Countries with rich natural resource endowments suffer from lower economic growth and various other ills. This work tests whether the resource curse also extends to the quality of regulation and the level of corruption. A theoretical framework is developed that informs the specification of interactive random effects models. A cross-national panel data set is used to estimate these models. Due to multicollinearity, only an effect of metals and ores exports on corruption can be discerned. Marginal effects computations show that whether nature corrupts or not crucially depends on a country's institutions. A broad tax base and high levels of education appear to serve as inoculations for countries against the side-effects of mineral wealth.

The conventional approach to vehicle design is restrictive, limited, andbiased. This often leads to sub-optimal utilisation of vehicle capabilities and allocated resources and ultimately entails the repercussions of designing andlater on an using an inefficient vehicle. To overcome these limitations, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the interaction effects at component,subsystem, and system level. In this thesis, the research is focused on identifying appropriate methods and developing robust models to facilitate the interaction analysis. To scrutinise and identify appropriate methods, criteria were developed.Initially, the Design Structure Matrix (DSM) and its variations were examined.While DSM proved to be fundamental for capturing interaction effects,it lacked the ability to answer questions about the structure and behaviour ofinteractions and to predict unintended effects. Therefore, network theory wasexplored as a complementary method to DSM which was capable of providing insights into interaction structures and identifying influential variables. Subsequently, two criteria were established to identify subsystems significant to interaction analysis: high connectivity to other subsystems and multidisciplinary composition. The traction motor was observed to satisfyboth criteria as it had higher connectivity with other subsystems and was composed of multiple disciplines. Therefore, a detailed model of an induction motor was developed to enable the interaction analysis. The induction motor model was integrated into a cross-scalar design tool.The tool employed a two-step process: translating operational parametersto motor inputs using Newtonian equations and deriving physical attributes,performance characteristics, and performance attributes of the motor. Comparing the obtained performance characteristics curve against existing studiesvalidated the model’s reliability and capabilities. The design tool demonstrated adaptability to different drive cycles and the ability to modify motor performance without affecting operational parameters. Thus validating the capability of the design tool to capture cross-scalar and intra-subsystem interaction effects. To examine inter-subsystem interaction, a thermal model of an inverter was developed, capturing temperature variations in the power electronics based on motor inputs. The design tool successfully captured interaction effects between motor and inverter designs, highlighting the interplay with operational parameters. Thus, this thesis identifies methods for interaction analysis and develops robust subsystem models. The integrated design tool effectively captures intra-subsystem, inter-subsystem, and cross-scalar interaction effects. The research presented contributes to the overarching project goal of developing methods and models that capture interaction effects and in turn serve as a guiding tool for designers to understand the consequences of their design choices. / Det konventionella tillvägagångssättet för fordonsdesign är restriktiv, begränsat och partiskt. Detta leder ofta till en suboptimal användning av fordonets kapacitet och tilldelade resurser och innebär i slutändan att konsekvenserna blir att använda ett ineffektivt fordon. För att övervinna dessa begränsningar är det viktigt att få en djupare förståelse för interaktionseffekterna på komponent-, delsystem- och systemsnivå. I denna avhandling fokuserar forskningen på att identifiera lämpliga metoder och utveckla robusta modeller för att underlätta interaktionsanalysen. För