Unlike in laboratory compacted asphalt mixtures, the distribution of viscoelastic properties in field layers is not uniform because of nonuniform air void distribution and aging. Therefore, characterization of field specimens is more challenging compared to that of laboratory compacted specimens. Formerly, characterization of field asphalt mixtures was based on binder tests which are useful but do not represent the properties of the asphalt mixtures because binder is only a component in the asphalt mixture. This study uses linear viscoelastic theory and numerical modeling to obtain the undamaged and damaged viscoelastic properties of both laboratory made and field compacted asphalt concrete. Additionally, it uses fracture mechanics principles to find the fracture and healing properties of aged asphalt specimens. The analytical models presented in this research have been successfully verified by testing the actual field specimens of different ages. The model developed in this dissertation is suitable to track the viscoelastic, fracture and healing properties of the field specimen with time and depth. The test protocols and analytical models described in this study can be used for the development of reliable performance models for field-aged asphalt layers.

A star graph consists of a vertex to which a set of edges are connected. Such an object can be used to, among other things, model the electromagnetic properties of quantum wires. A scalar field theory is constructed on the star graph and its properties are investigated. It turns out that there exist Kirchoff's rules for the conserved charges in the system leading to restrictions of the possible type of boundary conditions at the vertex. Scale invariant boundary conditions are investigated in detail. / En stjärngraf består av en nod på vilken vilken ett antal kanter är anslutna. Ett sådant objekt kan bland annat användas till att modellera de elektromagnetiska egenskaperna hos kvanttrådar. En skalärfältsteori konstrueras på stjärngrafen och dess egenskaper undersöks. Det visar sig att det exisisterar en typ av Kirchoffs lagar för de konserverade laddningarna i systemet. Detta leder till restriktioner på vilka randvillkor som är möjliga vid noden. Skalinvarianta randvillkor undersöks i detalj.

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Abstract ________________________________________________________________ Författare/Author Richard Tähtinen Titel/Title Youth hockey from a coach perspective. A qualitative study about coaches´ appreciations concerning youth hockey The aim with this study is to strengthen the knowledge about coaches´ appreciations concerning youth hockey. This study contains interviews with three leaders that operate on the strategic level within youth hockey and three coaches working with youth players in the ages of 11 and 12. I have divided my main results into 4 categories, based on an earlier study from Karin Redelius (2002). These categories include the following themes: 1) Competition on the good and the bad 2) The importance of winning 3) Shake-out versus sports on children’s terms 4) Instruction, play and learning The main conclusions in this study show that leaders on the strategic level appreciate youth hockey in a very similar way. Coaches´ appreciations vary on a much higher level both from each other and from the appreciations expressed by the leaders. One of the coaches recon that winning is very important and gives the coach assurance of a job well done. The leaders note that one of the biggest mistakes a coach in youth hockey can make is to concentrate on the result and therefore estimate his/hers coaching capabilities depending on the amount of wins. Thus will this result fixation lead to unwanted behavior by the coaches´. Some of the coaches´ believe that shake-out of youth players within ice hockey is the result of the sport interests carried by the parents. Some believe that it is the lack of resources that lead to drop-out from youth hockey. The coaches in this study believe that the athletic environment within youth ice hockey doesn’t differ from other team sports. They do point out that youth hockey players spend more time in the locker-room than players in other team sports.

This work provides first and second-order expressions to approximate neighboring solutions to the m-point boundary value problem. Multi-point problems arise in optimal control because of interior constraints or switching dynamics. Many problems have this form, and so this work fills a void in the study of extremal fields and neighboring optimal control of constrained systems. Only first and second-order terms are written down, but the approach is systematic and higher order expressions can be found similarly. The constraints and their parameters define an extremal field because any solution to the problem must satisfy the constraints. The approach is to build a Taylor series using constraint differentials, state differentials, and state variations. The differential is key to these developments, and it is a unifying element in the optimization of points, optimal control, and neighboring optimal control. The method is demonstrated on several types of problems including lunar descent, which has nonlinear dynamics, bounded thrust, and free final time. The control structure is bang-off-bang, and the method successfully approximates the unknown initial conditions, switch times, and final time. Compared to indirect shooting, computation time decreases by about three orders of magnitude.

