Mycket forskning har gjorts på konformitet och dess negativa konsekvenser. Denna experimentella studie var en delvis replikering av M. Rosander och O. Erikssons (2012) studie om konformitet på internet men med fokus på hur konformitet kan ge förbättrade resultat. Det övergripande syftet var att undersöka om det lönade sig att göra som andra, relationen mellan konformitet och säkerhet samt förekomsten av överkonfidens. Två enkätstudier i form av kunskapstest genomfördes med 38 respektive 92 studenter. Deltagarna delades upp i en konformitetsgrupp som fick information om tidigare deltagares svar och en kontrollgrupp som inte fick denna information. Resultatet visade att konformitet ledde till fler rätta svar samt att det förekom ett positivt samband mellan säkerhet och antal rätta svar. Ingen överkonfidens kunde bevisas men däremot förekom en underskattning av antal rätta svar. Studiens slutsats var att det mest lönade sig att göra som andra vid medelsvåra uppgifter. Vid mycket svåra uppgifter fanns det ingen fördel i att följa strömmen.

We present two re-derivations of the Scharnhorst effect. The latter was first obtained in 1990 by Klaus Scharnhorst, soon followed by Gabriel Barton, and consists in the theoretical prediction that the phase velocity of photons propagating in a Casimir vacuum normal to the plates would be larger than c. The first derivation given in the present work is relevant for the debates that have taken place in the physics literature regarding a possible greater-than-c value of the signal velocity. Indeed because the phase velocity result also held for the group velocity, the issue soon arose as to whether the same could be said for the signal velocity. Several arguments were presented against this notion, notably to the effect that measurement uncertainties would preclude such a measurement. These notably relied on the fact that the known phase velocity result is only valid within a certain frequency regime. Scharnhorst and Barton responded by arguing that given their previous result, the Kramers-Kronig relations imply one of two options: either the greater-than-c result holds for the signal velocity as well, or the Casimir vacuum behaves like an amplifying medium for some frequencies. Furthermore, the effect was later rederived and generalized within the framework of an effective metric approach, which has been argued to obviate the worries regarding causal paradoxes often associated with the possibility of faster-than-c signalling. However concerns related to theory errors as well as to the measurement uncertainties that had surfaced in the earlier debate have remained salient. By re-deriving the phase velocity using Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET), one can address some of these concerns. Indeed, with regard to theory errors, SCET provides us with a framework where higher order corrections are known to be power-suppressed because SCET ensures that the expansion parameters are multiplied by factors of order 1. As a result, with due qualifications inherent to the nature of effective field theory, the result obtained within the SCET approach cannot be invalidated by higher order corrections. Furthermore, the theoretical description offered by SCET provides an argument relevant to the point that measurement uncertainties would prevent measuring the signal speed to be faster-than-c. Indeed, SCET implies the interaction between the Casimir vacuum and the propagating photon to be such that the latter would have the same phase velocity irrespective of its frequency. This in turn would entail that its signal velocity would be equal to this phase velocity, which is faster-than-c. The second calculation presented is concerned with the physical interpretation of the Scharnhorst effect, and constitutes an attempt at re-deriving it within source theory. Existing derivations imply that the Scharnhorst effect can be attributed to vacuum fluctuations. Other physical effects that share this feature have also been derived without any reference to the vacuum, but as due to source fields instead. We attempt a similar derivation for the Scharnhorst effect.

Over half the U.S. labor force is employed by small business owners, yet only 50% of small businesses survive beyond 5 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore sustainability strategies small business owners in the construction industry used to sustain their organization for longer than 5 years. The research population included 5 owners of small businesses in the construction industry in Georgia, who have been in operation for a minimum of 5 years. The conceptual framework for this study was general systems theory. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, organizational documentation reviews, and business plan reviews. Yin'€™s (2014) 4 principles of data collection were used to collect the data: use multiple sources of evidence, create a case study database, maintain a chain of evidence, and exercise care when using data from electronic sources. Data were triangulated using Yin's 5-€step analysis process: collecting data, grouping data into codes, grouping data into themes, assessing the themes, and developing conclusions. Member checking, transcript review, and triangulation of data were used to further validate the study. The 4 themes that emerged from the study were internal relationships, building the brand, specialization, and planning. The implications of the study for positive social change include the potential for small businesses in the construction industry to survive for longer than 5 years and to increase the number of individuals employed.

