The auction is a form of trading, which is becoming more popular in recent years. For English auction the typical object intended for trading is art or antique etc. Auction houses require the most accurate estimates of total sales for each auction because of their economic activity. These estimates are constructed, but the only information that is available is starting price of auctioned objects (paintings). Two methods have been proposed for purpose of this estimation. They are conducted in the application Crystal Ball. Selling prices of the objects are generated in the first method and total sales are estimated with the help of application assignment problem. The second method consists in the simple sum of generated selling prices. The cornerstone of these methods is the distribution from which a coefficient is generated that sets increase of the starting prices to selling prices. The first part of practical application is dedicated to estimating parameters of this distribution. In the second part, total revenues are estimated using both methods. In conclusion there is the assessment of the suitability for both methods and estimated distributions. Method that provides the most accurate estimate of total sales for auction house is determined there also.

Master of Science / Department of Computer Science / Doina Caragea / An Introduction to Databases course involves learning the concepts of data storage, manipulation, and retrieval. Relational databases provide an ideal learning path for understanding database concepts. The Structured Query Language (SQL) is a standard language for interacting with relational database. Each database vendor implements a variation of the SQL standard. Furthermore, a particular question that asks for some data can be written in many ways, using somewhat similar or structurally different SQL queries. Evaluation of SQL queries for correctness involves the verification of the SQL syntax and semantics, as well as verification of the output of queries and the usage of correct clauses. An evaluation tool should be independent of the specific database queried, and of the nature of the queries, and should allow multiple ways of providing input and retrieving the output. In this report, we have developed an evaluation tool for SQL queries, which checks for correctness of MySQL and PostgreSQL queries with the help of a parser that can identify SQL clauses. The tool developed will act as a portal for students to test and improve their queries, and finally to submit the queries for grading. The tool minimizes the manual effort required while grading, by taking advantage of the SQL parser to check queries for correctness, provide feedback, and allow submission.

Traffic volume data are input to many transportation analyses including planning, roadway design, pavement design, air quality, roadway maintenance, funding allocation, etc. Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) is one of the most often used measures of traffic volume. Acquiring the actual AADT data requires the collection of traffic counts continuously throughout a year, which is expensive, thus, can only be conducted at a very limited number of locations. Typically, AADTs are estimated by applying seasonal factors (SFs) to short-term counts collected at portable traffic monitoring sites (PTMSs). Statewide in Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) operates about 300 permanent traffic monitoring sites (TTMSs) to collect traffic counts at these sites continuously. TTMSs are first manually classified into different groups (known as seasonal factor categories) based on both engineering judgment and similarities in the traffic and roadway characteristics. A seasonal factor category is then assigned to each PTMS according to the site’s functional classification and geographical location. The SFs of the assigned category are then used to adjust traffic counts collected at PTMSs to estimate the final AADTs. This dissertation research aims to develop a more objective and data-driven method to improve the accuracy of SFs for adjusting PTMSs. A statewide investigation was first conducted to identify potential influential factors that contribute to seasonal fluctuations in traffic volumes in both urban and rural areas in Florida. The influential factors considered include roadway functional classification, demographic, socioeconomic, land use, etc. Based on these factors, a methodology was developed for assigning seasonal factors from one or more TTMSs to each PTMS. The assigned seasonal factors were validated with data from existing TTMSs. The results show that the average errors of the estimated seasonal factors are, on average, about 4 percent. Nearly 95 percent of the estimated monthly SFs contain errors of no more than 10 percent. It was concluded that the method could be applied to improve the accuracy in AADT estimation for both urban and rural areas in Florida.

Problem: Many studies are written about employees stationed abroad by multinational corporations, but nothing about non-profit organisations. The NPOs from the Swedish idea-driven sector also have employees working abroad. This thesis looks at competence development opportunities for these expatriates and what their employability situation is like after moving back to Sweden. Method: The data in this qualitative study originate from interviews with individuals from different organisations. They worked as expatriates at least three years and returned and repatriated to Sweden at least a year ago. Findings: Different kinds of competence development are available to expatriates. Whether they take advantage of this depends largely on the individual’s motivation, but also on international partner organisations’ capacity and what resources are set aside by Swedish employers. The competence development show some, but not a definite correlation to employability once the expatriate has repatriated back to Sweden. The international assignment is usually a project employment which ends as they return, so the repatriate does not get much help from the NPO in transitioning back to their home country. The results are clear that that the individual is most vulnerable during the period when they are trying to re-establish a life at home. Swedish employers are unsure how to handle a job applicant with international experience and more often than not, regard the years abroad as empty space on their CV. It is up to the repatriate to use their social skills, social network and connections, be flexible, and motivate themselves to market themselves as employable individuals in order to find a job.

