Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Omnipresente'

Le paradigme d'émergence spontanée de services (Spontaneous Emergence Paradigm, SEP) pour la mise en œuvre de l’informatique omniprésente ou diffuse (pervasive computing), consiste à fournir des services aux utilisateurs en fonction de leur environnement ad hoc. Ce paradigme a prouvé son efficacité et son adéquation aux applications distribuées sensibles au contexte. Ce travail se concentre sur deux aspects liés à la mise en œuvre des services SEP. Le premier se distingue de ce qui est proposé dans la littérature, par une approche physiologique de « Dead Reckoning » (Physiological Pedestrian Dead Reckoning Approach, PDR), qui permet de corriger les erreurs de positionnement à partir de données physiologiques comme la fréquence cardiaque et la vitesse de déplacement. Cette approche utilise des modèles stochastiques, qui reposent sur la distribution des probabilités des fréquences cardiaques précédemment collectées par rapport à la vitesse de déplacement de l’utilisateur (par exemple, par apprentissage via une marche sur un tapis roulant). Le modèle proposé permet ainsi d’ajuster les vitesses lues dans n’importe quel futur système PDR. Le deuxième aspect de cette recherche concerne la détection de réseaux d’affinités (Social Relationship Detection framework, SRD). Cette approche propose d’explorer le niveau d’affinité entre personnes en fonction de leur connexions et interactions selon plusieurs conditions. Ces connexions à des bornes WAP (Wireless Access Point), par rapport à chaque condition, sont consolidées pour former des distributions de probabilités. Par la suite, ces distributions de probabilités sont introduites dans un réseau de neurones (back propagation neural network) pour détecter et déterminer les affinités entre utilisateurs. Cette approche permet une prise de décision adaptative à chaque connexion au WAP et selon le comportement de l’utilisateur, contrairement aux approches classiques reposant uniquement sur une connaissance globale au préalable de la convergence des attributs des utilisateurs concernés<br>Service Emergence Paradigm (SEP), based on a pervasive computing approach, consists of providing services to users within intended applications, transparently from their intentions, relatively to their needs, and regardless of the time and devices used. This considered paradigm has been proved sufficiently in applications that have context awareness schemes and various working threads. This research focuses on two aspects for providing SEP services. This first aspect is to implement a Physiological Pedestrian Dead Reckoning Approach (PPDR) that corrects position errors in pedestrian dead reckoning systems based on the heart rate parameter. This approach uses specific stochastic models that rely on probability distributions of previously collected heart rate values with respect to their velocities of a user during a treadmill walk. The reason behind this collection is to form a pattern that contributes in adjusting currently read velocities in any future PDR system. The second aspect of this research is the Social Relationship Detection framework (SRD). This approach proposes a mean for exploring the level of relationship between people by observing the network connection pattern of each person over several conditions. These connections, with respect to each condition, are consolidated to form a set that holds different probability distributions. These distributions are formed based on the users’ Wireless Access Point (WAP) connection establishment routine. Afterwards, the distributions of the probabilities are fed into a trained back propagation neural network to detect the level of relationship between candidate users for forthcoming friendship recommendations. This approach is elaborated in a technique that achieves intelligent decision-making whenever the connection pattern to the WAP and the user behavior are changing with time. It is also distinguished from other classical approaches that rely solely on prior knowledge of the convergence of the users’ attributes

Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2008.<br>Thesis advisor: Jennifer Hedlund. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Criminal Justice." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-62). Also available via the World Wide Web.

This dissertation posits a new model for understanding media audiences, bringing the scholarship of game studies to the critical analysis of audience practices. The concept of play proves beneficial for understanding the complex processes of media audiences, as they are able to traverse dichotomous categories when engaging media content. The genre of professional wrestling proves a perfect case study for examining these playful audience practices, and this study is an ethnographic account of the practices of wrestling fans. Focusing on the behaviors of fans at live wrestling events, in online contexts, and in the subcultural setting of a card game entitled Champions of the Galaxy, this study demonstrates the necessity of the concept of play for understanding what media audiences do when they engage media content. These practices, however, are always negotiated by the hegemonic power of the rules that structure how audiences are encouraged to engage content, resulting in ideological constraints on the possibilities play offers.

