Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Correlation methodology'

Digital Image Correlation is used to generate high-spatial-density full-field displacement
and strain data of a connection box outer diameter for use in the calibration of finite element
make-up models. Image acquisition and data processing techniques are discussed and best
practice recommendations are made. 3D-wedge models consisting of a twenty-degree sweep of
the connection geometry are generated from manufacturer supplied profiles. Deformation
plasticity material models are developed from identified minimum strength material coupons.
Axisymmetric and 3D meshing schemes are used to capture the geometric complexity, supply
enough resolution to represent seal performance, and provide a solution in an acceptable
timeframe. Several techniques for achieving good contact resolution are presented. The
mechanics of the full 3D connection makeup are decomposed into simple idealized
representations. Finite element boundary conditions are developed to adequately represent the
360-degree make-up mechanics in a wedge section. The wedge model is loaded to achieve a
torque-rotation coupling which satisfies the experimental make-up conditions. This model
displays a much improved ability to capture box outer diameter strain and displacement fields,
and thus better represents the mechanics of a connection make-up. A 3D inspired axisymmetric
pretension loading scheme is developed which enables the 3D-wedge seal conditions to be
replicated in a computationally efficient axisymmetric form for connection performance
evaluation. Seal metrics are developed and converged to evaluate connection sealing capabilities
in the power-tight configuration. Modeling error metrics are developed, and the final 3D-wedge
model is evaluated relative to the experimental DIC data.
Master of Science

Beboeliga städer är i frontlinjen i arkitekters och stadsdesigners arbete och beboeliga gator är en stor och viktig del av var stadslivet sker. Studerandet av befintliga gator och livet på dem, en del av urban morfologins forskningsområde, skulle kunna få fram aspekter som kommer att utveckla designprocessen. Den här avhandlingen föreslår en metod som syftar till att bidra till en bättre förståelse av hur vi upplever gatumiljöer. Det är ett försök att analysera och kvantifiera rytmer som uppstår genom vår dagliga livsupplevelse längs gatorna. Mönstren i elementen i vår byggda miljö bidrar till skapandet av sådana urbana rytmer. Metoden består av en kartläggningsprocess för datainsamling och en matematisk modell som analyserar data och ger kvantitativa resultat vilka används som jämförande index för korrelation av mönster längs fasaderna på utvalda gator. Metoden testas på ett urval av tre gator i Stockholms stad. Resultaten av testet anses vara tillfredsställande för att tekniken kan anses vara funktionell. Testet begränsar sig dock till fysiska, synliga element. Därför skulle metodens bidrag vara mer värdefullt i ett bredare sammanhang samt i kombination med metoder och data av en mer inkluderande studie - vilket kommer att ge en större helhetsanalys. Huvudhinder för metodens implementering är dels bristen på information om samband mellan befintliga mönster och urbana spatiala kvaliteter och även de ineffektiva tillvägagångssätten att kartlägga mönster i stor skala. Tekniska framsteg och ytterligare forskning kan emellertid skapa en god grund för vidare utveckling.
Livable cities are in the frontline of the work of architects and urban designers and livable streets occupy a large and important part of where city life happens. The study of existing streets and the life on them, a part of urban morphology's field of research, could bring light to aspects that will evolve the design process. This thesis suggests a method that aims to contribute to a better understanding of how we experience street environments. It is an effort to analyze and quantify the rhythms that occur through our every day life experience along the streetscapes. The patterns of our built environment's elements contribute to the creation of such urban rhythms. The method is comprised by a mapping process for data collection and a mathematical model which analyzes the data and provides with quantitative results that are used as comparative indexes for the correlation of patterns along the facades of selected paths. The method is tested on a sample of three paths in the city of Stockholm. The results of the test are considered satisfying for the technique to be considered functional. The test, though, limits itself to physical, perceptible objects. Therefore, the method's contribution would be more valuable inside a broader context and in combination with methods and data of a more inclusive study, which will provide a more holistic analysis. Main obstacles for the method's implementation are the lack of information about connection of existing patterns to urban space qualities and the inefficient ways of mapping patterns in a large scale. However, technological advancements and further research might create a fertile ground for development.

This research aimed to study the correlation between customer satisfaction and service quality in the hotel business. It also outlines the significance of understanding customer satisfaction and how customers distinguish service delivery. Customers have changed prospects based on their consideration of service or product quality. This factor is an indication that a customer determines the quality of service in the hotel industry. Also, the five-dimensional aspects of service quality (empathy, reliability, tangibles, responsiveness, and service assurance) impact service quality and customer satisfaction. This research empirically studied the connection between service quality and customer satisfaction in Best Western Princess Hotel in Norrköping, Sweden. Out of the 100 questionnaires sent to respondents, a total of 80 questionnaires were returned. This data, therefore, formed the basis for our analysis. The study entailed the use of qualitative descriptive research. Open-ended questionnaires were used for data collection. The statistics were coded and analysed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software. The study also contains appropriate recommendations similar to conclusions regarding the research problem. Evaluation of the outcomes shows that responsiveness, empathy, assurance, and reliability significantly influence customer satisfaction hence determining the nature of services provided. This research indicates a close correlation between service quality, the five-dimensional aspects, and customer satisfaction.

