>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The Saldania Belt in southern Africa, a product of the Pan-African Saldanian Orogeny, forms part of a system of Neoproterozoic mobile belts that border and weld older cratons on the African continent. It is a low-grade orogenic belt situated along the southwestern margin of the Kalahari Craton and is composed of several inliers of greenschist facies metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks (Malmesbury Group), unroofed in megaanticlinal hinges of the Permo-Triassic Cape Fold Belt. The Malmesbury Group rocks were syn- and post-tectonically intruded in a pervasive transpressive regime between 555 Ma and 515 Ma by Neoproterozoic to early Cambrian S-, I- and A-type granites, monzodiorites, gabbros and quartz syenites, which collectively constitute the rocks of the Cape Granite Suite (CGS). Along the south-western coastline of South Africa, the Saldanha Bay Volcanic Complex (which forms part of the CGS) is divided into two eruption centres both of which have been identified as “intra-caldera pyroclastic ignimbrites”. The Postberg eruption centre is situated to the south of the Saldanha Bay entrance and the Saldanha eruption centre is situated to the north of the entrance. Both eruption centres display distinct geochemical signatures, the most apparent being the greater TiO2 concentrations (> 0.25 wt. %) of the Saldanha centre ignimbrites when compared to its Postberg centre counterparts. The Postberg eruption centre consists of S-type rhyolitic ignimbrites which are subdivided into the two geochemically distinct Plankiesbaai and Tsaarsbank Ignimbrites. Small amounts of the Jacobs Bay and Saldanha Ignimbrites (less felsic tephra from the Saldanha eruption centre) are also present in the Postberg eruption centre. A robust geochemical analysis of both the Plankiesbaai and Tsaarsbank magma groups display high SiO2 content (>76 wt. %), a lack of variation in TiO2 and Zr, high Al2O3 and ASI (aluminium saturation index) values (> 1.0 and generally >1.1 which, on average, is higher than the Saldanha eruption centre ignimbrites), low CaO and Na2O, and a highly ferroan character. The Plankiesbaai ignimbrite also display lower #Mg concentration compared to the Tsaarsbank ignimbrite. Typical geochemical trends in the Postberg eruption centre include the lack of variation in Zr content, higher Rb content and lower Sr, Ba, V and Zn concentrations when compared to the tephra of the Saldanha eruption centre found in the Postberg area.

Aeration issued through a ventilation shaft is an important measure to prevent cavitation and large gauge pressure in flood discharge tunnels. In order to dimension the ventilation shaft appropriately, itis necessary to have a good understanding of the air-water flow in the tunnel. In this study, the multiphase flow through a discharge tunnel was simulated in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software ANSYS Fluent. Since the flow was separated, the simulation setup used the volume of fluid (VOF) multiphase model, that could track the water surface. Furthermore, the so called RNG k-epsilon turbulence model was used. The CFD model was validated with measured data provided from two open channel experiments carried out on a scaled model at Sichuan University. To ensure mesh independence, grid convergence index (GCI)studies were performed for the two validating cases. After the validation, a top wall and a ventilation shaft was added to the CFD model. The flow was then simulated for four different shaft designs and four different water inlet velocities. The air demand and air supply for the various scenarios could thereby be calculated. The results of this study were also compared with previous research on multiphase flow through tunnels with similar design. It was concluded that the air flow downstream in the tunnel converged for the two larger designs. It was also concluded that the air demand in the tunnel was satisfied for the larger ventilation shafts. A smaller study on cavitation was made and the risk was considered non-existent for all the simulated cases.

One of the main reasons to why a membership in the European Union (EU) is so attractive for prospect countries are the free trade agreements the membership entails. The free trade agreements mean that the whole EU opens up as one big market, where tariffs and tolls are no longer an obstacle to trade for its members. Therefore, this thesis analyses whether EU membership actually yields a positive effect on member’s trade. The time series analysis is based on a three-country sample consisting of Poland, Romania, and Croatia during the time period from 2001 to 2018. By applying multiple and Chow’s breakpoint tests, and country-wise and a pooled cross-section analysis model, we examine if the accession to EU impacts each country’s trade volumes. The results indicate that becoming a member of the European Union does not necessarily have a significant effect on Poland’s, Romania’s, or Croatia’s trade even if it is positive.