Tendo em vista um cenário em que os dispositivos de registro do real adquirem onipresença na vida cotidiana, o jornalismo se encontra em um período de readequação de suas estratégias narrativas e de seu modus operandi. A presente tese procura investigar as reconfigurações no telejornalismo em razão da ubiquidade de câmeras, que capturam registros produzidos tanto pelas mídias quanto por instâncias externas a elas, e que oferecem aos veículos jornalísticos um material inesgotável e irrecusável, visto estar cercado de uma expectativa de autenticidade. Propõe-se então uma categorização às câmeras, sistematizadas como câmeras oniscientes e onipresentes, de modo a nos aproximarmos à especificidade do fenômeno. Em comum, todas as câmeras apontam à busca de uma estética realista, baseada no reconhecimento de uma baixa interferência midiática. Desse modo, o que se observa é o emprego de estratégias narrativas e estéticas para que o telejornalismo possa se apropriar destes conteúdos gerados por estas máquinas de visibilidade, que trazem às mídias algo que ficaria anteriormente restrito aos bastidores, operando também com sintoma da desfronteirização entre o público e o privado. A partir deste percurso metodológico, intenta-se por fim compreender de que forma estes dispositivos são utilizados para a concretização de novos efeitos de realismo ao jornalismo.<br>Considering a scenario where the technologic devices that visually register the world acquire omnipresence in everyday life, journalism is in a period of readjustment of its narrative strategies and its modus operandi. This research intents to investigate the changes in TV journalism because of the ubiquity of cameras, which capture images produced both by the media and by external institutions, since they offer to the journalistic enterprises an inexhaustible and irresistible material, because it is surrounded by an expectation of authenticity. We propose then a categorization of these machines, which are systematized as omniscient and omnipresent cameras, for the purpose of understanding the specificity of the phenomenon. In common, all of these cameras point to the search for a realistic aesthetics, based on the recognition of a low media interference. Thus, it is observed that the TV stations use some strategies to adapt these contents in their narratives, which bring to the media something that would previously be restrict to the backstage area. In a sense, they operate as a symptom o the erosion of the boundaries between public and private. With this methodological course, we finally attempt to understand how these technologic devices are used to achieve effects of realism to journalism.

碩士<br>國立臺東大學<br>教育學系(所)<br>101<br>This research is to understand and explore the current status of the fifth and sixth grade students cyberbullying, cause and effect. This study used qualitative research methods, semi-structured depth interviews to collect research data to the researcher-prepared interview outline. The sampling method of purposive sampling to select the fifth and sixth grade students with the experience of cyberbullying in seven to eight fifth and sixth grade students as the object of study, each student 1 to 3 times the depth interviews of 40 minutes each. Re-use of data compilation, analysis and induction, consolidation, the current status of cyberbullying, the causes and the cause of the effect of three aspects to sort out the results. According to the results, now the network is very common, and many children have Internet at home can use, this case study the form of cyberbullying text largely to verbal abuse, intimidation and ridicule others the majority use the media to instant messaging and message board most frequently mentioned; the causes of cyberbullying irritated by others, can be anonymous up to; cyberbullying victims inside the most common are anger, fear and sadness, behavior, academic and interpersonal Most children feel no effect. Finally, educators in the student counseling and the prevention recommendations: to establish the trust relationship between the pro-teachers and students, teachers should usually pay more attention to the interaction of students in the class, to strengthen students` rule of law and legal knowledge, to teach the correct information security and network etiquette and the implementation of moral education; as well as suggestions for the future research direction.

