Two problems in the study of elastic filaments are considered.First, a reliable numerical algorithm is developed that candetermine the shape of a static elastic rod under a variety ofconditions. In this algorithm the governing equations are writtenentirely in terms of local coordinates and are discretized usingfinite differences. The algorithm has two significant advantages:firstly, it can be implemented for a wide variety of the boundaryconditions and, secondly, it enables the user to work with generalconstitutive relationships with only minor changes to thealgorithm. In the second problem a model is presented describingthe dynamics of an elastic tube conveying a fluid. First weanalyze instabilities that are present in a straight rod or tubeunder tension subject to increasing twist in the absence of afluid. As the twist is increased beyond a critical value, thefilament undergoes a twist-to-writhe bifurcation. A multiplescales expansion is used to derive nonlinear amplitude equationsto examine the dynamics of the elastic rod beyond the bifurcationthreshold. This problem is then reinvestigated for an elastic tubeconveying a fluid to study the effect of fluid flow on thetwist-to-writhe instability. A linear stability analysisdemonstrates that for an infinite rod the twist-to-writhethreshold is lowered by the presence of a fluid flow. Amplitudeequations are then derived from which the delay of bifurcation dueto finite tube length is determined. It is shown that the delayedbifurcation threshold depends delicately on the length of the tubeand that it can be either raised or lowered relative to thefluid-free case. The amplitude equations derived for the case of aconstant average fluid flux are compared to the case where theflux depends on the curvature. In this latter case it is shownthat inclusion of curvature results in small changes in some ofthe coefficients in the amplitude equations and has only a smalleffect on the post-bifurcation dynamics.

This dissertation presents the development of an anisotropic viscoplastic continuum damage model to describe the permanent deformation of asphalt pavements. The model is developed to account for several phenomena that influence the permanent deformation of Asphalt Concrete (AC) at high temperatures. These phenomena include strain rate dependency, confining pressure dependency, dilation, aggregate friction, anisotropy, and damage. The model is based on Perzyna's theory of viscoplasticity with Drucker-Prager yield function modified to account for the microstructure anisotropy and damage. A parametric study was conducted to study the effect of key factors such as inherent anisotropy and damage on the model response. A preliminary investigation was conducted to demonstrate the capabilities of the model and its sensitivity to changes in the microstructure distribution and loading conditions. The model was used to describe laboratory experimental measurements obtained from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Accelerated Loading Facility (ALF). The model had a good match with these experimental measurements. In particular, using the damage parameter, the model was able to capture the point at which AC experienced tertiary creep in a static creep test. A comprehensive experiment was conducted to systematically determine the model parameters and the evolution laws that describe AC hardening, anisotropy, and damage. The experiment consisted of a set of compressive triaxial strength tests conducted at three confining pressures and five strain rates. Based on these experimental measurements, the model was modified to include a nonassociated flow rule. The model was shown to capture the experimental measurements very well. Furthermore, an experiment was conducted to capture and characterize damage evolution in AC due to permanent deformation. AC specimens were loaded using a triaxial compression setup to four predefined strain levels at three confining pressures. X-Ray computed tomography and image analysis techniques were used to capture and characterize the evolution of cracks and air voids in the deformed specimens. Damage was found to be a localized phenomenon in the sense that there exists a critical section in an AC specimen that is mainly responsible for failure. The results of the damage experiment supported the damage evolution function proposed in the viscoplastic model.

