Knowledge of the leftventricular (LV) pressure-volume relation, along withparameters derived from this relation, have led to newpossibilities for the characterisation of cardiac pumpfunction, in both experimental studies and clinicalsettings. The pressure-volume diagram is apowerful tool for visualising LV performance, but in order tobe clinically useful it is necessary to make plots continuouslyand on-line. The conductance catheter technique offers thispossibility. The conductance catheter system has experiencedgrowing interest among cardiologists, physiologists, surgeons,and anaesthesiologists around the world as a powerful newresearch tool, but the invasiveness of this technique has beena limiting factor for most clinical applications. The catheterneeds to be thinner and softer in order to make this techniquemore suitable for human use. This thesis reports of a newthin and soft conductance catheter for continuously and on-linemeasurements of LV pressure and volume. One way to reduce both cathetersize and stiffness is to decrease the number of electrodes onthe catheter. Theoretical calculations shown in this thesisproves that it is possible to obtain the same performance witha single segment catheter as with a five-segment catheter. Thethin catheter has been tested and compared to a commercialfive-segment conductance catheter in animal studies. We conclude that the thin singlesegment conductance catheter can measure left ventricularvolume and pessure. The regression coefficient between the twomethods is good independent of loading condition and duringbaseline conditions the catheters produce very similar volumecurves. During preload reduction the estimated volume reductionis different in the two systems. Our thin catheter does notdisturb the heart's normal electrophysiology, neither by thecatheter current nor by any mechanical stimuli. The resultsdemonstrates that our thin, soft, single segment conductancecatheter has performance characteristics which warrant furtherdevelopment, with the goal to make the method available forhuman use. / NR 20140805

The fact that many banks today target students with concessional deals is no news. Students are a coveted group at the financial institutions, above all because they will most likely have a secure and well paid occupancy after they have finished their studies. This study will show the importance of banks attracting the students as customers and that the students will continue being customers even after having finalised their studies. It will also show that the banks market themselves towards the students as if students were a homogenous group as well as proving the benefits of calculating a student’s Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). The study is based on research articles within the subject, one interview with the CEO at one of the banks in Sweden and two surveys that were sent out to 10 000 people that are either part of a current student deal at a bank or has been. The result shows that the bank will increase its long-­‐term profitability if it has more students in the customer base. Given that the students remain as customers of the bank after their studies are finished. The results also show the significance of dividing the group "students" based on chosen variables depending on the banks objective and CLV. From this it is concluded that it is less expensive reaching out to the academic meritorious customers in an early stage then to obtain these customers hindsight. / Att många banker riktar sig mot studenter med förmånliga erbjudanden är ingen nyhet. Studenter  är  en  eftertraktad  målgrupp  hos  de  finansiella  institutionerna,  framför  allt eftersom chansen är stor att studenter efter studierna kommer att få välbetalda jobb. Den  här  studien  kommer  att  visa  vikten  av  att  banker  attraherar  studenter  som bankkunder och att studenter fortsätter att vara bankkunder efter avslutade studier. Den kommer även visa att banker marknadsför sig mot alla studenter som en homogen målgrupp, samt fördelarna med att räkna ut en students Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). Underlaget till studien är forskningsartiklar och rapporter inom ämnet, en intervju med en VD för en svensk bank och två enkäter som skickats ut till 10 000 personer som antingen är med i ett studenterbjudande hos en bank eller har varit det. Resultaten visar att  banker  skulle  öka  sin  långsiktiga  lönsamhet  om  de  hade  fler  studenter  som bankkunder, förutsatt att de stannar kvar som kunder efter avslutade studier. Resultatet visar även  betydelsen av  att  dela upp  studenterna i  mindre delsegment efter valda variabler beroende på bankens målsättning och CLV. Utifrån detta dras slutsatsen att det är mindre kostsamt att nå ut till de akademiskt meriterade kunderna i ett tidigt skede än att erhålla dessa kunder i efterhand.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / In traffic engineering, the assessment of capacity in basic segment of freeway is a critical factor for planning, design and operational analysis of the freeway facilities. Thereby, the Highway Capacity Manual - HCM is the main guide used in many countries of the world including Perú that contain the methodology to estimate freeway capacity in traffic studies. Nevertheless, the information of vehicular traffic used for the construction of the models proposed by the HCM, reflect the characteristics of North American features. Therefore, its application in other traffic conditions, must be backed by studies of the local conditions and calibrations of the models proposed, hereby, adjusting to each city. The objetive of this research, is calibrate and compare of the HCM 2010 and HCM 2016 models, starting off the traffic engineering study in Panamericana Sur freeway located in Lima, Perú. The report will recommended the application of a calibrated model that best represents the local Peruvian conditions. The results of this study suggest that the model of calibrated capacity HCM2016, is the best representation, with a reliability of 97%, the local behavior of the basic freeway segments in function of the speed and the flow intensity. After applying the calibrated model into basic freeway segments concessioned by Rutas de Lima SAC, it was reflected that the use of the HCM2000, employed by this Company, show flow intensities within a level of service - LOS D, while, the calibrated HCM2016 shows us that those values are found, in reality, within a level of service - LOS E.

