Energy utilization in Sweden has been on a rise since the 1980’s and the industrial sector has been its highest consumer. The construction industry plays a central role in building and developing cities for a population which is increasing rapidly year by year. Environmental awareness has given incentives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and to make operations more sustainable. The construction industry faces three main challenges in regards to sustainability which are, material usage, vehicle fleets, and machine parks. Vehicles and machines are integral parts within the construction industry, however, how to reduce their environmental impact is a relatively new research area with many challenges. The conclusion that carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced is one that has been reached by the construction industry in Sweden. One way to study this aspect is by collecting and managing data on their fuel consumption since the vehicles and machines operate almost exclusively on fossil fuels. Data collection on fuel consumption by vehicles and machinery will give insight to what factors increase or decrease it. Analyzing these factors will allow for reductions to be made in terms ofcarbon dioxide emissions and costs. The aim of this report is therefore to investigate the aspect of data collection and management on fuel consumption in vehicles and machinery. The report is the result of work conducted in cooperation with the Nordic construction and development company NCC. NCC has set a goal for reducing climate impacts from direct operations by 50% between the years 2015 and 2020. In order for this to be achieved, carbon dioxide emissions resulting from fuel consumption have to be accounted for. As this is a new research area, this report is to serve as a baseline for NCC to get an overview of what challenges and possibilities there are with efficient data collection and management on fuel consumption. The study is initiated by analyzing the three main aspects which are taken into consideration within this study. The first aspect is authoritative requirements which are demands from authorities such as municipalities or the Swedish Transport Administration. The second is the contractors such as NCC which have to meet these requirements. The final aspect is the suppliers who contractors hire for projects. Furthermore, interviews are carried out to gain insight on experiences of persons within the field and the challenges they have faced. A study on Norrtälje Harbor, an old industrial harbor turning into a new city district, is also conducted as there is available data from the vehicles and machines in this project. Finally, a gap-analysis is constructed in order to gain an overview of NCC’s present standings, future goals, andlimitations in terms of data collection and management from vehicles and machinery. The findings of this report conclude that a lack of standard is the biggest challenge which theindustry is facing. Authorities face challenges on how to set standards while the lack of standardsleads to different methods of data collection from contractors and suppliers. It is possible tocollect data from vehicles and machines but calculations are currently based on patterns and donot give a true view of the fuel consumption. Factors, such as driving habits and environment can affect the fuel consumption, therefore the data collected should take all these factors into consideration. Benefits that a company may gain by having this data include increase incompetitiveness due to environmental awareness and transparency as well as also lower costsas less fuel will be purchased. Reducing fuel consumption will ultimately reduce carbon dioxideemissions, which is the industry’s and NCC overall goal. / Energianvändningen i Sverige har stigit sedan 1980-talet och industrisektorn har bidragit mest till detta. Byggbranschen står för utformningen av städer för en snabbt växande befolkning. Miljömedvetenhet har gett organisationer incitament att minska koldioxidutsläppen ochutveckla mer hållbara verksamheter. Materialanvändning, fordonsflottor och maskinparker utgör de tre största utmaningarna inom byggbranschens klimatarbete. Fordon och maskiner är grundläggande delar inom byggbranschens verksamhet, men minskningen av denna miljöpåverkan är ett relativt nytt forskningsområde med många utmaningar. Aktörerna inom byggbranschen har utvecklat klimatstrategier för att minska koldioxidutsläppen där man bland annat vill samla in data om bränsleförbrukningen hos fordon och maskiner. Fordon och maskiner drivs huvudsakligen med fossila bränslen och genom att kartlägga denna förbrukning kan koldioxidutsläppen minskas. Datainsamling om fordon och maskiners bränsleförbrukning ger förståelse gällande vilka faktorersom ökar eller minskar förbrukningen. Genom att analysera dessa faktorer är det möjligt att minska koldioxidutsläpp och kostnader. Syftet med denna rapport är därför att undersöka datainsamling och hantering angående bränsleförbrukning för fordon och maskiner. Rapporten är resultatet av ett arbete som bedrivits i samarbete med det Nordiska bygg- och utvecklingsbolaget NCC. NCC har satt upp ett mål för att minska klimatpåverkan fråndirektverksamheten med 50% mellan åren 2015 och 2020. För att detta ska kunna uppnås måstekoldioxidutsläpp från bränsleförbrukningen redovisas. Eftersom detta är ett nyttforskningsområde, är rapport en utgångspunkt för att NCC ska få en överblick över vilka utmaningar och möjligheter det finns med effektiv datainsamling och hantering avbränsleförbrukning. Studien initieras genom att analysera de tre huvudaspekter som måste beaktas inom detta ämnesområde. Första aspekten är kraven som ställs av myndigheter som kommuner och Trafikverket. Den andra aspekten är NCC entreprenörer som måste uppfylla dessa krav. Sista aspekten är leverantörerna som anställs av entreprenörerna inom projekt. Det övergripandesynsättet i studien är därför att analysera varje aspekt separat för en djupare förståelse för derasrespektive samband inom detta ämne. Vidare genomförs intervjuer för att få insikt omerfarenheter från personer inom studieområdet och de utmaningar de har mött. En studie av Norrtälje hamn, en gammal industrihamn som omvandlas till ett nytt stadsdelsområde,genomförs, eftersom det finns tillgängliga data från fordon och maskiner i detta projekt. Slutligen konstrueras en gapanalys för att få en överblick över NCC:s nuvarande läge, framtidamål och begränsningar när det gäller datainsamling och hantering från fordon och maskiner. Slutsatsen som dras är att brist på standard är den största utmaningen som industrin står inför. Myndigheterna står inför utmaningar om hur man kan ställa krav, medan bristen på dem leder till olika metoder för datainsamling från entreprenörer och leverantörer. Det går att samla in data från fordon och maskiner, men beräkningarna är för närvarande baserade på schabloner och ger inte en sann bild av bränsleförbrukningen. Faktorer som körvanor och miljö kan påverka bränsleförbrukningen, därför bör de insamlade uppgifterna ta hänsyn till alla dessa faktorer. Fördelarna med att ha dessa data tillgängliga är att det öka konkurrensen på grund avmiljömedvetenhet och öppenhet, samt minska kostnader för inköp av bränsle. Att minska bränsleförbrukningen kommer i slutändan att minska koldioxidutsläppen, vilket är branschens och NCC:s övergripande mål.

