Since the events of 9/11, there has been tremendous amount of renewed interests in the study of trade security. There has been an influx of security regulations and the private sector has been trying to keep pace in complying with them. However, due to the public externalities of security improvements and the lack of quantified and proven benefits, the private sector is struggling to establish business cases for their security initiatives. There is very little quantitative research in this area. Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM), this study serves to fill this gap by introducing a statistical way of analysing and understanding the complex relationships amongst security effort, its motivators and performance and traditional supply chain performance (SCP). This study also proposes an evaluation framework for security efforts. EFA results show that security is a dimension of SCP. This means that organizations have all along been measuring an aspect of their operations that relates to security. As such, organizations should not perceive the current heightened interests in security as throwing them off-balance. In evaluating security efforts, organizations should select key performance indicators (KPIs) that represent each of the four areas of information, cargo, people and cost. SEM results show that organizations undertake security efforts as a result of both perceived security benefits and perceived collateral benefits, with perceived security benefits carrying a greater weight in the decision-making process. Results also show that organizations are implementing security initiatives out-of-compliance i.e. implementing initiatives that they perceive as not having significant impacts on security and SCP. In view of the positive relationships among perceived security impact, security effort and security performance, there is further imperative for an objective method for evaluating security efforts to prevent effort justification behaviour in determining the effectiveness of the same. Results also show that organizations perceive an improved performance in security leads to an overall improvement in SCP. However, as with other supply chain strategies, there are tradeoffs and not all aspects of SCP are impacted in the same way. Time, responsiveness and efficiency for instance are negatively impacted while reliability is positively impacted. / Business, Sauder School of / Operations and Logistics (OPLOG), Division of / Graduate

It is estimated that 1.6 billion people today live without access to electricity. Most of these people live in remote rural areas in developing countries. One economic solution to this problem is the deployment of small domestic photovoltaic (PV) systems called solar home systems (SHS). In order to improve the performance and reduce the life cycle cost of these systems, accurate monitoring data of real SHSs is required. To this end, two SHSs typical of those found in the field were designed and installed, one in a rural area of the Eastern Cape of South Africa and the other in the laboratory. Monitoring systems were designed to record energy ows in the system and important environmental parameters. A novel technique was developed to correct for measurement errors occurring during the utilization of pulse width modulation charge control techniques. These errors were found to be as large as 47.6 percent. Simulations show that correction techniques produce measurement errors that are up to 20 times smaller than uncorrected values, depending upon the operating conditions. As a tool to aid in the analysis of monitoring data, a PV performance model was developed. The model, used to predict the maximum power point (MPP) power of a PV array, was able to predict MPP energy production to within 0.2 percent over the course of three days. Monitoring data from the laboratory system shows that the largest sources of energy loss are charge control, module under performance relative to manufacturer specifications and operation of the PV array away from MPP. These accounted for losses of approximately 18-27 percent, 15 percent and 8-11 percent of rated PV energy under standard test conditions, respectively. Energy consumed by loads on the systems was less than 50 percent of rated PV energy for both the remote and laboratory systems. Performance ratios (PR) for the laboratory system ranged from 0.38 to 0.49 for the three monitoring periods. The remote system produced a PR of 0.46. In both systems the PV arrays appear to have been oversized. This was due to overestimation of the energy requirements of the loads on the systems. In the laboratory system, the loads consisting of three compact fluorescent lamps and one incandescent lamp, were used to simulate a typical SHS load pro le and collectively consumed only 85 percent of their rated power. The 8 predicted load profile for the remote system proved to be signi cantly overestimated. The results of the monitoring project demonstrate the importance of acquiring an accurate estimation of the energy demand from loads on the system. Overestimations result in over-sized arrays and energy lost to charge control while under-sized systems risk damaging system batteries and load shedding. Significant under-performance of the PV module used in the laboratory system, underlines the importance of measuring module IV curves and verifying manufacturer specifications before system deployment. It was also found that signi cant PV array performance gains could be obtained by the use of maximum power point tracking charge controllers. Increased PV array performance leads to smaller arrays and reduced system cost.

