Without question, it is apparent that organizations are predominantly dependent on the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to conduct their daily operations. As a result, information is rapidly flowing throughout the workplace and being exchanged at a rate unlike ever before. Unfortunately, this rapid flow of information has increased the potential for information overload to occur among employees. Through a phenomenological based approach, this study explored the experiences of information overload that occur as a result of CMC use in the workplace, from the subjective point of view of ten participants. Findings indicated that the experiences described among these participants can be understood through the examination of four descriptive themes: Constant Communication, Unpredictability, Miscommunication, and lastly Increased Workload and Responsibilities. Furthermore, two theories: Media Richness Theory (MRT) and Social Influence Theory (SIT), served as the theoretical framework for this study.

Denna studie undersöker hur fyra gymnasielärare i svenska arbetade med formativ bedömning samt examination under utbrottet av Covid-19 våren 2020. Studien består av fyra nätbaserade intervjuer med verksamma svenskämneslärare i syfte att ta reda på hur de upplevde sin hantering av formativ bedömning och examination av elever i samband med den rådande coronakrisen. Studien delar upp den formativa bedömningsprocessen efter följande kategorier: Muntlig produktion, skriftlig produktion, grupparbeten, lärarrespons, självbedömning, kamratrespons samt examination. Resultatet indikerar bland annat att bristande möjligheter till fysisk kontakt har påverkat den formativa bedömningen samt examinationen, exempelvis genom att ställa högre krav på tydlighet och insyn. Resultaten pekar även på att rättssäkerheten är en utmaning med examinationen, medan behovet av att fortsätta utveckla nättjänster som Urkund eller Exam.net lyfts fram. Studiens resultat indikerar också att det har ställts högre krav på lärares prestationer gällande formativ bedömning, främst på grund av bristen på fysisk kontakt mellan lärare och elev. Därigenom bidrar denna studie till förståelse för användandet av formativ bedömning i svenskämnet via distansundervisning, samt för betydelsen av att rusta framtidens lärare inför liknande situationer i framtiden.

This thesis gives a comprehensive characterization of lightweight non-oxide ceramic materials for ballistic applications, an overview of production technologies and processing of boron carbide B4C and its ceramic-based composites. A framework for evaluating the ballistic resistance of the material based on mechanical properties is shown there. It can be used in experiments without normalized equipment. The experiments including B4C + Si, B4C + Ti composites, and application of Spark plasma sintering (SPS) were designed according to outputs from the theoretical part. The volume fractions of Si, Ti dopants were optimized based on ongoing chemical reactions during sintering. The obtained samples were subjects of mechanical testing which results were compared to identify the ideal ratio of matrix and reinforcement. As the best suited material for ballistic protection, B4C + 1,0 obj. % reaches these values of parameters; hardness = 3502 ± 122 HV1; fracture toughness KIC = 2,97 ± 0,03 MPam^0,5.

Video calls have received growing attention since the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, accompanied by technological innovations, such as spatial audio or AI for simulating eye contact. The increased use of video calls in personal and professional environments poses opportunities for evaluating and shaping this technology by going beyond the notion of a single user and including people with different cognitive abilities. This study proposes a remote participatory design process with people with learning disabilities (LD), aiming to investigate considerations for the design of video call platforms. In cooperation with NetzStecker, the Office for Inclusive Media Education based in Münster, Germany, a four-stage research through design process is conducted with a group of adults with LD, including online workshops and mobile device-based diary studies. Perceptions and experiences are explored through the lens of phenomenology and lead to a set of design recommendations around the themes of spatiality and communication. Methodological conclusions discuss the challenges of using the medium of study as the principal medium of research and indicate a potential for proximity chats as design spaces.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, peoples’ everyday lives have been affected, including the teachers and students in Swedish upper-secondary schools while teaching and learning English. Due to this, both parties have had to experience the English classroom in the shape of distance education through computer-mediated communication (CMC). A convenience sampling consisting of four teachers and four students was used to provide statements regarding the participants’ experiences of the virtual classroom, in comparison to the physical classroom. The study also examined how the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing have been affected while teaching and learning English, due to distance education. The main findings consist of teachers claiming to have experienced difficulties regarding testing the English language skills known as reading and listening. In addition, a lack of non-verbal interaction was missed, according to the teachers, resulting among other things in the linguistic phenomenon such as turn-taking, to have taken place. The students on the other hand, have experienced difficulties regarding autonomy while studying English at home during the distance education as well as a different linguistic issue known as overlap in conjunction with a lack of non-verbal interaction and several people speaking simultaneously. The reported effects due to the covid-19 pandemic in conjunction with distance education are discussed along with the consequences of the obtained results and further suggestions regarding the topic.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Mobile telephones are impacting societies around the world and text messaging, short type-written messages sent via mobile phones, has also garnered international research efforts. Research demonstrates that text messages are being used primarily to commence, advance, maintain or otherwise impact interpersonal relationships. The present study probes relational benefits of text messaging within familial and fraternal contexts. Specifically, the study seeks to answer the research question: How does text messaging impact feelings of “connectedness” (IJsselsteijn, van Baren & van Lanen, 2003, p. 928) within “strong-tie” (Howard, et. al., 2006), dyadic relationships? Findings from nineteen respondent interviews show that texting becomes a channel through which dialectical tensions in relationships are played out. Respondents use texting to both assert autonomy and to maintain connectedness with relational partners. Several participants noted that financial issues were an important consideration but nevertheless subscribed to texting services. Users also perceived texting as more constant and more private than mobile voice interaction. Romantic pairs vis-à-vis non-romantic dyads perceived the benefits of text messages differently.

