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Much effort has been devoted to the synthesis of gold nanoparticles with different shapes, including the zero-dimensional nanospheres, one dimensional nanorods, and two-dimensional nanoplates. Compared to zero or one dimensional nanostructures, the synthesis of two-dimensional nanostructures in high yield has always been more involved, often requiring complex and time-consuming steps such as morphology transformation from the nanospheres, or the seeded growth process. Herein we report a high yield method for gold nanoplate synthesis using the extract of unicellular green alga Chlorella vulgaris, which can be carried out under ambient conditions. More than 90% of the total nanoparticle population is of the platelet morphology, surpassing the previously reported value of 45%. The control of the anisotropic growth of different planes; as well as the lateral size, has also been partially optimized. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

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Paper concentrates on issues regarding Leveraged Buyout transactions. It briefly depicts most common structure of transactions and means of financing. Substantial space is dedicated to two main participants on leveraged buyouts; investment banks and private equity funds. Instead on focusing on thoroughly described financing of the acquisition via secured bank loans we dedicate space in the thesis to mezzanine finance and high yield bonds. Second part of the thesis analysis latest development in the two main and most active regions regarding mergers and acquisition activity (Europe and USA) and compares Central Europe with it. Although capital markets developed substantially over past decades they are still lagging significantly former.

A hygroexpansimeter, cockling tester and a novel x-ray microtomography technique were employed to characterize hygroexpansivity as well as macro- and micro-scale cockling of wood-free paper sheets containing varying amounts of aspen high yield pulp (HYP) in order to validate its potential applicability in inkjet printing. Results from the hygroexpansimeter confirm previous findings that substitution levels of 30% and above lead to a slight deterioration of hygroexpansivity; however, contrary to the expected outcome, aspen HYP did not necessarily result in a higher tendency to form cockles. In fact, a comparison of the cockling behaviour between various paper samples and commercial paper substantiates that up to 40% of aspen HYP can replace hardwood bleached Kraft pulp. The preservation of out-of-plane dimensional stability in non-coated samples is most likely due to the increase in bending stiffness of the paper as it became bulkier with more aspen HYP.

A hygroexpansimeter, cockling tester and a novel x-ray microtomography technique were employed to characterize hygroexpansivity as well as macro- and micro-scale cockling of wood-free paper sheets containing varying amounts of aspen high yield pulp (HYP) in order to validate its potential applicability in inkjet printing. Results from the hygroexpansimeter confirm previous findings that substitution levels of 30% and above lead to a slight deterioration of hygroexpansivity; however, contrary to the expected outcome, aspen HYP did not necessarily result in a higher tendency to form cockles. In fact, a comparison of the cockling behaviour between various paper samples and commercial paper substantiates that up to 40% of aspen HYP can replace hardwood bleached Kraft pulp. The preservation of out-of-plane dimensional stability in non-coated samples is most likely due to the increase in bending stiffness of the paper as it became bulkier with more aspen HYP.

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In an effort to maximize yields, many soybean growers have begun moving to intensive, input-based soybean management systems. However, limited reliable information exists about the effect of these inputs on soybean yield. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of individual inputs and combinations of inputs as part of high-yield management systems on soybean seed yield and to determine the effect of one of these inputs, lactofen, on soybean physiology. Small plot studies were established in nine states across the Midwest. A number of commercially available soybean inputs were evaluated individually and in combination to determine their effect on soybean yield and quality. Lactofen and comparison treatments were applied to soybeans at multiple growth stages and yield and yield components were determined. When examined across environments, input-intensive combination treatments increased soybean yields from 3.9 to 8.1 %. However, break-even economic analysis indicated that the combination (SOYA) treatments evaluated had 0% probability of breaking across a wide range of yield levels and soybean prices, due to the high input costs. The foliar insecticide showed the highest probability of breaking even across a range of yield levels and crop prices (40% to 99%). Yield increases and breakeven probabilities were generally greatest in the northern states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan) and similar in the central and southern states. Lactofen application did not kill the apical meristem and had minimal effect on yield components compared to untreated soybeans at any growth stage. Meristem removal increased node m-2 in some environments, but did not increase pods m-2 and seeds m-2 or seed yield.

