The purpose of the thesis is to create a model for an analysis of a steam conditioning valve whose function is to reduce the temperature of the steam using a spray water system. First of all, simulation of the fluid flow and heat transfer is done using CFD analysis. Then the results are used for thermal stress calculation.

A steady-state numerical model of a PV/microchannel integrated direct-expansion CO2 heat pump (PV-DXHP) water heater is developed, validated, and analyzed in the present study. To accomplish the objectives, a numerical model of a microchannel evaporator integrated into a CO2 PV DXHP is developed and validated. The effects of evaporator operating parameters on the heat absorption and pressure drop are analyzed. Utilizing the evaporator model, the PV-DXHP model is developed, and the baseline values of the heat pump operating parameters are determined from the evaporator parametric study. The PV-DXHP demonstrates high water heating capability, while maintaining a reasonably high COP. The COP has the highest dependency on the CO2 mass flow rate, while the water outlet temperature has the highest dependency on the water mass flow rate. The results are highly promising and indicate the system has potential to help meet the energy requirements for residential and industrial water heating demands.

One of the biggest challenges nowadays when dealing with critical AAR-affected infrastructure is to determine the induced expansion and damage attained to date in the different locations of the structure (i.e. diagnosis), to forecast its potential for further distress over time (i.e. prognosis), as well as its potential structural implications. There are a number of prognosis techniques that have been developed in the past decades which are currently being used worldwide. Yet, most of these approaches use residual expansion procedures based on accelerated laboratory tests performed on cores extracted from damaged structures. However, the majority of the results gathered from these tests have been found to be inaccurate when compared to the swelling behavior of the respective structure in the field and several potential issues have been raised with respect to the test setup and alkali leaching. This work aims to evaluate the efficiency of the various commonly used laboratory setups to assess the residual expansion of AAR-affected concrete. Three different setups (i.e. 38°C and 100% RH; 38°C and soaked in 1M NaOH and; 38°C and wrapped in 0.7M NaOH) and two types of reactive aggregates (fine and coarse) were selected for this research. Expansion is monitored over time and four damage degrees (i.e. 0.05%. 0.12%, 0.20% and 0.30%) are selected for further chemical, microscopic (DRI) and non-destructive tests. Results demonstrated that the 1 M NaOH protocol is much more aggressive than the other two setups. Furthermore, it provides the samples with a unique damage pattern that is different from field affected concrete. Finally, the proposed setup shows to be reliable in providing tested samples with similar deterioration mechanisms than expected. Yet, more efficiency in the reaction kinetics and understanding of the alkalis exchange from the system is still required.

Microsatellite repeats are a phenomenon found in DNA where a short sequence, usually 1-6bps, is repeated dozens to hundreds of times. Microsatellite repeats that are able to be transcribed are termed expanded tandem repeat-containing RNA (xtrRNA) [1]. xtrRNA have been associated with many diseases, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), which are both caused by a repeat in the C9ORF72 gene. Recent research has been focused on trying to provide treatments for patients with these diseases. This study focuses on creating a drug screening process for therapeutics targeting transcription by stopping or slowing the transcription of C9ORF72 repeat expansions. One project has focused on interrupting the interaction of two transcription factors, SUPT5H and SUPT4H1, to slow transcription. Another project has focused on slowing transcription by using transcriptional inhibitors or nucleoside analogs at low concentrations. Our hypothesis is that if transcription rates are slowed enough, pausing or arrest of RNA polymerase will be induced at complex sequences, including GC-rich regions and repeats. This should reduce synthesis of xtrRNA and provide a starting point for therapeutic development.

