This thesis presents a commercial outcome prediction system (CPS) capable of predicting the likely future monetary return that would be generated by an invention. The CPS is designed to be used by university technology transfer offices for invention assessment purposes, and is based on the data from their historical invention cases. It is aimed at improving technology transfer offices' invention assessment performance. Using qualitative critical factors suggested by literature. a prototype CPS based on decision tree induction was developed. The prediction performance achieved by the prototype CPS was unreliable. Three surveys with various technology transfer offices were then performed, and the findings were incorporated into a final version of the CPS, which was based on neural networks. Subject to information obtained in the surveys, a number of potentially predictive attributes were proposed to form part of the predictor variables for the CPS. The CPS starts with a number of data reduction operations (based on principal component analysis and decision tree techniques), which identify the critical predictor variables. The CPS then uses five neural-network training algorithms to generate candidate classifiers, upon which the final classification is based. The prediction results achieved by the CPS were good and reliable. Additionally, the data reduction operations successfully captured the most discriminative invention attributes. The research demonstrated the potential or using the CPS for invention assessment. However, it requires sufficient historical data from the technology transfer office using it to provide accurate assessments.

In the period 1999-2007, more than half a million Burkinabe returned to Burkina Faso due to the persecution of immigrant labourers in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire. Ultranationalist debates about the criteria for Ivorian citizenship had intensified during the 1990s and led to the scapegoating of immigrants in a political rhetoric centred on notions of autochthony and xenophobia. Having been actively encouraged to immigrate by the Ivorian state for generations, Burkinabe migrant labourers were now forced to leave their homes and livelihoods behind and return to a country they had left in their youth or, as second-generation immigrants in Côte d’Ivoire, had never seen. Based on 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, the thesis explores the narratives and everyday practices of returning labour migrants in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso’s second-largest city, in order to understand the subjective experiences of displacement that the forced return to Burkina Faso engendered. The analysis questions the appropriateness of the very notion of “return” in this context and suggests that people’s senses of home are multiplex and tend to rely more on the ability to pursue active processes of emplacement in everyday life than on abstract notions of belonging, e.g. relating to citizenship or ethnicity. The study analyses intergenerational interactions within and across migrant families in the city and on transformations of intra-familial relations in the context of forced displace-ment. A particular emphasis is placed on the experiences of young adults who were born and raised in Côte d’Ivoire and arrived in Burkina Faso for the first time during the Ivorian crisis. These young men and women were received with scepticism in Burkina Faso because of their perceived “Ivorian” upbringing, language, and behaviour and were forced to face new forms of stigmatisation and exclusion. At the same time, young migrants were able to exploit their labelling as outsiders and turn their difference into an advantage in the competition for scarce employment opportunities and social connections.

In the period 1999-2007, more than half a million Burkinabe returned to Burkina Faso due to the persecution of immigrant labourers in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire. Ultranationalist debates about the criteria for Ivorian citizenship had intensified during the 1990s and led to the scapegoating of immigrants in a political rhetoric centred on notions of autochthony and xenophobia. Having been actively encouraged to immigrate by the Ivorian state for generations, Burkinabe migrant labourers were now forced to leave their homes and livelihoods behind and return to a country they had left in their youth or, as second-generation immigrants in Côte d’Ivoire, had never seen. Based on 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, the thesis explores the narratives and everyday practices of returning labour migrants in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso’s second-largest city, in order to understand the subjective experiences of displacement that the forced return to Burkina Faso engendered. The analysis questions the appropriateness of the very notion of “return” in this context and suggests that people’s senses of home are multiplex and tend to rely more on the ability to pursue active processes of emplacement in everyday life than on abstract notions of belonging, e.g. relating to citizenship or ethnicity. The study analyses intergenerational interactions within and across migrant families in the city and on transformations of intra-familial relations in the context of forced displace-ment. A particular emphasis is placed on the experiences of young adults who were born and raised in Côte d’Ivoire and arrived in Burkina Faso for the first time during the Ivorian crisis. These young men and women were received with scepticism in Burkina Faso because of their perceived “Ivorian” upbringing, language, and behaviour and were forced to face new forms of stigmatisation and exclusion. At the same time, young migrants were able to exploit their labelling as outsiders and turn their difference into an advantage in the competition for scarce employment opportunities and social connections.

