<p>This study examines use and users of information and records originating in the context of a contemporary police organisation. This area of research has only been of focus for a relatively few researchers. This in contrast to use and users of historical archives which has been in centre for more studies. The study is conducted with a quantitative method structuring data from 120 selected registered matters containing user queries. The research questions addressed are:</p><p>- what user categories use the records of the authority</p><p>- which are the ways of contacting the authority preferred by the users</p><p>- which are the identifiers provided by the users and how well are they matched by the search artefacts available to the staff of the authority</p><p>- what information and records are sought-after by the users.</p><p>For comparing the identifiers provided to the search artefacts has been selected the two most frequently used registry systems within the authority. They are the registries for criminal matters and for traffic related matters. To analyse the findings are used a theoretical framework from the Records Continuum theory with special interest in the fourth dimension.</p><p>Models of users and use of records and information are used both to structure the data collected and to analyse the findings. The used models are different in their ways of categorizing the users and their reasons for using records. This due to different the perspectives and research of the they are based on. The results of the study shows that the characteristics of users and use of records are dependent of the records held by the actual organization (here authority). In the researched organization users from other organizations are far more frequent than private users. The private users also contact the authority in many different ways preferring direct contact when other organizations are more likely to use fewer ways of contact and preferring non-direct ways of contact. The identifiers used differs between the different user groups and are also depending on the type of record requested.</p>

Thesis (M. Ing.)--University of Stellenbosch, 1997. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

This study examines use and users of information and records originating in the context of a contemporary police organisation. This area of research has only been of focus for a relatively few researchers. This in contrast to use and users of historical archives which has been in centre for more studies. The study is conducted with a quantitative method structuring data from 120 selected registered matters containing user queries. The research questions addressed are: - what user categories use the records of the authority - which are the ways of contacting the authority preferred by the users - which are the identifiers provided by the users and how well are they matched by the search artefacts available to the staff of the authority - what information and records are sought-after by the users. For comparing the identifiers provided to the search artefacts has been selected the two most frequently used registry systems within the authority. They are the registries for criminal matters and for traffic related matters. To analyse the findings are used a theoretical framework from the Records Continuum theory with special interest in the fourth dimension. Models of users and use of records and information are used both to structure the data collected and to analyse the findings. The used models are different in their ways of categorizing the users and their reasons for using records. This due to different the perspectives and research of the they are based on. The results of the study shows that the characteristics of users and use of records are dependent of the records held by the actual organization (here authority). In the researched organization users from other organizations are far more frequent than private users. The private users also contact the authority in many different ways preferring direct contact when other organizations are more likely to use fewer ways of contact and preferring non-direct ways of contact. The identifiers used differs between the different user groups and are also depending on the type of record requested.

Methane is the most abundant organic chemical in the earth's atmosphere. Its abundance in the atmosphere is increasing with time and has reached levels not seen in recent geological history. The methane is produced both naturally, and anthropogenically. One of the sources of anthropogenic methane is manure from domesticated animals. Casada and Safley (1990) estimated the amount of methane generated from this source. This was done by estimating the Methane Conversion Factor (MCF) typically achieved by various waste management systems. This study was done to evaluate those estimates of the MCF. The MCF's for the most dominant of disposal methods, rangeland/pasture disposal, were much lower than the earlier estimates. Other waste management systems, such as solid storage and liquid slurry storage had much higher MCF's, at 20° and 30° C. However, these waste management methods are more prevalent in parts of the world where the average annual temperature is closer to 10° C. At that temperature, the MCF is negligible in all waste management systems. This study showed that the previously reported estimates of MCF for some waste management systems were higher than what was actually the case. Consequently earlier estimates of the amount of methane generated from manures were higher than what this study found. / Graduation date: 1994

Skolidrottens omklädningsrum är ett intressant område där eleverna ofta vistas utan vuxennärvaro. Den första frågan som ställs i arbetet är hur elever upplever klimatet i omklädningsrummet. Den andra frågan handlar om elever erfarenheter av kränkande handlingar i anslutning till skolidrottens omklädningsrum. Metoden som används är kvalitativ och frågorna är av semistrukturerad karaktär. Resultaten visar att majoriteten av våra intervjupersoner inte alls önskar en ökad vuxennärvaro i skolidrottens omklädningsrum. Eleverna uppskattar att vara ensamma i omklädningsrummen då det ger dem möjligheten att tala om vad de vill. Kränkande handlingar består mestadels av psykologisk natur. Fysisk misshandel är mer sällsynt.

Redundancy and variation are characteristics of humans. Many muscles contribute to producing a movement at a joint, allowing different strategies for task performance. Further, the shoulders and back are involved in many tasks, including manual materials handling, but flexibility as to their relative roles in performing a task exists. In nursing, where manual patient handling (MPH) occurs daily, a risk of injury exists resulting from interactions with patients that may require awkward postures or sudden shifts in hand forces. Although some recommended MPH techniques have been advocated, many focus on lowering the risk of low back injury, without considering the effect of these techniques on other body regions. This study aimed to identify differences in shoulder and back physical exposures between performing self-selected and recommended patient handling techniques designed to reduce low back exposures. Twenty female participants performed three repetitions of five manual patient handling tasks using a self selected technique, followed by three repetitions of the same tasks using techniques learned in an interposed training session. Peak, mean and cumulative muscle activity, peak resultant moment, and ratings of perceived exertion were compared for each of the tasks before and after training, as well as identifying meaningful changes between the joints in mean population strength using a static strength prediction program. Significant decreases occurred at both the left and right shoulders and the low back for most measures, generally supporting the recommended techniques. Important exceptions existed, however, for the Sit-to-Chair tasks and Turn Toward tasks, where increases in several individual shoulder muscle activities, along with peak resultant moment, existed. Future recommendations for patient handling techniques should take into account potential negative exposures at the shoulders that may result from a back-centric injury avoidance paradigm.

