Emissions inventories are an important tool, often built by governments, and used to manage emissions. To build an inventory of urban CO2 emissions and other fossil fuel combustion products in the urban atmosphere, an inventory of on-road traffic is required. In particular, a high resolution inventory is necessary to capture the local characteristics of transport emissions. These emissions vary widely due to the local nature of the fleet, fuel, and roads. Here we show a new model of ADT for the Portland, OR metropolitan region. The backbone is traffic counter recordings made by the Portland Bureau of Transportation at 7,767 sites over 21 years (1986-2006), augmented with PORTAL (The Portland Regional Transportation Archive Listing) freeway traffic count data. We constructed a regression model to fill in traffic network gaps using GIS data such as road class and population density. An EPA-supplied emissions factor was used to estimate transportation CO2 emissions, which is compared to several other estimates for the city's CO2 footprint.

The South Slough Estuary is located off Coos Bay along the southern coast of Oregon. It is divided into two channels that meet and continue to Coos Bay at the Charleston Harbor. There are six major contributing streams to South Slough. After rainfall events, the level of coliform bacteria in the slough increases because of stream bacteria loading. This is due to cattle grazing in the drainage areas, failed septic systems from private homes, and sewage sludge applied to the County landfill, which drains into the slough. The Oregon Health Division has enforced a Sanitation Management Plan for Commercial Shellfish Harvesting in South Slough that specifies closure of commercial shellfish harvesting for certain rainfall and flood events. The purpose of this study is to analyze and improve the current understanding of the hydraulics and water quality of the South Slough Estuary. This was achieved by calibrating the South Slough using the water quality model CEQUAL- W2. It was calibrated for the following parameters water surface elevations, velocity, temperature and total dissolved solids. A management analysis was also done analyzing the transport of bacteria and a conservative tracer. Model predictions for water surface elevations at one of the monitoring sites, Hinch Road Bridge, was significantly lower than measured elevations. There was an excellent correlation of velocity, and reasonable timing of peaks due to tidal effects. Model predictions for temperature and total dissolved solids match measured values well. To improve the accuracy of the model the following was recommended; install a raingage in the South Slough, measure temperature and constituent concentrations at inflow locations, survey the S4 current meter, new soundings performed of the Winchester Creek arm and at the Hinch Road Bridge gaging station, and investigate the possibility of an obstruction near the Hinch Road Bridge gaging station.

Rapid technical progress has increased the speed of quality change. Its impact has a large scale effect on a broad set of variables and it has exacerbated a latent economic problem on the measurement of true economic variables. For example, the reliability of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has been increasingly undermined since it has been argued that price indexes suffer either an upward or a downward bias due to quality change in goods and services. This paper is aimed to be a comprehensive survey on historical contributions to modeling quality from a theoretical perspective. The fundamental contributions of several economists are framed into a coherent building block. We construct a general framework for quality adjustment in price index theory which helps to understand the importance of economic theory for price index definitions. Supply and demand side models are analysed and merged into Rosen (1974) model, the first well grounded attempt to construct a general equilibrium explanation to quality choices. First, we address the issue of quality measures into price index theory. Then, we present a survey of the relevant contributions to hedonic price modeling. We focus on two main fields of applied analysis: (1) determining how the price of a unit of commodity varies with the set of attributes; (2) estimating the demand and supply functions for the attributes of products. The open issues on quality adjustment in consumer price indexes will be analysed in the two applied papers, namely chapter 3 and chapter 4. They are two applied original contributions to hedonic price literature. Chapter 3: In this paper we show that a real time measure of pure price change for different varieties of non durable volatile and seasonal products is possible. Moreover, we introduce the idea of unobservable elements captured by brand specific and by time specific dummies. In order to compute a pure price index, a theoretically correct quality adjustment procedure has been determined where quality is measured in terms of attributes (Griliches, 1971a, 1971b; Tauchen and Witte, 2001; Pakes, 2003; Ekeland et al. 2002, 2004; Triplett 2004) and it is becomes a ’fundamental’ of the market. We have