This thesis describes the design, maintenance and statistical analysis involved in undertaking a Longitudinal Survey. A longitudinal survey (or study) obtains observations or responses from individuals over several times over a defined period. This enables the direct study of changes in an individual's response over time. In particular, it distinguishes an individual's change over time from the baseline differences among individuals within the initial panel (or cohort). This is not possible in a cross-sectional study. As such, longitudinal surveys give correlated responses within individuals. Longitudinal studies therefore require different considerations for sample design and selection and analysis from standard cross-sectional studies. This thesis looks at the methodology for analysing social surveys. Most social surveys comprise of variables described as categorical variables. This thesis outlines the process of sample design and selection, interviewing and analysis for a longitudinal study. Emphasis is given to categorical response data typical of a survey. Included in this thesis are examples relating to the Goodna Longitudinal Survey and the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia (LSIA). Analysis in this thesis also utilises data collected from these surveys. The Goodna Longitudinal Survey was conducted by the Queensland Office of Economic and Statistical Research (a portfolio office within Queensland Treasury) and began in 2002. It ran for two years whereby two waves of responses were collected.

Due to lack of soil sampling during a conventional cone penetration testing (CPT), it is necessary to classify soils based on recorded tip and sleeve friction and pore pressure (if available) values. However, currently available soil classification models are based on deterministic and judgemental determination of soil classification boundaries which do not address the uncertainties intristic to the problem. Moreover, size and quality of databases used in the development of these soil classification models are undocumented and thus questionable. Similar limitations do also exist in the development of SPT-CPT correlations which are widely used in SPT dominated design such as soil liquefaction triggering. To eliminate these discussed limitations, within the confines of this study it is attempted to present (1) a new probabilistic CPT- based soil classification methodology, and (2) new SPT-CPT correlations which address the uncertainties intrinsic to the problems. For these purposes, a database composed of 400 CPT/SPT boring data pairs was compiled. It is intended to develop probabilistic models, which will correlate CPT tip and sleeve friction values to actual soil classification and CPT tip resistance to SPT blow count N. The new set of correlations, model parameters of which estimated by implementing maximum likelihood methodology, presented herein are judged to represent a robust and defensible basis for (1) prediction of soil type based on CPT data and, (2) estimation of SPT-N value for given CPT data.

The purpose of this thesis is to test the Q method applied in discursive analysis in public policy. The author will carry out research using available scientific literature dealing with the method and prepare a case study whose purpose will be to test the reliability of the method Q in a practical case. Promoters of the Q method argue that the uniqueness of the method rests in its resistance to the subjective influence of the researcher. The purpose of this work is therefore a practical verification of to what extent may the researcher's subjective stance at the selection of the default set of statements reflect on the overall result of the analysis.

Abstract Methods for tephrochronology are evaluated, in the following way: Lake sediments <500 years old from three small Antarctic lakes were analysed for identification of tephras. Subsamples were analysed for a) grain size, and identification and concentration of volcanogenic grains, b) identification of tephra horizons, c) element abundance by EPMA WDS/EDS and LA-ICP-MS, and d) possible correlations between lakes and volcanoes. Volcanogenic minerals and shards were found all through the sediment cores in all three lakes, in different abundances. A high background population of volcanogenic mineral grains, in all samples, made the identification of tephra horizons difficult, and shards could only be distinguished by certainty after chemical analysis of elements. The tephra layers commonly could not be seen by the naked eye, and, hence they are regarded as cryptotephras. Because of the small size of recent eruptions in the research area, and the travel distance of ash, most shards are small and difficult to analyse. Nine possible tephra horizons have been recorded in the three lakes, and preliminary correlations have been made. But because of analytical problems, the proposed correlations between the lakes and possible volcanic sources are preliminary.

Atomic physics plays an important role in determining the evolution stages in a wide range of laboratory and cosmic plasmas. Therefore, the main contribution to our ability to model, infer and control plasma sources is the knowledge of underlying atomic processes. Of particular importance are reliable low temperature dielectronic recombination (DR) rate coefficients.

This thesis provides systematically calculated DR rate coefficients of lithium-like beryllium and sodium ions via ∆n = 0 doubly excited resonant states. The calculations are based on complex-scaled relativistic many-body perturbation theory in an all-order formulation within the single- and double-excitation coupled-cluster scheme, including radiative corrections.

