The ability to rapidly detect and identify hazardous analytes in the field has become increasingly important. One of the most important analytical detection methods in the field is gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In this work, a hand-portable GC-MS system is described that contains a miniature toroidal ion trap mass analyzer and a low thermal mass GC. The system is self-contained within the dimensions of 47 x 36 x 18 cm and weighs less than 13 kg. Because the instrument has a small footprint, it was used as the detector for an automated near-real-time permeation testing system. In permeation testing, materials that are used to make individual protective equipment such as gloves, masks, boots, and suits are exposed to hazardous analytes to determine how long the equipment can be worn safely. The system described herein could test five samples simultaneously. A multi-position valve rotated among the various sample streams and delivered time aliquots into the MS for quantitation. Current field air sampling techniques suffer from long desorption times, high pressure drops, artifact formation and water retention. These disadvantages can be avoided by concentrating the analytes in short open tubular traps containing thick films. There are several advantages to using polymer coated capillaries as traps, including fast desorption, inertness and low flow restriction. An air sampling trap was constructed utilizing open tubular traps for the concentration of semi-volatile organic compounds. The system consisted of multiple capillary traps bundled together, providing high sample flow rates. The analytes were desorbed from the multi-capillary bundle and refocused in a secondary trap. The simultaneous focusing and separation effect of a trap subjected to a negative temperature gradient was also explored. In this configuration, analytes were focused because the front of the peak was at a lower temperature than the rear of the peak and, hence, moved slower. In addition to the focusing effect, analytes with different volatilities focused at different temperatures within the gradient, allowing for separation.

The aim of this study is to assess to which extent the concept called the final girl can be applied to a character produced outside USA. To achieve this, I have used a Japanese film called Evil Dead Trap (Toshiharu Ikeda, 1988), where I have analyzed the character Nami and her relations to the conventions of the final girl. Some of the more common conventions are that the final girl do not engage in sex or use drugs such as cigarettes. The theoretical framework focuses on identifying and establishing the different conventions of the final girl by using two different researchers and their texts. The state of research was used to place the movie in a historical context. Because of this, the research used focused on Japanese horror cinema from the fifties to the nineties. When the framework was established, an analysis of the final girl was made. Throughout the analysis I saw that, apart from three exceptions, Nami followed the conventions of the final girl. The exceptions were that she did not survive the movie, she took drugs in the form of a cigarette and showed a lack of intellect when they arrived at the military base.

Denna studie undersöker internationaliseringsprocessen av e-handelsbolag med fokus på hur psychic distance, ett koncept som hanterar upplevda skillnader i bland annat språk, kultur och politik mellan olika marknader, spelar in i internationaliseringen. Syftet med studien är alltså att undersöka vad den befintliga litteraturen inom fältet för International Business studier säger om sambandet och vilken roll psychic distance spelar i internationaliseringen av e-handelsbolag. Detta kommer göras genom att besvara följande två forskningsfrågor: Vilken roll spelar psychic distance i e-handelsbolags internationaliseringsprocess? samt På vilket sätt har betydelsen av psychic distance förändrats i och med e-handeln? Studien baseras på teorierna kring psychic distance och nätverk från Uppsalamodellens internationaliseringsteorier, CAGE-ramverket samt e-handel och ”the virtuality trap” för att undersöka sambandet mellan dessa traditionella teorier och nya tekniska utvecklingar i form av e-handel. För att undersöka detta har en systematisk litteraturstudie baserad på 29 artiklar från fem olika journaler på fältet genomförts. Resultatet från denna analyserades sedan med hjälp av en tematisk analys för att identifiera mönster i materialet. Detta ledde fram till ett antal slutsatser och det konstaterades att psychic distance spelar en roll även i internationaliseringen av e-handelsbolag men inte riktigt samma roll som för traditionella bolag. Det konstaterades även att betydelsen av psychic distance har ändrats mycket i och med e-handeln och att även om teknik sägs minska avstånd så kan avstånden ändå inte helt elimineras. Slutligen konstateras att det finns mer att lära om psychic distance i e-handelssammanhang och att mer forskning på området är önskvärt. / This study examines the internationalization process of e-commerce companies with a focus on psychic distance, a concept that deals with perceived differences in, among other things, language, culture and politics in different markets and how this plays a role in internationalization. The purpose of the studies is to examine what the existing literature within the field of International Business studies says about the role psychic distance plays in the internationalization of e-commerce companies. This was done by answering the following two research questions: What role does psychic distance play in the internationalization process of e-commerce companies? as well as In what way has the meaning of psychic distance changed with e-commerce? The study is based on the theories around psychic distance and networks from the Uppsala model's internationalization theories, the CAGE-distance framework as well as e-commerce and the virtuality trap to examine the connection between these traditional theories and new technological developments in the form of e-commerce. To investigate this, a systematic literature review, based on 29 articles from five different scientific journals within the field of interest was conducted. The results from these were then analyzed using a thematic analysis to identify patterns in the material. This led to several conclusions, and it was established that psychic distance does plays a role in the internationalization of e-commerce companies, but not quite the same role as for traditional companies. It is also established that the meaning of psychic distance has changed a lot with e-commerce and that even though technology is said to reduces distance, the distance cannot be eliminated. Finally, it is established that there is more to learn about psychological distance in an e-commerce context and that more research in the area is desirable. This thesis is written in Swedish.

