The spectral radius of a matrix is a widely used concept in linear algebra. It expresses the asymptotic growth rate of successive powers of the matrix. This concept can be extended to sets of matrices, leading to the notion of "joint spectral radius". The joint spectral radius of a set of matrices was defined in the 1960's, but has only been used extensively since the 1990's. This concept is useful to study the behavior of multi-agent systems, to determine the continuity of wavelet basis functions or for expressing the capacity of binary codes. Although the joint spectral radius shares some properties with the usual spectral radius, it is much harder to compute, and the problem of approximating it is NP-hard. In this thesis, we first review theoretical results that lead to basic approximations of the joint spectral radius. Then, we list various specific cases where it is effectively computable, before presenting a specific type of sets of matrices, for which we solve the problem of computing it with a polynomial computational cost.

This thesis consists of two studies on joint bandwidth and power allocation strategy for wireless communication networks. In the first study, joint bandwidth and power allocation strategy is proposed for wireless multi-user networks without relaying and with decode-and-forward relaying. It is shown that the formulated resource allocation problems are convex and, thus, can be solved efficiently. Admission control problem based on the joint bandwidth and power allocation strategy is further considered, and a greedy search algorithm is developed for solving it efficiently. In the second study, joint bandwidth and power allocation strategy is presented for maximizing the sum ergodic capacity of secondary users under fading channels in cognitive radio networks. Optimal bandwidth allocation is derived in closed-form for any given power allocation. Then the structures of optimal power allocations are derived. Using these structures, efficient algorithms are developed for finding the optimal power allocations. / Communications

The focus of this research is on the control of random cracking in concrete paving by using sawcut notch locations in the early stages of construction. This is a major concern in concrete pavement construction. This research also addresses a probabilistic approach to determine the optimum time and depth of sawcutting for newly constructed portland cement concrete pavements. Variability in climate conditions and material characteristics during the hardening process affects the potential of cracking at any sawcut depth. Several factors affecting the probability of crack initiation are material strength parameters, method and quality of curing, slab/subbase stiffness, the amount and depth of steel reinforcement, friction between the slab and the subbase, and concrete shrinkage. Other factors relevant to concrete mixture characteristics such as cement content and type of coarse aggregate affect development of early aged stresses caused by shrinkage and thermally induced contraction. A probabilistic analysis of the factors that affect crack control using sawcut notches is presented in relation to different weather conditions (concrete placement temperature) at the time of construction, and concrete mixture characteristics such as fly ash replacement (FA) and cement factor (CF). Both of these significantly affect sawcut timing and depth requirement. The determination of crack initiation is based on fracture mechanics. Estimation of the time of cracking is based on predicted tensile strength and stress in the concrete at the bottom of the sawcut notch to assess the feasibility of crack control in the early stages of construction.

This thesis examines the formative years of the Joint Army and Navy Board, 1903 to 1919. It serves as an institutional history, focusing on the function of the interservice coordination body. The Joint Board is examined within the context of formulating American military strategy and U.S. diplomatic affairs from its creation in July 1903 to its reconstitution in 1919. At present no comprehensive historical study exists focusing on the Joint Board. Currently, interservice cooperation and coordination during this period receive no more than peripheral analysis in war plan studies. Thus, this work begins the first comprehensive history of the precursor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This thesis analyzes the origins and creation of the Joint Board, the Board??s basic duties and responsibilities, and Joint Board actions as they impacted U.S. diplomacy and military strategy concerning the homeland and coast defense, the Caribbean and Cuba, the Panama Canal, as well as the Pacific and the Philippines. Within this geographical framework, this thesis explores the relation of the Joint Board to the Navy General Board and Army General Staff, the cooperation of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy between the Spanish-American War and World War I, the impact of Joint Board actions on American civil-military relations, and the efficacy of interservice cooperation. This thesis is based largely on unpublished as well as published primary sources, including the records of the Joint Board, Navy General Board records, Army War College Division records, and members?? personal papers housed at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. In addition, secondary sources are used to place the Joint Board within the larger contextual framework of interservice cooperation, U.S. civil-military relations, and American military history during the early twentieth century.

