Thesis (Ph. D.)--Göteborg University, 1997. / Abstract inserted. Includes bibliographical references.

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία πραγματεύεται το σχεδιασμό και την κατασκευή διάταξης για τον έλεγχο κινητήρα ενός ηλεκτροκίνητου οχήματος με στόχο την εξοικονόμηση ενέργειας. Η εργασία αυτή εκπονήθηκε στο Εργαστήριο Ηλεκτρομηχανικής Μετατροπής Ενέργειας του Τμήματος Ηλεκτρολόγων Μηχανικών και Τεχνολογίας Υπολογιστών της Πολυτεχνικής Σχολής του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Κύριος σκοπός της διπλωματικής αυτής εργασίας είναι η κατασκευή ηλεκτρονικών μετατροπέων ισχύος που θα μας επιτρέψουν τον έλεγχο της τάσης διέγερσης και της τάσης τυμπάνου σε μια μηχανή Συνεχούς Ρεύματος ξένης διέγερσης. Απώτερος στόχος είναι η πειραματική επιβεβαίωση της θεωρίας που αναπτύχθηκε στη διδακτορική διατριβή του Ε. Ρίκου, «Μέθοδοι Εξοικονόμησης Ενέργειας σε Ηλεκτροκίνητα Οχήματα», Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών, Τμήμα Ηλεκτρολόγων Μηχανικών και Τεχνολογίας Υπολογιστών, Πάτρα 2005. Αρχικά εξετάζονται οι σχέσεις που περιγράφουν τις απώλειες ισχύος που παράγονται κατά τη λειτουργία του ηλεκτροκίνητου οχήματος, καθώς και το πώς μεταβάλλονται αυτές συναρτήσει δύο μεγεθών: του λόγου μετάδοσης του κιβωτίου ταχυτήτων λ και της μαγνητικής ροής στον κινητήρα CΦ. Όπως αναφέρθηκε, ο κινητήρας με τον οποίο γίνεται η μελέτη είναι κινητήρας συνεχούς ρεύματος, τα αποτελέσματα όμως μπορούν να επεκταθούν και για άλλα είδη κινητήρα, όπως σε τριφασικό ασύγχρονο τροφοδοτούμενο από αντιστροφέα τάσης ελεγχόμενο μέσω της μεθόδου του διανυσματικού ελέγχου. Στη συνέχεια προσδιορίζεται νόμος ελέγχου της μαγνητικής ροής και του λόγου μετάδοσης στο κιβώτιο έτσι ώστε να πετυχαίνουμε τη μέγιστη δυνατή εξοικονόμηση ενέργειας. Οι βέλτιστες τιμές της μαγνητικής ροής και του λόγου μετάδοσης στο κιβώτιο είναι συναρτήσεις της ταχύτητας του οχήματος και της δύναμης που αυτό δέχεται. Το επόμενο βήμα είναι η επιβεβαίωση της θεωρητικής μελέτης μέσω προσομοίωσης, η οποία γίνεται σε περιβάλλον Matlab/Simulink. Τέλος, μελετάται και κατασκευάζεται στο εργαστήριο η πειραματική διάταξη, με τη χρήση της οποίας διεξάγονται μετρήσεις για την επιβεβαίωση και αξιολόγηση της θεωρητικής μελέτης. / This degree thesis the design discourse the analysis and manufacture of a device for controlling an electric vehicle motor in order to save energy. The work was conducted in the Laboratory of Electromechanical Energy Conversion, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Patras. The main purpose of this work is the construction of power electronic converters that will allow us to control the excitation voltage and the armature voltage of a separate excitation Direct Current Machine. The ultimate goal is the experimental confirmation of the theory developed in the doctoral thesis of E. Ricos, “Methods of Energy Saving in Electric Vehicles”, University of Patras, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Patras 2005. Initially, we consider the relations describing the power losses generated during the operation of an electric vehicle, and how they vary according to two sizes: the gear ratio λ, and the magnetic flux CΦ of the motor. As mentioned, the engine of making this study is a DC motor, but the results can be extended to other types of motors such as asynchronous three-phase voltage supplied from inverter controlled by the method of vector control. Then, we determine control laws for the magnetic flux and the transmission ratio in the gearbox so that we achieve maximum energy savings. The best values of magnetic flux and the transmission ratio in the box are expected to be functions of the vehicle speed and the force under which the vehicle is subjected. The next step is to confirm the theory by computer simulation, which takes place in an environment of Matlab/Simulink environment. Finally, the design and manufacturing of the laboratory experimental set-up is being studied, in order to carry out the measurements required to confirm and evaluate the theory.

