Många forskare menar att kommunikation är viktigt inom projektledning för att nå projektets uppsatta mål. Det har blivit än viktigare i dagens projektmiljö som präglas av högre komplexitet som är en risk för osäkerheter och problem. Så frågan är då hur projektledare kommunicerar när de stöter på problem. Genom att undersöka det går det att få en bättre förståelse över hur projektledare verkligen använder kommunikation i situationer som präglas av osäkerheter. För att ta reda på det genomfördes åtta kvalitativa intervjuer med projektledare. Den insamlade datan analyserades sedan med hjälp av en analysmodell som var uppdelad i sex delar, intern- respektive extern kommunikation, schemalagd- respektive icke schemalagd kommunikation samt om projektledarna kommunicerade om processen i arbetet eller om det var utifrån ett personfokus. Resultatet har visat att projektledarna, så gott det går, löser problemen inom den egna projektgruppen. På så sätt engageras deltagarna till att vara med i beslutsfattandet och de vet då hela tiden vad som händer vilket gör att osäkerheten reduceras. Det hänger sedan ihop med de två andra delarna som analyserades. Det finns också fokus på att kommunicera genom schemalagda metoder. Det ger större möjligheter att dokumentera vad som har sagts och därmed också sprida informationen vidare till övriga deltagare. Vilket då också är en indikation på att projektledarna vill involvera sina deltagare. Angående om det är processfokus eller personfokus i kommunikationen visar resultatet att det inte finns tid att fokusera på enskilda personer. Det pekar på att det räcker med att involvera deltagarna i arbetet för att de ska känna sig motiverade. / Many scholars mean that communication is important in project management to achieve the set objectives. It becomes even more important in today´s project environment, which is characterized by higher levels of uncertainties and problems. The question is then how project managers really communicate when they encounter problems. Examining this aspect will give a better understanding of how project mangers actually communicate in situations characterized by uncertainties. Eight qualitative interviews were conducted in order to research this subject. The collected data was then analyzed by the aid of an analysis model that was made out of six parts, external and internal communication, scheduled and non-scheduled communication and whether the project manager communicated about the process or whether it was from a human perspective. The result has shown that project managers, as far as possible, solve the problems within the their own project. In this way, the participants are involved in decision-making and they always knows what is going on which can reduce the uncertainty. It then goes together with the other two parts that were analyzed. There is also a focus on communicating through scheduled methods. It gives more opportunities to document what has been said and thus also disseminate the information to the other participants. Which is also an indication that project managers want to involve their participants. Regarding whether it is a process focus or personal focus in the communication, the result has shown that there is no time to focus on individuals. It points out that it is enough to involve the participants in the work to make them feel motivated.

O objetivo desta dissertação é estudar o problema de autovalor de Dirichlet para variedades riemannianas completas. Mais precisamente, pretendemos estudar uma cota por baixo para o -ésimo autovalor de um domínio limitado em uma variedade riemanniana completa. Tal cota é obtida fazendo-se uso de uma fórmula de recorrência de Cheng e Yang e um teorema de Nash. Ademais, pretendemos estudar uma desigualdade universal para os autovalores no espaço hiperbólico. / The goal of this dissertation is to study the Dirichlet eigenvalue problem for a complete riemannian manifold. More accurately, we intend to investigate a lower-bound for the -ℎ eigenvalue on a bounded domain in a complete riemannian manifold. Such a bound is obtained by making use of a recursion formula of Cheng and Yang and Nash’s Theorem. Furthermore, we study a universal inequality for eigenvalues of the Dirichlet eigenvalue problem on a bounded domain in a hyperbolic space (−1).

Abstract The thesis deals with numerical methods designed for the modeling and inversion of geophysical electromagnetic (EM) measurements using a conductive thin plate model. The main objectives are to study the EM induction problem in general and to develop practical interpretation tools for mineral prospecting in particular. The starting point is a linearized inversion method based on the singular value decomposition and a new adaptive damping method. The inversion method is introduced to the interpretation of time-domain EM (TEM) measurements using a thin plate in free-space. The central part of the thesis is a new approximate modeling method, which is based on an integral equation approach and a special lattice model. At first the modeling method is applied to the interpretation of frequency-domain EM (FEM) data using a thin plate in conductive two-layered earth. After this time-domain responses are modeled applying a Fourier-sine transform of broadband FEM computations. The results demonstrate that the approximate computational method can model the geophysical frequency and time-domain EM responses of a thin conductor in conductive host medium with sufficient accuracy, and that the inversion method can provide reliable estimates for the model parameters. The fast forward computation enables interactive interpretation of FEM data and feasible forward modeling of TEM responses. The misfit function mapping and analysis of the singular value decomposition have provided additional information about the sensitivity, resolution, and the correlation behavior of the thin plate parameters.