The aim of urban land readjustment is to produce newbuilding land and to reorganise urban areas. The method used isdesigned to consolidate a group of adjoining land parcels fortheir unified planning and subdivision in an area with afragmented or an otherwise inappropriate property and ownershipstructure. The procedure can be considered either as a methodfor urban land development (by landowners) or as a tool forplanning implementation (by society). Different countries havereached different solutions depending on, for example, theplanning system already in existence and the attitude towardsthe responsibilities of the private and the public sectors inproducing urban land. The urban land readjustment procedure is very closely linkedto detailed local planning and other land use planning. Theprocedure is justified not only on the basis of cost andefficiency but also on the basis of its fair treatment oflandowners, improvements in plan quality, savings to thecommunity, and environmental benefits. In the readjustmentprocedure the land value changes can be fairly and equallydistributed among landowners. The procedure will therefore alsohelp to prevent planning speculation. As property boundariescan be disregarded when preparing the plan, the number ofpotential plan solutions will essentially be increased andfinally the quality of the plan itself improved. At the sametime the existing social structure can also be maintained. Theprocesses needed are, however, often very demanding andcomplicated and require those involved to display considerableexpertise. The decision-makers should also be familiar with theoperating mechanisms and options so that implementation of theprocedure is not jeopardised through ignorance. In 1997 a new Real Property Formation Act came into force inFinland which defined the Finnish urban land readjustmentprocedure. The strengths of the new procedure lie in itswell-defined structure and organisation, but it also has itsweaknesses. Although the aim of the procedure is to achievebetter detailed local plans, planners often do not know inpractice if the readjustment procedure can be carried out, dueto the extensive legal provisions. It seems, therefore, thatthe existing regulations are ineffective in meeting the needsof urban land readjustment, and further improvements areurgently required. Failure to take such measures will place injeopardy the future use of the procedure. By amending thestatutes and the proceedings the use of the urban landreadjustment procedure might become a familiar activity whendeveloping the urban structure in areas with fragmentedownership. <b>Keywords</b>: Land development, joint development, landmanagement, land use planning, plan implementation, propertyacquisition, cadastral procedure, law and economics.

Onyttiga vägsamfälligheter är ett problem som uppstått under äldre tiders fastighetsbildning och är idag en olägenhet för lantmätare och fastighetsägare i många förrättningsärenden. Detta arbete har syftat till att studera de metoder för utplåning av onyttiga vägsamfälligheter för att slutligen ge förslag på möjliga lösningar. Studier har gjorts av en utredning, en proposition, förrättningsakter och rättsfall med fokus på städning av fastighetsindelningen. De förrättningsakter som studerats innehåller fastighetsregleringsåtgärder som verkar för utplåning av onyttiga samfälligheter och sanering av fastighetsindelningen. Förrättningarna innefattade ett eller flera större områden med ett stort antal fastigheter. Rättsfallen som inkluderades i arbetet rörde samfälligheter och handlade om överklagan på saneringsåtgärder med ersättning och äganderätt i fokus. Utöver detta har ett exempel från Finland studerats, där utplåning av vägsamfälligheter utfördes 1977 genom lagstiftning. Den finska lagstiftningen för utplåning av vägsamfälligheter blev till stor del inte en förbättring utan försköt problemet genom att en stor mängd servitut bildades utan kontroll. I längden blev det svårt att hantera de uppkomna rättigheterna och en städningsåtgärd infördes i finsk lag för att rätta till problemen. Det svenska lagförslaget för utplåning av samfälligheter i Sverige från 1983 liknar lagen i Finland men antogs senare inte då det hade inneburit liknande problem. Ett antal ändringar i svenska fastighetsbildningslagen, som Proposition 1988/89:77 tar upp, infördes dock. Exempelvis medförde en ändring att någon ersättning ej behövde fastställas för föreningsförvaltade samfälligheter med lågt värde. Effekterna detta har haft på reglerandet av onyttiga samfälligheter är okänt men eftersom problemet kvarstår efter 20 år får det förmodas att nya åtgärder måste göras. Våra slutsatser visar att onyttiga vägsamfälligheter kan åtgärdas delvis genom större inflytande från sakägare. Någon lösning på problemet är dem däremot inte. Slutsatserna innehåller även förslag på vad en ny lag bör innehålla, med tidigare förslag som förebild. Framtida kostnader ett sådant lagförslag ger upphov till är troligtvis höga men vi hoppas att vissa ändringar från tidigare förslag kan reducera dessa.