Titel: Företagens sociala ansvarstagande och inverkan på kunders beteende- En kvantitativ studie på sparbankskunder Nivå: C-uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Axel Svensson och Robin Stolt Handledare: Agneta Sundström Examinator: Jens Eklinder Frick Datum: 2015 – juni Syfte: Syftet med studien är att förklara och testa om det finns ett positivt samband mellan kunders beteende och sparbankernas arbete med filantropi, strategisk filantropi och Corporate Citizenship. Ett delsyfte är att beskriva vilka specifika aspekter av dessa CSR-perspektiv som påverkar kundernas beteende i störst utsträckning. Metod: Studien utgår från en deduktiv hypotetisk forskningsansats och kvantitativ forskningsmetod. Data har samlats in genom enkäter vilka delats ut på tre olika sparbankskontor. Analys av data sker i programmet SPSS för att kunna undersöka sambandet mellan sparbankernas sociala ansvarstagande och dess inverkan på kundernas beteende. Resultat & slutsats: Resultatet visar att positiv korrelation på en statistiskt säkerställd nivå föreligger mellan samtliga av våra testade CSR-perspektiv och kundernas beteende. Slutsatsen blir därmed att ett positivt samband mellan strategisk filantropi, filantropi samt Corporate Citizenship och kundernas beteende kan bekräftas. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Studien visar att ett samband mellan sparbankernas sociala ansvarstagande och kundernas beteende föreligger. Vi rekommenderar att fler analyser genomförs som bekräftar att det är sparbankernas sociala ansvarstagande som påverkar kundernas beteende och inte tvärt om vilket kan göras genom en regressionsanalys. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studiens bidrag är att påvisa att det finns en positiv samverkan mellan kundernas beteende och sparbankernas sociala ansvarstagande. Nyckelord: CSR, Filantropi, Strategisk filantropi, Corporate Citizenship, Sparbanker. / Title: Corporate social responsibility and its impact on customer behavior -A quantitative study on the savings bank customers. Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Axel Svensson and Robin Stolt Supervisor: Agneta Sundström Examiner: Jens Eklinder Frick Date: 2015 – June Aim: The purpose of the study is to explain and test whether there is a positive correlation between customer behavior and savings banks' work with philanthropy, strategic philanthropy and corporate citizenship. A subsidiary aim is to describe the specific aspects of these CSR-perspectives that affect customer behavior to the greatest extent. Method: The study is based on a hypothetical deductive research approach and quantitative research methods. Data were collected through questionnaires which are distributed in three different savings bank offices to be analyzed in SPSS. Result & Conclusions: The result shows that positive correlation at a statistically significant level exists between all of our tested CSR perspective and customer behavior. It is therefore concluded that a positive relationship between strategic philanthropy, philanthropy and Corporate Citizenship and customer behavior can be confirmed Suggestions for future research: We recommend that more analyzes are performed to confirm that there are savings banks' social responsibility that affect customer behavior, and not vice versa, which can be done through a regression analysis. Contribution of the thesis: The study's contribution is to demonstrate that there is a positive correlation between customer behavior and the savings banks´ social responsibility. Key words: CSR, Philanthropy, Strategic Philanthropy, Corporate Citizenship, Saving Banks