En grundbult för att ett gott samarbete skall råda mellan hemmet och förskolan är bland annat en välfungerande kommunikation, där behärskning av det svenska språket spelar stor roll. Med tonvikt på språk som ett viktigt verktyg för kommunikation och relationsbyggande finns ett intresse att analysera hur icke-svensktalande föräldrars delaktighet och samverkan med förskolan fungerar och ser ut med syfte att granska likvärdigt lärande och utveckling hos barnen på förskolan. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur icke-svensktalande föräldrar uppfattar förskolans pedagogiska uppdrag samt hur de upplever samverkan och kommunikationen med förskolan. Studien använder sig utav kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultat presenteras i två teman som identifierats vid dataanalys och databearbetning. Studien konkluderar att svenska förskolan inte lever upp till respondenternas förväntningar. Det finns en medvetenhet hos respondenterna kring de begränsningar som bräckligheten inom det svenska språket medför men resultatet belyser framförallt att förskolan behöver förbättra sin kommunikation med föräldrar som är födda utomlands genom att utveckla möjligheter för en tvåvägskommunikation och komma bort från den ”tidseffektiva” envägskommunikationen.

E-handelns omsättning har ökat kraftigt under de senaste åren, och det har satt ökade krav på lagerstyrning och lagerutrymme hos e-handelsföretag. Särskilt mindre e-handelsbolag har utmanats att skala upp verksamheten i takt med ökad försäljning och omsättning. Ett av dessa företag är Hobbyhem vilket säljer diverse artiklar inom hobby och pyssel. Företaget har behövt öka kapaciteten snabbt för att möta ökad efterfrågan vilket har lett till kortsiktiga best-practice lösningar och således en ohållbar struktur att bygga vidare på. En fallstudie på företaget visade att brister i strukturen, där smala gångar i kombination med inkonsekvent lagerhållning av produkter och slumpmässig artikelplacering på lagret gjorde plockrundor ineffektiva. Från en omfattande litteraturstudie togs relevant teori fram inom de identifierade problemområdena. Utifrån fallstudien och litteraturstudien genomfördes fyra simuleringar där fyra olika scenarion testades på fallstudieföretaget. Resultatet visar att det viktigaste är att bredda gångarna för att tillåta medtag av plockvagnen in i gångarna. Vidare visade simulering att den bästa metoden för tilldelning av artiklar till lagerplatser är en class-based storage vilken går ut på att de artiklar som säljer mest frekvent placeras närmast plockdepån. Det är även av stor vikt att hålla en konsekvent hyllstruktur på hela lagret för att utnyttja lagerytan maximalt.

Density functional theory BLYP and ab initio HF calculations have been carried out to investigate the structures and vibrational spectra of dicyanobenzenes. The calculated results are in good agreement with reliable experimental data and indicate that the benzene rings of all three isomers are only slightly distorted by the two cyano groups. Vibrational frequencies calculated by BLYP/6-31G* force fields agree very well with experimental results, with a mean deviation of about 14 cm-1 for non-CH stretching modes. On the basis of agreement between the calculated and observed results, assignments of the fundamental vibrational modes were examined and some reassignments were proposed. This study demonstrates that the density functional theory BLYP calculation is a powerful approach to understanding the vibrational spectra of organic compounds.

Just nine months after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 a global pandemic, the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna vaccines in December 2020, followed by EUA for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in February 2021. Although achieving herd immunity through vaccinations is the greatest hope for ending the pandemic, the COVID-19 vaccination effort has been plagued by misinformation and mistrust. Given the urgency to vaccinate the population, public health officials must construct messages that encourage individuals to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine. The current study examines the impact of linguistic assignment of agency on an individual’s desire to get vaccinated. Guided by the EPPM, participants (N= 296) were randomly assigned to receive either a virus agentic message or a human agentic message. The researchers discovered that the virus agentic message resulted in a greater intention to obtain the vaccine. Further, participants who received the virus agentic message reported a stronger sense of perceived self-efficacy and perceived susceptibility. Additionally, participants who perceived the societal reaction to the pandemic to be appropriate, as well as those who knew at least one person who had died from the virus, were more likely to express an intention to get vaccinated.

The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between homework methodology and compliance. The "Clinical Perception of Homework Style and Compliance Survey" was developed to measure compliance, methodology, and relating variables. A convenience sample consisted of 121 participants in this study. Participating therapists were asked to rate the likelihood of using various examples of homework methodologies and estimate the compliance they have received over the past 3 months. The results show that items used on the survey factored into two groups, which can be called direct and collaborative. Neither of the groups (i.e., direct and collaborative) was significantly correlated with homework compliance. Further conceptualization of the collaborative methodology was proposed. Implications for future research were highlighted.

Threshold Logic technology is conceived as the crucial alternate emerging technology to CMOS implementation in nanoelectronic era and the realization of complex functionalities is becoming an increasingly promising approach in the deep sub-micron design era. The gate that is implemented with threshold logic is called a Threshold Logic Gate (TLG). The logic output value of a Threshold Logic Gate (TLG) depends on the weighted sum of its inputs. Manufactured weights in the threshold logic gates (TLGs) may differ from the designed values and significantly affects the fault coverage. A novel fault model for weight defects is proposed. Also an Automatic Test Pattern Generation (ATPG) tool has been implemented that uses the fault model to detect whether the circuit is malfunctioning due to such weight-related defects. A novel design methodology is presented in this work to design complex TLG networks that are tolerant to manufacturing shortcomings. It uses a procedure to identify the optimum fault tolerant design of any given k-input TLG. Extensive research has been done in the development of synthesis methodologies in the past, predominantly greedy. A fault tolerance aware synthesis methodology is proposed.