Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 152-158). Also available via the Internet.

Shock capturing has been a challenge for computational fluid dynamicists over the years. This article deals with discontinuous Galerkin method to solve the hyperbolic equations in which solutions may develop discontinuities in finite time. The high order discontinuous Galerkin method combining the basis of finite volume and finite element methods has shown a lot of attractive features for a wide range of applications. Various techniques proposed in the literature to deal with discontinuities basically reduce the order of interpolation in the region around these discontinuities. The accuracy of the scheme therefore may be degraded in the vicinity of the shock. The proposed method resolves the discontinuities presented in the solution by applying viscosity into the shock-containing elements. The discontinuity is spread over a distance and is well approximated in the space of interpolation functions. The technique of adding viscosity to the system and the indicator based on the expansion coefficients of the solution are presented. A number of numerical examples in one and two dimensions is carried out to show the capability of the scheme for shock capturing. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

Ongoing environmental changes and increasing pressure on freshwater habitat require that we understand the ecological quality of freshwater ecosystems across a wide range of habitat types. This Ph.D. thesis addresses the utility of fish as ecological indicators in heterogeneous reservoir ecosystems. In the first section, I develop suitable indices and calculate ecological potential in two case studies, one using common fish guilds and traits at a large continental scale and another using species-specific indicators for a country-specific dataset. In the second section, I compare the assessment of fish communities across a large geographical region and identify anthropogenic stressors with the highest impact on fish communities. In the third section, I discuss the issue of optimal gillnet sampling design for reliable fish indicator values to increase the utility of assessment methodologies and to reduce sampling effort and fish mortality required to obtain reliable data. In the fourth section, I compare estimates of fish recruitment based on different sampling methods and develop a novel statistical approach to analyse factors affecting fish recruitment. This work provides an initial step towards the improvement of ecological quality of freshwater reservoirs.

This focus of following thesis is the question of disparity in regions. It contents analysis of inequalities in regions of level NUTS III in Czech Republic. The atention head for three areas:living enviroment, unemployment, public health. Analysis is realized by comparsion of most important indicators between the years 2000 and 2009. All indicators are expressed in numerical form in synoptic tables, graphic data and copmleted with annotations and comments. Mathematical and statistical data were used in form of such called points method of evaluation to complete the sequence of regions.

As long as software has been produced, there have been efforts to strive for quality in software products. In order to understand quality in software products, researchers have built models of software quality that rely on metrics in an attempt to provide a quantitative view of software quality. The aim of these models is to provide software producers with the capability to define and evaluate metrics related to quality and use these metrics to improve the quality of the software they produce over time. These models can be quite cumbersome to implement as they require effort and resources to define and evaluate metrics from software projects. This dissertation aims to build an understanding of quality in software engineering by investigating those concepts core to the field. The basic concepts of the field are described, including quality, metrics and software engineering processes. Three software quality models and four approaches to using metrics to gain insight into quality are discussed with an aim to understanding the apparent strengths and weaknesses of each. This dissertation proposes a new approach to using metrics to gain insight into software quality. An equation, called the Product Quality Indicator, is proposed and critically assessed, which uses a combination of metrics based on requirements, tests and defects, to provide some insight into quality. Furthermore, a software product, called Metaversion, which relies on the Subversion Software Configuration Management system is presented. This software, which is a reference implementation of the proposed approach, aims to allow for the automatic collection and evaluation of the Product Quality Indicator. A case study is discussed where the Metaversion system is used and the results of the evaluation of the Product Quality Indicator are compared with the quality of the software as perceived by the testers responsible for testing the software. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Computer Science / unrestricted

This study sought to examine the relationship between the procrastination involved in thesis writing and Jungian personality type. A sample of 50 graduate students enrolled in the Department of Counselling Psychology at the University of British Columbia participated in the study. These individuals were classified into one of two groups: those who procrastinated while writing their thesis and those who did not. Procrastination was measured using length of time taken to complete the thesis coupled with self-report. The 50 subjects were then administered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator which measures Jungian personality type. These two groups were then compared to determine if significant differences in personality type existed between the procrastinating and nan-procrastinating groups. Five hypotheses were tested. A t-test (two tailed) was performed using the continuous scores of the four scales of the MBTI to test the first four hypotheses to determine if a statistical difference could be found between these two groups on these dimensions. No differences were found on the first three scales (extraversion-introversion; sensation-intuition; thinking-feeling), but a significant difference was found on the judging-perceiving index (p=.008). Procrastinators tended to score toward the perceiving end of the scale while non-procrastinators scored toward the judging end of the continuum. A chi-square analysis using tire dichotomous scores of the MBTI was performed to test the fifth hypothesis which predicted that a significantly higher number of NFP types would be procrastinators than nan-procrastinators. This hypothesis was accepted (p=.0017) indicating that specific personality variables do tend to correlate with procrastination. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The Diploma's thesis deals with the creating of equity portfolio based on chosen indicators. After the introduction I concentrate on typology of portfolios and the approach how to create portfolio. Next chapter focuses on analysis of regions and sectors. In the third chapter I concentrate on description of ratios which I use for selection of the specific stocks. In the last chapter I concentrate on creating two portfolios - i.e. American and European. Both of them are created based on the practical application of the approach for creating of portfolio that is described in the previous chapters.

Several currencies have arisen as credible competitors for the dollar's primary reserve currency position in central banks around the globe, and many wonder how long the dollar can maintain its position. Reserve currency usage is dependent relative to the size of the home economy, openness to trade, and prosperous and stable growth, including an inertial bias. This paper utilizes econometric methods to examine the significance of macroeconomic indicators of the U.S. dollar’s reserve currency status. The dataset is gathered from the IMF's COFER database using a time period from 2000 to 2013 in order to capture the most relevant reserve levels post-euro adoption. The estimated coefficient values indicate a significant inertial bias. This result implies that we can expect the dollar to hold the primary reserve currency position for the near future.

No description available.

Bioretention cells (BRCs) are low-impact development stormwater management structures that integrate water quantity and quality management. Although BRCs have a predicted design life of about 25 years, most current research focuses on performance of cells less than two years old. This project evaluated the effectiveness of a BRC installed in 2007 to treat a 0.16-ha parking lot in Blacksburg, VA. After installation, this BRC was monitored for five months to determine initial flow reduction and total suspended solids, and nutrient removal. By monitoring for the same parameters, changes in cell performance since installation were quantified. ISCO automated stormwater samplers collected inflow and outflow composite samples from the cell, which were then analyzed for fecal indicator bacteria (total coliforms, E. coli, and enterococci), total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP). To determine if denitrification is occurring within the BRC, media samples taken throughout the cell were analyzed using qPCR. The bioretention media was also sampled to quantify changes in media nutrient content and particle size over the past seven years. Results indicate the bioretention media has not accumulated nitrogen and phosphorus since installation, and that the BRC remains effective at reducing flow volume and peak flow rates, as well as TSS, TN, TP, total coliforms, E. coli, and enterococci loads. Bacterial analysis of the media show most of the denitrifiers are present in the top layers of the bioretention media, despite an internal water storage layer and the bottom of the cell designed specifically for denitrification. / Master of Science