analyzed the prices of apples and oranges traded in the General Milan Market for fruit and vegetables. We have used a large amount of information from more than 8000 of observations collected between 2000 and 2004. We have found that quality is changed over time even if new goods/varieties were not introduced. Price levels adjusted for qualitative levels, measured in terms of the content of characteristics, are above the Laspeyres hedonic price index on average for apples whilst the pure price index for oranges is close to the Laspeyres price index. Our empirical analysis shows that a price index, which does not account for quality change, is underepresiting inflation for apples and correctly measuring price changes for oranges. Chapter 4: The relevant literature dealing with the problem of quality measurement in passenger cars (inter alias, Ohta and Griliches 1976, 1983; Lancaster (1966), Rosen (1974), Berry et al. 1995; 2004) relies on general hedonic imputation methods for the assessment of the quality adjusted price index. We deviate from this standard approach by computing a new quality adjusted index for cars based on a weighted adjustment procedure which accounts for attrition due to observable elements (Fitzgerald et al., 1998; Nevo, 2003; Horowitz and Manski, 1998). By doing this, we are able to define a quality adjusted price index which generates a more accurate identification of price index levels than the current state of the art. We use data for the universe of new cars and their characteristics, sold between 2000 and 2007 in Italy, and we identify the basic reference unit. Based on this we study the pricing behavior of the firms. We model a non random and non ignorable selection process based on an entry/exit process of cars (Olly and Pakes, 1996) due to profit maximizing firms in a differentiated product space. We find that the official index is overestimating inflation since our results point to a mild deflation. However we show that traditional hedonic techniques lead to an overestimation of quality improvement and consequently they under-estimate inflation.

Many organizations have realized that the growing amount of unstructured text may contain information that can be used for different purposes, such as making decisions. Organizations can by using so-called text mining tools, extract information from text documents. For example within military and intelligence activities it is important to go through reports and look for entities such as names of people, events, and the relationships in-between them when criminal or other interesting activities are being investigated and mapped. This study explores how information quality can be measured and what challenges it involves. It is done on the basis of Wang and Strong (1996) theory about how information quality can be measured. The theory is tested and discussed from empirical material that contains interviews from two case organizations. The study observed two important aspects to take into consideration when measuring information quality: context dependency and source criticism. Context dependency means that the context in which information quality should be measured in must be defined based on the consumer’s needs. Source criticism implies that it is important to take the original source into consideration, and how reliable it is. Further, data quality and information quality is often used interchangeably, which means that organizations needs to decide what they really want to measure. One of the major challenges in developing software for entity extraction is that the system needs to understand the structure of natural language, which is very complicated. / Många organisationer har insett att den växande mängden ostrukturerad text kan innehålla information som kan användas till flera ändamål såsom beslutsfattande. Genom att använda så kallade text-mining verktyg kan organisationer extrahera information från textdokument. Inom till exempel militär verksamhet och underrättelsetjänst är det viktigt att kunna gå igenom rapporter och leta efter exempelvis namn på personer, händelser och relationerna mellan dessa när brottslig eller annan intressant verksamhet undersöks och kartläggs. I studien undersöks hur informationskvalitet kan mätas och vilka utmaningar det medför. Det görs med utgångspunkt i Wang och Strongs (1996) teori om hur informationskvalité kan mätas. Teorin testas och diskuteras utifrån ett empiriskt material som består av intervjuer från två fall-organisationer. Studien uppmärksammar två viktiga aspekter att ta hänsyn till för att mäta informationskvalitét; kontextberoende och källkritik. Kontextberoendet innebär att det sammanhang inom vilket informationskvalitét mäts måste definieras utifrån konsumentens behov. Källkritik innebär att det är viktigt att ta hänsyn informationens ursprungliga källa och hur trovärdig den är. Vidare är det viktigt att organisationer bestämmer om det är data eller informationskvalitét som ska mätas eftersom dessa två begrepp ofta blandas ihop. En av de stora utmaningarna med att utveckla mjukvaror för entitetsextrahering är att systemen ska förstå uppbyggnaden av det naturliga språket, vilket är väldigt komplicerat.

