Motivated by the reservoir engineering concept of the productivity index of a producing oil well in an isolated reservoir, we analyze a time dependent functional, diffusive capacity, on the solutions to initial boundary value problems for a parabolic equation. Sufficient conditions providing for time independent diffusive capacity are given for different boundary conditions. The dependence of the constant diffusive capacity on the type of the boundary condition (Dirichlet, Neumann or third-type boundary condition) is investigated using a known variational principle and confirmed numerically for various geometrical settings. An important comparison between two principal constant values of a diffusive capacity is made, leading to the establishment of criteria when the so-called pseudo-steady-state and boundary-dominated productivity indices of a well significantly differ from each other. The third type boundary condition is shown to model the thin skin effect for the constant wellbore pressure production regime for a damaged well. The questions of stabilization and uniqueness of the time independent values of the diffusive capacity are addressed. The derived formulas are used in numerical study of evaluating the productivity index of a well in a general three-dimensional reservoir for a variety of well configurations.

20 Jahre sind mittlerweile vergangen seit die friedliche Protestbewegung zur Abdankung des alten Regimes der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik führte. Im darauf folgenden Jahre kam es zur Wiedervereinigung der beiden deutschen Staaten. Der anschließende Transformationsprozess ist aufgrund der besonderen Umstände in Deutschland einzigartig unter den ehemaligen sozialistischen Staaten Mittel- und Osteuropas. Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit liegt in der Transformation des Verarbeitenden Gewerbes in den Bundesländern Berlin und Brandenburg. Mit der Wiedervereinigung der beiden deutschen Staaten veränderte sich die Situation für die Betriebe im ehemals sozialistischen Teil auf dramatische Weise. Die Auswirkungen werden anhand von Makro- und Mikrodaten analysiert. Untersuchungsgegenstände sind verschiedene ökonomische Indikatoren, wie Zahl von Betrieben und Arbeitsplätzen, Strukturen (nach Größe und Branchen), Umsätze (im In- und Ausland) sowie Investitionen. Der Vergleich von Brandenburg und Ostberlin mit Westberlin bietet dabei die Möglichkeit, Aufschluss über den erreichten Stand des Transformationsprozesses zu erhalten. Die Datenbasis dieser Arbeit besteht neben Angaben aus der Volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnung der Länder aus verschiedenen betriebsbasierten Erhebungen der amtlichen Statistik. Der Beobachtungszeitraum umfasst dabei die Jahre 1991 bis 2005. Zur Analyse von Betriebs- und Beschäftigungszahlen und ihrer Dynamik steht sogar eine Totalerhebung für die Jahre 1991 bis 2000 zur Verfügung. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit ist die Rolle der Exporte für die betriebliche Entwicklung. Die deutsche Wirtschaftspolitik fördert Unternehmen bei ihrem Schritt auf ausländische Märkte, da man sich von Exporten eine Wachstumsstimulation erhofft. Damit eine solche Förderung auch langfristige positive Effekte entfalten kann, muss einerseits der Export positiven Einfluss auf das Produktivitätswachstum des betreffenden Betriebes haben, und andererseits muss das Exportverhalten eine gewisse Persistenz aufweisen. Beide Bedingungen werden innerhalb der Arbeit detailliert untersucht. / 20 years have elapsed since the peaceful protest movement led to the resignation of the old regime in the German Democratic Republic. In the following year both German states reunited. Due to the special situation in Germany the subsequent transformation process is unique within the former socialistic countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The special focus of this thesis is the transition of the manufacturing industry in the federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg. After reunification of the two German states the situation of plants in the former socialistic part changed dramatically. The results are analyzed using, both, macro and micro data. The evolution of some economic indicators, like number of plants and jobs, structure (size and sector), sales (domestic and foreign), and investments, is analyzed. The comparison of Brandenburg and East Berlin with West Berlin provides information about the current state in the transition process. The data used in this study is drawn from two sources: firstly, aggregated data from the national accounts of the federal states, and secondly, micro data from plant based surveys conducted by the official statistics. The observation period covers the years between 1991 and 2005. For the analysis of the number of plants and jobs, and the dynamic in their evolution there could be used a full survey for the years from 1991 to 2000. The thesis pays special attention to the role of exports for the development of plants. German economic policy promotes firms in their step on foreign markets, because exports are expected to stimulate the economic growth. In order that such a promotion has a positive effect in the long run, exports have to have a positive effect on productivity growth, and additionally export behavior has to be persistent over time. Both conditions are empirically examined within this thesis.

