<p>This dissertation presents precision measurements of top quark polarizations and top quark pair spin correlations, which probe the independent coefficients of the top-spin components of the top quark pair production density matrix, targeting all channels (ee, eµ,  µµ) of the top quark pair dileptonic decay mode with final states containing two oppositely charged leptons, and using 137.7 fb<strong>⁻¹</strong> of data recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC with 13 TeV center-of-mass energy, during 2016, 2017, and 2018.</p> <p>All measured observables are corrected for detector efficiencies, acceptances, and migrations, unfolded to parton-level, and extrapolated to the full phase space using a regularized unfolding procedure.</p> <p>Spin-density coefficients are extracted from the unfolded distributions and compared to theoretical predictions and predictions from Monte Carlo simulations with next-to-leading-order matrix element accuracy interfaced with parton-shower algorithms.</p> <p>The measurements are performed both in the full phase-space and differentially as a function of top quark pair invariant mass.</p> <p>The measured coefficients showed decent agreement with the MC predictions, and better agreement when compared to QCD perturbative calculations for top quark pair production at NLO with electroweak corrections, and the measurement precision for one-dimensional normalized unfolded cross-sections and extracted coefficients were improved by as much as a factor of two compared to previous measurements.</p>

En studie i undersökningen av takpotentialen på Hötorgshuset 5 i Stockholm. / An investigation of a rooftop potential of Hötorget Building 5 in Stockholm. This project proposes a program on floor 17, 18 and 19 (rooftop level) of the high-rise building containing a restaurant and a health centre with fitness facilities, group training and hamam-inspired steam sauna. The challenges have been to fit in a program in a space traditionally meant only for office use. The aim has been to provide a business that is useful for the place but at the same time provide architectural qualities by structural alterations to make vertical spaces with skylight, maximizing sightlines, keeping constant access to the façade and thereby access to the view outside. Other aims have been to create a brand and identity by adding an oriental hamam-theme into the project. Lastly the project intended to catch the “natural qualities” that are offered by a place of this height by giving access to the roof-top and letting the visitor experience the open sky and the city panorama throughout the year.

As digital technologies rapidly evolve, traditional television is being disrupted by the development of more devices, screens, and content. Over-the-top television [OTT TV] is replacing linear TV at a growing rate. A majority of consumers of over-the-top content are found in the generational cohort, Generation Z. As true digital natives, this generation is comfortable navigating a variety of online TV platforms and devices, while also being more susceptible to short attention-span and information overload. It is therefore necessary to understand how this emerging cohort makes choices in a TV landscape that is becoming increasingly overloaded with new content. The purpose of this study is to understand which user interface components Generation Z takes into consideration when selecting content in OTT TV. Multiple methodologies were selected to investigate these media habits. Think-aloud usability testing and interview determined Generation Z’s natural media behavior while browsing OTT content. Online survey data was collected from a broader sample, comparing Generation Z and Generation Y. It was discovered that both generations have similar behaviors in which user interface components influence content choice. The research also revealed trends in which components are important to Generation Z and why. This research is the first step to making informed and data-driven decisions in the design and implementation of OTT TV platforms for Generation Z, thus lessening cognitive overload and creating optimal user experiences. / Med den digitala teknologins snabba utveckling, förändras traditionell tv i och med inverkan av flera enheter, skärmar och innehåll. Over-the-top-tv [OTT-tv] ersätter linjär tv i en växande takt. Majoriteten av konsumenterna av over-the-top-innehåll finns inom en specifik generation, Generation Z. Som äkta digitala infödingar kan den här generationen lätt navigera ett flertal online-tv-plattformar och enheter, samtidigt som den har kort koncentrationsförmåga och är mer mottaglig för informationsöverbelastning. Det är därför nödvändigt att förstå hur denna växande grupp gör val i ett tv-landskap som blir alltmer överbelastat med nytt innehåll. Syftet med denna studie är att förstå vilka användargränssnitts-komponenter Generation Z tar hänsyn till när de väljer innehåll på OTT-tv. Flera metoder användes för att undersöka gruppens medievanor. Användbarhetstest och intervjuer avslöjade Generation Z: s naturliga beteende när de letar efter OTT-innehåll. Enkätundersökningsdata från en större grupp jämförde Generation Z och Generation Y. Det upptäcktes att båda generationerna har liknande beteenden där användargränssnitts-komponenter påverkar valet av innehåll. Forskningen visade också trender för vilka komponenter som är viktiga för Generation Z och varför. Den här forskningen är det första steget i att göra informerade och datadrivna beslut i design och implementering av OTT-tv-plattformar för Generation Z, vilket minskar den kognitiva överbelastningen och skapar optimala användarupplevelser.