This thesis examines if and how information capture and documentation practices and the function of the public archive are changing in relation to archival concepts in contemporary administrative settings, as a result of e-government strategic development. The study aims for a holistic approach from the beginning of the life of the records to their long-term preservation. This research is situated in Sweden where the recordkeeping legislation takes a holistic approach: records management is understood as a dimension of the archival function and therefore records managers have not been recognised as a professional group, however recordkeeping practice involves two occupational groups: registrars and archivists. Swedish recordkeeping legislation is based on long administrative traditions in which the public right of free access to official documents is fundamental. Registration of official documents is important as the means of facilitating the citizens´ right to free access information and registrars are primarily responsible for this process, including classification. Archivists manage the full range of recordkeeping tasks, acting not only as custodians of repositories but also strategic experts on recordkeeping as well as auditing on behalf of the archival authority.  The archive legally consists of all the ‘official documents’ created or received in the organisation. This is an explorative and documented case study that used several local government bodies (municipalities) for the data collection by document analysis and interviews. Swedish municipalities are particularly interesting because they are autonomous in relation to the national government, with complex organisational structures consisting of several politically controlled committees and administrative departments that implement political decisions and provide services to the public. The National Archives does not have any supervisory role or monitoring function over local governments, but it does publish guidelines on recordkeeping. Nevertheless, the municipalities are controlled to a large extent by the implemented policies decided at national level by the Government and Parliament. Therefore, national initiatives regarding e-government have impacted on the municipalities’ recordkeeping. A theoretical lens combining archival science and theory of professions has been chosen to analyse the observed changes in practice. The thesis analyses the issue of recordkeeping awareness in three arenas: the legal arena; the political arena; and the workplace arena in the light of the records continuum model. The research findings demonstrate a gap between the legal and workplace arenas caused by lack of recordkeeping awareness primarily within the political arena. Despite the holistic view of keeping archives expressed in the recordkeeping legislation, observed practice appears closer to a life cycle model than proactive continuum thinking and planning.  A lack of recordkeeping legislation awareness in the wider organisation is potentially leading to a division between records management and archives management, jeopardising the continuum approach. Consequently registrars may in the future become more like records managers and archivists may be losing part of their professional jurisdiction. There is a strong focus on business benefits to the organisation rather than the wider view of democratic values and cultural heritage. As a result: archivists seem to suffer a lack of resources as well as skills in order to carry out their responsibilities. The future role of archival authorities such as the National Archives is unclear. / Just nu pågår en omdaning av den offentliga förvaltningskostymen för att möta politiska mål vad gäller utveckling av den offentliga sektorn med stöd av informationsteknologi. Denna avhandling undersöker konsekvenserna av en sådan ambition genom att använda den nuvarande offentlighets- och arkivlagstiftning som en referenspunkt i syfte att undersöka vad, varför och hur implementeringen sker. I Sverige utgör de allmänna handlingarna myndighetens arkiv och skall enligt rådande arkivlagsstiftning vårdas och förvaltas så att de tillgodoser behov rörande offentlighetsinsyn, rättskipning, förvaltning och