Pas de résumé / Propagation of nonlinear acoustic waves in inhomogeneous media is an important problem inmany research domains of modern theoretical and applied acoustics. For example, studies onpropagation of high amplitude N-waves in turbulent atmosphere are relevant to the sonic boomproblem which involves high interest due to development of new civil supersonic aircrafts. Inrelation to sonic boom problem, many studies on spark-generated N-wave propagation through aturbulent layer were carried out in model laboratory-scale experiments which are more controlledand reproducible than field measurements. Propagation of high intensity focused ultrasound intissue (HIFU) is intensively studied for medical applications. HIFU is a basis of new surgicaldevices for noninvasive thermal and mechanical ablation of tumors.In this thesis, the problem of characterization of high amplitude N-waves generated in air byan electric spark was studied using combined acoustical and optical methods. The fine structureof shocks was deduced from the shadowgraphy images with a resolution that cannot be obtainedusing condenser microphones. It was shown that the combination of optical and acoustical methodsallows complete characterization of the N-waves.N-wave propagation through a layer of thermal turbulence was further studied in a laboratoryexperiment. The evolution of statistical distributions and average values of the most importantN-wave parameters was investigated at different propagation distances. Experimental results werecompared to data obtained in another experiment known in literature, where N-wave was propagatedthrough kinematic turbulence. It was shown that in the case of almost the same widths ofthe turbulent layers, values of the characteristic scales and rms of refractive index fluctuations, thekinematic turbulence leads to stronger distortions of the peak pressure and the shock rise time ofthe N-wave and to 2-3 greater probabilities to observe intense focusing in caustics.Effects of nonlinear propagation and random focusing on the statistics of N-wave amplitudewere studied theoretically using the KZK equation and the phase screen model. The phase screenwas characterized by the correlation length and the refraction length – the distance where firstcaustics occur. Probability distributions, mean values and standard deviations of the N-wave peakpressure were obtained from the numerical solutions and were presented as functions of the propagationdistance and the nonlinear length. Statistical results from the KZK model were comparedwith analytical predictions of the nonlinear geometrical acoustics approach (NGA). It was shown,that NGA approach is valid only up to the distance of one third of refraction length of the screen.Strong nonlinear effects were shown to suppress amplitude fluctuations. The effect of the scale ofinhomogeneities on amplitude statistics was also investigated.The problem of focusing of ultrasound beam through inhomogeneous medium is importantfor medical diagnostics and nondestructive testing problems. The inhomogeneities of biologicaltissue or of industrial materials can destroy beam focusing. In the thesis, distortions of a weaklynonlinear diagnostic beam focused through a phase layer of special configuration were consideredexperimentally and theoretically. Feasibility of selective destruction of focusing of differentharmonics in the beam was predicted in the modeling and confirmed in experiment.The most modern HIFU devices rely on using two-dimensional multi-element phased arrayswith elements randomly distributed over a segment of a spherical surface. Numerical experimentis an important tool to characterize pressure fields created by HIFU radiators. Intensity levels atthe focus of HIFU radiators can reach several tens of thousands of W/cm2, causing nonlinearpropagation effects and formation of shocks [...]

Dans une première partie, nous proposons un nouveau modèle de chemostat dans lequel la population bactérienne est représentée de manière individu-centrée, structurée en masse, et la dynamique du substrat est modélisée par une équation différentielle ordinaire. Nous obtenons un processus markovien que nous décrivons à l'aide de mesures aléatoires. Nous déterminons, sous une certaine renormalisation du processus, un résultat de convergence en loi de ce modèle individu-centré hybride vers la solution d'un système d'équations intégro-différentielles. Dans une seconde partie, nous nous intéressons à des modèles de dynamiques adaptatives du chemostat. Nous reprenons le modèle individu-centré étudié dans la première partie, auquel nous ajoutons un mécanisme de mutation. Sous des hypothèses de mutations rares et de grande population, les résultats asymptotiques obtenus dans la première partie nous permettent de réduire l'étude d'une population mutante à un modèle de croissance-fragmentation-soutirage en milieu constant. Nous étudions la probabilité d'extinction de cette population mutante. Nous décrivons également le modèle déterministe associé au modèle individu-centré hybride avec mutation et nous comparons les deux approches, stochastique et déterministe; notamment nous démontrons qu'elles mènent au même critère de possibilité d'invasion d'une population mutante dans une population résidente.Nous présentons des simulations numériques illustrant les résultats mathématiques obtenus. / In the first part, we propose a new chemostat model in which the bacterial population is mass structured and individual-based and the substrate dynamics are modelized by an ordinary differential equation. We obtain a Markovian process which we describe as random measures. We determine, under a certain normalization of the process, a result of convergence in distribution towards the solution of a system of integro-differential equations. In the second part, we are interested in adaptive dynamic models of the chemostat. We add a mutation mechanism to the individual-based model which was studied in the first part. Under rare mutations and large population size hypotheses, the asymptotical result of the first part allows us to reduce the study of the mutant population to a growth-fragmentation-washout model in a constant environment. We study the extinction probability of this mutant population. We also describe the deterministic model related to the hybrid individual-based model with mutations and we compare these two approaches (stochastic and deterministic). In particular we prove that the two approaches lead to the same invasion criteria of a mutant population in a resident population.We present numeric simulations in order to illustrate the mathematical results.