M.Sc. / Important ideas from dynamical systems theory and the restricted three-body problem are introduced. The intention is the application of dynamical systems theory techniques to the restricted three-body problem to better understand the phenomenon of gravitational capture. Chapter 1 gives a much deeper review of the purpose of this dissertation. Chapter 2 introduces and reviews important concepts from dynamical systems. Chapter 3 reviews the restricted three-body problem and all important aspects of the problem. In chapter 4 we define and study the phenomenon of gravitational capture. We take a novel approach by applying a symplectic method, namely the implicit midpoint method, to model trajectories in the restricted three-body problem. As far as we know, this is the first time such a method has actually been applied, with other authors preferring to apply explicit methods in trajectory modelling. In the closing of this chapter we review our whole discourse and suggest topics for future research. The disseration is concluded with two appendix chapters. In the first chapter we list all the computer code we have written for this dissertation. The second appendix chapter reviews the n-body problem and we show a full solution of the two-body problem.

Recent studies have advanced our knowledge of factors that could affect problem solving performance, and also of the positive effects of problem solving ability on fitness measures (the ‘what’ of problem solving). However, a missing linkage exists between this ‘what’ and the corresponding ‘how’. Such linkage requires the understanding of how these factors contribute to problem solving. Therefore, the central aim of this thesis is to examine this ‘how’. The roles of learning and behavioural flexibility in the context of problem solving are shown across the experiments, primarily with laboratory and free-ranging grey squirrels and to a lesser extent with wild red squirrels. Under a recurring change, laboratory grey squirrels showed a rapid decrease in the number of errors they made per reversal phase in a serial spatial reversal learning task. Such efficiency is achieved by a gradual tactic change, from sequential to integrative tactics, with increased experience. It also involves support from cognitive mechanisms such as attention and inhibitory control. In a puzzle box task, wild grey squirrels showed that they were better problem solvers than the wild red squirrels. However, red squirrels that solved the puzzle box were more efficient than the grey solvers. Detailed analysis of the results showed that learning and flexibility play independent roles in problem solving. Each process is associated with particular traits that to increase efficiency. For grey squirrels, behavioural selectivity (effective behaviours) and persistence increased with increased experience. Flexibility, however, showed minimal positive effect for them, given that it decreased behavioural selectivity. In contrast, flexibility primarily provided a positive effect for red squirrels’ solving efficiency. These results showed that the two species appear to use both similar and different cognitive processes in solving the task. The discussion gathers the results and explores how learning and flexibility, along with other behavioural traits, vary in their contributions to problem solving performance. As learning and flexibility are definitely not limited in problem solving, the discussion also addresses how these two processes might be involved a construct of general intelligence (‘g’) in animals, and how they are relevant to wilder ecological aspects.

It is hypothesized that group treatment may be more effective than an individual treatment format. The purpose of this study was to address several deficiencies of previous research in contrasting group and individual treatment delivery formats and to assess the differential effectiveness of these two formats. The treatment area chosen was that of early problem drinker treatment as it was relatively easy to control treatment content across treatment formats since detailed content manuals and theory have been well developed in this area. Subjects were selected from those respondents to a media advertisement who passed several screening criteria and were alternately assigned to a group or individual format. A lack of the requisite number of subjects required some specific design changes. Each treatment condition was given a structured eight-week treatment program of once per week meetings of seventy-five minutes each or a wait-list control condition. Statistical contrasts were then performed on the following variables: total drink units per week, maximum drink units per day, Profile of Mood States -a measure of current affective state, Weissman Social Adjustment Scale - a measure of social functioning level, and a general problem checklist. Data units were gathered pre-treatment, weekly during treatment for drink units, at post-treatment follow-up, and at six months following the end of treatment. The other data were gathered pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at the six-month follow-up. Results of the data manipulations indicated that the treatment intervention was associated with greater improvement on alcohol consumptions than a wait-list control group, but that group treatment was not associated with greater treatment gains than the individual format on any measures. These results are given to be tentative given several major limitations of this study which are discussed. The research was found to be relevant in the area of treatment planning, and is interpreted as providing a more theoretically meaningful contrast of the two formats than previously achieved due to greater experimental control of possibly confounding variables. A useful initial test was performed of a treatment program developed for this study which shows promise for helping problem drinkers. It is also suggested that this research provides some important conclusions for the contrast of group and individual formats in psychological interventions generally. Future directions are suggested. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