forskningen. Det finns en lång förvaltningstradition och reglering kring registrering av allmänna handlingar relaterat till offentlighetsinsynen. Myndigheternas arkiv är per definition en del av det nationella kulturarvet. Allmänna handlingar är teknikoberoende, vilket medför att oavsett om handlingarna är pappersbundna eller digitala omfattas dessa av samma regelverk. Avhandlingen söker besvara frågan: Hur medvetna är offentliga organisationer om vikten av att hantera sina allmänna handlingar i det pågående e-förvaltningsarbetet på ett sådant sätt att de uppfyller kraven i offentlighets- och arkivlagstiftningen samt hur påverkas arkivariers och registratorers professionella status (positioner och arbetsutövning) inom organisationerna? Vidare analyseras relationen mellan nya strategiska initiativ avseende informationsfångst och arkivlagstiftningen. Avhandlingen förenar arkivvetenskap och professionsteori. En teoretisk analysmodell har skapats för analys av tre arenor: den legala, den politiska och arbetsplatsarenan vad gäller medvetenheten om de legala kraven gällande offentlighets- och arkivlagstiftningen. Förändringar avseende styrnings- och kontrollsystem på legal och politisk arena kan få konsekvenser, dels för synen på vad som definieras som arkiv, dels för professionerna (arkivarier och registratorer) på arbetsplatsarenan. Om professionerna minskar jurisdiktionen, dvs. länken mellan professionen och arbetet, riskerar de att bli marginaliserade. Avhandlingen baseras på fallstudier i svenska kommuner. Kommuner utgör till följd av den kommunala självstyrelsen inkluderande arkivorganisationen och mångfacetterande och komplexa organisationsstruktur intressanta studieobjekt. Datainsamlingen har skett via analys av dokument och intervjuer. Forskningsresultatet tyder på att det råder ett gap mellan den legala och verkställande arenan beroende på att de legala kraven inte beaktas tillräckligt på den politiska arenan, vilket i sin tur kan få konsekvenser för arkivets roll i samhället, inte minst när det gäller rättssäkerhet och demokrati. Arkivarier och registratorer finns företrädesvis representerade i hanteringen av traditionell arkiv- och dokumenthantering. Resurser liksom kompetens saknas dock när det gäller att arbeta strategiskt med e-förvaltningsfrågor. Omedvetenhet på politisk och verkställighetsnivå om vikten av att arbeta proaktivt med arkivfrågor resulterar i att professionerna exkluderas. Tillsyn kan ses som ett verktyg för att bibehålla och ytterligare stärka arkivariernas professionella jurisdiktion samt att bidra till en ökad medvetenhet i organisationerna. Fokus för e-förvaltningsutvecklingen har främst legat på verksamhetsnytta med betoning på den interna verksamhetsutvecklingen i organisationen, samt relationen till den enskilde medborgaren. Nya möjligheter att fånga och använda information väcker dock frågor kring informationens legala status i relation till offentlighets- och arkivlagstiftningen. Att strategiskt verka för offentlighetsinsyn och säkra informationen i ett vidare perspektiv som en del av ett kulturarv tycks inte ha samma dignitet. Arkivmyndigheternas framtida roll är oklar. Avhandlingen bidrar med ny kunskap om relationen e-förvaltningen och arkiv- och informationshantering ur ett praktiskt, legalt och arkivvetenskapligt perspektiv. Avhandlingen kan därför vara praktiskt användbar på politisk och verkställighetsnivå när det gäller att öka medvetenheten om dessa frågor i offentlig sektor. Avhandlingen bidrar även till teoriutveckling inom den arkivvetenskapliga forskningen genom kombinationen av det teoretiska ramverket med arkivteori och professionsteori. / <p>The result presented derives from four years of research conducted within the Centre of Digital Information Management (CEDIF) at Mid Sweden University. During this time I have been involved in two research projects; the CEDIF project and the GOINFO project. Without funding, this research had not been possible. Therefore, I would like to thank EU Objective 2, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, the County Administrative Board of Västernorrland, Härnösand Municipality, Sundsvall Municipality and Mid Sweden University – who all funded this research.</p> / CEDIF / GOINFO