碩士<br>國立臺中教育大學<br>永續觀光暨遊憩管理碩士學位學程<br>106<br>The purpose of the study is to explore and examine the relationship between destination attractiveness and satisfaction and to examine the moderating effect of visitor hassles. A total of 417 valid questionaires were collected through face-to-face survey from visitors at the Badouzi Fishing Port and were finally achieved with valid response rate of 92.7%. The results of this study indicate that (1) destination attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on the satisfaction; (2) visitor hassles has a negative and significant effect on the satisfaction; (3) and the moderating effect of visitor hassles on the relationship between destination attractiveness and satisfaction is insignificant. Based on the aforementioned results, some practical implications are proposed, and the directions for future researches are also discussed in this study.

碩士<br>國立臺東大學<br>教育學系(所)<br>100<br>This research is to understand and explore the current status of the fifth and sixth grade students cyberbullying, cause and effect. This study used qualitative research methods, semi-structured depth interviews to collect research data to the researcher-prepared interview outline. The sampling method of purposive sampling to select the fifth and sixth grade students with the experience of cyberbullying in seven to eight fifth and sixth grade students as the object of study, each student 1 to 3 times the depth interviews of 40 minutes each. Re-use of data compilation, analysis and induction, consolidation, the current status of cyberbullying, the causes and the cause of the effect of three aspects to sort out the results. According to the results, now the network is very common, and many children have Internet at home can use, this case study the form of cyberbullying text largely to verbal abuse, intimidation and ridicule others the majority use the media to instant messaging and message board most frequently mentioned; the causes of cyberbullying irritated by others, can be anonymous up to; cyberbullying victims inside the most common are anger, fear and sadness, behavior, academic and interpersonal Most children feel no effect. Finally, educators in the student counseling and the prevention recommendations: to establish the trust relationship between the pro-teachers and students, teachers should usually pay more attention to the interaction of students in the class, to strengthen students' rule of law and legal knowledge, to teach the correct information security and network etiquette and the implementation of moral education; as well as suggestions for the future research direction.

碩士<br>國立臺灣藝術大學<br>舞蹈學系<br>102<br>Abstract This study was constructed for the purpose of the role interpretation for a graduation production in 2014. The Omnipresence of Terpsichore is a master gradation performance for thesis writer in National Taiwan University of Arts. This graduation project was created due to the inspiration from Apollo and Nice Muses (Baldassarre Peruzzi, 1481-1536). Through Apollo and Nine Muses, the student wishes to dig deeper of Terpsichore. During the research process, the student discovered Terpsichore actually includes the desire toward art pursuing in the heart of each human being: Omnipresence of Terpsichore is the motivation, the inspiration, or even the desire itself, and it is also the mysterious experience that people have when they are touched by the art piece or the performance. Through Omnipresence of Terpsichore, followed with choreography historical interpretations, the student performed with 4 different styles in the whole performance, which are Russian Dance (Character dance), La Bayadère(classical ballet), Wings (modern ballet), and Lullaby For Cain (modern dance) To study and analyze deeply with body language and expression through self-involving in dancing rehearsal, performance, characters interpretation, dancing skills, dancing short history, and Greece story as reference aid. The objectives are: 1.To interpret and express the emotion of the characters in The Omnipresence Of Terpsichore through the project. 2.To review one self’s dancing body language with difference styles of dance. 3.Through constructing and rehearsing to understand how to communicate with people through dancing body language. The student tried to break through the old pattern of the dancing movement in the process of this graduation project in order to improve the attraction in performance. With the recording of graduation details, not only wish to improve oneself but also to provide the reference to the future attendant in the performance.

