The rival claims of structure and semantics in music

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Regional economic communities influencing policy: a study of information communications technology policy (on telecommunication) of four SADC countries

Masters of Arts (ICT Policy and Regulation) Research ReportIn the last three decades’ information and communication technology (ICT) has been a catalyst for an unprecedented social and economic revolution. In part, the revolution can be accredited to the rapid change in technology over the years, while on the other hand it can be attributed to reform changes which include, but are not limited to, the liberalisation of the sector. Countries introduced reforms in the ICT sector via targeted policy changes which facilitated change in the sector. They either formulated policies with the objective to remedy specific issues in their environment or adopted policies guided by the regional bodies. This study evaluates the extent to which country specific ICT policies adopt recommendations made by regional bodies. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region is used for this research with four Member States ICT policies evaluated for conformity to the SADC recommendations, specifically with respect to the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communication and Meteorology. The policies are also evaluated against policy formulating techniques recommended when formulating policies. The focus of this study is the telecommunications policies of each of the chosen Member States and policy recommendations by SADC on same. The study employed desktop research and an analysis of the relevant documentation, which were interrogated for specific content with respect to previously identified policy objectives. These were then analysed against the SADC Protocol and the policy techniques. The policy formulating techniques are to ensure the policies under analysis are not conforming to the SADC recommendation due to poor policy writing techniques, however it is imperative for the reader to note that the research is on the conformity of the Member States to the policy recommendations by SADC. It emerged from the research that the Member States in SADC, under study, adopted policy recommendations made by SADC to varying degrees. There is also evidence of the use of specific policy-formulation techniques. Countries that have some evidence of use of policy techniques have better policy as evidence by achievements of the policy objectives. In order to formulate good policy not only must the regional body provide concise policy recommendations, the Member States must be able to formulate policy that would be in line with the recommendations. Regional bodies have an influence in member state policy formulation and there are benefits to be gained by regional economic communities if they have harmonised polices supported by Mwasha (nd). It also emerged that whilst there is policy reform in the ICT sector there is a dearth of research with regards to policy analysis and evaluation of the existing policies.MT 201

"I always feel that I’m underestimated" : obesity stigma in the workplace

This thesis aims to examine obesity stigma in the workplace, both the evidence for, and experience of, obesity stigma. In the context of rising rates of obesity there is an increasing recognition of the negative impact of obesity stigma. Despite this, limited research has been conducted in the workplace and specifically, research examining obesity stigma in UK workplaces is lacking. Using a mixed-methods approach this thesis examines obesity stigma in the workplace through the lens of attribution theory in addition to exploring the potential impact of the cultural values: thin-ideal internalisation and healthism. To address the aims of this thesis three studies were conducted. The first study was a systematic literature review (n = 38) which examined where in the employment cycle research has been conducted. The results suggested that obesity stigma may be occurring throughout the employment cycle, however the majority of the research had been conducted in the US, with student samples and had predominately focused on recruitment. Therefore, the second study using a vignette design, examined obesity stigma in decisions relating to disciplinary actions amongst nursing managers. The findings showed that although nursing managers did not display behavioural bias there was a high prevalence of fat phobia. In addition, 66% of the nursing managers were overweight or obese. These findings have implications for organisations with regards to mitigating the potential effects of obesity stigma both in patient and colleague interactions. Finally, a third study was conducted examining the experiences of individuals with obesity once they are within an organisation. Interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of 21 UK employees. The findings highlight the diverse range of obesity stigma individuals with obesity are subjected to in the workplace, five overarching factors that impact on obesity stigma in the workplace and insights into how obesity stigma at work can be overcome. Together these findings suggest that to overcome obesity stigma, modifying the workplace in isolation is not likely to be sufficient; changes at the societal level are also required. This thesis provides novel insights into obesity stigma in UK workplaces in a number of ways. Taken together, these findings could help to inform both the justification for and development of evidence-based interventions to address obesity stigma at work. The implications for further research and practice are also discussed

A consideration of the tree layers in the peat at sites in the Northern Pennines

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The effects of anisotropy on the long-wavelength excitations of itinerant ferromagnets

