Resilient modulus is an important property for asphalt concrete design and for mechanistic analysis of pavement response under traffic loading. This study investigates the different factors affecting the resilient modulus of hot mix asphalt. A fractional factorial design of experiment was carried out to investigate six factors each factor was studied at two levels. These factors are: the maximum nominal aggregate size, specimen diameter and thickness, the load pulse form and duration, and the compaction method. Two types of hot mix asphalts with different maximum aggregate sizes (10 mm and 14 mm) were studied. Gyratory and Marshall compaction methods were used to prepare the specimens. Sinusoidal and triangular load pulse forms were used in the measurement of the resilient modulus. This study attempts to examine how the different factors interrelate to affect the resilient modulus. In addition to this, two other investigations will be carried out. The first is the comparison of the strain backcalculated using the resilient modulus test results with the strain measured using strain gages and strain values obtained from finite element modelling (FEM), and determine whether the FEM or the closed form equation is the more accurate method for determining strain. The second is the investigation of the relationship between the flexural, complex and resilient modulus. Analysis of the factorial experimental design showed that the maximum nominal aggregate size is the most important factor affecting the resilient modulus, followed by the load duration, the specimen geometry represented by the thickness and diameter then the interactions between the different factors. The strain comparison suggested that the closed form equations were indeed a suitable approach to determine maximum horizontal strain during a resilient modulus test. The modulus comparison suggested that it is possible to predict either resilient, complex and flexural modulus given that only one of them is known, but only for AC10 specimens.

The study seeks to identify factors affecting compliance to TB treatment and determine those that make some patients complete TB treatment in Andara district, Kavango region in Namibia. The self-efficacy model by Shortridge-Baggett and Van der Bijl (1996) was the conceptual framework which guided this study. A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive and comparative study design was used. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered by a registered nurse. A total of 49 respondents were interviewed: (23 compliant and 26 non-compliant). Informed consent was obtained from each respondent prior to data collection. SPSS and MS Excel were used to analyse data and describe differences between the two groups. Respondents (N=26) gave „feeling better‟ 7 (27%), „distance‟ 8 (31%), „lack of family support‟ 4 (15%), no food 2 (8%), side effects 2 (8%), other reasons 2 (8%) and medicines not working 1 (4%), as their reasons for not completing treatment. However, long waiting times at the clinic, non availability of food and lack of knowledge of TB or treatment are the significant factors contributing to non-compliance. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 1992. / gm2014 / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

This Diploma thesis analyzes the development of the mortgage market in Slovakia. The thesis achieves partial goals which lead to the analysis of the factors affecting the mortgage market. The subject of the practical part, which at the same time happens to be a partial goal, is to analyze the overall development of the mortgage market together with the surrounding markets, to identify the key factors, to monitor their development along with the development the mortgages provided, and to analyze econometrically selected factors affecting the mortgage market. The analysis shows the scope of the force and direction of the selected factors. The theoretical part emphasizes the characteristics of the type of mortgage banking with a focus on the system existing in Slovakia. The thesis also follows the risks from the perspective of the entities in mortgage banking. It also defines the rules, interest rate conditions and types of government-sponsored support. The relationships between the Slovak mortgage market and its subjects are also being explained. Special attention is being paid to the legislative developments having current impact on mortgage banking.

The master thesis deals with the determination of factors that affect the price of real estate. The theoretical part focuses on the basic concepts related to the real estate market, as well as the methods of real estate valuation and prices used in the valuation, enumeration and description of the factors that affect the price of real estate and in the last part of the description of the towns, which the analysis applies. In the practical part is the analysis and evalution of selected factors on the price of real estate. During the monitored properties were selected apartments 3 +1, 65 to 75 m2.

This paper is concerned with the examination of Caspar Hare's (2007) de dicto approach to the non-identity problem and specifically the non-identity case of The Inconsiderate Mother. On the de dicto approach an act can be wrong if it makes things de dicto worse for a role, even if that act does not make things worse for any actual person that fills that role. In this paper I provide a brief overview and reconstruction of Hare's argument. I argue that objections to Hare's arguments due to David Wasserman (2008) do not give us reason to dismiss the de dicto approach. Lastly I consider an objection to the effect that Hare's solution to the non-identity problem is ad hoc. I conclude that the de dicto approach faces some challenges but that we cannot readily dismiss it.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any differences in faculty members; and administrators; perceptions of those factors which should be influential and those factors which are actually accounted for in making decisions pertaining to salary increases at Utah State University. The data for this study was collected from 55 administrators and 303 faculty members at Utah State University. A total of 21 factors, which were identified as being influential and/or determinants of faculty salary increases at Utah State University, were analyzed through the testing of four hypotheses using the chi square tests for independence. The critical region for the testing of all four hypotheses was set at the .05 level. Analysis of the data Hypothesis one. (there is no difference in the perceptions of administrators of those factors which are perceived as being of importance in awarding salary increases and those factors perceived by faculty members as actually being used in determining salary increases at Utah State University.) Hypothesis one was rejected on six of the factors. Sex, college within the university, race, fulfillment of role expectation, testing excellence, and student teaching yielded significant values of chi square. Hypothesis two. (There is no difference in the perceptions of faculty members of those factors which are perceived as being of importance in awarding salary increases and those factors perceived by faculty members as actually being used in determining salary increases at Utah State University.) Hypothesis two was rejected on 19 of the 21 factors. Research and the quality of graduate school attended were the only two factors which did not yield significant values of chi square. Hypothesis three. (There is no difference between the perceptions of faculty members an the perceptions of administrators of those factors which are of importance in awarding salary increases at Utah State University.) Hypothesis three was rejected for five of the 21 factors. Number of years at the institution, fulfillment of role expectations, extension services, writing and publication record, and grant proposals funded were the five factors with significant values of chi square. Hypothesis four. (There is no difference between the perceptions of faculty members and the perceptions of administrators of those factors which are actually used in awarding salary increases at Utah State University.) Hypothesis four was rejected for nine of the factors. Sex, years of service at the institution, tenure, rank, and quality of graduate school attended are perceived by faculty members as actually being used in determining salary increases. Administrators' perceptions were found non-congruent with faculty members' perceptions and in fact administrators indicated that they perceive fulfillment of role expectations, teaching excellence, extension services, student advisement as factors usually used in determining salary increases at Utah State University. The primary conclusion of this study is that there is a high degree of congruency between the perceptions of administrators and faculty members of those factors which are perceived to be of importance in determining salary increases. There is nevertheless, non-congruency between faculty members' and administrators' perceptions of those factors perceived to be actually used in determining salary increases at Utah State University. Although administrators as well as faculty members perceive certain factors (e.g., sex, race) as not being of importance in determining salary increases, administrators nevertheless, because of pressure, personal and institutional commitment, actually use such factors in determining salary increases.

