Carbon nanotubes possess various unique and interesting properties. They have very high thermal and electrical conductivities, high stiffness, mechanical strength, and optical properties. Due to these properties, CNTs are widely used materials in a variety of fields. It is used for biotechnological and biomedical applications, as chemical and biosensor, in energy storage and field emission transistor. Experimentally synthesized CNTs are generally found in bundle form due to the strong vander Waals (vdW) at-traction between the individual tubes. To use CNTs in real life applications, we often require specific nanotubes with particular characteristics. The nanotube bundle is a mixture of various chirality, diameters and electronic properties (metallic and semiconducting). Only thermal energy is not sufficient to disperse nanotubes from the bundle geometry overcoming the strong vdW attraction between nanotubes. The hydrophobic and insoluble nature of CNTs in the aqueous medium makes the dispersion of CNTs even more difficult. So, it is a big challenge to get single pristine nanotube from the bundle geometry. Many experimental and theoretical studies have addressed the problem of nanotube dispersion from the bundle geometry. Ultrasonic dispersing method is a widely used technique for this purpose where ultrasonic sound is applied to agitate particles in a system. Other methods include using different organic and inorganic solutions, various surfactant molecules, different polymers as dispersing agents. In this study we extend our e orts to develop some better methods and improved dispersing agents. In this thesis, we address the problem of CNT dispersion. To address this issue, we rst give a quantitative estimation of the effective interaction between nanotubes. Next, we introduce different polymers (ssDNA and dendrimers) as external agents and show that they help to overcome the strong adhesive interaction between CNTs and make nanotube dispersion possible from the bundle geometry. For all of the works presented in this thesis, we have used fully atomistic MD simulation and DFT level calculations. We study ssDNA-CNT complex using all-atom MD simulation and calculate various structural quantities to show the stability of ssDNA-CNT complex in aqueous medium. The adsorption of ssDNA bases on CNT surface is driven by - interaction between nucleic bases and CNT. Using the potential of mean forces (PMF) calculation, we study the binding strength of the polynucleotide ssDNA for poly A, T, G, and C with CNT of chirality (6,5). From the PMF calculation, we show the binding sequence to be A > T > C > G. Except for poly G, our result is in good agreement with earlier reported single molecule force spectroscopy results where the sequence of binding interaction was reported to be A > G > T > C. To explore how the interaction between two CNTs mod-i ed in presence of ssDNA between them, we perform PMF calculation between the two ssDNA-wrapped CNTs. The PMF shows the sequence of interaction strength between two ssDNA-wrapped CNTs for different nucleic bases to be T > A > C > G. Thus, from PMF calculations we show the poly T to have the highest dispersion efficiency, which is consistent with earlier reported experimental study. Our PMF calculation shows that poly C and poly G reduce the attraction between two CNTs drastically, whereas poly A and poly T make the interaction fully repulsive in nature. We also present microscopic pictures of the various binding conformations for ssDNA adsorbed on CNT surface. We also study the dendrimer-CNT complex for both the PAMAM and PETIM dendrimers of different generations at various protonation states and present microscopic pictures of the complex. We calculate PMF between two dendrimer wrapped CNTs and show that protonated and higher generations (G3, G4, and so forth) non-protonated PAMAM dendrimers can be used as e ective agents to disperse CNTs from bundle geometry. We also study the chirality dependence of PMF respectively. Finally, we study the interaction of mannose dendrimer with CNTs and show that the wrapping of mannose dendrimer can drive a metal to semiconducting transition in a metallic CNT. We attribute the carbon-carbon bond length assymetry in CNT due to the wrapping of mannose dendrimer as the reason for this band gap opening which leads to metal-semiconductor transition in CNT. Thus, the wrapping of mannose dendrimer on CNT can change its electronic properties and can be used in the band gap engineering of CNT in future nanotechnology. Thus, the works carried out here in this dissertation will help to address the problem of nanotube dispersion from the bundle geometry which will in turn help to use CNT for various applications in diverse fields.