Namų ūkiuose kaupiami nebenaudojami vaistai gali kelti pavojų gyventojų saugumui. Kaupiami nenaudojami ir pasibaigusio tinkamumo laiko vaistai padidina apsinuodijimo tikimybę tiek vaikams, tiek suaugusiems. Be to, netinkamai iš namų ūkių šalinami naikintini medikamentai gali sukelti ir rimtų aplinkosaugos problemų. Tyrimo tikslas ir uždaviniai. Pagrindiniai šio tyrimo siekiai yra išanalizuoti farmacinių atliekų susidarymo namų ūkiuose priežastis, nustatyti tolimesnius pacientų veiksmus šalinant netinkamus vartoti medikamentus iš namų ūkių ir įvertinti pacientų turimas žinias ir pasirinkimą juos grąžinti į vaistines. Tyrimo metodai. Šio tyrimo respondentai buvo pasirinkti atsitiktinai, o tyrimo dalyvių pildyta anketa - anoniminė. Anketa buvo sudaryta iš 18 klausimų ir į ją atsakyti sutiko 378 respondentai, apsilankę trijose visuomenės vaistinėse, esančiose Šiaulių mieste. Rezultatai. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad nenaudojamų ar pasibaigusio tinkamumo laiko vaistų galima aptikti atitinkamai 92,1 proc. ir 61,1 proc. namų ūkių. Nustatyta, kad vyrai, vyresni nei 50 metų asmenys ir sergantieji lėtine liga pacientai dažniau nesilaiko vaistų vartojimo nurodymų. 65 metų ir vyresniems pacientams gydytojas dažniau keičia gydymo metodą, jiems dažniau pasireiškia šalutinis vaisto poveikis, dėl kurių priežasčių jų namų ūkiuose dažniau susidaro farmacinės atliekos. Netinkamų vartoti vaistinių preparatų grąžinimas į vaistines nepriklauso nuo paciento išsilavinimo, lyties, amžiaus... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Home-generated pharmaceuticals that are no longer used can jeopardize the safety of residents. The generated expired medications increase the probability of poisoning in both children and adults. In addition, medical wastes improperly disposed of household can cause environmental problems. Aim and Goals. The survey primarily aims at analyzing the causes of pharmaceutical waste generation by households, identifying further steps taken by patients towards the removal of medical wastes and assessing the patient knowledge about the proper disposal of medications from the household kits. Methods.A random sample of the survey respondents completed the anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of 18 questions. Responses were provided by 378 respondents who visited three community pharmacies located in the city of Šiauliai. Findings. The research results revealed that 92.1% of the households kept unused medications whereas 61.1% of the households had expired medications. It was determined that the male patients as well as the patients older than 50 years and those who were afflicted with chronic diseases were more frequent to ignore the instructions on medication use. The physicians would frequently alter the method of treatment for 65-year-old or older patients. Such patients were also more frequent to experience adverse effects of the medications therefore excess pharmaceutical waste would accumulate in their households. The return of unsuitable medications back to... [to full text]