Abstract There has been great interest in microgels as drug carriers within the pharmaceutical industry. This includes the use of amphiphilic drugs for treating conditions such as depression, allergies, and cancer. By loading adiphenine (ADP), pavatrine (PVT), and diphenhydramine (DPH) into macrogels and observing the release, this study seeks to investigate how amphiphilic drugs can be released from microgels. There is also an interest in how aggregation behavior may vary depending on the structural components. This study utilized small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) along with UV analysis and the measuring of the binding isotherm to investigate micelle aggregation and aggregation number. Two of the drugs adiphenine and pavatrine, have similar structures with only one bond that differentiated them. The difference in rigidity provided different results in SAXS. Adiphenine has an aggregation number of 12, diphenhydramine has a number of 13, and pavatrine has a number of 37. In contrast to pavatrine, which did not exhibit a correlation peak, adiphenine and diphenhydramine showed correlation peaks. This indicates that none of them had an ordered phase structure but pavatrine displayed an even more disordered phase structure. Nevertheless, all three drugs were in equilibrium, and so a difference between adiphenine and pavatrine could be clearly distinguished. There were significant divergences between pavatrine and adiphenine despite not being able to determine binding isotherms for all three drugs. Based on this, they should be less stable than diphenhydramine. They have an ester linkage, while diphenhydramine doesn't. As a result, it was not possible to confirm how self-aggregation of adiphenine, pavatrine, and diphenhydramine impacts drug release. Despite this, differences in the rigidity of the structural form may lead amphiphilic drugs to exhibit different behaviour in gels. Keywords: Amphiphilic drugs, small angle x-ray scattering, macrogels, binding isotherm, CMC, self-aggregation, phase structure, micelles.

MySpace is a type of "social networking" website where people meet, socialize, and create friendships. The way MySpace members, particularly younger individuals, interact online underscores the changing nature of mass media. Media system dependency states that individuals become reliant on media in their daily life because of fundamental human goals. This reliance, termed a dependency, leads to repeated use. Media system dependency was applied in the current study to explain how and why individuals became habitual MySpace users. To attain results a survey was administered to a convenience sampling of 401 adult undergraduates at the University of Central Florida. Members reported MySpace dependency had a moderate correlation to MySpace use, and they actively used the website an average of 1.3 hours of use per day. Results indicated members use MySpace to primarily satisfy play and interaction orientation dependencies. MySpace use was found to have a correlation with number of MySpace friends. "Number of friends created" in turn had a correlation with MySpace dependency, as people returned to interact with their friends. Individual factors were also found to be a source of influence in MySpace dependency. These individual factors were demographics, psychological factors related to use of the Internet, and psychological factors related to use of MySpace. Factors related to MySpace, extroversion and self-disclosure, were positively correlated with intensity of dependency. The influence of factors related to the Internet was partly supported; computer self-efficacy was not significantly related to MySpace dependency, while computer anxiety was significantly related to MySpace dependency. Speed of connection to the Internet and available time to use the Internet were not related to MySpace dependency. Additionally, significant differences were found between genders in overall dependency, extroversion, self-disclosure, computer anxiety, and computer self-efficacy. These findings provide evidence that MySpace members were little, if at all, constrained by factors related to use of the Internet, but were attracted to the websites for similar reasons as real-life relationships. Finally, MySpace is just one of the large number of online resources that are predominantly social, such as email, message boards, and online chat. This study found that through a "technology cluster" MySpace members use these other social innovations more frequently than non-members. However, members also used significantly more non-social innovations, which may indicate that MySpace members are part of a larger technology cluster than anticipated or perhaps are in the same category of innovation adopter.

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