This study aimed to facilitate evaluation of alternative refrigerants for the air conditioner market. In order to achieve this target, two objectives were set. The first being the identification of alternative refrigerant with regard to regulations and trends. The second being enabling of thermodynamic evaluation of refrigerants for single components in air conditioners via design and installation of a test rig. A literature review was conducted to investigate the regulations, standards and trends for nine regions with high market shares. Furthermore, refrigerant substitutes for R410A and R22 where identified. The literature showed strong indications that a global HFC phase down is on the horizon, but that the approach and urge for such a phase down varies between regions where three main priorities could be seen; efficiency, GWP values and safety. Comparing these priorities with simulated refrigerant characteristics such as Carnot efficiency, GWP values, volumetric capacity and the liquid density using RefProp, identified alternatives. Further the literature showed that the lower flammability limit (LFL) and the amount of charge allowed were limiting factors for flammable refrigerant. There are many new refrigerants that could have less charge for the same capacity the LFL however restricts the refrigerants like R290, R441A and R443A only to be used in small systems. A test rig was designed and constructed in order to enable testing of single components in air conditioners. To verify the test rig, tests conducted with an evaporator using two refrigerants: R410A and R32. The reliability and validity of the tests was studied by comparing the results from the air side and refrigerant side, via uncertainty calculations using the GUM method and by a thermodynamic evaluation. The results of the repetition tests showed an expanded uncertainty, with a confidence interval of 95%, of 26 W for a cooling capacity of 2190W for R410A (Q̇evap,R410A=2190±26W). For R32 the expanded uncertainty was 27W for a cooling capacity of 2795W (Q̇evap,R32=2795±27W). Also the test rig was verified to be used for analyzing detailed evaluation of evaporators such as looking at heat transfer and the differential pressure drop. Further the study presented six conclusions: When evaluating refrigerants regional priorities between efficiency, safety and GWP values, refrigerant characteristics and type of unit need to be considered. Safety standards need to be more acceptable towards flammable refrigerants in order to meet low GWP targets. The change in market trends leads to new roles for the refrigerant and compressor suppliers and put higher demand on air conditioner manufacturers to consider refrigerant characteristics in product development. The importance of experimental thermodynamic evaluation on refrigerants effect on single components is increasing. Performance of different refrigerant for single components can be evaluated for optimizing cycle performance. Leapfrogging in the developing world can lead to a faster introduction of low GWP refrigerants.

The study examines five different development areas in Stockholm, factors that influenced the development and similarities between them. The term "Trendline 5S" is coined and includes Stockholm City, Stockholm Odenplan, Stockholm, Sollentuna and Sigtuna. The results indicate many similarities between the areas and the most crucial elements are the short distance to the airport, transport links and major construction projects. Other factors, which were not as measurable as the previous ones but yet important, were the popularity of the area, desire to settle down, access to services such as supermarket, shopping, culture, etc. and also the "hustle and bustle". Previous research has highlighted the importance of sustainable development and concepts such as "The Creative Class" and "Smart City" are efforts to accelerate the process through creative thinking and new information technology. The phenomenon of the so-called trendline could possibly be found in studies of other areas in the world and thus provide a decision support system for many stakeholders in the property market. / Den här studien undersöker fem olika utvecklingsområden i Stockholm, faktorer som påverkat utvecklingen och samband mellan dem. Begreppet "Trendlinjen 5S" myntas och innefattar Stockholm City, Stockholm Odenplan, Solna, Sollentuna och Sigtuna. Resultatet pekar på många likheter områdena emellan och de mest centrala faktorerna är närheten till flygplats, kommunikationsförbindelser och större nybyggnadsprojekt. Andra faktorer som inte varit lika mätbara, men dock minst lika viktiga, har varit attraktiviteten av området, viljan att bostätta sig där, närhet och tillgänglighet till service såsom mataffär, shopping, kultur o.s.v. och även "liv och rörelse". Tidigare forskning har belyst vikten av en hållbar utveckling och koncept såsom "The Creative Class" och "Smart City" är satsningar för att påskynda den processen genom kreativt tänkande och ny informationsteknologi. Fenomenet med den så kallade trendlinjen skulle möjligen kunna påträffas vid studier av andra områden i världen och därmed också kunna fungera som beslutstödsystem för flera intressenter på fastighetsmarknaden.

