The purpose of this project is to gain a better understanding of the different market opportunities available to credit unions. The project differentiates the markets by age: Net Generation 2 to 22, Generation X 23 to 34 and the Baby Boomers 35 to 53. Each of these groups are important to the ongoing health of credit unions.

Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is the world's most prominent fiber crop. Cotton transformation is labor intensive and time consuming, taking 12 to 18 months for rooted T0 plants. One rate limiting step is the necessary production of somatic embryos. In other recalcitrant species, ectopic expression of three genes were shown to promote somatic embryogenesis: WUSCHEL (WUS), SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM), and BABY BOOM (BBM). WUS is responsible for maintaining stem-cell fate in shoot and floral meristems. STM is needed to establish and maintain shoot meristems. STM and WUS have similar functions but work in different pathways; overexpression of both together converts somatic cells to meristematic and embryogenic fate. BBM encodes an AP2/ERF transcription factor that is expressed during embryogenesis and ectopic expression of BBM reprograms vegetative tissues to embryonic growth. In prior studies, these genes were constitutively expressed, and cultures did not progress beyond embryogenesis because the embryogenic signal was not turned off. In our study, we set out to use these genes to increase the efficiency of cotton transformation and decrease the time it takes to regenerate a plant. A disarmed cotton leaf crumple virus (dCLCrV) vector delivers WUS, STM, or BBM into cotton tissue cultures through Agrobacterium tumefaciens infection. We propose that virus delivery of embryo-inducing genes is a better approach for transformation because A) inserts more than 800 nucleotides are unstable, and will spontaneously inactivate, B) virus DNA can migrate through plasmodesmata to cells around the infected cell, creating a gradient of embryonic potential, C) the virus DNA does not pass through the germ line and the seed will not contain virus. We propose this method of inducing embryogenesis will facilitate the stable transformation of cotton and will be beneficial to the cotton industry. Ectopic expression of AtBBM, AtSTM, and AtWUS GrWUS:meGFP from a constitutive CaMV 35S promoter produced plants with phenotypes similar to those described in previous studies overexpressing AtBBM, indicating that the AtBBM gene was functional. The cotton cotyledon infiltration of the pART27 constructs showed transformed cells in Coker 312 by GFP localization in the nucleus. Although GFP was detected, no visible embryos appeared from the cotyledon. Cotyledons infiltrated with Agrobacterium harboring overexpression vectors withered and aborted after ~2 weeks. The virus-based vector in tissue culture failed to increase transformation efficiency, resulting in no embryos. The combination of hormone concentration showed no contribution to increasing the transformation efficiency.

In my thesis I aim on design of front loader, which is most adapted to human operator. Human needs, repairman needs and requirements of civilization are fully respected. Loader is designed for near future.

This master’s thesis deals with the construction of parts of a bucket-wheel stacker/reclaimer designed to operate lignite stockyard at coal power plant. First the basic parameters of machine and loads applied in service are defined. The work also includes the design of steel structure of bucket-wheel boom, bucket-wheel, buckets, bucket-wheel drive, shaft, bearings and other parts of bucket-wheel boom. These parts are verified by analytical or finite element analysis.

The aim of my thesis is a conceptual design radial gantry crane including the important strength calculations according to the standards and examinations by means of ANSYS Workbench. The lifting capacity is 1500 kg, the length of the boom is 12 000 mm and the height of lifting is 3600mm. The crane is designed as fully revolving and the angle turning is 360°. The work also includes the selection of a suitable lifting gear from the manufacturer´s catalogue including the accessories casters, all important components and also FEM construction analysis.

