Depressions in the prairie pothole region (PPR) are commonly referred to as sloughs and were formed during the most recent glacial retreat, ~10-17 kyrs ago. They are hydrologically isolated, as they are not permanently connected by surface inflow or outflow channels. Extreme thunderstorms are common across the prairies and the hydrologic response of isolated wetlands to intense rainfall events is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to compare the response of different landscape/ecological elements of a prairie wetland to snowmelt and extreme rainstorms. Comparisons were completed by investigating the spring snowmelts of 2005 and 2006 and the rainstorm event of June 17 - 18, 2005, in which 103 mm fell at the St. Denis National Wildlife Area (NWA) Saskatchewan, Canada (106°06'W, 52°02'N). The wetland was separated into five landscape positions, the pond center (PC), grassed edge (GE), tree ring (TR), convex upland (CXU), and concave upland (CVU). Comparison of the rainfall of June 17 18, 2005 with the spring snowmelts of 2005 and 2006 indicates that the hydrologic consequences of these different events are similar. Overland flow, substantial ponding in lowlands, and recharge of the groundwater occur in both cases. Analysis of this intense rainfall has provided evidence that common, intense rainstorms are hydrologically equivalent to the annual spring snowmelt, the major source of water for closed catchments in the PPR.

Aim: To examine the reaction of extreme preterm infants with regarding to body temperature and transepidermal water loss during skin-to-skin care according to Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) during the infant’s first week of life. Method: This was a descriptive quantitatively designed study, which was a pilot study within the framework of a larger project. Nine children, with a median gestational age of 24.91 weeks, were examined by measuring body temperature (axilla and skin temperature) as well as transepidermal water loss before, during and after KMC. Results: The study showed that skin temperature tended to rise during KMC, especially for those children who were nursed with KMC for more than 60 minutes. Eight out of nine children had, after completing KMC, a normal axilla temperature. As was expected, transepidermal water loss was elevated when measured both pre and post test. Despite this, the children showed normal body temperature. Conclusion: The results of the study support that KMC can create a micro-climate that, for at least one hour, makes it possible for even extreme preterm infants to maintain a body temperature within the normal range during their first week of life.

The prime objective of this thesis is to grasp the terms of continuity and discontinuity between classical fascism and the contemporary extreme right in Western Europe. With respect to a hypothetical ideal type of fascism, the study will exclusively focus on French Front National case and try to unveil its historical and ideological linkages to the fascist rules in Italy and Germany during the inter-war years. While doing this, the transformation (if any) which certain elements of the extreme right rhetoric went through, will also be examined.

Grazing incidence pumping (GRIP) is a scheme to produce x-ray lasers and extreme ultraviolet lithography is a means of lithographic production which requires soft x-rays with a bandwidth of 2% centred at 13,5 nm. In this work firstly a grazing incidence pumping of Ni-like Mo and Ne-like Ti x-ray laser media were simulated by using EHYBRID and a post-processor code coupled to it. The required atomic data were obtained from the Cowan code. Besides, the timing issue needed for amplification purpose in a Ti:Sapphire laser system has been described theoretically. Afterwards, in order to produce soft x-ray lasers for extreme ultraviolet lithographic applications, emission of soft x-rays in the 2% bandwidth centred at 13.5 nm emitted from Sn XII and Sn XIII ions were simulated by using the EHYBRID code for a laser operating at 1064 nm with 1 J of pulse energy and 6 ns of pulse duration. The intensity range that has been investigated is between 1-5 x 1012 W/cm2. Ion fractions of tin ions and line intensities corresponding to different electron temperatures were calculated by using the collisional radiative code NeF.

