Visando conciliar pressões antrópicas para o desenvolvimento das atividades sócio-econômicas com a conservação dos ecossistemas, os serviços ambientais associados aos recursos hídricos são claros benefícios e índices quantitativos que podem ser tomados como parâmetros na tomada de decisões para o uso da terra. No Brasil o Código Florestal prescreve as Áreas de Preservação Permanente (APPs) ao longo das margens dos rios, em topos de morro e áreas de alta declividade como setores onde estes serviços serão potencialmente expressivos. Os efeitos da extensão da vegetação ripária podem variar conforme as características geomorfológicas e extensão da bacia, com os ainda escassos resultados de estudos indicadores da faixa segura de vegetação ripária necessária para minimizar os efeitos das vazões máximas e prover a disponibilidade hídrica em bacias hidrográficas com relevância para o abastecimento humano, como é o caso da bacia do rio Piracicaba, e em bacias de pequena escala, onde também se concentra a agricultura familiar e são as efetivas áreas de mananciais dos grandes reservatórios. O objetivo desta tese foi avaliar o impacto causado pelas APPs ripárias e de áreas íngremes (reflorestamento ripário e de áreas íngremes) no regime hidrológico da bacia do rio Piracicaba ( ~12000 km²) e na sua sub-bacia, Ribeirão das Posses (12 km²) a partir de simulações com o modelo hidrológico distribuído SWAT. A avaliação do efeito das APPs nas bacias foi realizada a partir de simulações numéricas com o modelo SWAT calibrado e validado, com referência aos regimes de vazão e evapotranspiração dos principais ecossistemas dominantes. As simulações foram compostas de cenários variando-se as faixas de extensão do reflorestamento ripário e reflorestamento das áreas íngremes em pequena escala (Ribeirão das Posses, Extrema, MG) e mesoescala (Rio Piracicaba). Os cenários com reflorestamento (ripário e áreas íngremes) reduziram o escoamento superficial em ambas as bacias e aumentaram o escoamento básico em Posses, reduzindo este em Piracicaba. Os resultados dos cenários com maior reflorestamento ripário indicaram para as bacias do Ribeirão das Posses e do Rio Piracicaba, respectivamente, uma queda de aproximadamente 24% e 4% do escoamento superficial, e no escoamento básico um aumento de 2% e redução de 2%. A redução do escoamento superficial reduziu as vazões extremas máximas em aproximadamente 13% no exutório e 28% na cabeceira do Ribeirão das Posses, enquanto no Rio Piracicaba a redução foi de aproximadamente 4% em toda a bacia. As vazões de estiagem no Ribeirão das Posses aumentaram na cabeceira e no exutório em 19 e 9%, respectivamente, enquanto no Rio Piracicaba a vazão de estiagem teve uma redução de até 2%. Os resultados sugerem que as APPs, nas formas de reflorestamento ripário e nas áreas íngremes em pequena escala, mostram uma redução do escoamento superficial e da vazão média anual, mas que em termos de serviços ambientais reflete-se favoravelmente na redução dos eventos de inundação devido à diminuição dos pulsos hidrológicos extremos, e no aumento da vazão de estiagem devido ao aumento do escoamento básico. Na mesoescala mostrou-se analogamente uma qualidade favorável de serviço ambiental nas vazões máximas, mas desfavorável na vazão de estiagem, o que, todavia, deve ser analisada em conjunção com o ajuste dos parâmetros de recarga do aquífero raso e profundo do modelo nesta escala. O estudo indica as APPs como promotoras de serviços ambientais hidrológicos dominantemente favoráveis, a contar pela possibilidade real de recomposição florestal em