This thesis has been performed at Mondi kraft pulp and paper mill located in Sweden, Kramfors Dynäs due to the low return rate of condensate. Currently, the return rate is only at 65 - 75 %. This is problematic as the demineralization process is operating on full capacity and thus requires a reduced make-up water need. The production of demineralized water is an expensive process due to large requirements of chemicals and pump-energy, but also due to the cost of raw water and maintenance. Therefore the purpose of the work was to investigate the possibility to increase the condensate return rate and thus reduce the need of make-up water. The investigation was performed during normal production rates to simplify the interpretations. The steam and condensate system was mapped and extracted flows were identified, measured and marked on map. The extracted flows were investigated in more detail and characterized as either consumed in a process or lost to sewer or atmosphere. In the work, both minor and major improvements were investigated. Minor improvements are accomplished with small intervention measures and could be done with small or no investments costs. Major improvements require large investments costs and further investigations. Six different processes were found to constitute the total production of make-up water. These are the free blowing of excess steam, soot blowing steam, paper machine 6, de-aerating process in the feed water tanks, digester process and steam- & condensate leaks along the pipe network. Improvements with the category of minor were found to reduce steam and condensate consumption by 22 - 23 ton/h. This implies a reduction by 30 - 32 % of the added make-up water, including an annual financial benefit of 3,3 - 3,9 MSEK. Additionally 0,41 - 0,82 MSEK could be gained annually by improving the insulation on the cylinder dryer heads. The make-up water would be further reduced if insulation jackets and inspection programs were implemented on equipments along the steam lines. Two major improvements are recommended. The first major improvement involves elimination of the free blowing of excess steam. This could be accomplished by drying the bark before combustion. The added make-up water would be reduced by 25 % and with the possibility to sell the dried bark during low steam production. The second major improvement involves the digester process, where the consumptions of medium pressure steam could be reduced by replacing steam with liquor-steam from the strong liquor accumulator. Medium pressure steam could instead be converted into electricity by the turbine.

This study deals with skilled migration from a developing country perspective. The migration of skilled individuals from developing countries to developed countries is often viewed as a costly subsidy from the poor nations to the rich, and a threat to their economic development. The first part of the study brings up to date both the theoretical and the policy debate on the impact of skilled migration on the sending economies. The second purpose of the study is to take a closer look at the motivations for skilled emigration from Turkey. The emigration of skilled individuals from Turkey has attracted greater attention in recent years, particularly after the experience of back to back economic crises that have led to increased unemployment among the highly educated young. A survey study was undertaken during the first half of 2002 in order to collect information on various characteristics of Turkish professionals and Turkish students residing abroad. Over 2000 responses were received from the targeted populations. The information from this survey was then used to determine the empirical importance of various factors on return intentions by estimating ordered probit models for the two samples. In the migration literature, wage differentials are often cited as an important factor explaining skilled migration. The findings of the study suggest, however, that other factors are also important in explaining the non-return of Turkish professionals. Economic instability in Turkey is found to be an important push factor, while work experience in Turkey also increases non-return. In the student sample, higher salaries offered in the host country and lifestyle preferences, including a more organized and ordered environment in their current country of study increase the probability of not returning. For both groups, the analysis also points to the importance of prior intentions and the role of the family in the decision to return to Turkey or stay overseas.