Detta examensarbete syftar till att undersöka vilka strategier elever använder sig av vid text-, hör- och ordförståelse i franska. Jag har genom undervisningsförsök och elevenkäter undersökt vilka strategier elever i en niondeklass har när de arbetar med ovanstående moment där uppgifterna är hämtade utanför den ordinarie läroboken. Jag har därutöver intervjuat lärare på den skola jag gjort mina undervisningsförsök för att se om de ger eleverna strategier för arbete kring text-, hör- och ordförståelse. Projektet STRIMS och Tornbergs forskningsresultat har givit mig inspiration till arbetet. Eleverna använde sig huvudsakligen av framgångsrika strategier när de tog sig an de olika uppgifterna. De framgångsrika strategier eleverna i huvudsak använde sig av var att de drog slutsatser utifrån kontexten, de använde sina kunskaper i andra språk samt att de utbytte tankar och idéer vid samarbete i par eller i grupp.

This thesis work aimed at increasing the knowledge regarding phenomena occurring when gas is injected using a top-blown lance on to a bath. All results are based on physical modeling studies carried out both using low and high gas flow rates and nozzle diameters ranging from 0.8 mm to 3.0 mm. At the low gas flow rates, the penetration depth in the bath was studied. The experiments focused on studying the effect of nozzle diameter, lance height and gas flow rate on the penetration depth. It was found that the penetration depth increases with decreasing nozzle diameter, decreasing lance height and with increasing gas flow rate. The results were also compared with previous work. More specifically, it was studied how the previous published empirical relationships fitted the current experimental data. It was found that the relationships of Banks [1], Davenport [2], Chatterjee [3] and Qian [4] agreed well with the experimental data of this investigation for nozzle diameters of 2.0 mm and 3.0 mm. However, for smaller nozzle diameters there were considerable deviations. Therefore, a new correlation heuristically derived from energy conservation consideration was suggested and showed better agreement for small nozzle diameters. The experiments carried out at higher gas flow rates focused on the study of swirl motion. The effects of nozzle diameter, lance height, gas flow rate and aspect ratio on the swirl motion were investigated. The amplitude and period of the swirl as well as the starting time and the damping time of the swirl were determined. The amplitude was found to increase with an increased nozzle diameter and gas flow rate, while the period had a constant value of about 0.5 s for all nozzle diameters, gas flow rates and lance heights. The starting time for the swirl motion was found to decrease with an increased gas flow, while the damping time was found to be independent of gas flow rate, nozzle diameter, lance height and ratio of depth to diameter. / QC 20101217

This mixed-methods replication study was conducted to develop further understanding of the professional perceptions of educational leaders as to the fairness and impact of Race to the Top reforms concerning teacher evaluation and compensation on student achievement and growth. Graduate students in education and educational leadership from a target university were selected to complete an electronic survey to collect quantitative and qualitative data for analysis. Quantitative results from the electronic survey revealed limited diversity in professional perceptions of the five identified components of RTTT based upon professional classification or percentage free and reduced lunch population at the school sites where assigned. Among the identified RTTT components, the component that provided for the use of school- or team-level VAM scores as part of the evaluation and compensation system was consistently viewed as the least fair and least impactful by respondents. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed a number of themes that effected respondents' professional perceptions of the RTTT initiative. The use of a value-added model in RTTT reforms, the variables considered by the model, and communication and implementation problems associated with the reforms were the central areas of concern among survey respondents. This study provided follow-up data to Windish's 2012 study and showed a negative general trajectory of the professional perceptions of educational leaders related to this high-profile, national educational reform effort.

