrique et te tension de claquage sont réalisées afin de déterminer les performances électriques post-impact de la structure. L’échauffement résistif interne des conducteurs, conjugué à l’environnement thermique d’une structure aéronautique nous invite finalement à étudier le comportement thermomécanique de tels assemblages multicouches et multi-matériaux. Nous présentons donc une méthodologie de caractérisation du comportement thermomécanique d’un assemblage sandwich multicouche via l’analyse de ses composants pris séparément et caractérisés par des analyses mécaniques dynamiques (DMA). La contribution majeure de ce travail réside dans la détermination de critères de dégradation électrique, et de dimensionnement, pour le développement de structures composites intégrant des conducteurs électriques. / From the study of a particular multifunctional composite structure, this thesis aims at analyzing the thermomechanical behavior and failure modes of a composite structure embedding electrical wires. Representative test specimens embedding flat electrical cables are manufactured and tested under various conditions. The influence of out-of-plane loadings, and especially of low energy impacts on the electro-mechanical functionality of the structure is then investigated with both experimental and numerical considerations. Post impact electrical tests such as resistance measurements and dielectric strength tests are carried out to investigate on the post-impact electrical performances of the structure. Then, resistive heating of the embedded electrical components combined to the thermal environment of an aerospace structure lead us to further investigate on the thermo-mechanical behaviour of such multi-layered multi-materials structures. Hence, a methodology using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) testings is developed to characterize both the temperaturedependent stiffness of the constituents, and the resulting thermo-mechanical behaviour of the assembly. The main contribution of this work consists in determining electrical degradation and sizing criteria for the development of robust composite structures embedding electrical wires.