Review of the flood risk management system in Germany after the major flood in 2013

Widespread flooding in June 2013 caused damage costs of €6 to 8 billion in Germany, and awoke many memories of the floods in August 2002, which resulted in total damage of €11.6 billion and hence was the most expensive natural hazard event in Germany up to now. The event of 2002 does, however, also mark a reorientation toward an integrated flood risk management system in Germany. Therefore, the flood of 2013 offered the opportunity to review how the measures that politics, administration, and civil society have implemented since 2002 helped to cope with the flood and what still needs to be done to achieve effective and more integrated flood risk management. The review highlights considerable improvements on many levels, in particular (1) an increased consideration of flood hazards in spatial planning and urban development, (2) comprehensive property-level mitigation and preparedness measures, (3) more effective flood warnings and improved coordination of disaster response, and (4) a more targeted maintenance of flood defense systems. In 2013, this led to more effective flood management and to a reduction of damage. Nevertheless, important aspects remain unclear and need to be clarified. This particularly holds for balanced and coordinated strategies for reducing and overcoming the impacts of flooding in large catchments, cross-border and interdisciplinary cooperation, the role of the general public in the different phases of flood risk management, as well as a transparent risk transfer system. Recurring flood events reveal that flood risk management is a continuous task. Hence, risk drivers, such as climate change, land-use changes, economic developments, or demographic change and the resultant risks must be investigated at regular intervals, and risk reduction strategies and processes must be reassessed as well as adapted and implemented in a dialogue with all stakeholders.

U.S. wildfire governance as social-ecological problem

There are fundamental spatial and temporal disconnects between the specific policies that have been crafted to address our wildfire challenges. The biophysical changes in fuels, wildfire behavior, and climate have created a new set of conditions for which our wildfire governance system is poorly suited to address. To address these challenges, a reorientation of goals is needed to focus on creating an anticipatory wildfire governance system focused on social and ecological resilience. Key characteristics of this system could include the following: (1) not taking historical patterns as givens; (2) identifying future social and ecological thresholds of concern; (3) embracing diversity/heterogeneity as principles in ecological and social responses; and (4) incorporating learning among different scales of actors to create a scaffolded learning system.

Développement et expérimentation d'algorithmes de réorientation pour un robot sériel en chute libre

Ce mémoire présente 2 types de méthodes pour effectuer la réorientation d’un robot sériel en chute libre en utilisant les mouvements internes de celui-ci. Ces mouvements sont prescrits à partir d’algorithmes de planification de trajectoire basés sur le modèle dynamique du robot. La première méthode tente de réorienter le robot en appliquant une technique d’optimisation locale fonctionnant avec une fonction potentielle décrivant l’orientation du système, et la deuxième méthode applique des fonctions sinusoïdales aux articulations pour réorienter le robot. Pour tester les performances des méthodes en simulation, on tente de réorienter le robot pour une configuration initiale et finale identiques où toutes les membrures sont alignées mais avec le robot ayant complété une rotation de 180 degrés sur lui-même. Afin de comparer les résultats obtenus avec la réalité, un prototype de robot sériel plan flottant possédant trois membrures et deux liaisons rotoïdes est construit. Les expérimentations effectuées montrent que le prototype est capable d’atteindre les réorientations prescrites si peu de perturbations extérieures sont présentes et ce, même si le contrôle de l’orientation est effectué en boucle ouverte.

L'orientation et la propriété de mémoire de forme des polymères cristallins liquides à chaînes latérales covalents et supramoléculaires

