Most people agree that the internationalization of RMB follows a three-step strategy, i.e. turn RMB into a settlement currency, investment currency, and reserve currency. The promulgation of the ¡§Administrative Rules on Pilot Program of RMB Settlement of Cross-border Trade Transactions¡¨ on July 2, 2009 demonstrated that China has officially begun to facilitate the use of currency in trade settlement. The start of RMB cross-border trade settlement not only stands for new function of RMB but also brings new opportunities. Therefore, a fundamental motivation for this research is to explore how will it influence correspondent banking business and what business opportunities it offer to correspondent banking business? This thesis takes the case of W Bank, a world leading correspondent banking service provider for example. By discussing value chain of the correspondent banking business and studying the business model of W Bank, we depict how W Bank can exploit the new business opportunity and conclude that W Bank, a U.S.-based bank, remains in a good position to offer RMB-denominated services.

<p>A study of communication content, frequency and problems was performed at the Swedish Air Force Air Combat Simulation Centre, FLSC. The purpose was to investigate the connection between team communication and performance variables, to study communication problems during air combat and to employ and develop the PILOT method of communication problem analysis. Ten fighter pilots and four fighter controllers engaged in simulated air combat beyond visual range in teams on two sides, Blue and Red, with four pilots and one fighter controller each. Eight such training runs lasting 15 to 25 minutes were analyzed with regard to the Blue team’s communication during launch situations, i.e. one minute before launching a missile to either missile impact of failure, and problems during whole runs. The performance of the Blue team was rated by an experienced training instructor in six of the runs. It was hypothesized that positive outcomes would be associated with high communication frequencies but low communication problem rates. Results showed that high utterance frequencies were positively associated with positive global outcomes, i.e. wins, but not associated with high instructor ratings or launching hitting missiles. Incoherent results were found for communication problems. The results were discussed and further research suggested.</p>

<p>This thesis describes the evaluation of a prototype (Illustrator) for future simulator training of Within Visual Range - combat in the Swedish Air Force. The main focus was to collect and transform user acceptance data (expert opinions) to useful guidelines for continued development. Thirteen active fighter pilots participated in the study. The aim was to use expert opinion to study a) the psychological user acceptance, and b) the technical user acceptance, of the Illustrator together with c) gathering opinions for future improvement. Three psychological aspects were rated before and after the sessions to measure psychological user acceptance. For technical user acceptance, seven fidelity levels of the Illustrator were evaluated regarding realism, limitation of performance and importance of realism after the sessions. The sessions consisted of WVR-scenarios. Four different questionnaires were used for data collection. Two fidelity levels showed to diverge from the others in many ways, and were identified as major problems by the participants. No change of the psychological aspects was found between measurements. According to the results of the evaluation, suggestions and guidelines for future development are presented. Finally, issues of interest for future research are proposed.</p>

A novel 2SSS (2 Step Solid Selenization) CIGS (Cu, In, Ga, Se) thin film solar cell recipe was developed which can be a replacement to the conventional co-deposition process usually employed for large-scale manufacturing. The co-deposition procedure is faced with multiple problems such as selenium incorporation, effective gallium incorporation in the absorber. It is a 2-step proprietary procedure with better control over growth mechanisms and material utilization for the absorber layer for the CIGS thin film solar cells. It makes use of solid selenium source as preferred by manufacturers. Each step of the 2-step procedure was dealt with separately for stoichiometric analysis and interesting trade-offs between materials such as gallium, indium and selenium was found. Solar cells with this proprietary absorber were fabricated on soda lime glass substrates. Results of the solar cells made with the 2SSS process matched with that of the co-deposition process with the quantum efficiencies near 80% of the co-deposition cells. These experiments are going to serve as the test bed for the pilot line that is intended to be installed at USF's research campus soon. The finished solar cells were characterized. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were some of the important tools during the analysis of stoichiometry and structural properties. The device performances were measured with the help of current-voltage (I-V) testing and quantum efficiency (QE) measurements.

