Genome size (GS) is a fundamental trait influencing cellular, developmental and ecological parameters, and varies c. 2400- fold in angiosperms. This astonishing range has the potential to influence a plant's nutrient demands, since nucleic acids are amongst the most phosphate and nitrogen demanding cellular biomolecules, and hence its ability to grow and compete in environments where macronutrients are limited. Angiosperm GS are strongly skewed towards small genomes, despite the prevalence of polyploidy in the ancestry of most if not all angiosperm lineages. This thesis examines the hypothesis that large genome sizes are costly to build and maintain and that angiosperm species with large GS are constrained by nitrogen and phosphate limitation. It untangles the interactions between GS, polyploidy and competition in plant communities, and examines how herbivory and GS play a role in plant productivity, measured as above-ground biomass. The hypothesis that large GS are costly was approached by analysing: 1) plant communities growing under different macronutrient conditions at the Park Grass Experiment (Rothamsted, UK); 2) plant communities under different conditions of macronutrient limitation and insect, mollusc, and rabbit herbivory at Nash's Field in Silwood Park (UK); and, 3) Ellenberg's indicator values which represent the realised niche of a species in terms light, water, and soil fertility. Support for the hypothesis was found in all experiments. The range of analyses show that angiosperm plants with large genomes (e.g. 1C-value > 5 pg) are indeed under greater macronutrient limitation in comparison to plants with small genomes, and that it is polyploid plants with large GS which are the most competitive when macronutrient resources are plentiful. In terms of herbivory, the key finding is a highly significant negative association between GS and rabbit herbivory. A species' realised niche for soil fertility was found to show a positive association with its GS. Overall the thesis shows that angiosperm GS plays a central role in plant community composition and responses to macronutrient conditions, and potentially on higher ecosystem processes through associations at different trophic levels.

The first chapter assesses the impact of the cohort size on labour market outcomes. Using exogenous variation and micro-level data for France, the UK and the US, we study the effect of supply shocks measured at different ages on unemployment rates and wages during a cohort's life cycle. The results from an IV estimation show that the largest magnitude of the effects is found when the cohort size is measured at age 25. The impact of both wages and unemployment rates are temporary, however, both decreasing with time. The second chapter analyses the effects of large inflows of foreign students on English undergraduates. Our results confirm previous findings that there is no overall effect, but we identify changes in the distribution of natives. We find that top performing English students are crowded in by foreign students. It is also mainly English-born males, natives who do not have English as their mother tongue and those of Asian ethnic origins that are crowded in by foreign students. In chapter three, we aim to understand the short-term effects of changes in the level of the tuition fees charged by English universities on students' geographic mobility. Our results suggest that the increase in tuition fees in 2006/07 charged by English universities led students to enrol into universities that are closer to home, with a larger effect experienced by men and White students. Moreover, we find that students are less likely to move to universities located in rich areas.

