Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a widely-used investigative technique in motor cortical evaluation. TMS is now being used in the investigation of fatigue to help partition the effects of central fatigue. Few studies have utilized this technique to evaluate the effects of locomotor exercise and none in conditions of extreme exercise. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was twofold; first, to answer methodological questions pertaining to the use of TMS in fatigue evaluation, particularly of the quadriceps, and second, to investigate the effects of extreme exercise conditions on the development of central and supraspinal fatigue and corticospinal excitability and inhibition. In Studies 1 and 2, the effect of approaching a target force in different ways before the delivery a TMS pulse and the difference between commonly-employed methods of determining TMS intensity on the selection of optimal TMS intensity were investigated. In Study 3, the effect of one night sleep deprivation on cognitive and exercise performance and central parameters was investigated. The effect of a 110-km ultra-trail on the supraspinal component of central fatigue was evaluated in Study 4. The principal findings from this thesis are that during TMS evaluation during brief voluntary contractions, it is essential to deliver the TMS pulse once the force has stabilized at the target and that a stimulus-response curve at 20% MVC is appropriate for determining optimal TMS intensity in exercise and fatigue studies. Furthermore, while sleep deprivation negatively-impacted cognitive and exercise performance, it did not influence neuromuscular parameters nor result in greater central fatigue. Supraspinal fatigue develops and corticospinal excitability increases during endurance/ultra-endurance running and cycling, while the effects on inhibitory corticospinal mechanisms are equivocal and probably depend on exercise characteristics and TMS intensity

Using a wealth of secondary and primary sources; such as town records, diaries, tax valuations, and genealogical data, this project will attempt to shed light on the reaction of Dedham, Massachusetts, and its middle class, to military service during the American Revolution. Although extremely responsive during the opening months of the war, Dedham's middle class became reluctant to contribute its fathers and sons to the military cause when the war moved outside of their periphery, and for good reason, they needed them back home. This study determined that the lack of zeal on the part of the town's middle class was part and parcel of historical, economical, and political factors that combined to keep the fathers and sons of Dedham from serving in the war. Although declining to serve in the Continental Army, Dedham was able to continue its support for the war effort by hiring others to do the fighting for them. / Department of History

本研究主要探討當公司管理階層選擇自願性會計政策變更時，是否影響市場對於各該公司所發布相關訊息的反應情形，進而造成股價持續波動之狀況。本研究亦探討是否會計政策的異質性(公司進行會計變更後採用與其同業不同的會計政策)會影響到前述自願性會計變更與股價反映之關係。本研究以採用自願性會計政策變更之美國上市公司為研究對象，樣本期間為1994年至2008年，並將研究對象之競爭對手或產業領導者納入比較樣本。此外，為了觀察股價持續反應的情況，我們設立了季報發布期間和季報發布後期間，以檢驗此研究之假說。 此研究結果顯示，整體來說，自願性會計政策變更在季報發布期間對於未預期盈餘和報酬的關係，會有顯著正向之關聯。此外，考慮了會計政策之異質性後，若公司在會計變更後採取了與同業相同之會計政策，在季報發佈期間對於未預期盈餘和報酬的關係會有顯著正向之關聯，而在季報發佈後期間對於未預期盈餘和報酬的關係會有顯著負向之關聯；若公司在會計變更後採取了與同業不同之會計政策，市場在季報發布後期間對於未預期盈餘和報酬的關係會有顯著正向之關聯，比較多的資訊反映於季報發佈後期間。所以，當公司會計變更後採取異質性的會計政策，外部使用者對於公司發布之相關資訊可能無法及時的消化和理解，進而導致市場遞延反應。 因此，雖然公司採用自願性會計政策變更可能是為了要更真實反映公司之營運狀況，提升外部人士對於公司的實質了解，但根據本研究的實證結果顯示，外部使用者對於自願性會計政策變更後之相關訊息可能需要比較長時間的理解，導致股價會有持續反應的情況。 / This study investigates the relation between voluntary accounting changes (VACs) and post-earnings announcement drift. In addition, this study examines how accounting choice heterogeneity (different from the VAC firms’ peers) before and after VACs is associated with such association. This study collects VAC firms in the U.S. among 1994 to 2008 and identifies the heterogeneity of accounting choices between VAC and non-VAC firms. To test the hypotheses, this study considers the 10-Q filing window and a post-filing drift window. The results demonstrate that, overall, VACs have a positive effect on the three-day market reactions to 10-Q filings. In addition, after taking into account the accounting choice heterogeneity, this study observes that more of earnings-related stock price reaction occurs in the 10-Q filing window and less of earnings-related market reaction appears in the post-filing drift window. Moreover, VACs are positively associated with the post-filing period drift when VACs are different from their industry peers after VACs. That is, VAC firms adopting different post-change accounting method from non-VAC firms may make external users harder to digest related earnings information and lead to delayed market reaction, thus, more of stock price drift occur in post-filing window. In conclusion, though VACs may enhance market participants’ understanding of firms’ activities, the results demonstrate that market participants may spend more time to comprehend and digest VAC information disclosed by VAC firms compared to non-VAC firms, which leads to post-earnings announcement drift.