近年來由於市場型式為開放主體，在財務整合，商品區隔的環境下，投資人在進行投資時，應考量全方面的訊息，亦即國家內外部所有會影響股票市場的風險因子。而風險與報酬之間是否存在抵換關係，一直以來皆為備受討論的議題，從過去的文獻當中，研究者多以變異數作為衡量風險的代理，再透過各種不同的研究方法來估計風險報酬係數，但實證上並未獲得一致的結果。本文以1981年1月至2008年7月為研究期間，台灣與韓國之股價指數月資料為樣本，所使用之模型參考Turan G. Bali & Liuren Wu(2010)的研究論文，利用簡化過後的雙變量BEKK-GARCH(1，1)模型進行估計，探討台灣與韓國股票市場跨期收益與風險之關係。本文主要分為三大部分，首先先將台灣及韓國的股價指數以美元計價，針對全球市場觀察其風險以及持續性，並且利用共變異數來判別兩國股市分別為高風險或是低風險，再者，將台灣及韓國的股價指數分別以自己國家之幣別計算，將計算出之殘差估計個別國家股市風險，看是否兩國家內部的非經濟因素，例如:政治及軍事等，會影響股市的表現。最後一部份為前兩部分的整合，比較個別國家風險與全球市場風險對台灣及韓國股市的影響以及超額報酬與風險之間的抵換關係。實證結果顯示，不論就台灣或者是韓國而言，全球市場風險的風險與報酬係數皆為正向顯著，其中又以台灣之係數較為高，透露出若在承擔相同的全球市場風險時，台灣的投資人會較韓國的投資人要求較高的報酬。在匯率風險方面，本文採Turan G. Bali & Liuren Wu(2010)所使用的研究方法，將風險與報酬的抵換關係建立在不同國家的幣別之下進行估計，由結果發現，若以美元為單位來衡量風險報酬係數，則不論是台灣或韓國，在全球市場風險下，係數皆較小；若以個別貨幣來衡量，其台灣的風險與報酬抵換係數較大，韓國之係數則是由正值轉變為負值，代表匯率的確會對市場風險值有所影響，匯率風險是可以被定價的。 / In recent years, due to the opening of the markets, there are more and more choices in the investments. Investors should consider all aspects of information in this world with financial market integration but goods market segmentation. The intertemporal relation between risk and return in the stock market has been one of the most extensively studied topics in financial economics. The risk-return coefficients across different currency denomination change when considering different specification for the conditional covariance process. We used the bivariate BEKK-GARCH (1,1) model as the basic used in the reference by Turan G. Bali & Liuren Wu (2010) estimating the risk-return coefficients and measuring how this risk aversion estimate varies with different currency denominations. We started our analysis using monthly data from January 1981 to July 2008 on the Standard & Poor's 500 index, Taiwan stock exchange corporation and Korea composite stock price index. This article was divided into three parts. First, we computed monthly returns on the indices based on U.S. dollar denomination and calculated the excess returns as the index return minus the short-term interest rate. Second, we estimated the conditional covariances between the excess returns on the world market portfolio and the excess returns on two country indices using a bivariate GARCH specification. Third, we estimated the common relation of the equations implied by the international version of the intertemporal capital asset pricing model between the expected excess returns on those two country indices and the corresponding conditional covariances. After repeating the above procedure and estimating the intertemporal risk-return relation under different currency denomination, the empirical results showed that the risk-return coefficients in the world market portfolio was significantly positive in Taiwan and Korea. We also found that the coefficient was different based on different currency denominations on behalf of the exchange rate risk can be priced.

The corporate scandals in the beginning of the 21st century caused distrust in the market and a pressure for more disclosure to increase transparency. To broaden the traditional reporting, companies started to voluntarily disclose information regarding soft measures like Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Due to the fast development and popularity of CSR, more companies started to disclose a separate sustainability report to communicate information about these activities. The aim of the report is to provide stakeholders with accurate and transparent information regarding the companies CSR activities, but also to legitimize the business. The main purpose of this research is to investigate if the quantity of information disclosed in the sustainability report affects the financial performance of companies listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm. We also aim to investigate whether the existence of a report affects the financial performance. With companies spending an increasing amount of resources on disclosing voluntary information it is important to extend the research regarding CSR and the benefits to financial performance. This research ontological and epistemological positions are objectivism and positivism with a deductive approach. A quantitative method was used to gather sufficient data from existing databases and reports. For the first research question our population is all companies listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm on April 12th 2013, and for the second research question our population is the companies with a separate sustainability report in English from the accounting year of 2011. The financial performance data was gathered from the period 2012-04-01-2013-03.31. To answer our research questions and sub- questions, six hypotheses were formulated based on relevant theories and previous studies. Several multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between the existence of the reports, and the quantity of information in them, to the company’s financial performance. Other regressions were performed to establish if the quantity disclosed was affected by industry classification or market capitalization size. Our results show that the neither the existence of a separate sustainability report nor the quantity of information disclosed in it has an effect on stock return. However, both having a separate sustainability and the quantity of information disclosed have a positive effect on stock volatility. Conclusively, companies do not benefit financially from disclosing their CSR activities through a separate sustainability report.

The shareholder is supposed to be indifferent if one share costs 100 SEK, or 10 shares cost 10 SEK each. In an efficient market, shares should be valued directly to new expectations as a result of the announcement of the reverse split. We investigate whether abnormal returns incur surrounding reverse split and if owner structure change. One reason for the reverse share split is that most companies have plans to imple-ment other company’s specific events in order to survive rather than to change the price range to a more attractive level. We found a negative return in the ex-day at 8,1 per cent. When the ex-day is pure enough from other price driving information should the outcome be a reaction to how the market perceives changes in future divi-dends after the reverse split. In consideration of stock ownership of votes accounted for a reduction of individual owners, and increasing institutional owners, more in companies with low Market to Book. This may suggest that the institutional share-holders have increased their share of votes to increase their power in the companies.

