Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'DRIVING FACTOR'

PURPOSE: The main purpose of this research paper is to determine the important characteristics of social media, advantages, disadvantages, risks, and roles during the covid-19 pandemic. And also to find out from common people through questionnaires whether they think social media is one of the main diving factor of a business or a startup.  METHODOLOGY: Secondary evidence gathered from findings in online social media apps and resources, websites, research papers, interview forms mailed to business development managers, and self-made questionnaire. Also case studies of companies who took help of social media to regain their lost audience are there in this paper as well.  FINDINGS After going through qualitative data we found out how much social media is important for a business/startup growth and development. And in questionnaire after taking responses from 100 people and then analysing it, we found that almost 80%+ responders responded in such a way that it confirmed the social media is one of the most important driving factor of a business and a Startup.

I simulatori di guida sono strumenti altamente tecnologici che permettono di svolgere attività di ricerca in vari ambiti quali la psicologia, la medicina e l’ingegneria. Tuttavia, affinché i dati ottenuti mediante le simulazioni siano rapportabili alla loro controparte reale, la fedeltà delle componenti del simulatore di guida deve essere elevata. Questo lavoro tratta del miglioramento del sistema di restituzione del movimento nel simulatore a due gradi di libertà (2DOF) SIMU-LACET Driving Simulator, costruito e sviluppato presso il laboratorio LEPSIS dell’IFSTTAR (Istituto Francese delle Scienze e Tecnologie dei Trasporti, dello Sviluppo e delle Reti), in particolare nella sua sede di Parigi – Marne-la-Vallée. Si è deciso di andare a riprogettare la parte software del sistema di restituzione del movimento (motion cueing), operando su due elementi principali: lo scale factor (fattore di scala) applicato agli impulsi dinamici provenienti dal modello veicolare e i Motion Cueing Algorihms (MCA, algoritmi di restituzione del movimento), questo per entrambi i gradi di libertà. Si è quindi intervenuti sul modello esistente implementato in MATLAB-Simulink nello specifico blocco del motion cueing sul surge (traslazione longitudinale) e sul yaw (imbardata). Riguardo lo scale factor, è stata introdotta una metodologia per creare uno scale factor non lineare in forma esponenziale, tale da migliorare la restituzione degli impulsi meno ampi, pur rispettando i limiti fisici della piattaforma di movimento. Per quanto concerne il MCA, si sono vagliate diverse transfer function dell’algoritmo classico. La scelta finale dei MCA e la validazione del motion cueig in genere è stata effettuata mediante due esperimenti ed il giudizio dei soggetti che vi hanno partecipato. Inoltre, in virtù dei risultati del primo esperimento, si è investigata l’influenza che la strategia in merito al cambio delle marce avesse sulla percezione del movimento da parte del guidatore.

The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is associated with a variety of cancers, including brain, lung, cervix, renal and breast. It is part of a family of receptors known as the ErbB receptors (ErbB1/EGFR, ErbB2/HER2, ErbB3/HER3, and ErbB4/HER4), transmembrane proteins found on epithelial cells responsible for a multitude of signaling events. In cancers, EGFR is frequently mutated or improperly expressed, upregulated in more than 50 percent of basal-like cancers. Mutations commonly promote constitutive activation or increase receptor recycling. In basal-like breast cancers such as triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), named for the lack of hormone receptors (estrogen and progesterone) and the HER2 receptor, EGFR is highly upregulated and associated with a variety of oncogenic activity, including increased proliferation and migration, and inhibition of cell death. Changes in these pathways are predicated on altered trafficking and activation of EGFR, events driven by variation in stimuli and interacting partners, such as other ErbB family members or oncogenic adaptor proteins such as MUC1, a member of the mucin family. In TNBC, upon stimulus with epidermal growth factor (EGF), EGFR colocalizes with MUC1 in intracellular vesicles distributed throughout the cytoplasm. These intracellular vesicles are associated with early endosomes, as indicated by the presence of early endosome antigen 1 (EEA1). Association with MUC1 prolongs the presence of EGFR in these vesicles, as EGFR's stay is significantly reduced in cells lacking MUC1. Retention in these vesicles by MUC1 inhibits trafficking of EGFR to the lysosome for degradation and is also associated with an increase in EGF-dependent migratory ability. Introduction of late endosome inhibitors (thereby preventing lysosomal targeting) increases migration in the absence of MUC1, the same effect as in the presence of MUC1. Further, inhibition of retrograde trafficking significantly decreases the rate of migration and changes cellular distribution of filopodia corresponding to migratory ability in MUC1-containing cells. Taken together, these data indicate that MUC1 is responsible for altering EGFR trafficking by retaining EGFR in EEA1-positive vesicles for prolonged periods, allowing for increased signal transduction through retrograde trafficking of EGFR and structural reorganization promoting a migratory phenotype. Loss of the polarity protein Llgl1 is associated with alterations in EGFR trafficking, promoting highly diffuse EGFR distribution throughout the cytoplasm versus along basolateral membranes. These changes in trafficking are also associated with increases in AKT and dual-phosphorylated-ERK signal transduction, both downstream targets of activated EGFR. Altering localization of EGFR to other membranes and intracellular vesicles without inducing polarity loss through a point mutation at amino acid 667 was found to also upregulate the AKT pathway. Mislocalization driven by polarity loss or point mutation in the basolateral targeting domain is sufficient to increase migration speeds of non-cancerous epithelial cell lines in vitro. This increased oncogenic activity is likely attributed to increased nuclear localization of the transcription factor TAZ (transcription co-activator with a PDZ-binding domain), whose nuclear translocation is associated with increased stem-like properties such as migration and survival. Together, these data reveal the oncogenic potential caused by alterations in EGFR trafficking that occur when polarity is lost or EGFR is improperly associated with proteins that promote changes to canonical EGFR localization and degradation, such as MUC1.

Since its emergence in December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has infected over 200 million people globally. SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) decorates the viral envelope and is responsible for facilitating viral entry into the host cell. To mediate membrane fusion, S must be proteolytically cleaved. For the closely related SARS-CoV S, cleavage at the host cell surface must be facilitated by the serine protease TMPRSS2. We demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 S can facilitate fusion independent of TMPRSS2 and sought to identify other proteases capable of driving SARS-CoV-2 S-mediated fusion. We show that the ADAMs and MMP inhibitor GI 254023X is capable of substantially reducing SARS-CoV-2 S-mediated syncytium formation. Additionally, we identified MMP-9, a protein target of GI 254023X, as a host protease capable of enhancing SARS-CoV-2 lentivirus entry in HEK293T-ACE2 cells. These results implicate ADAM and MMP proteases, in particular MMP-9, as potential antiviral drug targets against COVID-19 pathogenesis.

The dissertation aims to classify drivers based on driving and environmental behaviors. The research determined significant factors using factor analysis, identified different driver types using k-means clustering, and studied how the same drivers map in each classification domain. The research consists of two study cases. In the first study case, a new variable is proposed and then is used for classification. The drivers were divided into three groups. Two alternatives were designed to evaluate the environmental impact of driving behavior changes. In the second study case, two types of data sets were constructed: driving data and environmental data. The driving data represents driving behavior of individual drivers. The environmental data represents emissions and fuel consumption estimated by microscopic energy and emissions models. Significant factors were explored in each data set using factor analysis. A pair of factors was defined for each data set. Each pair of factors was used for each k-means clustering: driving clustering and environmental clustering. Then the factors were used to identify groups of drivers in each clustering domain. In the driving clustering, drivers were grouped into three clusters. In the environmental clustering, drivers were clustered into two groups. The groups from the driving clustering were compared to the groups from the environmental clustering in terms of emissions and fuel consumption. The three groups of drivers from the driving clustering were also mapped in the environmental domain. The results indicate that the differences in driving patterns among the three driver groups significantly influenced the emissions of HC, CO, and NOx. As a result, it was determined that the average target operating acceleration and braking did essentially influence the amount of emissions in terms of HC, CO, and NOx. Therefore, if drivers were to change their driving behavior to be more defensive, it is expected that emissions of HC, CO, and NOx would decrease. It was also found that spacing-based driving tended to produce less emissions but consumed more fuel than other groups, while speed-based driving produced relatively more emissions. On the other hand, the defensively moderate drivers consumed less fuel and produced fewer emissions.
Ph. D.

While sleepiness has been extensively studied previously to determine if it is a risk factor for motor vehicle crashes, the importance of controlling for driving exposure has often been overlooked. On the other hand, measures of driving exposure have been controversial in studies on other risk factors for motor vehicle crashes. Driving time and driving distance are the two that have been studied most, but it is still unclear as to which offers as a better measure of driving exposure. We aim to firstly study the association between driving time and sleepiness and the association between driving distance and sleepiness. We then aim to examine the two associations together to see whether driving time or driving distance is a more appropriate measure of driving exposure to be controlled for in future studies.