Conura torvina (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) is a solitary pupal endoparasite of numerous insect species. In Brassica crops it acts as a parasite of Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) and was found as a hyperparasite of Cotesia rubecula (Marshall) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and several other parasitoid species. Cotesia rubecula was introduced into Virginia in 1987 as a biological control agent for Pieris rapae (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), and because C. torvina was thought to have eliminated this population of C. rubecula, studies of C. torvina's reproductive biology and behavior were initiated. A study using plants laden with "trap hosts" to detect C. torvina activity in the spring indicated no activity until late June, but proved trap host sampling to be an efficient and effective method of monitoring C. torvina activity. Studies of C. torvina's ability to reproduce in C. rubecula pupae of different ages indicated that C. torvina can successfully parasitize pupae at all stages of development, but was most successful in young to middle aged pupae. Studies of C. torvina's host species preference indicated the larger host species such as P. xylostella were preferred. Equal numbers of P. xylostella and C. rubecula were parasitized, but a greater proportion of fertile eggs were laid in P. xylostella. Smaller host species were often ignored. Host dissection studies indicated that caged C. torvina were inefficient at host finding and oviposition. Superparasitism was common, but declined as the females gained oviposition experience. Experienced C. torvina produced an average of 8.25 progenies per day for a period of 12 days when provided with 13 P. xylostella hosts each day. Conura torvina produced up to 14 progenies a day when provided 3 26 hosts. Dissection of C. torvina ovaries indicated three ovarioles per ovary with a mean of 9.2 and maximum of 15 mature eggs per female. Host dissection indicated that a mean of 18 and maximum of 30 eggs could be laid per day. New eggs were produced as oviposition occurred. Significantly larger eggs were laid in P. xylostella than in C. rubecula, and significantly more eggs were laid in C. rubecula than in P. xylostella. From these data and data from earlier studies I concluded that C. torvina has a poor reproductive ability and its impact as a hyperparasite is limited to the summer months. This makes C. torvina an unlikely cause of C. rubecula's disappearance. / Ph. D.

A position-sensitive microchannel plate (MCP) detector has been installed at the Canadian Penning Trap (CPT) mass spectrometer located at the CAlifornium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade (CARIBU) facility at Argonne National Laboratory in order to carry out Phase-Imaging Ion Cyclotron Resonance (PI-ICR) measurements. With this new measurement method, proof-of-principle mass measurements of five nuclei were made to a precision of $\delta m/m \approx 10^{-7}$. The PI-ICR results are found to be consistent with previous Time-of-Flight Ion Cyclotron Resonance (ToF-ICR) measurements. The content of this thesis covers the entire mass measurement process beginning with beam production at CARIBU through to ion detection at the CPT and a comparison of the ToF-ICR and PI-ICR measurement methods. The future of mass measurements at the CPT with this new technique will also be discussed. / May 2016