att granska och identifiera lämpliga metoder utvecklades kriterier. Till att börja med undersöktes Design Structure Matrix (DSM) och dess variationer. Medan DSM visade sig vara grundläggande för att fånga interaktionseffekter, saknade den förmågan att besvara frågor om interaktionsstrukturer och beteende samt förutsäga oavsiktliga effekter. Därför utforskades nätverksteori som en kompletterande metod till DSM, vilket kunde ge insikter i interaktionsstrukturer och identifiera inflytelserika variabler. Därefter etablerades två kriterier för att identifiera delsystem som är betydelsefulla för interaktionsanalysen: hög anslutning till andra delsystem och mångdisciplinär sammansättning. Dragkraftmotorn observerades uppfylla båda kriterierna eftersom den hade högre anslutning till andra delsystem och var sammansatt av flera discipliner. Därför utvecklades en detaljerad modell av en induktionsmotor för att möjliggöra interaktionsanalysen. Induktionsmotormodellen integrerades i ett tvärskaligt designverktyg. Verktyget använde en tvåstegsprocess: att översätta operativa parametrar till motorinsatser med hjälp av Newtons ekvationer och härleda fysiska egenskaper, prestandakaraktäristik och prestandaattribut hos motorn. Jämförelse av den erhållna prestandakaraktäristikkurvan med befintliga studier validerade modellens tillförlitlighet och förmågor. Designverktyget visade anpassningsbarhet till olika körcykler och förmågan att modifiera motorprestanda utan att påverka operativa parametrar. Detta validerade designverktygets förmåga att fånga tvärskaliga och intra-subsystem interaktionseffekter. För att undersöka inter-subsysteminteraktion utvecklades en termisk modell av en inverter, som fångade temperaturvariationer i kraftelektroniken baserat på motorns styrning. Designverktyget fångade framgångsrikt interaktionseffekter mellan motor- och inverterdesign och belyste samspelet med operativa parametrar. Därmed identifierar denna avhandling metoder för interaktionsanalys och utvecklar robusta delsystemmodeller. Det integrerade designverktyget fångar effektivt intra-subsystem-, inter-subsystem- och tvärskaliga interaktionseffekter. Den presenterade forskningen bidrar till det övergripande projektets mål att utveckla metoder och modeller som fångar interaktionseffekter och i sin tur fungerar som ett vägledande verktyg för designers att förstå konsekvenserna av sina designval. / <p>QC 231003</p>

Cette thèse qui porte sur les marchés de bureaux se présente sous la forme de trois articles. Le premier a pour objectif d'identifier les déterminants persistants et transitoires de l'évolution des loyers de bureaux franciliens, à partir d'analyses de propriétés de co-intégration et de ruptures structurelles. Le second article porte sur l'étude des interactions entre les dynamiques des cinq sous-marchés qui composent le marché des bureaux de Central Paris. Plus précisément, la méthodologie adoptée permet de définir la nature des interactions en termes de substituabilité, complémentarité ou indépendance entre sous-marchés. Le troisième article contribue à l'étude du marché de l'immobilier d'un point de vue financier en analysant le' déterminants du taux de rendement du marché des bureaux au Royaume-Uni. Un modèle non ­linéaire à changement de régime permet de mesurer l'impact relatif de ces déterminants sur le taux de rendement en fonction de l'environnement monétaire et financier. / This thesis which focuses on office markets is composed of three papers. The first one aims at identifying the long-run and short-run determinants of the Greater Paris office market, combining cointegration and structural break approaches. The second paper focuses on the interactions between the dynamics of the five submarkets of the Central Paris area. The methodology used allows determining precisely the nature of the interrelations between the submarkets in terms of complementary, substitutability or independence. Finally, the third article contributes to financial analysis of the real estate field by investigating the determinants of yield in the UK office market. A nonlinear regime switching mode! permits to assess the relative impact of these determinants on yields depending on the overall monetary and financial conditions and notably liquidity conditions.