Florida scrub is a xeromorphic upland shrub community dominated by evergreen oaks that resprout after fire, occurring on moderately to excessively well-drained nutrient-poor sand. Scrub is home to several threatened and endangered animal species (e.g., Florida scrub-jay, gopher tortoise, and indigo snake) and rare and endemic plants. Urban development and agriculture has greatly reduced and fragmented scrub habitat, and because of this Florida scrub is considered one of the most endangered ecosystems in the United States. Climate change is a further threat to Florida scrub. Under a warmer and drier climate, scrub species will be exposed to more frequent and more severe droughts. In order to understand how scrub will respond to a changing climate, we must first have a better understanding of how scrub species respond to climate and water availability. In this dissertation, I use a combination of dendrochronology and plant physiological techniques to examine species responses to climate and water availability. In chapter two, I use dendrochronology to examine the importance of seasonal climate on growth of three co-occurring species in Florida scrub, myrtle oak (Quercus myrtifolia Willd.), Chapman oak (Quercus chapmanii Sarg.), and south Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelmann var. densa Little & K.W. Dorman). This is the first dendrochronology study on co-occurring scrub species. Therefore, my first goal was to ask whether Chapman oak and myrtle oak put on distinct annual rings with year to year variability that would enable successful crossdating. Because I found that each species does have annual rings that can be crossdated, my second goal was to ask how growth in each species responds to climate and its extremes, drought and extreme precipitation. Growth in both oaks was positively correlated with spring precipitation, while slash pine total and latewood growth was positively correlated with April and September precipitation. Slash pine earlywood growth was positively correlated associated with increased winter precipitation. In all three species, growth was sensitive to both annual and spring droughts. However, only slash pine exhibited increased growth with precipitation associated with tropical weather during July-September. Earlywood growth of slash pine was positively correlated with the Ni[ntilde]o 3.4 index: colder, wetter winters tended to be associated with increased earlywood growth. The between-species differences in response to seasonal climate may be due to differences in growth phenology. For both oaks, the climatic limiting factor was water availability in the spring, which is when the majority of radial growth occurs. By contrast, for slash pine, growth was limited by precipitation in the spring and late summer, its peak growth period. During the period for which we have a dendrochronological record (1920 to present), precipitation in April has become increasingly correlated with growth for all three species; as it has become the driest spring month during this period. In chapter three, I use dendrochronology to determine the climate-growth relationships of the dominant oak in Florida scrub, myrtle oak, for five sites occurring on three different scrub ridges in central Florida. My goals were twofold: 1) to ask whether the climate-growth responses of myrtle oak were robust across sites and 2) to ask how myrtle oak growth was affected by droughts (determined on both seasonal and annual basis). Myrtle oak growth increased with increased spring precipitation; temperature had little effect on myrtle oak growth. The growth response of myrtle oak to moisture availability (measured by the standardized precipitation index (SPI)) in March, April, May, and June, was robust across sites, with the exception of Malabar West. Myrtle oaks at Malabar West grew on poorly drained soils and were less responsive to precipitation and drought than were oaks growing on the other sites. March, April, May, and June SPI explained between 21.5 to 58.3% of the variation in myrtle oak growth for each site. Seasonal droughts explained more of the variation in growth than annual droughts. Spring droughts decreased myrtle oak growth at all sites, and drought during the previous summer decreased growth at Malabar West. Drought impacted growth for a single year; growth was normal or greater than normal during the year after drought. These results suggest that the timing of drought is important for myrtle oak growth, and that seasonal measures of drought are more important than annual measures of drought for determining growth impacts. In chapter four, I examine how the distribution and physiological functioning of scrub species vary along the ridge-swale topography at the Kennedy Space Center. Climatic factors often limit species distributions and plant physiological functions over large elevation gradients. However, on small elevation gradients, hydrologic variation may have strong effects on the distribution of species and the physiological function within a species. I used point-intercept sampling along a ridge-swale gradient at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, to study how species distribution varied over a 1.2 m elevation gradient. Data from water monitoring wells along the elevation gradient were used to ask whether elevation may serve as a proxy for depth to water table. Elevation served as a good proxy for depth to water table; water table depth increased with elevation. I focused especially on understanding how the distribution and physiological functioning of three co-occurring Florida scrub oak species (Chapman oak, sand live oak (Quercus geminata) and myrtle oak) varied along the elevation gradient. Cover of all three scrub oaks increased with increasing elevation. Only sand live oak exhibited differences in physiological functioning along the elevation gradient; individuals at lower elevations were more sensitive to drought than individuals on the ridge. All three oaks exhibited stomatal regulation of water use efficiency drought. Chapman oak did not exhibit decreased photosynthetic activity during drought. Leaf phenology may play a role in the different responses to drought exhibited.

Freeway merging VISSIM calibration techniques were developed for the analysis of ramp metering in Georgia. An analysis of VISSIM’s advanced merging and cooperative lane change settings was undertaken to determine their effects on merging behavior. Another analysis was performed to determine the effects of the safety reduction factor and the maximum deceleration for cooperative braking parameter on the simulated merging behavior. Results indicated that having both the advanced merging and cooperative lane change setting active produced the best results and that the safety reduction factor had more influence on the merging behavior than the maximum deceleration for cooperative braking parameter. Results also indicated that the on-ramp experienced unrealistic congestion when on-ramp traffic was unable to immediately find an acceptable gap when entering the acceleration lane. These vehicles would form a queue at the end of the acceleration lane and then be unable to merge into the freeway lane due to the speed differential between the freeway and the queued ramp traffic. An Incremental Desired Speed algorithm was developed to maintain an acceptable speed differential between the merging traffic and the freeway traffic. The Incremental Desired Speed algorithm resulted in a smoother merging behavior. Lastly, a ramp meter was introduced and an increase in both the freeway throughput and overall speeds was found. Implications of these findings on the future research is discussed.

This article explores the potential of using real-world driving patterns to derive PHEV and BEV utility factors and evaluates how different travel and recharging behaviours affect the calculation of the standard SAE J2841 utility factor. The study relies on six datasets of driving data collected monitoring 508,607 conventional fuel vehicles in six European areas and a dataset of synthetic data from 700,000 vehicles in a seventh European area. Sources representing the actual driving behaviour of PHEV together with the WLTP European utility factor are adopted as term of comparison. The results show that different datasets of driving data can yield to different estimates of the utility factor. The SAE J2841 standard method results to be representative of a large variety of behaviours of PHEVs and BEVs' drivers, characterised by a fully-charged battery at the beginning of the trip sequence, thus being representative for fuel economy and emission estimates in the early phase deployment of EVs, charged at home and overnight. However the results show that the SAE J2841 utility factor might need to be revised to account for more complex future scenarios, such as necessity-driven recharge behaviour with less than one recharge per day or a fully deployed recharge infrastructure with more than one recharge per day.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)
Neste trabalho é apresentado a análise de um conversor CA-CC Bridgeless monofásico de estágio único com correção de Fator de Potência, baseado no conversor SEPIC isolado com os interruptores do lado CA. Para que o conversor exerça a técnica de correção de fator de potência, pelo fato de estar operando no modo de condução contínuo (MCC), é necessário controlar a corrente de entrada. Sendo assim, o sistema de controle, comparado caso o conversor operasse no modo de condução descontínuo (MCD), fica mais complexo, resultando em uma desvantagem para operação em MCC. Porém, quando se trata de rendimento, como os níveis de pico de corrente são menores operando em MCC, se espera obter um rendimento mais elevado. Além disso, com os interruptores do lado CA o conversor apresenta um número menor de semicondutores no caminho da corrente durante um período de comutação, comparado com a topologia convencional, sendo mais um ponto positivo se tratando do rendimento do conversor. São apresentadas as etapas de operação do conversor, as formas de onda ideais, tanto em alta frequência quanto em baixa frequência, a análise matemática contendo as principais equações que regem o funcionamento do conversor e a simulação numérica comprovando a análise desenvolvida. O conversor foi projetado para uma tensão de entrada de 127V com tensão de saída igual a 200V, operando com uma frequência de comutação igual a 50kHz e uma potência entregue a carga igual a 300W.
In this paper is presented the analysis of a single-phase bridgeless AC-DC converter with a single-stage of power factor correction, based on an isolated SEPIC converter with AC-side switches. Wherefore the converter carry out the power factor correction technic, by the act of operating in the continuous conduction mode (CCM), it’s essential to control the input current. Therefore, the control system, compared to the converter operating in the discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), become more complex, resulting on a disadvantage for the CCM. Nevertheless, when it’s come to efficiency, how the levels of peak current are smaller operating in CCM, it is expected to obtain a higher efficiency. Besides that, with the AC-side switches the converter presents a smaller number of semiconductors on the current path during a switching period, compared with the conventional topology, become one more positive advantage for the converter efficiency. Are presented the operation stages of the converter, waveforms, for high frequency as well as mains frequency, the numeric analysis possessing the leading equations for the converter operations and the numeric simulation proving the developed analysis. The converter was designed for a 127V input voltage, with a 200V output voltage, operating with a switching frequency of 50kHz, and a 300W rated output power.