Thesis(MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The SQUID-NMR technique has been increasingly recommended by many researchers as holding a lot of potential, and it is believed it will become an invaluable tool for non-destructive evaluation in the future. Most of its potential is yet to be exploited. Non-destructive quality control of food products is one of the applications where such a system is being tried. Much of the progress that has been made in improving such a system to the present degree of user friendliness and cost effectiveness shows that, with more effort, it would be possible to implement the technology for on-line sorting, and possibly to reduce it down to hand-held devices. The goal was to investigate the feasibility of the internal fruit quality measurements using the NMR technique, and to develop a SQUID system suitable for SQUID-NMR application, intended for a later integration in a full SQUID-NMR system. A working dc SQUID was manufactured on an YBCO (Y Ba2Cu3O7􀀀 ) thin film deposited on a 10 mm x 10 mm MgO substrate. The SQUID was made of microbridge Josephson junctions, patterned by using the double resist laser lithography method, implemented during the course of this manufacturing process. The test of the SQUID showed a non-hysteretic current-voltage characteristic. Under the action of bringing a magnet closer to the SQUID under test, and then retracting it, the modulation of the I-V curve was observed. The critical current of the SQUID was 20 A and the resistance was 5.5 A series of experiments were performed on destructive measurements of the sugar content in table grapes using NMR, in order to evaluate the feasibility of this technique. The total sugars(TSS) measurements of the same samples were carried out by refractometry, chosen as a conventional method for validation. The NMR measurements were evaluated to be 5.4% precise and have an accuracy of 9.3% relative to the refractometry measurements. A further series of experiments were carried out on a high-Tc SQUID-NMR system. A high correlation coefficient (0.85) of the increasing values of the T1 and T2 relaxation times to the decreasing concentration of sugar (sucrose) in water was obtained. Non-destructive measurements T1 and T2 in table grapes suggested a possible prediction of sugar content in table grapes from the values of T1 or T2. This technique also presented many advantages compared to the conventional high field NMR technique, such as the fast measurements that do not require spectral processing, the ease of sample preparation, and its non-destructive nature. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die SQUID-NMR tegniek word al hoe meer aanbeveel deur navorsers oor die groot potensiaal, en dit beloof om in die toekoms van onskatbare waarde te wees in nie vernietigende evaluering. Die potensiaal moet grotendeels nog ontgin word, en die nie vernietigende kwaliteitsbeheer van voedselprodukte is een van die toepassings wat hier getoets word. Die vooruitgang tot dusver om die stelsel te verbeter wat die gebruikersvriendelikheid en koste-effektiwiteit betref, toon dat met effens meer moeite dit moontlik sal wees om die tegnologie aan te pas vir lynsortering van vrugte, en om dit dalk ook as handtoestel beskikbaar te stel. Die vooruitgang tot dusver om die stelsel te verbeter wat die gebruikersvriendelikheid en koste-effektiwiteit betref, toon dat met effens meer moeite dit moontlik sal wees om die tegnologie aan te pas vir lynsortering van vrugte, en om dit dalk ook as handtoestel beskikbaar te stel. Die doel is om die uitvoerbaarheid van interne vrugtekwaliteit metings deur hierdie tegniek te ondersoek en om ’n SQUID stelsel te ontwikkel wat gepas is vir SQUIDNMR toepassing, met die doel om dit later in ’n volledige SQUID-NMR stelsel te kan integreer. ’n Werkende GS-SQUID is vervaardig op ’n YBCO dunfilm wat op ’n 10 mm x 10 mm MgO substraat gedeponeer is. Die SQUID is van mikro-brug Josephson aansluitings/ voegvlakke, waarop in die loop van die vervaardigingsproses ’n patroon m et dubbelweerstand laser litografie neergelê is. Toets van die SQUID het ’n niehisterese stroom-spanning as kenmerkend getoon. Die nader bring en terugtrekking van ’n magneet het gelei tot waarneming van die modulasie van die I-V kurwe. Die kritieke stroom van die SQUID was 20 A en die weerstand was 5.5 ohm. ’n Reeks eksperimente is uitgevoer oor vernietigende metings van die suikerinhoud van tafeldruiwe met gebruik van NMR, om die gangbaarheid van hierdie tegniek te evalueer. Totale suikers (TSS) metings van dieselfde monsters is uitgevoer deur refraktometrie, wat gekies is as gebruiklike metode vir geldigheidsbepaling. Die NMR metings is as 5.4% presies/noukeurig evalueer, en met ’n akkuraatheid van 9.3% teenoor die refraktometrie metingsyfers. ’n Verdere reeks eksperimente is uitgevoer op ’n hoë-Tc SQID-NMR stelsel. ’n Hoë korrelasiekoëffisiënt van 0.85 van die toenemende waardes van T1 en T2 ontspantye teenoor die afname in konsentrasie van sukrose in water is waargeneem. Nie-vernietigende metings van T1 eb T2 in tafeldruiwe het gelei tot die moontlikheid van gebruik van hierdie tegniek om suikerinhoud van tafeldruiwe te voorspel. Die tegniek het ook baie voordele getoon in teenstelling met die gebruiklike hoëveld NMR tegniek, onder andere dat hierdie metings vinniger is, nie verdere verwerking van die spektrum benodig nie, die maklike voorbereiding van die monsters en die nie-vernietigende aard van die proses.