Construction sites are frequently cited as major sources of pollution that degrade the quality of surface water. The highly erodible topsoil is transported off site by stormwater runoff causing negative effects downstream. Research has shown that the small particles, which are the most susceptible to erosive forces, have more pollutants associated with them than larger soil particles. Currently, in the state of Florida, it is not permissible to discharge water to a receiving water body if the turbidity is more than 29 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTUs) above background or higher than background for an outstanding Florida water body. The removal of fine suspended sediment from water can be achieved by filtration, settling, and the use of chemical coagulants. Polyacrylamide (PAM), a coagulant, has been shown to be effective in removing fine suspended particles from water via coagulation and flocculation. The Stormwater Management Academy at the University of Central Florida has researched the use of PAM and collection mats in a treatment channel to meet state discharge requirements. In this study, turbid water using sediment from typical Florida soils was simulated and passed through a channel. The channel contained polymer blocks in a configuration previously determined to be the most effective. An important component of the treatment system is the floc collection. This research examined three types of collection mats, namely jute, coconut fiber and polypropylene mix to collect the flocs. This thesis presents the results of this investigation. The results for the sandy soil tests showed an average removal efficiency prior to the collection mat starting at 71% and decreasing to 44% at the end of the tests. The 20-foot coconut mat maintained an average removal efficiency of 90%. The turbidity due to silty-sandy soil was decreased with an average removal efficiency prior to the collection mat ranging from 50% to 65%. The average removal efficiency for the 20-foot coconut mat started at 85%and decreased to 60% during the tests. The turbidity due to crushed limestone showed an average removal efficiency prior to the collection mat ranging from 81% down to 69% over time. The average results from the 20-foot coconut mat ranged from 65% to 80%. Turbidity was tested on the samples under two conditions, a 30 second settling time and completely mixed. Statistical results show a significant decrease (?=0.05) in turbidity between the mixed and settled samples. Statistical analyses were performed on the collected data, which concluded that the capability of the mat to reduce turbidity can be repeated with a 95% confidence interval. The 20-foot length coconut mat had the highest turbidity removal efficiency for every soil type examined. Further statistical analysis showed that the achieved turbidity reduction was significantly different (?=0.05) for the various materials. It was observed that generally, each type of mat clogged during testing indicating that longer collection mats be used, possibly lining the entire channel. Recommendations from this study are to provide a settling area after the collection mats and line the entire length of the channel with the collection mat selected.

