Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Free to own'

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om barn i enlighet med FN:s konvention om barns rättigheter har möjlighet till att fritt delta i det kulturella och konstnärliga livet i förskolans utbildning samt om de utifrån läroplanen ges tid, rum och ro till eget skapande. Studien syftar till att undersöka hur barn åskådliggör sina möjligheter till eget/fritt skapande, vilket skapande som barnen anser vara viktigt och vad de väljer att framhäva samt i vilken form skapandet tar sig uttryck. Studien behandlar dessutom de handlingserbjudanden barn möter i förskolan och hur dessa påverkar skapandet. Vi har använt oss av vår nya metod digitala gåturer, där barnen själva och med stöd av en förskollärare har fått visa och berätta om sitt skapande för oss. Resultatet av studien visar att platsen är viktig för de möjligheter och handlingserbjudanden barn möter i förskolan. Vi ser även hur barns skapande tar sig många olika uttrycksformer samt att barn genom sitt aktörskap transformerar och erövrar platser och material. Slutsatsen av studien är att det är viktigt att vi noggrant ser över utformningen av förskolans miljöer samt tillgång till material för att eget/fritt skapande ska kunna uppnås. Då barnen använder många olika tillvägagångssätt i processen av sitt skapande blir det även viktigt att synliggöra och värdesätta resultatet av vad processen har lett till. Slutligen visar även studien att metoden digitala gåturer är en tillförlitlig och modern metod för att åskådliggöra barns perspektiv.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur den fria leken på svenska förskolor är begränsad för att gå i linje med förskolans uppdrag som det är presenterat i läroplanen. För att uppnå detta har vi intervjuat sju förskollärare på två svenska förskolor angående deras syn på den fria leken och hur den är begränsad. Det insamlade materialet är sedan analyserat med hjälp av Michel Foucaults teorier samt Jennifer M. Gores mikro-praktiker om makt för att synliggöra hur den fria leken är begränsad och varför. De tre centrala teman som presenteras i läroplanen är: säkerhet och välmående; grundläggande och demokratiska värderingar samt lärande, utveckling och livslångt lärande. En hierarki bland dessa teman blev uppenbar där säkerhet ses som viktigast följt av de grundläggande och demokratiska värdena och sist lärande, utveckling och livslångt lärande. Vi fann även att förskollärarna hellre reglerar leken så att den stämmer överens med läroplanen än att bryta den samt att läroplanens tolkningsbarhet leder till olika strategier bland förskollärarna för att uppnå deras önskade resultat.

This dissertation examines the free banking laws of seven states and the impact of three provisions of the laws on the states' banking experience. In Chapter I, a review of two current theories of the free banking experience is presented. One theory contends that the laws themselves induced the banking experience of the states. The second theory asserts that economic activity induced the banking experience. This study includes a discussion of both theories in the analysis of the provision's effect on the banking experience. In Chapter II, a simple model of the operations of a free bank is presented. Also, the laws of the seven states that determine the establishment and the operations of a free bank are reviewed. The review reveals that the states enacted similar provisions, but restrictions included in the provisions differ considerably. In Chapter III, the experiences of the states are examined. The states represent a spectrum of banking experiences. The experiences of each state are characterized by four measures; the entry rate, the failure rate, the below par rate, and the average loss per dollar. Each of these measures reflects a different aspect of banking behavior and each is examined in order to determine the effect of the provision and the effect of economic activity on the behavior of the free banks. The analysis shows that both the provisions and the economic activity influence bank behavior. In Chapter IV, a theoretical analysis of the effect of the stockholders liability provision on entry and on the bank's portfolio is developed. The theory shows that an increase in the stockholders liability of a free bank reduces entry into the free banking market and increases the risky asset-capital ratio of the free bank. The testing of the theories is presented in Chapter V. The empirical evidence confirms the hypothesis that an increase in the liability of the stockholders increases the risky asset-capital ratio. The evidence does not confirm the hypothesis that an increase in the liability of the stockholder reduces entry.
Ph. D.

In this thesis we study various ways in which every two general points on a variety can be connected by curves of a fixed genus, thus mimicking the notion of a rationally connected variety but for arbitrary genus. We assume the existence of a covering family of curves which dominates the product of a variety with itself either by allowing the curves in the family to vary in moduli, or by assuming the family is trivial for some fixed curve of genus g. A suitably free curve will be one with a large unobstructed deformation space, the images of whose deformations can join any number of points on a variety. We prove that, at least in characteristic zero, the existence of such a free curve of higher genus is equivalent to the variety being rationally connected. If one restricts to the case of genus one, similar results can be obtained even allowing the curves in the family to vary in moduli. In later chapters we study algebraic properties of such varieties and discuss attempts to prove the same rational connectedness result in positive characteristic.

How can we talk about free improvised music? Would it be possible to teach free improvisation? It seems that because of the absence of· pre-specified rules and prescriptive materials, this practice presents itself as impermeable to analysis. Also, developing guidelines for teaching free improvised music may be considered difficult This study presents rhetoric as a suitable area for establishing a discourse on free improvisation. Rhetoric is being tested in understanding this music in structural and intentional terms. Using the combination of examining the author's own development as improviser, and the results from seven improvisation projects, this investigation has set out to propose that the social environment in which this music activity is realised is crucial for understanding this practice. The creation of form and content collectively has uncovered ethics as the primary force in establishing the style of free improvised music. Ethics, the driving force in rhetorical theory, helps us to understand this music aesthetically, opening ways for the development ofpedagogical approaches. It appears that the realisation of this activity is important for developing individual expressiveness and may be a model for a new music educational system.

Free group outer automorphisms were shown by Bestvina and Randell to have fixed subgroups whose rank is bounded in terms of the rank of the underlying group. We consider the case where this upper bound is achieved and obtain combinatorial results about such outer automorphisms thus extending the work of Collins and Turner. We go on to show that such automorphisms can be represented by certain graph of group isomorphisms called Dehn Twists and also solve the conjuagacy problem in a restricted case, thus reproducing the work of Cohen and Lustig, but with different methods. We rely heavily on the relative train tracks of Bestvina and Randell and in fact go on to use an analogue of these for free product automorphisms developed by Collins and Turner. We prove an index theorem for such automorphisms which counts not only the group elements which are fixed but also the points which are fixed at infinity - the infinite reduced words. Two applications of this theorem are considered, first to irreducible free group automorphisms and then to the action of an automorphism on the boundary of a hyperbolic group. We reduce the problem of counting the number of points fixed on the. boundary to the case where the hyperbolic group is indecomposable and provide an easy application to virtually free groups.