Finding a way to forecast what characteristics make a fast growing company would be useful, both for companies trying to succeed and for investment companies wanting to make successful investments. This thesis aims to develop a model describing the relationship between 9 chosen characteristics, based on real data from 2015 concerning companies that were rewarded with a DI Gasell in 2018. The final result show that half of the variables chosen to form the model have little to no relationship with the response variable EBIT margin. However, the final model consists of four variables that with statistic significance correlates with the response variable. The explanatory level is low and implies that forecasting companies growth probably can’t be done using this model. The four regressors that correlate with EBIT margin are Year of Incorporation, Operatingrevenue, Number of subsidiaries & SNI code. Although a forecast can’t be performed other insight are obtained from the research. Companies with SNI code 4, which corresponds to operating in the economic sector, affects EBIT margin in a more positive way than other sectors. Number of subsidiaries correlates fairly linearly with the response variable. Contradictory to previous research CEO characteristics are shown to be the least important factor contributing to profitability.
Att hitta ett sätt att förutspå vilka egenskaper som skapar ett snabbväxande företag kan vara användbart, både för företag som vill växa men också för investeringsbolag som letar efter gynnsamma investeringar med bra avkastning. Denna avhandling strävar efter att utveckla en modell som beskriver relationen mellan 9 utvalda variabler, baserat på data från år 2015 gällande företag som 2018 tilldelades utmärkelsen ”DI Gasell”. Den slutgiltiga modellen visar att hälften av regressorerna statistiskt signifikant påverkar responsvariabeln EBIT-marginal. Förklaringsgraden för modellen är låg, vilket antyder att sambanden inte är starka nog att kunna förutspå vilka företag som kommer att bli ”DI Gasell” med denna modell. De fyra regressorer som påverkar EBIT-marginalen mest är registreringsår, omsättning, antal dotterbolag och SNI-kod. Trots modellens låga förklaringsvärde kan andra slutsatser dras av undersökningen. Företag i ekonomisektorn påverkar EBIT-marginalen mer positivt än företag inom andra sektorer. Antal dotterbolag korrelerar relativt linjärt med respons variabeln. Till motsats från tidigare studier visar avhandlingen att ålder och kön på VD inte påverkar lönsamheten.

Natural gas consists of carbon hydrates and is utilized in the residential, commercial industrial and transportation sector and for power generation. Due to the fact that natural gas emits 23 % and 44 % less carbon dioxide than oil and coal respectively when burned, it becomes a more attractive fuel from an environmental perspective. Traditionally, natural gas is transported via pipelines. However, due to the fact that the geographical areas where natural gas is used often are a long distance away from the gas fields where natural gas is extracted, the gas needs to be transported long distances. For this reason, natural gas is cooled to a temperature of -162 °C to become liquid, or liquefied natural gas (LNG) in order to transport the gas in specially designed shipping vessels or trucks. LNG has a volume that is 1/600 of natural gas in gaseous state. For numerous reasons, most LNG is traded on long term contracts and priced on a formula linked to the oil price. One main reason being that infrastructure investments required for delivering and receiving LNG are capital intensive, thus need to acquire financing by securing cash flow through reliable long-term contracts. At the moment, Japan is the largest buyer of LNG in the world and the index for Japan and Korea LNG import prices, more known as the Japan/Korea marker, serves as the most common LNG-based index for spot trade. Financial derivatives are a common instrument in most commodity markets that is utilized for hedging price risks and speculating on price developments for the underlying commodity. Financial derivatives need to be traded on a market with enough trading volume in order to become sufficiently liquid to satisfy the needs of stakeholders trading the derivatives. However, the contracts currently priced on an LNG index only make up a fraction of the global LNG market and therefore the financial derivatives referencing to the price are traded in very small volumes and cannot be considered liquid. This study is conducted in order to look at the development of financial derivatives in the LNG market. The aim of the study is to identify driving factors for the liquidity of LNG financial derivatives. A qualitative approach is used in order to gather data that is used to map the LNG market, its actors and different price mechanisms. An analysis of the data is carried out in order to create new theories about the research question. The results of the study identify ten driving factors that affect the liquidity of LNG financial derivatives: 1. Supply of LNG, 2. Demand of LNG, 3. Leaving oil indexation, 4. Fragmentation among suppliers, 5. Number of players in physical market, 6. LNG index reliability, 7. Willingness to price on LNG index, 8. Players trading financially, 9. Clearing houses, and 10. Contract length. From further analysis, it is concluded that the current immature and illiquid market situation for LNG financial derivatives is mainly derived from reluctance to use LNG indices when pricing physically traded volumes. Factors that drive the future pricing of the contracts are a decrease in length of the physical contracts and fragmentation among suppliers of LNG.

With the in-depth advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), governments and relevant policy makers are taking steps to meet the SDG goals. Sustainable entrepreneurship requires a large degree of participation from the entrepreneurial sector in the destination, and these entrepreneurs in sustainable destinations are expected to have more sense of responsibility, and their entrepreneurial activities are expected to be more sustainable, ie altruistic. This is consistent with the dualistic entrepreneurial motivation model. Is the entrepreneurial motivation of entrepreneurs in sustainable destinations more altruistic? This is unknown because entrepreneurial motivation in the context of a particular sustainable destination has not received much attention. This study examines the factors driving entrepreneurial initiatives in sustainable destinations. For answering research question, this study conducted a statistical analysis of the collected data by conducting a questionnaire survey of 131 entrepreneurs from sustainable destinations. Based on the impact of motivation on action, the conclusions of this study confirm that the entrepreneurial motivations in sustainable destinations are moving towards sustainable entrepreneurs, that is, they not only consider their own interests, but also take into account the interests of others. The significance of this research is to provide a direction for decision makers within sustainable destinations, or international, sustainable development missions, to understand the practical drivers of their policies related to sustainable development and sustainable entrepreneurship. In addition, the study also discusses the inadequacies of current sustainable entrepreneurship as demonstrated by the results of data analysis.

Two studies were conducted to investigate the relationship between age, personality factors and aggressive driving behavior. In Study 1, 1122 volunteers completed an online survey that included questionnaires on demographic data, personality factors, and driving behavior. Personality factors were measured using the Revised Competitiveness Index, the Sensation Seeking Scale, the Big Five Inventory, and the Cook Medley Hostility Scale, whereas aggressive driving behavior was measured using the Aggressive Driving Behavior Scale (ADBS). The majority of the volunteers were female (786 versus 336), while ages ranged from 18 to 87. In Study 2, 98 volunteers from Study 1 were recruited to perform driving simulations on two scenarios. These volunteers consisted of 52 females and 46 males, with ages ranging from 18 to 83. Results from both studies produced positive correlations between aggressive driving behavior and competitiveness, sensation seeking, hostility, extraversion, and neuroticism, while negative correlations were obtained between aggressive driving behavior and age, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness. No significant correlation was obtained between gender and aggressive driving behavior. Most importantly, scores in the ADBS were positively correlated to a composite of scores measuring aggressive driving behavior in the simulator. This pattern of results not only validates the ADBS, but it also provides another mechanism to study aggressive driving behavior.
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Psychology
Sciences
Psychology; Human Factors Psychology

This study was conducted to identify the driving factors that affect primary care utilization. It hypothesizes that the cost of treatment is the driving factor that affects a patient's decision to seek medical care from their primary care physician. Furthermore, it also hypothesizes that the uncomfortable conversation with the physician, the concern of someone else finding out about the patient's personal health problems, and the trouble of making an appointment are three independent factors that do not affect primary care utilization. In order to test these hypotheses, secondary data from the CHIS 2009 was collected and analyzed. Unfortunately, the data sets concerning these three independents variables were not released as they were classified to contain confidential data. As a result, healthcare coverage and emergency care utilization were served as proxy variables and were used instead to determine the factors associated with primary care utilization. Statistical analysis of these proxy variables indicates that primary care utilization is associated with health insurance coverage and emergency care utilization.