The first essay titled “Fundamental Sources of Long-run Labour Productivity Improvements in Canada” examines the importance of Research and Development activities, as well as the stock of public infrastructure, and economic openness as sources of growth in labour productivity in the Canadian economy within the last four decades. The second paper titled “R&D Spillovers, Innovation, and Entry” extends a theoretical framework to analyze the impact of R&D spillovers on entry and the resulting equilibrium market structure. It is shown that the degree of spillovers plays a fundamental role on the number of firms entering the market, their R&D activities, and social welfare. The third paper titled “The Search for New Drugs: A Theory of R&D in the Pharmaceutical Industry” uses a dynamic model of optimal patent design and in the presence of information externalities studies the evolution of technological progress in the context of a pharmaceutical industry.

Elitlicens infördes för klubbar i hockeyallsvenskan och elitserien i ishockey i början av 2000- talet. Elitlicensen ställer krav på idrottsklubbar, inte bara rent sportsligt utan även på det ekonomiska planet. Trots denna elitlicens uppmärksammas det fortfarande att ishockeylag åker ur hockeyallsvenskan på grund av ekonomiska problem. Dryga tio år efter införandet av elitlicensen ställer vi oss frågan om elitlicensen fungerar på ett tillfredsställande sätt. Syftet med vår studie är att söka svar på huruvida elitlicensen är effektiv som reglering, vi ställer oss frågan om elitlicensen är rätt sätt att reglera och om det därmed är rätt sätt på vilket man vill uppnå syftet med elitlicensen, att skapa stabilitet i serien. Med stabilitet i serien menar vi att klubbar inte får ekonomiska problem under säsongens gång och därmed blir tvungna att lämna pågående serie. Studien bygger på en kvalitativ analys där vi har genomfört intervjuer med representanter från svenska ishockeyklubbar i allsvenskan. Vår undersökning visar att elitlicensen, utifrån vår valda teoretiska referensram, till större del är en effektiv reglering. Studien visar att elitlicensen fungerar tillfredsställande på förebyggande plan men även att elitlicensnämndens roll är viktig för att elitlicensen som reglering skall vara effektiv.

Mixed grasslands in south Canada serve a variety of economic, environmental and ecological purposes. Numerical modeling has become a major method used to identify potential grassland ecosystem responses to environment changes and human activities. In recent years, the focus has been on process models because of their high accuracy and ability to describe the interactions among different environmental components and the ecological processes. At present, two commonly-used process models (CENTURY and BIOME-BGC) have significantly improved our understanding of the possible consequences and responses of terrestrial ecosystems under different environmental conditions. However, problems with these models include only using site-based parameters and adopting different assumptions on interactions between plant, environmental conditions and human activities in simulating such complex phenomenon. In light of this shortfall, the overall objective of this research is to integrate remote sensing products into ecosystem process model in order to simulate productivity for the mixed grassland ecosystem in the landscape level. Data used includes 4-years of field measurements and diverse satellite data (System Pour lObservation de la Terre (SPOT) 4 and 5, Landsat TM and ETM, Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) imagery). <p>Using wavelet analyses, the study first detects that the dominant spatial scale is controlled by topography and thus determines that 20-30 m is the optimum resolution to capture the vegetation spatial variation for the study area. Second, the performance of the RDVI (Renormalized Difference Vegetation Index), ATSAVI (Adjusted Transformed Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index), and MCARI2 (Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index 2) are slightly better than the other VIs in the groups of ratio-based, soil-line-related, and chlorophyll-corrected VIs, respectively. By incorporating CAI (Cellulose Absorption Index) as a litter factor in ATSAVI, a new VI is developed (L-ATSAVI) and it improves LAI estimation capability by about 10%. Third, vegetation maps are derived from a SPOT 4 image based on the significant relationship between LAI and ATSAVI to aid spatial modeling. Fourth, object-oriented classifier is determined as the best approach, providing ecosystem models with an accurate land cover map. Fifth, the phenology parameters are identified for the study area using 22-year AVHRR data, providing the input variables for spatial modeling. Finally, the performance of popular ecosystem models in simulating grassland vegetation productivity is evaluated using site-based field data, AVHRR NDVI data, and climate data. A new model frame, which integrates remote sensing data with site-based BIOME-BGC model, is developed for the mixed grassland prairie. The developed remote sensing-based process model is able to simulate ecosystem processes at the landscape level and can simulate productivity distribution with 71% accuracy for 2005.

