This thesis consists of the four papers listed below and a survey of the research area. I Lina J. Andrén: Avoiding (m, m, m)-arrays of order n = 2k II Lina J. Andrén: Avoidability of random arrays III Lina J. Andr´en: Avoidability by Latin squares of arrays with even order IV Lina J. Andrén, Carl Johan Casselgren and Lars-Daniel Öhman: Avoiding arrays of odd order by Latin squares Papers I, III and IV are all concerned with a conjecture by Häggkvist saying that there is a constant c such that for any positive integer n, if m ≤ cn, then for every n × n array A of subsets of {1, . . . , n} such that no cell contains a set of size greater than m, and none of the elements 1, . . . , n belongs to more than m of the sets in any row or any column of A, there is a Latin square L on the symbols 1, . . . , n such that there is no cell in L that contains a symbol that belongs to the set in the corresponding cell of A. Such a Latin square is said to avoid A. In Paper I, the conjecture is proved in the special case of order n = 2k . Paper III improves on the techniques of Paper I, expanding the proof to cover all arrays of even order. Finally, in Paper IV, similar methods are used together with a recoloring theorem to prove the conjecture for all orders. Paper II considers another aspect of the problem by asking to what extent way a deterministic result concerning the existence of Latin squares that avoid certain arrays can be used when the sets in the array are assigned randomly. / Denna avhandling inehåller de fyra nedan uppräknade artiklarna, samt en översikt av forskningsområdet. I Lina J. Andrén: Avoiding (m, m, m)-arrays of order n = 2k II Lina J. Andrén: Avoidability of random arrays III Lina J. Andrén: Avoidability by Latin squares of arrays with even order IV Lina J. Andrén, Carl Johan Casselgren and Lars-Daniel Öhman: Avoiding arrays of odd order by Latin squares Artikel I, III och IV behandlar en förmodan av Häggkvist, som säger att det finns en konstant c sådan att för varje positivt heltal n gäller att om m ≤ cn så finns för varje n × n array A av delmängder till {1, . . . ,n} sådan att ingen cell i A i innehåller fler än m symboler, och ingen symbol förekommer i fler än m celler i någon av raderna eller kolumnerna, så finns en latinsk kvadrat L sådan att ingen cell i L innehåller en symbol som förekommer i motsvarande cell i A. En sådan latinsk kvadrat sägs undvika A. Artikel I innehåller ett bevis av förmodan i specialfallet n = 2k. Artikel III använder och utökar metoderna i Artikel I till ett bevis av förmodan för alla latinska kvadrater av jämn ordning. Förmodan visas slutligen för samtliga ordningar i Artikel IV, där bevismetoden liknar den som finns i i Artikel I och III tillsammans med en omfärgningssats. Artikel II behandlar en annan aspekt av problemet genom att undersöka vad ett deterministiskt resultat om existens av latinska kvadrater som undviker en viss typ av array säger om arrayer där mängderna tilldelas slumpmässigt.

This study investigated the crop density in a New Holland BB960 (branch of CNH Global N.V.) large square baler as examined by crop trajectory from the precompression room to the bale chamber. This study also examined both the top and bottom plunger pressures and critical factors affecting the final top and bottom bale densities.<p>The crop trajectories (wad of crop) were measured using a high-speed camera from the side of the baler through viewing windows. The viewing windows were divided into four regions for determining the crop displacement, velocity and acceleration. Crop strain was used to evaluate the potential change in density of the crop before being compressed by the plunger. Generally, the vertical crop strain was found to be higher in the top half of the bale compared to the bottom. <p>Average strain values for side measurements were 12.8% for the top and 2.1% for the bottom. Plunger pressures were measured to compare peak pressures between the top and bottom halves of each compressed wad of crop, and to develop pressure profiles based on the plungers position. Results of comparing the mean peak plunger pressures between the top and bottom locations indicated the mean pressures were significantly higher at the top location with the exception of one particular setting. Resulting pressure profile graphs aided in qualitatively describing the compression process for both top and bottom locations.<p>A stepwise regression model was developed to examine the difference in material quantity in the top half of the bale compared to the bottom, based on bale weights. The model indicated that flake setting, stuffer ratio and number of flakes had the greatest effect on maintaining consistent bale density by comparing top to bottom halves of each bale. The R2 (coefficient of determination) value for the developed model was of 59.9%. The R2 was low although could be accounted for due to the limited number of data points in the developed model.