Around the world Quality Management is commonly regarded by industrialists and academics as a management concept that encompasses the potential in any organisation of developing into a company-wide philosophy with a profound focus on stakeholder values and improvement processes. However, there are mounting evidence that Quality Management has developed into an important strategic issue also on a national level, and that some leading industrial nations have enjoyed significant gains in the post War era by means of nation-wide progresses in Quality Management. In this thesis organisation is therefore substituted with nation state as the unit of analysis, with the ultimate objective to gain insight into how quality management movements in the industrialised world develop and prosper.  Based on empirical data from the Cross-cultural Quality Management Research Project, a bird' s􀀧eye view of Quality Management is taken in twelve leading industrialised nations. Comprehensive descriptions of Quality in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan and Sweden are given in order to identify what national driving factors that currently have an influence on national quality management movements, whereas China, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the United States are assessed on a more overriding level with an objective to determine the factors' scope and characteristics.  The existence and influence of national driving factors in Quality Management was firstly discovered in the mid 1980s by one of the field's pioneers, Dr. Joseph M. Juran, and a core task in this thesis is to re-examine the identified factors current applicability. The outcome is a proposed set of national driving factors, embracing economy, national quality societies, people, certification bodies, industrial structure, organisation and its quality function, and government. Although, these national driving factors are found to be common to all countries, they are genuinely national in the sense that the national context by and large determines the factors' character and influence. To gain insight into how national quality management movements in the industrialised world develop and prosper, it is therefore recommended that focus be direct towards the national context with its national driving factors. The factors are powerful explanatory variables that so far have largely remained an untapped fountain of knowledge within the field of Quality Management.

In spite of decades of related research, stream channel initiation is still not well understood. Current theories of channel initiation are grounded in research conducted by Montgomery and Dietrich, largely in the transport limited, temperate, humid climate of the Pacific Northwest, USA. This field data driven work concluded that the drainage area required for channel initiation is directly correlated to the slope of the contributing area. However, there are a host of related variables that have yet to be examined in the field. This study revisits the slope-area relationship focusing on ephemeral overland flow in headwaters of both the Pacific Northwest and an environmentally contrasting island in Greece. By seeking greater understanding of the variables, such as soil properties, vegetation type, and lithology that may influence channel initiation, the study sought to find an equation for remote determination of where ephemeral flow concentrates. However, results indicated that a universal equation does not exist. Rather, the location of ephemeral flow concentration is linked to landscape type, transport versus weathering limited slopes, and corresponding overland flow type. As a result, there is potential for regional models to be developed. Two such models were found as part of this study. One indicates that in a weathering limited environment, Hortonian overland flow is the dominant ephemeral flow type and the driving force behind where it concentrates on the landscape. The other demonstrates that in a transport limited environment, ephemeral flow concentration is due saturated overland flow, with the key to location of concentration being the point of return flow.

The aim of the thesis is to discuss the key driving factors influencing the success of innovation in high-tech firms based in Sweden. The thesis will discuss key determinant factors and how those factors are connecting with each other. Organizational innovation and Organizational culture relationship have been under research for many years. The success of organizational innovation can be captured by various factors. Similarly, the organizational culture can be captured by different factors. During the research process, we came across various theories and this thesis is based on Rao and Weintraub (2013) developed model. The model provides six building blocks with determinant factors as a foundation for the successful innovative organizational culture. The six major building blocks or factors are Values, Behaviours, Climate, Resources, Processes, and Success (Rao & Weintraub, 2013). The purpose of the study is to define the hypothetical relationship between some of the six major factors which drives the successful innovation in the organization. The authors have developed a model for successful organizational innovation based on their hypotheses. It will be a matter of great interest to reflect upon the employee's feedback regarding those factors that influence firm’s organizational culture and successful innovation. The model was analyzed using the results of the survey in which 230 employees participated from Swedish based high-tech firms, using Structural Equation Modelling (Hair et al, 2010). The research results reveal some of the key contributors towards the successful organizational innovation and the relation between the factors for the successful organizational innovation. The factor successful innovation is strongly dependent on the innovation processes factor and this is followed by some more relatively moderate contributing factors such as the leaders’ behaviours, and the organizational resources. The study reveals that there is a strong relation between the innovation success and the innovation processes. The innovation processes factor is positively connected to the organization values, the leaders’ behaviours, and the organization resources. The organization climate is weakly connected to the innovation processes as represented by the data sample collected which needs to be further investigated. The model identified in the thesis gives an understanding of how the six factors are connected to drive the successful organizational innovation.

