Dissertation com dez 1997 (17 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The purpose of this research paper is to try to clarify and evaluate the major issues and arguments in the debate on Import Substitution Industrialization Strategy (ISI) between the neoclassical economists and the development economists. In particular, it will focus on some basic underlying models employed by the two schools of thought, rather than on specific policy recommendations given by either school. It will conclude that the critiques against ISI from the neoclassical economists are based on a static equilibrium model, which can not fully comprehend the dynamic relationship between growth and ISI at a macroeconomic level.This paper starts by examining the historical background and formative influences of ISI, then goes on to compare and contrast the structuralist rationales for ISI and neoclassical rationales against it. The conclusion I reached is that the fundamental rationales behind ISI-- the infant industry argument, external economies and linkages effects--remain intellectually valid. The issue of terms of trade has important relevance to development economics but should be studied in a different context.The general conclusion of this paper is that import substitution as an industrialization strategy remains viable and may be of great importance or less developed countries that want to catch up economically with industrialized countries.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Cranial and postcranial research on East and Southeast Asians has shown population variability between and within these two regions. Moreover, as populations vary by sex, sex differences vary by population. The purpose of this study is to provide the first descriptive and comparative analysis of two recently curated samples of complete, documented, contemporary skeletons from Thailand (N=104) and Hong Kong (N=94) that have not been previously studied. Sex differences reveal Hong Kong males and females as larger but less dimorphic than Thais. Stepwise discriminant function analysis of the Thai humerus and femur allowed 94%-96% sex classification accuracy. In conclusion, this research has increased our knowledge of sex and population differences in Asia and has important applications to demographic and medicolegal investigations.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Ever since Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859, genetic evolutionary theory has increasingly served as the foundation for fields that deal with organisms that arose by natural selection. This thesis argues that economic theory should integrate with Darwinian theory through the creation of a 'genetic evolutionary economics'. The promise of genetic evolutionary economics is a better understanding of human nature and, consequently, a more accurate and comprehensive economic science.Economic theory rests on a set of assumptions about human nature. These economic axioms concern human genes, but there is no explicit connection between genetic evolution and economic theory. As a result, human behavior and economic predictions of that behavior diverge in a variety of important settings. Why, for example, do most people save too little for the future when economics assumes that they will save enough Chapter 2 discusses the difficulties inherent in the standard economic approach. Natural selection theory, the chapter argues, is the best tool for refining the axioms of economics.Genetic evolutionary economics allows the derivation of parameters that are intractable with standard economic techniques. There is, for instance, an ancient debate within economics about the role of self-interest in human affairs. Chapter 3 builds a genetic evolutionary model relevant to this issue, and concludes that a Darwinian lens removes many of the apparent paradoxes.Genetic evolutionary economics is a scientific endeavor. As such, it produces specific, testable hypotheses concerning behavior in economically relevant situations. Chapter 4 reports on a theoretical and experimental investigation of gift giving. A genetic evolutionary model organizes the existing data on gift giving and makes novel, testable predictions. Laboratory experiments, performed to test the theory, confirm the evolutionary model's predictions.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The use of satellite remote sensing for modeling net primary production (NPP) was evaluated in sixty boreal forest stands spanning a range of site conditions. The work included: (i) estimating annual phenological dynamics and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) interception with remotely sensed spectral measurements, (ii) linking annually absorbed PAR (APAR) to measured NPP and quantifying variability in light use efficiency ('En'), (iii) evaluating sources of variability in 'En' via mechanistic modeling of ecophysiology and associated carbon fluxes, particularly through analyses of respiratory carbon costs in relation to assimilation gains (the R:A ratio), (iv) assessing generalization of the results through an investigation of the evidence for evolutionary convergence in 'En', the R:A ratio and assimilation per unit APAR (Eg).The analyses showed that observed variability in 'En' reflects a decoupling of PAR harvesting and utilization, primarily