This research aimed to test the effectiveness of a new social-psychological intervention aimedat conflict resolution and intergroup reconciliation. It was set in a relevant post-conflictcontext exploring intergroup attitudes and relationships between Serbs and Albanians.Existing empirical evidence shows that intergroup conflict affects perceptions of groups ́morality which in turn, are important for peace-building efforts. Recent research has providedevidence demonstrating that learning about outgroup moral exemplars, a novel interventionaimed at challenging social beliefs about a relevant outgroup, can improve intergroupattitudes such as increased contact intentions, reconciliation beliefs and perceptions ofoutgroup morality. Nonetheless, it remains to be explored whether this intervention (learningabout outgroup moral exemplars) would be effective in contexts marked by prolongedintergroup animosities and what processes could explain the expected positive effects. Thisstudy (N=373) presents experimental data demonstrating that learning about outgroup moral(vs. neutral) exemplars induces moral elevation regarded as a positive emotion promotingmoral affiliate behaviour which in turn, is related to positive intergroup outcomes (such asprejudice reduction and approach behaviour). The present research confirms the effectivenessof the moral exemplar approach in regards to intergroup reconciliation processes. Moreover,in this paper we extend the current literature by demonstrating that moral elevation could be apsychological mechanism relevant for facilitation of positive intergroup outcomes in conflictsettings.

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii), a keystone species in western Washington, faces threats on plantations across this region from the invasive species Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link), whose invasions on recently established stands can lead to mortality of Douglas-fir through overtopping. The susceptibility of sites to Scotch broom achieving dominance over Douglas-fir has been demonstrated as highly site dependent, however the site conditions that cause this have not yet been identified. Scotch broom has a demonstrated average maximum height of 3m, thus, after Douglas-fir exceeds this height, its risk of being overtopped is significantly reduced. This thesis strives to identify sites that were at the greatest risk Douglas-fir being overtopped by Scotch broom by first, identifying what factors improved growth of Douglas-fir during the period when they are at the greatest risk, and second, identifying factors that led to Douglas-fir outcompeting Scotch broom on sites they cohabitated. In Chapter 1, we utilized LiDAR scans, Soil Survey Geographic Database characteristics, and management histories to identify conditions that improved growth for Douglas-fir in ages 3-8. Individual tree detection was used to measure Douglas-fir heights, and a correction algorithm for LiDAR measured young Douglas-fir heights was established from field validation data. We identified that young Douglas-fir had improved growth on sites with lower elevation, flatter slopes, and finer textured soils. The factors identified were then transformed into four potential site index models based on mean stand elevation class, Mean stand elevation class and clay class, textural class and slope class, and textural class and Mean stand elevation class. In Chapter 2, we used paired field plots to examine Douglas-fir and Scotch broom competition on 19 sites across western Washington. Each site had 2 plots with only Douglas-fir and 2 plots with Douglas-fir and Scotch broom. Elevation, soil texture, and soil nutrient composition for carbon, nitrogen and available phosphorous were examined for influence on height and growth rate of both species. We identified that Scotch broom presence was negatively related to Douglas-fir height growth and that sites with either higher percentages of silt, lower concentrations of phosphorous, or higher percentages of Carbon were more likely to have growth patterns close to or exceeding Scotch broom. / Master of Science / Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii) is a valuable timber species across western Washington that is commonly grown in plantations. In western Washington when Douglas-fir are planted on a site they often face competition from the invasive shrub Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link). When Scotch broom invasions occur on a recently planted Douglas-fir stands, they can cause death of the trees if Scotch broom plants grow taller than the young Douglas-fir and obstruct their access to light, a process called overtopping. The risk of Douglas-fir being overtopped has been shown to be dependent on location, however what causes a location to be at risk of overtopping is yet unknown. Scotch broom has a demonstrated average maximum height of 3m, thus, after Douglas-fir exceeds this height, its risk of being overtopped is significantly reduced. This study aims to identify sites that were at the greatest risk Douglas-fir being overtopped by Scotch broom by first, identifying what sites generate the best Douglas-fir growth when they are young and at risk of being overtopped, and second, identifying site characteristics led to Scotch broom growing faster than Douglas-fir on sites they both occur on. To identify sites that produced greater young Douglas-fir height growth we used publicly available soil data from the Soil Survey Geographic Database and company management histories to predict tree heights measured through aerial laser scanning (LiDAR). We found that sites with soil textures that had higher percentages of smaller particles, were on lower elevations, and had gentler hillslopes could all produce greater Douglas-fir height growth. When attempting to identify what causes Douglas-fir to be at risk of being overtopped by Scotch broom we used plots with and without Scotch broom on a variety of field sites. This allowed us to not only identify which characteristics of sites where Douglas-fir was being outgrown by Scotch broom, but also identify if Scotch broom was changing how Douglas-fir grew. We found that reductions in Douglas-fir growth were related to Scotch broom being present and that increases in soil silt percentages, decreases in soil phosphorus concentrations, and increases in soil carbon percentages were related to Douglas-fir having height growth closer to or exceeding that of scotch broom.