This study centres on the biblical and theological work behind Dorothy L. Sayers' 12-part play-cycle, The Man Born to be King, aired on the BBC between 1941-42. Investigation begins by testing various unsubstantiated statements by biographers and scholars through a line-by-line analysis of the scripts, the results of which can be found in two large tables of information about how Sayers used each pericope in the Gospels (Appendix A) and a list of every known biblical reference within the play-cycle (Appendix C). Sayers' reported privileging of the Gospel of John gives way to evidence that Synoptic content outweighs Johannine by sheer bulk of material while preference is clearly given to stories that appear in both John and the Synoptics. Sayers' reported avoidance of the Authorized Version gives way to limited but consistent use of the AV for the narrator, for Old Testament quotations, and a special use of the Coverdale Psalms from the Book of Common Prayer. A study of Sayers' six secondary sources shows significant influence upon historic details and characterisation. By covering new ground through in-depth script and source analysis, these studies reveal, expand upon, and often contradict previous assumptions regarding Sayers' sources and working process. In the area of theological studies, investigation begins with Sayers' own claim that she had no original theology—that she merely re-stated the Church's teaching. First, Sayers' identity as an Anglo-Catholic is explored to understand what she means by ‘Catholic' and ‘the Church'. Having thus located Sayers within a particular tradition, Sayers' Christology (building upon her emphasis on the Creed) and Eschatology (building upon her chosen theme of the Kingship of Christ) within the plays are considered within their broader context of early twentieth-century Anglo-Catholic and wider theology. Sayers' theological originality is then proposed in relation to how she brought theology to life in dramatic form.

The evolution of globalization and technology have changed the playground for international business and made it possible for smaller businesses to compete internationally among large and capital intensive companies. Markets become increasingly alike with converging product preferences and changing the world into one large integrated marketplace easily accessible for firms of all sizes. Recent research in the field of International Business has shed light on small firms that rapidly become international market players, called “born globals” (BGs). These firms’ behavior contradicting traditional theory, such as the Uppsala Model, which propose that internationalization is an incremental process where firms must gain market knowledge and psychical distance to markets to internationalize. The Uppsala Model describes internationalization as a relatively resource-demanding process. However, the BGs most often have scarce resources, but still manages to enter several markets simultaneously. Previous studies have focused on manufacturing exporting BGs when investigate this relatively new phenomenon. Yet, little light is shed on BG service firms and their internationalization. The purpose of this study is to investigate the facilitating factors of resource-scarce Internet-based service BGs’ internationalization and barriers connected to it. Thus, this study aims to fill the research field of BG Internet-based service firms with more empirical data. The research questions are formulated as followed: RQ1: What important factors enable internationalization for Swedish born global Internet-based service firms? RQ2: Do the perceived barriers to internationalization for SMEs apply to Swedish born global Internet-based service firms, or are there other barriers present in their internationalization? As a theoretical framework, the researchers have combined three main theories, explicitly the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capabilities and Business Models. Further, SMEs’ perceived barriers to internationalization are included in the theoretical framework as a sub-theory, to investigate if those barriers apply to BG Internet-based service firms. The researchers have performed a qualitative exploratory multiple-case study including six Swedish companies. The empirical data acquired is presented in a case-by-case structure relating back to the theoretical framework. The data has further been analyzed in a thematic way based on theories using the cross-case analysis technique. From the study, the researchers have found that the most important factors enabling internationalization for Swedish BG Internet-based service firms are an internationally standardized business model, human capital, and the level of dynamic capabilities. Regarding SME’s perceived barriers to internationalization, no clear pattern was found regarding the sample firms’ perceived barriers to internationalization. Which implies that more research is needed in this area.

Magister Legum - LLM / In this research, I carefully and coherently examine Chapter 19 of the Children's Act 38 of 2005 as the first legislation to afford surrogate motherhood agreements legal recognition in South Africa. I argue that the application of Chapter 19 imposes a number of unwarranted limitations on several of the constitutional rights of the parties to a surrogacy agreement. In addition, I propose that Chapter 19 is not in accordance with the principal of the best interests of the child. I examine the history of surrogate motherhood in South Africa and establish that, prior to the enactment of Chapter 19, no legislation expressly afforded surrogate motherhood agreements legal recognition. Hence, prior to the enactment of Chapter 19, parties who entered surrogacy agreements could, first, not rely on the agreement to enforce contractual obligations, and secondly, the legal positions of the parties to the agreement were uncertain. Thirdly, a child born of a surrogacy agreement was seen as the child of the surrogate mother and not of the commissioning parents. / South Africa

This thesis explores the working lives of British Born South Asian Ethnic Minorities (BB SAEMs), critiquing the homogenous identities ascribed to them in previous research. Its methodology is life-story interviews analysed using Nvivo. This identified four hybrid categories emerging from two cultures. I fitted myself neatly into just one. However the reflexive analysis required in good qualitative research led me to realise that I fitted into not one, but all four categories, and into others not yet recognised. At this point, my thesis had to take a new turn. An auto-ethnographic, moment-by-moment study led to an ‘unhybrid categorisation of hybridities’ acknowledging ‘fuzziness and mélange, cut ‘n’ mix, and criss and crossover’ where identity is a complex-mix, always in flux. I conclude not only with this new theory of identity formation in the working lives of BB SAEMs, but also by arguing that by imposing the requirement to categorise, research methods lead to over-simplification and misunderstanding.