The Greater than Class C (GTCC) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) evaluated the potential impacts from the construction and operation of a new facility or facilities, or use of an existing facility, employing various disposal methods (geologic repository, intermediate depth borehole, enhanced near surface trench, and above grade vault) at six federal sites and generic commercial locations. For three of the locations being considered as possible locations, consulting tribes were brought in to comment on their perceptions on how GTCC low level radioactive waste would affect Native American resources (land, water, air, plants, animals, archaeology, etc.) short and long term. The consulting tribes produced essays that were incorporated into the EIS and these essays are in turn included in this collection. This essay was produced by the Wanapum Tribe for the Hanford Site.

This thesis details research on the first phase of curriculum reform (1999–2004) in a government primary school in Western Australia. The purpose of the study was to examine what progress had been made with the implementation of the Curriculum Framework (1998). The research focussed on Music, Health and Physical Education, and Languages Other than English as specialist teachers working with the Curriculum Framework (1998). Teachers and school administrators, as frontline practitioners, considered their experiences and perceptions of daily practice and provided their perspectives on curriculum reform. The hypothesis formulated for the study was that with the introduction of the Curriculum Framework (1998) the delivery of these three subjects could be further improved. This study argues that successful curriculum performance of these three subjects traditionally considered “specialist programs” may be more fully supported by becoming aware of the forces influencing Australian curriculum discourse and delivery. Subject knowledge endorsement in this study refers to the transfer of valued knowledge in Western Australian educational systems. It is proposed that if teaching professionals articulated the substance of their educational beliefs and experiences with regard to subject knowledge meaning, place and value, curriculum delivery in primary schools may progress more effectively. Positive learning experiences for all students can be provided through the encouragement of communication and collegiality together with relevant and accessible professional development. These measures can also be supported by mounting whole-school primary programs that engage with beliefs about Music, Health and Physical Education, and Languages Other Than English through collaborative networks and learning communities. Accordingly, curriculum delivery can come within reach of the seamless curriculum anticipated by reform (Curriculum Framework, 1998:6–7). In this qualitative interview study, the frontline participants included generalist teachers, specialist teachers and school administrators. These educational practitioners were asked to participate in an in-depth, semi-structured discussion that explored their perceptions of specialist teaching and knowledge while employed at Deep Sea Primary School in 2002. They teachers also commented on how these perceptions may be linked to their experiences of socially constructed and established notions of valued knowledge. The findings of this study indicated that the progressive implementation of these three subjects or specialist’s areas were characterised by subtle historical, economic, political and social forces. This thesis suggests that, these largely obscured external forces together with individual yet, taken for granted perceptions of what is perceived as valuable knowledge work together to position curriculum rhetoric and curriculum enactment that reflect established perceptions of the knowledge hierarchy. Teachers and administrators at the school often operated within the structures and meanings of conventional teaching practice of subject knowledge as determined by dominant culture in Australia. The findings indicated that school culture in a time of reform re-traditionalised hierarchical patterns of subject knowledge organisation and evaluation. Accordingly, current subject knowledge endorsement in terms of specialist teaching often worked to the benefit of established power relationships typical of post-industrial market economy in Australia. The findings also indicated that issues pertaining to curriculum prioritisation were influenced by institutional, group and individual experiences of subject specialist knowledge. Poor perceptions of these three subjects could also be generated by experiencing inflexible and inadequate yet established funding and resource patterns in educational systems. Frontline teachers, their school-based roles and responsibilities attached to the teaching and learning of the three specialist areas were typified by rigid school organisation and job structures together with condensed teaching time and community backing. This thesis argues that progressive, outcomes education requires an articulate and supportive school culture, more funding and the genuine maintenance of quality Music, Health and Physical Education and Language Other Than English teachers. In addition, curriculum implementation would benefit from the promotion of constructivist-orientated student activities within specialist programs.

