The thesis is concerned with relationships between progressive technological processes of spheroidal graphite cast iron’s production and their structural properties. The aim of the work is to explain causal relationship between parameters of the proposed manufacturing technology of the iron type given (involving selected variants of modification and inoculation of melt and the parameters of melt crystallization, solidification and cooling down in a mould), their structure and even chemical heterogeneity of elements in this structure. For close specification of presented relationships three-dimensional model of spheroidal graphite growth was used, which was developed at the Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Its usability in praxis has been verified on the basisis of the application of this model on experimentally acquired data. The U GRAFIT 20 model of the authors Stránský and Million counting segregation in the frame of eutectic cell has not still been used for prediction of segregation in real condition in greater extent. On the basis of the above mentioned model microsegregation within “on average” of the cell has been discovered during experimental melts. Microsegregation has been described by segregation and heterogeneity indexes. Calculated values of segregation and heterogeneity indexes have been compared with experimentally verified values. On the basis of comparison of calculated and measured values the possibility of further usage of the mentioned model in praxis has been explored.

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MSc., Faculty of Science, University of Witwatersrand, 2011 / A multifactor ecological integrity index, focusing on freshwater ecosystems on a quaternary catchment scale, can be of great benefit to conservation planning. No ecological integrity index has previously been developed for South African quaternary catchments. In this study an index was developed based on three environmental surrogates: land cover, river integrity and fish species conservation status, with the intention of identifying quaternary catchments of highest conservation concern. By developing such an index, the aim was to provide a general indication of the degree to which catchments have been transformed from a natural environment to a human altered environment, thereby identifying catchments most in need of conservation. For the three available datasets, indices were developed using a five category point-scoring system. A score of one indicates a completely degraded environment and a score of five indicates a pristine environment. The original land cover data consisted of 49 different land cover types which were reduced to five land cover transformation scores. Available river integrity data already existed in five categories and a numerical score of one to five was applied to each category. Fish species conservation status was scored according to the IUCN red data list classifications on a similar basis. Subsequently, a weighted mean score expressed as a percentage was calculated for the three indices for each quaternary catchment. These indices indicate the degree of change/transformation from a natural system (100%) to a largely degraded system (20%). Ultimately, an ecological integrity index was calculated as a mean value of the three related but independent indices. However, the results of the developed ecological integrity index were not representative of real world conditions. This is largely attributed to the lack of complete data found in two out of the three datasets used in the study. Some of the main limitations encountered were the lack of river segment definitions within each catchment and the incomplete and un-systematic collected fish species data records. The land cover data, on the contrary, was of high definition and high standard. It is recommended that in the interim, the developed land transformation index, based on a detailed analysis of land cover, be used as an indicator index of ecological integrity of catchments

6 Abstract Background: Obesity and associated comorbidities increase the probability of sexual disorders. We aimed to assess sexual satisfaction in obese women before and after bariatric surgery using the validated Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and also to assess sexual satisfaction in obese women in comparison with women of normal weight. We also compared the frequency of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) of the participants. Methods: 60 obese women 5.99 completed the questionnaire on sexual satisfaction (FSFI) before a bariatric procedure (laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, 22 women; gastric plication, 33 women; and biliopancreatic diversion, 5 women), 6 months and 12 months after the procedure, i.e. after a significant weight reduction (final BMI of . The control group consisted of 60 women of normal weight (mean BMI of 22.2 1.9 domains, with higher scores indicating better sexual function. The FSFI total score (range 2- dicating FSD. Results: Baseline sexual function in the preoperative obese female was significantly lower than in the control group of women of normal weight (p < 0.01) in each domain. Average postoperative FSFI scores increased from preoperative levels in all domains, but significant improvement occurred only in the domain for desire (p < 0.01). The results at 6 and 12 months...

Magisteruppsats, civilekonomprogrammet Titel: Valutafluktuationer på den svenska aktiemarknaden Bakgrund: Aktiemarknaden och växelkurserna är två avgörande komponenter i världsekonomin. Aktiemarknaden kan påverkas av förändringar i valutakurser, vilket gör det viktigt att förstå hur den fungerar, för att sedan kunna göra smarta investeringsval. I denna studie, kommer vi under en tidsperiod mellan 2012-2021, undersöka hur valutakurserna, SEK/EUR, SEK/USD och KIX-index påverkar OMXS30. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att utforska sambandet mellan förändringar i den svenska växelkursen och den svenska aktiemarknaden. Metod: Denna studie har byggts på en kvantitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats, för att pröva dess syfte. Data har hämtats från Thomas Reuters Eikon Datastream och hypoteserna är framtagna för att finna lösningen på vår problemformulering. Slutsats: Denna studie visar att det finns ett samband mellan förändring i växelkurserna gemensamt och den svenska aktiemarknaden men det finns inte en specifik växelkurs som i sig självt har en signifikant påverkan på den svenska aktiemarknaden i helhet. / Master Thesis in Business Administration Title: Currency fluctuations on the swedish stock market Background: The stock market and exchange rates are two crucial components of the world economy. The stock market can be affected by changes in exchange rates, which makes it important to understand how it works, in order to then make smart investment choices. In this study, during a period of time between 2012-2021, we will examine how the exchange rates, SEK/EUR, SEK/USD and the KIX index affects OMXS30. Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to explore the connection between changes in the Swedish exchange rate and the Swedish stock market. Method: This study has been based on a quantitative method with a deductive approach, in order to test its purpose. The data has been taken from the Thomas Reuters Eikon Datastream and the hypotheses have been developed to be able to find the solution to our problem. Conclusion: This study shows that there is a significant similarity between changes in exchange rates in general and the Swedish stock market, but there is not a specific exchange rate that in itself has a significant impact on the Swedish stock market as a whole