The fixed maturity, cash flow and risk characteristics of high-yield corporate bonds distinguish them from equities and complicate a direct application of well established optimization techniques such as Markowitz's mean-variance model and Sharpe ratio maximization. This can partly explain why qualitative methods constitute the dominant design in the portfolio selection process of high-yield corporate bonds. This thesis attempts to employ elements from Markowitz's theories and combine them with optimization- as well as financial theory in order to develop a quantitative optimization model. In addition, we examine the possibilities for a shift in the existing dominant design. A risk-neutral pricing model were used to estimate default probabilities of high yield corporate bonds. To approximate the covariance matrix, a new application of the single-index method were proposed. The derived optimization models produced results that coincide with financial theory regarding risk, return and diversification. Furthermore, an examination of a potential shift in the current dominant design suggests that a shift is not likely to occur in the near future. A reoccurring remark in this thesis is the importance to understand the underlying assumptions behind any quantitative model, suggesting that quantitative models can merely be used as a tool in combination with a human judgement. / Högavkastande företagsobligationer innehar egenskaper som särskiljer de från aktier. Detta medför komplikationer vid en direkt tillämpning av väletablerade optimeringsmodeller som 'Markowitz's mean-variance model' och 'Sharpe ratio maximisation'. Detta förklarar delvis varför kvalitativa metoder dominerar portföljallokeringsprocessen för högavkastande företagsobligationer. Examensarbetet kombinerar Markowitzs modell med teorier från optimeringslära och finansiell matematik i syfte att utveckla en kvantitativ optimeringsmodell för portföljallokering. Arbetet ämnar även till att undersöka möjligheterna för ett skift i den nuvarande dominanta processen för allokering av högavkastande företagsobligationer. En riskneutral prissättningsmodell tillämpades för att estimera sannolikheter att företagen går i konkurs. För att approximera kovariansmatrisen introduceras en ny tillämpning av 'single-index method'. De härledda optimeringsmodellerna visade på resultat som sammanfaller med finansiell teori angående risk, avkastning och diversifiering. En analys av möjligheterna för ett potentiellt skift i den dominerande processen påvisade att detta förmodligen ej kommer att ske inom en snar framtid. En återkommande anmärkning i detta examensarbete ar vikten av modellmedvetenhet och att således ha kunskap om de underliggande antaganden som modellen bygger på, vilket framgår av slutsatsen att kvantitativa metoderna enbart kan användas som ett verktyg och därav agera som ett underlag för beslutsfattande.

Abstract High Yield Pulp (HYP), i.e. TMP, SGW or CTMP, is normally used in printing papers (News, SC and LWC) or in a middle layer on cardboard i.e. in products that either have high demands on printability and runnability in fast printing presses or contribute to high bulk in cardboards in order to minimize pulp consumption at a certain sheet stiffness. Tensile strength as a function of density is significantly higher for HYP compared to chemical pulps such as sulphate and sulphite pulps. However, chemical pulp is mainly used in packaging materials that require very high tensile strength, while at the same time allowing the density of the paper to be high. By utilizing the softening properties of high-yielding lignin-rich fibres by hot-pressing technology, it is possible to significantly increase sheet density and thereby strength closer to the level of chemical pulps. Furthermore, due to the presence of high levels of lignin, it was shown that considerably higher wet strength can be achieved compared to chemical pulp without the addition of strengthening agents. The study focuses on the softening of stiff and lignin-rich fibres in papers based on HYP with sufficiently high moisture contents, when hot-pressing at temperature levels significantly above the softening temperature (Tg) of lignin Hot-pressing increases the density of the sheet which increases the contact surface between the fibres in the paper structure. The high pressing temperature can be said to induce a viscous flow of lignin, which also increases the potential for fibre-fibre bonding. It is conceivable that covalent bonds are obtained via condensation reactions and partly that interdiffusion between the lignin in the fibre walls can be obtained