Darbo objektas – savanoriški susitarimai dėl energijos efektyvumo didinimo. Darbo tikslas – įvertinti savanoriškų susitarimų naudojimo patirtį kitose šalyse ir nustatyti jų panaudojimo galimybes Lietuvoje. Darbo uždaviniai: • Išanalizuoti ir susisteminti mokslinę, teorine ir empirinę literatūrą, nagrinėjančią savanoriškus susitarimus; • Išsiaiškinti savanoriškų susitarimų naudojimo praktiką kitose šalyse; • Ištirti energijos vartojimo tendencijas Lietuvoje; • Išanalizuoti Lietuvos teisinę bazę, ir įstatymus reguliuojančius savanoriškus susitarimus; • Atlikti anketinį įmonių tyrimą ir išsiaiškinti savanoriškų susitarimų panaudojimo galimybes Lietuvoje. Hipotezė – savanoriškų susitarimų dėl energijos efektyvumo didinimo plėtrą Lietuvoje stabdo patirties savanoriškų aplinkos politikos priemonių panaudojimo srityje stoka, mažas informuotumas, institucinės ir tesinės bazės nebuvimas. Darbo struktūra. Darbas susideda iš trijų pagrindinių dalių. Pirmoje apžvelgiama mokslinė literatūra, susijusi su savanoriškais susitarimais, bei jų taikymo patirtimi. Antrojoje apžvelgiama ES politika energijos vartojimo efektyvumo didinimo srityje ir savanoriškų susitarimų dėl energijos vartojimo efektyvumo didinimo įgyvendinimo rezultatai ES. Taip pat šioje dalyje analizuojamos energijos vartojimo tendencijos Lietuvoje. Trečiojoje dalyje, pateikiami anketinės įmonių apklausos rezultatai bei aptariamos savanoriškų susitarimų panaudojimo galimybės Lietuvoje. Visą darbą sudaro 52 puslapiai, darbe yra... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Work item - voluntary agreements on energy efficiency. Working the problem - it is necessary to the implementation of the EU Directive, while Lithuania is not disbanded the possibility of the use of voluntary agreements for the implementation of energy efficiency improvement goal. The aim - to evaluate the use of voluntary agreements and the experience of other countries to determine their potential use in Lithuania. Job tasks: analyze and structure the scientific, theoretical and empirical literature dealing with voluntary agreements; Practice the use of voluntary agreements in other countries; Investigate the energy consumption trends in Lithuania; analyze the Lithuanian legal framework, and the laws governing voluntary agreements; Make corporate investigations, and to clarify the use of voluntary agreements in Lithuania. Hypothesis - voluntary agreements on energy efficiency development in Lithuania is hampered by lack of practice on voluntary environmental policies, low awareness and lack of law basis. The work consists of three main parts. The first reviews the scientific literature relating to voluntary agreements, and their experiences. The second reviews the EU's policy to improve energy efficiency, and voluntary agreements on energy efficiency implementation of the results of the EU. I also analyzed in this part of energy consumption trends in Lithuania. The third part, the corporate results of the survey questionnaire and discussed the possibility of the use of... [to full text]

Counselling services as provided by non-professional counsellors have been in place for a number of decades. Counselling traumatised people demands a significant amount of emotional investment from the counsellor. A neglected area as far as non-professional counsellors in South Africa is concerned, is the well-being of the counsellors. Burnout as well as its antithesis, work engagement, are two possible transactional outcomes impacting on the well-being of these counsellors. The measurement of burnout and work engagement requires valid and reliable measuring instruments. The dearth of research studies in the area of burnout and work engagement, together with the unique contribution of non-professional counsellors in organisational settings, has led to the primary focus of this study being the exploration of the experience of this group of counsellors doing trauma counselling in financial institutions in South Africa. A lack of norms for the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) for non-professional counsellors doing trauma counselling makes the identification of burnout and work engagement within this specialist environment difficult. Consequently, investigating the reliability and validity of the MBI-HSS and the UWES would result in the standardisation of these specific measuring instruments, therefore contributing to the identification of burnout and work engagement with non-professional trauma counsellors. Some of the factors that could play a role in the prevalence of burnout and