Comparison of DR resonance parameters (energy levels, autoionization widths, radiative transition probabilities and strengths) between our theoretical predictions and the heavy-ion storage rings experiments (CRYRING-Stockholm and TSRHeidelberg) shows good agreement.

The intruder state problem is a principal obstacle for general application of the coupled-cluster formalism on doubly excited states. Thus, we have developed a technique designed to avoid the intruder state problem. It is based on a convenient partitioning of the Hilbert space and reformulation of the conventional set of pairequations. The general aspects of this development are discussed, and the effectiveness of its numerical implementation (within the non-relativistic framework) is selectively illustrated on autoionizing doubly excited states of helium.

Multiple regression models play an important role in analyzing and making predictions about data. Prediction accuracy becomes lower when two or more explanatory variables in the model are highly correlated. One solution is to use ridge regression. The purpose of this thesis is to study the performance of available ridge regression estimators for Poisson regression models in the presence of moderately to highly correlated variables. As performance criteria, we use mean square error (MSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and percentage of times the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator produces a higher MSE than the ridge regression estimator. A Monte Carlo simulation study was conducted to compare performance of the estimators under three experimental conditions: correlation, sample size, and intercept. It is evident from simulation results that all ridge estimators performed better than the ML estimator. We proposed new estimators based on the results, which performed very well compared to the original estimators. Finally, the estimators are illustrated using data on recreational habits.

Sambandsanalys av surveydata kompliceras av förekomsten av slumpfel och metodeffekter i de avgivna svaren. Dessa felkällor kan leda till betydande över- eller underskattning av sambanden mellan undersökta variabler, och riskerar att leda till felaktiga slutsatser. En sedan länge känd metod för att estimera och kontrollera för slumpfel och metodeffekter i enkätdata är den så kallade Multitrait Multimethod-metoden (MTMM). Nackdelen med MTMM-metoden är att den kräver att varje fråga som ska analyseras ställs minst tre gånger i samma enkät, vilket gör att ansatsen i praktiken oftast inte är möjlig att tillämpa. Sedan 2012 finns dock ett verktyg, SQP 2.0, som gör det möjligt att skatta slumpfel och metodeffekter i enkätdata utan att genomföra MTMM-experiment. Den här uppsatsen utvärderar prediktionerna från SQP 2.0 på en enkät om arbetslivsrelaterade frågor besvarad av svenska och brittiska respondenter. Programvarans prediktioner jämförs med resultat från MTMM-experiment, och effekten på sambandsanalysen av att tillämpa SQP-programvarans prediktioner av slumpfel och metodeffekter studeras. Slutsatserna från studien är att SQP 2.0 ger predicerade värden för slumpfel och metod-effekter som ligger nära de MTMM-estimerade i de flesta fall, men att betydande avvikelser också förekommer. Vidare konstateras att korrigering för slumpfel och metodeffekter har en betydande effekt på absolutvärdet av korrelationerna mellan variabler under de studerande förhållandena: korrelationerna i det studerade fallet ökar kraftigt efter justering. Korrelationernas relativa storlek förändras i mindre utsträckning, men för en enkät med mer varierade frågetyper kan också dessa påverkas kraftigt.
Correlation analysis of survey data is complicated by the presence of random errors and method effects in the answers given. These factors can lead to significant over- or underestimation of the correlations between variables. A well-established method for estimating and controlling for random error and method effects in survey data is the Multitrait-Multimethod (MTMM) approach. The disadvantage of this method is that it requires that each survey item to be analysed is asked multiple times in the same survey, making the approach hard to use in many practical situations. Since 2012 there is a tool available, SQP 2.0, to predict random errors and method effects in survey data without performing MTMM experiments. This paper evaluates the use of predictions from the SQP 2.0 software on the correlation analysis of a survey of work related matters answered by Swedish and British respondents. The software's predictions are compared with results from MTMM experiments, and the effect on the correlations of applying the SQP software's predictions of random errors and method effects are studied. The conclusion of the study is that SQP 2.0 gives predicted values for random error and method effects that are close to the MTMM-estimates in most cases, but that considerable deviations also occur. It is further concluded that controlling for random error and method effects has a significant effect on the absolute values of the correlations between variables in the studied cases: the correlations in the study increase substantially after adjustment. The relative sizes of the correlations between variables change to a lesser extent, but a questionnaire with more varied question types may have lead to different results in this respect.