Foreign-born providers make up over a quarter of the physician workforce nationally. Patients in south central Pennsylvania are primarily white with limited interaction with foreigners which can produce barriers to communication and trust. This study proposes practical steps for building positive relationships between patients and their foreign-born providers. Ethnographic methods were used to interview and survey patients and providers about the relationships between foreign-born providers and patients, primarily in the Summit Health system. The results of the study provide a framework of how trust is built between patients and providers in general, suggest additional actions for foreign-born providers, and propose ways patients can do their part to achieve a positive relationship with their provider. While much of the literature on cultural competence is in the context of patients who are from minority ethnicities, this study adds to the body of research by also considering the providers as part of minority groups.

L'étude EPIPPAIN 1 (Epidemiology of Procedural Pain In Neonates) réalisée en 2005 a montré que les gestes infirmiers avec effraction cutanée, la ponction au talon et la ponction veineuse, étaient très fréquents chez le nouveau-né hospitalisé en réanimation néonatale. Ces gestes, reconnus comme étant douloureux, ne semblent pas toujours être accompagnés d'un moyen analgésique. Plusieurs études randomisées ont évalué l'efficacité des moyens analgésiques lors de ces gestes mais, à notre connaissance, aucune n'a décrit de façon exhaustive et multicentrique la prise en charge réelle de l'infirmière réalisée au lit du patient. S’appuyant sur les données de l’étude épidémiologique EPIPPAIN 2, réalisée en 2011, ce travail de thèse avait pour objectifs :- de décrire la prise en charge analgésique lors de la ponction au talon et de la ponction veineuse : les moyens analgésiques utilisés, l’intensité de la douleur et les facteurs associés à l’utilisation d’analgésique spécifique au geste,- de comparer les pratiques analgésiques lors des effractions cutanées entre l’étude EPIPPAIN 1 et EPIPPAIN 2.En l’espace de six ans, nous avons constaté une amélioration des pratiques infirmières concernant la prise en charge en service de réanimation néonatale de la douleur des effractions cutanées (ponction au talon et ponction veineuse). Cette amélioration était visible par l’augmentation de l’utilisation d’analgésiques spécifiques au geste et par le développement de protocoles locaux y faisant référence. Il existe cependant une marge de progression importante concernant la diminution du nombre d’effractions cutanées et du nombre de tentatives pour réussir le geste. / The study EPIPPAIN 1, Epidemiology of Procedural Pain In Neonates (2005) showed that newborns in intensive care units undergo numerous painful procedures including skin-breaking procedures performed by nurses. These procedures were not always accompanied by an analgesic. Several randomized studies have assessed the effectiveness of analgesics during these procedures, but to the best of our knowledge, no previous study has described the real bedside pain management and the factors associated with the use of analgesia during skin-breaking procedures. based on the epidemiological study EPIPPAIN 2 (2011), the axis of this thesis were:- to describe the analgesia methods used during heelsticks and venipunctures in the neonate hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit, to describe the intensity of pain associated with each procedure and to determine the factors associated with the use of specific preprocedural analgesia- to compare nurses’ practices concerning pain mangament during skin-breaking procedures between EPIPPAIN 1 and EPIPPAIN 2.Within six years, we noticed an improvement of the nursing practices concerning the neonatal pain management in intensive care unit during skin-breaking procedures (heelsticks and venipunctures). This improvement was visible by the increase of the use of specific preprocedural analgesia and by the development of local protocols making a reference to it. There is however a margin of important progress concerning the decrease of the number of skin-breaking procedures and the number of attempts to make a success of the procedure.