Le problème de l'existence est réputé l´un de plus anciennes et de plus difficiles à résoudre de la philosophie: Que voulons-nous exprimer quand nous disons que quelque chose existe ou, pire encore, que quelque chose n´existe pas? Intuitivement, il semble que nous avons tous une prise ferme sur ce que nous voulons exprimer. Mais comment devrions-nous expliquer la différence – s´il y en a – entre les énoncés existentiels d´une coté et les plus communs énoncés prédicatifs de l´autre? Quelle est la différence entre dire que quelque chose existe et dire, par exemple, que quelque chose est rouge, lourde, moue, etc.? Dans cette étude nous allons nous pencher sur ces questions.Dans la première partie, cette étude porte sur les auteurs qui ont étés les plus persuasifs et les plus influents à creuser l´écart qui sépare les énoncés existentiels de plus communs énoncés prédicatifs. Notamment, il s´agirait ici de David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Franz Brentano et Gottlob Frege. Selon cette famille d'approches l'existence devient quelque chose de très différent d'une propriété des objets. Dans la deuxième partie, cette étude se penche sur des tentatives plus récentes qui ont pris la direction opposé et sont allez jusqu´à réduire l'existence à une propriété (plus ou moins) ordinaire des objets. Les philosophes qui seront discutés ici seront Alexius Meinong, Richard Routley, Terence Parsons, William Rapaport, Edward Zalta et Graham Priest.Finalement, la troisième partie de cette étude développe une approche selon laquelle la notion d'existence est étroitement liée à la notion de vérité: dire que telle ou telle chose existe est équivalent à dire qu'il est vrai que quelque chose est telle et telle. L'avantage de cette stratégie est, d´une coté, qu'elle ne réduit pas l´énoncé que quelque chose n´existe pas á une contradiction - un résultat fréquent ceci des approches discutées dans la première partie. De l´autre coté, cette stratégie évite les épicycles communs aux approches discutées dans la deuxième partie, lesquelles sont strictement liés à la réduction de l'existence à une propriété des objets
The problem of existence is reputed to be one of the oldest and most intractable of philosophy: What do we mean when we say that something exists or, even more challengingly, that something does not exist? Intuitively, it seems that we all have a firm grip upon what we are saying. But how should we explain the difference – if there is any – between statements about existence and other, garden-variety predicative statements? What is the difference between saying that something exists and saying, for instance, that something is red, heavy, soft, etc.? These questions provide the focus for the present study.In the first part, this study addresses those authors that have been most effective and influential at widening the gap between statements about existence and garden-variety predicative statements. These are David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Franz Brentano, and Gottlob Frege. According to this family of approaches, existence becomes something very different from a property of objects. In the second part, this study turns to more recent attempts that have moved in the opposite direction by trying to reduce existence to a – more or less – plain property of objects. The philosophers that are going to be discussed here are Alexius Meinong, Richard Routley, Terence Parsons, William Rapaport, Edward Zalta, and Graham Priest. Eventually, the third part of this study develops an account according to which the notion of existence is strictly linked to the notion of truth: To say that such and such a thing exists is to say that it is true that something is such and such. The advantage of this strategy is that it does not make it contradictory to say that something does not exist – a frequent upshot of the approaches discussed in the first part. At the same time, this strategy avoids the epicycles common to the approaches discussed in the second part, which are strictly linked to the reduction of existence to a property of objects

The strength of efficient metal-free catalysis will be examined in this thesis. Efforts towards more sustainable processes will be demonstrated through implementation of strategies that meet several of the 12 principles of Green Chemistry.In the first part, a stereoselective total synthesis of multiple alkaloids from the Corynantheine and Ipecac families together with their non-natural analogues will be disclosed. A highly efficient, common synthetic strategy is applied leading to high overall yields starting from easily available starting material. Overall operational simplicity and sustainability have been the main focus. Time-consuming and waste-generating isolations and purifications of intermediates have been minimized, as well as the introduction of protection-group chemistry. Moreover, the first example of the total synthesis of Hydroxydihydrocorynantheol together with its non-natural epimer has been accomplished in multi-gram scale without protection groups and without a single isolation or purification step in high overall yield and diastereoselectivity.In the second part, carbocations will be presented as highly effective and versatile non-metal Lewis acid catalysts. Lewis acidity-tuning of carbocations will be introduced and applied in several reactions to suppress competing reactions. Finally, the broad scope of carbocation catalyzed transformations will be exposed.At large, evident progress has been made towards more sustainable chemistry.

QC 20140425

During the debate over the ratification of the United States-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), the Bush Administration argued that implementation of a free trade agreement would help strengthen the nascent democracies in Central America. As a bilateral agreement, CAFTA would not only foment greater trade liberalization by expanding market access and eliminating trade barriers, but also help transform the entire commercial frameworks in Central America and promote economic development. These implications are not just economic – in particular, its provisions on intellectual property and investment rights, government procurement and labor standards affect the political institutions underpinning democracy and rule of law. This thesis assesses the role in which CAFTA has affected democratic institutions in Central America. It employs a methodology known as the Democratic Audit to evaluate consequences to four dimensions of democracy - the electoral processes, open and accountable institutions, civil and political liberties, and civil society. It demonstrates the value of using the Democratic Audit to assess a trade agreement’s political effects with an application to Mexico after NAFTA. Then this work considers the case studies of El Salvador and Costa Rica, the most salient examples of democratic institutional change after CAFTA, by drawing on original research especially into the electoral politics and civil society development in these countries. Ultimately, the thesis argues that the most significant institutional effects of CAFTA have been its role as a political issue, rather than its content, in galvanizing popular opinion and reinvigorating electoral politics and civil society - ironically, not the consequences that the Administration originally had in mind. The research demonstrates that, even if some conclusions cannot be drawn due to the recency of CAFTA, the framework it has employed will be an invaluable tool for assessing future trade agreements.

There is a seemingly endless miniaturization of electronic components, which has enabled designers to build sophisticated computing structureson silicon chips. Consequently, electronic systems are continuously improving with new and more advanced functionalities. Design complexity ofthese Systems on Chip (SoC) is reduced by the use of pre-designed cores. However, several problems related to the interconnection of coresremain. Network on Chip (NoC) is a new SoC design paradigm, which targets the interconnect problems using classical network concepts. Still,SoC cores show large variance in size and functionality, whereas several NoC benefits relate to regularity and homogeneity.