As novas biotecnologias em reprodução, como a transferência de embriões e a fecundação in vitro, de certo modo, despertaram nos produtores e pesquisadores da área de melhoramento animal o interesse na seleção de fêmeas, antes pouco explorada dada a grande ênfase empregada na seleção e avaliação de reprodutores machos. A cada ano é percebido que a pecuária de corte funciona como uma empresa e, como tal, deve-se preocupar com todos os detalhes e não enfocando apenas um, como o mais importante, e é com isso que o Programa de Melhoramento Genético da Raça Nelore (PMGRN-USP) estuda cada vez mais um número maior de características como, stayability e suas possíveis aplicações à seleção das vacas Nelore, pois tem grande importância econômica. Com o objetivo de analisar a característica stayability sob enfoque Bayesiano, em registros de produção de vacas da raça Nelore, inicialmente foram implementados dois tamanhos de cadeia de Gibbs (225 ou 550 mil), dois períodos de descarte amostral (25 ou 50 mil) e duas formas de tomadas de amostra (a cada 1000 ou 250 rodadas). Os registros foram codificados como 0 (fracasso, ou menos de três partos até os 6 anos de idade) ou 1 (sucesso, ou pelo menos três partos até os 6 anos de idade) e os arquivos sofreram restrição ou não para NEP (Número Efetivo de Progênie), para número de touros dentro do grupo de contemporâneos (GC) e exclusão de grupos inteiros com média para a característica igual a 0 ou 1 (ou seja, sem variabilidade dentro do GC). Testaram-se três definições para GC. Utilizou-se o software MTGSAM for threshold (Multiple-Trait Gibbs Sampler for Animal Models), sob modelo unicaráter de touro-avô materno, para obtenção de componentes de (co)variância, estimativas de herdabilidade e soluções para cada touro (que originam as Diferenças Esperadas na Progênie - DEPs). As análises resultaram em amostras com baixa correlação serial, mostraram pequenas diferenças entre as estimativas pontuais de herdabilidade e alta correlação de rank para as DEPs dos 4180 touros avaliados. Adotou-se a implementação tamanho da cadeia/descarte amostral/amostragem como 225mil/25mil/1000 para as análises subseqüentes. A comparação entre estimativas de herdabilidade obtidas sob modelo de limiar e sob modelo linear não mostrou vantagens do primeiro, sendo que análises sob modelo linear, que têm reduzido tempo de processamento, poderiam ser preferidas quando houver muitos registros de produção, bastando transformar as estimativas de herdabilidade para escala subjacente. As comparações, sob modelo linear ajustadas para escala subjacente, entre a stayability padrão (0 ou 1) e a alternativa (considerando o número de partos até os seis anos de idade para aquelas vacas antes codificadas com valor 1), mostraram que podem ocorrer alterações na classificação de um número significativo de touros avaliados, mesmo sendo nas posições intermediárias do rank, talvez pela ligeira capacidade da característica alternativa em detectar variabilidade entre touros. Classificaram-se os 4180 touros em ordem decrescente e foram estudadas as genealogias dos 42 melhores (também chamados de TOP 1% ou aqueles que apresentam DEP para stayability superior a 57,6%) para identificar famílias importantes e avaliar a variabilidade genética da stayability. Além do touro Karvadi Imp. (essencialmente presente como avô, bisavô ou tataravô das mães dos touros TOP1%), outros genearcas com grande representatividade entre os TOP1% foram os touros Godhavari Imp. (via Kurupathy e Neofito), Rolex (via Cardeal), Rastã e Falo da BV (estes últimos pela via materna).
The new reproduction technologies like embryo transfer and in vitro fertilization brought to animal breeding researchers, and producers, a growing interest in the selection of females, which was a subject not well explored before, when the focus used to be only on evaluation and selection of males. The beef cattle industry is becoming more competitive each year, and the producers must think about all the aspects and details that can affect the production process. The PMGRN-USP (Nelore Breeding Program of the São Paulo University) studies a large number of traits to be used as selection criteria. Among these traits, there is stayability, which has a great economic importance. The aim of this project was to analyze the trait stayability, with a Bayesian approach, in a Nelore cattle population. Firstly, the implementation used two lengths of Gibbs chain (225 or 550 thousand), two periods of burn-in (25 or 50 thousand) and two thinning intervals (at each 1000 or 250 rounds). The cows were classified as 0 (failure, or less than three calves until six years of age), or 1 (success, or at least 3 calves until six years of age). The data were, or were not, restricted for NEP (Effective Number of Progeny), for number of sires in the contemporary group (GC), and for lack of variability in the contemporary group. Three different definitions of GC were tested. The software MTGSAM for threshold (Multiple-Trait Gibbs Sampler for Animal Models) was used, under an univariate sire-maternal grandsire model to get the (co)variance components, the heritability estimate and the solutions to each sire (that are used to get the Expected Progeny Differences - EPD). The results showed a low serial correlation in the samples, small differences among heritability estimates and a high rank correlation among the EPD estimates of the 4180 sires evaluated. The implementation 225000/25000/1000 was adopted to the subsequent analysis. The comparison between the heritability estimates obtained under the threshold model and the linear model didn’t show any advantage to the first. The analysis under linear models could be preferred because of its reduced processing time in large data sets, needing only a transformation of the heritability estimates to the underlying scale. The comparisons, under linear model adjusted to the underlying scale, between the standard stayalility (0 or 1) and the alternative (obtained from the perception of the fertility differences among the cows classified as 1) showed a variation in the position of a considerable number of sires in the rank, maybe because the alternative trait gets some additional variation among sires. 4180 sires were classified in a rank and the genealogies of the 42 best sires (or TOP 1%, or the ones with stayability EPD greater than 57,6%) were studied to identify major families and evaluate the genetic variation of stayability. Besides of Karvardi Imp (a bull very present as an ascendant (2, 3 or 4 generations) of the dams of the TOP1% sires), another founder sires with influence among the TOP1% were Godhavari Imp (via Kurupathy and Neofito), Rolex (via Cardeal), Rastã, and Falo da BV (the last two via maternal).