O presente estudo visa dar luz sobre fenômenos ainda pouco explorados que ocorrem durante a estratificação em leitos de jigagem, bem como sobre novas possibilidades de aplicação da técnica. Por meio de testes com misturas de agregados em jigues hidráulico e pneumático descontínuos, foi pela primeira vez examinada a ocorrência de convecção granular em jigues. Os fatores envolvidos em sua formação e a influência sobre a estratificação foram analisados em detalhes. Do mesmo modo, foi examinada a influência da granulometria do leito sobre a estratificação em jigues pneumáticos e a possibilidade de uso do mesmo como um equipamento multi-separador. Os resultados revelam a existência de um fluxo ordenado e estacionário de partículas durante a pulsação do leito, ascendente na porção central e descendente nas bordas do jigue, de modo similar ao fluxo convectivo descritos na literatura para leitos vibrados mecanicamente. Este fluxo convectivo gerou uma distorção no rearranjo do leito estratificado, dando origem a um perfil horizontal de estratificação no qual as partículas leves se concentraram nas bordas e as partículas densas se concentraram preferencialmente na zona central dos estratos. Com base nos resultados, um mecanismo de formação do fluxo convectivo e um modelo preditivo do rearranjo do leito foram propostos. Observou-se também que a diminuição da granulometria e o aumento da distribuição de tamanho dos constituintes do leito teve um efeito positivo sobre a estratificação. Os resultados sugerem que isto pode estar em parte relacionado a maior compactação do leito quando da presença de partículas de menor tamanho. Também, resultados experimentais demonstraram a possibilidade de uso do jigue pneumático para realizar a operação conjunta de separação de materiais rochosos e não rochosos em um único estágio. O desempenho global na remoção de contaminantes não-rochosos foi similar ao de separadores pneumáticos e sistemas de "sorting" automático descritos na literatura. Ainda, a quantidade inicial de contaminantes no sistema teve um efeito desprezível sobre o desempenho. Os resultados obtidos, em particular aqueles relacionados à convecção granular, fornecem novas perspectivas a respeito dos fenômenos envolvidos na estratificação em jigues. Ainda, benefícios práticos podem ser extraídos a partir dos resultados da análise do efeito da granulometria sobre a estratificação e do uso de jigues pneumáticos como multi-separadores. / This study aims to shed some light on some unclear phenomena that occurs during particle stratification in jigs as well as on new possibilities of application of jigging technique. For the first time, the occurrence of granular convection in jigging beds was analyzed by considering the case of hydraulic and pneumatic jigs operating with mixtures of aggregates. The elements involved in the pattern formation and its influence on bed stratification were analyzed in detail. The influence of particle size distribution on bed stratification and the possibility of using pneumatic jigging as a multi-separator were also examined. The experimental results reveal the existence of a steady, ordered flow of particles over bed pulsation, in which particles move upward in the center of the jig bed and downward along the walls of the jig container, similarly to the circulation patterns reported in the literature. The convection gave rise to a distortion in the particle rearrangement, engendering the formation of a horizontal stratification profile in which light particles tended to be concentrated along the walls while dense particles tended to be concentrated preferentially in the center portion of the strata. On the basis of the experimental results, a mechanism of pattern formation and a prediction model were proposed. The results also revealed that the decrease of the particle size and the increase in the particle size distribution had a positive influence on stratification extent. It was suggested by the results that this behavior can be related to the higher bed compaction due to the presence of smaller particles in the bed. Also, experimental results indicated the technical feasibility of the combined use of pneumatic jigging for the removal undesired non-stony materials together with the bed stratification in only one single stage. The reported separation efficiency in the removal of low-density materials was comparable to those of air classifiers and automatic sorting systems. Also, the initial content of contaminants seemed to have a negligible effect on the separation performance. The results obtained, in particular those related to the granular convection, provides new perspectives about the phenomena involved in stratification by jigging. Moreover, practical benefits can be obtained from the results about the influence of particle size on bed stratification and about the usage of pneumatic jigging for multi-separation.

Antalet kraftiga människor ökar i Sverige enligt Statistiska Centralbyrån. Behovet av kläder i större storlekar har därmed blivit mer utbrett. KappAhl har sedan 1997 haft en kollektion vid namn XLNT som vänder sig till detta marknadssegment. XLNT är idag ett relativt känt och inarbetat varumärke som har vuxit stadigt. För att förbättra kollektionen ytterligare vill KappAhl göra en vidareutveckling av XLNT. Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka hur KappAhl ska kunna utveckla och förbättra XLNT kollektionen. För att uppfylla syftet har vi kartlagt de befintliga konkurrenterna H&M, Lindex, Åhléns samt Ellos och deras motsvarigheter till XLNT. Vi har genom kvalitativa undersökningar utrett vad kunderna anser om varumärket i sin helhet med allt ifrån inriktning till varuvisning och marknadsföring. Vidare har vi studerat ett antal marknadsstrategier som är av betydelse för KappAhl och XLNT. I undersökningen kom vi bland annat fram till att konkurrensen mellan KappAhl och ovanstående företag är hård då deras plus-size sortiment inte skiljer sig så mycket från varandra. Vid de kvalitativa intervjuerna framgick det att kunderna är relativt nöjda med XLNT. Vad som framförallt efterfrågas är bättre passformar, kläder med ett tuffare uttryck samt att KappAhl ska visa upp och marknadsföra sin plus-size kollektion. Vi poängterar även vikten av tydlig segmentering, differentiering och positionering. Avslutningen delger förslag till hur KappAhl kan förbättra XLNT med allt ifrån design, marknadsföring och kundrelation. / Program: Textil produktutveckling och entreprenörskap

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND SCIENCE. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Mark V. Parish. / M.S.