The objective of this work is to investigate the performance of SiGe HBTs and scaled CMOS devices in extreme environments. In this work, the inverse mode operation of SiGe HBTs is investigated as a potential solution to the vulnerability of SiGe HBTs to single event effects. The performance limitations of SiGe HBTs operating in inverse mode are investigated through an examination of the effects of scaling on inverse mode performance and optimization schemes for inverse mode performance enhancements are discussed and demonstrated. In addition the performance of scaled MOSFETs, that constitute the digital backbone of any BiCMOS technology, is investigated under radiation exposure and cryogenic temperatures. Extreme environments and their effects on semiconductor devices are introduced in Chapter 1. The immunity of 90nm MOSFETs to total ionizing dose damage under proton radiation is demonstrated. Inverse mode operation of SiGe HBTs is introduced in Chapter 2 as a potential radiation hard solution by design. The effect of scaling on inverse mode performance of SiGe HBTs is investigated and the performance limitations in inverse mode are identified. Optimization schemes for improving inverse mode performance of SiGe HBTs are discussed in Chapter 3. Inverse mode performance enhancement is demonstrated experimentally in optimized device structures manufactured in a commercial third generation SiGe HBT BiCMOS platform. Further, a cascode device structure, the combines the radiation immunity of an inverse mode structure with the performance of a forward mode common emitter device is XIV discussed. Finally, idealized doping profiles for inverse mode performance enhancement is discussed through TCAD simulations. The cryogenic performance of inverse mode SiGe HBTs are discussed in Chapter 4. A novel base current behavior at cryogenic temperature is identified and its effect on the inverse mode performance is discussed. Matching performance of a 90nm bulk CMOS technology at cryogenic temperatures is investigated experimentally and through TCAD simulations in Chapter 5. The effect of various process parameters on the temperature sensitivity of threshold voltage mismatch is discussed. The potential increase of mismatch in subthreshold MOSFETs operating in cryogenic temperatures due to hot carrier effects is also investigated.

<p>Litteratur inom systemutvecklingsområdet visar behov av nya snabbare systemutvecklingsmetoder. Orsaken är komplexiteten både i systemutvecklings</p><p>projekten och i organisationer, där systemutveckling sker. Nu föredras små projekt, som omfattar färre än tio deltagare och genomförs på mindre än ett år. De traditionella systemutvecklingsmetoder anses vara lämpliga för stora projekt. Det finns nya systemutvecklingsmetoder, som får benämningen dynamiska metoder, för små projekt. I detta examensarbete studeras faktorer för två dynamiska metoder som gör dem lämpliga för små projekt. De två dynamiska metoderna som kommer att studeras är Extreme Programming och en specifik dokumenterad anpassning av RUP.</p><p>Syftet med detta examensarbete är att studera metoddokumentationen för två dynamiska metoder för att reda ut i vilken utsträckning de passar för små projekt. Ett ytterligare syfte är att genom analys av andras erfarenheter om tillämpningar av de två metoderna redogöra för det som styrker argumenten om deras lämplighet för små projekt.</p><p>För att besvara frågeställningen studerades litteratur och ett antal artiklar. Två telefonintervjuer genomfördes också för att besvara en av de två delfrågorna, som tillsammans utgör frågeställningen för denna studie. Resultatet visar att den specifikt dokumenterade anpassade RUP inte följer alla aspekter för små projekt. Däremot följer Extreme Programming alla de aspekterna.</p>

<p>Allt sedan 1960-talet har det utvecklats så många systemutvecklingsmetoder att det kan vara svårt, som systemutvecklare, att välja rätt metod till det utvecklingsprojekt som ska genomföras. För att underlätta valet av systemutvecklingsmetod kan ett jämförelseramverk vara användbart. Detta för att lättare kunna sätta sig in i de utvecklingsmetoder som finns till hands att välja mellan.</p><p>Denna rapport fokuserar på att jämföra systemutvecklingsmetoden eXtreme Programming med Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) och Rational Unified Process (RUP). Detta görs med hjälp av ett jämförelseramverk. Syftet är att erhålla en djupare kunskap om vad eXtreme Programming är för en typ av systemutvecklingsmetod och vad den har att erbjuda som de mer etablerade metoderna, SSADM och RUP, inte kan erbjuda och vise versa.</p><p>Resultatet av rapporten är ett jämförelseramverk som kan användas på ett strukturerat sätt för att erhålla information om systemutvecklingsmetoder. Vidare erhåller läsaren en djupare kunskap om en relativt ny systemutvecklingsmetod eXtreme Programming.</p>