bacias de menores escalas, com ênfase na influência dos processos nas imediações da rede de drenagem onde habitam as populações rurais que poderiam se beneficiar dos serviços mais direta e frequentemente. / Aimed at reconciling human pressures for the development of socio-economic activities with the conservation of ecosystems, ecosystem services associated with water resources are benefits and quantitative indices that can be taken as parameters in decision-making for land use. In Brazil, its Forest Code prescribes the Permanent Preservation Areas (PPAs) along rivers banks, steep areas and areas of high slope as sectors where these services will be potentially significant. The effects of the size of riparian vegetation may vary depending on geomorphological characteristics and extension of the basin. There are few studies indicators of the safe range of riparian vegetation necessary to minimize the effects of peak flows and provide water availability in relevant river basins for water supply, like Piracicaba river basin, and in small scale watershed, which also focuses on the family farms and are also effective watershed areas of large reservoirs. The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the impact of the riparian and steep PPAs areas in the hydrological regime of the Piracicaba river basin (~ 12000 km²) and its sub-basin, Ribeirão das Posses (12 km²), in Extrema, MG, by means of numerical simulations. Evaluation of the effect of PPAs in the watersheds was carried out using the hydrological model SWAT (Soil and Water Assessement Tool) calibrated (for streamflow and evapotranspiration of the main ecosystems of the basin) and validated (for streamflow). Scenarios were composed of varying extension of riparian reforestation and afforestation of steep areas in small scale (Ribeirão das Posses) and in mesoscale (Piracicaba). The (riparian and steep area) reforestation scenarios reduced surface runoff in both watersheds and increased baseflow in Posses but reduced it in Piracicaba. The results of the annual average scenarios with greater riparian reforestation indicated a runoff decrease of 24% in Ribeirão das Posses and of 4% in Piracicaba. As for the baseflow, it increased by 2% and decreased by 2%, respectively in the two watersheds. The reduction of runoff reduced the maximum streamflows in the mouth in 13% and in 28% at the head of the Ribeirão das Posses. While in Piracicaba, these were reduced to approximately 4% in the entire watershed. Low flows in Posses increased the head and mouth in, respectively, 19% and 9%, while in Piracicaba drought streamflow had a modest reduction of up to 2%. The results suggest that the PPAs, in the forms of riparian and steep reforestation on a small scale, show a reduction of runoff and mean annual flow, but in terms of environmental services reflects favorably on the reduction of flood events due the reduction of extreme hydrological pulses, and the increase of low flow due to increased base flow. The mesoscale showed analogously a favorable quality in providing environmental services in peak flows, but unfavorable as to dry season flow, which however should be analyzed in conjunction with adjusting the parameters of the model of low and deep aquifer recharge at this scale. The study suggest the PPAs as promoters of environmental hydrological services dominantly favorable, emphasizing the benefits of reforestation in smaller scale watersheds, influencing processes nearby the drainage area, where rural populations could be benefited from services more directly and frequently.