Materiais complexos como porcelanas e porcelanatos tem suas propriedades maximizadas quando atingem altas densidades finais após a sinterização. Contudo, a sua formulação contém no mínimo quatro matérias- primas diferentes, sendo o caulim a maior parte, mas também contendo quartzo e feldspatos. A granulometria final da mistura é controlada por uma única etapa de moagem de todos os materiais misturados. O objetivo deste trabalho foi obter combinações de diferentes granulometrias de ortoclásio, albita e quartzo com uma única granulometria de caulim através de cálculos de máximo empacotamento com o objetivo de alcançar a máxima densidade a cru, mantendo-se uma única composição química final. Os resultados mostraram que utilizando o conceito de empacotamento de partículas e otimizando a distribuição granulométrica foi possível obter corpos de prova com maiores densidades finais, menor retração final, além de reduzir a temperatura de queima, o que impacta diretamente no custo de produção. / Complex materials such as porcelain and porcelain stoneware have maximized their properties when they reach high final densities after sintering. However, formulations contain at least four different raw materials, where the kaolin is the major constituent, but also quartz and feldspars. The final particle size of the mixture is controlled by a single step milling of all materials. The attempt of this paper is to make different combinations of particles size distributions of orthoclase, albite and quartz with a single particle size of kaolin by calculation of maximum packing in order to achieve maximum density crude keeping same final chemical composition. The results showed that using the concept of particle packing and optimizing the particle size distribution was possible to obtain specimens with higher density end, the lower total shrinkage, in addition to reducing the firing temperature, which directly impacts the cost of production.

No description available.

This thesis is dedicated to determination of cost of equity capital. The main objective is to evaluate whether the cost of equity may, in its calculations, vary depending on the size of a company. The means for achieving the results can be comparison of calculations of cost of equity by model with historical returns actually achieved. This is what many empirical studies are focused on. A partial goal of this paper is to analyze the results of selected studies and their mutual comparison. Relevant theoretical explanations will be also presented.