Odontocetes use echolocation to detect, track, and discriminate their prey, as well as negotiate their environment. Their hearing abilities match the frequency of greatest sensitivity to the higher frequencies used for foraging and navigation. Hearing and echolocation together provide odontocetes with a highly developed biosonar system. This dissertation examines the hearing ability of several odontocete species to understand what signals they can perceive during echolocation. The variability in hearing ranges between species is examined in the context of phylogenetic and ecological differences among taxa. An autonomous hydrophone array is also developed that could be used in an expanded form in field deployments to study echolocation signals in a wider range of species. Methods for measuring hearing sensitivity include both psychophysical and electrophysiological procedures. Behavioral methods require a large time commitment, for both training and data collection, and can only be performed on captive dolphins. Auditory evoked potential (AEP) methods are non-invasive, rapid measurements of the brain's response to sound stimuli and allow for audiograms to be collected on stranded, high risk dolphins. By determining the hearing abilities of odontocetes either in captivity or during stranding, data can be collected about inter- and intraspecies variability, and the occurrence of hearing impairment. It can also be used as another diagnostic tool to determine the releasability of a stranded animal. A juvenile male short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) that stranded in Curacao had severe hearing impairment at all frequencies tested. Four female short-finned pilot whales tested had the best sensitivity at 40 kHz. The juveniles had greater high frequency sensitivity than the adult pilot whales. Cutoff frequencies were between 80 and 120 kHz. Hearing sensitivity was determined for the two mother/calf pairs of Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) before and after antibiotic treatment in order to measure any potential effects of antibiotic treatment. Greatest sensitivity occurred at 40 kHz and cutoff frequencies were around 120 kHz for all dolphins tested. Changes in hearing sensitivity after antibiotic dosage were 12 dB or less in all cases except one. The adult female Betty showed a threshold shift at 120 kHz of 54 dB from May to June, which partially demonstrates the presence of an ototoxic effect at one frequency. Dosages of antibiotics during drug treatment detailed in this study should be considered safe dosages of antibiotics for Risso's dolphins. AEP and behavioral methods were used to collect audiograms for three Stenella spp. dolphins. The frequency of best hearing for the Atlantic spotted dolphin and the spinner dolphin was 40 kHz, and their upper cutoff frequencies were above 120 kHz. The pantropical spotted dolphin had the greatest sensitivity at 10 kHz, and had severe high frequency hearing loss with a cutoff frequency between 14 and 20 kHz. Comparisons of high frequency hearing sensitivities among the species tested show two distinct groups. Short-finned pilot whales and Risso's dolphins have a cutoff frequency below 120 kHz, whereas Stenella spp. dolphins have cutoff frequencies above 120 kHz. Expanding the comparison to include other species, killer whales, pygmy killer whales, false killer whales, and long-finned pilot whales also have cutoff frequencies below 120 kHz. Common bottlenose dolphins, white-beaked dolphins, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, rough-toothed dolphins, and common dolphins have cutoff frequencies above 120 kHz. Genetic evidence exists for two subfamilies within Delphinidae (Vilstrup et al., 2011) and those species with cutoff frequencies below 120 kHz belong to the subfamily Globicephalinae and those species with cutoff frequencies above 120 kHz belong to the subfamily Delphininae. An autonomous, field-deployable hydrophone array was developed to measure free-swimming echolocation. The array contained 25 hydrophones, two cameras, and a synchronization unit on a PVC frame. The distinct click train was used to time-align all 25 channels, and the light was used to synchronize the video and acoustic recordings. Echolocation beam patterns were calculated and preliminary evidence shows a free-swimming dolphin utilizes head movement, beam steering and beam focusing. Among all areas of cetacean biology more research is necessary to gain a clearer picture of how odontocetes have adapted to function in their acoustic environment. The array system developed can be used to study how dolphins use echolocation in the wild, the impacts of anthropogenic sound on echolocation production, and the potential consequences of high frequency hearing loss.

Researchers have identified the need to explore the context in which disordered eating is a reasonable response to violence and socio-cultural expectations, and the need for prevention programs that link fat phobia with other forms of oppression (Burstow, 1992; Herman, 1997; Orbach, 1994; Piran, 1999; Sesan, 1994; Steiner-Adair, 1994, Thompson, 1992). To date, the House of Mirrors Community Development Pilot Project (the "HOM") is the only community-based program in Canada that addresses these issues. The HOM is a visual arts installation of twenty-six full-length mirrors onto which women, girls and artists of various cultures, ages, and body types portrayed how violence and fat phobia have impacted their lives. The purpose of this multiple method study was to assess the efficacy of the HOM as a facilitator of working relationships between the health, business, art, and education sectors in Campbell River, B.C. The process was documented in two focus group interviews with five members of the HOM Subcommittee and in a survey of the HOM subcommittee and the Eating Disorder Program Advisory Committee. Evaluating the project's effectiveness distinguished different levels of community involvement as connections, relationships, and partnerships. The evaluation highlights differences between prevention and community development initiatives and the need for an emphasis on partnership building in social work. This knowledge will be used to inform future policy and practice decisions.

In a multihop cellular network, mobile terminals have the capability to transmit directly to other mobile terminals enabling them to use other terminals as relays to forward traffic towards the base station. Previous studies of networks consisting of a single cell found that the SINR in a multihop cellular network is slightly lower than in a traditional cellular network. However, multihop cellular networks may have a higher capacity than traditional cellular networks due to their potential for lower intercell interference. For this reason, the effects of intercell interference are investigated in this thesis. Our simulations of a network with many cells show that multihop cellular networks have a higher SINR than traditional cellular networks due to the near elimination of intercell interference. However, multihop cellular networks still suffer from large amounts of interference surrounding the base station because all traffic either emanates or is destined to the base station making it the capacity bottleneck. To resolve this problem, we propose a novel architecture called the autonomous infrastructure multihop cellular network where users can connect their mobile terminals to the backbone network giving them the functionality of an access point. Access points receive traffic from other terminals and send it directly onto the backbone, as would a base station. This reduces the traffic handled by the base station and increases network capacity. Our analysis and simulations show that in autonomous infrastructure multihop cellular networks, the SINR at the base station is higher, the power consumption is lower and the coverage is better than in normal multihop cellular networks. Access points require parameters like their transmission range to be adjusted autonomously to optimal levels. In this thesis, we propose an autonomous pilot power protocol. Our results show that by adjusting a parameter within the protocol, a required coverage level of terminals can be specified and achieved without knowledge of the location or density of mobile terminals. Furthermore, we show that the protocol determines the transmission range that is optimal in terms of SINR and power consumption that achieves the required coverage while effectively eliminating the bottleneck that existed at the base station.