Uporednom analizom elemenata psihodrame i socidrame s jedne i filmske metodologije reditelja Želimira Žilnika sa druge strane, u ovom radu ukazano je na funkcionalnu korelaciju poreĊenih disciplina. Evidentna srodnost psihodrame i sociodrame sa metodologijom rada na filmu upućuje na mogućnost njihove metodološke interakcije, ĉime se ujedno i proširuje polje paradigmatskih okvira u metodološkoj praksi filmskog stvaralaštva. Strukturu rada čini osam poglavlja. U teorijskom delu dat je pregled ključnih načela i metodoloških koncepata psihodrame i sociodrame, zatim su razmatrane metodološke osnove specifiĉnog filmskog podţanra dokudrame. U prvom delu istraţivanja analiziran je autentični filmski jezik Želimira Žilnika najizrazitijeg predstavnika dokudramskog pravca kod nas, a potom su u drugom delu izvedeni zaključci o dominantnim korelativnim elementima poređenih metodologija. Ključno zapažanje koje proističe iz sprovedene komparacije ukazuje na evidentno postojanje psihodramskih i sociodramskih elemenata u specifiĉnoj metodologiji Želimira Žilnika kao dominantnih odrednica pomoću kojih autor na impresivan naĉin koristi fleksibilni potencijal dokudrame u balansu između dokumentarne i igrane forme. Specifiĉnost ovakve autorske orijentacije je da kroz kreiranje imaginarne filmske priĉe principom dramske rekonstrukcije stvarnosti ističe ono što u realnom svetu ima za podlogu indeksiĉnu proverljivost. Potvrđujući hipotezu o funkcionalnoj primenljivosti naučnih saznanja u umetniĉkom procesu, konkretno na primeru paralelizma socijalne psihologije i filma, rezultati ovog istraţivanja otvaraju mogućnost formiranja polazne osnove za dalja istraţivanja u oblasti filmologije, naroĉito u domenu dokudrame, a mogu imati pedagoške implikacije u radu sa studentima, mladim autorima, kao i sa svima koji žele da prošire svoju metodologiju primenom ovakvog specifiĉnog - interdisciplinarnog pristupa.

 

Dans cette thèse, j'étudie des jeux de données concernant des liens sociaux entre personnes (appels et SMS), leur mobilité ainsi que des informations économiques sur ces personnes, comme leur revenu et leurs dépenses. Les sept travaux couvrent un spectre assez large et apportent des contributions en informatique des réseaux mais aussi en sociologie, économie et géographie. Les questions posées sont très diverses. Comment quantifier la perte d'information causée par une agrégation de flot de liens en série de graphe ? Comment inférer les mouvements des utilisateurs quand on ne connaît que les localisations des utilisateurs aux moments des appels, et que l'on ne détecte donc que les mouvements qui ont eu lieu entre deux appels consécutifs, sans connaître leur nombre ni les instants auxquels ils ont lieu ? Est-il possible de transmettre des SMS dans une région dense en utilisant la densité des téléphones, la mobilité des utilisateurs ainsi que la localité des messages échangés ? Est-il possible de comprendre les inégalités sociales avec une approche Big Data ? Cette dernière question fait l'objet d'une première étude socio-économique approfondie au prisme du Big Data. Il a été possible d'étudier à grande échelle la stratification de la société, l'existence de clubs de riches, la ségrégation spatiale et la structure des dépenses par classe sociale.Au delà de la variété de ces études et de ces nombreuses applications, cette thèse montre que l'analyse de données individuelles riches à l'échelle d'une population permettent de répondre à de nouvelles questions et à d'anciennes hypothèses avec une approche Big Data. Cette thèse tient à mettre l'accent sur la potentialité d'une approche Big Data mais aussi de sa complémentarité avec les approches classiques (modélisation, sociologie avec enquêtes, …). Un effort particulier a été mis dans l'explication des étapes qui amènent aux résultats et dans la prise en compte des biais ce qui est trop souvent négligé
In this thesis, I have carried out data-driven studies based on rich, large-scale combined data sets including social links between users (calls and SMS), their demographic parameters (age and gender), their mobility and their economic information such as income and spendings. These seven studies bring insights in network science but also in sociology, economy and geography. The questions asked are very diversified. How can one quantify the loss of temporal information caused by the aggregation of link streams into series of graphs? How can one infer mobility of a user from his or her localisations of calls? Is it possible to transmit SMS in a dense region by using the density of phones, the mobility of users and the locality of the messages? How can one quantify and prove empirically the social stratification of the society at a large population scale? I present, for this last question, a first socio-economic study with a data-driven approach. It has been possible to study, at a very large scale, the stratification of the society, the existence of "rich-clubs", the spatial segregation and purchase patterns for each social class. Beyond the variety of studies and their numerous applications, this thesis shows that the analysis of individual rich combined datasets at a large population scale gives the opportunity to answer long-standing hypotheses and to address novel questions. This work not only points out the potentiality of Big Data approach but also its complementarity to classical approaches (modelization, surveys, …). Particular attention was given in order to explain each steps that lead to results and to take into account biases which is too often neglected