work engagement are secondary traumatic stress, the demands of counselling, lack of resources, personal consequences, social support and sense of coherence. The objectives of this research were to standardise the MBI-HSS and UWES for non-professional counsellors as well as to develop and test a causal model of burnout and work engagement for this specialist group. The research method involved four separate articles, each consisting of a brief literature overview and an empirical study. A cross-sectional design, whereby a sample is drawn from a population at a particular point in time, was used. The data for this study was collected from 168 non-professional counsellors, employed by three of the major banks in South Africa. The MBI-HSS, UWES, Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) as well as a Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlations, canonical analysis, and structural equation modelling were used. Structural equation modelling confirmed a three-factor model of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment). In contrast with research findings confirming the three-factor model of the UWES (vigour, dedication and absorption), a one-factor model for the UWES was confirmed for non-professional counsellors. The internal consistency of the scales for the MBI-HSS and UWES was found to be satisfactory and in line with reported findings in the literature. Structural equation analysis showed that the lack of resources and job demands predicted the core of burnout, namely emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. The conflicts and pressures that are already associated with the everyday work of non-professional counsellors are likely to be magnified by the counselling role. Non-professional counsellors continually face conflicts created by the fact that they are accountable to large organisations, but professionally, ethically and morally devoted to their clients (the victims of trauma who are being counselled by them). They must balance the competing, and sometimes opposing demands of several parties such as trauma victims, employees, families and communities. To add to these circumstances it is important to remember that counselling is not the main job objective of the non-professional counsellors. Counselling is seen as an "add-on" to their job description and is in most instances not part of their performance measurement/assessment. Work engagement was related to low burnout scores, while personal accomplishment was associated with work engagement. High sense of coherence had a mediating effect on burnout and a positive effect on work engagement. This study seems to emphasise that job demands have a more negative effect on engagement when sense of coherence is low than when sense of coherence is high. Conversely, it is assumed that sense of coherence provides functions such as increased perception of coping capacity or minimised stress appraised, which decreases the effects of stress on an individual. Recommendations for the organisations and future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

The prevalence of HIV infection in pregnant women is still on the rise despite existing preventive programmes aimed at reducing HIV-transmission. Voluntary counselling and testing during pregnancy is the key entry point in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (Department of Health, 2000:16; Birdsall et al. 2004:3). Women are often diagnosed as being HIV-positive for the first time when they attend antenatal clinics and consent to HIV testing (UNAIDS, 1997). The objective of this study was to determine the pregnant women's experiences of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) and to explore and describe the impeding and facilitating factors that played a role in their choice whether or not to consent to HIV testing after having received pre-test counselling. By understanding the impeding and facilitating factors that play a role in the pregnant woman's choice to undergo HIV testing, recommendations could be made to possibly improve the uptake of HIV testing among pregnant women. The population studied in this research consisted of pregnant women making use of antenatal clinics in the Potchefstroom sub-district. Purposive sampling was used to select participants with the assistance of mediators who were working in the local clinics and the hospital. The sample size was determined by data saturation, which was reached after 10 interviews. A qualitative design was used and data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was carried