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Sammanfattning Syfte: Syftet med denna systematiska litteraturöversikt var att testa hypotesen att det inte är någon skillnad rörande lyckandefrekvensen gällande implantatbehandling vid sinuslyft med olika bentransplantatmaterial Material och metod: Studien baseras på sökningar i PubMed, Cochrane Library och Web of Science i kombination med en manuell granskning av relevanta publikationer. Inkluderade publikationer var prospektiva studier av ≥ 10 patienter och med en uppföljningstid på ≥ 1 år. Autologt bentransplantat från mandibel/maxilla, oorganiskt ben (Bio-Oss), en kombination av dessa två samt sinuslyft utan insättning av bentransplant utvärderades. Kvaliteten på varje publikation bedömas enligt kriterier baserade på en modifiering av STROBE-statment. Resultat: Sökningen resulterade i 818 titlar och 15 inkluderade publikationer relevanta enligt förutbestämda inklusionskriterier. En studie var en randomiserad kontrollerad studie (RCT) och en var en kontrollerad klinisk studie (CCT). De återstående 13 studierna var observationsstudier. Uppföljningen varierade mellan ett och nio år, och antalet patienter mellan 10 och 191. Sinuslyft utan insättning av bentransplantat hade en implantatöverlevnad på 97,7% -100% och studier rörande autologt bentransplantat 98,8%. Bio-Oss resulterade i 86,3% -98,1% överlevnad och en kombination av Bio-Oss och autologt ben resulterade i en överlevnad på 90,7%. Slutsats: Enligt denna undersökning fanns ingen skillnad i implantat överlevnad mellan de olika bentransplantaten. Beroende på studiernas karaktär behövs fler RCT och CCT studier, som analyserar implantatutfallet, involverar sinuslyft och olika bentransplantat rörande implantatöverlevnad och lyckandefrekvens. / AbstractAims: The objective was to test the hypothesis that there is no difference in implant treatment outcome using different bone graft material for sinus floor augmentation.Material and methods: This systematic review is based on searches in PubMed, the Cochrane Library and the Web of Science and a hand search of relevant publications. Autologous bone, anorganic bovine bone (Bio-Oss), a combination of these two and elevation of the Schneiderian membrane with no graft material was evaluated. The quality of each publication was assessed according to criteria based on the STROBE-statements.Results: The search provided 818 titles and 15 were found relevant according to the predetermined inclusion criteria. One study was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and one was a controlled clinical trial (CCT). The remaining 13 studies were observation studies. The follow-up time varied between one and nine years and the number of patients between 10 and 191. Studies on elevation of the Schneiderian membrane with no bone graft material reported an implant survival rate between 97.7% and100% and studies on only autologous bone graft material 98.8%. Bio-Oss as bone graft material resulted in 86.3%-98.1% survival rate and a combination of Bio-Oss and autologous bone graft resulted in a survival rate of 90.7%.Conclusion: There was no difference in implant outcome of the different bone graft material. More studies designed as RCT and CCT, which analyze the implant outcome involving sinus floor augmentation and different bone graft material are needed to improve evidence on survival and success rate.