This thesis studies some network aspects which are characteristic to NoC systems. One is the issue of area wastage in NoC due to cores of varioussizes. We elaborate on using oversized regions in regular mesh NoC and identify several new design possibilities. Adverse effects of regions oncommunication are outlined and evaluated by simulation.

Deadlock freedom is an important region issue, since it affects both the usability and performance of routing algorithms. The concept of faultyblocks, used in deadlock free fault-tolerant routing algorithms has similarities with rectangular regions. We have improved and adopted one suchalgorithm to provide deadlock free routing in NoC with regions. This work also offers a methodology for designing topology agnostic, deadlockfree, highly adaptive application specific routing algorithms. The methodology exploits information about communication among tasks of anapplication. This is used in the analysis of deadlock freedom, such that fewer deadlock preventing routing restrictions are required.

A comparative study of the two proposed routing algorithms shows that the application specific algorithm gives significantly higher performance.But, the fault-tolerant algorithm may be preferred for systems requiring support for general communication. Several extensions to our work areproposed, for example in areas such as core mapping and efficient routing algorithms. The region concept can be extended for supporting reuse ofa pre-designed NoC as a component in a larger hierarchical NoC.

The coming into force of "free trade agreements" across the Western Hemisphere since the late 1980s has been a historic change that is still in the process of development. This essay seeks to explain this development. To do so, it investigates examples of the historical development of social relations in the hemisphere. The political will to carry out such a plan can be found in each country in the social base that sees benefit in the course. While this political will exists, everywhere the process has been a contested one, both domestically and internationally. This policy will continue to find support especially from large capital interests and their representatives who will continue to find their opposition in a wide variety of labour and social movements and socialist tendencies. The balance determines the type of contract struck.

Nous étudions la clôture algébrique et définissable dans les groupes libres. Les résultats principaux peuvent être résumés comme suit. Nous montrons un résultat de constructibilité des groupes hyperboliques sans torsion au-dessus de la clôture algébrique d'un sous-ensemble engendrant un groupe non abélien. Nous avons cherché à comprendre la place qu'occupe la clôture algébrique acl_G(A) dans certaines décompositions de G. Nous avons étudié la possibilité de la généralisation de la méthode de Bestvina-Paulin dans d'autres directions, en considérant les groupes de type fini qui agissent d'une manière acylindrique (au sens de Bowditch) sur les graphes hyperboliques. Enfin, nous avons étudié les relations qui existent entre les différentes notions de clôture algébrique et entre la clôture algébrique et la clôture définissable
In Chapter 1 we give basics on combinatorial group theory, starting from free groups and proceeding with the fundamental constructions: free products, amalgamated free products and HNN extensions. We outline a synthesis of Bass-Serre theory, preceded by a survey on Cayley graphs and graphs of groups. After proving the main theorem of Bass-Serre theory, we present its application to the proof of Kurosh subgroup theorem. Subsequently we recall main definitions and properties of hyperbolic spaces. In Section 1.4 we define algebraic and definable closures and recall a few other notions of model theory related to saturation and homogeneity. The last section of Chapter 1 is devoted to asymptotic cones. In Chapter 2 we prove a theorem similar to Bestvina-Paulin theorem on the limit of a sequence of actions on hyperbolic graphs. Our setting is more general: we consider Bowditch-acylindrical actions on arbitrary hyperbolic graphs. We prove that edge stabilizers are (finite bounded)-by-abelian, that tripod stabilizers are finite bounded and that unstable edge stabilizers are finite bounded. In Chapter 3 we introduce the essential notions on limit groups, shortening argument and JSJ decompositions. In Chapter 4 we present the results on constructibility of a torsion-free hyperbolic group from the algebraic closure of a subgroup. Also we discuss constructibility of a free group from the existential algebraic closure of a subgroup. We obtain a bound to the rank of the algebraic and definable closures of subgroups in torsion-free hyperbolic groups. In Section 4.2 we prove some results about the position of algebraic closures in JSJ decompositions of torsion-free hyperbolic groups and other results for free groups. Finally, in Chapter 5 we answer the question about equality between algebraic and definable closure in a free group. A positive answer has been given for a free group F of rank smaller than 3. Instead, for free groups of rank strictly greater than 3 we found some counterexample. For the free group of rank 3 we found a necessary condition on the form of a possible counterexample

This thesis presents an experimental investigation of free riding behaviour and, more particularly, individual responses to it using, as a workhorse, the so called public goods game. This game starkly isolates the conflict between private and collective interest, providing us with a simple measure of the extent of free riding behaviour. The unifying theme of the thesis is elicitation and analysis of different indicators for how subjects perceive free riding under a number of treatment manipulations. Chapter 2 explores how people judge the morality of free riding in a public goods game by eliciting people's moral evaluations in hypothetical scenarios. The scenarios differed with respect to the framing of the game, the order of moves, and the behaviour of the non-judged player. Our findings suggest that free riding is perceived as morally reprehensible, except when the free rider moves second after observing that the other player free rode as well. We also find that moral judgments depend on others' behaviour, on framing and on the order of moves. Chapter 3 analyses the effect of framing on social preferences, as measured by self- reported emotions and punishment. Our findings are that, for a given pattern of contributions, neither punishment nor emotion depends on our framing manipulation. Chapter 4 assesses the behavioural consequences of unfair punishment. In this experiment, we generate an unfair environment by assigning punishment to all group members, irrespective of their first stage behaviour, We find that, although unfair punishment causes a different time profile of contributions, contributions are, on average, little different from in the standard punishment game; and the assignment of punishment in the latter is unaffected by experience of an environment with unfair punishment. However, a history of unfair punishment causes different reactions to helping behaviour and punishment received, respectively.