In many studies of the side-chain liquid crystalline polymers (SCLCPs) bearing azobenzene mesogens as pendant groups, obtaining the orientation of azobenzene mesogens at a macroscopic scale as well as its control is important, because it impacts many properties related to the cooperative motion characteristic of liquid crystals and the trans-cis photoisomerization of the azobenzene molecules. Various means can be used to align the mesogens in the polymers, including rubbed surface, mechanical stretching or shearing, and electric or magnetic field. In the case of azobenzene-containing SCLCPs, another method consists in using linearly polarized light (LPL) to induce orientation of azobenzene mesogens perpendicular to the polarization direction of the excitation light, and such photoinduced orientation has been the subject of numerous studies. In the first study realized in this thesis (Chapter 1), we carried out the first systematic investigation on the interplay of the mechanically and optically induced orientation of azobenzene mesogens as well as the effect of thermal annealing in a SCLCP and a diblock copolymer comprising two SCLCPs bearing azobenzene and biphenyl mesogens, respectively. Using a supporting-film approach previously developed by our group, a given polymer film can be first stretched in either the nematic or smectic phase to yield orientation of azobenzene mesogens either parallel or perpendicular to the strain direction, then exposed to unpolarized UV light to erase the mechanically induced orientation upon the trans–cis isomerization, followed by linearly polarized visible light for photoinduced reorientation as a result of the cis–trans backisomerization, and finally heated to different LC phases for thermal annealing. Using infrared dichroism to monitor the change in orientation degree, the results of this study have unveiled complex and different orientational behavior and coupling effects for the homopolymer of poly{6-[4-(4-methoxyphenylazo)phenoxy]hexyl methacrylate} (PAzMA) and the diblock copolymer of PAzMA-block- poly{6-[4-(4-cyanophenyl) phenoxy]hexyl methacrylate} (PAzMA-PBiPh). Most notably for the homopolymer, the stretching-induced orientation exerts no memory effect on the photoinduced reorientation, the direction of which is determined by the polarization of the visible light regardless of the mechanically induced orientation direction in the stretched film. Moreover, subsequent thermal annealing in the nematic phase leads to parallel orientation independently of the initial mechanically or photoinduced orientation direction. By contrast, the diblock copolymer displays a strong orientation memory effect. Regardless of the condition used, either for photoinduced reorientation or thermal annealing in the liquid crystalline phase, only the initial stretching-induced perpendicular orientation of azobenzene mesogens can be recovered. The reported findings provide new insight into the different orientation mechanisms, and help understand the important issue of orientation induction and control in azobenzene-containing SCLCPs. The second study presented in this thesis (Chapter 2) deals with supramolecular side-chain liquid crystalline polymers (S-SCLCPs), in which side-group mesogens are linked to the chain backbone through non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding. Little is known about the mechanically induced orientation of mesogens in S-SCLCPs. In contrast to covalent SCLCPs, free-standing, solution-cast thin films of a S-SCLCP, built up with 4-(4’-heptylphenyl) azophenol (7PAP) H-bonded to poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (P4VP), display excellent stretchability. Taking advantage of this finding, we investigated the stretching-induced orientation and the viscoelastic behavior of this S-SCLCP, and the results revealed major differences between supramolecular and covalent SCLCPs. For covalent SCLCPs, the strong coupling between chain backbone and side-group mesogens means that the two constituents can mutually influence each other; the lack of chain entanglements is a manifestation of this coupling effect, which accounts for the difficulty in obtaining freestanding and mechanically stretchable films. Upon elongation of a covalent SCLCP film cast on a supporting film, the mechanical force acts on the coupled polymer backbone and mesogenic side groups, and the latter orients cooperatively and efficiently (high orientation degree), which, in turn, imposes an anisotropic conformation of the chain backbone (low orientation degree). In the case of the S-SCLCP of P4VP-7PAP, the coupling between the side-group mesogens and the chain backbone is much weakened owing to the dynamic dissociation/association of the H-bonds linking the two constituents. The consequence of this decoupling is readily observable from the viscoelastic behavior. The average molecular weight between entanglements is basically unchanged in both the smectic and isotropic phase, and is similar to non-liquid crystalline samples. As a result, the S-SCLCP can easily form freestanding and stretchable films. Furthermore, the stretching induced orientation behavior of P4VP-7PAP is totally different. Stretching in the smectic phase results in a very low degree of orientation of the side-group mesogens even at a large strain (500%), while the orientation of the main chain backbone develops steadily with increasing the strain, much the same way as amorphous polymers. The results imply that upon stretching, the mechanical force is mostly coupled to the polymer backbone and leads to its orientation, while the main chain orientation exerts little effect on orienting the H-bonded mesogenic side groups. This surprising finding is explained by the likelihood that during stretching in the smectic phase (at relatively higher temperatures) the dynamic dissociation of the H-bonds allow the side-group mesogens to be decoupled from the chain backbone and relax quickly. In the third project (Chapter 3), we investigated the shape memory properties of a S-SCLCP prepared by tethering two azobenzene mesogens, namely, 7PAP and 4-(4'-ethoxyphenyl) azophenol (2OPAP), to P4VP through H-bonding. The results revealed that, despite the dynamic nature of the linking H-bonds, the supramolecular SCLCP behaves similarly to covalent SCLCP by exhibiting a two-stage thermally triggered shape recovery process governed by both the glass transition and the LC-isotropic phase transition. The ability for the supramolecular SCLCP to store part of the strain energy above T[subscript g] in the LC phase enables the triple-shape memory property. Moreover, thanks to the azobenzene mesogens used, which can undergo trans-cis photoisomerization, exposure the supramolecular SCLCP to UV light can also trigger the shape recovery process, thus enabling the remote activation and the spatiotemporal control of the shape memory. By measuring the generated contractile force and its removal upon turning on and off the UV light, respectively, on an elongated film under constant strain, it seems that the optically triggered shape recovery stems from a combination of a photothermal effect and an effect of photoplasticization or of an order-disorder phase transition resulting from the trans-cis photoisomerization of azobenzene mesogens.