A presente pesquisa intenta perscrutar, numa perspectiva longitudinal e comparativa, as inextrincáveis imbricações entre a institucionalização da sociedade civil e a qualidade da democracia na África pós-colonial, cotejando em que medida os legados institucionais da dominação colonial e as conjunturas críticas inerentes às independências nacionais e à democratização condicionaram as estruturas de oportunidades políticas, afectaram os repertórios de acção colectiva e cristalizaram dependências de trajectórias nos processos de consolidação democrática, contribuindo, antes, para uma paradigmática transição da foucaultiana sociedade disciplinar para a deleuziana sociedade de controlo. Advoga-se, entre a letargia cívica e a omnipresença do leviathã, a hipótese na qual a sociedade civil africana nunca conseguiu obstaculizar as ambições hegemónicas dum Estado predatório e omnipresente, nem tão-pouco emancipar-se politicamente dos espartilhos partidários, quedando-se estruturalmente atrelada a uma posição subalterna e subserviente às suas agências burocráticas e às suas tecnologias políticas de dominação. Essas estratégias de letargização cívica e de despolitização do seu repertório de protesto, encetadas desde a institucionalização do regime autoritário até o advento da democracia multipartidária, inviabilizaram a irrupção de uma sociedade civil emancipatória, contrahegemónica e contestatária e contribuíram para que os partidos políticos se tornassem omnipotentes na esfera estatal, transfigurando o aparelho de Estado no seu “património sazonal”, e omnipresentes na sociedade civil, mantendo com esta uma relação caciquista e clientelar. Intenta-se, ainda, dessacralizar as narrativas hegemónicas e homogeneizantes sobre a construção dos Estados e a institucionalização da sociedade civil em África que tendem, assentes em valorações apriorísticas e em justificações estereotipadas, a vincular o colapso dos Estados pós-coloniais e a inviabilização do projecto democrático em África aos atavismos históricos e aos legados institucionais da situação colonial, mas, também, a ignorar as virtualidades democráticas e as possibilidades emancipatórias encapsuladas nas formas endógenas de engenharia social e de superação da crise forjadas pelas classes populares. Em suma, mais do que perscrutar se as conjunturas críticas de efervescência cívica e de ebulição participativa, pretéritas às independências nacionais e às transições democráticas, produziram inovações organizacionais e soluções institucionais tendentes à autonomização cívica e à democratização da esfera pública, intenta-se desconstruir, a partir de realidades periféricas, as noções hegemónicas de governabilidade democrática, desenvolvimento participativo e reconstrução pós-crise.<br>This thesis focuses on the relationship between civil society, state and democratization in postcolonial Africa. I developed a new theory about the origins of associational life and civic engagement in Africa, arguing that the African civil society failed to obstruct the hegemonic and predatory ambitions of an omnipresent state, placing itself into a subaltern and subservient position. The collected data supports the hypothesis in which the institutionalization of civil society in Africa runs through three sequential stages: (i) in the authoritarian period the organizations of civil society are colonized and politically instrumentalized by a predatory and omnipresent state that monopolizes the public sphere and fabricates subservient and apologetic mass organizations; (ii) in the period prior to democratization and political liberalization of the regime, there is a resurrection of the civil society from authoritarian corsets and a sort of politicization of their contentious repertoires; (iii) the wave of civic effervescence and participatory enthusiasm, typical from democratic transitions, may degenerate into three scenarios or institutional patterns: (a) prospects of democratic consolidation, (b) scenarios of post-authoritarian civic lethargy or (c) critical junctures of asymmetrical interdependence between the State and civil society.