A growing body of literature has drawn attention to the ways in which contemporary education reforms are changing how teachers perform their work, but less attention has been paid to what this means for particular social contexts, including the schools and communities attempting to improve learning for Aboriginal peoples. Teachers are increasingly subject to the dynamics of the global economy, and citizens expectations that public schools can solve social and economic problems. Governments have demanded too much from schools and educators given their capacity to be both more productive in education, and to provide more social care than before to Aboriginal students and families, while at the same time achieving the improvement of educational attainment for Aboriginal children and youth. Educational researchers suggest there is evidence that global-productivity and local-community imperatives are contradictory objectives in educational change. Despite the resources and attention given to Aboriginal education, and a more recent resurgence in support for elementary and secondary schooling, teachers have known for some time that citizens expectations are goliath in comparison to the actual resources that schools have at their disposal for educational improvement. In contrast with the lack of attention given to educators perspectives in literature on school reform, teachers are identified in critical analysis within the sociology of education as key agents crucial to the actualisation of educational improvement for Aboriginal peoples This thesis draws on data from a number of studies pertaining to teachers work in Aboriginal communities, conducted between 2002 and 2005, to determine:<p> What do teachers, working in Aboriginal communities located in Saskatchewan, identify as the main factors driving their work? <p> According to teachers, how are the main factors driving their work affected by policies to improve education for Aboriginal students in Saskatchewan?<p> How, if at all, are educators managing to balance the seemingly oppositional policy and program logics of productivity and community while attempting to achieve educational improvement for Aboriginal students in Saskatchewan?<p> Informed by teachers perspectives regarding their work in Aboriginal communities, I argue that teachers working in cross cultural contexts, and where governments share jurisdiction over education with Indigenous peoples, may undergo changes in their professionalism which situates them as cultural mediators in the community. Teachers may mediate between the competing demands of governments, parents, students, and even the demands of competing policy and program logics intended, when combined to improve Aboriginal peoples educational outcomes.

Two trials were conducted with the objective of investigating the effect of light intensity, approximately within the practical levels at confinement barns (1, 10, 20 and 40 lx), on production, processing characteristics and welfare of broilers raised to 35 d of age. In each trial, 950 Ross x Ross 308 chicks were placed randomly in each room with replication of individual light intensity treatment in two environmentally controlled experimental rooms. Within each large room, a small pen with 25 male and 25 female chicks was used for recording behaviour. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design, considering trial as a block. All chicks were exposed to 40 lx light intensity and 23 h light for the first 7 d, followed by treatment light intensity and 17 h day length thereafter. Body weight and feed consumption were determined at 7, 14, and 35 d of age. At the conclusion of each trial, 60 birds per treatment were processed to determine the detailed meat yield. For each replicate, behaviour was recorded for the 24 h period, starting at 16 or 17 d of age. At 23 d of age, serum samples were collected from three birds per room at the start, middle and end of light and dark periods, respectively, for melatonin estimation. Skeletal and foot pad, and ocular health were monitored at 31 and 32 d of age, respectively. Broiler live production (BW, FC, FCR and mortality) was unaffected by light intensity. Carcass, thigh and drum yield as a percentage of live weight decreased linearly with increasing light intensity. The 1 lx treatment resulted in heavier wings as a percentage of live weight. Birds exposed to 1 lx rested more and had reduced expression of foraging, preening, dust-bathing, stretching and wing-flapping behaviours in comparison to other light intensities, over the 24 h period and 17 h light phase. Light intensity did not affect circadian behavioural rhythms (24 h period) and behavioural patterns over the 17 h light phase. Diurnal rhythms of serum melatonin were also unaffected by light intensity with all treatments demonstrating a pronounced rhythm. Skeletal health was unaffected by light intensity but ulcerative foot pad lesions decreased linearly with increasing light intensity. Birds exposed to the 1 lx intensity had heavier and larger eyes. In conclusion, light intensity did not affect broiler production, behavioural and physiological rhythms and mortality but did affect carcass characteristics. Increased ulcerative foot pad lesions, ocular dimensions and altered behavioural expression at 1 lx light intensity are indicators of reduced broiler welfare.