<p>The work presented in this thesis studies the load and loadeffects of traffic loads on railway bridges. The increasedknowledge of the traffic loads, simulated using fieldmeasurements of actual trains, are employed in a reliabilityanalysis in an attempt at upgrading existing railwaybridges.</p><p>The study utilises data from a weigh-in-motion site whichrecords, for each train, the train speed, the loads from eachaxle and the axle spacings. This data of actual trainconfigurations and axle loads are portrayed as moving forcesand then used in computer simulations of trains crossing twodimensional simply supported bridges at constant speed. Onlysingle track short to medium span bridges are considered in thethesis. The studied load effect is the moment at mid-span. Fromthe computer simulations the moment history at mid-span isobtained.</p><p>The load effects are analysed by two methods, the first isthe classical extreme value theory where the load effect ismodelled by the family of distributions called the generalisedextreme value distribution (GEV). The other method adopts thepeaks-over-threshold method (POT) where the limiting family ofdistributions for the heights to peaks-over-threshold is theGeneralised Pareto Distribution (GPD). The two models aregenerally found to be a good representation of the data.</p><p>The load effects modelled by either the GEV or the GPD arethen incorporated into a reliability analysis in order to studythe possibility of raising allowable axle loads on existingSwedish railway bridges. The results of the reliabilityanalysis show that they are sensitive to the estimation of theshape parameter of the GEV or the GPD.</p><p>While the study is limited to the case of the ultimate limitstate where the effects of fatigue are not accounted for, thefindings show that for the studied cases an increase inallowable axle load to 25 tonnes would be acceptable even forbridges built to the standards of 1940 and designed to LoadModel A of that standard. Even an increase to both 27.5 and 30tonnes appears to be possible for certain cases. It is alsoobserved that the short span bridges ofapproximately fourmetres are the most susceptible to a proposed increase inpermissible axle load.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>bridge, rail, traffic load, load effect,dynamic amplification factor, extreme value theory,peaks-over-threshold, reliability theory, axle loads, fielddata.</p>

<p>The first part of this thesis studies tail probabilities forelliptical distributions and probabilities of extreme eventsfor multivariate stochastic processes. It is assumed that thetails of the probability distributions satisfy a regularvariation condition. This means, roughly speaking, that thereis a non-negligible probability for very large or extremeoutcomes to occur. Such models are useful in applicationsincluding insurance, finance and telecommunications networks.It is shown how regular variation of the marginals, or theincrements, of a stochastic process implies regular variationof functionals of the process. Moreover, the associated tailbehavior in terms of a limit measure is derived.</p><p>The second part of the thesis studies problems related toparameter estimation in stochastic models with long memory.Emphasis is on the estimation of the drift parameter in somestochastic differential equations driven by the fractionalBrownian motion or more generally Volterra-type processes.Observing the process continuously, the maximum likelihoodestimator is derived using a Girsanov transformation. In thecase of discrete observations the study is carried out for theparticular case of the fractional Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process.For this model Whittle’s approach is applied to derive anestimator for all unknown parameters.</p>