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The BLUP methodology, which is widely used in animal and forestry genetic evaluation, can also be applied to annual crop breeding. The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy and efficiency of among- and within-half-sib family selection through the use of multi-trait BLUP, single-trait BLUP and phenotypic selection. Expansion volume and yield data from two recurrent selection cycles of a popcorn population were analyzed. Progeny tests were designed as a lattice. In order to maximize accuracy of the prediction of breeding values, the BLUP analyses included phenotypic values of the two cycles. All statistical analyses were performed using the ASREML software. The multi-trait BLUP method demonstrated greater accuracy and efficiency in family selection. In the case of within-family selection, both accuracy and efficiency of multi-trait or single-trait BLUP methods were equivalent. The selection efficiency of the multi-trait BLUP was dependent on the estimated genetic parameters, particularly the difference between the genetic and environmental correlations of the traits.
A metodologia BLUP, que é amplamente utilizada na avaliação genética animal e florestal também pode ser aplicada no melhoramento de culturas anuais. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a acurácia e a eficiência da seleção entre e dentro de famílias de meios-irmãos através da utilização do BLUP multicaracterística, BLUP unicaracterística e seleção fenotípica. Dados de capacidade de expansão e produção de dois ciclos de seleção recorrente em uma população de milho-pipoca foram analisados. Os testes de progênies foram delineados como um látice. Visando maximizar a acurácia da predição dos valores genéticos as análises BLUP incluíram valores fenotípicos dos dois ciclos. Todas as análises estatísticas foram realizadas utilizando o software ASREML. O método BLUP multicaracterística apresentou maior acurácia e eficiência de seleção de famílias. No caso da seleção dentro de famílias a acurácia e a eficiência dos métodos BLUP multicaracterística e BLUP unicaracterística foram equivalentes. A eficiência de seleção do BLUP multicaracterística foi dependente dos parâmetros genéticos estimados, particularmente da diferença entre as correlações genéticas e ambientais das características.

This study investigates the adjectival passive, in accordance with Beedham's (2005, 1982) analysis of the passive as an aspect, with the caveat that telicity is an optimal, not sufficient, condition. The affinity of the adjectival passive with attributive participles and the existence of implicit agents in adjectival passives has divided opinion amongst linguists. The thesis deploys grammaticality judgment questionnaires surveying 1043 2nd participles and a corpus-based study investigating 1035 2nd participles. A subsective gradience (Aarts 2007, 2006, 2004) is modelled on five morpho-syntactic properties of 2nd participles: attributive function without modification, attributive function with modification, adjectival, verbal and prepositional passive, measuring formally the ability of 2nd participles to function like adjectives. The thesis consists of seven chapters. Chapter one introduces the research questions, adjectival passives and theoretical background. Chapter two reviews the aspect analysis, telicity, offers a qualification, and sets the theoretical approach. Chapter three is about the data and methodology. Chapter four discusses the affinity between adjectival passive and attributive participles. Chapter five discusses subsective gradience. Chapter six discusses the implications of the findings. Chapter seven gives a summary and conclusion. The empirical findings in our study provide further evidence in support of a subsective gradience in 2nd participles indicative of how ‘adjectival' a participle can be, on a continuum or gradient ranging from ‘verby' 2nd participles – relatively low compatibility with adjectival properties – to very adjectival 2nd participles. 2nd participles in this study are shown to have an inherent meaning of ‘action + state'. 2nd participles which form adjectival passives function attributively and form verbal passives. However, a 2nd participle functioning attributively does not entail that it will form an adjectival passive. There is evidence that attributive un- participles can host manner adverbials. It was also found that the interpretation of attributive participles goes beyond a simple passive/perfect dichotomy, and there are cases whereby a 2nd participle modifies an NP that is not an argument of the corresponding verb. This study makes a contribution to the wider analysis of the adjectival passive and provides further support for the similarity between adjectival and verbal passives.