The subject of this thesis is to compare the most widely used mobile operating systems from the perspective of the development, distribution and monetization of applications developed for these systems. Compared systems are Android, iOS, Symbian OS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS. The thesis defines a total of 16 criteria against which systems are compared. These criteria are further divided into three categories, namely SDK features, functionality and distribution and monetization. All criteria have assigned weights which are determined by the paired comparison method using the Fuller's triangle, which is part of the Annexes of this work. Practical part of this thesis is focused on determining the values of defined criteria. Each criterion is evaluated separately, including an analysis of results. The overall evaluation is performed in a separate part of the thesis and is composed by categories evaluation and overall evaluation.

Proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) may lead to the formation of the Abeta peptide, the major constituent of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer`s disease. The full-length APP is a substrate for at least 2 different (alpha and beta) proteases ("secretases"). The beta-secretase, BACE, cleaves APP in the first step of processing leading to the formation of the neurotoxic Abeta. BACE competes for APP with alpha-secretase, which cleaves APP within its Abeta sequence, thus precluding Abeta formation. It is thus important to understand how is the access of the alpha- and beta-secretase to APP regulated and how are the individual activities of these secretases modulated. Both these regulatory mechanisms, access to substrate and direct activity modulation, can be determined by the lipid composition of the membrane. Integral membrane proteins (like APP and BACE), can be viewed as solutes in a two-dimensional liquid membrane, and as such their state, and biological activity, critically depend on the physico-chemical character (fluidity, curvature, surface charge distribution, lateral domain heterogeneity etc.) of the lipid bilayer. These collective membrane properties will influence the activity of embedded membrane proteins. In addition, activity regulation may involve a direct interaction with a specific lipid (cofactor or co-structure function). Interactions of membrane proteins are furthermore affected by lateral domain organization of the membrane. Previous results had suggested that the regulation of the activity of the alpha- and beta-secretases and of their access to APP is lipid dependent, and involves lipid rafts. Using the baculovirus expression system, we have purified recombinant human full-length APP and BACE to homogeneity, and reconstituted them in large (~100nm, LUVs) and giant (10-150microm, GUVs) unilamellar vesicles. Using a soluble peptide substrate mimicking the beta-cleavage site of APP, we have examined the involvement of individual lipid species in modulating BACE activity in LUVs of various lipid compositions. We have identified 3 groups of lipids that stimulate proteolytic activity of BACE: 1.cerebrosides, 2.anionic glycerophospholipids, 3. cholesterol. Furthermore, we have co-reconstituted APP and BACE together in LUVs and demonstrated that BACE cleaves APP at the correct site, generating the beta-cleaved ectodomain identical to that from cells. We have developed an assay to quantitatively follow the beta-cleavage in proteoliposomes, and we have shown that the rate of cleavage in total brain lipid proteoliposomes is higher than in phosphatidylcholine vesicles. We have also studied partitioning of APP and BACE in GUVs between liquid ordered (lo) and liquid disordered (ld) phases. In this system, significant part of the BACE pool (about 20%) partitions into the lo phase, and its partitioning into lo phase can be further enhanced by cross-linking of membrane components. Only negligible fraction of APP can be found in the lo phase. We continue to study the behavior of co-reconstituted APP and BACE in GUVs The work presented in this thesis has yielded some interesting results and raised further questions. One of the important assignments of this project will in the next stage be the characterization of the impact of membrane domain organization on the beta-cleavage. Different domain arrangements that can be hypothesized in cell membranes can be modeled by varying the degree of phase fragmentation in proteoliposomes comprising reconstituted APP and BACE.

台灣擁有豐富而多樣的自然生態資源，而物種調查將有助於維護物種之多樣性與生態平衡。然而，台灣生物多樣性高且分布廣闊，調查工作往往需耗費龐大的人力、物力、經費與時間成本。故本研究採用自願性地理資訊 (volunteered geographic information, VGI) 的方式，鼓勵社區民眾參與社區之物種調查工作。藉由社區民眾對社區當地的瞭解與使命感，有效且快速地蒐集物種調查資料。望社區民眾可經由親身參與物種調查之工作，更加瞭解及關注社區生態環境之現況，體認生態保育及生物多樣性的重要性，提升環境保育意識。 而近年來隨著行動科技的快速發展，智慧型手機與平板電腦等行動裝置日益普及。為使物種調查之工作更加快速且便利，本研究利用多數智慧型行動裝置所擁有的即時定位、無線網路及照相等功能，建置社區物種調查系統App。該App可作為物種調查之工具，並提供適時適地之物種資訊查詢服務。此外，本研究亦透過物種空間資料庫與網際網路地理資訊系統 (WebGIS) 平台之建置，提供社區物種資料分享、管理與分析等服務。 / Taiwan is abundant in ecological resources, and species investigation will contribute to preserve species diversity and ecological balance. However, due to high biodiversity and wide distribution of species in Taiwan, the traditional investigation works cost a lot of money, time, human and material resources. Therefore, this study uses the concept of volunteered geographic information (VGI) to encourage the public to collect field data and to participate in species investigation for local communities. With local knowledge and enthusiasm about the community, residents are capable of collecting species data more effectively and efficiently. On the other hand, through volunteered participation in species investigation, residents will have better understanding about the current status of ecological environment in the community. Thereby the residents can realize the importance of ecological conservation and biodiversity, and promote their awareness of environmental conservation. With the rapid development of mobile technology in recent years, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers are gaining popularity. In order to make the investigation of species for communities more quickly and conveniently, this study makes use of the functions of most smart mobile devices such as real-time positioning, wireless networking, and digital camera to build a mobile App system for community-based species investigation. The mobile App system can serve as a tool for species investigation, and it also provides with location-based inquiry services timely and efficiently. In addition, Geographic Information System (GIS) is applied to manage the geodatabase, and a WebGIS platform is built to facilitate data sharing and analysis.