Unemployment is a debated topic in Sweden, and it is higher among people with a foreign background than among native-born people. The main purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of low-educated unemployed people with a foreign background who are experiencing difficulties in entering the Swedish labour-market, and to examine how they experience being without work, and how unemployment affects them negatively. The method used in this study is a qualitative and with five semi-structured interviews were implemented. The interviewees are unemployed. They also have a foreign background and they are low educated. We used a thematic analysis to analyse our collected material. The results of the study show that low-educated unemployed people with a foreign origins face difficulty in improving themselves in the Swedish labour-market. They experience that there are several different factors that weakened their establishment in the labour-market. The factors are, their level and the parents' low level of education, lack of the Swedish language as well as lack of social networks. They also experience discrimination both on the basis of its ethnicity and that they have a lower-class position in Swedish society as a result of being low educated. Unemployment leads these people to experiencing negative consequences, for example, feeling ashamed because their financial resources have deteriorated, which in turn leads to them having a lower economic position in the Swedish society. / Arbetslöshet är ett debatterat ämne i Sverige och den är högre hos personer med utländsk bakgrund än bland inrikesfödda personer. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur lågutbildade arbetslösa med utländsk bakgrund upplever svårigheter att ta sig in på den svenska arbetsmarknaden, samt att undersöka hur de upplever att vara utan arbete, det vill säga hur arbetslösheten påverkar dem negativt. Uppsatsens metod är en kvalitativ och fem semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes. Intervjupersonerna är arbetslösa. De har även en utländsk bakgrund och en låg utbildnings nivå. En tematisk analys har använts för att analysera det insamlade materialet. Resultatet i studien visar att lågutbildade arbetslösa med utländsk bakgrund upplever svårigheter att etablera sig på den svensk arbetsmarknaden. De upplever att det är flera olika faktorer som försvagar deras etablering på arbetsmarknaden. Dessa faktorer är deras och även föräldrarnas låga utbildningsnivå, brist på det svenska språket samt brist på sociala nätverk. De upplever även diskriminering både utifrån sin etnicitet och att de har lägre klassposition i det svenska samhället till följd av att de är lågutbildade. Arbetslösheten leder till att dessa personer upplever negativa konsekvenser exempelvis, de upplever skamkänsla på grund av att deras ekonomiska resurser har försämrats, vilket i sin tur leder till att de får lägre ekonomisk position i det svenska samhället.

Diplomová práca sa zaoberá rozptylom elektromagnetického žiarenia na biologickej bunke použitím metódy konečných diferencií v časovej oblasti (FDTD), Bornovej aproximácie a Rytovovej aproximácie. Metóda FDTD dáva presné výsledky v širokej škále problémov. Je spravené porovnanie Bornovej aproximácie a Rytovovej aproximácie prostredníctvom FDTD metódy. Ďaľšia časť práce zahrnuje krátky popis koherenciou riadeného holografického mikroskopu CCHM. Záverečná časť sa venuje zobrazeniu rozptýleného poľa získaného z jednotlivých simulácií pomocou simulácie objektového ramena mikroskopu CCHM.

<div> Challenges in the semiconductor industry have resulted in the discovery of a plethora of promising materials and devices such as the III-Vs (InGaAs, GaSb, GaN/InGaN) and 2D materials (Transition-metal dichalcogenides [TMDs]) with wide-ranging applications from logic devices, optoelectronics to biomedical devices. Performance of these devices suffer significantly from scattering processes such as polar-optical phonons (POP), charged impurities and remote phonon scattering. These scattering mechanisms are long-ranged, and a quantitative description of such devices require non-local scattering calculations that are computationally expensive. Though there have been extensive studies on coherent transport in these materials, simulations are scarce with scattering and virtually non-existent with non-local scattering. </div><div> </div><div>In this work, these scattering mechanisms with full non-locality are treated rigorously within the Non-Equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formalism. Impact of non-locality on charge transport is assessed for GaSb/InAs nanowire TFETs highlighting the underestimation of scattering with local approximations. Phonon, impurity scattering, and structural disorders lead to exponentially decaying density of states known as Urbach tails/band tails. Impact of such scattering mechanisms on the band tail is studied in detail for several bulk and confined III-V devices (GaAs, InAs, GaSb and GaN) showing good agreement with existing experimental data. A systematic study of the dependence of Urbach tails with dielectric environment (oxides, charged impurities) is performed for single and multilayered 2D TMDs (MoS2, WS2 and WSe2) providing guideline values for researchers. </div><div><br></div><div>Often, empirical local approximations (ELA) are used in the literature to capture these non-local scattering processes. A comparison against ELA highlight the need for non-local scattering. A physics-based local approximation model is developed that captures the essential physics and is computationally feasible.</div>