Groundwater resources is the major source of potable water in Mchinji District of Central Malawi and globally. Although the total amount of water on and under the earth‟s surface is generally assumed to have remained constant, the rapid population boom coupled with extension of agricultural farmland and industrial development are putting pressure and stress on the quality and quantity of water resources. In principal therefore, „use and discard‟ philosophy in water resources cannot be subscribed (Lloyd, 1999). The situation ultimately calls for rational management of water resources to ensure its sustainability. Water intended for human consumption must be free from organisms that are the causative agents of diseases and must not contain chemical substances at concentrations that may be hazardous to human health. In addition drinking water should be aesthetically acceptable, free from unpleasant taste, color, odor and turbidity. Drinking water should also be free from bacteria and viruses whose presence would indicate fecal contamination. Some are known to be toxic and their concentrations must be below acceptable value, taking into account that drinking water is but one of the several pathways by which substances enters the body. ix Due to perceived concerns of over extraction and rapid water resources depletion, optimal management of groundwater resources are now receiving much attention. Their associated literatures have taken quite different approaches both philosophically and operationally to the analysis of how groundwater should be managed, allocated and cared for spatially and temporally. This study investigated the spatial and temporal fluctuations of concentrations of chemical and biological substances in groundwater such as pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, iron, fluoride, manganese, chloride, sulfates, sodium and fecal coliform in Mchinji District of Central Malawi. Through examination and analysis of static water levels as an indicator of water table fluctuations, groundwater availability was also measured. It was found that anthropogenic activities on the landscape can impact the quality and quantity of the water resources in this area and this impact on the various sectors of the inhabitant‟s livelihoods. Groundwater in Mchinji is composed of a number of chemical and biological elements whose origin is either from the material in which it percolates through, or stored before exploitation. Anthropogenic activities in this area plays a role in the quality and quantity of groundwater through land use and land cover change as evidenced by comparisons of Landsat Thematic x Mapper™ satellite images over different time scales. In Mchinji no regular groundwater monitoring is being done indicating a deficiency in sustainability interventions of the resource. This study calls for integrated and sustainable water resources management and coordinated efforts amongst water users, local councils, regulatory authorities and environmental policy makers. Of far greater importance in groundwater sustainability analysis is the issue of groundwater monitoring. It is imperative therefore to preserve the resource while preservation is still possible. Groundwater is now turning into „blue gold‟ and becoming a highly sought-after commodity. It should, however, be utilized sustainably to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

A Generalized Leontief Inverse Indirect Utility Function and its estimation are discussed; a data base compatible with the requirements of the function is created, and we attempt to estimate postwar Canadian preferences (for consumption with and without the simultaneous supply of labour). The parameters of the function are estimated in a two-stage (generalized) least squares procedure due to Zellner [1961]. The empirical results indicate that the functional form behaves rather well and our estimated expenditure shares and elasticities of substitution between goods seem to conform to our theoretical expectations. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate

Until recently, much of the labour supply literature has been predicated on the assumption that all individuals are free to choose the amount of labour that they supply at the prevailing wage rate. However, empirical studies have shown that many individuals are rationed to work more or fewer hours than they desire. In this thesis we formulate and estimate two models of household labour supply behaviour which take account of the fact that constraints in the labour, market prevent some (male) household heads from supplying their desired amount of labour. In the first model we consider the case where a male is constrained in the number of hours of labour he can supply in a working week. In the second model we decompose male leisure into leisure during working weeks and leisure during non-working weeks, and consider rations on both. To be consistent with the economic theory of consumer behaviour we derive these models by assuming that households, based on their preferences, perform an optimization procedure to determine their desired quantities of male leisure (provided it is not rationed), female leisure and goods consumption. Since we model household behaviour, by jointly estimating demand equations for rationed and non-rationed households we are able to examine the effects that rationing of the labour supply of the household head has on the labour supply of his spouse and on household goods consumption. We find that there is no general pattern to the way in which the marginal budget shares and labour supply elasticities differ among rationed and non-rationed households. Further, the relationship between the rationed and non-rationed marginal budget shares and elasticities differs according to the demographic characteristics of the household. We also find that our estimates differ from those obtained when rationed households are either ignored or omitted from the sample. In view of this result, and the fact that marginal budget shares and labour supply elasticities for rationed households cannot be calculated using the misspecified models, we conclude that it is important to use the entire sample of rationed and non-rationed households to estimate the model in which each type of rationing is modelled appropriately. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate

In the fall of 1986 the Galactic Radio Patrol began total power observations with the new seven feed system on the 91 metre radio telescope at Green Bank, W. Virginia. The data were taken at a wavelength of 6 cm, with Nyquist sampling intervals, in the region of the galactic plane corresponding to the coordinate ranges of 1=25 to 225 degrees, and |b| ≤ 5.5 degrees. Existing surveys at 6 cm provide a coverage of the galactic plane over the galactic longitude range 190 to 60 (through 360) degrees. This work is largely complementary in that its coverage is over the galactic longitude range of 25 to 225 degrees. A mapping technique has been developed to fully exploit this data. This technique will allow the mapping of the galactic region with a sensitivity several times that of previously available surveys and with reliable structural information on angular scales of ≤ 1 degree. The above technique was applied to a test region centred upon the supernova remnant G109.1-1.0. The resultant maps were compared to a previously published map of this supernova remnant in order to determine the strengths and reliability of the present reduction method. / Science, Faculty of / Physics and Astronomy, Department of / Graduate