For the last two decades heart disease has been the highest single cause of death for the human population. With an alarming number of patients requiring heart transplant, and donations not able to satisfy the demand, treatment looks to mechanical alternatives. Rotary Ventricular Assist Devices, VADs, are miniature pumps which can be implanted alongside the heart to assist its pumping function. These constant flow devices are smaller, more efficient and promise a longer operational life than more traditional pulsatile VADs. The development of rotary VADs has focused on single pumps assisting the left ventricle only to supply blood for the body. In many patients however, failure of both ventricles demands that an additional pulsatile device be used to support the failing right ventricle. This condition renders them hospital bound while they wait for an unlikely heart donation. Reported attempts to use two rotary pumps to support both ventricles concurrently have warned of inherent haemodynamic instability. Poor balancing of the pumps’ flow rates quickly leads to vascular congestion increasing the risk of oedema and ventricular ‘suckdown’ occluding the inlet to the pump. This thesis introduces a novel Bi-Ventricular Assist Device (BiVAD) configuration where the pump outputs are passively balanced by vascular pressure. The BiVAD consists of two rotary pumps straddling the mechanical passive controller. Fluctuations in vascular pressure induce small deflections within both pumps adjusting their outputs allowing them to maintain arterial pressure. To optimise the passive controller’s interaction with the circulation, the controller’s dynamic response is optimised with a spring, mass, damper arrangement. This two part study presents a comprehensive assessment of the prototype’s ‘viability’ as a support device. Its ‘viability’ was considered based on its sensitivity to pathogenic haemodynamics and the ability of the passive response to maintain healthy circulation. The first part of the study is an experimental investigation where a prototype device was designed and built, and then tested in a pulsatile mock circulation loop. The BiVAD was subjected to a range of haemodynamic imbalances as well as a dynamic analysis to assess the functionality of the mechanical damper. The second part introduces the development of a numerical program to simulate human circulation supported by the passively controlled BiVAD. Both investigations showed that the prototype was able to mimic the native baroreceptor response. Simulating hypertension, poor flow balancing and subsequent ventricular failure during BiVAD support allowed the passive controller’s response to be assessed. Triggered by the resulting pressure imbalance, the controller responded by passively adjusting the VAD outputs in order to maintain healthy arterial pressures. This baroreceptor-like response demonstrated the inherent stability of the auto regulating BiVAD prototype. Simulating pulmonary hypertension in the more observable numerical model, however, revealed a serious issue with the passive response. The subsequent decrease in venous return into the left heart went unnoticed by the passive controller. Meanwhile the coupled nature of the passive response not only decreased RVAD output to reduce pulmonary arterial pressure, but it also increased LVAD output. Consequently, the LVAD increased fluid evacuation from the left ventricle, LV, and so actually accelerated the onset of LV collapse. It was concluded that despite the inherently stable baroreceptor-like response of the passive controller, its lack of sensitivity to venous return made it unviable in its present configuration. The study revealed a number of other important findings. Perhaps the most significant was that the reduced pulse experienced during constant flow support unbalanced the ratio of effective resistances of both vascular circuits. Even during steady rotary support therefore, the resulting ventricle volume imbalance increased the likelihood of suckdown. Additionally, mechanical damping of the passive controller’s response successfully filtered out pressure fluctuations from residual ventricular function. Finally, the importance of recognising inertial contributions to blood flow in the atria and ventricles in a numerical simulation were highlighted. This thesis documents the first attempt to create a fully auto regulated rotary cardiac assist device. Initial results encourage development of an inlet configuration sensitive to low flow such as collapsible inlet cannulae. Combining this with the existing baroreceptor-like response of the passive controller will render a highly stable passively controlled BiVAD configuration. The prototype controller’s passive interaction with the vasculature is a significant step towards a highly stable new generation of artificial heart.