as they come close enough to each other during the hot-pressing. The research also shows that hot-pressing greatly improves properties in the form of dry and wet strength as well as hydrophobicity for HYP and for lignin-rich kraft paper. The first part of the study shows the effect of hot-pressing on strength properties of paper sheets based on CTMP, HT-CTMP, TMP, NSSC, SCPal and NBSK. The second part includes a study on how and to what extent different amounts of residual lignin in the pulp contribute to the dry and wet strength of the sheets of paper during hot-pressing as a function of increasing temperature. To demonstrate this, pilot scale cooking of unbleached pulp to various lignin levels was carried out. In all experiments in parts one and two, laboratory sheets with a surface weight of 150 g/m2 and a dry content of 50% were made with a Rapid Köthen (RK) sheet former, after which the sheets were hot-pressed in a cylinder press at temperatures up to 200°C, constant high pressure of about 7 MPa, nip pressure dwell time of 1.5 sec and production speed 1 m/min. The third part includes a study on the optimization of variables in a new design of a dynamic cylinder press for hot-pressing technology. This design is based on previous research at Mid Sweden University combined with key knowledge of steel band technology within IPCO AB. The new pilot machine is based on heating of a steel belt with infrared heat (IR) up to 300°C, a maximum line load of 15 kN/m in two press nips and a dwell time of 23-240 ms in the nip depending on the production speed which is up to 5 m/min. The experiments in part three were based on RK paper sheets with 100 g/m2 and approximately 63% dry content made by HT-CTMP. The results confirm that hot-pressed HYP-based paper sheets enable permanent densification by softening lignin, which provides a very high dry tensile strength and a remarkable improvement in wet tensile strength compared to bleached kraft pulp without the need for wet strength agents. A tensile index of 75 kNm/kg, compression strength index (SCT) of 45 kNm/kg and wet tensile strength index of 16 kNm/kg were obtained, which can be compared with the corresponding values for bleached kraft pulp based paper sheets of 85 kNm/kg, 35 kNm/kg and 5 kNm/kg respectively, all with the same density after hot-pressing at 200°C. The NSSC reached the highest tensile strength index of 92 kNm/kg. The study with the unbleached kraft pulps showed that the lignin content had a significant effect on both the dry and wet tensile strength indices. The pulps showed a linear relationship between wet strength and lignin content. The increase in lignin content from 0% to 12% improved the dry tensile index by 20% and SCT by 35% and gave a very significant increase in the wet strength index from 3 to 23 kNm/kg after hot-pressing. All lignin-rich paper samples exhibit good wet stability for at least 24 hours and an improved surface hydrophobicity by increasing the pressing temperature and lignin content. Optimization of the new steel belt based press machine showed that high nip pressure and two press nips had a great effect on density and strength. Whereas high temperature, well above Tg of lignin, and long pressing time were more important to achieve high wet strength. The highest wet strength index value, 27 kNm/kg, was reached when the pressing temperature was 290°C, the nip pressure about 8 MPa, the pressing time in the press nip 40 ms and the dwell time in contact with the steel belt 23.5 sec. It was also noted that no delamination occurred in these tests. In order to obtain both high dry and wet strength, it is important to have high lignin content, high temperature, high nip pressure and sufficiently long pressing time / Sammanfattning Högutbytesmassa (HYP), d.v.s. SGW, TMP eller CTMP, används normalt i tryckpapper (News, SC och LWC) eller i mittskikt i kartong dvs i produkter som har höga krav på tryckbarhet och körbarhet i snabba tryckpressar eller för att bidra till hög bulk i kartong så att man därmed kan minimera förbrukningen av massa för att nå en viss arkstyvhet. Dragstyrka som funktion av densitet är väsentligt högre för HYP jämfört med kemiska massor som sulfat- och sulfitmassor. Däremot används främst kemiska massor i förpackningsmaterial som kräver mycket hög dragstryka, där man samtidigt tillåter att papperets densitet får vara hög. Genom att utnyttja mjukningsegenskaperna hos högutbytesmassors ligninrika fibrer genom varmpressningsteknik kan man väsentligt öka arkdensitet och därigenom styrka till i nivå med kemiska massors. Vidare visas att man tack vara närvaro av höga halter