Subsidies, taxes, premiums, and eligibility for health insurance can potentially cause "marriage lock," in which couples stay married for the sake of health insurance coverage, and marriage lock may change under the Affordable Care Act. In the first two chapters, marriage lock is examined in the context of two key health insurance decisions: divorce decisions upon qualification for Medicare at age 65, and marriage and divorce decisions associated with the introduction of the Massachusetts insurance mandate and health insurance exchange market reforms in 2006. In the first chapter, using the Health and Retirement Study data, I find evidence of a 7 percentage point increase in the number of divorces upon achieving Medicare eligibility at age 65 for people with spousal insurance coverage relative to those without it. In the second chapter, using the American Community Survey data, I find that the 2006 Massachusetts healthcare reform increased incentives for marriage in the health insurance exchange market relative to control states. Specifically, the Massachusetts reform appears to have reduced the divorce rate by 0.5 percentage point and increased marriage rate by 1.4 percentage points. In the third chapter, I use data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) to explore three decisions potentially affected by the implementation of Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs). First, I find that individuals with MSAs incur 17 RMB more medical expenses per 1000 RMB increase in their MSAs balance, while I find no significant effect of after-tax income on medical expenses. Second, I study preference heterogeneity as revealed by three types of risky behaviors. I find undertaking risky investments is associated with 23% more medical expenditures, while always using a seatbelt and obeying traffic signals are associated with 16% and 22% higher medical expenditures, respectively. Finally, I find evidence suggesting that individuals become more risk adverse with MSAs than without, specifically by increasing their use of seatbelts and obeying traffic signals. These findings, using recent Chinese data, suggest that MSAs play an important role when consumers make health expenditure decisions, and that preferences involving risk and prevention also appear to be influenced by the MSA scheme.

This paper discusses the average energy savings of various smart devices in connection with their average price. By calculating the devices' payback times, a ranking of the tools can be given. The whole study focuses on the average household within the EU-28 in terms of climate as well as in terms of user behaviour. The purpose of the research was to provide a win-win situation for users' wallets and the environment by showing the device which suits both players best. As a result of the research, it was found that the greatest reduction in energy consumption can be reached by an interaction of the smart device and the inhabitants of a smart home. By giving users feedback on their energy consumption through smart meters, average savings of 7.5% are reached. As a smart meter is available for about Euro 80, it has a payback time of only 4.24 months.

Piketty's main theoretical prediction is that a small elite will own all wealth if capitalism is left to its own devices. We formulate and calibrate a Post-Keynesian model with an endogenous distribution of wealth between workers and capitalists. The model permits Piketty's Corner solution of all wealth held by capitalists; however, it also shows that interior solutions with a stable, non-zero wealth share of workers, a stable wealth-to-income ratio, and a stable and positive gap between the profit and the growth rate determined by the Cambridge equation. Furthermore, simulations show that the model confirms to Piketty's empirical findings in a transitional phase, in which the wealth share of capitalists rises to over 60%, the wealth-toincome ratio increases, and income inequality rises. Finally, we show that the introduction of a wealth tax as suggested by Piketty could neutralize the rise in wealth concentration. / Series: INEQ Working Paper Series