This thesis describes the development of a metal-free dihydroxylation procedure based on the reactivity of malonoyl peroxide derivatives. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the current methods available for the preparation of 5yw-l,2-diols. Emphasis has been placed on describing the advantages and limitations of each system in order to highlight areas which require further improvement. Chapter 2 describes previous work on the reaction of phthaloyl peroxide (PPO) with alkenes and details a series of exploratory investigations, performed in an effort to develop a new catalytic dihydroxylation procedure. Chapter 3 describes the development of a novel dihydroxylation procedure based on the reactivity of cyclobutane malonoyl peroxide. A simple procedure for the formation of malonoyl peroxides is described. Conditions were optimised for the reaction of 4-methylstyrene and cyclobutane malonoyl peroxide with regards to solvent, temperature, peroxide equivalents and time. An optimised set of conditions provided a two-step procedure which allowed 1-p-tolylethane-l,2-diol to be dihydroxylated in 84% isolated yield. The reaction mechanism was probed in a series of isotopic labelling studies and was proposed to proceed via a dioxolane intermediate. Chapter 4 examines the substrate scope of the cyclobutane malonoyl peroxide mediated reaction. Cyclobutane malonoyl peroxide emerged as an effective reagent for the dihydroxylation of a range of substituted styrene and stilbene derivatives. The diastereoselectivity of the reaction was examined with a range of 1,2-disubstituted alkenes. The effect of altering the peroxide structure was briefly studied and revealed cyclopropane malonoyl peroxide was a more effective dihydroxylating reagent when compared to cyclobutane malonoyl peroxide. These results also indicated a number of intricacies of the reaction mechanism are still to be discovered. A qualitative examination of the factors which affect the reactivity of cyclic diacyl peroxides is also discussed.

South Africa is a diverse country in language, culture, and beliefs. The beliefs on heredity vary widely and may in part relate to an incomplete understanding of the concept of heredity. Congenital disorders, many of which are genetic in origin, are one of the major contributors to neonatal deaths in South Africa. Which is one of the reasons why it is important to document what the beliefs of heredity are in different environments. Being sensitive towards beliefs can improve communication in healthcare service delivery. An understanding of what genetics means to members of the public should also be documented. Objectives 1. To explore the understanding of genetics in the study community. 2. To investigate the beliefs about heredity. 3. To explore the role culture plays in the understanding of heredity. Methodology The study took place in Welkom, in the Matjhabeng municipality area in the Free State, where genetic counselling services are not available and currently no educational intervention on heredity has been done. The study population was foster parents from two of the prominent geographical areas in the area, namely Thabong and Welkom central. Foster parents were sampled as a convenient sample within the study communities and they are already in established groups and were therefore expected to be more open to discussion in a focus group than a group that had been randomly selected. The study is an exploratory cohort study. The main instrument of data collection was focus group discussions (FGD). Between four and eight people made up each focus group and there was a total of five FGDs with 28 participants. The participants were grouped according to to their preferred language. The FGDs were audio recorded, the audio files were then translated and transcribed to allow for thematic analysis. The transcripts were analysed using a coding system and themes were established. Results The beliefs surrounding heredity were categorized into five main themes; namely lifestyle, behaviour, familial, curses and prevention and management. Heredity is believed to be influenced by choice of lifestyle which can be passed on to a future generation. Behaviour is believed to be a heritable trait that can be traced back through many generations. Heredity is thus used as a tool to try to explain or understand a person’s behaviour. Behavioural traits are also believed by some participants to represent “clan inheritance”. Heredity is also seen by participants within families through familial resemblance. Genetic disorders are believed by some to be caused by curses based on cultural beliefs, however, participants also believed that these curses can be broken using prayer and rituals and thus prevented from being transferred to the next generation. Antenatal care was also considered being important in preventing genetic disorders. Conclusion In conclusion, cultural influences and beliefs play a role in how people understand genetics and heredity. Understanding these influences and beliefs will not only provide insight into the public’s views on genetics but can also be used in implementing educational programs that can educate and inform the public about genetics.

The growing global demand for energy and environmental implications have created a need to further develop the current energy generation technologies (solar, wind, geothermal, etc.). Recovering energy from low grade energy sources such as waste heat is one of the methods for improving the performance of thermodynamic cycles. The objective of this work was to achieve long-term steady state operation of a Free-Piston Linear Expander (FPLE) and to compare the FPLE with the currently existing expander types for use in low temperature energy recovery systems. A previously designed FPLE with a single piston, two chambers, and linear alternator was studied and several modifications were applied on the sealing and over expansion. An experimental test bench was developed to measure the inlet and outlet temperatures, inlet and outlet pressures, flow rate, and voltage output. A method of thermodynamic analysis was developed by using the first and second law of thermodynamics with air as the working fluid. The experimental tests were designed to evaluate the performance of the FPLE with varying parameters of inlet air pressure, inlet air temperature, and electrical resistance. The initial and steady-state operation of the FPLE were successfully achieved. An uncertainty analysis was conducted on the measured values to determine the accuracies of the calculated parameters. The trends of several output parameters such as frequency, average root mean square (RMS) voltage, volumetric efficiency, electrical-mechanical conversion efficiency, isentropic efficiency, irreversibility, actual expander work, and electrical power were presented. Results showed that the maximum expander frequency was found to be 44.01 Hz and the frequency tended to increase as the inlet air pressure increased. The FPLE achieved the maximum isentropic efficiency of 21.5%, and produced maximum actual expander work and electrical work of 75.13 W and 3.302 W, respectively.

Gun violence is a pandemic problem in the United States, resulting in over two thirds of all homicides each year. Consequently, gun related policies have been fiercely debated within the political spectrum, with the 20th century seeing a dramatic increase in gun control legislation. Gun-free zones are designated areas that strictly prohibit all private citizens from carrying a firearm, even those with concealed weapon permits. The statistics indicate that numerous instances of gun related mass shootings have occurred within the confines of these gun-free zones (schools, movie theatres, government installations, etc.). However, little research exists to understand whether citizens actually feel any safer when they are in a gun-free zone. The purpose of this study was to explore citizens’ perceptions about gun control policies, specifically about using gun-free zones, who resided in the five states with the highest rates of gun violence per capitain descending order, these included Virginia, Florida, Texas, Nevada, and Connecticut. Moreover, these five states were the locations of the top five deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history to date. The researcher also discovered how residents felt about pro-gun areas, where responsible citizens could legally carry firearms, as well as determine whether gun-free zones influenced their likelihood of visiting a prescribed location. Finally, the study sought to understand residents’ perceptions regarding using gun-free zones pertaining to their impact on reducing incidents of mass shootings. The researcher filled the gap in the literature regarding knowledge pertaining to citizens’ perceptions about using specific gun control measures, such as gun-free zones, and the influence that the historical evidence had on their perceptions. The answer to RQ1 (do residents associate using gun-free zones with feelings of safety or feelings of concern?) was that participants were twice as likely to associate using gun-free zones with feelings of concern rather than feelings of safety. The answer to the first part of RQ2 (whether participants believed that gun-free zones reduced gun-related violence) was no, based on a 2-to-1 ratio. Responses to the impact of gun control measures on reducing gun violence were closely matched to perceptions of the role of gun-free zones in reducing gun violence. The answer to the second part of RQ2 (do residents believe that gun-free zones lower the occurrences of mass shooting incidents?) was no, again based on a 2-to-1 ratio. The answer to the third and final part of RQ2 (whether participants’ perceptions correlated to the historical/empirical evidence of the location of mass shootings as primarily inside of or outside of gun-free zones) was yes for participants from Florida, Texas, Nevada, and Connecticut and no for participants from Virginia.