The purpose of this study was to identify the perception and relationships between corporate entrepreneurship (CE) practices and management performance. The use of Morris and Kuratko's (2002) Corporate Entrepreneurship Assessment Instrument (CEAI) was used as the survey instrument for this study. A sample size of 1,200 unit managers, middle managers, and top management teams (TMTs) within nine casual dining restaurant organizations were surveyed with a response of 522 subjects at a rate of 44%. Responses of the CEAI results were studied using regression analysis and conclusions were drawn to support four out of the six hypothesis originally proposed in determining CE activity and management reinforcement. A post test analysis was also conducted in order to reinforce the previous results of the original study. This study concluded with the determination through an empirical analysis that forms of CE activity and enforcement are currently present within the casual dining restaurant segment. / Ph. D.

The diploma thesis deals with consumer behaviour on the real estate market. The thesis brings an assessment of the Czech real estate market with regard to the housing segment including its development and deals with factors affecting the availability of housing. The biggest attention was concern to economic, socio-demographic, financial and cost factors. The thesis results recommendations and measures that could lead to an improvement in the situation of housing on the Czech real estate market, for example the necessity to amend the Building Act and the definition of the Social Act, to increase the volume of loans of poor-income households, to abolish the real estate acquisition tax etc.

The Strategy Simulator project, funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), strives to find a tax structure that will support the National Airspace System (NAS) and maintain revenue neutrality, where taxes can be adjusted and the FAA can still attain the same revenue amount if taxes had not changed. Virginia Tech's role in the project is to analyze the effects of different tax structures on passenger demand. Virginia Tech focuses on ticket and segment taxes and runs different tax scenarios through the Transportation Systems Analysis Model (TSAM) and the TSAM Aggregation for the Strategy Simulator (TASS) model. TSAM provides a more microscopic analysis of demand by including spatial representation and mode choice in the model. TASS is a work in progress that aggregates the TSAM analysis in order to reduce computation time so that scenarios can be tested quickly. Based on data from literature review, TSAM results provides the smallest combined percent error for demand and revenue, followed by TASS, then the Strategy Simulator. TSAM and TASS also provide a detailed analysis of demand behavior in response to tax changes. In general, demand decreases as taxes increase, and demand increases over the years due to a fare scaling factor applied to reduce fares over the years. Revenue increases both over increasing taxes and over the years, indicating that increases in taxes does not harm revenue collection and actually increases revenues for the ticket and segment taxes tested. Revenue increases over the years because demand increases over the years, and the revenue generated from this increased demand more than makes up for decreased fares. / Master of Science

Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the effects of chronic plantar fasciitis on intrinsic foot structures with respect to biomechanics, muscle atrophy and muscle energetics. This was accomplished in three parts. Methods: In Part I, a three-dimensional motion capture system with a synchronized force platform quantified multi-segment foot model kinematics and ground reaction forces associated with walking. Healthy individuals were compared to individuals with chronic plantar fasciitis feet. Typical kinematic variables, measures of coupling, phase and variability were examined in rearfoot, forefoot and hallux segments. In Part II, foot and leg magnetic resonance images were taken in subjects with unilateral plantar fasciitis so that within each subject, the healthy limb could be compared to the plantar fasciitis limb. Cross sectional areas (CSA) of the plantar intrinsic foot muscles (PIFM) and tibialis posterior muscle were computed from user-digitized images. In Part III, the metabolic demands of the PIFM were evaluated using phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy at rest and after barefoot walking. Muscle pH and the ratio of inorganic phosphate to phosphocreatine (Pi/PCr) were compared in healthy and plantar fasciitis feet. Results: In comparison to healthy feet, plantar fasciitis feet exhibited significantly (p < 0.05): 1) greater rearfoot motion, 2) greater sagittal plane forefoot motion, 3) fewer rearfoot-forefoot frontal anti-phase movements, 4) reduced rearfoot-forefoot transverse coordinative variability, 5) greater first metatarsophalangeal (FMPJ) joint dorsiflexion, 6) greater FMPJ-medial longitudinal arch (MLA) coupling variability, and 7) decreased vertical ground reaction forces at propulsion. Also, plantar fasciitis feet had 5.2% smaller PIFM CSA at the forefoot compared to contralateral healthy feet. No CSA differences were seen in the rearfoot PIFM or at the tibialis posterior muscle. The PIFM of healthy and PF feet were not significantly different in resting intracellular levels of pH or Pi/PCr, and there were no significant differences in the increase of Pi/PCr from rest to postwalking. Conclusions: In Part I, it was concluded that plantar fasciitis feet exhibit kinematics which are consistent with theoretical causation of the plantar fasciitis injury, that is, the plantar fasciitis foot exhibits excessive motion. Fewer number of anti-phase movements exhibited by plantar fasciitis feet may be an indication of pathology. The ground reaction force results suggested a compensatory pain response. In Part II, it was concluded that atrophy of the forefoot PIFM may destabilize the medial longitudinal arch and prolong the healing process. Lastly in Part III, it was concluded that resting energetics were consistent with muscle free of systemic disease or neuromuscular pathology. The presence of plantar fasciitis did not elicit systematic asymmetries in the metabolic response in comparison to healthy feet. Clinical Relevance: These kinematic results provided some evidence to support the clinical assertion that excessive motion is related to plantar fasciitis. These results also support treatment modalities which clinicians currently use to reduce rearfoot eversion, flattening of the medial longitudinal arch and dorsiflexion of the FMPJ (e.g. foot orthoses, insoles, taping, rocker soles). When treating plantar fasciitis patients, clinicians should assess for PIFM and tibialis posterior muscle atrophy and prescribe targeted exercises when appropriate.

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