Background: In today's competitive and dynamic market, companies are trying to find new ways of changing their warehousing and logistics operations to increase the value for customers. Inbound and outbound logistics flows are key channels within warehouses as these encompass activities such as planning and scheduling which align with the flow of goods between enterprises and external associates, i.e. suppliers and customers. Due to the complexity of the logistics operations, the planning of both flows is dealt with separately. In this thesis the CPFR business model will be reconstructed and combined with lean tools in all four phases to achieve the potential enablers.   Purpose: The overarching purpose is to analyze the potential enablers of implementing a reconstructed CPFR business model with the application of lean principles to enhance inbound and outbound logistics flows.   Method: This thesis has conducted a single embedded case study at Dagab Inköp & Logistik. Empirical data has been collected primarily through semi-structured interviews with employees within the organization and Snabbgross, which is wholesale company within the corporation. Respondents that participated had different positions such as operational purchaser, forecast specialist, transportation engineer, and warehouse manager.   Conclusion: This study has distinguished enablers of lean tools and its impact on organisations. Lean is essential to integrate in the CPFR business model in order to ensure enhancement within in- and outbound logistics flows. It has been highlighted that is of importance to integrate lean tools in all four phases of the CPFR model.

Electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream today and information and communications technology (ICT) equipment make up a significant portion of all the electronics put on market. Due to the valuable, rare, and toxic material content of ICT equipment, their disposal requires proper treatment to ensure materials are recovered and harm to the surrounding environment and nearby residents is avoided. As a tool used to identify the impacts resulting from a product, life cycle assessment (LCA) requires details around the processes performed during each stage of a product’s life. LCA studies on ICT waste often assume that discarded equipment is fully recycled under formal conditions. This study investigates current ICT waste treatment practices and proposes a more reasonable end-of-life treatment scenario for use in future LCA work. The volume of ICT waste generated in each country is estimated according to reported mobile phone subscription counts, and treatment flows are investigated for the countries identified as generating the most waste in each region. National results are then aggregated to estimate regional and global end-of-life treatment scenarios. The research indicates that developed countries properly recycle the majority of the ICT waste that is collected and treated domestically; the United States is an exception as a majority of ICT waste generated there is discarded to landfills. Developing countries tend to recycle a majority of electronic waste in informal sectors where a lack of technology and limited enforcement of regulations result in harmful waste processing activities. Waste is also exported from developed countries for treatment in developing countries. The proposed global end-of-life treatment scenario is 19% of ICT waste is recycled under formal conditions, 64% is recycled using informal methods, and the remaining 17% is discarded in landfills. Due to a lack of uncertainty, there is a clear need for more research regarding the treatment of ICT waste, especially in regards to B2B waste and export flows. A sensitivity analysis to determine the overall impact these results may have when applied to an LCA study is recommended.

I produktionen för ett byggnadsprojekt krävs ett optimalt produktionsflöde för att uppnå bästa ekonomiska och kvalitetsmässiga resultat. Dock uppstår problem i produktionen som leder till ett försämrat produktionsflöde som resulterar i kostnadsökningar och en förlängd byggtid. Målet med detta arbete var att identifiera de problem som uppstår i produktionen för att sedan utvärdera och analysera möjliga åtgärdsförslag på dessa problem. Arbetet har genomförts på uppdrag av företaget X där undersökningar har utförts vid deras projekt Y, som också ligger till grund för resultatet.  Genom insamlad information från intervjuer, litteraturstudier och en enkätundersökning har problem och möjliga åtgärder identifierats. Det har arbetats fram åtta åtgärdsförslag som har analyserats och utvärderats med hänsyn till den insamlade informationen. Fyra av åtgärdsförslagen har ytterligare analyserats och utvärderats på ett djupgående sätt genom kostnadsberäkningar, för att utvärdera den ekonomiska lönsamheten för dessa.   Resultatet av examensarbetet visar att flera av de åtgärdsförslag som utvärderats medför ett positivt resultat, där arbeten utanför ordinarie arbetstid medför den största kostnadsbesparingen. Det framgår även att uppförande av extra antal bygghissar inte medför ett lönsamt resultat. Slutsatsen av arbetet är att de bäst lämpade åtgärdsförslagen bör vara införande av överlappstider vid raster, för att undvika väntetider på bygghissar och inbärning av material utanför ordinarie arbetstid, för att reducera spilltiden under den ordinarie arbetstiden.  Dessa förslag går att införa med små åtgärder till skillnad från införande av arbete utanför ordinarie arbetstid som kräver en större åtgärd. En rekommendation till företaget är att vidare analysera de åtgärdsförslag som det inte genomförts kostnadsberäkningar för. Utifrån en analys av dessa åtgärdsförslag bör det kunna konstateras att fler detaljerade arbetsberedningar, en ökad mängd erfarenhetsåterföringar och deltagande av underentreprenörer och lagbasar vid ett tidigare skede i projektet kan bidra till ytterligare förbättringar av produktionsflödet. / In the production of a construction project an optimal production flow is required in order to achieve the best economic and quality results. However, problems arise in the production which leads to a decreased production flow that causes increased costs and an extended construction period. The purpose of this work was to identify the problems that occur in the production to then evaluate and analyze possible proposals to solve these issues. The work was commissioned by company X where investigations have been carried out at their project Y, which also forms the basis of the results. Through information gathered from interviews, literature studies and a survey have problems and possible measures been identified. It has been developed eight proposals for action which have been analyzed and evaluated with regard to the gathered information. Four of the proposed measures have been further analyzed and evaluated in a profound way by cost estimates, to evaluate the economic profit of these proposals. The results of the thesis show that several of the proposed measures that have been evaluated results in a positive outcome, where work outside normal working hours provided the greatest cost savings. It is also clear that insertion of additional number of building elevators do not entail a profitable result. The conclusion drawn is that the best suited proposals for action should be the introduction of overlapping times during breaks, to avoid waiting times for the building elevators and transportation of materials outside normal working hours, in order to minimize interruption times during regular working hours. These proposals can be introduced with small resources in contrast to the introduction of work outside normal working hours that demands a greater measure. A recommendation for the company is to further analyze the proposed measures that have not been calculated with regards to cost estimates. Based on an analysis of these proposals it should be concluded that more detailed work preparations, an increased amount of experience reversals and participation of the subcontractors and foremen at an earlier stage in the project can contribute to further improvements in production flows.