In most robot applications, the control of the manipulators end-effector along a specified desired trajectory is the main concern. In these applications, the end-effector (tip) of the manipulator is required to follow a given trajectory. Several methods have been so far proposed for the motion control of robot manipulators. However, most of these control methods ignore either joint friction or joint elasticity which can be caused by the transmission systems (e.g. belts and gearboxes). This study aims at development of a comprehensive control strategy for the tip-trajectory tracking of flexible-joint robot manipulators. While the proposed control strategy takes into account the effect of the friction and the elasticity in the joints, it also provides a highly accurate motion for the manipulators end-effector. During this study several approaches have been developed, implemented and verified experimentally/numerically for the tip trajectory tracking of robot manipulators. To compensate for the elasticity of the joints two methods have been proposed; they are a composite controller whose design is based on the singular perturbation theory and integral manifold concept, and a swarm controller which is a novel biologically-inspired controller and its concept is inspired by the movement of real biological systems such as flocks of birds and schools of fishes. To compensate for the friction in the joints two new approaches have been also introduced. They are a composite compensation strategy which consists of the non-linear dynamic LuGre model and a Proportional-Derivative (PD) compensator, and a novel friction compensation method whose design is based on the Work-Energy principle. Each of these proposed controllers has some advantages and drawbacks, and hence, depending on the application of the robot manipulator, they can be employed. For instance, the Work-Energy method has a simpler form than the LuGre-PD compensator and can be easily implemented in industrial applications, yet it provides less accuracy in friction compensation. In addition to design and develop new controllers for flexible-joint manipulators, another contribution of this work lays in the experimental verification of the proposed control strategies. For this purpose, experimental setups of a two-rigid-link flexible-joint and a single-rigid-link flexible-joint manipulators have been employed. The proposed controllers have been experimentally tested for different trajectories, velocities and several flexibilities of the joints. This ensures that the controllers are able to perform effectively at different trajectories and speeds. Besides developing control strategies for the flexible-joint manipulators, dynamic modeling and vibration suppression of flexible-link manipulators are other parts of this study. To derive dynamic equations for the flexible-link flexible-joint manipulators, the Lagrange method is used. The simulation results from Lagrange method are then confirmed by the finite element analysis (FEA) for different trajectories. To suppress the vibration of flexible manipulators during the manoeuvre, a collocated sensor-actuator is utilized, and a proportional control method is employed to adjust the voltage applied to the piezoelectric actuator. Based on the controllability of the states and using FEA, the optimum location of the piezoelectric along the manipulator is found. The effect of the controllers gain and the delay between the input and output of the controller are also analyzed through a stability analysis.

One of the most poorly understood co-morbidities associated with obesity is the pathway to osteoarthritis of the knee. To implement appropriate preventative strategies, it is important to explore how obesity is a causal factor for osteoarthritis. The present research compared the kinematics and kinetics of a group of young obese, but otherwise healthy, adults to a group of young, healthy-weight adults, in an attempt to identify mechanical abnormalities at the knee during walking that may predispose the obese to osteoarthritis of the knee. Optotrak motion capture (Northern Digital Inc. Waterloo, Ontario) and a forceplate (AMTI OR6-7, Advanced Mechanical Technology Inc, Watertown, MA) were used to measure ground reaction forces and moments of 16 participants – 8 obese and 8 sex-, age- and height-matched healthy-weight – to analyze knee joint kinematics and kinetics at three walking speeds. Participants wore an accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X, Fort Walton Beach, USA) for seven days to measure daily steps counts. Dependent t-tests were performed to determine group differences in ground reaction forces, knee angles and knee moments, as well as knee adduction moment impulse and cumulative knee adductor load (CKAL). The obese group walked at a significantly slower self-selected speed (p=0.013). While not statistically significant, the obese group did present with a more valgus mean dynamic knee alignment than the health-weight group. A significantly greater maximum abduction angle (p=0.009) and smaller minimum knee flexion angle at heel contact (p=0.001) was found in the obese group. A significant difference was found in the peak medial rotation moment in the transverse plane (p=0.003). A greater stance duration lead to a significantly greater knee adduction moment impulse (p=0.049) in the obese group. While significant group differences were not found in the steps per day, the obese group had a significantly greater CKAL (p=0.025). Obese young adults with healthy knees demonstrated a gait pattern of reduced medial knee joint compartment loading through greater knee abduction, medial knee rotation and a slower walking speed compared to matched controls. The ramifications of gait modifications on long-term musculoskeletal health remain unknown, but compensations may lead to increased risk of osteoarthritis of the knee.