Omnipresence of heterogeneity is conspicuous in all creations of nature. Heterogeneity manifests itself in many forms at different scales, both in time and space. Engineering domain being an exotic fusion of human creativity and ever-increasing demands exemplifies the ubiquity of heterogeneity. Surprisingly, the plethora of materials we see around seem to stem from myriad combination of few base materials identified as elements in chemistry. Further, a simple rearrangement of atoms in these materials leads to allotropes with startling contrasts in properties. Similarly, micro- and meso-scales in heterogeneous materials also dis-play this phenomenon. Human requirements propelled by necessities and wants have leveraged heterogeneity deliberately or naively. In the context of engineering materials, light weight heterogeneous materials like composites and cellular solids are outstanding inventions from the last century. The present thesis highlights this phenomenon on a meso-scale to explore generalized variants of circular and elliptical honeycomb structures (HCSs) with an emphasis on their effective transverse elastic responses, a crucial pillar of engineering design and analysis. Homogenized or effective properties are an extension of continuum hypothesis, conceived for ease in analyses. E ective properties are employed in multi-scale analyses resulting in less complex models for analysis, for example, for predicting the speed of wave propogation. The thesis extends and generalizes existing close-packed circular and elliptical HCSs to more broader configurations. Simpler periodic arrangement of the unit cells from numerous exotic possibilities directly incorporates Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) philosophy and o ers a potential scope for analysis by simpler tools resulting in handy expressions which are of great utility for designer engineers. In this regard, analytical expressions for moduli having compact forms in the case of circular HCS are developed by technical theories and rigorous theory of elasticity. Regression analysis expressions for the moduli of elliptical HCS are presented, and the elasticity solutions for the same are highlighted. The thesis consists of seven chapters with Chapter 1 presenting generalized circular and elliptical HCSs as a potential avenue beyond composite materials. Following a survey of pertinent HCS literature of these HCSs, research gaps and scope are delineated. Chapter 2 briefly y summarizes the ideas, concepts and tools including analytical and numerical methods. This chapter sets the ground for the analysis of generalized circular and elliptical HCS in the following four chapters. Following the classification of the circular HCSs, Chapter 3 assesses the complete transverse elastic responses of generalized circular HCS through technical theories which are a first-order approximation. Here, thin ring theory and the more elaborate curved beam theory are employed as models to assess the moduli. Normal moduli - E and - are obtained by employing Castigliano method, while shear moduli (G ) are obtained by solving the differential equations derived in terms of displacements. Compact expressions for moduli presented wherever possible furnish the designer with a range of moduli for different configurations and modular ratios (Ey=Ex). The results show the range of applicability of technical theories within 5% of FEA. For hexagonal arrays, these results are more refined than those in literature; while the same are new for other configurations. Surprisingly, the more elaborate curved beam theory offers no better results than the thin ring theory. Chapter 4 extends the aforementioned task of assessing the complete trans-verse elastic moduli of generalized circular HCS by employing rigorous theory of elasticity (TOE) which is a second-order approximation. Utilizing Airy stress function in polar coordinates, the boundary value problems resulting from modeling of the circular HCS under different loads are solved analytically in conjunction with FEA employing contact elements. Contact elements circumvent the point loads which give finite values of displacements in technical theories and singular values in TOE. A widely used idea of employing distributed load, statically equivalent to point load, is invoked to empower TOE. The distributed load is assumed a priori and the contact length is obtained from FEA employing con-tact elements. Thus, FEA compliments the present analytical methods. Results demonstrate a very good match between analytical method in conjunction with FEA and numerical results from FEA; the error is within 5% for very thick ring (thickness-radius ratio 0.5). Further, computationally and numerically efficient expressions for displacements give better results with same computational facility. To illustrate the effect of coating on effective moduli, a limited study based on thin ring theory and elasticity theories is undertaken in Chapter 4. The study explores the effects of moduli and thickness ratios of substrate to coating on the effective normal moduli. Employing thin ring theory with only flexure as the bending mode, we get compact expressions giving good match for very thin rings in all confifigurations. The elasticity approach presented for square array demonstrates a very good match with FEA for thick rings. Coatings offer a strategy to increase the effective moduli with same dimensions. Chapter 5 broadens the scope of circular HCS by considering elliptical HCSs. While generalized circular HCS can cater to anisotropic requirement to an extent, larger spectrum is offered by considering elliptical honeycomb structures. In this regard, a generalized version of concentric thin coated elliptical HCS is investigated for transverse moduli. Thin HCSs are explored by technical theories as in circular HCS. However, a lack of exact compact-form expressions necessitates the use of regression analysis. The resulting expressions are presented in terms of ellipticity ratio describing the ovality of the ellipse and geometric parameters. Normal moduli are obtained by Castigliano method implemented in MATHE-MATICA, but shear moduli are obtained from FEA employing beam elements. The need for FEA employing beam elements stems from the subtle fact that Castigliano method implicitly assumes preclusion of rigid body motions, while shear loading for shear moduli evaluation entails rigid body motions. Interestingly, curved beam theory, as in circular HCS, offers no better refinement in assessing the moduli as compared to thin ring theory. The graphs showing the moduli with respect to thickness and modular ratios are presented as design maps to aid the designer. Chapter 6 extends the works of thin concentric coated elliptical to thicker concentric and a novel confocal elliptical HCS, a variant of elliptical HCS. In this regard, thick concentric and confocal elliptical HCS by elasticity approach are attempted for a simple case. Airy stress function in polar coordinates is tried for concentric elliptical HCS. Confocal HCS analysis employs stress function in terms of elliptical coordinate system. After proving the correctness of the stress function for both the cases by comparing the reconstructed boundary conditions with actual boundary conditions, the restrictions in solving the case of rings under load over a small region is highlighted. A parametric study for moduli is under-taken by employing FEA. These are presented as design graphs which compare and contrast the two variants of elliptical HCS on the same graphs. The modular ratio (Ey=Ex) is conspicuously more for confocal elliptical HCS than concentric elliptical HCS. Chapter 7 gives the conclusions in a nutshell, and explores the feasibility of stress evaluation of heterogeneous media on the lines of effective media theory.