Algal blooms plague freshwaters across the globe, as increased nutrient loads lead to eutrophication of inland waters and the presence of potentially harmful cyanobacteria. In this context, remote sensing is a valuable approach to monitor water quality over broad temporal and spatial scales. However, there remain several challenges to the accurate retrieval of water quality parameters, and the research in this thesis investigates these in an optically complex lake (Lake Balaton, Hungary). This study found that bulk and specific inherent optical properties [(S)IOPs] showed significant spatial variability over the trophic gradient in Lake Balaton. The relationships between (S)IOPs and biogeochemical parameters differed from those reported in ocean and coastal waters due to the high proportion of particulate inorganic matter (PIM). Furthermore, wind-driven resuspension of mineral sediments attributed a high proportion of total attenuation to particulate scattering and increased the mean refractive index (n̅p) of the particle assemblage. Phytoplankton pigment concentrations [chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and phycocyanin (PC)] were also accurately retrieved from a times series of satellite data over Lake Balaton using semi-analytical algorithms. Conincident (S)IOP data allowed for investigation of the errors within these algorithms, indicating overestimation of phytoplankton absorption [aph(665)] and underestimation of the Chl-a specific absorption coefficient [a*ph(665)]. Finally, Chl-a concentrations were accurately retrieved in a multiscale remote sensing study using the Normalized Difference Chlorophyll Index (NDCI), indicating hyperspectral data is not necessary to retrieve accurate pigment concentrations but does capture the subtle heterogeneity of phytoplankton spatial distribution. The results of this thesis provide a positive outlook for the future of inland water remote sensing, particularly in light of contemporary satellite instruments with continued or improved radiometric, spectral, spatial and temporal coverage. Furthermore, the value of coincident (S)IOP data is highlighted and contributes towards the improvement of remote sensing pigment retrieval in optically complex waters.

Os corpos hídricos estão entre os ambientes mais prejudicados pelo crescimento desordenado da população humana. Considerando-se a grande importância de rios e lagos, tanto para os organismos residentes, quanto para a saúde da população humana, são necessárias estratégias que incluam, concomitantemente, a produtividade e a sustentabilidade em um mesmo ambiente, visando o equilíbrio ecológico. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar diferentes tipos de poluição ao longo do Rio Jirau Alto, no município de Dois Vizinhos, PR, por meio de biomarcadores genéticos em peixes da espécie Astyanax bifasciatus, em duas estações do ano (verão e inverno). Foram empregados o teste de Alterações morfológicas nucleares (ENA) associado ao teste de micronúcleos e Ensaio Cometa em sangue e fígado como biomarcadores genéticos. As coletas foram realizadas em duas estações (verão e inverno de 2016) em quatro pontos amostrais ao logo do rio Jirau alto, e um ponto controle em uma APP. Os biomarcadores empregados foram o ensaio cometa com eritrócitos e hepatócitos, e frequência de alterações morfológicas nucleares (ENA). O teste de micronúcleo písceo foi utilizado para determinar as quebras irreversíveis nos cromossomos de eritrócitos dos peixes e também alterações morfológicas nucleares de vários tipos. O ensaio cometa é uma técnica bastante eficiente nos estudos de agentes tóxicos que causam danos ao material genético, e por sua vez permite quantificar as quebras de DNA. Os resultados obtidos demostraram evidências de contaminação nesse rio, os dados obtidos pelo teste de micronúcleo mostraram danos elevados, em todos os pontos amostrais quando comparados ao ponto controle, em ambas as estações. No teste de ensaio cometa, os valores de danos estiveram mais elevados, principalmente no verão e se mostrando com maior significância especialmente no ponto P2. No entanto, essa resposta foi não linear, evidenciando variações também entre os pontos e estações. Assim, pesquisas de monitoramento se tornam indispensáveis para a avaliação dos efeitos da poluição ambiental sendo necessária a conscientização da população, devido a ameaça de contaminação nesse rio, uma vez que desempenha papel importante no abastecimento público da cidade de Dois Vizinhos. / The water bodies are among the environments most affected by the disorderly growth of the human population. Considering the great importance of rivers and lakes, both for the resident organisms and for the health of the human population, strategies are needed that include, simultaneously, productivity