Water disinfection systems utilizing electrolytically generated copper:silver ions (200:20 to 400:40 ug/L) and low levels of free chlorine (0.1 to 0.4 mg/L) were evaluated at room (21-23°C) and elevated (39-40°C) temperatures in filtered well water (pH 7.3) for their efficacy in inactivating Legionella pneumophila (ATCC 33155). A contact time of 24 hr was necessary for copper:silver (400:40 ug/L) to achieve a 3 log₁₀ reduction in bacterial numbers at room temperature. As the copper:silver concentration increased to 800:80 ug/L (K = 7.50 x 10⁻³ log₁₀ reduction/min), the inactivation rate significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased. In water systems at room temperature with and without copper:silver (400:40 ug/L), the inactivation rates significantly increased as the free chlorine concentration increased from 0.1 mg/L (K = 0.397 log₁₀ reduction/min) to 0.4 mg/L (K = 1.047 log₁₀ reduction/min). All disinfection systems, regardless of temperature or free chlorine concentration, showed increased inactivation rates when 400:40 ug/L copper:silver was added; however, this trend was significant only at 0.4 mg/L free chlorine.

High Rayleigh number(Ra) turbulent free convection has many unresolved issues related to the phenomenology behind the flux scaling, the presence of a mean wind and its effects, exponential probability distribution functions, the Prandtl number dependence and the nature of near wall structures. Few studies have been conducted in the high Prandtl number regime and the understanding of near wall coherent structures is inadequate for $Ra > 10^9$. The present thesis deals with the results of investigations conducted on high Rayleigh number turbulent free convection in the high Schmidt number(Sc) regime, focusing on the role of near wall coherent structures. We use a new method of driving the convection using concentration difference of NaCl across a horizontal membrane between two tanks to achieve high Ra utilising the low molecular diffusivity of NaCl. The near wall structures are visualised by planar laser induced fluorescence. Flux is estimated from transient measurement of concentration in the top tank by a conductivity probe. Experiments are conducted in tanks of $15\times15\times 23$cm (aspect ratio,AR = 0.65) and $10\times10\times 23$cm (AR = 0.435). Two membranes of 0.45$\mu$ and 35$\mu$ mean pore size were used. For the fine membrane (and for the coarse membrane at low driving potentials), the transport across the partition becomes diffusion dominated, while the transport above and below the partition becomes similar to unsteady non penetrative turbulent free convection above flat horizontal surfaces (Figure~\ref{fig:schem}(A)). In this type of convection, the flux scaled as $q\sim \Delta C_w ^{4/3}$,where $\Delta C_w$ is the near wall concentration difference, similar to that in Rayleigh - B\'nard convection . Hence, we are able to study turbulent free convection over horizontal surfaces in the Rayleigh Number range of $\sim 10^- 10 ^$ at Schmidt number of 602, focusing on the nature and role of near wall coherent structures. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing clear images of near wall structures in high Rayleigh Number - high Schmidt number turbulent free convection. We observe a weak flow across the membrane in the case of the coarser membrane at higher driving potentials (Figure \ref(B)). The effect of this through flow on the flux and the near wall structures is also investigated. In both the types of convection the near wall structure shows patterns formed by sheet plumes, the common properties of these patterns are also investigated. The major outcomes in the above three areas of the thesis can be summarised as follows \subsection* \label \subsubsection* \label The non-dimensional flux was similar to that reported by Goldstein\cite at Sc of 2750. Visualisations show that the near wall coherent structures are line plumes. Depending on the Rayleigh number and the Aspect ratio, different types of large scale flow cells which are driven by plume columns are observed. Multiple large scale flow cells are observed for AR = 0.65 and a single large scale flow for AR= 0.435. The large scale flow create a near wall mean shear, which is seen to vary across the cross section. The orientation of the large scale flow is seen to change at a time scale much larger than the time scale of one large scale circulation The near wall structures show interaction of the large scale flow with the line plumes. The plumes are initiated as points and then gets elongated along the mean shear direction in areas of larger mean shear. In areas of low mean shear, the plumes are initiated as points but gets elongated in directions decided by the flow induced by the adjacent plumes. The effect of near wall mean shear is to align the plumes and reduce their lateral movement and merging. The time scale for the merger of the near wall line plumes is an order smaller than the time scale of the one large scale circulation. With increase in Rayleigh number, plumes become more closely and regularly spaced. We propose that the near wall boundary layers in high Rayleigh number turbulent free convection are laminar natural convection boundary layers. The above proposition is verified by a near wall model, similar to the one proposed by \cite{tjfm}, based on the similarity solutions of laminar natural convection boundary layer equations as Pr$\rightarrow\infty$. The model prediction of the non dimensional mean plume spacing $Ra_\lambda^~=~\lambda /Z_w~=~91.7$ - where $Ra_\lambda$ is the Rayleigh number based on the plume spacing $\lambda$, and $Z_w$ is a near wall length scale for turbulent free convection - matches the experimental measurements. Therefore, higher driving potentials, resulting in higher flux, give rise to lower mean plume spacing so that $\lambda \Delta C_w^$ or $\lambda q^$ is a constant for a given fluid. We also show that the laminar boundary layer assumption is consistent with the flux scaling obtained from integral relations. Integral equations for the Nusselt number(Nu) from the scalar variance equations for unsteady non penetrative convection are derived. Estimating the boundary layer dissipation using laminar natural convection boundary layers and using the mean plume spacing relation, we obtain $Nu\sim Ra^$ when the boundary layer scalar dissipation is only considered. The contribution of bulk dissipation is found to be a small perturbation on the dominant 1/3 scaling, the effect of which is to reduce the effective scaling exponent. In the appendix to the thesis, continuing the above line of reasoning, we conduct an exploratory re-analysis (for $Pr\sim 1$) of the Grossman and Lohse's\cite scaling theory for turbulent Rayleigh - B\'enard convection. We replace the Blasius boundary layer assumption of the theory with a pair of externally forced laminar natural convection boundary layers per plume. Integral equations of the externally forced laminar natural convection boundary layer show that the mixed convection boundary layer thickness is decided by a $5^{th}$ order algebraic equation, which asymptotes to the laminar natural convection boundary layer for zero mean wind and to Blasius boundary layer at large mean winds. \subsubsection*{Effect of wall normal flow on flux and near wall structures} \label{sec:effect-wall-normal} For experiments with the coarser($35\mu$) membrane, we observe three regimes viz. the strong through flow regime (Figure~\ref{fig:schem}(b)), the diffusion regime (Figure \ref{fig:schem}(a)), and a transition regime between the above two regimes that we term as the weak through flow regime. At higher driving potentials, only half the area above the coarser membrane is covered by plumes, with the other half having plumes below the membrane. A wall normal through flow driven by impingement of the large scale flow is inferred to be the cause of this (Figure \ref{fig:schem}(b)). In this strong through flow regime, only a single large scale flow circulation cell oriented along the diagonal or parallel to the walls is detected. The plume structure is more dendritic than the no through flow case. The flux scales as $\Delta C_w^n$, with $7/3\leq n\leq 3$ and is about four times that observed with the fine membrane. The phenomenology of a flow across the membrane driven by the impingement of the large scale flow of strength $W_*$, the Deardorff velocity scale, explains the cubic scaling. We find the surprising result that the non-dimensional flux is smaller than that in the no through flow case for similar parameters. The mean plume spacings in the strong through flow regime are larger and show a different Rayleigh number dependence vis-a-vis the no through flow case. Using integral analysis, an expression for the boundary layer thickness is derived for high Schmidt number laminar natural convection boundary layer with a normal velocity at the wall. (Also, solutions to the integral equations are obtained for the $Sc\sim 1$ case, which are given as an Appendix.) Assuming the gravitational stability condition to hold true, we show that the plume spacing in the high Schmidt number strong through flow regime is proportional to $\sqrt{Z_w\,Z{_{v_i}}}$, where $Z{_{v_i}}$ is a length scale from the through flow velocity. This inference is fairly supported by the plume spacing measurements At lower driving potentials corresponding to the transition regime, the whole membrane surface is seen to be covered by plumes and the flux scaled as $\Delta C_w^{4/3}$. The non-dimensional flux is about the same as in turbulent free convection over flat surfaces if $\frac{1}{2}\Delta C $ is assumed to occur on one side of the membrane. This is expected to occur in the area averaged sense with different parts of the membrane having predominance of diffusion or through flow dominant transport. At very low driving potentials corresponding to the diffusion regime, the diffusion corrected non dimensional flux match the turbulent free convection values, implying a similar phenomena as in the fine membrane. \subsubsection*{Universal probability distribution of near wall structures} \label{sec:univ-prob-distr} We discover that the probability distribution function of the plume spacings show a standard log normal distribution, invariant of the presence or the absence of wall normal through flow and at all the Rayleigh numbers and aspect ratios investigated. These plume structures showed the same underlying multifractal spectrum of singularities in all these cases. As the multifractal curve indirectly represents the processes by which these structures are formed, we conclude that the plume structures are created by a common generating mechanism involving nucleation at points, growth along lines and then merging, influenced by the external mean shear. Inferring from the thermodynamic analogy of multifractal analysis, we hypothesise that the near wall plume structure in turbulent free convection might be formed so that the entropy of the structure is maximised within the given constraints.