There exists a need for a new class of underwater vehicle that can perform both close control tasks, as well as long-range exploration, without manual reconfiguration. A tetherless underwater vehicle (TUV) with acoustic communications to an operator station has potential to fulfill this need, while also removing much of the operating costs associated with tether management. The problem with TUVs is the limited communications bandwidth and time lag increasing with range from the transmitter. This thesis introduces a new class of controller for TUV vehicles that isolates the operator from the time-varying delay. This isolation is achieved through the formation of a continuum of control comprised of existing control paradigms, such as predictive and autonomous control. A smooth evolution through the continuum is formulated based on the time delay. The resulting controller permits operator close control for extended ranges without manual reconfiguration of the vehicle or controller.

The implementation of electronic records management is a challenging task due to the resources it requires and most importantly because it requires a substantial change in the methodology to be used for electronic rather than analog records. Universities in North America have struggled with electronic records management for the last two decades because most records practitioners have neglected this methodology paradigm shift created by the arrival of electronic records. Given the great significance of universities in their societies, it is important that they manage electronic records effectively. It seems a bit odd that universities have not developed adequate responses to the challenge of managing electronic records since many are heavily funded by governments and must comply with multiple regulations that obligate them to manage their records well. Moreover, universities have been the source of much academic research into digital records issues and have access to this expertise, and familiarity with the issues. They also have a long tradition of archival programs for analog records. This thesis analyzes the causes for delayed implementation of electronic records management (eRM) best practices in certain North American universities in Canada and the United States. It concludes that the main cause is failure to adopt the guiding principles of the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Records Management (RM) standard 15489: 2001 and the methodologies associated with it.

The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Mental Health Continuum - Short Form (MHC-SF) (Keyes, 2006a) in an African context. This 14-item self-report questionnaire that measures mental health was developed in a Western individualistic context, which differs from the more collectivistic African cultural context in South Africa. The MHC-SF consists of three subscales, namely Emotional well-being, Social well-being and Psychological/personal well-being. Participants (N^IOSO) from urban (n=451) and rural (n=599) settlements completed the MHC-SF and other measures indicating positive and negative facets of psychosocial functioning in a one-shot cross-sectional survey design with the aid of 16 trained fieldworkers. Scales included to determine concurrent/criterion-related validity were the Affectometer 2 (short version) (AFM) (Kammann & Flett, 1983), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985), the Community Collective Efficacy Scale (revised) (CCES) (Carrol, Rosson & Zhou, 2005), the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1993), the New General Self-Efficacy Scale (NGSE) (Chen, Gully & Eden, 2000), the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29) (Antonovsky, 1987,1993) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979). Results indicated a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0,75 for the total MHC-SF and acceptable inter-item and item-total correlations for the items. Item 4 had an eta-squared value indicating a large effect size, and thus had a negative impact on reliability. Mean inter-item correlations ranged between 0,19 and 0,30 and item-total correlations between 0,13 and 0,51. Concurrent/criterion-related validity was satisfactory. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded three factors. A three-factor model, omitting item 4, had the best fit in structural equation modelling. Six percent of the participants were languishing, Psychosocial well-being in an African context 73%) were moderately mentally healthy and 21%> were flourishing. More participants from the urban settlement flourish than from the rural settlement. It was concluded that the MHC-SF is reliable and valid for further use in research in an African context. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

In the 40th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes toward the Public Schools, Americans rated discipline as the second largest problem facing public education (Bushaw & Gallup, 2008). This poses a substantial problem for administrators as they strive to employ school reform policies, address public demands and meet the needs of contemporary students. A review of literature revealed a large body of research which examines disciplinary practice; however, it also showcased a literary gap regarding administrative disciplinary philosophies. This multiple case study highlights disciplinary philosophies possessed by five secondary school administrators. Analysis included utilizing the Administrator Discipline Facilitation Continuum; an adapted discipline continuum developed to analyze administrator disciplinary philosophies. The versatility of the continuum is discussed, as well as implications for its use and future development.

