Timber constructions have during the past two or three decades become more andmore common, mostly due to the easy prefabrication and the cheap, sustainablematerial. For long-span applications it is vital to find design solutions that optimizethe structure from the point of view of material consumption, number of theconnections, structural reliability etc.This thesis focuses on the structural optimization of a long span timber structureearlier developed by a Swedish glulam company for industry buildings and sport hallapplications. The main goal of this study has been the minimization of the volume ofwood required to built the structure, given a set of geometrical restrictions and theassigned loads.The optimal shape of the structure and the arrangement of the different elementshas been investigated by means of theoretical analyses taking into account theprincipal directions of stress which would occurr in similar structures with massivecross sections. The results of this investigations give some guidelines to design newtypes of structures, where both mechanical efficiency and manufacturing issues havebeen taken into consideration.Comparisons of the structural models proposed in this thesis with the originalproposal provided by the Swedish glulam company conclude the work, suggestingsome possible improvements.

The focus of this study was analytical investigations of Egyptian paintings, mainly Coptic icons and Islamic wooden ceilings, dating from 1300-1900 using multi-instrumental techniques. Twenty three Coptic icons and three wooden ceilings dated from different periods and painted by different painters in case of icons were examined. The materials used including pigments, media, varnishes, ground layers and gold layers. The surface stratigraphy of paint samples, their layered structured and the composition of materials used in each layer were analysed. Variations in painting techniques, pigments palettes, paint media and varnishes applied in Egyptian paintings according to painters, time and type of paintings were revealed. A total of twenty-eight organic and inorganic pigments were identified in this study, of which nine have never been previously included as a part of the Egyptian pigment palettes, namely; smalt, lapis lazuli, indigo, pararealgar, Prussian blue, chrome yellow, barium yellow, barium white and hydromagnesite. The identification of hydromagnesite, which has never been to date considered as a pigment either in Egypt or elsewhere and the identification of smalt from the mid-14th century, whose reported earliest large scale use was in the 16th century. Two types of resins were identified as a constituent of the oil/resin varnish applied on Coptic icons of which Venice turpentine has been identified for the first time as an ingredient of Egyptian varnishes. The identification of mosaic gold in an 18th C. icon, a novel usage of dammar resin and the multilayered structure of the white ground layers were revealed.

This thesis focuses on the topic of stencil painting in Central Europe. Based on the review of literature the current state of research is described and the technology is placed in the broader context of the decorative techniques used in the Middle Ages. Attention is paid to the history, process of making of the templates, method of their printing, the typology of used designs, the question of performing artists or craftsmen and wide possibilities of its application for the panel or mural paintings. The main focus of the thesis is the use of stencil painting and its specifics in the case of use for the polychrome of flat wooden ceilings and mobiliary in the churches interiors. The motifs used for their decoration are examined with regard to iconography, considered is also the possibility of the existence of overall iconographic program. The second part of the thesis consists of a catalogue with locations, where the stencil paintings have been used for decoration of flat ceilings or mobiliary in Czech, Slovak and Polish Republic. Keywords medieval art, stencil painting, ornament, Central Europe, wooden flat ceilings, mobiliary, polychrome, iconography

Jag har valt att kalla mitt projekt ”Whereabouts”, vilket betyder plats eller tillhåll. Och det är just en plats som jag försöker skapa i mitt examensarbete. Arbetet handlar om textil i rum och hur jag kan använda mig utav textil för att bygga upp en rumslighet. Fokus ligger på offentlig miljö, och hur jag i en sådan miljö kan skapa en plats för avskildhet och lugn. Lite som ett gömställe att fly till när omgivningen blir stökig och orolig. Det hela resulterar i en rumsavdelare i form av ett textilt tak och golv.Kärnan i projektet är att utforska hur jag kan skapa rumslighet, eller snarare illusionen av rumslighet då jag inte använder mig av några väggar som stänger av flödet i rummet. Istället undersöker jag om det skapas en känsla av att kliva in i ett annat område eller rum genom att föra in ett extra, lägre tak över ett begränsat område. Om det skapas en annan atmosfär under taket. För att ytterligare bygga på detta, arbetar jag även fram ett golv, som fungerar som en avspegling av taket och därmed binder ihop golv och tak.“Whereabouts” is a hideaway, a place to escape to when the surroundings are noisy and unrestful. With a room divider, in the form of a textile ceiling and floor, a place of serenity is created in the public room. Inspired by the spatiality created underneath the tree crown and of the light that seeps through the leaves, “Whereabouts” forms a more natural atmosphere in an otherwise artificial context.The work revolves around the use of textiles in interiors and how I can create spatiality, or rather the illusion of it, not using any walls. Instead, I examine whether the use of a ceiling and floor can create a different atmosphere and a sense of space. / Program: Textildesignutbildningen