No description available.

No description available.

Gerade in Großveranstaltungen geht die Interaktion zwischen Lehrenden und Lernenden häufig verloren. So genannte Classroom Response Systems (CRS) knüpfen an dieser fehlenden Aktivierung und Interaktion an, indem sie als technisches Hilfsmittel die klassischen Interaktionsformen wie Fragen oder Abstimmungen auch in Großveranstaltungen ermöglichen. Ein solches Feedbacksystem wurde mittels der myTU-App ohne kostenintensive Anschaffungen realisiert. Die Entwickler der myTU-App arbeiten stetig an der Weiterentwicklung und Verbesserung der App. Dafür ist es wichtig, sowohl die Bedürfnisse und Wünsche der Nutzer/innen, als auch die Ablehnungsgründe derer, die die App nicht nutzen, zu kennen. Aus diesem Grund wurde eine Evaluation zur myTU-App durchgeführt.

We live in a high tech era of electronic media, which is changing our lives (Giddens, 1999). Apps are examples of technologies that affect our lives. An interesting question in this context is what apps will have for significance; on one hand for the development of technology, and on other hand for humans’ relation to technology. Since the development and change process are central issues in the science of education I will explore the development of applications. The purpose of this paper is to seek knowledge about applications (apps) development from a design and user perspective. This dissertation discusses activity theory as an academic framework for understanding of apps development from two different types of operating systems or practices, to be precise design practice and user practice. To clarify my point, I have defined the following questions: why user apps are designed, how user apps are designed, and what contradictions occur between the design and the use of apps? My research is based on a qualitative approach with an abductive approach. I used multiple case studies as research approach based on three data collection techniques: interviews, observiews (interviews and observations) and observations of social media and an archived document of wireframes about apps. The result shows that apps designed and published either for their function or for promotional purposes. The design process is fast and dynamic process where applications are published before they are ready and constantly updated later. The use of apps characterized by either an active or a passive use operations. In the passive activity apps are tested through trial and error, and when they do not meet the user's expectations they are thrown away. This activity contributes in relation to previous research on technology and social change to the consumer’s throwaway culture. While in the active using, activities becomes part of the development activities where development aspects are communicated through social media – interact active users and designers to develop the app, which is both an artifact and an object of their own development. Activity theory thus contributes to theories of design by considering design not only as production but also as a fully operational system itself with the production, consumption, exchange and distribution. / Vi lever i en högmodern tid som präglas av elektroniska medier som förändrar vårt liv enligt Giddens (1999). Appar är exempel på teknik som påverkar vårt liv. En intressant fråga i detta sammanhang är vad appar får för betydelse för – å ena sidan utveckling av teknik å andra sidan människans förhållande till teknik. Eftersom utveckling och förändringsprocesser är centrala i pedagogik vill jag studera utveckling av appar. Syftet med denna uppsats är att söka kunskap om apputveckling ur ett design- och användarperspektiv. I uppsatsen används verksamhetsteori som teoretiskt ramverk för att förstå apputveckling utifrån två olika typer av verksamhetssystem eller praktiker, nämligen designpraktiken och användarpraktiken. För att närmare precisera mitt syfte har jag definierat följande frågeställningar: varför designas respektive används appar, hur designas respektive används appar, och vilka motsättningar uppstår/finns mellan design och användning av appar? Min uppsats bygger på ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt med en abduktiv ansats som innebär en pendling mellan teori och empiri. Jag använder flerfallsstudien som forskningsansats, med tre datasamlingstekniker: intervjuer, observjuer och observationer av sociala medier och ett arkiverat dokument med skisser över appar. Resultatet visar att appar designas och publiceras antingen för sin funktion eller i marknadsföringssyfte. Designprocessen är en snabb, dynamisk process där appar publiceras innan de är klara och därefter ständigt uppdateras. Användning av appar kännetecknas av antingen en aktiv eller en passiv användning. I den passiva användningsverksamheten prövas appar genom trial-and-error och när de inte motsvarar användarens förväntningar kastas de bort. Denna verksamhet bidrar i relation till tidigare forskning om teknik och social förändring till konsumtionssamhällets slit och slängkultur. Den aktiva användningsverksamheten blir istället en del av utvecklings­verksamheten där utvecklingsaspekter kommuniceras via sociala medier där aktiva användare och designer samverkar i att utveckla appen som blir både en artefakt och ett objekt för sin egen utveckling. Verksamhetsteori bidrar således till teorier om design genom att betrakta design inte bara som produktion utan som ett helt verksamhetssystem i sig med produktion, konsumtion, utbyte och fördelning.