The demand for smaller but more powerful electronic components is ever increasing. This demand puts a strain on engineers to produce optimal cooling designs for these electronic components. One method for cooling these electronic components is with heat sinks which effectively increase the surface area available for extracting the heat from the electronic components. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software is sometimes used to aid in the design process, but CFD simulations are computationally expensive and take long to complete. This causes the design engineer to test only a few proposed designs based on his/her experience and select the design that performs the best out of the tested designs, which might not be the optimum. The temperature distribution inside the heat sink can be solved relatively quickly with the diffusion equation, but the flow around the heat sink complicates the CFD simulation and increases the solving time significantly. Therefore, applications have been developed where the interaction between the heat sink and the flow around the heat sink is replaced by heat transfer coefficients. These coefficients are calculated from correlated equations which contain the flow properties. The flow properties are extracted from a flow network solver, which solves the flow around the heat sink. This procedure results in less expensive simulations, which can be used together with an optimisation procedure to develop an optimum cooling design. In this dissertation, a correlation for the contraction heat transfer coefficients of rectangular pin fin heat sinks was developed. A methodology was developed where consecutive regression lines were fitted to a large set of data extracted from numerous CFD simulations. The combination of these regression lines formed the basis of the correlation, which was divided into two correlations; one for laminar flow and another for turbulent flow. The correlations were tested against CFD simulations as well as experimental data. The results indicate that these correlations can be effectively used to calculate the contraction heat transfer coefficients on pin fin heat sinks.
Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2011.
Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering
unrestricted

碩士
東海大學
建築學系
103
Urban development is closely associated with human society and living habits, while commercial activities in cities are tightly linked to the characteristics and patterns of the street network at that specific period of time. Results from the literature review on urban history as well as the observation of modern urban development show that the continuous expansion and development of urban street networks is a result of increasing land demands due to population growth. As street networks become more complicated and developed, it also contributes to the urban industrial distribution to evolve non-stop. Ongoing urban expansion influences urban street network patterns and characteristics, which in turn create era-specific structural characteristics of street network of commercial cores. A commercial center of a single-core street network in the earlier stage was first converted into a metropolitan, multi-core commercial circle-oriented street network, which was then gradually developed into a type of community-based, micro-commercial streets network characterized with features of transpatial internet network connections among cities. In fact, how the patterns and characteristics of a street network evolve is substantially influenced by the distinctive consumption and life style of each era. The aim of the study is to explore how urban street network development is closely associated with commercial distribution as time goes by. The study also validated if industrial distribution is affected by urban street network development, and this is done by using the space syntax method for examining the interaction between the above-mentioned industrial distribution and changes in structural patterns and characteristics of urban street network. The study examined the development of Taichung City across more than 100 years, from 1895, the end of the Qing Dynasty, to the present time of 2014. The association between urban industrial activity distribution and changes in the urban street network was discussed based on results from the literature review and map data. This research intends to reconstruct the industrial distribution map of various eras and to deploy space syntax to analyze the relationship between changes in industrial distribution and the transformation and development of street network’s structural patterns. Meanwhile, the study also explored if any space syntax parameters, such as integration and relative choice, are effective for interpreting the logical relation between industrial distribution and street network’s structural patterns. A preliminary finding here is that over the hundred years, the association between street spatial network and industrial distribution of Taichung City has changed from the original single-core, small commercial and daily living oriented streets in the Japanese colonial era at the end of the Qing Dynasty to a regional larger single-core, centralized commercial circle after Kuomintang Party’s recovery of Taiwan. The old city center is declining and replaced by the emerging of multi-core commercial circles on the outskirt of the city. As the city expands toward the west, the Seatwen District of Taichung City has become the most vibrant commercial area nowadays. In turns of industrial distribution, it is affected by changes in the urban street spatial network and has spread from the old city center to Taichung City overall, forming a multi-core commercial circle. In recent years, the booming of the Internet has also driven the formation of the street patterns and characteristics of small community-based, micro-commercial (e.g., convenient stores) cores in cities. The study finds that the metropolitan street network’s structure pattern of a multi-core commercial circle can be accurately identified by parameters of relative choice (a choice of 700m by walk and a vehicular traffic flow of 6000m). Moreover, high-profit commercial venues, such as banks, shopping malls and department stores, at the core of a city commercial center can be accurately predicted by the measure of global integration level (Rn, vehicular traffic flow). As for convenient stores, a community type of consumption, they have gradually substituted the traditional grocery stores, and their distribution pattern can be accurately predicted by parameters of the local integration value (R3, pedestrian flow). The study further revealed that the booming of the Internet has driven the spread of convenient stores, a small community-based, micro-commercial core, toward deeper local areas. Convenient stores can now be found at many local community streets in various larger commercial circles and have become the main industrial force sustaining the declined old city center of Taichung.