Crowding of grow-finish pigs reduces growth and is considered a welfare issue. Most crowding studies have been limited to smaller group sizes than are currently being considered in the swine industry. It has been hypothesized that pigs in large groups require less space to maintain growth and welfare. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of group size and space allowance on the performance, health and welfare of grow-finish pigs. The study consisted of eight blocks, each with four experimental units in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of group size (18 vs. 108 pigs/pen) and space allowance (0.52 vs. 0.78 m2/pig). Health assessments were conducted daily; production data were collected weekly; injury scores, behaviour and salivary cortisol data were collected bi-weekly; and carcass and adrenal gland data were collected at slaughter. Gains were lower for crowded pigs, but the effects were limited to the final week of the study. Pigs in crowded groups had a lower feed efficiency, which followed a trend similar to that of gains over time. In the crowded groups, pigs spent less time at the feeder, but no other variables differed among space allowances. Gains were lower for pigs housed in large groups, but the effects were limited to the initial two weeks of the study. Pigs in large groups had a lower feed efficiency and more lameness and leg sores. Other health measures did not differ between the group sizes. Lying behaviour of pigs in large groups indicated that they were able to utilize free space more efficiently than pigs housed in small groups. Analysis of feeding patterns suggests that pigs housed in large crowded groups were able to manoeuvre around their environment more easily than those in small crowded groups, yet performance of pigs in large groups was similarly affected by space restriction as pigs in small groups. Interactions of group size and space allowance indicated that pigs in large crowded groups were more susceptible to lameness. There was no indication that pigs in large groups required less space, or could perform as well at reduced space allowances, than pigs in small groups.

An analysis of Peter F. Drucker (2001) and Jim Collins' (2005) theory that non-profits can teach businesses in the areas of mission orientation, board productivity and motivating workers. Extensive research was conducted on six Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership recipients: Roy L. Prosterman, the founder of the Rural Development Institute, a.k.a Landesa (2006), Fazle H. Abed, founder of Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (2007), Forum for African Women Educationalist (2008), Pratham (2010), mother2mothers (2012) and Soraya Salti, regional direction of INJAZ al-Arab (2012). This in-depth examination suggests that Drucker (2001) and Collins' (2005) postulation was accurate and the studied organizations excelled in the three mentioned principles.

The first essay titled “Fundamental Sources of Long-run Labour Productivity Improvements in Canada” examines the importance of Research and Development activities, as well as the stock of public infrastructure, and economic openness as sources of growth in labour productivity in the Canadian economy within the last four decades. The second paper titled “R&D Spillovers, Innovation, and Entry” extends a theoretical framework to analyze the impact of R&D spillovers on entry and the resulting equilibrium market structure. It is shown that the degree of spillovers plays a fundamental role on the number of firms entering the market, their R&D activities, and social welfare. The third paper titled “The Search for New Drugs: A Theory of R&D in the Pharmaceutical Industry” uses a dynamic model of optimal patent design and in the presence of information externalities studies the evolution of technological progress in the context of a pharmaceutical industry.