Fertilizer N is one of the most costly inputs in corn (Zea mays L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production and is a strong yield determining factor. Variable rate N fertilization has the potential to improve resource use efficiency, profitability, and help to minimize adverse environmental impacts. Vegetation indices (VIs) may be useful for in-season crop health monitoring to assist in fertilizer N management and yield prediction. This research determined the utility of aerial imagery in detecting corn and cotton response to varying N supply using five selected VIs. The VIs derived from aerial images, chlorophyll readings and tissue N for corn from V5 to V9 growth stages and cotton beginning the 1st week of flowering through to latelowering were used to relate to fertilizer N rates and plant N status and yield. The results showed that VIs derived from aerial imagery could be used to differentiate N supply and in-season grain yield of corn beginning at V5 to V6; however, models from later growth stages had greater r2 values than earlier growth stages. Single variable models that used VI, chlorophyll content, or plant N concentration as an independent variable were overall stronger than 2 variable Multiple Linear Regression models (MLRs). Three independent variables used in MLRs contained multicollinearity. For cotton, the use of VIs derived from aerial imagery to differentiate N supply may depend on environmental factors such as soil and weather. However, VIs may be useful for in-season lint yield prediction beginning the 1st week of flowering although later stages improved accuracy. The MLRs that were developed with 2 independent variables may be more suitable for in-season lint yield prediction than single independent variable models.

This thesis aimed to improve decision-maker access to economic information by testing a pricejusting methodology to annually update expenditure information for economic impacts analyses and by conducting a trends analysis of economic sector contributions to a regional economy. A secondary data analysis of historical angler survey data generated expenditure profiles adjusted over time using price indices. A replication survey was conducted to compare expenditures. Grouping anglers by trip type (one-day/multiple-day) resulted in expenditure profiles that were generally consistent over time as anglers spent approximately $75 and $130 on one-day and multiple-day trips, respectively. These expenditures resulted in total economic impacts of over $13 million. A series of automatic social accounting matrices (ASAM) were then employed to execute economic base analyses, quantifying the role of sectors in the regional economy. The tourism sector consistently contributed over 20% of gross employment and almost 10% of gross output over time.

Recent events, such as the Northeast Blackout of 2003, have highlighted the need for accurate real-time stability assessment techniques to detect when an electric power system is on the brink of voltage collapse. While many techniques exist, most techniques are computationally demanding and cannot be used in an on-line application. A voltage stability index (VSI) can be designed to estimate the distance of the current operating point to the voltage marginally stable point during the system operation. In this research work, a new VSI was developed that not only can detect the system voltage marginally stable point but also is computationally efficient for on-line applications. Starting with deriving a method to predict three types of maximum transferable power of a single source power system, the new VSI is based on the three calculated load margins. In order to apply the VSI to large power systems, a method has been developed to simplify the large network behind a load bus into a single source and a single transmission line given the synchronized phasor measurements of the power system variables and network parameters. The simplified system model, to which the developed VSI can be applied, preserves the power flow and the voltage of the particular load bus. The proposed voltage stability assessment method, therefore, provides a VSI of each individual load bus and can identify the load bus that is the most vulnerable to voltage collapse. Finally, the new VSI was tested on three power systems. Results from these three test cases provided validation of the applicability and accuracy of the proposed VSI.

Individuals with weight statuses approaching obesity may be at risk for chronic health problems. Diet, weight, health behaviors, level of knowledge, and attitudes or perceptions have been identified as key factors influencing body weight. The purpose of this study was to determine which factors were related to BMI in adults in north Mississippi and to determine if there were relationships between those factors. A telephone survey was conducted with 500 participants (mean age 46.3 ± 18.5). The average BMI was 27.5 ± 6.2 kg/m2. Knowledge and attitude/perception-based data were associated with a higher BMI in the population more than dietary behaviors. Significant correlations (p < .05) existed between fried food consumption and knowledge of overweight and obesity consequences, dietary attitudes and fruit and vegetable intake and fried food intake, self-reported risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and perception of health.

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