In most robot applications, the control of the manipulators end-effector along a specified desired trajectory is the main concern. In these applications, the end-effector (tip) of the manipulator is required to follow a given trajectory. Several methods have been so far proposed for the motion control of robot manipulators. However, most of these control methods ignore either joint friction or joint elasticity which can be caused by the transmission systems (e.g. belts and gearboxes). This study aims at development of a comprehensive control strategy for the tip-trajectory tracking of flexible-joint robot manipulators. While the proposed control strategy takes into account the effect of the friction and the elasticity in the joints, it also provides a highly accurate motion for the manipulators end-effector. During this study several approaches have been developed, implemented and verified experimentally/numerically for the tip trajectory tracking of robot manipulators. To compensate for the elasticity of the joints two methods have been proposed; they are a composite controller whose design is based on the singular perturbation theory and integral manifold concept, and a swarm controller which is a novel biologically-inspired controller and its concept is inspired by the movement of real biological systems such as flocks of birds and schools of fishes. To compensate for the friction in the joints two new approaches have been also introduced. They are a composite compensation strategy which consists of the non-linear dynamic LuGre model and a Proportional-Derivative (PD) compensator, and a novel friction compensation method whose design is based on the Work-Energy principle. Each of these proposed controllers has some advantages and drawbacks, and hence, depending on the application of the robot manipulator, they can be employed. For instance, the Work-Energy method has a simpler form than the LuGre-PD compensator and can be easily implemented in industrial applications, yet it provides less accuracy in friction compensation. In addition to design and develop new controllers for flexible-joint manipulators, another contribution of this work lays in the experimental verification of the proposed control strategies. For this purpose, experimental setups of a two-rigid-link flexible-joint and a single-rigid-link flexible-joint manipulators have been employed. The proposed controllers have been experimentally tested for different trajectories, velocities and several flexibilities of the joints. This ensures that the controllers are able to perform effectively at different trajectories and speeds. Besides developing control strategies for the flexible-joint manipulators, dynamic modeling and vibration suppression of flexible-link manipulators are other parts of this study. To derive dynamic equations for the flexible-link flexible-joint manipulators, the Lagrange method is used. The simulation results from Lagrange method are then confirmed by the finite element analysis (FEA) for different trajectories. To suppress the vibration of flexible manipulators during the manoeuvre, a collocated sensor-actuator is utilized, and a proportional control method is employed to adjust the voltage applied to the piezoelectric actuator. Based on the controllability of the states and using FEA, the optimum location of the piezoelectric along the manipulator is found. The effect of the controllers gain and the delay between the input and output of the controller are also analyzed through a stability analysis.

China has become one of the most attractive destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the world. The Chinese government is still imposing regulations on certain industries in which foreign firms have to establish through a joint venture. Joint ventures with a Chinese partner are considered to be a great risk due to the environment they operate in and also due to cultural aspects and many joint ventures end with a buyout. The aim of this study is to analyze what factors firms need to be aware of when entering into a joint venture and how to avoid or overcome the problems that arise. The essay is written using a qualitative method. The study is partly based on a literature study, partly on primary sources. The primary sources consist of five interviews with representatives from companies who are either currently in a joint venture or have previously been in one. Six interviews with experts within the field have also been carried out.   The essay is strongly influenced by the contingency theory which argues that the performance of a company depends on the environment the company is operating in. The problem has therefore been tackled through describing the specific conditions that a foreign firm will meet in China. Joint ventures with a partner from another country involve risks but can also be of great advantage if they are run in a good way. How to run the joint venture might differ between firms but some factors seem to be common for most firms. It is important to be careful which partner to choose and to do a due diligence in the beginning as well as having a letter of intent written down in the initial stages. Operating in China might bring unusual challenges so it is important for the foreign firm to have knowledge about the Chinese culture and the Chinese laws and regulations before establishing in China.