Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'The Upper House'

Abstract This thesis examines the raison d�etre of the Australian Senate, the upper house of the Australian bicameral parliament, established in 1901. It explores the literature that might have influenced its establishment and structure, and the attitudes, ideals, experience and expectations of the men (and they were all men) who initiated its existence and designed its structure during the Federation Conventions of the 1890s. It goes on to study whether similar western and British influenced institutions were seen as models by the designers of the Senate, followed by an examination of its architecture, d�cor, and procedures, to determine the major influences at work on these aspects of the institution. The study was undertaken in view of the paucity of studies of the history and role of the Senate in relation to its powerful influence on the Government of Australia. Its structure can allow a minority of Senators to subvert or obstruct key measures passed by the lower house and is a serious issue for Governments in considering legislation. Answers are sought to the questions of how and why it was conceived and created and what role it was expected to play. The study does not extend beyond 1901 when the Senate was established except to examine the Provisional Parliament House, opened in 1927, which realised the vision of the Convention delegates who determined that the Senate was the house we had to have. The research approach began with an exhaustive study of the Records of the Federal Conventions of the 1890s, where the Constitution of Australia was drawn up, along with contemporary writings and modern comment on such institutions. A study of the men who designed the Senate was carried out, augmented with field visits to the Australian State Parliaments. Research was also conducted into upper houses identified by the delegates to the Australian Federal Conventions, to consider their influence on the design of the Senate. The conclusion is that the Senate was deliberately structured to emulate the then existing British system as far as possible; it was to be an august house of review and a bastion against democracy, or at least a check on hasty legislation. The delegates showed no desire to extinguish ties with Great Britain and their vision of an upper house was modelled directly on the House of Lords. The vast majority of delegates had cut their teeth in colonial upper houses, which were themselves closely modelled on the Lords. To not establish a Senate would have been to turn their backs on themselves. The Senate then, is not a hybrid of Washington and Westminster: the influence of the United States was limited to the composition of the Senate and its name and mediated through the filter of its British heritage. The example of other legislatures was unimportant except where it solved problems previously experienced in the Colonial Councils and which might have otherwise occurred in the Senate. The Senate was the upper house we had to have; it was a decision that was taken before the delegates even met.

This essay explores the power dynamics embedded in the construction and perception of spatial environments in the novel The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. With the help of Henri Lefebvre’s theory of space as a socially constructed phenomenon and practice, this essay argues that the characters’ experience and perception of spaces in the novel including the house and the street are entangled with the dominating forces related to gender, identity and patriarchy in the surrounding society. The essay also argues that the novel apart from revealing these power dynamics, also, through its protagonist Esperanza suggests a new kind of space, an alternative and more just space for the individual and the community. Additionally, this essay also discusses and elaborates on the pedagogical implications of using the novel with a focus on space for upper secondary students. An investigation of how individual and social spaces functions in different ways in the novel provides valuable opportunities for teachers and students to reflect and discuss power relations, social injustices and inequities in their community, and allow them, as the protagonist Esperanza, to imagine alternative and more just spaces.

The aim of this thesis is to analyse the effects of gated communities in the increasing fragmentation of urban space and in the increasing polarisation among different classes in the Turkish context, more specifically in the capital, Ankara. Since the case study is based on an upper-middle class suburban gated community, first, suburbanisation &ldquo
as a wave of urbanisation&rdquo
is analysed. Then, the debates about the middle class and the transformation that this social stratum has undergone are discussed. Later, the formation of gated communities around the world and in Turkey are analysed within the general framework of the transformation of the urban sphere. Finally, the theoretical arguments are scrutinised by incorporating the findings of the case study carried out in Angora Houses. In this study Angora Houses is concluded to be a gated community which is &ldquo
fortified&rdquo
for the preservation of an upper-middle class lifestyle rather than for security concerns and which reproduces socio-spatial inequalities among Ankaraites rather than standing as only the expression of them.

This thesis investigates the development of commercial leisure in a northern community, Halifax, over a period of 200 years. It examines a range of leisure pursuits including the public house, theatre and sports and traces their development during a period of population growth and industrialization which came to be based increasingly around the factory. It analyses whether Halifax was typical in the way commercial leisure developed or whether particular local conditions influenced the development of commercial leisure. During the period, Halifax, an ancient town, developed from an important centre of the textile trade in England into a classic Victorian mill town supporting a broad base of industries. Leisure developed from a leisure culture based around traditional holidays and pastimes to a highly commercialized leisure experience increasingly provided by regional and national companies and a sporting calendar that included structured leagues with professional clubs and games played seasonally.