out simultaneously with data collection. In consensus discussions, the researcher and the co-coder reached consensus on the main and sub-themes. The main themes are the facilitating and impeding factors that play a role in the pregnant women's choice to undergo HIV testing. Based on findings, it was concluded that facilitating and impeding factors that play a role in the pregnant woman's choice to HIV testing do indeed exist. Impeding factors identified were: fear of a positive status; fear of stigmatization and discrimination; fear of lack of support; lack of opportunity to consider their choice to undergo HIV testing; lack of trust that confidentiality will indeed be honoured; fear of knowing possible positive HIV-status that can lead to feelings of depression and mental anguish; differences between counsellors' and pregnant women's characteristics. Facilitating factors consist of the desire to be aware of own HIV status; desire to protect the baby; sufficient information and the importance of trust and confidentiality. Recommendations were subsequently made to make HIV counselling and testing services to pregnant women more user-friendly in order to facilitate the pregnant woman in her choice concerning HIV-testing. Heeding these recommendations will possibly lead to more pregnant women's HIV status being known by the time they go into labour. Recommendations were made that pregnant women be counselled for HIV testing during their first antenatal visit and the HIV-testing being offered to them during the second visit. Research findings reveal that most pregnant women need time to consider their choice to undergo HIV testing and to prepare themselves for the test. Most pregnant women felt that they would possibly consent to HIV testing during their second antenatal visit. / Thesis (M.Cur.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Avhandlingen är en nutidsanalys av delar av den svenska välfärden. Samverkan mellan myndigheter och organisering av socialt arbete i frivilliga organisationer är två samtida tendenser i det svenska välfärdssystemet. Båda studierna fokuserar på arbetslivsinriktad rehabiliteringför personer utanför arbetsmarknaden en längre tid. Den första studien beskriver samverkan mellan olika offentliga myn-digheter i form av ett samverkansteam (ReSamprojektet), medan den andra studien beskriver och analyserar en delvis brukarstyrd form för arbetslivsinriktad rehabilitering, den så kallade klubbhus-modellen (Fontänhusrörelsen).Den första studien var en processinriktad utvärdering med olika me-toder för datainsamling som intervjuer, fokuserade gruppdiskussioner, samt dagboksanteckningar. Den andra studien gjordes utifrån en deltagarbaserad forskningstradition där författaren arbetade med en forskarcirkel bestående av medlemmar från klubbhuset. Syftet var att närma sig rehabiliterings-processen på ett så utforskande sätt som möjligt. Data samlades in som detaljerade anteckningar, officiellt material och inspelade intervjuer.Resultat från den första studien visar att det var möjligt att samarbeta över myndigheternas gränser men att det fanns hinder som handlade om kulturella och organisatoriska skillnader mellan myndigheterna, olikheter när det gäller engagemang och begränsa-de resurser för att kunna möta klienternas komplexa behov. Samtidigt var en viktig lärdom att ju mer kunskap handläggarna hade om varandra och sina respektive organisationer destolättare blev samar-betet. Resultat från den andra studien visar att genom det dagliga arbetet formas, fördjupas och åter-upptas relationer och den stödjande omgivningen. Förstärkande mekanismer var en uttalad ideologi, en tydlig struktur för möten, återkommande arbetsgrupper ochcertifiering. Det var också viktigt att arbetsuppgifterna betraktades som nödvändiga och att de gjorde en skillnad om de utfördes. Å andra sidan beskrevs rörelsen som begränsande för vissa medlemmar.I diskussionen används tillit somett begrepp som spänner över individ-, grupp-och samhällsnivå. Tillit blir ett sammanbindande begrepp mellan de båda studierna och visade sig vara den viktigaste komponenten för att etablera hållbara relationer på gruppnivå. Slutligen följer en mera framåtblickande diskussion som handlar om hur utanförskap kan bemötas genom samverkansaktiviteter respektive frivillig organisering och vilken roll verksamheterna kan få i välfärdssystemet / The thesis is a contemporary analysis of parts of the Swedish welfare system. Co-operation between agencieswithin the welfare system and provision of welfare services by organizations within the voluntary sector