Dagli anni '80 lo sviluppo del sistema agro-alimentare globale ha subito un processo di progressiva globalizzazione che ha interessato sia il complesso della produzione che i modelli di consumo. Questa tendenza ha innanzitutto portato a una crescente integrazione verticale dei produttori agricoli sui mercati globali. La loro azione è stata reciprocamente vincolata all'azione di altri attori specializzati operanti sui mercati di input e output. Allo stesso modo, le recenti trasformazioni dei comportamenti dei consumatori nei cosiddetti paesi occidentalizzati, hanno avuto un impatto su territoriali diversi da quelli che li hanno innescati, contribuendo così a rimodellare le modalità e le pratiche di produzione in quei complessi che entrano nel mercato al fine di soddisfare una nuova domanda agroalimentare diversificata. L'orientamento verso nuovi prodotti, come prodotti biologici, alimenti funzionali o prodotti "esotici" ricchi di proprietà nutrizionali, che fino a poco tempo fa appartenevano esclusivamente a nicchie di mercato specifiche, segna oggi il profilo dell'offerta sui grandi canali di distribuzione. L'evoluzione delle preferenze di consumo ha avuto, e continua ad avere, un'influenza decisiva nell'incorporare nuovi territori e gruppi di produttori nelle catene globali. Tuttavia questa integrazione non è esente da meccanismi deterritorializzazione del prodotto e rimodellamento del tessuto sociale agrario. La tesi, dopo aver descritto tale scenario in relazione al suo impatto generale sulle economie rurali latinoamericane, si concentra su un caso studio specifico riguardante l'evoluzione dell'economia contadina nell'Altiplano boliviano in seguito al boom internazionale della quinoa. Questa evoluzione viene analizzata alla luce dei cambiamenti nel sistema di accesso alla terra, nell'organizzazione del lavoro agricolo e nella sfera della sicurezza alimentare. Il contributo si basa su una ricerca empirica condotta in tre municiplaità rurali dell’altopiano meridionale boliviano attraverso una metodologia quali-quantitativa comprendente l'uso di interviste semi-strutturate, metodologie standardizzate specifiche per la valutazione del livello di sicurezza alimentare (FCS, ELCSA ) e la somministrazione di un questionario. I dati sono stati interpretati attraverso la lente di un complesso quadro teorico che coinvolge il pensiero marxista, la teoria Chayanoviana sull'economia contadina, l'istituzionalismo polanyiano e i recenti contributi della scuola di sociologia rurale di Wgeningen. Partendo dall'analisi del modo tradizionale in cui le comunità andine si sono organizzate storicamente per fornire alle famiglie contadine l'accesso sufficiente alla terra e al lavoro, la tesi segue presentando l'impatto sociale del quinoa-boom. Il lavoro evidenzia nuovi meccanismi di accaparramento e concentrazione della terra ed erosione dell'azione comunitaria, elementi i quali pongono l'economia contadina locale in un processo di erosione e differenziazione di fronte a emergenti conflitti sociali e vulnerabilità nell'ambito della sicurezza alimentare. / Since the 1980s the development of the global agro-food system has undergone a process of progressive globalization which has affected both complex of production and patterns of consumption. This trend has firstly resulted in a growing vertical integration of the agricultural producers on global markets. Their action has been mutually bound to the action of others specialized actors (e.g. input suppliers, intermediaries, marketers etc.) operating on the input and output markets. In the same way, the recent transformations of consumer behaviors, in the so-called westernized countries, have impacted on spatial and territorial contests different from the ones that have triggered them, thus contributing to reshape modes and practices of production in those complexes that enter the market in order to meet a new diversified agro-food demand. The orientation towards new products, such as organic products, functional foods, or “exotic” products rich in nutritional properties, that until recently belonged exclusively to specific market niches, marks today the profile of the supply on the large distribution channels. The evolution of the consumption preferences has had, and still continues to have, a decisive influence in incorporating new territories and groups of producers into the global value chain from which they had remained excluded during the previous Fordist period. Nonetheless, the integration into the global market has proceeded in connection to a process of commodification of the production cycle that, on the one hand, has detached the product from the territories of origin and (fetishization), on the other hand, has restructured the agrarian ground. This thesis after describing the above scenario in relation to its impact on the Latin American agrarian context, moves to focus on a specific case study regarding the evolution of the peasant economy in the Bolivian Altiplano sur under the international quinoa boom. This evolution is analyzed in the light of the changes in the land access system, agricultural labour organization and food security. The contribution is based on an empirical research carried out in three rural municipalities of the Bolivian Southern Highlands through a quali-quantitative methodology comprising the use of semi-structured interviews, specific standardized methodologies for the assessment of the food security level (FCS, ELCSA), and the administration of a questionnaire to a sample of local quinoa producers. Data have been interpreted through the lenses of a complex theoretical framework entailing the Marxist thought, the Chayanovian theorization on the peasant economy, the Polanyian institutionalism and the recent contributions of the Wgeningen Rural Sociology School. By starting from the analysis of the traditional way through which the Andean communities have historically organized themselves in order to provide the peasant households with the sufficient access to land and labour as to satisfy their reproduction needs, the thesis moves to present the social impact of the export boom. It shows new land-grabbing mechanisms, concentration of access to land and erosion of the community action which are now placing the local peasant economy in a pathway of erosion and differentiation in front of emerging social conflicts and vulnerabilities in the sphere of food security.