Background: The Vaal Triangle is an area generally associated with a number of harmful determinants of health since it houses diverse industrial processes and industrial development in South Africa, hence being categorised as an outdoor air pollution priority area in 2006. Method: A cross-sectional inter-comparative study to the 1990 Vaal Triangle Air Pollution and Health Study (VAPS) was conducted in 2010. The main objectives of this study were to measure the prevalence of upper and lower respiratory illnesses of 10-year-old children in 2010 and compare those findings to the 1990 study, and lastly to identify risk and protective factors for respiratory illnesses in 1990 and in 2010. In addition, the association between exposure factors (risk and protective factors) that are sources of indoor air pollution and factors related to diet and household living conditions and their associations with upper and lower respiratory health illnesses in 1990 and 2010 was determined. Results and Discussion: The prevalence of the respiratory health outcomes in the 1990 study and 2010 study cannot be compared directly since a 1-year prevalence was determined in 1990 and a 6-month prevalence in 2010. Throughout the dissertation this should be kept in mind. The change in prevalence of a respiratory health outcome observed in 1990 and in 2010 is just an indication of the possible change. The 1990 1-year prevalence and the 2-week 2010 prevalence of asthma were the same in the two study populations (i.e. 12%). The 6-month prevalence of sinusitis, bronchitis and pneumonia in 2010 was lower when compared to the yearly prevalence of these illnesses in the 1990 study. On completion of the multivariate analyses, in 1990 study, the use of a gas heater acted as a risk factor for pneumonia (a lower respiratory illness), with a odds ratio of 3.67 (1.15-11.71) and a p-value of 0.03, whilst environmental tobacco smoke within the household was protective of hay fever and sinusitis (upper respiratory illnesses). In the 2010 study, the consumption of chicken and/or fish and fruit at least three times a week was protective of bronchitis (with odds ratios of 0.23 and 0.26 respectively). Conclusion and Recommendations: It is not certain whether the change in the respiratory health status of 10-year-olds living in the Vaal Triangle is real as the prevalence of health outcomes in the two studies cannot be compared directly to one another due to the differences in prevalence time periods in the two studies. Nevertheless, a statistically significant change was observed in the prevalence of sinusitis, earache, bronchitis, and pneumonia between the two study populations. It is imperative to have a study protocol; this ensures all levels of measure are consistent in both studies and leads to a dataset of high quality. There is also a need for more analytical epidemiological studies (i.e. cohort, time-series, case-crossover and panel studies) to be done in South Africa, addressing indoor and outdoor air pollution and respiratory health.
Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
gm2014
School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH)
unrestricted

Syfte och frågeställningar Syftet med uppsatsen är att få en förståelse för vad det är elever som söker till gymnasieskolan kan tänkas möta då de läser recensionstexter. Syftet är således att kartlägga recensionssystemets omfattning och innehåll kvantitativt; vad som tas upp i recensionstexterna, samt att undersöka hur recensionstexterna är konstruerade. Avslutningsvis syftar uppsatsen till att diskutera recensionssystemet i en större samhällskontext - som ett resultat av och en del i vår samtid. Vilka ämnen och teman förekommer i recensionstexter av gymnasieskolor samt hur frekvent är förekomsten?  Hur värderas (positivt, negativt eller neutralt) de olika temana i recensionerna?  På vilket sätt är recensionstexterna konstruerade och hur kan det tolkas? På vilket sätt framträder en skolmarknadsdiskurs i recensionstexterna? Metod De kvantitativa frågorna undersöks genom en innehållsanalys av slumpmässigt utvalda recensioner på gymnasieskolor i Stockholms län. De förekomna orden kvantifieras och delas in i teman, kategorieroch subkategorier. En bedömning görs även utifrån om de förekomna orden lyfts i en positiv, negativ eller neutral kontext. Den kvalitativa delen utgörs av en textanalys inspirerad av diskursanalysen. Av ett antal utvalda recensioner, baserat på dess innehållsliga relevans, analyseras dessa semantiskt med diskursanalytiska verktyg. I diskussions- och analysdelen behandlas resultatet utifrån det teoretiska ramverket och tidigare forskning.  Resultat Av innehållsanalysen framgår att de vanligast förekommande temana var allmänna värdeomdömen om skolan, att kommentera lärare samt skolans upplägg och utbildningens kvalité. Det är även vanligt att sociala aspekter så som atmosfär och gemenskap lyfts fram i recensionerna. Av den kvalitativa delen framgår det att recensenterna uttrycker sig på ett sätt som speglar skolmarknadsdiskursen. I somliga fall framgår tydligt hur recensenten anammat skolmarknadsdiskursen. Slutsats Resultatet indikerar att recensionssystemet riskerar att generera segregerande effekter. Framförallt utifrån den asymmetriska tillgången av information och att skola och identitet knyts allt närmare varandra. Detta förtydligas och ställs på sin spets i hur recensionerna är konstruerade och kan, i vissa fall, tänkas vara svårare att bearbeta då gemene elev tenderar att se recensenter som objektiva (till skillnad från övrig tillgänglig information).
Aim The aim with this study is to explore what kind of information pupils, searching for upper secondary school, might get from reading reviews of schools. The purpose is thus to quantify the scope and content of the review system quantitatively; what is mentioned in the review texts, and to examine how the review are textually constructed. Finally, the paper aims to discuss the review system in a larger social context - as a result of and a part of our time. What topics occur in reviews of upper secondary schools and how frequent is the occurrence? How are the different themes in the reviews valued (positive, negative or neutral)? In what way are the review texts constructed and how can it be interpreted? In what way does a school market discourse appear in the reviews? Method The quantitative questions are examined through a content analysis on randomly selected reviews of upper secondary schools in Stockholm County. The words in question are quantified and divided into themes, categories and subcategories. An assessment is also made based on whether the existing words are lifted in a positive, negative or neutral context. The qualitative part consists of a text analysis inspired by the discourse analysis. From a number of selected reviews, based on its substantive relevance, these are semantically analyzed with discourse analytics tools. In a merged discussion and analysis section, the result is treated on the basis of the theoretical framework and previous research. Results The content analysis shows that the most common themes were general value reviews of the school, commenting on teachers and the school's structure and the quality of the education. It is also common to mention social aspects such as atmosphere and cohesion. From the qualitative part it appears that the reviewers express themselves in a way that reflects the school market discourse. In some cases, it is clear that the reviewer has adopted the school market discourse.  Conclusion The result indicates that the review system risks generating segregating effects. Especially based on the asymmetric availability of information and the fact that school and identity are getting more connected. This is clarified and put on its tip in how the reviews are constructed and, in some cases, may be more difficult to process when the common student tends to see reviewers as objective (in contrast to other available sources of information).