There is a strong concern about the environmental and social impacts ­­­of land use changes caused by sugarcane expansion. This research aims to assess the land use changes caused by sugarcane expansion in the State of São Paulo in the last five years, as well as predicting land use changes in the coming years. In addition, this research evaluates the social impacts of sugarcane expansion. The assessment of land use changes was made through GIS analysis. First, the changes during the last five years were evaluated. Based on this information, the land use changes for the coming years were estimated. The social impacts of sugarcane expansion were evaluated by studying the correlation between Human Development Index (HDI) and the sugarcane expansion. The results confirm that sugarcane crop expanded about 1.85 million hectares between 2003 and 2008. About 62% of this expansion replaced areas used for agricultural crop in 2003, and about 34% replaced areas used for pasture in 2003. Three scenarios were created in order to estimate sugarcane expansion in the coming years. In the first scenario, sugarcane would expand about 0.9 million hectares in three years; in the second scenario, 1.1 million hectares in four years; and in the third scenario, 1.4 million hectares in six years. In each scenario, about 70% of the expansion would take place in areas used for agricultural crops in 2003, and 40% in areas used for pasture in 2003. The sugarcane expansion caused a significant and positive impact on the income dimension of HDI for regions with a very low level of development. For regions of medium and high level of development, the HDI impact was not significant. In addition, a slightly negative impact on the longevity dimension of HDI was observed.

Det råder idag en kompetensbrist på arbetsmarknaden och denna brist präglas av yrkesgymnasial kompetens. Företag efterfrågar arbetskraft med denna kompetens samtidigt som färre elever förväntas läsa dessa utbildningar. Kompetensbristen kommer dessutom att öka, år 2035 förväntas 290 000 yrkesgymnasiala kompetenser saknas på arbetsmarknaden. Vidare är bristen på arbetskraft ett bekymmer runt om i hela Sverige men den upplevda bristen, och den högsta någonsin, finns i Västerbottens län och främst i Skellefteå. Detta grundar sig i den missmatch som finns på arbetsmarknaden samt den expansion staden står inför. Följaktligen var syftet med studien att undersöka hur företag i Skellefteå förhåller sig till bristen, vad deras upplevelser är av bristen, hur de anser att problemet bör hanteras, hur det framtida behovet kan planeras och hur utbildningsutbudet kan utvecklas för att bättre matcha behovet på arbetsmarknaden. Vidare intervjuades fem arbetsgivare från fem olika företag och de personer som valdes ut har kunskap om den planerade kompetensförsörjningen. Resultaten som framkom var att arbetsgivare ser en oroväckande utveckling då yrkesgymnasial kompetens har blivit betydligt svårare att rekrytera. Känslan inför bristen skiljer sigdock åt mellan företagen, vissa känner oro medan andra känner ett lugn. Fortsättningsvis vill företag samarbeta med andra företag i syfte att få ett starkare mandat för att kunna utveckla utbildningsutbudet och starta egna utbildningar. Detta är vidare en strategi för att bättre matcha behovet på arbetsmarknaden samt öka yrkesgymnasiala utbildningars attraktivitet. Den rådande kompetensbristen är viktig att uppmärksamma men också de hanteringsstrategier företag använder sig av för att komma till rätta med den oroväckande matchningsproblematiken.

The purpose of this study is to explore the management of expansion strategy in the hotel industry using the control approach as presented in the literature of organizational theory. This integration illustrates that the management of risk in expansion strategy is intertwined with control. The question “How does control intervene in the management of risk in expansion strategy?” was the operationalization of the overarching question of strategy and structure. The answers to this question are summarized in a framework and four propositions. The contribution of this work to academia is threefold. First, this work provides a detailed, theories-driven documentation about how expansion strategies are conducted in the international hotel context. Second, this research integrates three different fields of research and directs to multiple new research tracks in both fields of strategic management and organization theory. Third, this study offers a new approach to measure the alignment between strategy and structure. From a managerial standpoint, this research offers guidance for the comprehension of the determinants of risk in the expansion strategy for international hotel chains. / Ph. D.