What if the future of transportation was more diverse, more exciting and more responsible? What if Volvo became a true mobility provider with a broader product palette? What if the airship would finally get its great renaissance and what would it look like if Volvo developed it? With these questions in mind, I started my thesis and eventually designed an airship for Volvo. The word Volvo is derived from Latin and means “I roll” which inspired me to pick the name “Volem” which is equally derived from Latin and means “I fly”. The focus of the degree work is transport in tourism and the final concept is a holistic service design for continental round-trips provided by Volvo. It is not just an airship but rather an entirely new way of traveling suited to the needs of future tourism. A journey of this future should be environmentally responsible, experientially enriching, educational and exciting. The key to this future is “Volvo Volem”. “Volvo Volem” has a comfortable main deck, an extraordinary lounge and an observation balcony which provides an unforgettable experience with its views. During the design process, I conducted some research in the field of tourism and in LTA (lighter-than-air) technologies. I used traditional design tools like sketching and 3D-modelling to refine my ideas. To get an impression of the interior I got the opportunity to test the geometry in virtual reality, which turned out to be a very helpful technology with increasingly indispensable characteristics in the design field.

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We propose solution strategies for hard Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) problems, with a focus on distributed parallel MIP optimization. Although our proposals are inspired by the Less-than-truckload (LTL) freight routing problem, they are more generally applicable to hard MIPs from other domains. We start by developing an Integer Programming model for the Less-than-truckload (LTL) freight routing problem, and present a novel heuristic for solving the model in a reasonable amount of time on large LTL networks. Next, we identify some adaptations to MIP branching strategies that are useful for achieving improved scaling upon distribution when the LTL routing problem (or other hard MIPs) are solved using parallel MIP optimization. Recognizing that our model represents a pseudo-Boolean optimization problem (PBO), we leverage solution techniques used by PBO solvers to develop a CPLEX based look-ahead solver for LTL routing and other PBO problems. Our focus once again is on achieving improved scaling upon distribution. We also analyze a technique for implementing subtree parallelism during distributed MIP optimization. We believe that our proposals represent a significant step towards solving big-data driven optimization problems (such as the LTL routing problem) in a more efficient manner. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation is a vital part of Canada's economy, with revenues running into billions of dollars and a cascading impact on many other industries. LTL operators often have to deal with large volumes of shipments, unexpected changes in traffic conditions, and uncertainty in demand patterns. In an industry that already has low profit margins, it is therefore vitally important to make good routing decisions without expending a lot of time. The optimization of such LTL freight networks often results in complex big-data driven optimization problems. In addition to the challenge of finding optimal solutions for these problems, analysts often have to deal with the complexities of big-data driven inputs. In this thesis we develop several solution strategies for solving the LTL freight routing problem including an exact model, novel heuristics, and techniques for solving the problem efficiently on a cluster of computers. Although the techniques we develop are inspired by LTL routing, they are more generally applicable for solving big-data driven optimization problems from other domains. Experiments conducted over the years in consultation with industry experts indicate that our proposals can significantly improve solution quality and reduce time to solution. Furthermore, our proposals open up interesting avenues for future research.