In a multihop cellular network, mobile terminals have the capability to transmit directly to other mobile terminals enabling them to use other terminals as relays to forward traffic towards the base station. Previous studies of networks consisting of a single cell found that the SINR in a multihop cellular network is slightly lower than in a traditional cellular network. However, multihop cellular networks may have a higher capacity than traditional cellular networks due to their potential for lower intercell interference. For this reason, the effects of intercell interference are investigated in this thesis. Our simulations of a network with many cells show that multihop cellular networks have a higher SINR than traditional cellular networks due to the near elimination of intercell interference. However, multihop cellular networks still suffer from large amounts of interference surrounding the base station because all traffic either emanates or is destined to the base station making it the capacity bottleneck. To resolve this problem, we propose a novel architecture called the autonomous infrastructure multihop cellular network where users can connect their mobile terminals to the backbone network giving them the functionality of an access point. Access points receive traffic from other terminals and send it directly onto the backbone, as would a base station. This reduces the traffic handled by the base station and increases network capacity. Our analysis and simulations show that in autonomous infrastructure multihop cellular networks, the SINR at the base station is higher, the power consumption is lower and the coverage is better than in normal multihop cellular networks. Access points require parameters like their transmission range to be adjusted autonomously to optimal levels. In this thesis, we propose an autonomous pilot power protocol. Our results show that by adjusting a parameter within the protocol, a required coverage level of terminals can be specified and achieved without knowledge of the location or density of mobile terminals. Furthermore, we show that the protocol determines the transmission range that is optimal in terms of SINR and power consumption that achieves the required coverage while effectively eliminating the bottleneck that existed at the base station.

Detta projekt har utförts på ett charterflygbolag som verkar på den skandinaviska flygmarknaden, och är en första del i flygbolagets projekt (översatt till svenska) ”Världens bästa planeringsprocess”. ”Världens bästa planeringsprocess” skall kartlägga flygbolagets planeringsprocess sett till från det att en förfrågan kommer in till flygbolaget, till dess att ett svar kan lämnas till kunden. Detta projekt som behandlas i denna rapport studerar informationsflödesprocessen inom flygbolaget med fokus på den planering som sker efter att en kommande säsongs flygprogram är fastlagt. Det vill säga, detta projekt behandlar de förfrågningar som utgör förändringar och tillägg i flygprogrammet. Utifrån en kartläggning har informationsflödesprocessen analyserats utifrån Lean production-teori och tillämpbara åtgärder för att uppnå tidseffektivisering i flöden. Detta har sammanfattats i de följande möjliga åtgärderna för flygbolaget: - Omfördelning av flödet genom synkronisering, parallellisering och sekvensering - Omfördelning av arbetsuppgifter - Tillämpning av Alternate Chief Pilot Det rekommenderas att tillämpa samtliga åtgärdsförslag, vilket bedöms kunna ge en tidsbesparing på mellan 7 och 52 % i ledtid.

Interactive stationary bikes provide positive affective experiences and physiological benefits; however research has been limited to adults within laboratory settings. Using a randomized, controlled trial design (RCT), this study sought to examine usage of GameBikes (GB) compared to traditional stationary bikes (TSB) among families in the home-setting including the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to understand motivation for use. Parents completed questionnaires after having a ten minute trial with the bike (T1) and then again after six weeks (T2). Usage was tracked by all family members and belief elicitation was performed with GB families following the trial. Repeated measures (RM) ANOVA for frequency of use yielded a large time effect (F5,34 = 3.15, p < .05; η2 = .32); post-hoc analysis illustrated decrease by TSB (t18 = 3.77, p < .01; d = .89) and GB (t20 = 1.02, p = .32; d = .32). Parents in the GB group increased the proportion of those meeting Health Canada’s Physical Activity guidelines by 33.3% compared to 8.34% for TSB (h = .51). RM ANOVA for affective attitude (AA) of parents yielded large time and intervention effects (F1,22 = 32.73, p < .01, η2 = .60; F1,22 = 8.54, p = .01, η2 = .60 respectively). GB (t11 = 6.08, p < .01, d = 1.67) and TSB (t11 = 3.27, p < .01, d = .88) lowered across time; GB experienced higher levels of AA at T1 (t25 = 2.69, p < .01, d = 1.55) and T2 (t22 = 2.58, p < .05, d = 1.39). Elicited beliefs were primarily affective- and control-based and concerned the equipment and sizing for children. From this study, it is noted that usage decreases less rapidly with the GB than with TSB. Also, differences in AA between groups highlight the importance of AA in PA interventions. This study provides support for the use of interactive video games to augment current PA initiatives with larger scale trials.