Upper airway endoscopy at rest has been the diagnostic method of choice for diagnosing equine upper respiratory tract (URT) disease since its development in the 1970´s. The development of high-speed treadmill endoscopy (HSTE) improved the sensitivity of URT endoscopy by allowing the examiner to observe the horse’s nasopharynx and larynx during exercise. However, the level of exertion achieved during HSTE may not always represent that achieved during normal exercise as surface, rider, tack, and environmental variables are altered. Recently, the development of dynamic overground endoscopy (DOE) has addressed some of those shortcomings. A retrospective study was undertaken to describe the upper airway abnormalities detected during DOE in horses presenting with poor performance and/or abnormal respiratory noise in South Africa. Patient records of Thoroughbred racehorses undergoing DOE from November 2011 to August 2012 by the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital were reviewed. Data collected included signalment, primary complaint, distance exercised, maximum speed attained, and dynamic airway abnormalities detected. XIII A second study was carried out to evaluate agreement within and among examiners of three grading systems for laryngeal function at exercise. The grading systems assessed were an existing system for grading axial deviation of aryepiglottic folds (ADAF), a modified system for grading recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) at exercise, and a proposed system for grading vocal cord collapse (VCC). For investigation of intra-observer variability, recordings were watched by two of the investigators at the same time, on two different occasions, in real time, slow motion, and at frame-by-frame speed. To evaluate inter-observer variability, recordings were watched by four investigators on one occasion, as described for investigation of intra-observer variability, and scoring sheets completed. Kappa agreement was calculated for both intra- and inter-observer sessions. Fifty-two horses that underwent DOE for investigation of poor performance and/or abnormal respiratory noise were identified. The main abnormalities detected included dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) (13/52 horses, 25%); recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) (17/52 horses, 33%); axial deviation of the aryepiglottic folds (ADAF) (21/52 horses, 40%) and vocal cord collapse (VCC) (18/52 horses, 35%). A total of 40 horses presented one or more abnormalities of the URT (77%). Fifteen horses (29%) had a single abnormality, and 25 horses (48%) had multiple abnormalities. Results at frame-by-frame speed from the intra-observer evaluations for all the conditions showed substantial agreement for RLN by both observers (K = 74 - 80). Intra-observer evaluations for VCC were moderate to substantial (K 53 – 63). ADAF was the most difficult URT abnormality to assess for both observers, and agreement within observers was only fair to moderate (K = 36 - 52). Inter-observer evaluations for RLN showed substantial to moderate agreement (K = 62). Inter-observer evaluations for VCC showed moderate agreement (K = 47 – 54), and inter-observer evaluations for ADAF showed only slight to fair agreement and were the lowest for all the conditions (K = 14 – 22). This study showed that DOE is a useful technique for providing valuable information about disease of the URT. Finding multiple abnormalities in 48% of horses examined using DOE suggests that DOE may be indicated even for those horses with an obvious abnormality found during resting endoscopy. The intra-observer evaluations showed that RLN had higher agreement values than those for ADAF and VCC at all speeds, and that ADAF had lower agreement values than those for VCC and RLN at all speeds. Inter-observer agreement was less than intra-observer agreement, presumably because more observers were involved in the inter-observer assessment.
Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
gm2014
Companion Animal Clinical Studies
unrestricted

