Today, we live according to the linear economy which depletes the planet's resources and gives rise to large amounts of waste. The circular economy, on the other hand, can be seen as a kind of cycle where the extraction of raw materials is minimized, and reuse is to be maximized. The generation of waste should preferably be avoided. This study aims to investigate how circular micro-enterprises engage with the principles of the circular economy and to identify any associated difficulties or challenges connected to circular economy. The study also examines whether these companies utilize specific tools to measure their circularity. Four companies were interviewed through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and the data was analyzed using thematic analysis as a guiding framework. The findings revealed several challenges associated with implementing circular economy practices, including issues related to transportation and behavior patterns. Furthermore, the majority of the four respondents reported not using any specific tools to measure their circularity, although some companies employ life cycle analysis to assess the environmental impact of their products or services. There is a clear need for the development of standardized tools that facilitate the assessment of circularity for companies, enabling easy comparison and evaluation of progress in adopting circular economy principles.

The instability mechanism of the shear-thinning and shear-thickening fluids pasta circular cylinder is studied using linear theory. The shear-dependent viscosityis modeled by the Carreau-law where the rheological parameters, the power-index and the material time constant are chosen in the range 0.4 < n < 1.75 and0.1 < λ < 100. A second order finite-difference code is used for the simulationof cylinder flow in which the Immersed Boundary Technique is implemented torepresent the cylinder surface on a Cartesian mesh. The critical Reynolds num-ber for the onset of instability is reported for a range of rheological parameters.Structural sensitivity analysis based on the idea of ”wavemaker” is performedto identify the core of the instability. Perturbation kinetic energy budget is alsoconsidered to examine the physical mechanism of the instability. The charac-teristics of base-flow: drag coefficient, size of recirculation bubble and viscositydistribution are presented to provide useful knowledge about shear-thinning ef-fect in flow past a cylinder.

The goal of this project was to study some unexplored optical and magneto-optical properties of the newest member of III-V ferromagnetic structures, InMnSb, as well as InSb films and InSb/AlInSb quantum wells. The emphasis was on dynamical aspects such as charge and spin dynamics in order to address several important issues of the spin-related phenomena. The objectives in this project were to: 1) understand charge/spin dynamics in NGS with different confinement potentials, 2) study phenomena such as interband photo-galvanic effects, in order to generate spin polarized current, 3) probe the effect of magnetic impurities on the spin/charge dynamics. This thesis describes three experiments: detection and measurement of spin polarized photocurrents in InSb films and quantum wells arising from the circular photogalvanic effect, and measurements of the carrier and spin relaxation in InSb and InMnSb structures by magneto-optical Kerr effect and differential transmission. The samples for our studies have been provided by Prof. Heremans at Virginia Tech, Prof. Santos at the University of Oklahoma, and Prof. Furdyna at the University of Notre Dame. / Ph. D.

In tests performed for the period 1897 to 1958, Milton Friedman and David Meiselman found that income velocity of circulation of money was consistently more stable than the investment multiplier except during the early years of the Great Depression. This paper replicates their test for the period 1959 to 1986. The results for this later period are consistent with the Friedman-Meiselman findings. The stock of money remains the more stable and consistent influence on consumption; autonomous expenditures do not influence consumption during any sub-period studied. The money stock remains far more critical than autonomous expenditures in explaining movements in consumption. The replication consists of a series of regression equations for consumption expenditures as a function of the stock of money and of autonomous expenditures. Data in both nominal and real terms are used. Data are lagged five quarters to test the effect on consumption. / Master of Arts

<p dir="ltr">This research considers orbit maintenance strategies for multi-body orbits in the context of the Earth-Moon Circular Restricted Three Body Problem (CR3BP). Dynamical requirements for successful long-term orbit maintenance strategies are highlighted.</p>

Curved beams such as arches find ubiquitous applications in civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering, e.g., stiffened floors, fuselage, railway compartments, and wind turbine blades. The analysis of free vibrations of curved structures plays a critical role in their design to avoid transient loads with dominant frequencies close to their natural frequencies. One way to increase their areas of applications and possibly make them lighter without sacrificing strength is to make them of Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs) that are composites with continuously varying material properties in one or more directions. In this thesis, we study free vibrations of FGM circular beams by using a logarithmic shear deformation theory that incorporates through-the-thickness logarithmic variation of the circumferential displacement, and does not require a shear correction factor. The radial displacement of a point is assumed to depend only upon its angular position. Thus the beam theory can be regarded as a generalization of the Timoshenko beam theory. Equations governing transient deformations of the beam are derived by using Hamilton's principle. Assuming a time harmonic variation of the displacements, and by utilizing the generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM) the free vibration problem is reduced to solving an algebraic eigenvalue problem whose solution provides frequencies and the corresponding mode shapes. Results are presented for different spatial variations of the material properties, boundary conditions, and the aspect ratio. It is found that the radial and the circumferential gradation of material properties maintains their natural frequency within that of the homogeneous beam comprised of a constituent of the FGM beam. Furthermore, keeping every other variable fixed, the change in the beam opening angle results in very close frequencies of the first two modes of vibration, a phenomenon usually called mode transition. / Master of Science / Curved and straight beams of various cross-sections are one of the simplest and most fundamental structural elements that have been extensively studied because of their ubiquitous applications in civil, mechanical, biomedical and aerospace engineering. Many attempts have been made to enhance their material properties and designs for applications in harsh environments and reduce weight. One way of accomplishing this is to combine layerwise two or more distinct materials and take advantage of their directional properties. It results in a lightweight structure having overall specific strength superior to that of its constituents. Another possibility is to have volume fractions of two or more constituents gradually vary throughout the structure for enhancing its performance under anticipated applications. Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are a class of composites whose properties gradually vary along one or more space directions. In this thesis, we have numerically studied free vibrations of FGM circular beams to enhance their application domain and possibly use them for energy harvesting.