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T13:51:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silvania Arreco Rocha.pdf: 712358 bytes, checksum: f494398f0a7b23cb4cefa387bc56f32f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-11 / O descarte de efluentes pode representar um problema ambiental quando seu destino final são os corpos hídricos. Entretanto, devido à presença de nutrientes em sua composição, o uso agroflorestal pode representar um aumento de produtividade e economia de fertilizantes. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar o crescimento inicial e a nutrição de três espécies de Eucalyptus sp., quando submetidas à irrigação com diferentes qualidades de água, bem como analisar as mudanças na fertilidade do solo. O delineamento experimental utilizado para montagem do experimento foi inteiramente casualizado no esquema fatorial 2×3×3 (dois períodos de avaliação, três níveis de qualidade de água e três espécies de eucalipto), com três repetições. Mudas de E. grandis, E. urophylla e urograndis com 90 dias foram plantadas em vasos de 5 L preenchidos com Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo. Vinte dias após o plantio das mudas nos vasos, iniciou-se a irrigação das mudas com as diferentes qualidades de água. Foram realizadas duas análises de crescimento para determinar a altura da parte aérea; o diâmetro do colo; a área foliar; a massa seca da parte aérea; a massa seca da raiz; a massa seca total; a relação entre a parte aérea e a raiz; a taxa de crescimento absoluto; a taxa de crescimento relativo; a razão de área foliar; a taxa de assimilação líquida; a relação entre a altura da parte aérea e o diâmetro do colo; e a porcentagem de raízes. No final do experimento, as folhas das plantas coletadas nas duas avaliações foram encaminhadas ao laboratório para determinação dos teores de nitrogênio, fósforo, potássio, cálcio, magnésio, enxofre, zinco, ferro, manganês, cobre e boro. Também foram determinadas as medidas de pH, fósforo, potássio, cálcio, magnésio, alumínio, acidez potencial, soma de bases, capacidade de troca catiônica efetiva, capacidade de troca catiônica a pH 7, saturação de bases, alumínio e saturação de alumínio. Os resultados indicaram que o efluente de esgoto proporcionou maior crescimento das mudas do que as águas de abastecimento e de piscicultura. Em relação às espécies, o urograndis apresentou maior diâmetro do colo, massa seca total, taxa de crescimento absoluto e taxa de assimilação líquida; e assim como o E. urophylla, maior taxa de crescimento relativo. Por outro lado, o E. grandis e o E. urophylla apresentaram maior razão de área foliar e maior relação entre altura da parte aérea e diâmetro do colo. Foram verificados maiores teores foliares de nitrogênio e ferro nas mudas fertirrigadas com efluente de esgoto doméstico, enquanto os teores de cálcio, manganês, cobre e boro foram maiores nas mudas irrigadas com água de abastecimento e nas mudas fertirrigadas com água de piscicultura. No solo, apenas o teor de potássio foi afetado pela qualidade de água utilizada, sendo maior com a utilização do efluente de esgoto e água de piscicultura / The discard of effluent can represent an environmental problem when its final destination is the hydric resources. However, due to the presence of nutrients in its composition, the agroforestry use may represent an increase in productivity and fertilizer economy. Accordingly, this research aims to study the initial growth and nutrition of three species of Eucalyptus sp. when subjected to irrigation with different water qualities, and analyzes changes in soil fertility. The experimental design used in the experiment was randomized in a factorial 2 × 3 × 3 (two periods of three levels of water quality and three species of eucalyptus), with three replications. Seedlings of Eucalyptus grandis, E. urophylla and urograndis with 90 days were planted in 5 L pots filled with Oxisol. Twenty days after planting, the seedlings started to be irrigated with different water qualities. Two growth analysis were performed to determinate the shoot height, stem diameter, leaf area, shoot dry weight, root dry mass, total dry weight, index between shoot and root, absolute growth rate, relative growth rate, leaf area ratio, liquid assimilation rate, index between shoot height and diameter and percentage of roots. In the end of the experiment, the plant leaves collected on the two tests were sent to the laboratory to determine the levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, iron, manganese, copper and boron. In addition, soil samples were sent to the laboratory to determine the levels of pH, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, potential acidity, total bases, effective cation exchange capacity, cation exchange capacity at pH 7, base saturation, and saturation in aluminum. The results indicated that the sewage effluent gave a higher growth than the water supply and fish farming water. For the species, urograndis showed greater root mass, total dry matter, absolute growth rate, liquid assimilation rate, and as well as E. urophylla, higher relative growth rate. Furthermore, E. grandis and E. urophylla had higher leaf area ratio. With regard to leaf analysis, higher levels of leaf nitrogen and iron in seedling fertigated with sewage effluent were found, while the levels of calcium, manganese, copper and boron were higher in the seedlings irrigated with tap water and fertigated with fish farming water. In soil, only the potassium was affected by the quality of water used, being higher with the use of sewage effluent and fish farming water