Multipath error is a source of uncertainty within GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) where signals are reflected on various surfaces before they reach the receiver. The phenomenon causes a delay in the receiver when the reflected signal travels a longer distance than the direct one. Despite the fact that there is a good knowledge of the error, multipath effects are still a complex subject since its origin varies a lot. This has led to a number of different methods being developed for the purposes to distinguish and treat the error. The main goal of this study is to investigate the size and distribution of multipath errors and to present which satellites contributes to the most multipath effects meanwhile evaluating the existence of possible reflective objects. As a result, static measured coordinates are also analyzed against coordinates from a real-time measurement in order to study possible connections related to multipath errors. The study is based on observations measured over 16 points on the green area in front of house 45 at the University of Gävle. Furthermore, data processing and analysis are performed in the open software RTKlib with associated program extensions. The result of the study shows that multipath errors have an influence on GNSS-measurements over the survey area and that these errors vary in centimeters to a decimeter level in mean value and RMS for all points. Furthermore, it also appears from the study that satellites that are at higher elevation also emit signals containing multipath errors. In addition, it may be noted that signals even at higher elevation masks contribute to multipath errors over the points where points 2, 3 and 12 are most affected. Furthermore, signals from the satellites R10, R11, R19, R20 and G15 contain high multipath on both L1 and L2 frequencies. Possible sources of reflections was estimated over the area for points 2, 3 and 12 from the correlation between high multipath errors and direction towards the investigation area. / Flervägsfel är en osäkerhetskälla inom GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) där signalerna reflekteras innan de når mottagaren. Fenomenet orsakar en fördröjning hos mottagaren då den reflekterade signalen färdas en längre sträcka än den direkta. Trots att det idag finns en god kännedom kring felkällan är flervägsfel fortsatt komplex eftersom dess ursprung är väldigt varierande. Detta har medfört att en rad olika metoder tagits fram för experimentella ändamål inom området. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka storlek och fördelning av flervägsfel samt visa på vilka satelliter som bidrar mest till effekterna av felkällan samtidigt som eventuella reflekterande objekt utvärderas. I följd av detta analyseras även efterberäknade koordinater mot koordinater från en realtidsmätning för att om möjligt kunna studera eventuella samband relaterat till flervägsfel. Studien grundar sig på observationer mätta med statisk metod över 16 punkter på gräsytan framför hus 45 vid Högskolan i Gävle. Vidare utförs databehandling och analyser i den öppna programvaran RTKlib med tillhörande programtillägg. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att flervägsfel har en påverkan på GNSS-mätningar över undersökningsområdet och att dessa fel varierar på centimeter till decimeternivå i medelvärde och RMS för samtliga punkter. Vidare framgår det också av undersökningen att satelliter som befinner sig vid högre elevationsmask också avger signaler innehållande flervägsfel. Som slutsats kan det konstateras att signaler även vid högre elevationsmask bidrar till flervägsfel över punkterna där punkterna 2, 3 och 12 är högst påverkade. Vidare innehåller signaler från satelliterna R10, R11, R19, R20 och G15 högt flervägsfel på både L1 och L2 frekvensen. Möjliga reflektionsobjekt uppskattades över området för punkterna 2, 3 och 12 från sambandet mellan högt flervägsfel samt riktning mot undersökningsområdet.

The timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) is a forest dwelling terrestrial pit viper that utilizes several types of habitat within the forest environment. One type of habitat crucial to the species' survival in mountainous regions and at more northern latitudes is basking habitat, which typically is an exposed rocky area used by gravid females for gestation, and by other timber rattlesnakes for shedding, mating, and digesting. Understanding the range of the timber rattlesnake in Virginia will enable biologists and land managers to better manage the landscape in a way conducive to the survival and persistence of timber rattlesnakes. To improve our ability to identify and locate areas potentially containing timber rattlesnake basking habitat, I used 5 landscape-level habitat variables with logistic regression and geographic information systems (GIS) to model and map areas of western Virginia potentially containing timber rattlesnake basking habitat. Models were ranked using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) and were crossvalidated using the methods of Fielding and Bell (1997). Aspect, slope, elevation, landform index, and percentage of forest cover values were derived using GIS for 217 known basking sites in western Virginia. I then used data derived for the 217 known basking sites to create 22 a priori models. The best model used the variables of aspect, slope, landform index and percentage of forest cover. When I crossvalidated the top model, the kappa value, a measure of the proportion of specific agreement, and was 0.804. During field tests the predictive model was used to find timber rattlesnakes at 3 of 15 (20%) of the test sites in the Goshen Wildlife Management Area in southwestern Virginia. My predictive model has proven to be an effective tool that could be used by biologists and land managers to locate and protect timber rattlesnake basking habitat. The historic and current ranges for the timber rattlesnake in Virginia were determined using literature records, database records, place names, personal interviews, and site surveys. Historically, the timber rattlesnake ranged over the entire state. Currently, the timber rattlesnake is restricted to the mountainous regions of Virginia (not including the coastal plain population of the timber rattlesnake). The biology of Crotalus horridus and regulations and management practices used by other states within the range of the species were used to create a set of management recommendations to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. These recommendations include implementing (1) a no-take regulation, (2) enhanced public education, and (3) protection of critical habitat and location of new populations. / Master of Science