Narrativa autobiográfica: relatos de vida marcados pela fobia escolar de um aluno

Trabalho de projeto apresentado à Escola Superior de Educação de Paula Frassinetti, para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Educação, Especialização em Supervisão Pedagógica

Influence of applied uniaxial stress upon the ultraviolet absorption bands in KBr and KI

The influence of uniaxial stress upon three types of imperfections occurring in the alkali halide crystal lattice has been investigated. The imperfections are the interstitial atom, the interstitial ion, and the negative ion vacancy. The interstitial atom, or H center, is a paraelastic defect which assumes a preferential crystal orientation in the field of an external mechanical stress. From the results of the reorientation kinetics - studies, it was possible to show that H centers are not stable in the KBr crystal lattice above 2SoK. At temperatures higher than 2SoK, the H centers are transformed into two new paraelastic defects, H(ii) and H(iii), possessing the same optical absorption band as the H center but differing both from the H' center and from each other in their reorientation kinetics. A study of the wavelength dependence of the H, H(ii), and VI (Na+) centers s~owed the 'existence of three similar-polarized transitions for each of these defects. One of these transitions, located at 230 run for all of the defects studied, was determined to be too high in energy to be explained by the simple X2 - level scheme. In addition, a comparison of various properties of the four defects indicates that the last three can be described as perturbed H centers. Dichroism measurements, performed as a function of temperature and wavelengt, h on the 230-nm I band in KBr, showed this band to be a composite of a band at 234 nm due to the I center and a band at 230 nm attributed to the H center. The I center dichroism was isolated and was observed under various experimental conditions. The results of these observations are consistent with a body-centered model for the I center in which the I-center absorption band is attributed to the excitation of a p-like electron on the interstitial Br- ion. Similar measurements were also perfonned on the a band in KI. The a-band dichroism measurements were found to be consistent with an electronic transition from an s-like ground state to a p-like excited state, indicating that the a center is best described as a quasi-molecule.

Propostas de gestão participativa para o desenvolvimento sustentável dos recursos naturais e biodiversidade de Santa Maria