Physical bench top experiments are performed to validate and complement ongoing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses of ventricular assist device (VAD) circulation. VADs are used in patients whose hearts do not function to their maximum potential due advanced stages of heart disease and, consequently, are unable to adequately supply blood to the systemic circulation. VADs are commonly utilized as a bridge-to-transplantation, meaning that they are implanted in patients while waiting for a heart transplant. In such cases of long term utilization of VADs, it has been reported in the literatures that thrombo-embolic cerebral events occur in 14-47% of patients over the period of 6 to 12 months. This is a result of thrombus forming despite the use of anticoagulants and advances in VAD design. Accepting current rates of thrombo-embolisms, the main objective of the project is to identify and propose an optimal surgical cannula implantation orientation aimed at reducing the rate of thrombi reaching the carotid and vertebral arteries and thus reduce the morbidity and mortality rate associated with the long term use of VADs to patients suffering from advanced heart failure. The main focus of the experiment is on the physical aspect using a synthetic anatomically correct model constructed by rapid prototyping of the human aortic arch and surrounding vessels. Three VAD cannula implantation configurations are studied with and without bypass to the left carotid artery or to the Innominate artery with ligation of the branch vessel at its root. A mixture of water and glycerin serves to match blood viscosity measured with a rotating cone-plate viscometer. The Reynolds number in the ascending aorta is matched in the flow model. A closed loop mock circulatory system is then realized. In order to match the Reynolds number in the ascending aorta and LVAD cannula with that of the CFD model, a volumetric flow rate of 2.7 liters per minute is supplied through the synthetic VAD cannula and 0.9 liter per minute is supplied to the ascending aorta. Flow rates are measured using rotary flow meters and a pressure sensor is used to ensure a mean operating pressure of 100 mmHg is maintained. Synthetic acrylic blood iv clots are injected at the inlet of the VAD cannula and they are captured and counted at the vertebral and carotid arteries. The sizes of the thrombi simulated are 2, 3.5 and 5 mm which are typical of the range of diameters encountered in practice. Nearly 300 particles are released over 5 separate runs for each diameter, and overall embolization rates as well as individual embolization rates are evaluated along with associated confidence levels. The experimental results show consistency between CFD and experiment. Means comparison of thromboembolization rates predicted by CFD and bench-top results using a Z-score statistic with a 95% confidence level results in 22 of 24 cases being statistically equal. This study provides confidence in the predictive capabilities of the bench-top model as a methodology that can be utilized in upcoming studies utilizing patient-specific aortic bed model.

A surrogate arm model was created that is capable of being used for oscillometry. This model is capable of being used as a bench top model for blood pressure cuff devices. The arm consists of endplates and internal supports that are 3D printed with ABS, a silicone rubber outer sleeve, and interchangeable arteries made from two silicone rubber strips glued together at the edges. The interchangeable arteries have varying compliances that can be used as different inputs for oscillometric testing. A process was established to measure the artery compliances with a curve fit correlation of 0.95. However, testing revealed that this artery compliance relationship might not be an accurate representation of the artery compliance while it is in the surrogate arm system. A blood pressure cuff was also used with the surrogate arm model to measure changes in artery volume. Testing with the surrogate arm revealed a blood pressure cuff was capable of measuring artery volume changes of 2mL to 8mL consistently within 3.28% error. Volume changes of 1mL were unable to be repeatable measured accurately with a blood pressure cuff.

As dissatisfaction with the single member district has grown in recent years, new electoral systems have gained popularity. In particular, the Top Four Primary plus Ranked Choice Voting system, enacted in 2020 and used in Alaska for the first time in 2022, has received considerable attention. Besides reducing partisanship, the system claims to increase voter turnout and encourage third-party candidates and candidates of color to run on election day. Given its novelty, however, a comprehensive overview of the system and the implementation process is currently lacking. As a result, the purpose of this study is to assess the history, passage, challenges, and current debate around the Top Four Primary plus Ranked Choice Voting system. Using popular opinion data, candidate campaign techniques, archives, and ballot data, I find that voter and candidate reactions to the system varied, that incumbent advantage was not evident in the 2022 election cycle, and that voting patterns were associated with campaign strategies. States considering the Top Four Primary plus Ranked Choice Voting system can use this thesis as a guide to understanding the system's successes and drawbacks better. The study could also serve as a starting point for researchers looking into how the Top Four Primary plus Ranked Choice Voting system can enhance democracy.

This study investigates sustainability performance of Swedish firms through the lens of the upper echelons theory. We test how the size, average age, and proportion of gender in boards of directors (BoDs) and top management teams (TMTs), is related to sustainability performance. While BoDs have been studied in this way several times previously, no other studies, which we are aware of, study the relationship between TMTs and sustainability performance. The study follows a purely quantitative approach and is based on large and mid cap firms on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange. The sustainability performance of firms is proxied by the ESG-score issued by Refinitiv. The study finds that the size of both BoDs and TMTs is positively and significantly related to sustainability performance. The relationship for the size of BoDs is particularly strong and significant, whereas the one for TMTs is less so. Regarding the proportion of gender, this variable was also positively and significantly related to sustainability performance, but only for BoDs. Finally, the age variable was insignificant for both BoDs and TMTs.