The boom systems of mobile cranes and aerial platform vehicles are driven by hydraulic systems, to be specified, valve-controlled hydraulic cylinders. This hydraulic actuated boom system can accomplish the tasks such as lifting heavy loads or carrying personal to high position, by the design of a long boom structure. In practice, the boom structure is designed as light and slender as possible to control the structure self-weight. However, such structure is quite flexible and can be easily stimulated by the loads, including the driving force or torque from the hydraulic system. Our research focuses on trajectory planning for hydraulic actuated boom where both hydraulic driven system and boom structure deformation are considered. In this paper, the hydraulic actuated boom system is formulated as a port-Hamiltonian system which is a proper modelling method for multi-domain system. The problems of trajectory optimization and vibration control are formulated as optimal control problem based on port-Hamiltonian model and this procedure is tested on a model of hydraulic cylinder. A reasonable result is solved with the selected cost function and inputs.

Au lendemain de la Seconde Guerre mondiale émerge en France un mouvement de renouveau de l’architecture religieuse et de l’art sacré sous l’impulsion d’un clergé soucieux de repositionner l’Église au cœur de la création contemporaine. S’appuyant sur une liturgie réformée, la communauté religieuse s’engage dans l’édification de nouveaux lieux de culte, qui sont une occasion de mettre en œuvre des formes audacieuses par l’emploi de techniques constructives innovantes. Particulièrement meurtrie par la guerre, la Lorraine devient le site d’une modernité réinventée, un territoire riche d’expérimentations architecturales, formelles, constructives et typologiques, pour lesquelles les réalisations de l’entre-deux-guerres en Suisse et en Allemagne font figure d’avant-garde. Ce travail de thèse analyse les liens entre les aspirations de l’Église catholique, les contraintes imposées par le contexte de la Reconstruction et de l’urbanisation accélérée des territoires, et la réponse formelle et matérielle proposée par les concepteurs de l’époque. Le corpus général concerne la production de cent dix-sept projets et réalisations conçus en Lorraine entre 1945 et 1975. Il se concentre sur les architectures les plus novatrices, tout en répondant à la volonté de proposer une palette d’objets diversifiés, tant du point de vue de leur histoire que de celui de leur matérialité. Les églises du corpus sont l’œuvre d’architectes d’origines géographiques variées et à la notoriété multiple. En outre, ces réalisations, d’une envergure plus ou moins grande, s’inscrivent dans divers contextes géographiques : urbain, périurbain et rural. Croisant les approches quantitative et qualitative, ce travail s’articule autour de trois principaux champs de recherche :- les conditions de production de l’objet architectural : accès à la commande, financements, acteurs, etc. ;- les influences et la question de la réception, notamment au travers d’une étude des revues spécialisées et de la presse catholique ;- enfin, la matérialité de l’objet et sa réalité constructive. / In the aftermath of the Second World War in France, an iconic renewal of sacred art and religious architecture was triggered by the clergy being concerned to set the Church as the cornerstone of contemporary creation. Given the significant changes in religious rites at the time, the Christian community decided to build new places of worship giving them the opportunity to introduce bold designs based on innovative construction techniques. As one of the major battlegrounds of the Second World War, the Lorraine region then appeared to be the perfect field for rethinking modernity through a wealth of architectural, formal and building experiments inspired by groundbreaking creations made in Switzerland and Germany in the interwar period. Our research work analyses the links between the Catholic Church’s ambitions, the constraints resulting from the post-war Reconstruction and urban sprawl context, and both formal and material suggestions made by contemporary designers. The whole corpus includes one hundred and seventeen projects and productions created in Lorraine between 1945 and 1975. It focuses on the most pioneering buildings while offering a wide range of objects, be it for their historical background or their materiality. The selected churches were designed by architects from diverse regions and with variable fame. In addition, they differed in scopes and geographical contexts – urban, suburban and rural. Taking both quantity and quality perspectives into account, our study revolves around three main lines of research :– In which conditions were the architectural objects produced (ordering process, funding, stakeholders, etc.) ?– What influenced their production and how were they received ? This has been observed through the analysis of trade papers and the Catholic press.– Eventually, how to describe their material nature and their reality as construction products ?