The transport sector, particularly electric vehicles (EVs), plays a pivotal role in mitigating climate change. However, the use of lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries in EVs raises sustainability concerns due to their limited lifespan, high costs, potential raw material shortages, and the environmental impact of raw material mining. These concerns necessitate the incorporation of sustainable development strategies into EV innovation plans. With a booming EV market, both luxury and non-luxury brands are being urged to adopt circular economy strategies, such as battery reuse and recycling, to enhance the brand-customer relationship. While the automotive industry has begun implementing these strategies, there is limited research on how they affect customer acceptance and the impact on luxury versus non-luxury brands. This thesis examines the existence of differences and influence of these circular economy strategies on the EV industry, with a particular focus on li-ion batteries, and analyzes their impact on luxury and non-luxury automotive EV brands.

DNA copy number change is an important form of structural variation in human genome. Somatic copy number alterations (CNAs) can cause over expression of oncogenes and loss of tumor suppressor genes in tumorigenesis. Recent development of SNP array technology has facilitated studies on copy number changes at a genome-wide scale, with high resolution. Quantitative analysis of somatic CNAs on genes has found broad applications in cancer research. Most tumors exhibit genomic instability at chromosome scale as a result of dynamically accumulated genomic mutations during the course of tumor progression. Such higher level cancer genomic characteristics cannot be effectively captured by the analysis of individual genes. We introduced two definitions of chromosome instability (CIN) index to mathematically and quantitatively characterize genome-wide genomic instability. The proposed CIN indices are derived from detected CNAs using circular binary segmentation and wavelet transform, which calculates a score based on both the amplitude and frequency of the copy number changes. We generated CIN indices on ovarian cancer subtypes' copy number data and used them as features to train a SVM classifier. The experimental results show promising and high classification accuracy estimated through cross-validations. Additional survival analysis is constructed on the extracted CIN scores from TCGA ovarian cancer dataset and showed considerable correlation between CIN scores and various events and severity in ovarian cancer development. Currently our methods have been integrated into G-DOC. We expect these newly defined CINs to be predictors in tumors subtype diagnosis and to be a useful tool in cancer research. / Master of Science

Cities, as epicenters of resource consumption and waste production, play a crucial role in spearheading the transition towards a circular economy, where waste is minimized and the lifecycle of resources is maximized. Fashion industry activities, in particular, are predominantly concentrated in the urban context, from design activities to consumption and disposal. Given their role as centers of entrepreneurship and innovation, what opportunities and challenges do cities present in facilitating an industrial paradigm shift towards circularity in the fashion industry? How do entrepreneurial actors and supportive intermediaries pave the way toward a circular system? This dissertation examines the processes of entrepreneurship and the dynamics of learning that propel the fashion industry toward a circular economy, or circular fashion. It brings together literature on circular economy businesses and entrepreneurship with economic geography insights into the localized processes of innovation and entrepreneurship within cultural and creative industries. The three papers presented contribute to the expanding field of research and practice in the circular economy and circular fashion by underscoring the significance of proximity relations, entrepreneurial initiatives, and the dynamics of knowledge intermediation. Through a systematic literature review and a case study of New York City’s fashion industry, the three papers cultivate a nuanced understanding on the micro-dynamics of circular fashion entrepreneurship and relational processes that accompany the transition towards circular fashion. They highlight the importance of the interplay between geographical and non-geographical proximities, place-based entrepreneurial initiatives, and knowledge coordination efforts, offering a comprehensive view of the circular fashion landscape and policy implications.

No / This research is an attempt to identify the kind of culture which is needed for a major transnational company to become a circular economy based organization based on the guidelines of Ellen McArthur Foundation. It aims to identify and learn from organizations with the relevant culture on the particular traits which may assist other organizations foster the culture required to implement a circular economy strategy. The information gathered is expected to contribute empirical information on culture management for circular economy strategy and an attempt to fill in the literature gap on strategy, mind-set shift and culture change, especially in transitioning towards sustainable business practices. The thesis mind-map and outline of chapters have been provided. Literature pointed out that alignment between organizational culture and strategy ensures successful implementation. The development of a more sustainable economic model, the circular economy, has triggered organizations to look into their business strategies and adjust accordingly. This research is an attempt to identify and learn from organizations with relevant culture on the particular traits which may assist other organizations foster the culture required to implement a circular economy strategy. The researchers applied Johnson’s (2001) cultural web and other relevant literatures on organizational culture, leadership, collaboration, and form constructs for an exploratory case study. Several management qualities have been mentioned namely the development of cross-functional teams, establishment of relationships beyond transactional partnerships, a risk oriented learning environment, entrepreneurial organization culture and structure, and empathetic leadership.