Importance: Health insurance coverage is associated with improved outcomes in patients with cancer. However, it is unknown whether Medicaid expansion through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was associated with improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with genitourinary cancer. Objective: To assess the association of Medicaid expansion with health insurance status, stage at diagnosis, and receipt of treatment among nonelderly patients with newly diagnosed kidney, bladder, or prostate cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants: This case-control study included adults aged 18 to 64 years with a new primary diagnosis of kidney, bladder, or prostate cancer, selected from the National Cancer Database from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2016. Patients in states that expanded Medicaid were the case group, and patients in nonexpansion states were the control group. Data were analyzed from January 2020 to March 2021. Exposures: State Medicaid expansion status. Main Outcomes and Measures: Insurance status, stage at diagnosis, and receipt of cancer and stage-specific treatments. Cases and controls were compared with difference-in-difference analyses. Results: Among a total of 340552 patients with newly diagnosed genitourinary cancers, 94033 (27.6%) had kidney cancer, 25770 (7.6%) had bladder cancer, and 220749 (64.8%) had prostate cancer. Medicaid expansion was associated with a net decrease in uninsured rate of 1.1 (95% CI, -1.4 to -0.8) percentage points across all incomes and a net decrease in the low-income population of 4.4 (95% CI, -5.7 to -3.0) percentage points compared with nonexpansion states. Expansion was also associated with a significant shift toward early-stage diagnosis in kidney cancer across all income levels (difference-in-difference, 1.4 [95% CI, 0.1 to 2.6] percentage points) and among individuals with low income (difference-in-difference, 4.6 [95% CI, 0.3 to 9.0] percentage points) and in prostate cancer among individuals with low income (difference-in-difference, 3.0 [95% CI, 0.3 to 5.7] percentage points). Additionally, there was a net increase associated with expansion compared with nonexpansion in receipt of active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer of 4.1 (95% CI, 2.9 to 5.3) percentage points across incomes and 4.5 (95% CI, 0 to 9.0) percentage points among patients in low-income areas. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that Medicaid expansion was associated with decreases in uninsured status, increases in the proportion of kidney and prostate cancer diagnosed in an early stage, and higher rates of active surveillance in the appropriate, low-risk prostate cancer population. Associations were concentrated in population residing in low-income areas and reinforce the importance of improving access to care to all patients with cancer.

This research examines the relationship between grand power strategies of revisionism and status quoism and behavior toward failed states in the Middle East. This research is driven by four interrelated questions: Do the grand strategies determine the behavior of regional powers (expansion or non-expansion) toward failed states? Do revisionist powers expand while status quo powers donot? Do status quo powers balance against revisionist powers when such expansion occurs? Do revisionist powers balance against each other over failed state(s)? Finally, do revisionist and status quo powers align together to balance against other revisionist power(s)? To examine these questions, this dissertation proposes four hypotheses. First, revisionist powers, not status quo powers, expand into failed states by taking advantage of the power vacuum created by state failure. Secondly, since this expansion by revisionist powers threatens the existing power distribution, status quo powers take balancing measures against the expanding power(s). Third, revisionist powers are also expected to balance against each other over failed states if they fail to agree on dividing the spoils. Fourth, when revisionist powers balance against each other, alliance is likely to develop between revisionist and status quo powers against the most threatening expanding power. This research examines the behavior of six regional powers of Egypt, Iran, Israel, Saudi, Syria (1970-2010), and Turkey toward four cases of state failure of Yemen 1962-1970, Lebanon 1975-1989, Yemen 2004-2020, and Syria 2011-2020).

Floorball is a Swedish sport that was introduced in the late 1960s and grew immensely during the 1970s and the 1980s. In the beginning it was mostly played at leisure centres by adolescents but was soon to become one of the biggest sports in Sweden. This study aims to distinguish how the sport was established, how it expanded and how it was treated by the surroundings in the Swedish county of Västerbotten. The study also examines what role the non-profit leadership had when floorball was established in Västerbotten. The source material for this study is three interviews with former floorball pioneers and statistics of the license development during the period of 1986–1996.The result shows that floorball initially had a hard time establishing itself because of the negative responses from other already established sports. The municipality and the media were, however, more positive which helped the sport to develop and expand. The manufacturing of new equipment evolved quickly which helped to formalize the sport. Individual actors played a vital role in the establishment phase and were the backbone of the sport, both as players, leaders, organizers, and educators. The establishment of the district association Västerbottens Innebandyförbund was also a vital affair as the sport became more organized and formal in the county.