What You Leave Behind is a collection of essays framed by the theme of travel. The essays seek to understand the changeability and the consistency of the self when exposed to new cultures and new environments. They also explore what travel tells us about varying world perspectives, and how much of those varying world perspectives people can hope to understand. Lastly, these true-life stories and ruminations explore how travel shapes relationships: familial, romantic, and platonic. At its core, this thesis strives to reveal how traveling can inform the way people understand themselves, the world around them, and the relationships they have with others, both at home and abroad.

In past years many industries have utilized simulation as a means for decision making. That wave has introduced simulation as a powerful optimization and development tool in the manufacturing industry. Input data collection is a significant and complex event in the process of simulation. The simulation professionals have grown to accept it is as a strenuous but necessary task. Due to the nature of this task, data collection problems are numerous and vary depending on the situation. These problems may involve time consumption, lack of data, lack of structure, etc. This study concentrates on the challenges of input data collection for Discrete Event Simulation in the manufacturing industry and focuses particularly on speed, efficiency, data completeness and data accuracy. It has been observed that many companies have recently utilized commercial databases to store production data. This study proposes that the key to faster and more efficient input data collection is to extract data directly from these sources in a flexible and efficient way. An approach is introduced here to creating a custom software tool for a manufacturing setting that allows input data to be collected and formatted quickly and accurately. The methodology for the development of such a custom tool and its implementation, Part Data Collection, are laid out in this research. The Part Data Collection application was developed to assist in the simulation endeavors of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Orlando, Florida. It was implemented and tested as an aid in a large simulation project, which included modeling a new factory. This implementation resulted in 93% reduction in labor time associated with data collection and significantly improved data accuracy.

The Edge of Things is what I like to call a love song to the dispossessed. Each of the eight stories in the collection is an examination of the lives of women who are exiled from modern American consumer culture, whether by circumstance or by choice. This separation brings them heartache, risk, and sometimes even hope. The collection is fueled by the landscape of Florida, observed at its most beautiful and most corrupted, from highways, landfills, and trailer parks to housing developments, gardens, and secret forests. Setting is a constant source of revelation, the external landscape offering insight into the internal struggles of the characters. Regardless of age, race, or sexual orientation, the women of The Edge of Things find themselves moving toward, or just past, incredible changes in their lives. In "Seed of the Golden Mango", "Raising the Dead", and "The Girl Who Loved Bugs", young women deal with the loss of loved ones. The women of "Zyczenie", "It Cannot Hold", and "Wasp Honey" must deal with old losses in order to survive the realities of the outside world that they have long ignored. "The Edge of Things" and "The Secret Letters" both deal with love, and the consequences of an inability to communicate. In each of these tales I hope to present unforgettable characters, women whose journeys will haunt, reminding readers that on some level, the love song of the dispossessed calls to us all.