as a result of differences in the R:A ratio. Links between 'En', the R:A ratio and standing above-ground biomass were related to differences the carbon (energy) costs associated with synthesis and maintenance of plant constituents, and longevity (i.e. the payback period on investment in carbon gain). Estimating the R:A ratio from above-ground biomass, in order to compensate for variability in 'En', was found to be problematic owing primarily to covariation of R and A with the amount of respiring biomass (i.e. sapwood and foliage). The analyses also showed that the differences in carbon costs between functional types (plants with related life history traits) resulted in convergence on 'Eg' rather than en. Variability in 'Eg' was, however, introduced by stomatal control at some stressed sites. These findings were supported by the remote sensing and simulation modeling results, and the synthesis of work related to evolutionary ecology.The primary conclusions are that variability in light utilization in these boreal forest stands was determined largely by respiratory carbon costs, and that NPP models based on light harvesting require augmentation with terms that reflect PAR utilization. Possible methods to address these issues, and their implications for NPP modeling over large areas, are discussed.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This study presents interviews with American Indian/ Alaska Native alumni who received some or all of their elementary and high school education at the Chemawa Indian Boarding School in Salem, Oregon between 1917 and 1985. A brief summary of Indian history, in particular Indian education, is presented as the context for many of the changes that occurred at Chemawa during its first one hundred years. The purpose of this study is to examine Chemawa alumni recollections of Chemawa within an imposed educational system.My research process included library and archival research, academic classes and personal interviews. I interviewed alumni who had attended Chemawa between 1917 and 1985. Themes such as academics, vocational training, social life and general impressions of Chemawa are categorized in the different eras and serve as the body of the thesis.Despite negative stereotypes of federal Indian boarding schools, the majority of Chemawa alumni interviewed for this thesis hold Chemawa in high regard. For many students Chemawa was an alternative to an orphanage, a respite from a dysfunctional family situation, an opportunity to gain an education and or vocational skills, or an opportunity to be with other Indians. Across generations, at least half of the students considered Chemawa's academic program inadequate; over half of the students interviewed found the vocational training, when it was available, to be very useful. Though most students acknowledge the downfalls of Chemawa, most alumni interviewed tended to overlook the negative and promote the positive.Alumni were able to view Chemawa in a positive light because students molded their boarding school experiences to fit their needs. Students created their own families (friends), community (school) and resisted the institutional suppression of Indian boarding schools. As young people, many adapted their situation to suit their needs, regardless of any negative experiences they might have encountered at Chemawa.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - A synopsis of eminent computer chess programs reveal that they are designed around a 'brute force' approach. An argument is made that by continuing the 'brute force' search approach, computer chess development is moving away from human evaluation methods. Research is done into studies of evaluation methods, and a discovery is made that humans use a form of intuition, called their 'sense of beauty', to choose the best chess move. A paper by Margulies is cited which formulates principles of beauty which apply to chess. Three versions of a chess program are developed, using no heuristics, standard chess heuristics, and beauty heuristics formulated from Margulies principles. The performance of the three versions of the program are compared using chess puzzles, and rated for how quickly they find the solution, and how few nodes they evaluate. Graphs are produced from the results of these tests, showing that beauty heuristics are, on average, 15% faster at finding the solution, and evaluate 10% fewer nodes.An improvement is implemented in all versions of the program which biases the search towards better moves, resulting in the beauty heuristics success rising to an average of 25% faster to the solution, and evaluating 33% fewer nodes, than the other heuristics. It is concluded that the beauty heuristics are closer to the way that humans evaluate chess positions. …