Cette thèse porte sur la prise en compte des interactions dans l’estimation de l’effet d’une politique publique. En effet, les méthodes standards d’estimation s’appuient généralement sur des hypothèses fortes excluant partiellement ou totalement les effets d’interactions aussi bien dans le processus de sélection des bénéficiaires que dans la performance de la politique. Cependant, la validité de ces hypothèses est discutable surtout dans le cadre d’une politique non-expérimentale, car un individu selon qu’il est bénéficiaire ou non de la politique ne vit pas en autarcie, il est en interaction avec son milieu. Ainsi, l’effet estimé de la politique par les méthodes traditionnelles est susceptible d’être biaisé (surestimation ou sous-estimation), avec pour conséquences des prises de décisions basées sur des résultats non fiables.Dans cette thèse, nous supposons que le traitement reçu par un individu peut affecter les autres individus de son voisinage à travers différents mécanismes de diffusion. Nous proposons un cadre méthodologique d’évaluation basé sur les méthodes de l’économétrie spatiale. Nous développons quatre extensions spatialisées de méthodes d’évaluation prenant en compte les interactions dans les processus de sélection et au niveau de la performance de la politique, avec une application empirique pour chaque méthode. / This thesis focuses on the integration of interactions in the estimation of the public policy’s effect. Indeed, the estimation standard methods usually rely on strong assumptions that exclude partially or completely the interaction effect both in the selection process of beneficiaries and in the performance of the policy. However, the validity of these assumptions is questionable, particularly in the context of a non-experimental policy because an individual according as it is the beneficiary or not the policy, is not isolated: he interacts with his neighborhood. Thus, the estimated effect of the policy by traditional methods is likely to be biased (underestimation or overestimation) therefore induce decision-making based on erroneous conclusions. Therefore, in this thesis, we assume that the treatment received by an individual can affect other individuals in his neighborhood through different diffusion mechanisms. Using spatial econometric methods, we propose a methodological framework to take into account both in selection process and in the outcomes the interactions in the estimation of the policy effect. Four extensions of the evaluation methods are developed with an empirical study for each method.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Millions of tonnes of fly ash are generated worldwide every year to satisfy the large demand for energy. Management of this fly ash has been a concern and various approaches for its beneficial use have been investigated. Over the last two decades, there has been intensive research internationally that has focused on the use of different sources of fly ash for zeolite synthesis.However, most of the studies have concentrated on class C fly ash and very few have reported the use of South African class F fly ash as feedstock for zeolite synthesis.Class F fly ash from South Africa has been confirmed to be a good substrate for zeolite synthesis due to its compositional dominance of aluminosilicate and silicate phases. However, because differences in quartz-mullite/glass proportions of fly ash from different sources produces impure phases or different zeolite mineral phases under the same activation conditions, the present study focused on optimization of synthesis conditions to obtain pure phase zeolite Na-P1 from class F South African coal fly ash. Synthesis variables evaluated in this study were; hydrothermal treatment time (12 - 48 hours), temperature (100 – 160 oC) and addition of varying molar quantities of water during the hydrothermal treatment step (H2O:SiO2 molar ratio ranged between 0 - 0.49).Once the most suitable conditions for the synthesis of pure phase zeolite Na-P1 from fly ash were identified, a statistical approach was adopted to refine the experiments, that was designed to evaluate the interactive effects of some of the most important synthesis variables. In this case, the four synthesis variables; NaOH concentration (NaOH: SiO2 molar ratio ranged between 0.35– 0.71), ageing temperature (35 oC – 55 oC), hydrothermal treatment time (36 - 60 hours) and temperature (130 oC – 150 oC) were studied. The response was determined by evaluating the improvement in the cation exchange capacity of the product zeolite.The starting materials (fly ashes from Arnot, Hendrina and Duvha power stations) and the synthesized zeolite product were characterized chemically, mineralogically and morphologically by X-Ray fluorescence spectrometry, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Other characterization technique used in the study were Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to provide structural information and also monitor evolution of crystallinity during synthesis, as well as cation exchange capacity to determine the amount of exchangeable positively charged ions. Nitrogen adsorption was used to determine the surface area and porosity, and inductively coupled mass spectrometry for multi-elemental analysis of the post-synthesis supernatants.The results from the X-ray diffraction spectroscopy showed that the most pure zeolite Na-P1 phase was achieved when the molar regime was 1 SiO2 : 0.36 Al2O3 : 0.59 NaOH : 0.49 H2O and at synthesis conditions such that ageing was done at 47 oC for 48 hours while the hydrothermal treatment time and temperature was held at 48 hours and 140 oC, respectively. Results from statistically designed experiments show that there was a distinct variation of phase purity with synthesis conditions. From the analysis of linear and non linear interactions, it was found that the main effects were ageing temperature and hydrothermal treatment time and temperature, which also showed some interactions. This experimental approach enabled a clearer understanding of the relationship between the synthesis conditions and the purity of the zeolite Na-P1 obtained.The quality of zeolites is a major determinant in the efficiency of toxic element removal from waste water. Preliminary experiments conducted using optimised zeolite Na-P1 obtained in this study with a cation exchange capacity of 4.11 meq/g showed a high percentage removal of Pb,Cd, Ni, Mn, V, As, B, Fe, Se, Mo Sr, Ba and Zn from process brine obtained from Emalahleni water reclamation plant.In summary, a pure phase of zeolite Na-P1 was obtained from South African class F fly ash feedstock at relatively mild temperature. The systematic approach, incorporating statistical design of experiments, developed in this study resulted in a better understanding regarding the relationships of synthesis parameters in the formation of zeolites from fly ash. The zeolite Na-P1 synthesized with a high cation exchange capacity was effective for removal of toxic elements from brine.