Many drivers in highly motorised countries believe that aggressive driving is increasing. While the prevalence of the behaviour is difficult to reliably identify, the consequences of on-road aggression can be severe, with extreme cases resulting in property damage, injury and even death. This research program was undertaken to explore the nature of aggressive driving from within the framework of relevant psychological theory in order to enhance our understanding of the behaviour and to inform the development of relevant interventions. To guide the research a provisional ‘working’ definition of aggressive driving was proposed encapsulating the recurrent characteristics of the behaviour cited in the literature. The definition was: “aggressive driving is any on-road behaviour adopted by a driver that is intended to cause physical or psychological harm to another road user and is associated with feelings of frustration, anger or threat”. Two main theoretical perspectives informed the program of research. The first was Shinar’s (1998) frustration-aggression model, which identifies both the person-related and situational characteristics that contribute to aggressive driving, as well as proposing that aggressive behaviours can serve either an ‘instrumental’ or ‘hostile’ function. The second main perspective was Anderson and Bushman’s (2002) General Aggression Model. In contrast to Shinar’s model, the General Aggression Model reflects a broader perspective on human aggression that facilitates a more comprehensive examination of the emotional and cognitive aspects of aggressive behaviour. Study One (n = 48) examined aggressive driving behaviour from the perspective of young drivers as an at-risk group and involved conducting six focus groups, with eight participants in each. Qualitative analyses identified multiple situational and person-related factors that contribute to on-road aggression. Consistent with human aggression theory, examination of self-reported experiences of aggressive driving identified key psychological elements and processes that are experienced during on-road aggression. Participants cited several emotions experienced during an on-road incident: annoyance, frustration, anger, threat and excitement. Findings also suggest that off-road generated stress may transfer to the on-road environment, at times having severe consequences including crash involvement. Young drivers also appeared quick to experience negative attributions about the other driver, some having additional thoughts of taking action. Additionally, the results showed little difference between males and females in the severity of behavioural responses they were prepared to adopt, although females appeared more likely to displace their negative emotions. Following the self-reported on-road incident, evidence was also found of a post-event influence, with females being more likely to experience ongoing emotional effects after the event. This finding was evidenced by ruminating thoughts or distraction from tasks. However, the impact of such a post-event influence on later behaviours or interpersonal interactions appears to be minimal. Study Two involved the quantitative analysis of n = 926 surveys completed by a wide age range of drivers from across Queensland. The study aimed to explore the relationships between the theoretical components of aggressive driving that were identified in the literature review, and refined based on the findings of Study One. Regression analyses were used to examine participant emotional, cognitive and behavioural responses to two differing on-road scenarios whilst exploring the proposed theoretical framework. A number of socio-demographic, state and trait person-related variables such as age, pre-study emotions, trait aggression and problem-solving style were found to predict the likelihood of a negative emotional response such as frustration, anger, perceived threat, negative attributions and the likelihood of adopting either an instrumental or hostile behaviour in response to Scenarios One and Two. Complex relationships were found to exist between the variables, however, they were interpretable based on the literature review findings. Factor analysis revealed evidence supporting Shinar’s (1998) dichotomous description of on-road aggressive behaviours as being instrumental or hostile. The second stage of Study Two used logistic regression to examine the factors that predicted the potentially hostile aggressive drivers (n = 88) within the sample. These drivers were those who indicated a preparedness to engage in direct acts of interpersonal aggression on the road. Young, male drivers 17–24 years of age were more likely to be classified as potentially hostile aggressive drivers. Young drivers (17–24 years) also scored significantly higher than other drivers on all subscales of the Aggression Questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992) and on the ‘negative problem orientation’ and ‘impulsive careless style’ subscales of the Social Problem Solving Inventory – Revised (D’Zurilla, Nezu & Maydeu-Olivares, 2002). The potentially hostile aggressive drivers were also significantly more likely to engage in speeding and drink/drug driving behaviour. With regard to the emotional, cognitive and behavioural variables examined, the potentially hostile aggressive driver group also scored significantly higher than the ‘other driver’ group on most variables examined in the proposed theoretical framework. The variables contained in the framework of aggressive driving reliably distinguished potentially hostile aggressive drivers from other drivers (Nagalkerke R2 = .39). Study Three used a case study approach to conduct an in-depth examination of the psychosocial characteristics of n = 10 (9 males and 1 female) self-confessed hostile aggressive drivers. The self-confessed hostile aggressive drivers were aged 24–55 years of age. A large proportion of these drivers reported a Year 10 education or better and average–above average incomes. As a group, the drivers reported committing a number of speeding and unlicensed driving offences in the past three years and extensive histories of violations outside of this period. Considerable evidence was also found of exposure to a range of developmental risk factors for aggression that may have contributed to the driver’s on-road expression of aggression. These drivers scored significantly higher on the Aggression Questionnaire subscales and Social Problem Solving Inventory Revised subscales, ‘negative problem orientation’ and ‘impulsive/careless style’, than the general sample of drivers included in Study Two. The hostile aggressive driver also scored significantly higher on the Barrett Impulsivity Scale – 11 (Patton, Stanford & Barratt, 1995) measure of impulsivity than a male ‘inmate’, or female ‘general psychiatric’ comparison group. Using the Carlson Psychological Survey (Carlson, 1982), the self-confessed hostile aggressive drivers scored equal or higher scores than the comparison group of incarcerated individuals on the subscale measures of chemical abuse, thought disturbance, anti-social tendencies and self-depreciation. Using the Carlson Psychological Survey personality profiles, seven participants were profiled ‘markedly anti-social’, two were profiled ‘negative-explosive’ and one was profiled as ‘self-centred’. Qualitative analysis of the ten case study self-reports of on-road hostile aggression revealed a similar range of on-road situational factors to those identified in the literature review and Study One. Six of the case studies reported off-road generated stress that they believed contributed to the episodes of aggressive driving they recalled. Intense ‘anger’ or ‘rage’ were most frequently used to describe the emotions experienced in response to the perceived provocation. Less frequently ‘excitement’ and ‘fear’ were cited as relevant emotions. Notably, five of the case studies experienced difficulty articulating their emotions, suggesting emotional difficulties. Consistent with Study Two, these drivers reported negative attributions and most had thoughts of aggressive actions they would like to take. Similarly, these drivers adopted both instrumental and hostile aggressive behaviours during the self-reported incident. Nine participants showed little or no remorse for their behaviour and these drivers also appeared to exhibit low levels of personal insight. Interestingly, few incidents were brought to the attention of the authorities. Further, examination of the person-related characteristics of these drivers indicated that they may be more likely to have come from difficult or dysfunctional backgrounds and to have a history of anti-social behaviours on and off the road. The research program has several key theoretical implications. While many of the findings supported Shinar’s (1998) frustration-aggression model, two key areas of difference emerged. Firstly, aggressive driving behaviour does not always appear to be frustration driven, but can also be driven by feelings of excitation (consistent with the tenets of the General Aggression Model). Secondly, while the findings supported a distinction being made between instrumental and hostile aggressive behaviours, the characteristics of these two types of behaviours require more examination. For example, Shinar (1998) proposes that a driver will adopt an instrumental aggressive behaviour when their progress is impeded if it allows them to achieve their immediate goals (e.g. reaching their destination as quickly as possible); whereas they will engage in hostile aggressive behaviour if their path to their goal is blocked. However, the current results question this assertion, since many of the hostile aggressive drivers studied appeared prepared to engage in hostile acts irrespective of whether their goal was blocked or not. In fact, their behaviour appeared to be characterised by a preparedness to abandon their immediate goals (even if for a short period of time) in order to express their aggression. The use of the General Aggression Model enabled an examination of the three components of the ‘present internal state’ comprising emotions, cognitions and arousal and how these influence the likelihood of a person responding aggressively to an on-road situation. This provided a detailed insight into both the cognitive and emotional aspects of aggressive driving that have important implications for the design of relevant countermeasures. For example, the findings highlighted the potential value of utilising Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with aggressive drivers, particularly the more hostile offenders. Similarly, educational efforts need to be mindful of the way that person-related factors appear to influence one’s perception of another driver’s behaviour as aggressive or benign. Those drivers with a predisposition for aggression were more likely to perceive aggression or ‘wrong doing’ in an ambiguous on-road situation and respond with instrumental and/or hostile behaviour, highlighting the importance of perceptual processes in aggressive driving behaviour.

The purpose of this study is to examine what affects the changes in credit spreads. A

regression model was performed where the explanatory variables were; volatility,

SP&500 index, interest-rate level the slope of yield curve and the dependent

variable was credit spread for each of CSUSDA, CSUSDBBB, and CSUSDB. We

found a positive correlation between these independent variables (Volatility, S&P

500index) and a negative correlation between interest-rate level and credit spreads.

These results were consistent with our hypothesis. However, the link between the

slope of yield curve and credit spreads was positive and that was inconsistent with

our hypothesis and some previous studies. The conclusion of this paper was a

change in credit spread is related to the variables that we used in our model. And

these variables explained about 50 per cent of this change.

Throughout New Labour’s term in office, from 1997 to 2010, the Government placed increasing emphasis on both healthy policy and regionalism. No longer was health merely part of the National Health Service agenda. Instead, all policies had to take health into account, to address the wider determinants of health, such as housing, employment and poverty. New regional agencies were created to aid policy development and implementation at the regional level. This study considered the way healthy public policy reached and climbed the decision-makers’ agendas within these regional structures. The North East region of England was chosen as a case study. A series of interviews took place with those most heavily involved in policy-making in the region. Documents from the regional agencies and other organizations playing a part in the decision-making process were examined. Along with general policy, four specific policy areas were investigated: tobacco control, housing, worklessness and climate change. These were chosen to allow comparison of influential factors, particularly those factors identified in the agenda-building literature. Several agenda-building models proved helpful, suggesting factors shown to influence agendas, although many related to national agendas. The most significant factors were the people and organizations involved and the ways they worked together, formally and informally, across departments and across organizations. Informal joint working was also particularly useful in enhancing decision-makers’ awareness of health issues so that health would be considered in all policy. The recently elected Government plans to move away from regionalism towards localism. The North East currently has an ethos of joint working and a commitment to healthy policy. Losing the supportive regional structures could well mean losing the capacity to make all policy healthy policy.

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Office Management and Technology in the Faculty of Business at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013
Employees are important to any business and without them businesses could be unsuccessful. This is particularly the case with micro retail businesses where employees are in direct contact with customers and more often than not, generate most of the revenue. Staff turnover on the other hand, may play a significant role and have an impact on business performance especially, in micro retail businesses. The success of micro retail businesses may be in understanding the possible causes of staff turnover and explored in this research. The aim of this research is to ascertain what causes staff turnover within micro retail businesses in Cape Town, South Africa, and how this can be reduced or prevented. To satisfy this goal, the research problem formulated as: It is unknown what interventions are needed for micro retail businesses to retain their staff The researcher conducted extensive literature analysis to understand the theoretical background and the possible factors that cause high staff turnover in micro retail businesses. Thereafter, the researcher uncovers the drivers causing staff turnover in micro retail businesses using a survey study. The research population is micro retail businesses in Cape Town, South Africa. Due to the nature of this research, a purposive sampling method is found to be the most appropriate. Questionnaires are used to collect primary data, whereas literature analysis assists with obtaining secondary data. The researcher found that remuneration, physical and employment working conditions and working hours are the top three most likely causes of staff turnover in micro retail businesses in Cape Town, South Africa. The researcher recommended that businesses should offer relevant and competitive remuneration packages, provide safe and secure working environments and arrange fair shift patterns. These would assist micro retail businesses to prevent or at least reduce high staff turnover.

This study investigates factors that may be related to dependency on driving and decisions to continue or ceased riving in older age. Some older drivers may be unsafe to drive (Drachman & Swearer, 1993), but are unwilling to cease, this can result in referrals to mental health services. The potential influence of attitudes towards driving on driving behaviour has been highlighted (O'Neill, 1996) but as yet has not been fully investigated. A questionnaire was developed, based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, to elicit factors which might predict older drivers' intentions to drive more or less often. Reliability was demonstrated for the questionnaire, which was completed by 99 older drivers. The results indicated that the majority of older drivers used their car frequently. Two components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour were demonstrated to predict 73% of the variance in driving behaviour, namely, perceived behavioural control and attitude towards driving. Those drivers who perceived more positive outcomes for driving and less negative outcomes were likely to intend driving more often. Also those drivers with higher levels of perceived behavioural control were likely to intend to drive more often. A self-report measure of actual driving behaviour two to three months later, suggested that behavioural intention was highly related to subsequent driving behaviour. Methodological issues, future research and clinical implications of the findings are discussed. In particular, interventions based on attitude change and problem solving to decrease perceived dependency on the car, may facilitate the process of giving up driving.