Genetic variation is crucial for the long-term survival of the species as it provides the potential for adaptive responses to environmental changes such as emerging diseases. The Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) is a gene family that plays a central role in the vertebrate’s immune system by triggering the adaptive immune response after exposure to pathogens. MHC genes have become highly suitable molecular markers of adaptive significance. They synthesize two primary cell surface molecules namely MHC class I and class II that recognize short fragments of proteins derived respectively from intracellular (e.g. viruses) and extracellular (e.g. bacteria, protozoa, arthropods) origins and present them to immune cells. High levels of MHC polymorphism frequently observed in natural populations are interpreted as an adaptation to detect and present a wide array of rapidly evolving pathogens. This variation appears to be largely maintained by positive selection driven mainly by pathogenic selective pressures. For my doctoral research I focused on MHC I and II variation in free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and leopards (Panthera pardus) on Namibian farmlands. Both felid species are sympatric thus subject to similar pathogenic pressures but differ in their evolutionary and demographic histories. The main aims were to investigate 1) the extent and patterns of MHC variation at the population level in both felids, 2) the association between levels of MHC variation and disease resistance in free-ranging cheetahs, and 3) the role of selection at different time scales in shaping MHC variation in both felids. Cheetahs and leopards represent the largest free-ranging carnivores in Namibia. They concentrate in unprotected areas on privately owned farmlands where domestic and other wild animals also occur and the risk of pathogen transmission is increased. Thus, knowledge on adaptive genetic variation involved in disease resistance may be pertinent to both felid species’ conservation. The cheetah has been used as a classic example in conservation genetics textbooks due to overall low levels of genetic variation. Reduced variation at MHC genes has been associated with high susceptibility to infectious diseases in cheetahs. However, increased disease susceptibility has only been observed in captive cheetahs whereas recent studies in free-ranging Namibian cheetahs revealed a good health status. This raised the question whether the diversity at MHC I and II genes in free-ranging cheetahs is higher than previously reported. In this study, a total of 10 MHC I alleles and four MHC II alleles were observed in 149 individuals throughout Namibia. All alleles but one likely belong to functional MHC genes as their expression was confirmed. The observed alleles belong to four MHC I and three MHC II genes in the species as revealed by phylogenetic analyses. Signatures of historical positive selection acting on specific sites that interact directly with pathogen-derived proteins were detected in both MHC classes. Furthermore, a high genetic differentiation at MHC I was observed between Namibian cheetahs from east-central and north-central regions known to differ substantially in exposure to feline-specific viral pathogens. This suggests that the patterns of MHC I variation in the current population mirrors different pathogenic selective pressure imposed by viruses. Cheetahs showed low levels of MHC diversity compared with other mammalian species including felids, but this does not seem to influence the current immunocompetence of free-ranging cheetahs in Namibia and contradicts the previous conclusion that the cheetah is a paradigm species of disease susceptibility. However, it cannot be ruled out that the low MHC variation might limit a prosperous immunocompetence in the case of an emerging disease scenario because none of the remaining alleles might be able to recognize a novel pathogen. In contrast to cheetahs, leopards occur in most parts of Africa being perhaps the most abundant big cat in the continent. Leopards seem to have escaped from large-scale declines due to epizootics in the past in contrast to some free-ranging large carnivore populations in Africa that have been afflicted by epizootics. Currently, no information about the MHC sequence variation and constitution in African leopards exists. In this study, I characterized genetic variation at MHC I and MHC II genes in free-ranging leopards from Namibia. A total of six MHC I and six MHC II sequences were detected in 25 individuals from the east-central region. The maximum number of sequences observed per individual suggests that they likely correspond to at least three MHC I and three MHC II genes. Hallmarks of MHC evolution were confirmed such as historical positive selection, recombination and trans-species polymorphism. The low MHC variation detected in Namibian leopards is not conclusive and further research is required to assess the extent of MHC variation in different areas of its geographic range. Results from this thesis will contribute to better understanding the evolutionary significance of MHC and conservation implications in free-ranging felids. Translocation of wildlife is an increasingly used management tool for conservation purposes that should be conducted carefully as it may affect the ability of the translocated animals to cope with different pathogenic selective pressures.