Os Açores reúnem nove ilhas com singularidades peculiares em termos paisagísticos, arquitetónicos e riqueza dos seus recursos naturais. Este panorama levanta contudo grandes desafios de sustentabilidade, de entre eles a reorientação de estratégias, atendendo à especificidade da região (segundo os objetivos à escala nacional em sede da Estratégia Nacional Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ENDS)). No caso da Ilha de Santa Maria (SMA), pequena ilha em que as estratégias tendem a ser ignoradas, a participação da população e dos dirigentes locais é minorada por interesses económicos desvinculados do desenvolvimento sustentável (DS). Para inverter esta situação é necessário conhecer para preservar, proteger para conservar, planificar e orientar os comportamentos e atitudes visando a sustentabilidade dos recursos naturais (RN) da ilha. Aplicando uma metodologia que conjugou os métodos quantitativos e qualitativos, com uma componente prática, utilizando um método de amostragem não casual dirigida, não probabilística com um método de amostragem por clusters, agrupado em grupos (workshop, séniores e jovens), pretendeu-se descrever os conhecimentos, as práticas e as perceções sobre a gestão dos RN’s, DS e instrumentos de gestão territorial (IGT’s). Os resultados mostram que os conhecimentos, práticas e perceções dos diferentes grupos são insuficientes no que respeita ao conhecimento dos conceitos e dimensões do DS (independentemente das idades ou habilitações literárias), verificando-se contudo melhorias, por vezes significativas, após as ações de sensibilização e educação. É imperativo continuar o esforço de valorização dos RN’s, envolvendo a população nas estratégias de conservação, objetivando uma proposta orientadora e participada numa visão para sustentabilidade da Ilha (SMA). Recomenda-se uma proposta de modelo de Estratégia DS dos recursos naturais e biodiversidade para SMA e diversas propostas de ações para colocar em prática essa estratégia como desenvolvimentos futuros.

Plano de marketing: uma proposta para o hospital do açúcar

O estudo realizado aborda a temática "Plano de marketing: uma proposta para o Hospital do Açúcar", com direção norteadora para efetuar uma avaliação diagnóstica das atividades da Fundação Hospital da Agroindústria do Açúcar e do Álcool de Alagoas, visando proporcionar uma radiografia de sua situação e, posteriormente, plano estratégico para o desenvolvimento de um processo de gestão eficiente e eficaz. Justifica-se o presente estudo tendo em vista a importância da unidade hospitalar para o Estado de Alagoas, considerando-se sua infra¬estrutura, seus serviços prestados à comunidade alagoana, bem como possibilitar uma reorientação estratégica que possibilite otimizar suas atividades para um atendimento qualitativo e manutenção de suas atividades de forma eficiente e eficaz. Objetiva efetuar uma análise do complexo organizacional da instituição, radiografando seus pontos fortes e fracos, suas oportunidades e riscos, enfim levantando a realidade de suas atividades possibilitando a estruturação de um plano estratégico de marketing que propicie um melhor posicionamento de mercado ao hospital e que defina objetivos e metas e ser alcançados a partir da identificação de oportunidades ambientais e empresariais compatíveis com seus recursos humanos e materiais, também, levando, em consideração os seus fins a sua finalidade filantrópica, respaldada por lei. Metodologicamente, a pesquisa foi desenvolvida de natureza exploratória, objetivando proporcionar maiores informações sobre o assunto; e bibliográfica, tendo como objetivo conhecer, recolher, selecionar, analisar e interpretar as contribuições teóricas já existentes sobre o assunto. No primeiro capítulo abordará o marketing e o plano de marketing, seus conceitos e aplicações, a visualização e aplicação do marketing de serviços, a modalidade do marketing para instituições sem fins lucrativos, até chegar na estrutura e elaboração do plano de marketing. No segundo capítulo aborda o contexto do Hospital do Açúcar e Álcool de Alagoas, conceitos e definições acerca da organização hospitalar, uma abordagem histórica acerca da instituição estudada, a sua estrutura organizacional, a infraestrutura, os recursos e a realidade organizacional. No terceiro capítulo é efetuada demonstração da metodologia aplicada, considerando as duas etapas de estudo realizadas. No quarto capítulo foi efetuado uma abordagem analítica acerca do planeamento de marketing da Fundação Hospital do Açúcar, a partir da realidade encontrada, da análise de SWOT, da estratégia de marketing mix, do segmento alvo, posicionamento e tipo de concorrentes, e do plano de ação. As razões pessoas que levaram a realização do presente estudo se deve ao fato da importância da Fundação Hospital do Açúcar para o Estado de Alagoas, bem como para a população carente e consumidora dos serviços hospitalares, tendo em vista representar uma instituição tradicional e historicamente fincada na localidade, merecendo, portanto, maior atenção das autoridades e sociedade em geral. ABSTRACT; The carried through study it approaches the thematic "Marketing plan: a proposal for the Hospital of the Sugar", with norteadora direction to effect a diagnostic evaluation of the activities of the Foundation Sugar and Alcohol Hospital of Alagoas, being aimed to provide an x-ray of its situation and, later, a strategical plan for the development of a process of efficient and efficient management. The present study in view of the importance of the hospital unit for the State of Alagoas is justified, considering itself its infrastructure, its services given to the Algona community, as well as making possible a strategical reorientation that it makes possible to optimize its activities for a qualitative attendance and maintenance of its activities of efficient and efficient form. Aiming to carry out an analysis of this institution complex of the institution, being radiographed its strong and weak points, its chances and risks, at last raising the reality of its activities making possible the structure of a strategical plan in the market that propitiates one better positioning of market for the hospital and that it defines reached objectives and goals and being from the identification of compatible ambient and enterprise chances with its human resources and material, also, taking, in consideration its ends its philanthropic purpose, endorsed by law. Methodologically, the research was developed of exploratory nature, aiming to provide greaters information on the subject; bibliographical collect, to select, to analyze and theoretical contributions. ln the first chapter it will approach the marketing and the plan of marketing, its concepts and applications, the visualization and application of the marketing services, the modality of the marketing for institutions without lucrative ends, until arriving in the structure and elaboration of the marketing plan. ln as the chapter it approaches the context of the Sugar and Alcohol Hospital of Alagoas, concepts and definitions concerning the hospital organization, a historical boarding concerning the studied institution, its organizational structure, the infrastructure, the resources and the organizational reality. ln the third chapter demonstration of the applied methodology is effected, considering the two carried through stages of study. ln the room chapter an analytical boarding concerning the planning of marketing of the Foundation wich effected the Hospital of the Sugar, from the found reality, of the analysis of SWOT, the strategy of marketing mix, the white segment, positioning and type of competitors, and the plan of action. The reasons people who had taken the accomplishment of the present study to the fact of the importance of the Foundation Sugar and Alcohol Hospital of Alagoas, as well as for the devoid population and consumer of the hospital services, in view of representing a traditional institution and historicamente fincada in the locality, deserving, therefore, greater attention of the authorities and society in general.