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Införandet av kontextrika problem (KP) i fysikundervisning förväntas öka elevers intresse för ämnet. Ett kontextrikt problem innefattar en anknytning till elevers vardagliga upplevelser och bör/måste även formuleras som en berättelse där eleverna är huvudpersonen och motiveras att själva ta reda på svaret. I och med detta kan införandet av KP vara arbetskrävande för lärare. Syftet med studien är att undersöka i vilken utsträckning fysikläroböcker på gymnasienivå kan fungera som möjliga källor till kontextrika problem, särskilt inom området modern fysik. Resultaten visar att samtliga fysikläroböcker i denna studie endast innehåller ett fåtal problem som i någon mån uppfyller kravet för att vara kontextrika. Till exempel innehåller bara 4 procent av problemen situationer där eleverna är huvudpersonen. Något större andel, nästan 10 procent, av problemen utgår från elevernas verklighet. Det finns dock endast 12 problem i samtliga fysikläroböcker som både anknyter till elevers verklighet och där eleverna är huvudpersonen.

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A key problem in designing marketplaces is how to efficiently allocate a collection of goods among multiple people. Auctions have emerged as a powerful tool with the promise to increase market efficiency by allocating goods to those who value them the most. Nevertheless, traditional auctions are unable to handle real-world market complexities. Over the past decade, there has been a trend towards allowing for package bids and other types of multidimensional bidding techniques that enable suppliers to take advantage of their unique abilities and put forth their best offers. In particular the application of iterative combinatorial auctions in procurement saves negotiation costs and time. Conceptually these auctions show a potential for improving the overall market efficiency. However, in practice they host several new challenges and difficulties. One challenge facing the auctioneer in an iterative combinatorial auction environment is to quickly find an acceptable solution for each round of the auction. Bidders require time to precisely evaluate, price, and communicate different possible combinations based on their current information of item prices. The auctioneer requires time to solve the underlying mathematical problem formulation based on the bids received, report back the feedback information and initiate a new round of the auction. In Chapter 3, we propose a Lagrangian-based heuristic to solve the auctioneer's winner determination problem. After generating the Lagrange multipliers from the solution of a linear relaxation, the heuristic applies several procedures to fix any potentially infeasible optimal Lagrange solutions. In addition to providing an efficient way of solving the winner determination problem, as compared with the leading commercial solver CPLEX, our approach provides Lagrange multipliers. The latter are used as proxies for prices in the auction feedback mechanism. In Chapter 4 we develop a model for the bidders pricing problem, an issue that has received much less attention in the literature. Using the auctioneer feedback, that includes the Lagrange multipliers, the pricing model maximizes the bidders' profit while at the same time keeping their bids competitive. We derive several optimality results for the underlying optimization problem. Interestingly, we analytically show that the auction converges to a point where no bidder is able to submit a bid that yields strictly better profit for him and is not less competitive than his previous bids submitted. We experimentally observe that this approach converges in an early stage. We also find that this iterative auction allows the bidders to improve their profit while providing lower and competitive prices to the auctioneer. In Chapter 5, we introduce a flexible auction model that allows for partial bids. Rather than the regular all-or-nothing indivisible package bids, divisible bids provide flexibility for the auctioneer with the possibility to accept parts of the bids and yet allow the suppliers to capture synergies among the items and provide quantity discounts. We show numerically that this approach improves the overall efficiency of the auction by increasing the suppliers' profit while decreasing the auctioneer's total price of procurement. In addition, we find that computationally the flexible auction outperforms the regular auction. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)