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Detection systems are widely used in industry. Designers, operators and users of these systems need to choose an appropriate design, based on the intended usage and the operating environment. The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of various system design variables (controllable) and system parameters (uncontrollable) on the performance of detection systems. To optimize system performance one must manage the tradeoff between two errors that can occur. A False Alarm occurs if the detection system falsely indicates a target is present and a False Clear occurs if the detection system falsely fails to indicate a target is present. Given a particular detection system and a pre-specified false clear (or false alarm) rate, there is a minimal false alarm (or false clear) rate that can be achieved. Earlier research has developed methods that address this false alarm, false clear tradeoff problem (FAFCT) by formulating a Neyman-Pearson hypothesis problem, which can be solved as a Knapsack problem. The objective of this research is to develop guidelines that can be of help in designing detection systems. For example, what system design variables must be implemented to achieve a certain false clear standard for a parallel 2-sensor detection system for Salmonella detection? To meet this objective, an experimental design is constructed and an analysis of variance is performed. Computational results are obtained using the FAFCT-methodology and the results are presented and analyzed using ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curves and an analysis of variance. The research shows that sample size (i.e., size of test data set used to estimate the distribution of sensor responses) has very little effect on the FAFCT compared to other factors. The analysis clearly shows that correlation has the most influence on the FAFCT. Negatively correlated sensor responses outperform uncorrelated and positively correlated sensor responses with large margins, especially for strict FC-standards (FC-standard is defined as the maximum allowed False Clear rate). Suggestions for future research are also included. FC-standard is the second most influential design variable followed by grid size. / Master of Science

La compréhension de la distribution de l'air intérieur accompagné du transfert couplé "chaleur-air-humidité" est essentielle à la conception des systèmes de ventilation des bâtiments. Parmi les méthodes de distribution d'air intérieur, la ventilation par mélange est l'une des plus couramment utilisées, dont la performance est déterminée par celle du jet d'air injecté. Au cours des dernières décennies, bien que de nombreuses recherches aient été menées sur les études des jets d'air, la majorité de ces études se sont concentrées sur une disposition symétrique des bouches de soufflage et d’extraction par rapport à la géométrie du local. En outre, les études traitant du transfert couplé "chaleur-air-humidité", qui inclut le phénomène de condensation sur la surface interne du local, sont encore limités dans la littérature. Ainsi, ce travail se concentre sur la problématique suivante : Quel est le comportement d'un jet d'air réaliste sous des effets d'interaction et comment caractériser de tels jets d'air ? Dans des conditions d'intérieur réalistes favorisant la condensation sur une surface froide, serait-il possible de quantifier le débit massique de condensation ? Les deux études sont expérimentées dans la cellule d’essais MINIBAT à l’échelle 1. La première partie consiste à caractériser un jet d'air turbulent au plafond dans une configuration d’écoulement intérieur réaliste. Les résultats expérimentaux montrent les effets d'interaction visibles des éléments architecturaux de la pièce sur le comportement du jet d'air tels que la déviation de la trajectoire du jet ainsi que la déformation des profils du jet. Les principales caractéristiques du jet, telles que le taux d’expansion, la décroissance de vitesse et de température, sont quantifiées. Une méthode graphique basée sur un indicateur de déformation est proposée pour quantifier la déformation des profils transversaux du jet.La deuxième partie de ce travail traite le phénomène de condensation sur une surface vitrée en reproduisant les conditions hivernales dans la cellule d’essais. L’apparition de la condensation et son mécanisme de croissance sont observés à l'aide d'une technique de macrophotographie. Le post-traitement de l'image permet d'estimer le débit de condensation. Les comparaisons entre les résultats expérimentaux et théoriques montrent un certain accord, ce qui pourrait valider la faisabilité des techniques d'imagerie dans les études de condensation à l’échelle 1. Des données expérimentales détaillées accompagnées de conditions aux limites bien connues issues de ce travail pourraient servir de test de benchmark pour la validation des modèles CFD, en particulier pour les configurations d’écoulement asymétrique, avec la présence de la condensation. / Understanding room air distribution with coupled heat-air-moisture