Guatemala, the most populous country in Central America, is haunted by the legacy of violence, political instability, poverty, corruption, and persisting, relentless inequality. Narco-trafficking routes through Central America became firmly established after air- and sea-based routes were disrupted by U.S. and Mexican drug enforcement efforts in the 1990s. Guatemala and its Central American neighbors were highly vulnerable to incursion by the drug trade, ideally-located between production sources and major consumers, its people and governments weakened by long-standing armed conflict. Evidence shows the drug trade disproportionately impacts Guatemala in comparison to the rest of the region. Its neighbors share similarly well-located geography and the legacy of armed conflicts, but Guatemala lacks the institutional strength and ability to combat the cartels. This paper posits that U.S. prohibitionist policies are ineffective and harmful to Guatemala’s people, based on a supply-reduction model and a review of previous literature and anecdotal evidence. Narco-trafficking and the United States’ drug enforcement efforts, strategies and policies, intensify existing violence, poverty, inequality and corruption within Guatemala, ensnaring its people in a recurring cycle of violence which reinforces barriers to escaping poverty and crime.

Although molybdenum blue solutions have been known for more than twocenturies, an understanding of their chemical nature is only beginning to emerge.This dissertation aimed at elucidating the structural nature of the polydisperse,nanoscopic components in the solution phases and the solid states of partiallyreduced polyoxomolybdate (Mo-POM). The study offered at least fourcontributions to the area: (1) a rational protocol for the molecular recognition ofMo-POM with de novo organic hosts. (2) demonstration of kinetic precipitation ofa dynamic mixture of polyoxomolybdates and application of the technique to thestudy of the dynamic mixture by TEM (3) characterization of the Mo-POMnanostructures by an unusual combination of complementary analyticaltechniques. (4) a general approach for the synthesis of crown-ethers-containingtripodal molecules.The molecular recognition of Mo-POM with designer tripodal hexaminetris-crown ethers opened a window to the solution phase structures of Mo-POMnanoscopic components. Studies with a series of structurally analogous hostsprobed the relationship between the structure of the molecular host and theformation of nanostructures.An unusual combination of complementary analytical protocols: flow fieldflowfractionation, electron microscopy (transmission and scanning), andinductively coupled plasma – emission spectroscopy, was used to monitor thesolution-phase evolution of Mo-POM nanostructures. The crystallization – drivenformation of keplerate Mo-POM and solution-phase evolution of structurallyrelated nanoscopic species were apparent in the self-assembling process ofpartially reduced Mo-POM.

THE EFFECTS OF CERIA ADDITION ON AGING AND SULFATION OF LEAN NOx TRAPS FOR STAND ALONE AND LNT-SCR APPLICATIONS Model powder and fully formulated monolithic lean NOx trap (LNT) catalysts were used to investigate the effect of ceria on desulfation behavior. Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) experiments (model catalysts) showed each of the oxide phases present is able to store sulfur and possesses distinct behavior (temperature at which desulfation occurs). La-CeO2 or CeO2-ZrO2-containing samples (monoliths) showed a greater resistance to deactivation during sulfation and required lower temperatures to restore the NOx storage efficiency to its pre-sulfation value. Fully formulated monolithic LNT catalysts containing varying amounts of Pt, Rh and BaO were subjected to accelerated aging to elucidate the effect of washcoat composition on LNT aging. Elemental analysis revealed that residual sulfur, associated with the Ba phase, decreased catalyst NOx storage capacity and that sintering of the precious metals resulted in decreased contact between the Pt and Ba phases. Spatially-resolved inlet capillary mass spectrometry (SpaciMS) was employed to understand the factors influencing the selectivity of NOx reduction in LNT catalysts degreened and thermally aged) containing Pt, Rh, BaO and Al2O3, and contained La-stabilized CeO2. Stretching of the NOx storage and reduction zone (NSR) zone resulted in increased selectivity to NH3 due to the fact that less catalyst was available to consume NH3 by either the NH3-NOx SCR reaction or the NH3-O2 reaction. Additionally, the loss of oxygen storage capacity (OSC) and NOx storage sites, along with the decreased rate of NOx diffusion to Pt/Rh sites, led to an increase in the rate of propagation of the reductant front after aging, in turn, resulting in increased H2:NOx ratios at the Pt/Rh sites and consequently increased selectivity to NH3. Finally, a crystallite scale model was used to predict selectivity to NH3 from the LNT catalysts during rich conditions after a fixed amount of NOx was stored during lean conditions. Both the experimental and model predicted data showed that the production of NH3 is limited by the rate of diffusion from the Ba storage sites to the Pt particles at 200 °C. At 300 °C, the process is limited by the rate at which H2 is fed to the reactor.