Purpose: The aim of this thesis has been to study and obtain greater understanding of the consequences of active social media use. Specifically, in terms of social identity, social life and the sense of belonging. Secondly, the thesis studies the consequences of disconnecting and for a limited amount of time opt out of the social media context. Method/material:  The study is based on an explorative, cultural ethnographically-inspired method, in which four respondents were studied: two men and two women, all frequent users of social media. This was done in three steps: initial interviews, followed by social media diaries and finally a focus group. By allowing these methods to complement each other, the goal was to create an overall picture of the importance of social media in their everyday lives. The study's focus lies on the week in which the respondents kept social media diaries. This was done with an application designed to continuously provide me updates during the week. The first three days of the week, the respondents used the social media as usual. Every time they were active on social media, the task was to update the diary with the activity, as well as motivation, emotion, simultaneous offline activity and possible reflections. The last four days of the weak, the respondents were prohibited from using social media, and instead they updated the diaries every time they had an impulse to use social media. Main results: The study shows that social media plays a big role in shaping the self as well as the social identity. The respondents feel a social requirement to be constantly available, which stresses them and affects offline-activities and how they socialize in real life. The days without social media meant great relief in many ways; they began to read books, socialized more concentrated with friends and family and were able to relax more. Despite these surprising insights, they want to continue using social media since being disconnected was also very stressful since they often had the feeling of being excluded and left out. The conflict between reason and emotion arises. Sense dictates that they should cut down on their social media activity but the feeling tells them the opposite.

1 INTRODUCTION With the increasing capabilities of today’s smart phones, the demand of consumers for new applications has risen dramatically. By opening up these smart phones and providing third parties the opportunity to develop “apps” for their systems, producers like Apple and platform owners like Google can offer much more value to their customers. As smart phones are one kind of embedded systems (ES), the question arises if similar development can also take place in other kinds of embedded systems. ES, consisting of hardware and software, are embedded in a device to realize a specific function, in contrast to personal computers, which serve multiple purposes [4,30]. The notion of incorporating external actors in the innovation process has been coined open innovation which has become increasingly popular in research and practice since Chesbrough introduced the term in 2003 [12]. By opening up their innovation processes for external actors, firms could benefit from internal as well as from external ideas. In this paper, the notion of open innovation will be explored in the context of ES. The case of ES is particularly interesting, as it requires not only the opening of innovation processes, but also the opening of the embedded system itself. Some of these platforms are opened only to a small degree like Apple’s iPhone, in order to enable others to create new applications for it. Similar developments also take place for example in the automotive software domain, especially concerning infotainment systems. However, most kinds of ES have been spared out by this development until now. As more than 98% of all chips manufactured are used for ES [10] and high-performing computer chips are getting cheaper [38], opening considerations could also prove valuable for a large number of other application domains. However, opening up innovation processes in the context of ES is challenging from both an organizational and technical perspective. First of all, embedded systems are subject to a variety of constraints in contrast to multi-purpose computing devices, like realtime and security constraints or costs and resource constraints. Second, ES are quite diverse both in their composition and in terms on their requirements. In this paper, we want to explore, how the different properties of embedded systems influence possible open innovation processes. This will be done by drawing on to the characteristics of firms implementing the three core open innovation processes suggested by Gassmann and Enkel (2004) [15] and conceptually explaining how the characteristics of ES enable or hinder open innovation processes. As a result, a classification of the OI processes in terms of ES characteristics is provided.