are two contemporary tendencies. Both studies are focusing on the rehabilitation process for individuals who have been excluded from the labour market for a longer time period. The first study describes and analyzes co-operation in a three year project as a strategy for provision of complex welfare services (the ReSam project). The second study describes and analyzes the club house model of rehabilitation (the Fountain House movement).The first study is based on a process evaluation, where different kinds of data were collected through interviews, focus groups and diaries. These data were subsequently analyzed with qualitative methods. The second study isparticipant oriented, which means that a group of members conducted the study in co-operation with the re-searcher. The study isexplorative and research data were collected in a variety of ways including detailed notes, taped interviews and cognitive maps.The results of the first study show that it was possible to co-operate across the organizational boundaries of the different agencies involved, but there were obstacles related to organizational and cultural differences between the agencies, divided loyalties of the officials involved, and limited resources available to deal with the complex needs of the clients. The most important factor was that the officials learnt more about each other and the agencies involved. The result of the second study reveals that daily work tasks forms, deepens and reinvents both relationships as well as the supportive environment. Supportive mechanisms were an explicit ideology, plain structure of the meetings, frequent held working groups and thecertification process. Furthermore, it was important that the taskswere considered as necessaryand made a dif-ference. On the other hand, the members described the clubhouse environment as restricting for some. In the discussion, trust is used as a concept which spans over individual, interpersonal and organizational levels and becomes a useful tool as a theoretical concept binding the two studies to-gether. Trust was revealed as the most important ingredient as it comes to establishing sustainable relationships on a group level. Finally, some possible future scenarios are drawn up and discussed concerning the roles and relations between the welfare system and contemporary new forms of orga-nizing welfare services.

This study tries to understand the internal dynamics of the civil society organizations in Turkey on the experiences of three CSOs: the Ankara Branches of KADER, MAZLUMDER and IMO by focusing on the intra&ndash / organizational practices (the decision making processes, elections, general meetings, division of labor, basic conflicts and divergences, the disagreements, the way of deliberation and consensus). It tries to shed light on the transformative potential of the CSO&rsquo / s in public sphere as civil organizations themselves in time both in the sense of their political stances and organizational structure. The research was designed in the form of a case study including both the depth interwiews and participant observations. In this framework, ten depth-interviews were made with members having different qualities for each of these CSOs and participant observations were realized in the general meetings, elections and activities of these organizations. Since the aim of this study is to understand the contribution of the CSOs to the public sphere, the research findings were interpreted and considered basically in the light of the two main theoretical positions: the deliberative (Habermas) and agonistic (Laclau and Mouffe) democracy. The study espoused a post-structuralist conception of democracy combined with a weakened model of deliberation and dialogue pointing out the requirement of the existential publicity of man (Arendt) in the world. In this context, this study tries to discuss the following questions within the framework of the public sphere experience of the three CSOs throughout the thesis. Is the concept of civil society a proper concept for understanding the peculiar experience of Turkey (with reference to the historical context of civil associational life in Turkey and the recent civil resurrection)? Do civil organizations have the capacity to serve for deepening and consolidation of democracy in public sphere? Are these civil organizations democratic and participatory with regard to their intra-organizational structures and decision-making processes? And, more importantly, do they have any capacity to influence the process of democratic transformation in Turkey?