Omnipresence of heterogeneity is conspicuous in all creations of nature. Heterogeneity manifests itself in many forms at different scales, both in time and space. Engineering domain being an exotic fusion of human creativity and ever-increasing demands exemplifies the ubiquity of heterogeneity. Surprisingly, the plethora of materials we see around seem to stem from myriad combination of few base materials identified as elements in chemistry. Further, a simple rearrangement of atoms in these materials leads to allotropes with startling contrasts in properties. Similarly, micro- and meso-scales in heterogeneous materials also dis-play this phenomenon. Human requirements propelled by necessities and wants have leveraged heterogeneity deliberately or naively. In the context of engineering materials, light weight heterogeneous materials like composites and cellular solids are outstanding inventions from the last century. The present thesis highlights this phenomenon on a meso-scale to explore generalized variants of circular and elliptical honeycomb structures (HCSs) with an emphasis on their effective transverse elastic responses, a crucial pillar of engineering design and analysis. Homogenized or effective properties are an extension of continuum hypothesis, conceived for ease in analyses. E ective properties are employed in multi-scale analyses resulting in less complex models for analysis, for example, for predicting the speed of wave propogation. The thesis extends and generalizes existing close-packed circular and elliptical HCSs to more broader configurations. Simpler periodic arrangement of the unit cells from numerous exotic possibilities directly incorporates Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) philosophy and o ers a potential scope for analysis by simpler tools resulting in handy expressions which are of great utility for designer engineers. In this regard, analytical expressions for moduli having compact forms in the case of circular HCS are developed by technical theories and rigorous theory of elasticity. Regression analysis expressions for the moduli of elliptical HCS are presented, and the elasticity solutions for the same are highlighted. The thesis consists of seven chapters with Chapter 1 presenting generalized circular and elliptical HCSs as a potential avenue beyond composite materials. Following a survey of pertinent HCS literature of these HCSs, research gaps and scope are delineated. Chapter 2 briefly y summarizes the ideas, concepts and tools including analytical and numerical methods. This chapter sets the ground for the analysis of generalized circular and elliptical HCS in the following four chapters. Following the classification of the circular HCSs, Chapter 3 assesses the complete transverse elastic responses of generalized circular HCS through technical theories which are a first-order approximation. Here, thin ring theory and the more elaborate curved beam theory are employed as models to assess the moduli. Normal moduli - E and - are obtained by employing Castigliano method, while shear moduli (G ) are obtained by solving the differential equations derived in terms of displacements. Compact expressions for moduli presented wherever possible furnish the designer with a range of moduli for different configurations and modular ratios (Ey=Ex). The results show the range of applicability of technical theories within 5% of FEA. For hexagonal arrays, these results are more refined than those in literature; while the same are new for other configurations. Surprisingly, the more elaborate curved beam theory offers no better results than the thin ring theory. Chapter 4 extends the aforementioned task of assessing the complete trans-verse elastic moduli of generalized circular HCS by employing rigorous theory of elasticity (TOE) which is a second-order approximation. Utilizing Airy stress function in polar coordinates, the boundary value problems resulting from modeling of the circular HCS under different loads are solved analytically in conjunction with FEA employing contact elements. Contact elements circumvent the point loads which give finite values of displacements in technical theories and singular values in TOE. A widely used idea of employing distributed load, statically equivalent to point load, is invoked to empower TOE. The distributed load is assumed a priori and the contact length is obtained from FEA employing con-tact elements. Thus, FEA compliments the present analytical methods. Results