Nous examinons la possibilité de déployer un service Lower-than-Best-Effort(LBE)sur des liens à long délai tels que des liens satellites. L'objectif estde fournir une deuxième classe de priorité dédiée à un trafic en tâche defond ou un trafic de signalisation. Dans le contexte des liens à long délai, unservice LBE peut aider à optimiser l'utilisation de la capacité du lien. Enoutre, un service de LBE peut permettre un accès à Internet à faible coût oumême gratuit dans les collectivités éloignées via la communication parsatellite. Il existe deux niveaux de déploiement possible d'une approche de LBE: soit àla couche MAC ou soità la couche de transport. Dans cette thèse, nous nousintéressons à une approche de bout-en-bout et donc nous nousconcentrons spécifiquement sur les solutions de la couche transport. Nousproposons tout d'abord d'étudier LEDBAT (Low Extra Delay BackgroundTransport)en raison de son potentiel. En effet, LEDBAT a été normalisé parl'IETF et est largement déployé dans le client BitTorrent officiel.Malheureusement, le réglage des paramètres de LEDBAT dépend fortement desconditions du réseau. Dans le pire des cas, les flux LEDBAT peuvent prendretoute la bande passante d'autre trafic tels que le trafic commercial sur lelien satellite. LEDBAT souffre également d'un problème intra-inéquité, appelélatecomer advantage. Toutes ces raisons empêchent souvent les opérateursde permettre l'utilisation de ce protocole sur le lien sans fil et à longdélai puisqu'une mauvaise configuration peut surcharger la capacité du lien.Pour répondre à l'ensemble de ces problèmes, nous proposons FLOWER, un nouveauprotocole de transport, qui se positionne comme alternative à LEDBAT. Enutilisant un contrôleur de logique floue pour réguler le débit des données,FLOWER vise à résoudre les problèmes de LEDBAT tout en remplissant le rôle d'unprotocole de LBE. Dans cette thèse, nous montrons que FLOWER peut transporter letrafic deLBE non seulement dans le contexte à long délai, mais dansplusieurs conditions du réseau où LEDBAT se trouve en échec. / In this thesis, we look at the possibility to deploy a Lower-than-Best-Effort(LBE) service over long delay links such as satellite links. The objective isto provide a second priority class dedicated to background or signalingtraffic. In the context of long delay links, an LBE service might also help tooptimize the use of the link capacity. In addition, an LBE service can enablea low-cost or even free Internet access in remote communities via satellitecommunication. There exists two possible deployment level of an LBE approach: either at MAClayer or at transport layer. In this thesis, we are interested in anend-to-end approach and thusspecifically focus on the transport layersolutions. We first propose to study LEDBAT (Low Extra Delay BackgroundTransport) because of its potential. Indeed, LEDBAT has been standardized byIETF and is widely deployed within the official BitTorrent client.Unfortunately, the tuning of LEDBAT parameters is revealed to highly depend onthe network conditions. In the worst case scenario, LEDBAT flows can starveother traffic such as commercial traffic performing over a satellite link.LEDBAT also suffers from an intra-unfairness issue, called the latecomeradvantage. All these reasons often prevent operators to allow the use of suchprotocol over wireless and long-delay link as a misconfiguration can overloadthe link capacity. Therefore, we design FLOWER, a new delay-based transportprotocol, as an alternative to LEDBAT. By using a fuzzy controller to modulatethe sending rate, FLOWER aims to solve LEDBAT issues while fulfilling the roleof an LBE protocol. Our simulation results show that FLOWER can carry LBEtraffic not only in the long delay context, but in a wide range of networkconditions where LEDBAT usually fails.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / Multi National Force (MNF) operations recognize the existence of shared national interests in a specific geographic region. Furthermore, MNF operations seek to standardize some basic concepts and processes that will promote habits of cooperation, increased dialogue, and provide for baseline Coalition/Combined Task Force (CCTF) operational concepts. This thesis and its' recommendation for a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) are aimed at improving interoperability and CCTF operational readiness. The SOP will focus on the spectrum of Information Operations (IO) with regards to Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) and Small Scale Contingencies (SSC) during MNF operations. First, existing doctrine and cases will be analyzed to develop a foundation for this study. This thesis will seek to identify the existing IO procedures to be utilized during MNF operations. Next, exercise observations and lessons learned reviews serve as the basis for IO SOP Annex development to support the MNF SOP. / Lieutenant, United States Navy