Les consultants face aux défis d’implantation de la Réforme du Secteur de la Sécurité (RSS)

Travail dirigé présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales en vue de l’obtention du grade de Maître ès sciences (M. SC.) en Criminologie, option Sécurité Intérieure

Les consultants face aux défis d’implantation de la Réforme du Secteur de la Sécurité (RSS)

Travail dirigé présenté à la Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales en vue de l’obtention du grade de Maître ès sciences (M. SC.) en Criminologie, option Sécurité Intérieure

"Dime qué te enseñan y te diré en lo que crees": conceptualizaciones y percepciones estudiantiles sobre la democracia a partir de las experiencias suscitadas por las prácticas de formación democrática adelantadas en un colegio público de Bogotá.

La década de los años 90 fue un periodo de grandes transformaciones a nivel económico, social y político en Colombia. Una de las transformaciones más significativas en el ámbito educativo tuvo que ver con la introducción en la escuela de una serie de prácticas destinadas a garantizar la formación democrática de los ciudadanos; todo esto con el propósito de consolidar en la sociedad una serie de hábitos, valores y prácticas acordes con el nuevo orden social instaurado y amparado por la Constitución Política de 1991. Pese a los esfuerzos legislativos y estatales por promover la democracia en el entorno escolar, las prácticas adelantadas en las instituciones educativas no han logrado responder efectivamente al objetivo de consolidar un ambiente democrático en la escuela y en la sociedad en general, razón por la cual, en este trabajo se realiza un análisis de la manera como una institución educativa en particular, asume y pone en marcha las propuestas democráticas formuladas legalmente, las tensiones suscitadas por la introducción de la propuesta democrática en la escuela, además de las conceptualizaciones sobre la democracia que dichas prácticas contribuyen a configurar y las cuales dan forma a los imaginarios, acciones y discursos cotidianos de estudiantes y docentes específicamente.