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Other investigators have surmised that different types of relationships use diverse maintenance strategies in order to keep the relationship in existence. This study examines relational maintenance strategies that people use specifically in the relationship known as friendship.Five adult friendship couples were interviewed for maintenance strategies they use to sustain their friendship. The discussions were recorded and transcribed. The Constant Comparison method was used to compare and contrast the data in order to discover strategies unique to friendships.Results revealed seven strategies including Openness; Approach to Conflict; Identification; Admiration; Togetherness; and Sense of Continuance. These friendship strategies are uniquely utilized, and therefore distinctive, to the relationship. This may be due to the way people are socialized in our society.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This thesis proposes a reconceptualization of the 'attitude' as a multidimensional latent process, which may be unstable across situations, individuals, and time. A review of the literature in light of this reconceptualization reveals aspects of the survey situation that may systematically influence measures of attitudes, behaviors, and social norms. This suggests that contradictory findings regarding attitude-behavior consistency may be partly due to specific inadequacies of conventional measures. A reflexive research strategy is proposed, which supplements survey methods with both quantitative and qualitative assessments of measurement validity. This strategy is applied in a case study of attitudes, norms, and diet in five vegetarian student cooperative houses. Analyses test the sufficiency of a revised Model of Reasoned Action for predicting members' intentions to abstain from eating beef, chicken, or fish. Throughout the analyses, several methodological issues are explored in an effort to optimize validity: elicitation and fixed response items, generality of referents and expected consequences, subjective and objective measures of social norms, allowance for composite behavioral intentions, and specification of regression models. Implications for future theoretical research and the design of reflexive behavioral interventions are discussed.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Based on data on publicly traded insurance firms, the first essay examines questions about the effect of large catastrophic events on insurance firms. Rather than looking at a single event, thirty catastrophic events were aggregated into quintiles and the cumulative abnormal returns around these events were found to be significantly positive over a 25 day trading window. There is no significant evidence that post-catastrophic stock returns are correlated to the magnitude of the catastrophe. The second essay analyzes the effect of a large land grant university, the University of Illinois, on the State Treasury of Illinois. If the State Treasury were acting as its own agent trying to maximize revenues, would it choose higher education as an investment versus other alternative investments. While it is true the State makes large expenditures for the operations of the University, it is also true that individuals receiving degrees on average receive higher incomes. Taxes or higher incomes offset.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The electrostatic interaction between two charged spheres in the presence of a screening electrolyte is calculated at the level of the linearized Debye-Hückel theory. The calculation is performed analytically as a multipole expansion by applying two-center spherical harmonic expansions and symbolic manipulation methods. I focus on charge-charge and charge-induced dipole interactions, calculated for two spheres of possibly unequal size. The former interaction is given to good approximation by the familiar Debye-Hückel form q1q2exp[-k(R-2a)]/[(epsilon\*r(1]ka)^2]. The new results are the charge-induced dipole interactions. Physically, these terms arise from two sources: (i) surface polarization charge at the surface of each sphere, and (ii) exclusion of the counterion cloud of each sphere from the volume occupied by the other sphere. With parameters appropriate for micelles, the charge-induced dipole interactions dominate the charge-charge interaction at small separations.Quasi-elastic light scattering measurements of the diffusion of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles in aqueous solutions, and the diffusion of mesoscopic optical probes through the same solutions, were carried out at 35°C and multiple solvent ionic strengths. Assuming a spherical micelle, I deduced the micelle radius, aggregation number, charge, and hydration from nonlinear least-squares fits to both probe and mutual diffusion data. For SDS micelles the charge that I find is lower than reported in the literature [Hayter, J. B.; Penfold, J. Colloid & Polymer Science 1983, 261, 1022; Triolo, R.; Caponetti, E.; Graziano, V. J. Phys. Chem. 1985, 89, 5743.] because I used an improved functional form of the micellar electrostatic interaction. I find a smaller aggregation number and a larger micellar hydration than literature values. My analysis of CTAB data implies extensive micellar growth, and failure of the spherical micelle assumption.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This thesis will investigate, by means of the historical-critical method, Augustine of Hippo's understanding of the Manichaean idea of the Good, and how this understanding affects his own related notions of summum bonum and personal evil, and, as a corollary, his doctrine of predestination. The question of a possible Manichaean influence is.