Predation is one of the important selective factors that regulate the species composition of benthic invertebrate communities. The study objective was to investigate the invertebrate distribution in two contrasting habitats in Lake Takern, southern Sweden, submerged Chara vegetation and emergent Phragmites australis vegetation, and to investigate the influence of predation from fish on certain invertebrates. Laboratory studies were used to estimate handling time and the intake rate (mg/sec) by the fish based on the optimal foraging model. In the field, fish and invertebrates were collected with gill nets and hand nets respectively and the fish gut content was analyzed. In total, sixteen invertebrates’ taxa were collected from the two habitats. The proportion of the invertebrate’s overlaps from each of the habitat was calculated by Renkonen index and with Sorensen diversity index. Both indices showed a similarity larger than 65%, indicating that there was no significant difference in the invertebrates’ distribution in the P. australis and the Chara habitat. The fish caught with the gill nets were: roach (Rutilus rutilus), perch (Perca fluviatilis), tench (Tinca tinca), and rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus). The caught perch had eaten: Asellus aquaticus, Gammarus lacustris, Corixidae, and the larvae of Chironomidae and Zygoptera.A comparison was made on the invertebrates found in the field and the ones observed from the gut of the perch, and the findings were that the invertebrates that had more occurrence in the gut were less in proportion in the benthic samples. In the laboratory experiment perch ( Perca fluviatilis) was used as the predator fish and the prey organisms were Asellus aquaticus,Gammarus pulex, and Corixidae of three size categories. The results showed that perch handling time for A.aquaticus of the different size categories, was not significantly different (p&gt;0.05); and the same results were valid for Corixidae and G. pulex. However, the intake rate of perch across the prey and their size categories were significantly different. The handling time was not significantly different which means that the predator fish will gain more in terms of intake rate as it prey on larger size prey items, thus harmonizing with the optimum foraging theory. / MSc Ecology and Environmental Science

Många människor i Sverige utövar idag olika former av fysisk aktivitet på sin fritid, och utbudet på motionsformer ökar stadigt. Många träningsverksamheter formar sitt utbud efter trender och efterfrågan. I det allt större utbudet av motionsformer måste individer göra olika val. Dessa val kan vara olika beroende på en individs tidigare erfarenheter av eller smak för motionsform. Det övergripande syftet är att belysa motionsutövares träningsvillkor på en träningsanläggning, utifrån framträdande handlingsmönster. Genom att synliggöra motionsutövares handlingsmönster under träning ges kunskap om och möjliggör för förståelsen, vilka träningsvillkor en motionsutövare har för sitt deltagande och de olika val som görs i en träningsmiljö. Resultatet visar bland annat på att motionsutövares olika handlingar ofta kan vara både medvetna och omedvetna, men ändå möjliggöra för deltagandet. Exempel på handlingar som framkommit efter analys och tolkning var motionsutövares sätt att synas eller inte synas i ett träningssammanhang. Slutsatsen handlar om att synliggöra dessa dolda handlingar som kan ge motionsutövare ökat handlingsutrymme och skapa en hållbar livsstilsförändring, som både gynnar individen och samhället.

The motive of this research is to develop a good stacking method with an automatic material handling system and the procedures that can increase productivity, reduce production costs, and prevent labor injury. A diversity of products leads to a number of different kinds of stacking problems. Much research has been done focusing on two-dimensional arrangement for rectangles, circles or irregular shapes, and threedimensional regular-shaped objects such as rectangular boxes. To solve stacking problems, many algorithms such as the genetic algorithm, simulated annealing and other heuristic algorithms have been proposed. The three-dimensional stacking problem has a practical application in the transportation, manufacturing, and construction industries. There has been relatively little emphasis on three-dimensional irregular objects; however, stacking three-dimensional irregular objects has become more common in industry. In this thesis research, three heuristic algorithms are proposed to stack irregular stone pieces nested in a container with multiple layers. Primary functions of the heuristic algorithms include three major parts. First, it approximates irregular shapes to a cluster of straight lines. Secondly, it arranges the approximated angles one-by-one with the proposed step-by-step rule. Finally, it considers the weight of the stone pieces from the pixel calculation for reasons of stability. The first and second algorithms are based on the area and angle of the stone piece and the third one is based on the approximated weight of the stone. An automatic real-time stacking system including pneumatic devices, sensors, relays, a conveyor, a programmable logic controller, a robotic arm, and a vision system was developed for this study. The algorithms developed were tested by this automatic stacking system for better utilization. Three performance measures were presented in the experimental result. Comparisons between the results from three proposed algorithms and that from the bottom-back-left algorithm are made. Experimental data demonstrate that the utilizations and the stabilities of the three proposed algorithms are statistically better than that of the bottom-back-left algorithm. However, the cycle times of the three proposed algorithms have no statistical difference from that of the bottom-back-left algorithm. In addition, a statistical test between each proposed algorithm is also conducted. Both the utilizations and stabilities have statistical differences between each proposed algorithm while the cycle times do not. The results of this study show that the algorithm developed works effectively for solving the stone-pieces stacking problem.

Thesis (M.S. in Information Technology Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): Monique P. Fargues, Russell Gottfried. Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-74). Also available online.