A continuum plasticity yield function is developed that captures tension/compression asymmetry and its evolution as exhibited by HCP materials such as magnesium alloy sheet. The model, referred to herein as “CPB06ex3ev”, is based upon the CPB06 [1] yield surface which is extended in this research to consider evolution of asymmetry and anisotropy under monotonic loading. The model is further modified to incorporate thermal softening and strain rate effects. Mechanical characterization experiments are performed to acquire uniaxial tensile and compressive stress-strain data along a range of in-plane and through-thickness loading orientations. Experiments are performed for a range of strain rates (0.001-1s-1) and temperatures (23-250°C). A strong, evolving asymmetry is observed at room temperature when comparing tensile and compressive flow stresses and r-values, while asymmetry and anisotropy are reduced dramatically as temperature is increased. AZ31B exhibits moderate strain rate sensitivity at room temperature, however, the rate sensitivity increases with temperature. The CPB06ex3ev model is applied to simulate AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet. An error minimization scheme is used to fit the yield function and evolution coefficients over the entire data set. The calibrated model is shown to capture the evolving asymmetric/anisotropic response of both flow stresses and r-values in tension and compression, while also fitting the flow stress at the biaxial tension and pure shear locations on the yield locus. The model, which uses three stress transformations, is implemented within a user defined material model (UMAT) and linked to the commercial finite element software LS-DYNA. In order to assess the finite element implementation of the CPB06ex3ev model, a series of validation experiments were performed and corresponding finite element models were developed: (i) room temperature three-point bending; (ii) elevated temperature (250°C) limiting dome height experiments; and, (iii) warm cup drawing experiments. The three point bend simulations demonstrated the importance of capturing material asymmetry and the associated shift in neutral axis. Comparison between the warm forming experiments and models revealed qualitative agreement between the predicted punch load-displacement and strain distributions. The CPB06ex3ev formulation was able to capture the anisotropy trends in terms of the differences in strains measured along the sheet rolling versus transverse directions. Beyond the constitutive characterization and modeling effort, the cup draw formability experiments have provided interesting insight into the effect of temperature and temperature distribution within the AZ31B sheet. The current work has served to show the existence of a process window in which the blank center temperature must lie below the die temperature but above the temperature for activation of non-basal slip systems (to avoid low temperature fracture). Two modes of failure have been identified at the process window boundaries in which the cup either fractures due to low temperature (brittle) failure or a high temperature (necking) failure.

The main objective of the research is to study the potential application of carbon nanotubes and graphene sheets as nano-resonator sensors in the detection of atoms/molecules with vibration and wave propagation analyses. It is also aimed to develop and examine new methods in the design of nano-resonator sensors for differentiating distinct gas atoms and different macromolecules, such as DNA molecules. The hypothesis in the detection techniques is that atoms or molecules attached on the surface of the nano-resonator sensors would induce a recognizable shift in the resonant frequency of or wave velocity in the sensors. With this regard, a sensitivity index based on the shift in resonant frequency of the sensors in the vibration analysis and/or a shift in wave velocity in the sensors in the wave propagation analysis is defined and examined. In order to achieve the objective, the vibration characteristics of carbon nanotubes and graphenes are studied using molecular dynamics simulations to first propose nano-resonator sensors, which are able to differentiate distinct gas atoms with high enough resolutions even at low concentration. It is also indicated that the nano-resonator sensors are effective devices to identify different genes even with the same number of nucleobases in the structure of single-strand DNA macromolecules. The effect of various parameters such as size and restrained boundary conditions of the sensors, the position of attached atoms/molecules being detected, and environment temperature on the sensitivity of the sensors is investigated in detail. Following the studies on vibration-based sensors, the wave propagation analysis in carbon nanotubes and graphene sheets is first investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations to design nano-resonator sensors. Moreover, a nonlocal finite element model is presented and calibrated for the first time to model propagation of mechanical waves in graphene sensors attached with atoms through a verification process with atomistic results. The simulation results reveal that the nano-resonator sensors are able to successfully detect distinct types of noble gases with the same mass density or at the same environmental condition of temperature and pressure.

The implementation of electronic records management is a challenging task due to the resources it requires and most importantly because it requires a substantial change in the methodology to be used for electronic rather than analog records. Universities in North America have struggled with electronic records management for the last two decades because most records practitioners have neglected this methodology paradigm shift created by the arrival of electronic records. Given the great significance of universities in their societies, it is important that they manage electronic records effectively. It seems a bit odd that universities have not developed adequate responses to the challenge of managing electronic records since many are heavily funded by governments and must comply with multiple regulations that obligate them to manage their records well. Moreover, universities have been the source of much academic research into digital records issues and have access to this expertise, and familiarity with the issues. They also have a long tradition of archival programs for analog records. This thesis analyzes the causes for delayed implementation of electronic records management (eRM) best practices in certain North American universities in Canada and the United States. It concludes that the main cause is failure to adopt the guiding principles of the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Records Management (RM) standard 15489: 2001 and the methodologies associated with it.