Genetische Variabilität ist entscheidend für das langfristige Überleben von Arten, denn es ermöglicht dem Organismus sich Umweltveränderungen, wie z.B. neu aufkommende Krankheiten, schneller anzupassen. Der Haupthistocompatibilitätskomplex (MHC) ist eine Familie von Genen, der eine zentrale Rolle im Immunsystem von Wirbeltieren zukommt, da sie nach Pathogenkontakt das adaptive Immunsystem aktivieren. Zudem sind MHC Gene geeignete molekulare Marker um Anpassungsfähigkeiten aufzuzeigen. MHC Gene kodieren primär für Zelloberflächenmoleküle, die kurze Peptidfragmente erkennen und den Immunzellen präsentieren, die im Falle der Klasse I Gene intrazellulären (z.B. von Viren) oder im Falle der Klasse II Gene extrazellulären (z.B. von Bakterien, Protozoen, Arthropoden) Ursprungs sein können. In der Regel wird in natürlich vorkommenden Populationen ein hoher Grad an Polymorphismus im MHC beobachtet, was als Anpassung an das Erkennen und Präsentieren einer großen Anzahl sich schnell entwickelnder Pathogene interpretiert wird. Das Bestehen vieler MHC Varianten über große Zeiträume hinweg wird hauptsächlich durch positive Selektion bewirkt, der ein pathogengetriebener Selektionsdruck zugrunde liegt. In meiner Doktorarbeit habe ich mich mit der Variation von MHC I and MHC II in freilebenden Geparden (Acinonyx jubatus) und Leoparden (Panthera pardus) in Farmgebieten innerhalb Namibias beschäftigt. Beide Felidenarten leben sympatrisch und sind so demselben Pathogendruck ausgesetzt, sie unterscheiden sich allerdings in ihrem evolutionären und demographischen Hintergrund. Mein Hauptziel war es 1) das Ausmaß und Muster der MHC Variation auf Populationsebene beider Feliden zu untersuchen; 2) einen möglichen Zusammenhang zwischen dem Grad der MHC Variation und der Krankheitsresistenz in frei lebenden Geparden aufzudecken und 3) zu untersuchen, welche Rolle der Selektion auf die MHC Variabilität beider Arten in der Vergangenheit wie auch gegenwärtig zukommt. Geparden und Leoparden repräsentieren die größten frei lebenden Carnivoren Namibias. Beide Arten kommen hauptsächlich in Farmgebieten vor, die sich in Privatbesitz befinden, und können dort mit anderen Wild- aber auch Haustieren zusammentreffen und potentiell Krankheitserreger austauschen. Die Kenntnis über die adaptive genetische Variation, die für Krankheitsresistenzen mitverantwortlich ist, kann für den Schutz beider Felidenarten von Bedeutung sein. Geparden werden häufig in Lehrbüchern als klassische Beispiele für eine Tierart mit einer generell geringen genetischen Diversität verwendet. Neben neutralen Markern ist bei Geparden auch eine geringe Variabilität der MHC Gene beschrieben worden, die als Ursache einer hohen Anfälligkeit für infektiöse Krankheiten gesehen wird. Bisher wurde allerdings eine erhöhte Krankheitsanfälligkeit nur bei Geparden aus Gefangenschaft beschrieben, wohingegen neuste Studien an frei lebenden Geparden diesen einen guten Gesundheitsstatus attestierten. Dadurch stellt sich die Frage, ob die MHC I und II Diversität in frei lebenden Geparden nicht höher sein könnte als bisher angenommen. In dieser Arbeit konnten insgesamt 10 MHC I und vier MHC II Allele in 149 frei lebenden Geparden aus ganz Namibia nachgewiesen werden. Die Zugehörigkeit zu funktionellen MHC Genen wurde durch Expressionsanalysen bei allen Allelen, außer einem, bestätigt. Durch phylogenetische Analysen konnten die Allele vier MHC I und drei MHC II Genen zu geordnet werden. Das Wirken von positiver Selektion in der Vergangenheit konnte an spezifischen Aminosäuren des Proteins, die in direktem Kontakt zu den pathogenen Antigenen stehen, festgestellt werden. Dies traf für beide MHC Klassen zu. Des Weiteren konnte eine starke genetische Differenzierung des MHC I zwischen Geparden aus einer nord-zentralen und einer ost-zentralen Region festgestellt werden, von denen auch bekannt ist, dass sie unterschiedlichen, felidenspezifischen, viralen Pathogenen ausgesetzt sind. Das lässt vermuten, dass die unterschiedlichen Muster der MHC I Variation in der gegenwärtigen Population den unterschiedlichen pathogengetriebenen Selektionsdruck durch Viren in den beiden Regionen widerspiegelt. Verglichen mit anderen Säugetierarten, insbesondere andere Feliden, zeigen Geparden einen geringen Grad an MHC Diversität, doch das scheint die derzeitige Immunkompetenz frei lebender Geparden in Namibia nicht einzuschränken und widerspricht der bisherigen Meinung dass Geparden ein typisches Beispiel für eine krankheitsanfällige Tierart sind. Es kann allerdings nicht ausgeschlossen werden, dass bei neu auftauchenden Krankheiten die geringe MHC Variation eine erfolgreiche Immunkompetenz verhindert, da möglicherweise keines der gegenwärtigen Allele die Fähigkeit besitzt neue Pathogene zu erkennen. Im Gegensatz zu Geparden kommen Leoparden in allen Teilen Afrikas vor und sind wahrscheinlich die am weitverbreiteste Großkatze des afrikanischen Kontinents. Es scheint, dass Leoparden, im Gegensatz zu anderen afrikanischen Großkatzen, einer ausgedehnten Dezimierung durch Tierseuchen in der Vergangenheit, der einige Populationen afrikanischer Großkatzen ausgesetzt waren, entkommen sind. Bisher fehlten Information über die MHC Variabilität in afrikanischen Leoparden. In dieser Studie konnte ich die genetische Variation der MHC I und MHC II Gene frei lebender namibischer Leoparden charakterisieren. In 25 Tieren aus einer Population der ost-zentralen Region konnten sechs MHC I sowie sechs MHC II Sequenzen nachgewiesen werden. Aus der maximalen Anzahl Allele pro Tier kann auf drei MHC I und auf drei MHC II Gene geschlossen werden. Außerdem konnten die typischen Kennzeichen einer variationserhaltenden MHC Evolution betätigt werden, wie positive Selektion in der Vergangenheit, Rekombination und über Artgrenzen hinaus bestehender Polymorphismus. Der geringe Grad an MHC Variation in namibischen Leoparden ist jedoch noch nicht endgültig und weitere Untersuchungen in unterschiedlichen Regionen aus der gesamten geographischen Verbreitung des Leoparden sind notwendig um die MHC Variation der Leoparden in Gänze einschätzen zu können. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit werden zu einem besseren Verständnis des evolutionären Stellenwerts des MHC und in Folge zu einem besseren Schutz von frei lebenden Feliden beitragen. Die Umsiedelung von Wildtieren ist ein zunehmend angewendetes Hilfsmittel im Natur- und Artenschutz, welches jedoch mit Sorgfalt eingesetzt werden sollte, da die umgesiedelten Tiere möglicherweise einem anderen pathogenen Selektionsdruck ausgesetzt sind, dem sie nichts entgegenzusetzen haben.