The dissertation focuses on the temperature dependent rate coefficient measurement of reactions in the interstellar medium using a coaxial molecular beam ring electrode ion trap apparatus. The first chapter introduces the previous studies of ion-molecule reactions in the ISM, the types of instruments mainly used in the reaction rate coefficient study, the former research on the ring electrode ion trap and the gas phase reaction mechanisms. Compare to other instruments, our molecular beam - ring electrode ion trap is extremely good at ion cooling and temperature control for both ions and neutral molecules. Chapter two describes each part of the instrument used in detail. Ions produced by electron impact in the ion source chamber, are mass filtered and then reach the ring electrode ion trap. In the trap, ions collide with molecules in the molecular beam where reaction takes place. When the reaction is done, all the ions remained in the trap (the reactant and product ions) come out and move to the detector. The molecular beam terminates at residual gas analyzer which is used for the number density calibration. The third chapter shows how the temperature of ions and molecules are controlled separately in order to find the reaction mechanism. Ions are cooled by the pulsed He buffer in the ring electrode trap and a chopped beam is used to make sure the ions are cooled to the desired low temperature when the reaction takes place. Chapters four to six describe the three reactions being studied using this instrument: N₂⁺ + H₂O charge transfer reaction, H₃O⁺ + C₂H₄ proton transfer reaction and H3O⁺ + (C₂H₂)₂/C₂H₂ dimer reaction. The temperature dependent rate coefficient data of these reactions are explained by the average dipole orientation theory, statistical theory and Colussi's acetylene dimer model, respectively. Two temperatures are defined and applied in the experimental rate coefficients analysis: ion-molecule center of mass collision temperature and the reaction statistical temperature which is based on the numbers of degrees of freedom of both reactants.

Numerous trap designs have been used in efforts to capture wild pigs (Sus scrofa); however, drop-nets have never been examined as a potential tool for wild pig control. I implemented a 2-year study to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of an 18.3 x 18.3 m drop-net and a traditional corral trap for trapping wild pigs. In spring 2010, treatment units were randomly selected and multiple trap sites were identified on 4,047 ha in Love County, Oklahoma. Trap sites were baited with whole corn and monitored with infrared-triggered cameras during pre-construction and capture periods. Unique pigs using trap sites were identified 5 days prior to trap construction and used in mark-recapture calculations to determine trap effectiveness. Three hundred fifty-six pigs were captured in spring of 2010 and 2011. I documented maximum captures of 27 and 15 pigs with drop-nets and corral traps, respectively. I removed 86 and 49% of the unique pigs from treatment units during the course of the study using drop-nets and corral traps, respectively. Catch per unit effort was 1.9 and 2.3 h/pig for drop-nets and corral traps, respectively. Wild pigs did not appear to exhibit trap shyness around drop-nets, which often facilitated the capture of entire sounders in a single drop. Use of drop-nets also eliminated capture of non-target species. During my study, damage by wild pigs was reduced by 90% across the study area, verifying control reduces damage on native rangelands. Population monitoring for pseudorabies virus, brucellosis, and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome resulted in exposure rates of 24, 0.4, and 0.4%, respectively. Removal of wild pigs reduced rooting damage and probability of encountering pig borne diseases of importance to livestock and human health. My research confirms drop-nets can be an effective tool for removal of wild pigs.