2001年5月交通部電信總局決定，我國數位電視地面傳輸標準以往訂定為美規ATSC系統，但由於科技不斷進步，電總將採技術中立，由業者自行決定採用歐規DVB-T或美規。技術的意見未受到政治干預而予實踐，在台灣政策科學發展過程中，係一重要的案例。 就歐規的整體發展來看，傳統無線電視產業的垂直整合，已逐漸被數位無線電視產業的垂直分工及水平整合趨勢所取代，台灣從垂直壟斷系統電視體制轉移至水平整合垂直分割，如此標準化的轉移自有其意義。本研究以DVB的歷史來源脈絡導入作為分析的起點，探討台灣從美規轉換為歐規所帶來產業革新的意義，及導引政策的落實。 南韓在政府的強力主導下，其數位無線電視的規格採用美規ATSC，但是行動接收則開放給了歐規，其數位電視規格消長過程和台灣極為類似，係一比較性研究之對象。 2003年及2006年台灣公視基金受新聞局委託，建置第二單頻網傳輸系統，準備建立製播分離與共同傳輸平台機制的公共政策，公共廣電媒體身處於多媒體、多頻道競爭的生態環境中，面對數位科技的挑戰，亦有其角色定位的變化。 依據本研究的理論架構，台灣的標準化模式係已轉移為在地特有的樣貌。 台灣實踐歐規標準除了目前15個數位電視台產業的發展，還導引出公共政策的決策，公共電視台扮演「機制黏著劑」的功能，建立參與者之間的共識基礎，最後形成相關的產業政策，其顯示的意義係由市民社會為了共同的理念建立往上推的範例。由DVB-T政策的制定，導引出這些現象觀察，DVB-T確有改革的意義。 / May 2001 Directorate General of Telecommunications, Ministry of Transportation and Communications made a bottom-up decision due to consecutive development of science and technology. The Directorate General took a neutral stand to let digital TV enterprises select freely whether they preferred still attached to the existed ATSC or switched to DVB-T once their standards needed to be adopted. Such a new technical idea, not only without meddling by political forces, but also smoothly put into practice, indeed became an important case in the evolving communications policies in Taiwan. From the viewpoint of general development of DVB, the vertical integration of the traditional broadcast industry has been gradually replaced by the horizontal integration of video broadcast industry. In Taiwan, the transfer of standardizations from ATSC to DVB-T has its own significance. This study began with the analysis of the origin of DVB as research guidelines, in order to comprehend the significance of industrial innovations in the transferring from ATSC to DVB-T, and understand what policy concern been put into practice. Complied with the clear state’s guidance, South Korea’s digital TV adopted ATSC, however its mobile application adopted T-DMB. The similarity of digital TV adoption between Taiwan and South Korea turned out to be a typical subject for comparative study. In both 2003 and 2006 Government Information Office entrusted Taiwan Public TV a fund to conduct single frequency network in preparation for establishing a transmission platform. Competing with the multi-media and multi-channel business and facing the challenge of digitization, public service broadcasting is entitled to many different roles it plays during transition. Based on the framework of this study, the DTV standardization in Taiwan obviously belongs to a local version of its globalization. In practice, DVB-T in Taiwan has not only been applied by five terrestrial broadcasters, but also brought the concept of DVB into practice. Public TV, functioning its “institutional glue”, reached a consensus among participants, and eventually facilitated concerned industrial policies been set up, which indeed indicating a multilayer of civilian forces were grouped together through a bottom-up decision model. All those observations of policy decision and its application have certainly generated from the adoption of DVB-T.

本文旨在探討投資人情緒與法人說明會之關聯性，即公司如何經由召開法人說明會，策略性地回應投資人情緒反應，以企圖影響情緒所導致的預期偏差。實證發現：管理當局策略性地改變其自願性揭露政策，以反映投資人情緒。當投資人情緒愈低落時，公司將傾向於召開法人說明會，且公司召開法人說明會之頻率亦會增加。相反的，當投資人情緒高昂時，公司則愈不會召開法人說明會。再者，當投資人情緒愈低落時，法人說明會所揭露之公司資訊將愈樂觀。此研究亦顯示公司自願性揭露政策的選擇，反映管理當局渴望維持樂觀之評價。 / In this paper we explore the association between investor sentiment and the likelihood of holding conference calls. In other words, this paper investigates how firms react strategically to investor sentiment via their conference calls in an attempt to influence the sentiment-induced biases in expectations. We show that managers strategically vary their voluntary disclosure policies in response to prevailing sentiment. We find that during low-sentiment periods, the firms are more likely to conduct conference calls and conduct them more frequently; while during periods of high sentiment they decrease the frequency of conference calls. In addition, during low-sentiment periods, the conference calls disclose more optimistic information. Overall, this study provides evidence that company’s voluntary disclosure choices reflect managers desire to maintain optimistic valuations.