lignin kan nå väsentligt högre våtstyrka jämfört med kemisk massa utan tillsats av styrkehöjande kemikalier. Studien fokuserar på mjukgörning av styva och ligninrika fibrer vid varmpressning vid temperaturnivåer väsentligt över mjukningstemperaturen (Tg) för lignin av HYP-baserat papper med tillräckligt hög fukthalt. Varmpressning ökar arkens densitet, vilket ökar kontaktytan mellan fibrerna i pappersstrukturen. Den höga pressnings-temperaturen kan sägas inducera ett visköst flöde av lignin, vilket då ökar möjligheten att få starkare för fiber-fiber-bindning. Man kan dels tänka sig att kovalenta bindningar erhålls via kondensationsreaktioner och dels att man kan erhålla interdiffusion mellan ligninet i fiberväggarna då de kommer tillräckligt nära varandra vid varmpressningen. Forskningen visar också att varmpressning högst väsentligt förbättrar egenskaper i form av torr- och våtstyrka samt hydrofobicitet för både HYP-baserat och ligninrikt kraftpapper. Den första delen av studien visar effekten av varmpressning på styrke-egenskaper hos pappersark baserade på CTMP, HT-CTMP, TMP, NSSC, SCPal och NBSK. Den andra delen inkluderar en studie om hur och i vilken utsträckning olika mängder av kvarvarande lignin i massa bidrar till pappersarkens torrstyrka och våtstyrka vid varmpressning som funktion av ökande temperatur. För att demonstrera detta tillverkades oblekt kraftmassa till olika ligninhalter i pilotskala. I alla experiment i del ett och två i avhandlingen tillverkades laboratorieark med ytvikten 150 g/m2 och torrhalten 50% i en Rapid Köthen (RK) arkformare varefter arken varmpressades i en cylinderpress vid temperaturer upp till 200°C och konstant högt tryck på cirka 7 MPa i ett pressnyp med uppehållstiden 1,5 s i pressnypet  vid maskinhastigheten 1 m/min. Den tredje delen i avhandlingen inkluderar en studie om optimering av variabler i en ny design av en dynamisk cylinderpress för varmpressteknik. Den nya designen baseras på tidigare forskning vid Mittuniversitetet kombinerat med nyckelkunskap om stålbandstekniker inom IPCO AB. Den nya pilotmaskinen är baserad på att ett stålbälte uppvärms med infraröd värme (IR) upp till 300°C, en linjelast upp till 15 kN/m i två pressnyp vardera, med variabel presstid 23-240 ms i pressnypet beroende av maskinhastigheter upp till 5 m/min. Experimenten i del tre i avhandlingen baserades på RK-pappersark tillverkade av HT-CTMP med ytvikten 100 g/m2 och torrhalten ca 63%. Resultaten bekräftar att varmpressande HYP-baserade pappersark möjliggör permanent densifiering genom mjukning av lignin, vilket ger en mycket hög torr dragstyrka och en anmärkningsvärd förbättring av våt dragstyrka jämfört med blekt kraftmassa utan att våtstyrkemedel behöver användas. Ett dragindex på 75 kNm/kg, kompressionsstyrkeindex (SCT) på 45 kNm/kg och våtstyrkeindex på 16 kNm/kg erhölls vilket kan jämföras med motsvarande värden för pappersarken från blekt kraftmassa på 85 kNm/kg, 35 kNm/kg respektive 5 kNm/kg, alla med samma densitet efter varmpressning vid 200°C. Lövvedsbaserad NSSC nådde det högsta dragstyrkeindexet på hela 92 kNm/kg. Studien med de oblekta kraftmassorna visade att lignininnehållet hade en signifikant effekt på både torr- och våtstyrkeindex. Kraftmassorna uppvisade ett linjärt samband mellan våtstyrka och lignininnehåll. Ökningen i ligninhalten från 0% till 12% förbättrade dragindexet med 20% och SCT med 35% och gav en mycket signifikant ökning i våtstyrkeindex från 3 till 23 kNm/kg efter varmpressningen. Alla ligninrika pappersprover uppvisar god våtstyrkestabilitet under minst 24 timmar och en förbättrad ythydrofobicitet genom ökning av presstrycktemperaturen och lignininnehållet. Optimering av den nya stålbandsbaserade cylinderpressen visade att högt pressnyptryck och två pressnyp hade stor effekt på densitet och styrka. Emedan hög temperatur, långt över Tg för lignin, och lång presstid var viktigare för att nå hög våtstyrka. Det högsta värdet på våtstyrkeindex, 27 kNm/kg, uppnåddes när presstemperaturen var 290°C, pressnyptrycket cirka 8 MPa, presstiden i pressnypet 40 ms och tiden i kontakt med stålbältet 23,5 sek. Det noterades också att ingen delaminering inträffade i dessa tester. För att erhålla både hög torr- och våtstyrka är det viktigt med högt lignininnehåll, hög temperatur, högt nyptryck och tillräckligt lång presstid. / <p>Vid tidpunkten för framläggningen av avhandlingen var följande delarbeten opublicerade: delarbete 1 (accepterat), delarbete 2 (inskickat), delarbete 3 (manuskript).</p><p>At the time of the defence the following papers were unpublished: paper 1 (accepted), paper 2 (submitted), paper 3 (manuscript).</p>