The evolutionary history of Ginkgo is poorly understood for the Cenozoic Era because of the rarity of fossil reproductive organs. We here describe a new species, Ginkgo cranei sp. nov., on the basis of well-preserved ovulate organs and associated leaves from the Upper Paleocene Sentinel Butte Formation of North Dakota, USA. The ovulate organ is of the modern type, which lacks a pedicel supporting each of the two ovules. The ovules are seated in separate collars directly attached to the peduncle, but only one of them is mature. Stomatal complexes are mostly amphicyclic, with deeply sunken guard cells and slightly raised subsidiary cells. They are sparsely distributed among epidermal cells characterized by domelike, strongly bulging periclinal walls and developed anticlinal wall flanges in integument and collar cuticles. The associated leaves are generally similar to the ovulate organ in cuticular structure. Ginkgo cranei is the only Tertiary species of the genus described in which the ovulate organs are studied in some detail. The study further corroborates the hypothesis that modern Ginkgo evolved from its ancestors by reduction and is helpful to classify Cenozoic ginkgos in a natural system.

No description available.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This thesis investigated the leadership approach associated with sustained improved academic performance of principals heading National Strategy for Learner Attainment (NSLA) schools. The research problem addressed the leadership practices and personality traits that characterised the leadership approaches of principals heading high schools which have achieved long-term academic improvement amongst the schools undergoing the NSLA interventions. The main research question was: What leadership practices and personality traits characterised the leadership approaches of principals heading schools who have achieved long-term academic improvement amongst the schools undergoing the NSLA interventions? Thereafter, four subsidiary research questions guided this research.

In recent years, counties in the Intermountain West (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY) have experienced rapid population growth and housing development, and much of this growth is occurring outside of urban areas. Residental development can have negative impacts on farmlands, farm viability, and environmental services provided by working landscapes. In this study, I use county-level data to explore the association between residential settlement patterns and trends in farm numbers, copland acres, and farm sales between 1997-2012 in this region. Results from traditional ordinary least-squares and spatial regression models demonstrate that population pressure (e.g. rural population density), socioeconomic structure (e.g. median household income), and biophysical resources (e.g. length of growing season) are related to different types of farm trends, but that accounting for the spatial pattern or arrangement of rural and exurban residential development can improve models to explain agricultural change. Since spatial dependencies are present among different variables, this study also demonstrates that spatial regression methods are appropriate and useful to use when modeling country-level processes of socioeconomic change.

Translocations have been used as a management strategy to successfully augment declining native wildlife populations. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) population declines on Anthro Mountain, Utah prompted managers to translocate sage-grouse and test protocols from a successful translocation project in Strawberry Valley, Utah. Sage-grouse from Parker Mountain, Utah were used as the source population for Anthro Mountain and Strawberry Valley translocations. Sixty hens were translocated to Anthro Mountain in 2009 and 2010; I monitored vital rates of the 60 translocated hens and 32 resident hens from 2009-2012. My objective was to determine the overall success of the translocation 4 years after the initial release and compare vital rates to the source population and Strawberry Valley.In Chapter 2, I determined that survival varied by study area and hen age but was not affected by residency status. Annual survival of Anthro Mountain hens was lower than Parker Mountain and Strawberry Valley hens. Adult hen survival in all three populations was higher than yearling survival.In Chapter 3, I determined that the translocation contributed to population growth. Adult resident and previously translocated hens had the highest reproductive success, followed by resident yearlings, newly translocated adults, and newly translocated yearlings. Lek counts increased from 2009-2013 and a new lek was discovered in 2011. Survival was not affected by residency status or age, but varied greatly by year and season. Mean monthly survival was lowest in the fall; this differs from range-wide trends.In Chapter 4, I determined that translocated hens adapted to the release area. They exhibited similar seasonal movements and used similar habitats as residents. The home range size of resident and translocated hens was comparable; however, previously translocated hens had smaller home ranges than newly released hens.Despite landscape level differences between the source and release areas, translocated hens assimilated to the population and contributed to population growth. Although the translocation was successful, the low vital rate estimates are cause for concern. The low estimates suggest that factors such as predation, habitat quality and quantity, and anthropogenic influences may be problematic for this isolated population.

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No description available.

The submitted diploma thesis deals with the issue of regional development of Slovenia and Croatia. The theme of regional differences and territorial differentiation is one of the classic themes of social and political geography. The main goal of the diploma thesis is - a comparative analysis of the regional development of Croatia and Slovenia at several scale levels. At the same time, the aim is to map the change in the regional image of Slovenia and Croatia over a longer period of time, especially since the end of the war in the Balkans, which took place here in the early 1990s. At the same time, the work aims to find out what general and specific factors play the most important role in regional development. A data set covering a wide range of socio-economic and demographic variables serves to achieve the proposed objectives. With the help of quantitative methods, the trends of regional disparities of the monitored countries, the influence of the most developed areas and the monitoring of regional variability of both countries are examined. Data comparing the regional development of both countries confirm that Slovenia is becoming a stronger dimension of social and regional policy than Croatia, where a significantly higher deepening of regional disparities and the concentration of production in...