This study proposes a new, easily applied method to quantify uncertainty in production forecasts for a volumetric gas reservoir based on a material balance model (p/z vs. Gp). The new method uses only observed data and mismatches between regression values and observed values to identify the most probable value of gas reserves. The method also provides the range of probability of values of reserves from the minimum to the maximum likely value. The method is applicable even when only limited information is available from a field. Previous methods suggested in the literature require more information than our new method. Quantifying uncertainty in reserves estimation is becoming increasingly important in the petroleum industry. Many current investment opportunities in reservoir development require large investments, many in harsh exploration environments, with intensive technology requirements and possibly marginal investment indicators. Our method of quantifying uncertainty uses a priori information, which could come from different sources, typically from geological data, used to build a static or prior reservoir model. Additionally, we propose a method to determine the uncertainty in our reserves estimate at any stage in the life of the reservoir for which pressure-production data are available. We applied our method to San Juan reservoir at Santa Rosa Field, Venezuela. This field was ideal for this study because it is a volumetric reservoir for which the material balance method, the p/z vs. Gp plot, appears to be appropriate.

Drug-manufacture field can be broadly defined as one of biology industries, its strength or weakness is certainly close to people¡¦s daily lives. Even through the market size is slightly related to global markget in drug manufacturing, its development is closely related to domestically whole biology industry. Hence, the drug manufacture field in Taiwan was targeted in this thesis, and subjected to customer satisfactory as the reference for further upgrading and promoting. Besides, I have been inheriting my family company for servral years, so hope to understand the factors which affect on customer satisfactory where are beneficial for future operation through this research. The primary data were collected with questionnaires which were delivered to the customers of H Company. They are divided into 3 areas (northern, middle & southern of Taiwan), and five drugstores were chosen in each area. 150 copies were scheduled to be delivered, however, 251 effective copies were returned back (return rate is 87.75%). After independent T test, Chi-test and ANOVA, we conclude as followed, First, in the aspects of the results of factors among top 5 products, only both resident area and educational background can influence on comsumption of different products. Different products can be delivered based on different area to rise up the revenue amounts. Second, of aspects of product repurchasement, gender, resident area and educational background, the three factors will influence on times of product purchasement. Third, likewise, only both resident area and educational background can influence on different channels.Relatively speaking, most of customers are introduced by broadcasting in Middle-southern of Taiwan, and the percentages of poor-educated people are higher among them. Forth, of aspects of the affective factors of customer satisfactory, only resident area resulted in diversifications in customer satisfactory. To be further analyzed, north and middle customers do not differ, but the south of customer satisfactory is significantly higher than the former. Those cutomer satisfactories are independent among different products and channels after ANOVA analysis.

<p>Abstract</p><p>________________________________________________________________</p><p>Författare/Author Richard Tähtinen</p><p>Titel/Title Youth hockey from a coach perspective. A qualitative study about coaches´</p><p>appreciations concerning youth hockey</p><p>The aim with this study is to strengthen the knowledge about coaches´ appreciations</p><p>concerning youth hockey. This study contains interviews with three leaders that operate on</p><p>the strategic level within youth hockey and three coaches working with youth players in the</p><p>ages of 11 and 12. I have divided my main results into 4 categories, based on an earlier study</p><p>from Karin Redelius (2002). These categories include the following themes:</p><p>1) Competition on the good and the bad</p><p>2) The importance of winning</p><p>3) Shake-out versus sports on children’s terms</p><p>4) Instruction, play and learning</p><p>The main conclusions in this study show that leaders on the strategic level appreciate youth</p><p>hockey in a very similar way. Coaches´ appreciations vary on a much higher level both from</p><p>each other and from the appreciations expressed by the leaders. One of the coaches recon that</p><p>winning is very important and gives the coach assurance of a job well done. The leaders note</p><p>that one of the biggest mistakes a coach in youth hockey can make is to concentrate on the</p><p>result and therefore estimate his/hers coaching capabilities depending on the amount of wins.</p><p>Thus will this result fixation lead to unwanted behavior by the coaches´. Some of the coaches´</p><p>believe that shake-out of youth players within ice hockey is the result of the sport interests</p><p>carried by the parents. Some believe that it is the lack of resources that lead to drop-out from</p><p>youth hockey. The coaches in this study believe that the athletic environment within youth ice</p><p>hockey doesn’t differ from other team sports. They do point out that youth hockey players</p><p>spend more time in the locker-room than players in other team sports.</p>

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Jorge Piekarewicz, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Physics. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 15, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.