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / A histÃria de vida de um organismo envolve a interaÃÃo entre manutenÃÃo, crescimento e reproduÃÃo. Essa teoria se propÃe a explicar as variaÃÃes nos aspectos populacionais de uma espÃcie em funÃÃo das condiÃÃes e recursos disponÃveis no ambiente, sendo a base teÃrica para estudos relativos à dependÃncia de densidade. A densidade à um fator regulador da dinÃmica populacional por promover competiÃÃo. O presente estudo se propÃe a responder a seguinte questÃo: a densidade influencia o tamanho, a maturidade sexual e a proporÃÃo sexual em uma populaÃÃo do caranguejo Goniopsis cruentata?As condiÃÃes ambientais influenciam os aspectos biolÃgicos e potencializam os efeitos da densidade nesta espÃcie? ExpediÃÃes de campo foram conduzidas, mensalmente, de janeiro a novembro de 2011, nos municÃpios de Aracati e Fortim, CearÃ, Brasil. Os animais foram coletados manualmente em duas estaÃÃes de coleta, Alfredo (A) e Caldeleiro (C), em uma Ãrea de 400m para cada estaÃÃo, durante 40 minutos. Os indivÃduos foram sexados e mensurados quanto a sua largura de carapaÃa, comprimento do gonÃpodo nos machos e largura do abdÃmen nas fÃmeas. Dez indivÃduos de cada estaÃÃo foram submetidos a processamento histolÃgico para determinaÃÃo do estÃgio de desenvolvimento gonadal. A densidade foi calculada pelo nÃmero de indivÃduos por Ãrea (ind/mÂ) e correlacionada aos fatores abiÃticos: pluviosidade, pH e salinidade do solo. Os espÃcimes foram distribuÃdos em classes de tamanho, por estaÃÃo e por sexo. TambÃm foram calculadas a razÃo sexual e as maturidades morfolÃgica e fisiolÃgica. Os fatores abiÃticos de pluviosidade, pH e salinidade do solo foram mensurados e correlacionados à densidade de cada estaÃÃo. A densidade da estaÃÃo A foi maior que a da estaÃÃo C, o que pode ocorrer em funÃÃo da maior disponibilizaÃÃo de nutrientes nesta Ãrea, devido ao pH mais baixo que a estaÃÃo C. A pluviosidade se correlacionou com a densidade em C, devido a esta estaÃÃo apresentar topografia menos elevada, sofrendo maior influencia do nÃvel de Ãgua do rio. A salinidade do solo nÃo apresentou diferenÃas entre as estaÃÃes. O tamanho mÃdio entre machos nÃo variou entre as estaÃÃes, ao contrÃrio do que ocorreu em fÃmeas, com tamanho mÃdio maior na estaÃÃo com mais densa. Em ambos os sexos, os tamanhos mÃximos maiores foram observados na estaÃÃo com maior densidade, indicando menor mortalidade entre adultos e, assim, possibilitando retardo da maturidade nesta estaÃÃo. A distribuiÃÃo em classes de tamanho nÃo divergiu entre as estaÃÃes, mas apresentou uma tendÃncia a ser bimodal na estaÃÃo com maior densidade e unimodal na estaÃÃo com densidade menor. Esse resultado pode indicar influÃncia da densidade na distribuiÃÃo em classes de tamanho. A maturidade sexual foi antecipada na estaÃÃo com densidade menor e retardada na estaÃÃo com densidade maior, como previsto pela teoria de histÃria de vida. Essa tÃtica pode ser resultado de taxas de mortalidade maiores entre juvenis na estaÃÃo mais densa e maiores entre adultos na estaÃÃo menos densa. A proporÃÃo sexual nÃo diferiu entre as estaÃÃes, mas houve tendÃncia de maior proporÃÃo de machos na Ãrea com maior densidade, o que pode acarretar em maior competiÃÃo entre machos pelas fÃmeas. A maior proporÃÃo de fÃmeas observada na Ãrea de densidade menor pode proporcionar uma limitaÃÃo espermÃtica. Os resultados obtidos para o caranguejo Goniopsis cruentata no presente estudo corroboram as previsÃes da teoria de histÃria de vida: (1) em populaÃÃes com densidade menor, a maturidade sexual à antecipada e os organismos alcanÃam tamanhos menores, e em densidade maior a maturidade à retardada com organismos atingindo tamanhos maiores; (2) A distribuiÃÃo em classes de tamanho foi diferente entre as estaÃÃes de coleta, indicando influencia da densidade populacional. / The life history traits of an organism are the result of trade-offs between maintenance, growth and reproduction. This theory aims to explain the variations in the population aspects of a given species in function of the conditions and available resources in the environment, being the theoretical basis for studies dealing on the dependence of density. The density is a factor regulating the population dynamics since it promotes the competition for resources and, thus, it influences the attributes of life history. The present study aims to answer the following questions: does density influence size and sexual maturity in a population of the crab Goniopsis cruentata? Do the environmental conditions influence the biological aspects and increase the density effects on this species? Field work was conducted from January to November 2011, in the Municipalities of Aracati and Fortim (CearÃ, Brazil). The crabs were manually collected in two sampling stations, Alfredo and Caldeleiro, in an area of 400m for each station, during 40 minutes. The individuals collected were sexed and measured at the carapace width, gonopod length (males) and abdomen width (females). Ten individuals from each station were submitted to a histological procedure to determine the stage of gonad development. Density was calculated as the number of individuals per area (ind/mÂ). The individuals collected were distributed in size classes, by station and by sex. Morphological and physiological maturities were also calculated. Abiotic factors such as rainfall, pH and salinity of the soil were measured and correlated to the density of each station. The density of the Alfredo station was higher than the Caldeleiro station one, which may occur due to the greater availability of nutrients at this area, due to the lower pH than the Caldeleiro station. The rainfall was correlated to the density at Caldeleiro, due to the fact that this station presented a lower topography, suffering a greater influence of the level of the river. The salinity of the soil did not show differences between the stations. Males mean size did not differ between the stations, contrary to what occurred in females, with larger mean size at the highest density local. In both sexes, the larger maximum sizes were observed in the station with higher density, showing lower mortality between adults and, thus, allowing a delay in maturation at this local. The size class distribution did not differ between the stations, but presented a tendency to be bimodal at the station with higher density and unimodal at the station with lower density. This result may indicate the influence of the density in the distribution by size classes. The sexual maturity was anticipated in the lowest density local and delayed in the highest density local, as predicted by the life history theory. This pattern may be a result of higher mortality rates in juveniles at the highest density local and higher mortality rates between adults at the less dense area. The larger proportion of females observed at the highest density area may provide a spermatic limitation. Males, copulating with a higher number of females, do not have the capacity to produce spermatozoids to fertilize all of them. The results of the present study corroborate the predictions of the life history theory: (1) in populations with lower density, sexual maturity is anticipated and organisms attain smaller sizes, and in populations with higher density maturity is delayed and organisms attain larger sizes; (2) the distribution in size classes was different between the sampling areas, showing the influence of the population density.

abstract: To make meaningful comparisons on a construct of interest across groups or over time, measurement invariance needs to exist for at least a subset of the observed variables that define the construct. Often, chi-square difference tests are used to test for measurement invariance. However, these statistics are affected by sample size such that larger sample sizes are associated with a greater prevalence of significant tests. Thus, using other measures of non-invariance to aid in the decision process would be beneficial. For this dissertation project, I proposed four new effect size measures of measurement non-invariance and analyzed a Monte Carlo simulation study to evaluate their properties and behavior in addition to the properties and behavior of an already existing effect size measure of non-invariance. The effect size measures were evaluated based on bias, variability, and consistency. Additionally, the factors that affected the value of the effect size measures were analyzed. All studied effect sizes were consistent, but three were biased under certain conditions. Further work is needed to establish benchmarks for the unbiased effect sizes. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Psychology 2019