and sustainability in the same environment, aiming at ecological balance. The objective of this work was to evaluate different types of pollution along the Jirau Alto River, in the municipality of Dois Vizinhos, PR, by means of genetic biomarkers in fish of the species Astyanax bifasciatus, in two seasons of the year (summer and winter). The Nuclear Morphological Changes (ENA) test associated with the micronucleus test and the Comet Assay in blood and liver were used as genetic biomarkers. The collections were carried out in two seasons (summer and winter of 2016) at four sampling points at the Jirau Alto river, and one control point at an APP. The biomarkers employed were the comet assay with erythrocytes and hepatocytes, and frequency of nuclear morphological changes (ENA). The micronucleus test was used to determine irreversible chromosome breaks in fish erythrocytes as well as nuclear morphological changes of various types. The comet assay is a very efficient technique in studies of toxic agents that cause damage to the genetic material, and in turn allows quantification of DNA breaks. The results obtained showed evidence of contamination in this river, the data obtained by the micronucleus test showed high damages, in all the sampling points when compared to the control point, in both stations. In the comet test, damage values were higher, especially in the summer and showing more significance especially at point P2. However, this response was non-linear, evidencing variations also between points and seasons. Thus, monitoring research becomes indispensable for the evaluation of the effects of environmental pollution and it is necessary to raise awareness of the population due to the threat of contamination in this river, since it plays an important role in the public supply of the city of Dois Vizinhos.

Os corpos hídricos estão entre os ambientes mais prejudicados pelo crescimento desordenado da população humana. Considerando-se a grande importância de rios e lagos, tanto para os organismos residentes, quanto para a saúde da população humana, são necessárias estratégias que incluam, concomitantemente, a produtividade e a sustentabilidade em um mesmo ambiente, visando o equilíbrio ecológico. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar diferentes tipos de poluição ao longo do Rio Jirau Alto, no município de Dois Vizinhos, PR, por meio de biomarcadores genéticos em peixes da espécie Astyanax bifasciatus, em duas estações do ano (verão e inverno). Foram empregados o teste de Alterações morfológicas nucleares (ENA) associado ao teste de micronúcleos e Ensaio Cometa em sangue e fígado como biomarcadores genéticos. As coletas foram realizadas em duas estações (verão e inverno de 2016) em quatro pontos amostrais ao logo do rio Jirau alto, e um ponto controle em uma APP. Os biomarcadores empregados foram o ensaio cometa com eritrócitos e hepatócitos, e frequência de alterações morfológicas nucleares (ENA). O teste de micronúcleo písceo foi utilizado para determinar as quebras irreversíveis nos cromossomos de eritrócitos dos peixes e também alterações morfológicas nucleares de vários tipos. O ensaio cometa é uma técnica bastante eficiente nos estudos de agentes tóxicos que causam danos ao material genético, e por sua vez permite quantificar as quebras de DNA. Os resultados obtidos demostraram evidências de contaminação nesse rio, os dados obtidos pelo teste de micronúcleo mostraram danos elevados, em todos os pontos amostrais quando comparados ao ponto controle, em ambas as estações. No teste de ensaio cometa, os valores de danos estiveram mais elevados, principalmente no verão e se mostrando com maior significância especialmente no ponto P2. No entanto, essa resposta foi não linear, evidenciando variações também entre os pontos e estações. Assim, pesquisas de monitoramento se tornam indispensáveis para a avaliação dos efeitos da poluição ambiental sendo necessária a conscientização da população, devido a ameaça de contaminação nesse rio, uma vez que desempenha papel importante no abastecimento público da cidade de Dois Vizinhos. / The water bodies are among the environments most affected by the disorderly growth of the human population. Considering the great importance of rivers and lakes, both for the resident organisms and for the health of the human population, strategies are needed that include, simultaneously, productivity and sustainability in the same environment, aiming at ecological balance. The objective of this work was to evaluate different types of pollution along the Jirau Alto River, in the municipality of Dois Vizinhos, PR, by means of genetic biomarkers in fish of the species Astyanax bifasciatus, in two seasons of the year (summer and winter). The Nuclear Morphological Changes (ENA) test associated with the micronucleus