Function generator has been widely used in each electronics fields recent years. In this thesis, the authors will introduce some basic structure and working principles of a function generator, moreover a function generator which can create three kinds of wave: sine wave, square wave and triangle wave has been implemented. There are many ways to build the function generator; a method of combine the operational amplifier and discrete components is introduced in this thesis. First use the RC Wien bridge oscillator to achieve sinusoidal wave; and convert it into square wave by using the shaping circuit. Lastly, use the integrating circuit to obtain triangle wave. The basic simulation software Multisim has been used to simulate the circuit.

Microscopic traffic simulation is useful tool in analysing traffic and estimating the capacity and level of service of road networks. In this thesis, the four legged Idrottsparken roundabout in the city of Norrkoping in Sweden is analysed by using the microscopic traffic simulation package AIMSUN. For this purpose, data regarding traffic flow counts, travel times and queue lengths were collected for three consecutive weekdays during both the morning and afternoon peak periods. The data were then used in model building for simulation of traffic of the roundabout. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) method is used to get the optimal parameter value between queue length and travel time data and validation of travel time data are carried out to obtain the basic model which represents the existing condition of the system. Afterward, the results of the new models were evaluated and compared to the results of a SUMO model for the same scenario model. Based on calibrated and validated model, three alternative scenarios were simulated and analysed to improve efficiency of traffic network in the roundabout. The three scenarios includes: (1) add one free right turn in the north and east sections; (2) add one free right turn in the east and south sections; and (3) addition of one lane in roundabout. The analysis of these scenarios shows that the first and second scenario are only able to reduce the queue length and travel time in two or three legs, while the third scenario is not able to improve the performance of the roundabout. In this research, it can be concluded that the first scenario is considered as the best scenario compared to the second scenario and the third scenario. The comparison between AIMSUN and SUMO for the same scenario shows that the results have no significance differences. In calibration process, to get the optimal parameter values between the model measurements and the field measurements, both of AIMSUN and SUMO uses two significantly influencing parametersfor queue and travel time. AIMSUN package uses parameter of driver reaction time and the maximum acceleration, while SUMO package uses parameter of driver imperfection and also the driver rection time.

We prove that if $1 > \alpha > 1/2$, then there exists a probability measure $\mu$ such that the Hausdorff dimension of its support is $\alpha$ and $\mu*\mu$ is a Lipschitz function of class $\alpha-1/2$.

Modernization and its conveniences have obscured our relationship with the natural environment. We no longer have to personally interact with nature when consuming its resources. Consequently, we lack direct feedback from our exploits, and have lost any moral sensibility towards the finite resources of our planet. This unwanted consequence of modernity has perhaps most explicitly manifested itself on the urban riverbanks of the developed world. Such riparian landscapes, once animated with human activity, have become desolate environments, often programmed solely to serve utilitarian functions. At best, some have been revitalized to accommodate recreational amenities, but the direct interaction that was once necessary to utilize the river for its resources has been replaced by invisible machinery, turning the river’s role in sustaining the city into an abstract concept. The condition found on the banks of the Danube River in Budapest is the epitome of this unfortunate phenomenon. While inhabitants draw water from the faucet, buy fish in the supermarket, and expel waste into an enigmatic drain, the riverbank is far out of sight, deserted, and the river’s role in satisfying their needs is never considered. Instead, the Danube is revered only for the pomp and grandeur it bestows upon the extravagant portrait of the boastful city. In response to this skewed perception, this thesis presents a proposal on the site of Széchenyi Square, located at the base of the Chain Bridge in the heart of Budapest. Historically significant as the main port and gateway to the merchant town of Pest, the Square has since abandoned its role as mediator between city and river, and has instead become a mediator of automotive traffic. The proposal presented in this thesis revives its role as a gateway, but not in the traditional sense. It conceives a riparian portal that allows the passer-by to experience an alternate reality – a place where nature and city are superimposed, and the modern individual is granted direct interaction with his natural resources.

This study investigated the crop density in a New Holland BB960 (branch of CNH Global N.V.) large square baler as examined by crop trajectory from the precompression room to the bale chamber. This study also examined both the top and bottom plunger pressures and critical factors affecting the final top and bottom bale densities.<p>The crop trajectories (wad of crop) were measured using a high-speed camera from the side of the baler through viewing windows. The viewing windows were divided into four regions for determining the crop displacement, velocity and acceleration. Crop strain was used to evaluate the potential change in density of the crop before being compressed by the plunger. Generally, the vertical crop strain was found to be higher in the top half of the bale compared to the bottom. <p>Average strain values for side measurements were 12.8% for the top and 2.1% for the bottom. Plunger pressures were measured to compare peak pressures between the top and bottom halves of each compressed wad of crop, and to develop pressure profiles based on the plungers position. Results of comparing the mean peak plunger pressures between the top and bottom locations indicated the mean pressures were significantly higher at the top location with the exception of one particular setting. Resulting pressure profile graphs aided in qualitatively describing the compression process for both top and bottom locations.<p>A stepwise regression model was developed to examine the difference in material quantity in the top half of the bale compared to the bottom, based on bale weights. The model indicated that flake setting, stuffer ratio and number of flakes had the greatest effect on maintaining consistent bale density by comparing top to bottom halves of each bale. The R2 (coefficient of determination) value for the developed model was of 59.9%. The R2 was low although could be accounted for due to the limited number of data points in the developed model.