This thesis has been carried out together with Kalmar Global’s Innovation Center and covers a concept study about weight reduction of the telescopic boom of the Reachstacker DRG 450.The reason for this weight reduction is to ease Kalmar’s transition from fossil fueled to electric driven vehicles since less weight reduces energy consumption and leaves more room for batteries. The main focus of the study is to test a wide array of cross sections for the boom with the aim of weight saving. During the thesis both meshless and traditional finite element calculations are used when utilising simulation-driven design to optimise the boom. The study concludes that using a narrower octagonal cross section, improved material quality and adapting the positions of the mounts can decrease the weight by 23% with also decreasing the material cost by 13%.

Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration, has been commissioned by the Swedishgovernment to make plans for new railway mainlines between the country’s three largest cities:Stockholm and Gothenburg/Malm¨o. The planned operating speed of the new mainlines isbetween 250–320 km/h. Train traffic at such high speeds across areas with soft soils may lead tolarge amplifications of the train induced ground vibrations, a phenomenon known as the groundvibration boom. The first observation of this phenomenon in practice occurred in Sweden in 1997,at the site Ledsg˚ard on the West Coast Line. This observation led to extensive investigationsand research. One of the research projects consisted of the development of the numerical calculationsoftware VibTrain by the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, through which high speedtrain induced ground vibrations could be analyzed.The aim of this thesis has been to investigate whether VibTrain also could be used in planningworks for the new mainlines, specifically with respect to (i) evaluating the risk of the groundvibration boom and (ii) designing soil improvement measures. The investigation was conductedthrough calculations using the VibTrain software in three separate parts: (i) a verification of Vib-Train’s function on a modern computer by comparison with previous analyses for the Ledsg˚ardcase, (ii) a parametric study of the calculation model used in VibTrain and (iii) a comparison ofresults from VibTrain with results from the calculation software ωFE-N (¨Ulker-Kaustell 2016)for the location J¨arnasl¨atten in Ostl¨anken, a section of the new mainlines.The main findings from these calculations were:• The use of VibTrain on a modern computer worked well, and the verification of the program’sfunction through comparison with the Ledsg˚ard case yielded consistent results.• Modeling of soil improvement measures in the form of lime cement columns in VibTrain,using the method of equivalent modulus, gave results which principally agreed with theexpected behavior.• The comparison with results from the calculation software ωFE-N showed that the twoprograms agreed relatively well for a case with unimproved subgrade. In the analyzedcases with improved subgrade there were larger discrepancies, due to different modelingstrategies being used in the two programs.Based on the performed calculations, it is evident that VibTrain is best suited for initial assessmentsof the risk of the ground vibration boom. However, the calculation model is not sufficientlydetailed to be used in the design of soil improvement measures for the subgrade.