Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Mass., 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-126).

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Cheryl Ward, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Anthropology. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 18, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 111 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, August 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Aug. 24, 2009). "School of Economic Sciences." Includes bibliographical references.

These (M.A.)--Tufts University, 2009. / Title from PDF title page. Available through UMI ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-88). Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-144). Also available on the World Wide Web.

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This bachelor's thesis consists of a product development project performed for Volvo Penta's transmissions department. In line with Volvo Penta's vision of Easy Boating, the problem description entailed, to make boating easier by developing concepts for the steering of boats. The goal was to develop three concepts which suited the requirements provided by the project owner. The bachelor's thesis was preceded by a study, in the form of a concept generation process. The project was initiated with a concept generation process, in parallel with a requirement analysis. This concept generation was performed with the assistance of tools from the Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadatch (TRIZ) methodology. Utilised parts from TRIZ are tools for identifying free resources, finding and resolving undesirable contradictions and predicting the next step of development of a system. In accordance with the methods of Set-Based Engineering, the generated concepts were not chosen for their merit, but instead eliminated based on requirements and developed knowledge. To accomplish this, the requirements were collected from the identified stakeholders of the project and ranked based on their respective weight. The requirements were used in the elimination of the concepts which was performed in three stages: pruning of concepts, concept screening and ultimately, concept scoring. These three stages were based on the literature and chosen because of their ability to incorporate the requirements in the elimination. As a result of the elimination process six concepts of two different product categories, addons to existing solutions and complete new systems, were presented to Volvo Penta in combination with a product development plan. The result of six concepts was obtained since none of the concepts categories could be eliminated by the requirements collected in the process and therefore it was decided to present tree from each category.

There have long been concerns about the negative impacts of recreational boating activity in the Indian River Lagoon system (IRL), especially in Mosquito Lagoon (ML), the northernmost part of the IRL. My research is focused on the impacts of boat wakes on intertidal reefs formed by the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. There has been a 24% loss of oyster habitat in ML since 1943, where natural oyster reefs have been replaced by dead oyster reefs which do not serve the same ecological function. While there is anecdotal and correlative evidence that this loss is a result of boat wakes, no studies to date have confirmed dead reefs can be a direct result of boat wakes. Therefore, I addressed the following questions: (1) What wake heights are generated by a range of boat types, and (2) What amount of oyster movement and erosion occurs as a result of these boat wakes? A series of boat pass experiments addressed the first question; these results were utilized in experiments at Florida Institute of Technology's wave tank to observe sediment erosion and oyster movement as a result of specific wake heights. Model selection was used for both the field and wave tank experiments to determine which variables contributed most to explaining the wake heights, erosion, and oyster movement that occurred. Wake heights ranging from 0.05 cm to 20.80 cm were documented contacting the oyster reefs from the boat passes, with a mean of 2.95 cm. Boat type was less important than speed or distance when determining wake height. My wave tank results document that wake heights as small as 2 cm contacting oysters are capable of moving individual and clusters of oysters. Minimum distances for boats to travel in order to maintain wakes smaller than 2 cm at reefs are suggested for management purposes based on regression equations. This could minimize the amount of movement that occurs when oysters are subjected to boat wakes. The results of this study can help resource managers implement boating policies in Mosquito Lagoon, and contribute greatly to conserving this important ecosystem engineer.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether local and tourist boaters in the Arkansas River Headwaters Recreation Area differed in their activities, perceptions of environmental problems and user conflicts, and preferences for management. Locals were defined as living 100 miles or less from the river, and tourists were those living more than 100 miles away. Data were collected by on-site interviews with boaters as they completed their trip, and through a 12-page mailback questionnaire. Approximately 1168 questionnaires were returned, for an overall response rate of 58%. Few differences were found between locals and tourists. The largest differences between the two groups were in their trip expenditures and in their recreational activities in the river valley. Expenditures by tourists were significantly greater, and tourists also showed a greater tendency to both participate in and express interest in a greater variety of activities than did locals. The locals tended to be slightly more experienced and involved than were tourists, and they were also more predisposed toward membership in river running clubs. On reasons for selecting the Arkansas River, locals were more inclined to feel that a convenient location and being with friends were more important, while tourists felt that being in a new area with a variety of recreational opportunities was more important. In addition, locals exhibited a slightly greater sensitivity toward both environmental and people problems along the river. However, neither group supported more controls to reduce environmental damage or user conflicts. With respect to services and facilities, differences between the two groups were tenuous. Tourists were slightly more supportive of both manipulating the river's water level to benefit boating and constructing more shower facilities along the river. Locals were more in favor of scheduling 'no boat' times on the river to benefit fishing. Finally, in response to willingness to pay for services, tourists were more inclined to pay a greater amount for a given service than were locals in four out of five responses. Results of this study indicate that managers need to be aware of and monitor the perceptions, opinions, and preferences of both local and tourist users. Additionally, user groups other than boaters (such as landowners, river fishermen, or wildlife observers) must be studied in order that a more complete and thorough understanding of the different resource users and their relationships with the resource can be attained. / Master of Science