This study aims to investigate the important indicators that contribute to happiness among Beijing residence. The residents of Beijing were taken as the target population for the survey. A questionnaire was used as the main statistical instrument to collect the data from the residents in Beijing. In so doing the investigation employs Factor analyses and chi-square analyses as the main statistical tools used for the analyses in this research. The study found that Beijing residents gained greater happiness in the family, interpersonal relationships, and health status. The analysis also shows that generally, the residence of Beijing feels happier and also in terms of gender basis, females in Beijing feel happier as compare to their male counterpart. It will find that gender, age and education are statistically significant when dealing with happiness.

<p>The principle of respect for other persons is commonly invoked in contemporary liberalism as justification for the claim that a conscientious citizen in a liberal democracy is morally obligated to refrain from supporting a coercive law for which he lacks suitable public justification. This view has been challenged by Christopher Eberle in <italics>Religious Conviction in Liberal Politics</italics>, who argues that although a citizen has an obligation to pursue a convincing secular rationale for a coercive law, he does not have an obligation to withhold support for a law for which he lacks such a rationale.</p> <p>In this dissertation I attempt to develop a basic analytical framework which can be used to formulate a suitable conception of respect for persons in the public square. Only with such an underlying conception of respect in hand is it possible to adjudicate the competing claims concerning what the principle of respect for persons should be deemed to require of citizens in advocating and supporting coercive laws.</p> <p>The framework I propose views respect for persons as a complex and variegated concept. It separately considers four different forms or notions of respect, and takes the attitude of respect as foundational and prior to the other forms of respect. I conclude that any conception of respect will entail commitment to a broader ethical theory or set of ethical principles. Accordingly, in the final chapter, I suggest that Robert Audi's "value-based Kantian intuitionism," with its emphasis on respect and the dignity of persons as a grounding property, may constitute an auspicious ethical theory to which appeal may plausibly be made in completing a conception of respect.</p> / Dissertation

This thesis focuses on in-situ studies at the solid-liquid interface by combining scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) with gold and platinum mercury amalgam microelectrodes. It is shown that stripping voltammetry experiments at imaging amalgam microelectrodes provide laterally resolved insight on the electrochemistry of biogeochemically relevant processes. SECM provides information on electroactive surface processes with high spatial resolution, and offers the opportunity to study heterogeneous electron-transfer reactions. Thereby, chemical species of interest, such as metal ions, can be electrochemically detected at mercury amalgam electrodes. Platinum and gold mercury amalgam microelectrodes were developed for the detection of biogeochemically relevant analytes such as manganese and iron during SECM imaging experiments at the mineral/water interface establishing the fundamental basis of SECM imaging with amalgam microelectrodes. SECM experiments were performed for the quantitative determination of Mn2+ during the dissolution of microstructured manganese carbonate (rhodochrosite) precipitates at mildly acidic conditions. SECM images along with spatially resolved quantitative data on the Mn2+ concentration were obtained. This measurement concept was then extended to the investigation of the corrosion behavior of diamond-like carbon (DLC) protected zinc selenide (ZnSe) waveguides applied in mid-infrared attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy at strongly oxidizing conditions. The corrosion behavior of DLC coated and uncoated ZnSe crystals was studied obtaining laterally resolved information on the oxidative degradation of ZnSe at defects of the DLC layer utilizing SECM in combination with square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) at gold amalgam microelectrodes. Thereby, insight on the corrosion behavior of ZnSe and concentration profiles of Zn2+ at oxidizing conditions was obtained. These results corroborate the utility of SECM imaging with amalgam microelectrodes for addressing relevant analytical questions. Finally, the developed amalgam microelectrodes were applied for SECM studies of iron-reducing proteins separated from Shewanella microbes in native polyacrylamide gels. After calibration of Pt/Hg microelectrodes in bulk solution for the targeted analytes (iron and sulfur species), SECM approach curves recorded above the native gel enabled positioning of the amalgam electrode in close proximity above protein bands with suspected iron-reducing activity. This technique enabled the (semi)quantitative determination of the anaerobic respiratory activity associated with microbial proteins/protein complexes responsible for the reductive dissolution of manganese and iron oxides above microbial protein bands separated in a native gel matrix.