This thesis investigates the difficulty in making accurate forecasts on opportunistic commercial real estate investments. The purpose is to quantify the differences between unlevered cash flows from underwriting estimates and actual outcomes, analyse them and arrive at conclusions about the difficulty in producing forecasts on opportunistic investments. The data used in this thesis comes from two opportunistic real estate portfolios previously owned by the private equity firm Niam. Both portfolios comprised Swedish office properties. The results from analysing Niam’s investments shows that operating cash flows on individual properties are most difficult to forecast since the strategy for the assets constantly needs to be updated in order to adjust for current events like for example change in demand of office properties. This can have great impact on the profit allocation between property cash flows and exit cash flows in comparison to underwriting. Furthermore the results show of an increased need of diversification for opportunistic investments, since individual investments have high volatility. Also, analysing investments on unlevered level has limitations. On an unlevered level an investment can have actual outcomes worse than in the underwriting, but when adding effects from financial leverage and currency movements the same asset can outperform the underwriting.

This thesis investigates the difficulty in making accurate forecasts on opportunistic commercial real estate investments. The purpose is to quantify the differences between unlevered cash flows from underwriting estimates and actual outcomes, analyse them and arrive at conclusions about the difficulty in producing forecasts on opportunistic investments. The data used in this thesis comes from two opportunistic real estate portfolios previously owned by the private equity firm Niam. Both portfolios comprised Swedish office properties. The results from analysing Niam’s investments shows that operating cash flows on individual properties are most difficult to forecast since the strategy for the assets constantly needs to be updated in order to adjust for current events like for example change in demand of office properties. This can have great impact on the profit allocation between property cash flows and exit cash flows in comparison to underwriting. Furthermore the results show of an increased need of diversification for opportunistic investments, since individual investments have high volatility. Also, analysing investments on unlevered level has limitations. On an unlevered level an investment can have actual outcomes worse than in the underwriting, but when adding effects from financial leverage and currency movements the same asset can outperform the underwriting.

In today’s complex society, organizational change is crucial for organizations’ survival. Previous research regarding organizational change has studied restructuration, mergers and cultural change. However, a research gap was identified in understanding a planned organizational change through the theoretical framework Four Flows. Therefore, a qualitative case study was conducted at an organization that recently changed from a flat to a hierarchical structure. The aim of the study was to create an understanding through Four Flows for how communicative flows at a digital agency, Digitalbyrån, changed in connection to the implementation of a new organizational structure. The methods used in the study were semi-structured interviews in combination with a qualitative content analysis. An organizational document was also collected for background information. The theoretical framework applied consisted of Robert McPhee and Pamela Zaug’s (2000) CCO theory Four Flows, and selected notions from Anthony Giddens’ (1984) Structuration theory. The results from the study showed that communicative flows at Digitalbyrån changed to a certain degree when comparing the communicative flows pre- and post-restructuring. More specifically, a moderate change was found in the flows membership negotiation, self-structuring and activity coordination and a significant change was found in the flow institutional positioning. Furthermore, the study showed that implemented change in an organization and change in communicative flows do not always change accordingly. Thus, the study demonstrated that actual change is constituted through the communicative flows, rather than being the result of the implemented change per se.