test and the Comet Assay in blood and liver were used as genetic biomarkers. The collections were carried out in two seasons (summer and winter of 2016) at four sampling points at the Jirau Alto river, and one control point at an APP. The biomarkers employed were the comet assay with erythrocytes and hepatocytes, and frequency of nuclear morphological changes (ENA). The micronucleus test was used to determine irreversible chromosome breaks in fish erythrocytes as well as nuclear morphological changes of various types. The comet assay is a very efficient technique in studies of toxic agents that cause damage to the genetic material, and in turn allows quantification of DNA breaks. The results obtained showed evidence of contamination in this river, the data obtained by the micronucleus test showed high damages, in all the sampling points when compared to the control point, in both stations. In the comet test, damage values were higher, especially in the summer and showing more significance especially at point P2. However, this response was non-linear, evidencing variations also between points and seasons. Thus, monitoring research becomes indispensable for the evaluation of the effects of environmental pollution and it is necessary to raise awareness of the population due to the threat of contamination in this river, since it plays an important role in the public supply of the city of Dois Vizinhos.

Internationally, water resources are facing increasing pressure due to over-exploitation and pollution. Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) has been accepted internationally as a paradigm for integrative and sustainable management of water resources. However, in practice, the implementation and success of IWRM policies has been hampered by the lack of availability of integrative decision support tools, especially within the context of limited resources and observed data. This is true for the Crocodile River Catchment (CRC), located within the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. The catchment has been experiencing a decline in water quality as a result of the point source input of a cocktail of pollutants, which are discharged from industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants, as well as diffuse source runoff and return flows from the extensive areas of irrigated agriculture and mining sites. The decline in water quality has profound implications for a range of stakeholders across the catchment including increased treatment costs and reduced crop yields. The combination of deteriorating water quality and the lack of understanding of the relationships between water quantity and quality for determining compliance/non-compliance in the CRC have resulted in collaboration between stakeholders, willing to work in a participatory and transparent manner to create an Integrated Water Quality Management Plan (IWQMP). This project aimed to model water quality, (combined water quality and quantity), to facilitate the IWQMP aiding in the understanding of the relationship between water quantity and quality in the CRC. A relatively simple water quality model (WQSAM) was used that receives inputs from established water quantity systems models, and was designed to be a water quality decision support tool for South African catchments. The model was applied to the CRC, achieving acceptable simulations of total dissolved solids (used as a surrogate for salinity) and nutrients (including orthophosphates, nitrates +nitrites and ammonium) for historical conditions. Validation results revealed that there is little consistency within the catchment, attributed to the non-stationary nature of water quality at many of the sites in the CRC. The analyses of the results using a number of representations including, seasonal load distributions, load duration curves and load flow plots, confirmed that the WQSAM model was able to capture the variability of relationships between water quantity and quality, provided that simulated hydrology was sufficiently accurate. The outputs produced by WQSAM was seen as useful for the CRC, with the Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency (IUCMA) planning to operationalise the model in 2015. The ability of WQSAM to simulate water quality in data scarce catchments, with constituents that are appropriate for the needs of water resource management within South Africa, is highly beneficial.

Thesis deals with the definition of quality health care, quality management approaches, quality measurement and strategies that help us to achieve a better level of quality. Another part of this work defines indicator of quality, properties, the development phase and what it is used. The aim of this work is to define a set of national indicators of quality health care in the Czech Republic.