No description available.

abstract: With the rapid rise of distributed generation, Internet of Things, and mobile Internet, both U.S. and European smart home manufacturers have developed energy management solutions for individual usage. These applications help people manage their energy consumption more efficiently. Domestic manufacturers have also launched similar products. This paper focuses on the factors influencing Energy Management Behaviour (EMB) at the individual level. By reviewing academic literature, conducting surveys in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the author builds an integrated behavioural energy management model of the Chinese energy consumers. This paper takes the vague term of EMB and redefines it as a function of two separate behavioural concepts: Energy Management Intention (EMI), and the traditional Energy Saving Intention (ESI). Secondly, the author conducts statistical analyses on these two behavioural concepts. EMI is the main driver behind an individual’s EMB. EMI is affected by Behavioural Attitudes, Subjective Norms, and Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC). Among these three key factors, PBC exerts the strongest influence. This implies that the promotion of the energy management concept is mainly driven by good application user experience (UX). The traditional ESI also demonstrates positive influence on EMB, but its impact is weaker than the impacts arising under EMI’s three factors. In other words, the government and manufacturers may not be able to change an individual's energy management behaviour if they rely solely on their traditional promotion strategies. In addition, the study finds that the government may achieve better promotional results by launching subsidies to the manufacturers of these kinds of applications and smart appliances. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Business Administration 2016

En France, les études sur les déterminants des investissements économiseurs d’énergie dans le résidentiel sont encore relativement rares même si ce secteur représente un gisement important d’économies d’énergie.Dans cette thèse, l’objectif est d’isoler les déterminants de l’investissement en efficacité énergétique dans le secteur résidentiel afin de fournir des recommandations de politiques publiques. Nous souhaitons étudier l’effet des politiques actuelles mais aussi potentielles qui visent à stimuler l’adoption d’équipements économiseurs d’énergie. Cette thèse est divisée en quatre chapitres. Dans un premier chapitre, l’objectif principal est d’analyser les dépenses en rénovation des ménages en faisant une distinction entre les travaux en efficacité énergétiques (d’isolation et de remplacement deséquipements) et les travaux en réparation en utilisant une approche économétrique. Dans un deuxième chapitre, nous cherchons à comprendre la décision d’investir en efficacité énergétique lorsqu’il existe des incitations divergentes (cas du propriétaire / locataire). Dans un troisième chapitre, nous étudions la décision d’investir dans des équipements économiseurs d’énergie dans un équilibre général en tenant compte de l’irréversibilité et de l’incertitude sur les prix de l’énergie et sur le rendement du revenu. Finalement, le quatrième chapitre évalue, à l’aide d’un modèle de simulation, l’effet des politiques publiques sur la décision d’investir. Nous modélisons la consommation d’énergie et les émissions de gaz à effet de serre, la décision d’investir dans des rénovations en efficacité énergétique et la dynamique du parc de logements. / In France, studies on energy-saving investments for residential buildings are still relatively rare even if this sector exhibits a high potential for energy-savings. In this PhD dissertation, the aim is to isolate the determinants of energy efficient investments in the residential sector in France in order to provide some policy recommendations. We also want to study the effect of current and potential public policies designed to trigger retrofit investments.The dissertation consists in four chapters. In the first essay, our main objective is to analyze household’s expenditures in renovation works by distinguishing energy efficiency works (insulation works and equipment replacement works) and reparation works using an econometric approach. In the second essay, we seek to understand the home renovation decision of households in a theoretical model in which there exist split incentives (landlord/tenant case). In the third essay, we study the decision to invest in energy efficiency by taking into account irreversibility and uncertainties on energy prices and on income return in a general equilibrium framework. Finally, the fourth essay assesses the effect of public policy on the decision to invest using an empirical approach.We model energy consumption and GHG emissions, the decision to invest in energy-saving renovations and the dynamics of the housing stock.