碩士
國立臺灣體育學院
體育研究所
90
The main objective of this study is addressed to discuss the kinesiology characteristics of the upper limbs thrust for domestic outstanding female vaulters, while they are performing the different-group exercises on new and old type horseback. The author further discussed the adaption procedure of athletes’ upper limbs thrust skill to the new horseback. In the study process, two Redlake high-speed cameras (250Hz) were used for shooting the motion procedure and WinAnalysis three dimensional image digitization system software was used to analyze thrust motions. The result of study indicated that , for different configuration horsebacks, the different exercise group shows different characteristics in body gravity center velocity, thrust duration and thrust angle. The body gravity center velocity is slower than that of old vaulting horse, especially for the handspring forward piked salto. While jumping off the new horseback. Two female vaulters showed a reduction of 1.88m/s-4.59m/s of horizontal gravity center velocity, and a reduction of 1.09m/s-1.19m/s of vertical gravity center velocity. The thrust duration of the first upward jump off new horseback is 0.088s-0.166s slower than old horseback. For the cartwheel round-off 1/2 turn to backward somersault stretched, the thrust angle of new horseback is smaller than that of the old. After 50-day training on new vaulting horse, for the different group exercises, body gravity center velocity while jumping off is approx 0.13m/s -2.34m/s faster, and the thrust duration and thrust angle are better than that in first test. Through the study, it is discovered that both female vaulters took shorter time to perform handspring forward piked salto in the second test on the new horseback. Because of the elevation angle horseback configuration, the thrust maybe needs to be more impetuous, more powerful and faster. The longer new vaulting horse and elevation angle horseback configuration will be easy to bring damping effect to upper limbs thrust procedure. The longer and wider horseback configuration will be in favour of shuttlecock groups of exercises (the 4th, 5th groups), which will be the development trend of female vaulting horse in the future.

The goal of this thesis is to show the life and functioning of the Senate of the National Assembly of Czechoslovakia. The upper house of the Czechoslovak Parliament functioned between 1920 and 1939 after which it was officially dissolved during the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. In the concerned period, the chamber was gradually saw 444 lawmakers of seven different nationalities. The biggest number consisted of Czechs and Germans. The functioning of the Senate is analyzed from multiple angles. First the debate accompanying the establishment of a second chamber before the adoption of the new Constitution in 1920 is analyzed. Attention is also paid to the period debates and unrealized proposals for a Senate reform at the end the 1920's, linked to the proposed creation of the Economic Parliament. Also shown is the proportional representation electoral system used for elections to the Senate. The results were reflected in a large number of political parties with low electoral gains, which in turn hindered the creation of a stable political environment. The thesis considers the party, ethnic, social, intellectual and oratory activities of individual senators. The lives of some of the lawmakers who held seats in the upper chamber in the First Republic and were negatively affected by the German...

En concevant que toute société a deux clivages dominants, l’un social et l’autre partisan, cette thèse développe une théorie sur le changement institutionnel. L’hypothèse initiale, selon laquelle les groupes sociaux créés par le premier clivage agiront pour restreindre le changement institutionnel et que le changement aura lieu lors de l’émergence d’un groupe partisan capable de croiser le clivage social, fut testée par les processus traçant les changements qui furent proposés et qui ont eu lieu au sein des conseils nominés en Amérique du Nord britannique. Ces conseils furent modifiés un bon nombre de fois, devenant les chambres secondaires de législatures provinciales avant d’être éventuellement abolies. La preuve supporte l’hypothèse, bien qu’il ne soit pas suffisant d’avoir un groupe partisan qui puisse croiser le clivage qui mène le changement : un débat partisan sur le changement est nécessaire. Ceci remet aussi en cause la théorie prédominante selon laquelle les clivages sociaux mènent à la formation de partis politiques, suggérant qu’il est plus bénéfique d’utiliser ces deux clivages pour l’étude des institutions.
By conceiving of any society as having two dominant cleavages, one ‘social’ and one ‘partisan’, this dissertation develops a theory on institutional change. The initial hypothesis that social groups created by the former will act to restrain institutional change and that change will occur when a partisan group emerges that can cross the social cleavage was tested by processes tracing the changes which were proposed and which occurred to the appointed councils established in British North America. These councils were modified a number of times, becoming second chambers in the provincial legislatures, and were eventually each abolished. The evidence found supports the hypothesis, though it is not sufficient to have a partisan group that can cross the cleavage drive change, a partisan debate over the change was necessary. This also challenges the prevailing theory that social cleavages lead to political party formation, suggesting the benefit of using these two cleavages for the study of institutions.