Thesis (Master of Engineering in Ocean Engineering)--University of California at Berkeley, 2004.
"January 2005." Description based on title screen as viewed on May 25, 2010. DTIC Descriptor(s): Fluid Dynamics, Lagrangian Functions, Equations Of Motion, Acceleration, Formulations, Grids, Continuum Mechanics, Gaussian Quadrature, Derivatives (Mathematics), Compact Disks, Boundary Value Problems, Polynomials, Interpolation, Pressure, Operators (Mathematics). DTIC Identifier(s): Multimedia (CD-Rom), Moving Grids, Meshless Discretization, Lifs (Lagrange Implicit Fraction Step), Lagrangian Dynamics, Meshless Operators, Mlip (Multidimensional Lagrange Interpolating Polynomials), Flux Boundary Conditions, Radial Basis Functions Includes bibliographical references (58-59).

Thesis (M.S. in Information Technology Management) Naval Postgraduate School, September 1996.
Thesis advisor(s): William J. Haga, David R. Henderson. "September 1996." Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-56). Also available online.

Spread spectrum techniques have a number of different applications, including range finding, synchronisation, anti-jamming systems and multiple access communication systems. In each of these applications the properties of the resulting systems depend heavily on the family of spreading sequences employed. As such, the design of spreading sequences is an important area of research. Two areas of spreading sequence design are of particular interest in this work, combination techniques and Interference Free Window (IFW) sequences. Combination techniques allow a new sequence family to be constructed by combining two or more existing families. Such an approach allows some of the desirable properties of the components to be maintained, whilst mitigating the components' disadvantages. In addition, it can facilitate the construction of large families at a greatly reduced computational cost. Combination families are considered through the construction of two new classes of sequences, modified Unified Complex Hadamard Transform (UCHT) sequences, and combination Oppermann sequences, respectively based on UCHT sequences and periodic Oppermann sequences. Numerical optimisation techniques are employed to demonstrate the favourable performance of sequences from these classes compared to conventional families. Second, IFW sequences are considered. In systems where approximate, but not perfect, synchronisation between different users can be maintained, IFW sequences can be employed to greatly reduce both interference between users and interference resulting from multipath spread of each user's signal. Large Area Synchronous (LAS) sequences are a class of sequences which both result from combination techniques and exhibit an IFW. LAS sequences are produced by combining Large Area (LA) sequences and LS sequences. They have been demonstrated to be applicable to multiple access communication systems, particularly through their use in LAS2000, which was proposed for third generation mobile telephony. Work to date has been restricted to only a very small range of examples of these families. In order to examine a wider range of LAS sequences, the construction and resulting properties of LA and LS families are considered. The conditions an LA family must satisfy are codified here, and algorithms which can be used to construct LA families with given parameters are presented. The construction of LS sequences is considered, and relationship between each of the parameters used in this construction and the properties of the final family is examined. Using this expanded understanding of both these sequence families, a far wider range of LAS families, potentially applicable to a wider range of applications, can be considered. Initially, the merits of proposed sequences are considered primarily through their correlation properties. Both maximum and mean squared correlation values are considered, depending on the context. In order to demonstrate their practical applicability, combination Oppermann, modified UCHT and LAS sequences are employed in a simulated communications system, and the resulting bit error rates are examined.

Given a Poincaré complex X, the set of manifold structures on X x D^k relative to the boundary can be viewed as the k-th homotopy group of a space S^s(X). This space is called the block structure space of X. Free involutions on spheres are in one-to-one correspondence with manifold structures on real projective spaces.  There is Wall’s join construction for free involutions on spheres which we generalize to a map between block structure spaces of real projective spaces.  More precisely, we define a functor from the category of real finite-dimensional vector spaces with inner product to pointed spaces which to a vector space V assigns the block structure space of the projective space of V.  We study this functor from the point of view of orthogonal calculus of functors, we prove that the 6-fold delooping of the first derivative spectrum of this functor is an W-spectrum. The proof uses mainly codimension 1 surgery theory. This results suggests an attractive description of the block structure space of the infinite-dimensional real projective space which is a colimit of block structure spaces of projective spaces of finite-dimensional real vector spaces. The description is via the Taylor tower of orthogonal calculus.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2003.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 503 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-49).