A new vapor-liquid equilibrium apparatus was constructed to measure temperature, pressure, and phase compositions up to 8 MPa. Systems of CO(,2) with 2-methyl-1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene and m-xylene were studied at 303.15 K, 323.15 K, and 343.15 K. / A general method was proposed for equation of state construction. Two equations of State were constructed. Using critical temperature, critical pressure, critical compressibility factor and acentric factor, these equations can predict saturation properties of normal fluids. / The equations were extended to mixtures using van der Waals' one fluid theory, Lee-Kesler corresponding state approach and a virial-like approach. They had limited predictive abilities compared to cubic equations. / A correlation for third virial coefficients of nonpolar gases was developed. The correlation requires the knowledge of critical temperature, critical pressure and acentric factor and is applicable to mixtures of nonpolar gases including quantum gases. Predictions are in good agreement with reported experimental data.

The Biomass Integrated Gasification Application Systems (BIGAS) consortium is a research group whose focus is on developing modern biomass gasification technology for New Zealand's wood industry. This thesis is undertaken under objective four of the BIGAS consortium, whose goal is to develop modelling tools for aiding in the design of pilot-scale gasification plant and for assessing the economic feasibility of gasification energy plant. This thesis presents a chemical equilibrium-based gasification model and an economic feasibility assessment of gasification energy plant. Chemical equilibrium is proven to accurately predict product gas composition for large scale, greater than one megawatt thermal, updraft gasification. However, chemical equilibrium does not perform as well for small scale, 100 to 150 kilowatt thermal, Fast Internally Circulating Fluidised Bed (FICFB) gasification. Chemical equilibrium provides a number of insights on how altering gasification parameters will affect the composition of the product gas and will provide a useful tool in the design of pilot-scale plant. The economic model gives a basis for judging the optimal process and the overall appeal of integrating biomass gasification-based heat and power plants into New Zealand's MDF industry. The model is what Gerrard (2000) defines as a 'study estimate' model which has a probable range of accuracy of ±20% to ±30%. The modelling results show that gasification-gas engine plants are economically appealing when sized to meet the internal electricity demands of an MDF plant. However, biomass gasification combined cycle plants (BIGCC) and gasificationgas turbine plants are proven to be uneconomic in the New Zealand context.

This thesis consists of three original articles in the field of general equilibrium with incomplete markets and general equilibrium with asymmetric information, and an introduction to the theory, which traces its development and embeds the following chapters in a common framework. In Pareto Improving Trade Restrictions in an Incomplete Markets Economy, we consider a stylised three period one good general equilibrium model with incomplete security markets. We show that the introduction of an indiscriminate marginal constraint on security trades can lead to a Pareto improvement, even though all prices are endogenous and agents are fully rational and have symmetric information. In Signaling Credit Quality Independently of Contract Choice: a Non-Transaction Cost Approach to Swaps in Anonymous Markets, we demonstrate that under two conditions, swaps are non-redundant securities in anonymous financial markets. Firstly, there is asymmetric information over the project payoff which is financed by swaps. And secondly, borrowers are restricted from being investors at the same time. If either of this condition fails, then swaps are redundant assets. Swaps permit a constrained optimal solution to an asymmetric information problem. Finally, Anonymous Corporate Bond Markets with Asymmetric Information, the main article of this thesis, shows that in an anonymous credit market which is characterised by limited liability and asymmetric information between borrowers and lenders, the nominal rate of interest on tradable debt (the coupon rate) sorts borrowers by their riskiness and in this way has an indirect influence on the price and quantity of bonds traded in equilibrium. This is in contrast to symmetric information models, in which the nominal coupon rate has no function. The paper claims that the adverse sorting effect of the nominal interest rate, as in Stiglitz-Weiss (1981), is maintained in a competitive setting, but that, even though changes in the nominal interest rate result in non-monotonic changes in the deliveries of agents, the orderly functioning of markets is not impaired.

The purpose of this study was to attempt to determine if skilled dancers instructed to concentrate on sustaining balance while performing a simple balance task would experience ironic effects of thought control and a subsequent performance decrement under conditions of distraction utilizing a within subjects design. Sixteen skilled dancers were divided into two groups. Each group was pre-tested for time on balance for three trials on the 1"I13 balance task, and then alternately exposed to treatment 1 (a set of concentration instructions) and treatment 2 (the same set of concentration instructions with the introduction of a taped anti-rhythmic drum beat playing loudly in the background). Both groups were post-tested after the administration of each treatment, A 2x3 ANOVA with repeated measures on the last factor revealed no significant differences between post test scores for each of the two treatments. The nonsignificant results contradict prior cognitive research conducted using the Ironic theory of Thought Control developed by D.M. Wegner. Results suggest the need for further research in the motor domain testing this theory with attempts to identify factors which mediate motor performance. / School of Physical Education

No description available.

No description available.

For zero-sum games, we have efficient solution techniques. Unfortunately, there are interesting games that are too large to solve. Here, a popular approach is to solve an abstract game that models the original game. We assume that more accurate the abstract games result in stronger strategies. There is substantial evidence to support this assumption. We begin by formalizing abstraction and refinement, a notion of expressive power for abstractions. We then show the assumption fails to hold under two criteria. The first is exploitability, which measures performance in the worst-case. The second is called the domination value, which measures how many mistakes a strategy makes. Despite these pathologies, we notice that larger strategies tend to make fewer mistakes and perform better in tournaments. Finally, we introduce strategy grafting, a technique that uses sub-game decomposition, which allow us to create good strategies in much larger spaces than previously possible.

Thesis (MPhysio)--University of South Australia, 1999

This study investigates general equilibrium effects of an alternative social security policy in Indonesia. The study aims to analyse some financial issues of the proposed policy using a dynamic CGE model. The focus is investigating possible tax scenarios to finance the proposed policy and their impacts on the economy. The simulation results suggest that the consumption tax base should be used as the main financing method. This is because based on various simulations the selected consumption taxes have less negative impacts on the economy than the selected income taxes. Those selected consumption taxes more equitably distribute tax burden and improve income inequality in the long run. However, the increasing price because of this policy selection should also be considered seriously. The simulations also include the study of the demographic transition in Indonesia. A view that is common in the literature is that the rapid increase of labor force in the next three decades could raise the proportion of skilled workers in the labor force and enhance the economic growth. Instead the simulations suggest contrary results. When we repeat the tax/transfer simulations with the demographic transition, real GDP per capita and consumption per capita fall further below the baseline projections. Further simulations are conducted to investigate possible policy actions to mitigate the effects of this demographic transition. This study also covers possible allocation decision trade-offs surrounding the proposed social security policy. That is, the trade-offs between universal social pension insurance and universal social health insurance, and between universal tax-financed social security programs and other important development programs. Given the limitation of our study, that all stakeholders have agreed to develop a universal tax-financed social security program, we conclude that universal tax-financed social health insurance should be given more priority than universal tax-financed social pension insurance. The study concludes with some remarks regarding important areas for future research.

x, 167 leaves : ill. ; 26 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, 1974