<p>To assure good quality the software needs to be tested to find errors and to verify that the programme meets the customer’s expectations. Traditional methods are usually used in software development and means that a number of predetermined steps are followed. By using agile methods the development can more easily be adapted to the changes on the market. With these methods the testing is carried out continuously throughout the project. This may affect both developers and testers in different ways. Most studies focus on how agile methods affect developers but there are no studies on how testers are affected by these methods. The purpose of this master thesis is therefore to study how the testers are affected when adopting the agile methods.</p><p>The study was based on a theoretical and an empirical study consisting of interviews. These studies indicate five areas to investigate further, these areas were: test process, collaboration and communication, psychological effects, exchange of knowledge and education. After contacting a number of interviewees a decision was made to only study the agile methods Extreme programming and Scrum. Interviews were carried out at six different companies, where all interviewees had experience of testing in agile projects. The questions were open-ended questions and the answers were compiled to be compared with the theory in an analysis.</p><p>The result showed that tests are carried out early and continuously throughout the entire development process. Since the testing is carried out parallel to the development the tester gains a better understanding for the product and there is a smaller risk for unnecessary tests to be written. The documentation produced during the test process is not affected by the agile methods but is rather dependent on other factors. These factors could be demands or the company’s business area. Collaboration and communication between testers and developers is improved since they are sitting together and have daily meetings. This also results in an increased exchange of knowledge within the team and that the team members are more informed about each others work. The result also showed that agile methods have psychological effects on the tester. Since the tester often has a unique role in the team the feeling of loneliness is larger and the opportunities to discuss tests are less than if there would have been other testers in the team. The role as a tester means to work independently with both developers and product owners to satisfy the interests of both sides. Finally, the study showed that the team needs an education when adopting agile methods to make sure that all team members have the same understanding of the methods.</p> / <p>För att kunna säkerställa god kvalité på mjukvara krävs att den testas för att hitta fel och visa att programmet uppfyller kundens förväntningar. Vanligen sker mjukvaruutveckling enligt så kallade traditionella metoder som innebär att ett antal förutbestämda steg följs. För att kunna anpassa mjukvaruutvecklingen efter förändringar som ständigt uppstår på marknaden används i stället agila metoder. Dessa metoder innebär bland annat att testningen sker parallellt med utvecklingen vilket kan komma att påverka utvecklarna och testarna på flera olika sätt. De flesta studier kring agila metoders påverkan fokuserar på utvecklarna och studier som visar hur testarna påverkas saknas. Syftet med examensarbetet var därför att undersöka hur testarna påverkas av införandet av agila metoder.</p><p>Undersökningen baserades på teoristudier och en empirisk studie bestående av intervjuer. Dessa studier visade på fem områden att undersöka närmare, dessa var: testprocessen, samarbete och kommunikation, psykologiska effekter, kunskapsutbyte samt utbildning. Efter kontakt med ett antal intervjuobjekt beslöts att avgränsa studien till att endast studera de agila metoderna Extreme programming och Scrum. Personer från sex olika företag intervjuades, där alla intervjuobjekt hade erfarenhet av test inom agila projekt. Intervjufrågorna var fasta med öppna svarsalternativ och svaren sammanställdes sedan för att, i en analys, jämföras med den teoretiska bakgrunden.</p><p>Resultatet visade att testaren utför tester tidigt och kontinuerligt genom hela utvecklingsprocessen. Genom att testningen sker parallellt med utvecklingen får testaren en ökad förståelse för produkten och risken minskar för att onödiga tester skrivs. Dokumentationen som produceras under testprocessen påverkas inte av de agila metoderna utan beror i stället på andra faktorer. Dessa faktorer kan vara efterfrågan eller vilken bransch företaget är verksam i. Samarbete och kommunikation mellan testare och utvecklare förbättras då de sitter tillsammans och har dagliga möten. Detta leder även till att kunskapsutbytet inom teamet ökar och att teammedlemmarna blir mer insatta i varandras arbeten. Resultatet visade även att agila metoder har vissa psykologiska effekter på testaren. Eftersom testaren oftast har en unik roll i teamet känner denne i större grad ensamhet i sitt arbete och tillfällena att diskutera test blir färre än om det hade varit fler testare i teamet. Rollen som testare innebär att arbeta oberoende med både utvecklare och produktägare samtidigt som båda parter ska bli nöjda. Slutligen visade undersökningen att teamet behöver utbildning vid införandet av agila metoder. Utbildningen ska ge en korrekt bild av metoderna för att alla i teamet ska få samma syn på dessa.</p>