transport is essential to the design of building ventilation systems. In the past decades, although numerous research have been undertaken on air jet studies, there are still some issues that deserve a consideration. In fact, the majority of these studies focused on a symmetric arrangement of supply and exhaust air outlets with respect the room geometry. Besides, studies dealing with room coupled heat-air-moisture transport, which includes the condensation phenomenon on the room inner surface, are generally lacking in the literature. Hence, this work focuses on the following problematic: What is the behavior of a realistic air jet under interaction effects and how to characterize such air jets? In realistic indoor conditions promoting condensation on cold surface, would we be able to quantify the condensate mass flow rate? The two studies are experimentally investigated in the full-scale MINIBAT controlled test cell. The first part consists in characterizing a ceiling turbulent air jet in a realistic indoor airflow configuration. The experimental results show visible interaction effects of the room architectural elements on the air jet behavior: they have deviated the jet trajectory as well as deformed the jet cross-sectional shape. The jet main characteristics such as the spread rate, the velocity and temperature decay are quantified. A graphical-based method is proposed to quantify the jet shape deformation using a so-called deformation indicator. The second part of this work treats the phenomenon of moisture condensation on a glazing surface by reproducing a winter condition within the test cell. The condensation appearance and its growth mechanism are observed using a macro-photography technique. The image post-processing enabled to estimate the condensation rate. Comparisons between experimental and theoretical results show some agreement, which could validate the feasibility of imaging techniques in full-scale condensation studies.Detailed experimental data accompanied by well-known boundary conditions from this work could serve as a benchmark test for CFD models validation, in particular for asymmetric airflow configurations, with the presence of the condensation phenomenon.

This thesis aims to study if descriptive representation, i.e. the social likeness between representatives and population, is considered important and if it changes when a national parliament is prevented from convening in full-format during a crisis. A maintained descriptive representation is important as it reflects that representatives have equal opportunities to execute their representational duties during a crisis (fairness argument), and because the interests of underrepresented groups otherwise risk being represented to a lesser degree (interest argument). By adopting a mixed-methods approach, semi-structured interviews are used to study how representatives were selected to participate in the reduced voting procedures in the Swedish parliament during the COVID-19 pandemic, and if descriptive representation (gender, age, geographical) was considered in this process. Results show that while descriptive representation was considered by five out of eight party groups – most prominently gender representation motivated by the fairness argument – it was not as influential as other more practical factors in the selection process, such as proximity to parliament or the need of being present for other reasons. Furthermore, changes in the descriptive representation in the Swedish parliament are studied by voting data using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Results show that the share of women increased slightly during votes during the pandemic, contrary to developments in many other parliaments. Representatives over 65 years old decreased, as did representatives from constituencies far from parliament. Significant differences in average voting participation rate arose for the different age and geographical groups, indicating unequal opportunities to execute their representational duties during the crisis.

The study examined the properties of stalk and cob fibres from recombinant inbred corn lines and their parents, grown at two locations, in a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix. The objectives were to: determine fibre compositions; evaluate the effects of fibres on the functional properties of biocomposites and identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and gene markers for fibre performance in biocomposites. Significant Genotype*Location effects were observed. Composites had lower strength (impact, tensile, and flexural) but higher tensile/flexural modulus values than pure PLA. The latter were positively affected by cellulose and hemicellulose but negatively affected by free phenolic levels and 93 fibre QTLs and 62 composite markers were detected. This study identified fibre traits and markers for genes that may be important for the use of corn fibres in biocomposites. / Ontario BioCar Initiative Project funded by Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and Ontario Public Sector