I described the spawning ecology of the Bear Lake Bonneville cutthroat trout (BLBCT) in St. Charles Creek. I tracked cutthroat trout with used radio telemetry. I conducted redd counts to describe spawning conditions. Most cutthroat trout in the Big Arm strayed into the Bear River. Cutthroat trout migrations in the Little Arm and main fork were very limited (<4 km). Redd distributions showed very similar patterns between 1989, 2000 and 2001 with most redds being built in the lowest kilometer of stream. Artificial fish transportation changed the redd distribution in 2002. More redds were built in the main fork and redds were distributed throughout the stream. Redds built in the main fork were characterized by lower levels of fine sediment and higher water velocities as compared to the redds built on the Little Arm. The results of this research will be used to aid resource managers in developing a management plan for wild BLBCT.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Physiotherapy Johannesburg, 2012 / Introduction: Stroke continues to be a major public health problem for both the developed and developing world despite the various advances in health care. The economic burden of stroke is ever increasing and in light of this, return to work post-stroke is becoming an important area of research for therapists. Thus the main aims of the study were to establish the rate of return to work of patients following stroke and to establish the patients’ perceived factors which influence their return to work after stroke. Method This was a quantitative cross sectional study. A sample of convenience of ninety seven participants were selected from a list of patients obtained from various rehabilitation units and government clinics within the Gauteng province. A self-designed questionnaire was used. A pilot study was conducted to determine the questionnaire’s reliability and validity, and the validity, inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were all found to be satisfactory. The participants were contacted and interviewed at their homes or a location suitable for them using a self-designed questionnaire. The percentage of patients that returned to work was determined and reasons for returning or not returning to work were summarised using frequencies and percentages. A univariate and then multivariate analysis was performed to establish perceived factors which had an influence on return to work Results The study sample had more males than females with an overall mean age of 51years. They were mostly black and between 18 months and 24 months post-stroke. The most common co-morbidities were fatigue and hypertension. There was a 34% return to work rate, with 3% stopping work after a period of time, leaving 31% of the sample working at the time of interview. The most common reasons for returning to work were financial (77%), enjoyment of work (77%) and personal development (73%). For those who did not return to v work the two most common reasons were upper limb dysfunction (61%) and walking difficulties (53%). The main factors that decreased likelihood of return to work included depression and not paying life insurance or monthly car repayments. Conclusion The return to work rate following stroke in this study group is in line with other countries around the world, although it is still relatively low with less than a third of patients with stroke returning to work. Enjoyment of work was shown to be as important a motivating factor for return to work as finances, and physical fallout was the most demotivating factor. Depression was the most likely factor to decrease return to work.

When the big data time comes, people also need to keep pace with the times to seek and develop tools that can deal with the vast amount of information. In this project, lassois applied to build parametric models of electricity prices based on different affecting factors. Thereafter, the models are used to predict the electricity prices 8 days forward for three different time periods. We compare their prediction performances in terms of normalized mean square error (NMSE) and identify dominant factors of the electricity prices in different time periods using lasso. The results show that a model that spans over a 24 hourlong period gives the lowest NMSE, followed by one spanning over a two hour long period where the electricity prices are leading up to a peak value. The model that obtains the highestNMSE is from a two hour long period, where the electricity prices have a peak value. Besides, we also analyze potential reasons for the results. / När big data-tiden kommer måste även människor hålla jämna steg med tiderna för att söka och utveckla verktyg som kan hantera den stora mängden information. I detta projekt används lasso för att bygga parametriska modeller av elpriser baserade på olika påverkansfaktorer. Därefter används modellerna för att förutsäga elpriserna 8 dagar framåt för tre olika tidsperioder. Vi jämför deras prediktionsprestanda i termer av normaliserat medelkvadratfel (NMSE) och identifierar dominerande faktorer för elpriserna under olika tidsperioder med hjälp av lasso. Resultaten visar att en modell som sträcker sig över en 24 timmar lång period ger lägst NMSE värde, följt av en som sträcker sig över en två timmar lång period där elpriserna leder fram till ett toppvärde. Modellen som får högst NMSE är från en två timmar lång period, där elpriserna har ett toppvärde. Dessutom analyserar vi också potentiella orsaker till resultaten. / Kandidatexjobb i elektroteknik 2022, KTH, Stockholm