The context of this thesis is a research project focused on the investigation of a renewable biopolymer-poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a potential replacement of petroleum-based polymers in advanced nanocomposites reinforced with Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC). MFC is extracted from wood, which is a renewable, sustainable, carbon neutral and recyclable material. This advanced MFC-PLA bio- based composite material is expected to allow for the substitution of petroleum-based plastics in various markets and applications. The specific objectives of the thesis are: 1) to describe the morphological characterization of MFC used for prototype MFC-PLA composites, and 2) to determine the mechanical properties of the prototype MFC-PLA nanocomposites formulation generated in form of thin transparent films. In order to meet this objective it was necessary to: 2.1) develop a methodology for optical strain measurement in transparent thin films; and 2.2) develop an effective methodology for obtaining multiple mechanical properties from small number of specimens of prototype materials subjected to tensile tests. Two types of MFC, one obtained by courtesy of University of Maine and the other purchased from Innventia AB company, were investigated under a field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The micrographs obtained from FESEM showed that both types of MFC were of complex hierarchical structures, which did not allow qualitative characterization of the morphological features in terms of particulate composites nor cellular solids. Since prototype formulations of MFC-PLA composites were generated in small amounts (typically one Petri dish) in a form of thin transparent films, there was a need for quick and efficient assessment of their key mechanical properties that would provide feedback and guide further prototyping work. An optical measurement method based on digital image correlation (DIC) principle was developed to measure the deformation and strains of the tensile film samples. In our study, the accuracy and precision of the measurement of deformation were ±1.5 µm and 0.4 µm respectively. The corresponding accuracy and precision in terms of strains were ±30 µstrain and 75 µstrain respectively. This method can be successfully used to determine the critical mechanical properties, such as elastic modulus, toughness and Poisson's ratio, of transparent thin films by a single tensile test, all of which require precise strain measurement. In addition, this optical measurement method makes it possible to significantly simplify the testing for measuring essential work of fracture (EWF), an important material property of thin transparent films. In traditional method, measurement of EWF requires large amount of notched specimens. However, our study showed that only a small amount of notched specimens were needed to measure the EWF of a material. This method could not be successfully used to determine EWF from un-notched tensile specimens.
Graduation date: 2012
Folder labeled "UMaine MFC aerogel" contains SEM micrographs of MFC from University of Maine (referred as type A MFC in the thesis). Two pieces of leaf-like flakes at different locations were cut by Focused Ion Beam (FIB) in order to observe the internal structure of the flakes. Folder "FIB_01 ": a series of SEM micrographs of FIB-cut flake at different magnification levels. Folder "FIB_02 ": another series of SEM micrographs of FIB-cut flake at various magnification levels. Folder labeled "Swedish MFC aerogel" contains SEM micrographs of MFC from Innventia AB company, Sweden (referred as type B MFC in the thesis). There is a series of SEM micrographs of type B MFC aerogel at various magnification levels in this folder.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has been asserted by proponents of the technique as being superior to standard paper-and-pencil measurements in terms of the reliability and validity of the information obtained; however, this claim has not yet been fully evaluated in the literature. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to evaluate one aspect of this assertion by comparing the utility of EMA and retrospective measures of depressive symptoms in predicting health-relevant biological and behavioral outcomes. It was hypothesized that (1) the EMA measure will have better predictive utility when examining objective sleep quality (a biological outcome), and that (2) the retrospective measure will have better predictive utility when examining blood donation intention (a behavioral outcome). Ninety-six undergraduate females participated in this 2-week study. Depressive symptoms were measured momentarily and retrospectively using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). The biological outcome was assessed by actigraphy, whereas the behavioral outcome was measured via a self-report questionnaire. Unfortunately, it was not possible to fully test these hypotheses due to the failure to observe relationships between the predictor variables and the outcomes. The reported results, although limited, did not provide support for the hypotheses. Supplemental analyses revealed a moderate to high amount of shared variance between the EMA and retrospective measures, a similar extent of random error in both measures, and potentially a greater degree of systematic error in the retrospective measure. Due to the paucity of literature examining the claim of superior reliability and validity of EMA versus retrospective measures, as well as the failure of the current study to evaluate this assertion sufficiently, it appears that this claim remains unfounded. Therefore, suggestions for future research are provided.