Major crossroads are designed to facilitate the conflicting movements of numerous vehicles in a manner that is both safe and efficient. Accesses located within the functional areas of major crossroads add complication to intersection activity due to additional conflicts arising from ingressing and egressing movements at the accesses. In this research, the impact of accesses on crashes within major crossroad functional areas was analyzed. Specifically, the effects of access spacing within functional areas and access setback from intersections were addressed. In order to conduct the analysis, the functional areas of 159 signalized major arterial crossroads across the state of Utah were examined. A database was built containing the frequency, type, and severity of functional area crashes as well as the intersection and roadway characteristics within the functional area. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine the influence of accesses in intersection functional areas on functional area crashes. The statistical analyses show that the existence of accesses within the functional areas was correlated with increased crashes and crash severity costs. In particular, an increase in commercial access density was associated with increases in crash totals, crash rates, and rear end crashes in intersection functional areas. The analyses also showed that study site intersections meeting Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) corner clearance standards exhibited fewer right angle crashes and lower crash severity costs. Finally, intersections that prohibited all unsignalized access had lower crash totals, crash rates, right angle crash totals, and rear end crash totals than intersections that allowed some unsignalized access.

Utrikes föddas möjlighet till ett etablerat karriärliv i Sverige är ett återkommande ämne i olika kartläggande rapporter, statistiska analyser och forskningsartiklar. Forskning visar att tidigare kunskaper som individen tillägnat sig i ett annat land kan möjligen erkännas i Sverige om individen investerar i nya former av kapital. Dessa studier lyfter mest positiva berättelser och betonar betydelse av att tolka karriärutveckling inte bara i termer av etnicitet,migration och kulturella skillnader utan som en del av individernas större narrativ om deras framgång i det nya svenska sammanhanget. Syftet med denna studie är att se hur utrikesfödda som kommer från samma land och således från samma kulturella kontext och som flyttar till Sverige som vuxna ser på sin karriärutveckling i det nya landet. Metoden som valts för denna studie är semistrukturerade intervjuer som också har inslag av livsberättelser. Intervjuerna analyserades med hjälp av Hodkinson och Sparkes Careership-teori och olika teoretiska begrepp kring kapitalets betydelse som tidigare forskning har funnit stöd i. Tematisk analys valdes för att redogöra och analysera studiens resultat. Resultaten visade att intervjupersonernas resa i Sverige möts både av hinder och möjligheter. Analysen tyder påatt det som däremot leder till hållbara karriärer och som egentligen kan omvandla möjliga hinder till möjligheter är människornas investering i nya kunskaper. För att gå igenom de olika brytpunkterna och hantera dem på bästa möjliga sätt intar individen ett pragmatiskt rationellt förhållningssätt. Undersökningen belyser betydelsen av att se utrikes föddaskarriärutveckling inte i termer av enstaka faktorer utan som ett kontinuerligt samspel mellan individens ständiga försök och det nya landets samhälleliga kontext. / The opportunity for foreign born people to have an established career in Sweden is a recurring topic in various survey reports, statistical analyses and research articles. Research shows that knowledge previously acquired in another country can be valued in Sweden if the individual invests in social and cultural capital. These studies also highlight mostly positive stories and emphasize on the importance of interpreting career development not only interms of ethnicity, migration and cultural differences but as part of the individuals' broader narratives of their success in the new swedish context. The purpose of this study is to see how foreign born people coming from the same country, and thus from the same cultural context, and who moved to Sweden as adults regard their career development in the new country. The method chosen for this study is one of semi-structured interviews that also have elements of life stories. The interviews were analyzed with the help of Hodkinson and Sparkes Careership theory and various concepts around capital theories that previous research has been based on. Thematic analysis was used in order to present and analyze the results of the study. The results showed that the interviewees' journey in Sweden came with both obstacles and opportunities. Analysis suggests that what leads to sustainable careers and can finally turn possible obstacles into opportunity is people's investment in new knowledge. Moreover, it finds that in order to go through the various turning points and deal with them in the best possible way, individuals adopt a pragmatically rational approach. The study highlights the importance of seeing career development not in terms of individual factors but as a continuous interplay between the individual's efforts and the new country's social context.