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Dostoevsky's novels have contributed to a conception of man that reverberates in the conclusions of prominent twentieth-century philosophical anthropologists. Max Scheler, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Albert Camus, among others, have admitted that the works of Dostoevsky had an influence on the manner in which they learned to conceive of human nature and the world in which humans live. Our aim in this dissertation is to ask: what is there in the novels of Dostoevsky concerning the nature of man, of which certain philosophers could claim that in their philosophical conceptions of man they were positively influenced by him The main thesis is substantiated with a careful analysis of four novels: Notes From the House of the Dead (Zapiski iz mertvogo doma), Notes From the Underground (Zapiski iz podpol'ia), Crime and Punishment (Prestuplenie i nakazanie), and The Brothers Karamazov (Brat'ia Karamazovy). These novels were chosen partly because I have come to the conclusion that these novels, more than others, concretely show in what sense the leading characters appear to have made themselves be what they had freely chosen to be under the circumstances in which they had to live, and that they were fully aware of the responsibility they had to bear for the implications and consequences of what they had thus decided. Based upon a close reading, four interpretive chapters employ the most significant criticism from English, Russian and French literary scholarship. Dostoevsky's philosophical conception of man is compared and contrasted with the conception that Scheler and Heidegger hold, i.e., that freedom is man's essence, Sartre's atheistic humanism and Camus' thought.The following conclusions are consonant with Dostoevsky's work: freedom is constitutive for the being (or the mode of being; essence) of man, it is an inalienable duty--one must become oneself. Man strives to overcome himself and to exceed his freedom but in so doing invariably loses it. Man exceeds himself only in the sense that he realizes an ideal human possibility. The Dostoevskian man reveals not only the absence of human nature but also the enormous power which man possesses for achieving his ideal human possibility. …

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Investment in executive education has grown steadily since its inception during the last century. Several studies have attempted to measure the effectiveness of executive programs; prior research has indicated that some programs lack relevance. This study addressed the topic from the perspective of corporations, whose future executive education decisions are affected by the relevance of current programs, and program alumni.In a partial replication of a 1959 Harvard study, which queried graduates of 39 residential programs, I surveyed the 1993-1995 executive MBA graduates of four schools: UCLA, University of Colorado, University of Utah, and University of Washington. The main research question was: Are executive education programs meeting the needs of their mid-career students In addition to the above, the changing workplace prompted the following queries: Is there a difference between the satisfaction of the students with the programs in 1959 and now Are the programs affected by lack of security in the workplace. Are people using the EMBA to change employers Do sponsoring companies use the skills learned Do women have a problem with the 'glass ceiling' In addition to collecting the surveys, I interviewed the four program directors, 10 corporate executives whose responsibilities include executive education, and 24 of the 157 alumni who returned the questionnaire.Frequency distribution, correlation analysis, and stepwise multiple regression were used to analyze the survey data.The major findings were: EMBA students today are satisfied with the relevance of their education; Students are dissatisfied with schools that employ professors with outdated or inadequate teaching skills; Instability in today's workplace is prompting some people to change jobs or go into their own business once their EMBA is completed; Corporations will continue to invest in these programs, but there is more specific succession planning in conjunction with the career path expected for the employee; There continues to be little ethnic diversity in the programs.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - discussions on public issues. Most scholars have discussed deliberative democracy within normative boundaries. However, based primarily on Katz's interpretation of Tarde, this study finds the concept of public sphere a useful framework for operationalizing the normative concept of deliberative democracy, since the four components of the public sphere-news media use, interpersonal communication, opinion formation, and political participation-provide us with empirically testable categories. This study tests the validity of theories of deliberative democracy through examining the inter-relationships among the four components of the public sphere. Methodologically, it includes a set of 63 items to probe where people talk and what they talk about in their daily life. An experimental treatment (a 'stop-and-talk' question) is also included in the survey to simulate the effects of real conversation. Through a set of data gathered from a nationwide survey, sufficient evidence was found to support the basic hypotheses: (1) news media use encourages people to have political conversation, (2) news media use and political conversation tend to enhance the quality of opinions (measured by consistency, opinionation, and consideredness), (3) news media use, political conversation, and enhanced opinions encourage political participation. The significance of this study is that: (1) unlike other media effects studies, its dependent variables are not just of opinion positions or attitude changes, but also opinion quality; (2) it does not consider media alone, but deals with the combined effects of interpersonal communication (conversation) and mass media (news media use); (3) it combines an experimental design with a nationwide survey; and (4) it assumes that the effects of mass media do not stop at people's attitudes, but are extended to their activities.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This study seeks to explain the types of strategies party elites use to attract voters. How do party elites decide which kinds of incentives to offer, at what period, in what way, and to which groups This study investigates the efficacy of competing and overlapping class and ethnic cleavages. Incentive theory suggests that organizations will offer three types of appeals: material (tangible rewards), solidary (enjoyment through participation), and purposive (policies and programs). First, using U.S. Census data, this study examines the social context of Hawaii in terms of ethnic and class characteristics. Second, using interviews with party elites, it explores the kinds of appeals new Democrats used. Third, using precinct-level election results and neighborhood characteristics, this study examines the party's coalition of class and ethnic groups.New Democrats in Hawaii shifted from a class-based appeal to an ethnic-based appeal over time. Party elites found that class-based appeals were effective to gain power. However, once they became the majority party, Democrats found that appeals to Japanese-Americans were a particularly successful strategy. Democratic politicians continued to rely on the latter's allegiance. The context of two large ethnic groups (i.e., Caucasians and Japanese) and many smaller ones allowed the party to solidify their ties to Japanese voters. Hence, party elites, constrained by the social context, exploited ethnic differences to maintain their electoral coalition.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The difference between 'mass' and 'mess,' for example, says a lot about the distinctive capacity of phonemes and the alphabet, but very little about the many similarities in these two words. It follows that there is something not exactly alphabetical in language that is prompted by similarities like these. Even quotidian reading exhibits non-alphabetic ingredients, for instance when we skip spelling mistakes or typographical errors; i.e.: when we impose analogies over differences, hermeneutics over semiology, semasiography over the alphabet. Joyce, who once commented that 'a few letters will do if you can't read a whole word,' just incorporates another system of writing to his 'cyclical history,' very much in keeping with Vico's idea that each cycle has its own writing system.The incorporation of this non-alphabetic, semasiographic way of reading also explains the presence of allusions and opens up the apparent conflict between allusion and intentionality. How far can analogies go or rather, can allusions and intentionality be reconciled They both reveal the existence of coincidences (facilitated by the narrow range of the alphabet); some of them Joyce surely saw, many others produced by mere chance. Chance, then, is the realm that, far from making them opposite, reunite intentionality and allusion, for both depend on the previous existence of coincidences.In Finnegans Wake the search for coincidences marks the beginning of awakening. Using Joyce's additions to his drafts as orientation, particularly those that refer to the Egyptian Book of the Dead, it is possible to trace the resurrection process that Shaun undergoes. Shaun finds the keys to conventional language and to his awakening, like in the fairy tale, in an intentional act of love, in a kiss.…

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This thesis is dedicated to assess the accuracy of logistic regression (LR) and artificial neural networks (ANN) in the diagnosis of calvarial lesions using computed tomography (CT). The importance of the different features needed for the diagnosis in both models is also analyzed. The models were developed using patients with calvarial lesions as the only known disease were enrolled. All patients were studied with plain films and CT. Other imaging thecniques were used when available. The clinical and CT data were used for developing LR and ANN models. Both models were tested with the jacknife (leave-one-out) method. The best ANNs were obtained varying iterations and hidden neurons by selecting the one with higher area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The final results of each model were compared by means of area under ROC curves. There was no statistically significant difference between LR and ANN in differentiating benign and malingnant lesions. In characterizing every histologic diagnoses, ANN was statistically superior to LR (p.…