With more legislation being enforced to achieve a reduction in road transport CO2 emissions, automotive companies are having to research and develop technologies that deliver greener driving . Whilst emissions from passenger vehicles have dropped over recent years, there has been an increase in emissions from light commercial vehicles (LCVs). The nature of LCV delivery work is a routine of ingress/egress of the vehicle, changing from a standing to a seated posture repetitively throughout the day. One research focus is packaging occupants in to a smaller vehicle space, in order to reduce the amount of vehicle emissions over its lifecycle. For LCVs, benefits from space saving technology could be an increase in overall loading space (with the same vehicle length) or a reduction in the overall length/weight of the vehicle. Furthermore, an elevated seat posture could reduce the strain on drivers during ingress/egress, as it is closer than that of a conventional seat to a standing posture. Whilst space saving technology has obvious benefits, current driving conventions and standards are not inclusive of new and novel seated postures when packaging a driver in to a vehicle. The fundamental purpose of a vehicle driver s seat is to be comfortable and safe for the occupant and to facilitate driving. It has been shown that a seat needs both good static and dynamic factors to contribute to overall seat comfort. Additionally, comfortable body angles have been identified and ratified by studies investigating comfortable driving postures; however, this knowledge only applies to conventional driving postures. For an elevated posture , defined as having the driver s knee point below the hip point, there is little research or guidance. The overall aim of this thesis is to identify the ergonomic requirements of a wide anthropometric range of drivers in an elevated driving posture for LCVs, which was investigated using a series of laboratory based experiments. An iterative fitting trial was designed to identify key seat parameters for static comfort in an elevated posture seat. The results showed that in comparison with a conventional seat: Seat base length was preferred to be shorter (380mm compared with 460mm); Seat base width was preferred to be wider (560mm compared with 480mm); Backrest height was preferred to be longer (690mm compared with 650mm). These findings provided a basis for a seat design specification for an elevated posture concept seat, which was tested in two subsequent laboratory studies. A long-term discomfort evaluation was conducted, using a driving simulator and a motion platform replicating real road vibration. Discomfort scores were collected at 10-minute intervals (50-minutes overall) using a body map and rating scale combination. The results indicated that in comparison with the conventional posture, the elevated posture performed as well, or better (significantly lower discomfort for right shoulder and lower back; p<0.05, two-tailed), in terms of long-term discomfort. Furthermore, the onset of discomfort (i.e. the time taken for localised discomfort ratings to be significantly higher than the baseline ratings reported before the trial) occurred after as little as 10 minutes (conventional posture) and 20 minutes (elevated posture) respectively. A lateral stability evaluation was conducted using low-frequency lateral motion on a motion platform (platform left and right rolls of 14.5°). Stability scores were reported after each sequence of rolls, comparing scores on a newly developed lateral stability scale between three seats: Conventional posture seat; Elevated posture concept seat (EPS1); Elevated posture concept seat with modifications aimed at improving stability (EPS2). Participants reported being more unstable in EPS1, compared with the conventional posture seat (p<0.05, Wilcoxon). However, the EPS2 seat performed equally to the conventional posture seat. These findings suggest that the elevated posture seat developed in this research is a feasible and comfortable alternative to a conventional posture seat. Furthermore, the final elevated seating positions showed that real space saving can be achieved in this posture thus allowing for more compact and lighter vehicles and potentially reducing strain on drivers during ingress/egress.

The aim of this research was to investigate the nature of the out-of-the-loop (OoTL) phenomenon in highly automated driving (HAD), and its effect on driver behaviour before, during, and after the transition from automated to manual control. The work addressed questions relating to how automation affects drivers' (i) performance in transition situations requiring control- and tactical-level responses, (ii) their behaviour in automation compared to in manual driving, (iii-iv) their visual attention distribution before and during the transition, as well as (v) their perceptual-motor performance after resuming control. A series of experiments were developed to take drivers progressively further OoTL for short periods during HAD, by varying drivers' secondary task engagement and the amount of visual information from the system and environment available to them. Once the manipulations ended, drivers were invited to determine a need to resume control in critical and non-critical vehicle following situations. Results showed that, overall, drivers looked around more during HAD, compared to manual driving, and had poorer vehicle control in critical transition situations. Generally, the further OoTL drivers were during HAD, the more dispersed their visual attention. However, within three seconds of the manipulations ending, the differences between the conditions resolved, and in many cases, this was before drivers resumed control. Differences between the OoTL manipulations emerged once again in terms of the timing of drivers' initial response (take-over time) in critical events, where the further OoTL drivers were the longer it took them to resume control, but there was no difference in the quality of the subsequent vehicle control. Results suggest that any information presented to drivers during automation should be placed near the centre of the road and that kinematically early avoidance response may be more important for safety than short take-over times. This thesis concludes with a general conceptualisation of the relationship between a number of driver and vehicle/environment factors that influence driver performance in the transition.

Today, it is important for companies to deliver superior customer value in order to be successful on the market. There are two different ways of achieving this advantage; a company can either follow a market driven approach or a market driving approach. The difference between these two approaches is that a market driven company listens to the customers’ demand and create superior customer value of their needs. On the contrary, a market driving company reshapes the market and offer new superior needs to customers that will be seen as a need by them. Furthermore, there is a gap of the influence the internal factors have on the market driven and the market driving approach. Therefore, the aim of this study is to provide an insight of how the three internal factors, structure, financial resources and organization culture, influence the two approaches in the luxury industry. A survey was conducted in order to gather data from different companies worldwide. Both explanatory and exploratory research strategies were used when the collected data was analyzed. Explanatory research was used to test the hypothesis and explain the research question. Exploratory research was used to further understand how the internal factors influence a company’s marketing strategy.  The result of this dissertation indicates that the three internal factors were not significantly connected with market driven or market driving approach. However, it can still be argued that the internal factor structure somehow is correlated with the market driven approach. Furthermore, the findings of this dissertation can be interesting for people who seek to investigate in both the concept of market orientation and how the internal factors influence it.

Selection strategies to increase productive traits of farm animals have been effective and highly specialized breeds and strains were obtained. At the same time, the effort made to obtain extremely high producing animals was accompanied by undesired effects, such as a reduced ability to sustain production, reproduction and health; especially under constrained conditions. The perception that selection was degrading robustness, lead to selection strategies aiming to improve the ability of animals to perform in a wider range of environmental constrain. However, at the present moment, the physiological mechanisms allowing farm animals to perform well in a wide range of environments, while others succumb, have not been described. The present thesis intended to address this question by describing the evolution of traits related to fitness, survival and to the adaptability to environmental constraints. Two maternal rabbit lines differing in their ability to face the environmental constraints, i.e. a `specialist¿ and a `generalist¿ maternal rabbit line were available. Additionally, two generations (20 generations apart) of the specialized line were simultaneously available. During the first two consecutive reproductive cycles, female rabbits were simultaneously subjected to three environmental conditions differing in the intensity and in the physiological constrain imposed. Digestive capacity, the acquisition of resources and the partitioning of resources into different function (i.e. litter size, milk yield, growth, body reserves, etc.) was also assessed. Results showed a greater acquisition capacity of `generalist¿ females in constrained conditions with respect to `specialist¿ females. Moreover, the greater acquisition capacity was not accompanied by a reduction in the digestive efficiency, allowing the `generalist¿ females a relative greater acquisition of digestible energy. The maintenance of reproductive performance by having a greater acquisition capacity, together with the avoidance of making an intensive use of body reserves were both related to the capacity of `generalist¿ females to sustain reproduction in a wide range of environmental conditions. Twenty generations of selection exclusively for reproduction (specialized line), was not accompanied by a higher acquisition capacity, but by a change in the relative priority between the litter being nursed (actual) and the litter being gestate (future litter). In this sense, females from the actual generation of selection for litter size at weaning had a greater milk yield in the first week of lactation (period of great importance to kits survival), reducing it by the end of lactation. The present thesis also evidenced the importance of the environment where the animals are being selected in the evolution of the interplay between competing functions.
Savietto, D. (2014). Environmental and genetic factors driving robustness in reproductive rabbit does [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/37198
TESIS
Premiado