In the thesis the author attempts to focus on what value Career theories (such as turning points, planned happenstance, SCCT and PEC) may have for guidance counselors, and their clients. The author describes a number of theories, then put them to use on a number of interviews where clients describe their present career situation to guidance counselor students. The author reaches the conclusion that career theories have an important value for guidance counselors and their clients; Career theories play an important role in helping to understand the client´s behavior and history of choices. Career theories can also be used by the guidance counselor to help the client in future choices.

A dimensionally compatible system of equations for stand basal area, volume, and basal area and volume growth was derived using dimensional analysis. These equations are analytically and numerically consistent with dimensionally compatible individual tree volume and taper equations and share parameters with them. Parameters for the system can be estimated by fitting individual tree taper and volume equations or by fitting stand level basal area and volume equations. In either case the parameters are nearly identical. Therefore, parameters for the system can be estimated at the tree or stand level without changing the results. Data from a thinning study in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations established on cutover site-prepared lands were used to estimate the parameters. However, the developed system of equations is general and can be applied to other tree species in other locales. / Ph. D.

This thesis started with the discovery that in Sweden, about 70% of wool, a valuable material, is wasted in 2017. In recent years, a local value chain in Sweden has gained momentum to increase the use of Swedish wool as a circular and sustainable fibre for the textile industry in the country. This thesis aimed at suggesting a strategic approach to strengthen the Swedish wool value chain. To do so, we used the leverage points framework as a systems thinking lens to uncover system dynamics and assess what is most needed in the system through semi-structured interviews. Then, a systematic literature review was conducted to uncover interventions contributing to sustainable transformations in the global wool value chain and suggest a strategic approach for the Swedish case. The key leverage point that emerged as a result of the research is enhancing the capacity to self-organise as a system, which can happen through increasing collaboration, fostering a structure for learning and flows of information. The strategic intervention that we suggested is to establish a ‘connector’ in the system in order to facilitate underway projects as well as collaboration in a national perspective to develop and expand the use of Swedish wool.

Les hydrogels sont des matériaux aux propriétés modulables dont la dégradation peut être contrôlée. Du fait de leur biocompatibilité, ils peuvent être utilisés afin de protéger les médicaments labiles et ainsi favoriser l’administration de traitements médicaux, d’où l’intérêt croissant de développer ces matériaux. Depuis quelques années, ils font l’objet de nombreuses recherches, que ce soit en ingénierie tissulaire, détection de mouvement, régénération de tissus ou pour le relargage de médicaments. Ce projet de thèse porte sur la formation d’hydrogels à base d’α-cyclodextrine et de polyéthylène glycol 20K ainsi que sur l’étude de leur capacité de relargage de principes actifs. Ces composés ont la capacité de former des complexes d’inclusion, créant ainsi un collier de perle, appelés pseudopolyrotaxane. Ensuite, ils seront modifiés pour créer des hydrogels de polyrotaxanes grâce à l’ajout de groupement bloquants. Finalement, nous formerons des hydrogels à point de réticulations glissant après avoir relié deux polyrotaxanes par leur macrocycle. À l’aide d’études rhéologiques, nous avons montré une amélioration des propriétés mécaniques des hydrogels proportionnelle à l’apport de liaisons chimique. Les groupements bloquants permettent d’éviter la désinclusion tandis que les réticulations apportent un effet poulie, les rendant exceptionnellement élastique. Ces hypothèses sont validées par les études structurales. Et nos hydrogels se sont révélés non toxiques pour les cellules humaines et ces résultats confirment leur biocompatibilité. Les hydrogels de pseudopolyrotaxanes sont les plus écologiques et les plus appropriés pour une application locale cutanée. Les hydrogels de polyrotaxanes, plus stables, peuvent être utilisés pour des applications locales prolongées ou par injection. Cependant, nos hydrogels de polyrotaxanes réticulés devront être modifiés afin de permettre un relargage contrôlé, car leur extrême stabilité pourrait entraver leur dégradation lors d'une injection sous-cutanée malgré leurs propriétés mécaniques exceptionnelles. / Hydrogels are materials with tunable properties whose degradation can be controlled. Because of their biocompatibility, they can be used to protect labile drugs and thus facilitate the administration of medical treatments, hence the growing interest in developing these materials. In recent years, they have been the subject of numerous studies, whether in tissue engineering, motion sensing, tissue regeneration or drug delivery. This project focuses on the formation of hydrogels based on α-cyclodextrin and polyethylene glycol 20K and the study of their drug release capacity. These compounds can form inclusion complexes, forming a pearl necklace called pseudopolyrotaxane. They will then be modified to form polyrotaxane hydrogels by adding blocking groups. Finally, we will form hydrogels with sliding cross-linking points after linking two polyrotaxanes through their macrocycle. Through rheological studies, we have demonstrated an improvement in the mechanical properties of the hydrogels proportional to the introduction of chemical bonds. Blocking groups prevent desorption, while cross-linking provides a pulley effect, making them exceptionally elastic. These hypotheses are supported by structural studies. Our hydrogels have been shown to be non-toxic to human cells, confirming their biocompatibility. Pseudopolyrotaxane hydrogels are the most environmentally friendly and suitable for local cutaneous application. Polyrotaxane hydrogels are more stable and can be used for prolonged local applications or by injection. However, our cross-linked polyrotaxane hydrogels will need to be modified to allow controlled release, as their extreme stability could hinder their degradation during subcutaneous injection, despite their exceptional mechanical properties.