A strategy for beneficiation of wastewater streams from fissure and process water developed for a gold mine operation in the west of Johannesburg was tested for viability in a pilot study. The investigation was aimed at evaluating the compliance of the finally discharged effluent streams with the current Water Use Licence (WUL). The core of the water recovery process consisted of softening to remove divalent cationic species, followed by ion exchange processes employing Strong Acid Cationic (SAC) resins and Weak Acid Cationic (WAC) resins. An operational design limitation was that the crystalactor used in the softening stage had a minimum capacity of 20 000 L/h, whereas the rest of the system could be operated at flow rates of as low as 2 000 L/h. For this reason, the softening step was done in semi-batch mode. Calcium hardness was decreased from 70 mg/L to values lower than 40 mg/L (as Ca2+). During the ion exchange (water recovery) process, columns using SAC resin produced better quality water than the WAC resins. The SAC columns produced water compatible with South African Water Quality Standards. Additionally, the use of SAC proved to be a more financially favourable option, since the regenerant stream contained high concentrations of calcium nitrate, magnesium nitrate and sodium nitrate fertilizer. The latter could be sold as a liquid fertilizer to farmers. In addition to the above findings, the pilot system reduced the concentration of toxic and radiotoxic metals such as uranium. The final concentration of the uranium in the effluent (0.01 mg/L) was below the regulation limit 0.07 mg/L. The selective removal of uranium is crucial in order to produce high-quality fertilizer from the ion exchange regeneration streams. Copyright / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

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This thesis asks the question: how can one describe the development of gated communities in Guatemala City? It collects and analyzes data on gated communities in Guatemala City in order to explore the nature of their development in a violent geographical region, which has also been neglected by the academic community. It argues that the development of gated communities in Guatemala City does not fit the mutually exclusive ‘security’ argument as scholars have made. Instead, a mixture of economic factors, social status, weak governance, and security concerns are involved as large private corporations draw upon security-related fears, unregulated development of real estate and weak governance, resulting in a disorganized model of spatial organization. This study adds to the growing body of literature on gated communities by laying the groundwork needed to fill the gap that currently exists in Central America.

Subject of this dissertation is "Strategic Analysis of an Enterprise". In theoretical part are evaluated common analytics methods. This method are applied on company GOPAS, a.s. in practical part, aim is to find strong and weak aspects, opportunities, potentials threats, which affect business of the GOPAS company.

This thesis is focused on testing the weak effectiveness of the US, Japanese, German and Czech market in the period 1995 - 2015. The first part contains a theoretical basis for the theory of efficient markets, the conditions, characteristics and models. Further test methods of weak market efficiency are presented and semistrong and strong effectiveness mentioned. The practical part deals with the introduction of tested stock exchange indices and by testing the weak effectiveness of these markets through tests of randomness, variance ratio test and serial correlation.

Orientador: Marcelo Martins dos Santos / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Matemática Estatística e Computação Científica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T11:12:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Teixeira_EdsonJose_D.pdf: 1150959 bytes, checksum: b5b6e9eebd505ecc04e6ed04609b8f7a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Neste trabalho estudamos a estrutura lagrangiana para o campo de velocidade solução das equações de Navier-Stokes para um fluido isentrópico compressível no semiespaço do R3, com a condição de fronteira de Navier. Consideramos a solução deste modelo obtida por David Hoff no artigo Compressible Flow in a Half-Space with Navier Boundary Conditions}, J. Math. Fluid Mech. 7 (2005) 315-338. Demonstramos que se a velocidade inicial pertence ao espaço de Sobolev H8 com 8 >1/2, então as curvas integrais do campo de velocidade, ou seja, as trajetórias de partículas, existem e são únicas, e mostramos também algumas propriedades desse fluxo / Abstract: In this work we study the Lagrangian structure for the velocity field of the Navier-Stokes equations for isentropic compressible fluid in the halfspace in R3 with the Navier boundary condition. We consider the solution of this model obtained by David Hoff in the paper (Compressible Flow in a Half-Space with Navier Boundary Conditions}, J. Math. Fluid Mech. 7 (2005) 315-338. Our main result states that if the initial velocity belongs to the Sobolev space H8, with 8 >1/2, then the integral curves of the velocity field, i.e. the particles paths, there exist and are unique. We also show some properties of this flow map / Doutorado / Matematica / Doutor em Matemática

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Background/Problematization: Many purchase decisions are made in-store and one wayof influencing the decision making process is through signs. Signs are said to drawattention to the product on which they are placed and result in increased sales. Sale signsare widely used to influence purchase decisions, but are there other types of signs that canimpact the purchase decision? Recommendations have also shown to affect consumer’spurchase decisions. However, most of the research within the subject have been done on thepower of social influences from friends and family, e.g. strong-tie relationships. Howrecommendations from experts (e.g. weak-tie relationships) can influence purchases is lessresearched, especially which type of recommendation sign have the most effect. Purpose: The purpose is to examine and map how different types of signs on shelvesrelated to staff recommendations for specific products affect their sales. Method: The scientific approach of the study is deductive and the corresponding researchmethod is a quantitative study with an experimental design and a descriptive focus. Anexperiment was executed in a supermarket on 28 products to test stimuli with differentlevels of information concerning staff recommendations with the use of signs. Result/Conclusion: The result showed only one stimuli to have significantly increasedsales. The stimuli consisted of adding a name of a specific staff member to therecommendation sign. The increase in sales might however have been caused by otherfactors than the applied sign as the outbreak of Covid-19 resulted in changed consumerbehavior at the time of the experiment. The results showed that no significant differences insales could be seen according to the number of alternatives each product had. This mighthowever be a result of the tampered data caused by the changed consumer behavior.