Unternehmen verfügen typischerweise über mehrstufige Zuliefer- und Abnehmerbeziehungen, deren Konfiguration sich jedoch unterschiedlich komplex gestaltet. Ein Management von Nachhaltigkeit muss diese Unterschiede verstehen, bevor passende Konzepte und Maßnahmen empfohlen werden können. Die Arbeit zeigt welche Ansätze des Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements unter welchen strukturellen Konstellationen der Supply Chain geeignet sind.:1 Einleitung 1.1 Problemstellung und Zielsetzung 1.2 Behandlung der Thematik in der Literatur 1.2.1 Nachhaltigkeitsforschung 1.2.2 Management-Forschung 1.2.3 Supply-Chain-Management-Forschung 1.3 Vorgehensweise und Aufbau der Arbeit 2 Konzeptioneller Bezugsrahmen 2.1 Das Leitbild nachhaltiger Entwicklung 2.1.1 Handlungsfelder nachhaltiger Entwicklung 2.1.2 Grundlagen des Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements 2.1.3 Wertschöpfungsübergreifender Charakter des Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements 2.2 Supply-Chain-Management als Ausgestaltungsrahmen für ein wertschöpfungskettenübergreifendes Nachhaltigkeitsmanagement 2.2.1 Begriff der Supply Chain 2.2.2 Netzwerke als Strukturierungsgrundlage für Supply Chains 2.2.3 Gestaltungsperspektiven des Supply-Chain-Managements 2.2.4 Supply-Chain-Management im Kontext globaler Wertschöpfung 2.3 Zusammenführung des konzeptionellen Bezugsrahmens 3 Rahmenkonzeption zur Gestaltung eines Managements von Nachhaltigkeit in Supply-Chain-Netzwerken 3.1 Einflussfaktoren des Konzepts 3.1.1 Netzwerkkomplexität 3.1.1.1 Netzwerk-Tiefe 3.1.1.2 Netzwerk-Breite 3.1.1.3 Netzwerk-Reichweite 3.1.2 Netzwerkbeziehungen 3.1.2.1 Ausmaß der Zusammenarbeit 3.1.2.2 Zielkongruenz im Netzwerk 3.1.2.3 Zeithorizont der Netzwerkbeziehungen 3.1.3 Netzwerkkoordination 3.1.3.1 Informations- und Kommunikationsstruktur 3.1.3.2 Entscheidungskompetenz im Netzwerk 3.1.3.3 Machtverhältnisse im Netzwerk 3.1.4 Zusammenfassung der Einflussfaktoren 3.2 Gestaltungsparameter des Konzepts 3.2.1 Gestaltungsparameter der Selektionsfunktion 3.2.1.1 Supply-Chain-Transparenz 3.2.1.2 Selektion der Wertschöpfungspartner 3.2.1.3 Selektion relevanter Stakeholder 3.2.2 Gestaltungsparameter der Allokationsfunktion 3.2.2.1 Stakeholder-Engagement 3.2.2.2 Industrie-Initiativen und -Verbände 3.2.2.3 Einbindung strategischer Wertschöpfungspartner 3.2.2.4 Kompetenzentwicklung der Wertschöpfungspartner 3.2.3 Gestaltungsparameter der Regulationsfunktion 3.2.3.1 Verhaltenskodizes 3.2.3.2 Indikatoren und Kennzahlen 3.2.3.3 Anreizsysteme 3.2.3.4 Investitionsmaßnahmen 3.2.3.5 Rückverfolgungssysteme 3.2.4 Gestaltungsparameter der Evaluationsfunktion 3.2.4.1 Zertifizierung und Kennzeichnung 3.2.4.2 Prüfung, Monitoring und Verifizierung 3.2.4.3 Selbstbewertung 3.2.4.4 Beschwerdemechanismen 3.2.4.5 Nachhaltigkeitsrating 3.2.4.6 Dokumentation, Berichterstattung und Offenlegung 3.2.4.7 Umweltanalyse 3.2.5 Gestaltungsparameter der Supply-Chain-Resilience 3.3 Zusammenfassung der Gestaltungsparameter 3.4 Darstellung Gesamtmodell 4 Empirische Analyse 4.1 Untersuchungsmethodik 4.2 Charakterisierung der empirischen Datenbasis 4.3 Statistische Analysemethoden zur Auswertung der empirischen Datenbasis 4.3.1 Faktorenanalyse 4.3.2 Clusteranalyse 4.3.3 Charakterisierung der identifizierten Supply-Chain-Netzwerktypen 4.3.3.1 Supply-Chain-Netzwerke mit globalen und komplexen Wertschöpfungsstrukturen 4.3.3.2 Supply-Chain-Netzwerke mit lokalen und einfachen Wertschöpfungsstrukturen 4.3.3.3 Supply-Chain-Netzwerke mit globalen und einfachen Wertschöpfungsstrukturen 4.3.4 Zusammenfassung der Typologisierung 5 Gestaltungsempfehlungen für ein Management von Nachhaltigkeit in Supply-Chain-Netzwerken 5.1 Funktionsspezifische Gestaltungsempfehlungen 5.1.1 Gestaltungsempfehlungen der Selektionsfunktion 5.1.2 Gestaltungsempfehlungen der Allokationsfunktion 5.1.3 Gestaltungsempfehlungen der Regulationsfunktion 5.1.4 Gestaltungsempfehlungen der Evaluationsfunktion 5.1.5 Gestaltungsempfehlungen der Supply-Chain-Resilience 5.2 Typenspezifische Gestaltungsempfehlungen 5.2.1 Gestaltungsempfehlung für Supply-Chain-Netzwerke mit globalen und komplexen Wertschöpfungsstrukturen 5.2.2 Gestaltungsempfehlung für Supply-Chain-Netzwerke mit lokalen und einfachen Wertschöpfungsstrukturen 5.2.3 Gestaltungsempfehlung für Supply-Chain-Netzwerke mit globalen und einfachen Wertschöpfungsstrukturen 5.3 Zusammenfassung der Gestaltungsempfehlungen 6 Zusammenfassung und Ausblick Anhang Literaturverzeichnis