As one of the most essential data mining tasks, clustering analysis has been widely discussed and employed since its invention. Czekanowski’s diagram, which has been around for over a century as a visualization tool for exploring cluster distributions, is being improved continually. RMaCzek is a package of R, which is used to implement Czekanowski’s diagram. By using this package, users can plot a symmetric or asymmetric Czekanowski’s diagram. However, the user still has to manually judge the clustering result through the diagram, which will inevitably lead to the deviation of the subjective judgement and increase the user’s workload. In order to keep the advantages of Czekanowski’s diagram and exploit its potential, Czekanowski’s clustering algorithm is proposed in this thesis. A new clustering algorithm based on Czekanowski’s diagram that allows it to label the clustering results directly and mark the findings on the Czekanowski’s diagram. Czekanowski’s clustering supports two clustering methods, namely exact Czekanowski’s clustering and fuzzy Czekanowski’s clustering, so that users can choose different methods according to the characteristics of the analysis object. Besides, this thesis will also cover the upgraded RMaCzek R package’s application method, including how to use it for Czekanowski’s clustering, how to express the clustering outcomes by Czekanowski’s diagram and the improvement of plotting function. On the other hand, the performance of the new clustering algorithm will be evaluated in this thesis by comparing it with the other five commonly used clustering algorithms. Also, through some experiments, we were able to determine the impact of various algorithm parameters on clustering performance.

In modern conditions of aggressive competitive environment there has been a steady increase of uncertainty, instability and high dynamics of economic activity. Under these conditions, it becomes extremely important for small businesses to adapt to changing factors of external and internal environment, where resources are scarce. Thus the problem of strategic management and control at small industrial enterprises is one of the most important. To resolve this issue in the thesis presents an approach to strategic controlling main purpose of which is development of methodological recommendations for formalization and control of strategic reference points taken by management. / В современных условиях агрессивной конкурентной среды наблюдается постоянное возрастание степени неопределенности, нестабильности и высокой динамичности хозяйственной деятельности. В данных условиях становится чрезвычайно важным способность малого бизнеса приспосабливаться под изменяющиеся факторы как внешней, так и внутренней среды, в условиях дефицита ресурсов. Таким образом, к актуальным проблемам развития малых предприятий необходимо отнести стратегическое управление и контроль. Для решения данного вопроса в диссертации представлен подход к стратегическому контроллингу, главной целью которого является предоставление руководителям методологических рекомендаций с целью формализации и контроля их стратегических ориентиров.

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