demonstrate a very good match between analytical method in conjunction with FEA and numerical results from FEA; the error is within 5% for very thick ring (thickness-radius ratio 0.5). Further, computationally and numerically efficient expressions for displacements give better results with same computational facility. To illustrate the effect of coating on effective moduli, a limited study based on thin ring theory and elasticity theories is undertaken in Chapter 4. The study explores the effects of moduli and thickness ratios of substrate to coating on the effective normal moduli. Employing thin ring theory with only flexure as the bending mode, we get compact expressions giving good match for very thin rings in all confifigurations. The elasticity approach presented for square array demonstrates a very good match with FEA for thick rings. Coatings offer a strategy to increase the effective moduli with same dimensions. Chapter 5 broadens the scope of circular HCS by considering elliptical HCSs. While generalized circular HCS can cater to anisotropic requirement to an extent, larger spectrum is offered by considering elliptical honeycomb structures. In this regard, a generalized version of concentric thin coated elliptical HCS is investigated for transverse moduli. Thin HCSs are explored by technical theories as in circular HCS. However, a lack of exact compact-form expressions necessitates the use of regression analysis. The resulting expressions are presented in terms of ellipticity ratio describing the ovality of the ellipse and geometric parameters. Normal moduli are obtained by Castigliano method implemented in MATHE-MATICA, but shear moduli are obtained from FEA employing beam elements. The need for FEA employing beam elements stems from the subtle fact that Castigliano method implicitly assumes preclusion of rigid body motions, while shear loading for shear moduli evaluation entails rigid body motions. Interestingly, curved beam theory, as in circular HCS, offers no better refinement in assessing the moduli as compared to thin ring theory. The graphs showing the moduli with respect to thickness and modular ratios are presented as design maps to aid the designer. Chapter 6 extends the works of thin concentric coated elliptical to thicker concentric and a novel confocal elliptical HCS, a variant of elliptical HCS. In this regard, thick concentric and confocal elliptical HCS by elasticity approach are attempted for a simple case. Airy stress function in polar coordinates is tried for concentric elliptical HCS. Confocal HCS analysis employs stress function in terms of elliptical coordinate system. After proving the correctness of the stress function for both the cases by comparing the reconstructed boundary conditions with actual boundary conditions, the restrictions in solving the case of rings under load over a small region is highlighted. A parametric study for moduli is under-taken by employing FEA. These are presented as design graphs which compare and contrast the two variants of elliptical HCS on the same graphs. The modular ratio (Ey=Ex) is conspicuously more for confocal elliptical HCS than concentric elliptical HCS. Chapter 7 gives the conclusions in a nutshell, and explores the feasibility of stress evaluation of heterogeneous media on the lines of effective media theory.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-149)<br>In this dissertation the author reflects on the absence and presence of God within Christianity. This is accomplished through engaging and seeking to understand key conversations following the Copernican Revolution and the-death-of God . The goal is to understand and model how it is that Christianity defines itself as a faith tied to knowing God and yet is appraised by many as a religion characterized by God's conspicuous silence, absence and death. These are 'God after God' conversations understood to include contributions from philosophers, Essentialists, and Christians following the-death-of God. With these 'God after God' conversations are tied to the institutional expression of Christianity and the diversification of and within religion during the modern era. It is with this in mind that the conjunction and disjunction between Christianity as religion, spirituality, and mysticism can perhaps enable a post-institutional expression of Christianity as the practice of the relational presence of God.<br>Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology<br>M. Th. (Christian Spirituality)