The concept of coastal and marine spatial planning (CMSP), a tool now used globally, was established as a way to manage increasing interests in development and conservation of coastal and ocean areas. Planning literature has recognized the importance of being able to characterize good quality plans; however, no standard for how to evaluate coastal and marine spatial plans exists. This research provides a foundational effort in establishing an evaluative tool (and baseline) for CMSP plan quality. The evaluative tool assesses the overall quality of the content of coastal and marine spatial plans according to existing planning literature; and assess the orientation of the plans towards the benefits of CMSP espoused by UNESCO. Case studies are also used to obtain a better understanding of the processes that created two coastal and marine spatial plans, and evaluate if any of the evaluation elements not evident in the plans were actually included in the planning process. The coastal and marine spatial plans scored quite low on the evaluative tool. Ultimately, the plans evaluated seem to present facts and intentions without telling a story. The case studies, on the other hand, show that while the plans do not exhibit information about many of the elements measured by the evaluation tool, their development processes were far more robust than the evaluation results indicate. The amount of support that the processes garnered also indicate that these were high quality and successful planning processes. The findings show that the planning process matters, and that it is important to then document that robust, meaningful participatory process in the plan. Key information about how coastal and marine spatial plans, and other plans, can be improved is presented. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2016. / April 15, 2016. / Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning, Marine Spatial Planning, Plan Evaluation / Includes bibliographical references. / Tim Chapin, Professor Directing Dissertation; Ralph Brower, University Representative; Chris Coutts, Committee Member; Will Butler, Committee Member; Donna Christie, Committee Member.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Affordable and reliable supply chain visibility is becoming increasingly important as the complexity of the network underlying supply chains is becoming orders of magnitudes higher compared to a decade ago. Moreover, this increase in complexity is starting to reflect on the cost of goods and their availability to the consumers. Optimizing the physical distribution phase in supply chain by providing increased visibility to trading partners can directly reduce product cost. Current supply chain information systems often lack the ability to cost-effectively relay ground truth in- formation in near real time to all stakeholders and most importantly to the supplier and the customer during the transport of the shipment. This thesis presents a solu- tion that addresses this gap through a distributed architecture. The solution enables small, medium and large businesses to interact in a dynamic and shipment-centric manner through a private blockchain sub-ledger that digitizes the transfer of custody for each shipment. Information in this private ledger is augmented by a public event ledger that reflects the movement of the shipment in real time. Third party monitors are engaged in the validation of the geolocation of the shipments by posting their physical proximity in the form of events to the public ledger.

A point-of-load converter was designed for a distributed power architecture using a normally off silicon carbide (SiC) junction field effect transistor (JFET) as the enabling technology. The power supply accepts a 208-V single phase input and generates a +26 V and +10 V output for pulsed loads as well as a +5 V and -5 V auxiliary supplies for digital/control circuitry. This work focuses on the integration of the first normally off SiC JFET to allow for an efficient (≥ 93%), high power density (≥ 100 W/in3) power converter demonstrating higher switching frequency. A switching frequency of 500 kHz was achieved which more than doubles the operating frequency of a reference design with silicon MOSFETs. The power supply design described in this thesis integrates a power factor correction pre-regulator with multiple output Weinberg and flyback converters each utilizing normally off SiC JFETs. Experimental results are presented to validate the design.