Dispersed particle flows occur in many industrial, biological and geophysical applications. The knowledge of how these flow behave can for example lead to improved material processes, better predictions of vascular diseases or more accurate climate models. These particle flows have certain properties that depend on single particle motion in fluid flows and especially how they are distributed both in terms of spatial position and, if they are non-spherical, in terms of orientation. Much is already known about the motion of perfectly spherical particles. For non-spherical particles, apart from their translation, it is important to know the the rotational motion due to local velocity gradients. Such studies have usually been restricted by the assumption that particles are extremely small compared to fluid length scales. In this limit, both inertia of the particle and inertia of the fluid can be neglected for the particle motion. This thesis gives a complete picture of how a spheroidal particle (a particle described by a rotation of an ellipse around one of its principal axes) behave in a linear shear flow when including both fluid and particle inertia, using numerical simulations. It is observed that this very simple problem possess very interesting dynamical behavior with different stable rotational states appearing as a competition between the two types of inertia. The effect of particle inertia leads to a rotation where the mass of the particle is concentrated as far away from the rotational axis as possible, i.e.\ a rotation around the minor axis. Typically, the effect of fluid inertia is instead that it tries to force the particle in a rotation where the streamlines of the flow remain as straight as possible. The first effect of fluid inertia is thus the opposite of particle inertia and instead leads to a particle rotation around the major axis. Depending on rotational state, the particles also affect the apparent viscosity of the particle dispersion. The different transitions and bifurcations between rotational states are characterized in terms of non-linear dynamics, which reveal that the particle motion probably can be described by some reduced model. The results in this theses provides fundamental knowledge and is necessary to understand flows containing non-spherical particles. / Flöden med dispergerade partiklar påträffas i många industriella, biologiska och geofysiska tillämpningar. Kunskap om hur dessa flöden beter sig kan bl.a. leda till förbättrade materialprocesser, bättre förutsägelser om hjärt- och kärlsjukdomar eller mer noggranna väderprognoser. Dessa flödens egenskaper beror på hur enskilda partiklar rör sig i en fluid och speciellt hur de är fördelade både i termer av position och, om de är icke-sfäriska, i termer av orientering. Mycket är redan känt om rörelsen av perfekt sfäriska partiklar. För icke-sfäriska partiklar är det inte bara translationen som är av intresse utan det är även viktigt att veta hur partiklarna roterar till följd av lokala hastighetsgradienter. Sådana studier har tidigare varit begränsade av antagandet att partiklarna är extremt små jämfört med fluidens typiska längdskalor. I denna gräns kan både partikelns och fluidens tröghet antas försumbar. Den här avhandlingen ger en komplett bild av hur en sfäroidisk partikel (en partikel som beskrivs av en rotation av en ellips runt en av dess huvudaxlar) beter sig i ett linjärt skjuvflöde när tröghetseffekter inkluderas. Resultaten har erhållits genom numeriska simuleringar. Det visar sig att detta enkla problem är väldigt rikt på olika dynamiska beteenden med flera stabila rotationstillstånd som uppstår tilll följd av både partikel- och fluidtröghet. Inverkan av partikeltröghet leder till en rotation där massan av partikeln är koncentrerad så långt ifrån rotationsaxeln som möjligt, d.v.s. en rotation runt lillaxeln. Den typiska inverkan av fluidtröghet är istället att fluiden försöker påtvinga partikeln en rotation där strömlinjer förblir så raka som möjligt. Primärt leder detta till att partikeln istället roterar runt storaxeln. Beroende på rotationstillstånd, så har partikeln även olika inverkan på den märkbara viskositeten av partikeldispersionen. De olika övergångarna och bifurkationerna mellan rotationstillstånd är karaktäriserade i termer av icke-linjär dynamik, vilket visar på att partikelrörelserna förmodligen kan beskrivas med en reducerad modell. Resultaten i denna avhandling är därför fundamental kunskap och ett nödvändigt steg mot att förstå beteendet av flöden med dispergerade, icke-sfäriska partiklar. / <p>QC 20140328</p>