In this thesis I present a formalism for calculating the effects of magnetic anisotropy on the long wavelength excitations of a magnetically ordered itinerant electron system. It is derived from a relativistic multiple scattering theory treatment of the density functional formalism single electron equations. Multiple scattering theory is shown to be capable of describing the small anisotropy energies involved via work on the effects of anisotropy on magnetic interactions between magnetic impurities embedded in a non-magnetic metallic host. The addition of a third, heavy non-magnetic impurity is found to enhance the magnetic anisotropy energy of a magnetic pair in the system such that in some cases it becomes comparable in magnitude to the effective exchange energy. The resulting anisotropic magnetic interaction is found to be more complex than that shown by other model calculations. In attempting an investigation of the magnetic excitations by constructing a relativistic dynamic susceptibility-from a two electron Green’s function, it is found that solving the Kohn-Sham-Dirac single particle equations together with the Local Density Approximation in this situation leads to an inconsistency. As a result of this, the starting point for the subsequent analysis is the phenomenological equation of motion for a magnetic moment. It is known that one of the effects of magnetic anisotropy on the excitations is the existence of a gap in the spin-wave dispersion spectrum. The formalism gives the correct result in the non-relativistic limit, an absence of a gap, and is evaluated numerically for bcc iron, fee nickel and fee cobalt when relativistic effects are included. The results compare favourably against previous magnetic anisotropy calculations and experimental work

Evaluation of open-source software for use with a clothing virtual try-on system

Virtual try-on (VTO) technology facilitates effective use of improved garment purchasing and design technologies. High return rates for online purchases and adjunct treatment of VTO in the apparel design process, however, indicate less than full adoption. This is attributed to the dominance of expensive commercial VTO systems as opposed to open-source 3D animation software. The MakeHuman and Blender open-source software packages were evaluated. MakeHuman uses a parametric approach to generate 3D avatars for use in animation software. Parameters were mapped from the anthropometric measurements from a subset of the female subjects in the SizeUSA database. The resulting avatars were imported to Blender, a 3D graphics and animation software that contains models for garment modeling. Three different virtual 3D garment generation options were demonstrated: virtual sewing from 2D patterns, direct modeling from the editing of 3D geometry objects or B-surfaces from hand drawn lines on the avatar

Rapid Development of Adaptive, Climate-Driven Clinal Variation in Seed Mass in the Invasive Annual Forb Echium plantagineum L.

We examined adaptive clinal variation in seed mass among populations of an invasive annual species, Echium plantagineum, in response to climatic selection. We collected seeds from 34 field populations from a 1,000 km long temperature and rainfall gradient across the species' introduced range in south-eastern Australia. Seeds were germinated, grown to reproductive age under common glasshouse conditions, and progeny seeds were harvested and weighed. Analyses showed that seed mass was significantly related to climatic factors, with populations sourced from hotter, more arid sites producing heavier seeds than populations from cooler and wetter sites. Seed mass was not related to edaphic factors. We also found that seed mass was significantly related to both longitude and latitude with each degree of longitude west and latitude north increasing seed mass by around 2.5% and 4% on average. There was little evidence that within-population or between-population variation in seed mass varied in a systematic manner across the study region. Our findings provide compelling evidence for development of a strong cline in seed mass across the geographic range of a widespread and highly successful invasive annual forb. Since large seed mass is known to provide reproductive assurance for plants in arid environments, our results support the hypothesis that the fitness and range potential of invasive species can increase as a result of genetic divergence of populations along broad climatic gradients. In E. plantagineum population-level differentiation has occurred in 150 years or less, indicating that the adaptation process can be rapid. © 2012 Konarzewski et al

Assessment Of Quality Management Practices At Transnet Engineering Locomotive Maintenance Depot, Bloemfontein

DissertationThe aim of this study was to assess the Quality Management Practices employed at Transnet Engineering Locomotive (TE) Maintenance in Bloemfontein, Free State regarding the quality of services rendered to clients. TE is where locomotives for Transnet Freight Rail, an internal customer, are repaired and serviced. The study aimed at contributing to efficient and effective quality transport service operations at Transnet through improved internal quality services. To achieve this, the study had to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the current Quality Management Practices at TE and propose remedial measures for improvement. A qualitative approach with structured interview questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions was used to collect data. The target population for data collection consisted of 50 employees at TE. A sample of 9 was selected from the population by applying non-probability sampling known as judgemental sampling also known as purposive sampling. The collected data was analysed using a qualitative method called framework analysis. Appropriate steps for data analysis in respect of framework analysis were used to arrive at the research findings. It is important for any organisation to use a Quality Management System (QMS) effectively and ensure compliance with quality standards. Although TE has adopted and implemented ISO 9001:2008 to aid quality management, the study found that TE encountered challenges in the process. These challenges include negative attitude, lack of appropriate skills, poor workmanship and unsustainable practices. Based on these findings, it was recommended that ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems should not just be used as a marketing tool for policy at TE but applied as practical and sustainable quality management system for quality service outcomes. It was also recommended that the identified challenges that inhibited the effective use of ISO 9001:2008 which raised concerns, be investigated further