Automated data acquisition has revolutionized the reliability of product design in recent years. A noteworthy example is the improvement in the design of aircrafts through field data. This research proposes a similar improvement in the reliability of process design of earthmoving operations through automated field data acquisition. The segment of earthmoving operations addressed in this research constitutes the truck-loader operation. Therefore, the applicability of this research extends to other industries involving truck-operation such as mining, agriculture and forest logging and is closely related to wheel-based earthmoving operations such as scrapers. The context of this research is defined by data collection needed to increase the validity of the results obtained by analysis tools such as simulation, performance measures and graphical representation of variance in an activity's performance, and the relation between operating conditions and the variance in an activity's performance. The automated cycle time data collection is facilitated by instrumented trucks and the collection of information on operating conditions is facilitated by image database and paper forms. The cycle time data and the information on operating conditions are linked together to form the experience database. This research developed methods to extract, quantify and understand the variation in each component of the earthmoving cycle namely, load, haul and return, and dump activities. For the load activity, the simultaneous variation in payload and load time is illustrated through the development of a PLT (PayLoad Time) Map. Among the operating conditions, material type, load area floor, space constraints and shift are investigated. A dynamic normalization process of determining the ratio of actual travel time to expected travel time is developed for the haul and return activities. The length of the haul road, sequence of gear downshifts and shift are investigated for their effect on the travel time. The discussion on the dump activity is presented in a qualitative form due to the lack of data. Each component is integrated within the framework of the experience database. The implementation aspects with respect to developing and using the experience database are also described in detail. The practical relevance of this study is highlighted using an example. / Ph. D.

No description available.

This study addressed the complex issue of data collection in program evaluation. The researcher sought to understand the influences affecting the quality and utility of data in program evaluation. The data collection process was examined through a single case study of a bilingual education program located in California. Information for this study was obtained through open-ended interviews with project staff, classroom teachers, and external evaluators. Other sources of information included records, documents, a computer database, and electronic mail correspondence with program officers. The researcher used Non-numerical Unstructured Indexing Searching and Theory Building (NUD*IST) computer software to manipulate interview transcriptions, records and documents. Emerging from the data were key categories and themes that were presented in narrative form. The researcher found that data collection was grounded in the context in which it occurs and was therefore, highly dependent on program staff. Data collection requires willing, qualified staff with an understanding of technology, assessment, and evaluation methodology.

Выпускная квалификационная работа (магистерская диссертация) посвящена исследованию рынка инкассации в наличном денежном обороте. Предметом исследования выступают экономические отношения в области функционирования рынка инкассации. Целью магистерской диссертации является разработка комплексной концепции совершенствования инкассаторских услуг в условиях внутриотраслевой конкуренции на основе изучения теоретических и практических аспектов конкурентной среды на рынке инкассаторских услуг. В заключении обозначены рекомендации по совершенствованию деятельности служб инкассации. / Final qualifying work (master's thesis) is devoted to the study of the collection market in cash turnover. The subject of the study are the economic relations in the area of the functional of the collection market. The main purpose of the master's thesis is to develop a comprehensive concept for improving collection services in the context of intra-industry competition based on a study of theoretical and practical aspects of the competitive environment in the collection services market. In conclusion, recommendations are given to improve the performance of the collection service.

As the workplace has evolved over the past few years, several studies have documented perceived differences in personalities, values, and preferences between generations in the workplace, including in public accounting. In this study, I examine whether exposure to a negative preconceived belief about a staff auditor's generation (generational stereotype) influences the affective state of staff auditors and ultimately causes them to reduce the extent to which they communicate with a client manager to gather the necessary information to perform an audit adequately. I also investigate whether attribute affirmation from a work buddy helps elicit positive affect to mitigate the effects that exposure to negative generational stereotypes may have on audit evidence collection. I conducted a 2 x 2 experiment using graduate auditing students as a proxy for staff auditors. I find that general affect (i.e., mood) rather than interpersonal affect (i.e., likability), drives the negative effect of exposure to generational stereotypes on willingness to collect more audit evidence. I also find that high levels of negative mood can negatively impact participants' self-efficacy. I, however, failed to find evidence of a moderated mediation. The presence of an attribute affirmation results in an insignificant increase in positive affect. When staff auditors are exposed to a negative generational stereotype, attribute affirmation does not evoke enough positive affect to help auditors overcome the generational stereotype threat.