Businesses should not only focus on their current environment and challenges. In order to survive in a world that is faced with constant change organisations needs to not only be adept at exploiting their current environment but also need to allocate a fair portion of their resources and time at exploring the future. Organisations that managed to balance their exploitative and explorative activities are referred to as ambidextrous organisations. Ambidextrous organisations have not only proved to be more capable at pioneering new innovations but have also demonstrated that they are more adaptive to disruptive change. Cryptocurrencies are seen as a potential disruptive megatrend with questionable consequences to financial institutions, regulating authorities, businesses and government. The purpose of this research study was to provide small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) with a model/lens with which to examine the cryptocurrency megatrend. The study utilised the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model to examine the factors that drive cryptocurrency adoption in SMEs. The research study found that the following UTAUT2 constructs : performance expectancy, price value and habit are all significant drivers on the behaviour intention to use Bitcoin. The research study also demonstrated that the trust construct, a construct that does not form part of the original UTAUT2 model, is also a considerable driver on the behaviour intention to use Bitcoin. The findings of the research study can be used by organisations as an input for constructive discourse to anticipate the potential impact or opportunities brought by the cryptocurrencies megatrend. Armed with this knowledge, managers can make more informed decisions, implement targeted interventions and channel resources more effectively to streamline the change process.
Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2015.
sn2016
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
MBA
Unrestricted

This dissertation investigates various micro and macro level domestic factors affecting attitudes towards immigrants and emigration of international students. The first chapter examines if an individual’s religiosity affects his attitude against immigrants in jobs in rich and poor countries using data from World Values Survey, wave 6 for the period 2010-2014. The main finding of this study is that per capita income affects an individual’s attitudes against immigrants in getting hired but religiosity does not matter in affecting attitudes of people against immigrants in rich and poor countries. The second chapter explores Europeans opposition against Muslims, Jewish and Roma immigrants based on perceived economic, religious and security threats in strong and weak economies using European Social Survey for the period 2014-2015. The results suggest that the state of economy dominates a respondent’s perception of economic, religious or security threats against banning Muslims, Jews and Roma immigrants. The third chapter sheds lights whether corruption in countries promote students to study abroad using data on outbound students from UNESCO for the period 1999-2015. The results indicate that corruption promotes emigration of international students for only high income countries in the sample but this result does not hold for low and middle income countries.

The manner in which the Internet has transformed services and more especially the banking industry is discussed. The main objective of the research is to develop, test and validate a model that identifies the key factors driving usage of Internet banking. An extensive review of the literature, and exploratory qualitative research helped develop a conceptual model depicting the multiple influencing factors relevant to usage of Internet banking. The critical cornerstone of the research is a large scale electronic survey of Internet banking users. The Web survey was conducted using a non-probability sample of convenience, whereby 964 respondents constituted a final sample that broadly resembled the profile of Internet banking users which is cited frequently in the literature. Although, the branch continues to be the most favoured channel for a number of banking products and services, findings from this research indicate that the majority of respondents are willing to consider buying a wider range of banking products and services online in the future (e. g. current account, personal/car loan, and investment/savings), but also that the majority would definitely not buy more complex products (i. e. mortgage, life and pension) online in the future. The research has identified a number of significant demographic differences with respect to Internet banking. Also, people who have been using Internet banking for longer are more likely to use the services of more than one Internet banking provider. A number of variables showed large average estimated differences in the population groups when tested against the constructs. Most of the constructs are positively related to each other and there is a particularly strong positive relationship between Usefulness and Attitude to Internet banking. The results indicate a weak relationship between Usage and Satisfaction; and between Usage and Intentions. Control and Fun/Enjoyment are two significant predictors of Internet banking Usage, and Demographic are relatively weak in predicting Usage. A number of items were identified as strongly encouraging Usage. A revised conceptual model depicting Internet banking Usage is presented. CHAID analysis results suggest that many of the construct, behavioural, and demographic factors included in the revised model can be used to distinguish between high and low users of Internet banking.

Entrainment is a non–selective form of flotation recovery which degrades the selectivity of the flotation process. Previous studies have found that a balanced recovery profile (i.e., each cell in a bank having equal recovery) yields the highest separation efficiency between two floatable minerals. Analysis of the empirical JKMRC water overflow rate model suggests that a balanced mass pull profile (i.e., equal mass distribution to each cell in bank) would minimise entrainment over a bank of flotation cells, whenever the value of b is greater than one. Simulations conducted in JKSimFloat comparing varying recovery and mass pull profiles support a balanced mass pull profile to maximise the separation efficiency between a floatable mineral and entrained gangue, and a balanced recovery profile to maximise the separation efficiency between two floatable minerals. Values of b > 1 were found for overflow rate data collected in several flotation systems. However, there was no phenomenological reasoning for this assumption. Based on data collected in industrial cells, the value of b was predicted in terms of the froth gas hold–up and the fraction of unburst bubbles that overflow a flotation cell. The value of gas hold–up in flotation froths is typically greater than 50 %, whereas α is typically less than 50 %. This finding lends support to the assumption that b is always greater than 1. It is recommended that this model be tested on other systems to examine its validity.
L'entraîınement est un mode non-sélective de flottation qui diminue la sélectivité du procédé de flottation. Des études précédentes d´emontrent qu'un profil de récupération balancée (dans laquelle chacune des cellules de flottation dans unesérie a une récupération équivalente) produit la meilleur efficacité de séparation entre deux minerais flottables. Une analyse du modèle empirique JKMRC du débit d'eau à la surverse suggère qu'un profil de récupération massique balancée (dans laquelle chacune des cellules de flottation dans une série a une récupération massique équivalente) minimiserait l'entraînement pour une série de cellules de flottation. Cette conclusion est valide seulement quand la valeur de b est supérieure à 1. Des simulations comparant des profils de récupération et de récupération massique (réalisé avec le logiciel JKSimFloat) soutiennent qu'un profil de récupération massique balancée maximise l'efficacité de séparation entre un minerai flottable et des rejets non-flottables, et qu'un profil de récupération balancée maximise l'efficacité de s´eparation entre deux minerais flottables. Des valeurs de b > 1 ont été mesurées pour des données de débits d'eau à la surverse dans plusieurs systèmes de flottation. Par contre, aucune explication phénoménologique n'existe pour justifier cette assomption. En utilisant des valeurs cueillies avec des cellules de flottation industrielles, la valeur de b a été prédit en terme de fraction gazeuse dans la mousse et la fraction de bulles non-éclatées dans la surverse de la cellule de flottation. La valeur de la fraction gazeuse dans la mousse est généralement supérieur à 50 %, tandis que α est généralement inférieur à 50 %. Cette notion appui l'assomption que la valeur de b est toujours supérieur à 1. Il est recommandé que ce modèle soit vérifiée avec d'autres systèmes pour d´eterminer sa validité.

Transcriptomic analyses from across eukaryotes indicate that most of the genome is transcribed at some point in the developmental trajectory of an organism. One class of these transcripts is termed long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs). Recently, attention has focused on understanding the evolutionary dynamics of lincRNAs, particularly their conservation within genomes. Here, we take a comparative genomic and phylogenetic approach to uncover factors influencing lincRNA emergence and persistence in the plant family Brassicaceae, to which Arabidopsis thaliana belongs. We searched 10 genomes across the family for evidence of >5000 lincRNA loci from A. thaliana. From loci conserved in the genomes of multiple species, we built alignments and inferred phylogeny. We then used gene tree/species tree reconciliation to examine the duplication history and timing of emergence of these loci. Emergence of lincRNA loci appears to be linked to local duplication events, but, surprisingly, not whole genome duplication events (WGD), or transposable elements. Interestingly, WGD events are associated with the loss of loci for species having undergone relatively recent polyploidy. Lastly, we identify 1180 loci of the 6480 previously annotated A. thaliana lincRNAs (18%) with elevated levels of conservation. These conserved lincRNAs show higher expression, and are enriched for stress-responsiveness and cis-regulatory motifs known as conserved noncoding sequences (CNSs). These data highlight potential functional pathways and suggest that CNSs may regulate neighboring genes at both the genomic and transcriptomic level. In sum, we provide insight into processes that may influence lincRNA diversification by providing an evolutionary context for previously annotated lincRNAs.

Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) has the potential to decrease the number of fatal accidents in traffic. However, in some cases, drivers with the systems in their car are resistant against using them. Exploring the underlying reasons and factors of the low-usage of ADAS was the purpose of this thesis. The thesis consists of Study I, an exploratory interview study with ten drivers who had cars with ADAS. The goal of Study I was to highlight the possible reasons behind the low usage of ADAS. The results of Study I were used to design Study II, which consisted of a survey targeted to drivers who had access to the ADAS adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist (N = 49). The results indicate that the factors or circumstances that affect usage depend on the ADAS and the user groups. Some identified underlying factors for low usage behavior of ADAS are the need to monitor the vehicle more when ADAS is activated and lack of trust in own ability when using ADAS compared to the high usage group.
Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) har potential att förhindra antalet dödsfall i trafiken. Det förekommer att förare som har systemen i sin bil, väljer bort att använda dem. Syftet med den här uppsatsen var att undersöka underliggande orsaker och faktorer till låg användningsgrad av ADAS. Uppsatsen består av två studier. Studie I är en explorativ intervjustudie med tio förare som hade bilar med ADAS. Målet med Studie I var att ringa in de möjliga bakomliggande faktorerna för låg användningsgrad av ADAS. Resultaten från Studie I användes för att utforma en enkätstudie till Studie II som var riktad till förare som hade bilar med förarstödsystemen adaptiv farthållare och körfältsassistans (N = 49). Resultaten pekar på att de underliggande orsakerna och faktorerna beror på vilken ADAS som avses samt vilket användargrupp föraren tillhör. Några underliggande faktorer för låg användingsgruppen tycks vara känsla av att behöva övervaka fordonet samt lägre grad av tilltro till den egna förmågan än vad höganvändingsgrupper rapporterade.

In this paper, we examine international linkages in inflation and short-term interest rates using a global sample of OECD and emerging economies. Using a Bayesian global vector autoregression (GVAR) model, we show that for short-term interest rates both movements in inflation and output play an important role. In advanced countries, however, international factors such as foreign interest rates appear as an important driver of local interest rates. For inflation, we also find evidence for the importance of global factors, such as price developments in other countries, oil prices and the exchange rate. Again, this impact of global factors appears predominately in advanced countries.
Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

Using questionnaire survey generated data from the DWI Probation Program in Dallas County. This study investigated the factors related to the perceived effectiveness of that program from the probationers perspectives. The findings in this study indicate that the perceived effectiveness of the DWI program by the probationers is an area that calls for more research and investigations. The findings have shown that factors related to the perceived effectiveness of the program by the probationers have a profound effect on the efficiency of the program as a whole in order to achieve its stated objectives.

Energy efficiency is important – but an energy saving potential has yet to reach its full range. Energy services are means to reach that potential and energy companies are stressed as important actors into creating an established market for energy services. Energy services are tools that include providing in-direct services such as energy statistics, audits, declarations, consultations and analysis. It also includes a number of more complex and direct services, for example energy efficiency measurements or service contracts. This report is a result of a study on Danish and Swedish energy companies offering energy services, based on the market they act upon. It aims to find their driving forces for providing energy services. It also looks closer into whether publically and privately owned energy companies differ and if there exist contradictions to both supply energy and energy services at the same time. It also looks into how energy companies are affected and feel about national regulatory instruments. Energy companies in both countries offering energy services are reaching a wide spectrum of client segments and energy services. They often have the possibility to combine and package energy supply with energy services and they can reduce many of the theoretical barriers to energy efficiency by offering energy services. They are driven by a client demand and a closer client relationship, both leading to a decreased supply client fluctuation. A new business opportunity and a green profile strategy are also driving factors. Energy services also help energy companies to decrease heavy investment on existing equipment by having more control over their clients’ energy use and reducing energy utilization tops. Danish energy companies are tied to an energy saving obligation scheme, providing them with conditions, which their market is based, whilst Swedish energy companies offering energy services act on a market that is created by them and their competitors derive from different business backgrounds. There exist an assertive regulatory instrument in Denmark affecting driving factors for public and private energy companies and clients. In Sweden regulatory instruments, such as energy efficiency programmes, subsidises for energy audits and voluntary agreements for industries affect energy companies in a less way than in Denmark, mostly increasing a client demand for energy services. The regulatory instruments in Denmark increase a trust for energy companies as energy service providers as in Sweden they are trusted upon their existing substantial role on the energy market, a reputation of knowledge and experience and a strategy aiming towards visualisation, motivation and education for the clients. Public energy companies feel a responsibility towards their public owners to offer an efficient energy supply and by having a local connection to the municipality they are able to increase competiveness in the region by offering energy services. Private companies are substantially larger than public companies and have a great potential to reach out to a larger number of clients through their existing supply client stock. This is of substantial higher relevance in Sweden than Denmark.

Driving factors and mechanisms for cluster development have often been investigated based on the standard cluster approach as conceptualised e.g. by Michael Porter. These studies have revealed certain insights regarding the role of local entrepreneurship, factor conditions, demand, and related industries in supporting clusters. However, such factors were analysed often from a static competitiveness perspective, and they were often seen as rooted in a region or part of an overly schematic local-global pattern. We suggest instead that driving factors of cluster development coexist at several spatial scales such as regional, national, European and global levels. We also argue that specific factors change in their importance for firms and for clusters over time, and that these changes are industry- and knowledge base specific. Relying on insights from cluster life cycle-, evolutionary- and knowledge base approaches among others we investigate changes in driving factors for cluster development and their relationship to different geographical scales. We provide some answers to these questions by comparing the environmental technology sector of Upper Austria and the New Media sector of Vienna, industries that differ in their knowledge bases and their spatial rootedness. (authors' abstract)
Series: SRE - Discussion Papers

碩士
國立中興大學
科技管理研究所
101
In today’s highly popularity and convenience of Internet, there are many kind of commercial activities and innovation consulting threw it. One of it is Crowdsourcing, it is different from an ordinary outsourcing since it is a task or problem that is outsourced to an undefined public rather than to a specific, named group. However, recent research has paid scant attention to quantify and explore the adoption intention of company toward crowdsourcing, especially in Taiwan. Hence, this study uses technological, organizational, and environmental contexts to research the intention of Taiwanese Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to adopt the crowdsourcing. The result based on survey of 240 respondents collected from Taiwanese Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) support the study that technological, organizational, and environmental forces really drive adoption intention. These findings and research model may be helpful to managers when assessing to adopt crowdsourcing in problem solving.

碩士
國立中山大學
環境工程研究所
89
During administer mobil source examine and control plan , we must estimate emission amount , curtail amount and curtail rate , to estimate the improve effection . But there has very few data of this aspect , especially real road driving pattern to calcul ate emission factory and amount . So it’s necessary to proceed this aspect investigate. The investigate have two parts include driving pattern and emission factor . Determine item is CO , THC and NOx .The result of driving Ping-tung area have faster speed,longer navigate time and larger acceleration and deceleration . The result of emission factor：CO is 6.79 (±3.39) g/km , THC is 1.63 (±1.27) g/km and NOx is 0.13(±0.14) g/km . Idle emission CO is 1.03%(±1.19%)，THC is 1400(±2138) ppm

碩士
義守大學
電機工程學系碩士班
98
A novel cost-effective and high-efficiency single-switch inverter with power-factor-correction (PFC) scheme is proposed to drive a piezoelectric ceramic transducer for an ultrasonic cleaner. The circuit topology is derived by integrating a flyback converter served as PFC with a class-E resonant inverter for driving a thin piezoelectric ceramic transducer at its resonance frequency. A unity power factor is achieved by operating the flyback converter at discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). With tactfully designed circuit parameters, the class-E resonant inverter is operated at the sub-optimum mode to effectively reduce the switching-on losses of the active power switch, leading to a high circuit efficiency. The active switch is controlled by pulse-width modulation at a fixed switching frequency and constant duty cycle to adjust the output power of the piezoelectric ceramic transducer. The operation modes, design equations and design steps for the circuit parameters are given. A prototype circuit designed for a 42-W ultrasonic cleaner was built and tested to verify the analytical predictions. Satisfactory performances are obtained from the experimental results.

碩士
國立聯合大學
電機工程學系碩士班
106
This paper aims to develop an ultrasonic cleaner drive circuits with power factor correction. The structure of circuits are composed of a dual forward converter with a power factor correction circuit which the output is DC voltage with a high-power factor, and a half-bridge converter generated a high-frequency AC to drive the ultrasonic cleaner . The 110V 60Hz AC voltage can be rectified to DC voltage by bridge rectifier and boosted by a power factor correction circuit to 310V DC voltage which can keep the input voltage and current in the same phase. After the power factor is corrected by the circuits, the dual forward converter can be used to complete the buck operation, then with the 310V DC voltage can be converted to a 45V DC voltage. I will obtain a stable DC voltage with power factor correction. The half-bridge converter is used for switching the DC voltage to a high-frequency AC voltage, which can drive the ultrasonic cleaners. The frequency of the switching frequency is adjusted according to the resonance frequency of the ultrasonic cleaners. Finally, explore the working principle of each circuit structure as well as measure and record circuit’s simulations and experimental results.