La ville de Metz détient une collection exceptionnelle de plafonds peints médiévaux réalisés entre le XIIIe siècle et le XVe siècle. Malgré les ensembles détruits, lacunaires, disparus ou encore méconnus, vingt-sept plafonds ont fait l’objet de cette recherche. Leur étude a permis de suivre l’évolution artistique et d’appréhender les styles de décors intérieurs civils messins, sans interruption pendant deux siècles. Ces plafonds, méconnus, sont une source d’informations inestimable pour la connaissance du patrimoine historique et artistique de la ville à la fin du Moyen Âge. En effet, ils témoignent d’un savoir-faire de la part des charpentiers, des peintres et des ateliers actifs à Metz, mais aussi de la richesse des demeures patriciennes et de l’art de vivre des membres de l’élite urbaine. La recherche autour de ces décors permet de s’immerger au cœur d’une production artistique européenne des derniers siècles du Moyen Âge avec l’usage de thèmes iconographiques d’une grande diversité (ornementation végétale, bestiaires, figures saintes, tournois de joute, armoiries). Cette étude suit une démarche pluridisciplinaire destinée à s’approcher des réalités scientifiques, matérielles, historiques, héraldiques, iconographiques et stylistiques des plafonds peints, afin de déceler, entre autres, quels pouvaient être la fonction de ces décors et les messages que les commanditaires, d’un statut social élevé, souhaitaient transmettre à leurs convives. Ces décors luxueux sont indéniablement en lien avec leur aisance financière, leur connaissance de la littérature médiévale, du milieu artistique local et des événements diplomatiques majeurs auxquels ils ont été confrontés. / The city of Metz in France holds an exceptional collection of medieval painted ceilings made between the 13th and 15th centuries. Despite being destroyed, incomplete, missing or still unknown, twenty-seven ceilings were the subject of this research. Their study allowed to follow the artistic evolution and to apprehend the styles of Messinian civil interior decorations, without interruption during two centuries. These unknown ceilings are a priceless source of information for the knowledge of the historical and artistic heritage of the city at the end of the Middle Ages. Indeed, they are the testimony of a know-how of the carpenters, the painters and the active workshops in Metz, but also of the wealth of the patrician houses and the art of living of the members of the urban elite. Research around these decorations allows us to immerse in the heart of a European artistic production of the last centuries of the Middle Ages with the use of iconographic themes of great diversity (plant ornamentation, bestiaries, holy figures, tournaments of jousting, Arms). This study follows a multidisciplinary approach intended to display the scientific, material, historical, heraldic, iconographic and stylistic realities of the painted ceilings, in order to detect, among others, what could be the purpose of these sets and the messages that the landlords, of a high social status, wished to convey to their guests. These luxurious ornamentations are undeniably linked to their financial ease, their knowledge of medieval literature, the local artistic environment and the major diplomatic events they were faced with

Local middle schools have begun implementing a no-zero policy, which compels teachers to assign grades no lower than 50% even if a student did not turn in assignments for grading. In the study setting, high school teachers are struggling to motivate students who have attended a middle school with a no-zero policy in place. High school students who have attended a middle school with a no-zero policy show signs of learned helplessness. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in core course grades between high school students who attended a middle school with a no-zero policy (NZPMS) and high school students who attended a middle school without this policy that would compel the assignment of F grades if earned by the student (FPMS). The theoretical framework is Seligman's theory of learned helplessness. The sample included 1,396 students in a high school who attended either of the two middle schools. Comparisons between mean high school mathematics, science, and English grades were compared using a one-tailed t-test. Effect sizes were measured using Cohen's d. The findings indicated statistically significant small to medium differences in students' core course grades. Students who had attended the NZPMS earned lower high school core course grades in mathematics, science, and English than students who had attended FPMS. Professional development activities were created to train teachers and administrators at the NZPMS about the negative effects of awarding students with passing grades without expanding any or only minimal effort. Positive social change could occur for students' academic careers and professional lives if the no-zero policy is rescinded.

This dissertation aims to verify assumption regarding the impact of a hypothetical insurance in the tax base of the personal income tax. Specifically, to verify the assumption that the hypothetical insurance is more advantageous for foreign employees after taking into account maximum ceilings of contributions than the insurance actually paid or vice versa, and that there is no discrimination of foreign workers in relation with the increase of the tax base for the amount of the hypothetical insurance. This work defines basic concepts, development of the hypothetical insurance, describes the social insurance system and finally compares real and hypothetical insurance.

The subject of thesis is a project documentation of a single-standing multifunctional building. Object has 4 floors with no basement. Vertical load-bearing structures are designed from ceramic masonry Porotherm. Ceilings are monolithic, reinforced concrete. The roof is designed as a single-layer flat roof.

This master´s thesis is focused on suitable design of a new nursery school building. Nursery school is situated in suburban area, and as such two level design was chosen. The building has U shape outline. Ground floor is intended for basic operation of the nursery school, while the second floor is designed to accommodate various extra-curricular activities. Foundations of the building are made of plain concrete. Porotherm system is used for all walling. Ceilings are made of precast hollow core slabs - Spiroll. Object is covered with a flat roof.

The subject of master´s thesis is a new apartment building. This house is designed by wall system POROTHERM. Ceilings are monolithic made of prestressed ferronconcrete panels spiroll and the roof is flat. The house has three overhead floors and it has seven residential units. In four of them enter from the main entrance on the 1st floor, which is on the north side of the building. Three of them have their own entrance on the 1 st floor. Shape of the platform is unfinished ,,Z”. Roofs are designed as a cascade. The house is located on the plane in development of apartment house.