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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.

This study examines the viability of treating M&A non-consummation decisions (NCDs) as strategic options. A review of published research in strategic management journals reveals that this topic has yet to undergo rigorous academic examination. Putting the M&A non-consummation phenomenon under a strategic management lens, this study asks the following research questions about the acquiring firm: 1) How does an M&A NCD affect the market value of firms? 2) Under what conditions does an M&A non-consummation enhance firms' value? 3) How can an NCD be executed so that it favorably affects the value of the firm? Study data were collected from numerous secondary sources such as CRSP, Ward's Business Directory, Lexis-Nexis Academic Database etc. The study sample size was 158 and for each NCD event, several variables were computed. With cumulative abnormal returns for a (-30, -1) pre-event period -- as a measure of firm performance -- as the dependent variable, multiple regression estimation used the following independent variables: strategic fit, relatedness, cultural fit, timing of NCD and coverage of NCDs. In estimating the regression models, confounding events were identified and controlled for. Several of the study hypotheses are supported, notably the hypotheses pertaining to cultural fit and timing of the NCD. Findings and implications are discussed. Taken as a whole, the study highlights the value of treating M&A NCDs as part of the repertoire of strategic options of acquiring firms. / Business Administration

This study investigated the benefits and challenges associated with the use of virtual labs to teach students, as well as solutions to overcome the challenges.  This study was because of the need to develop and implement virtual labs in Zambian institutions of learning.  There are plans in Zambia to use virtual labs to supplement the existing laboratory infrastructure and their application would be in a blended type of setting. The study comprised the use of interviews of ten career and technical education (CTE) teachers and five CTE administrators who were from various local school systems and one community college in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The researcher conducted the interviews, analyzed the data, and determined conclusions. The CTE administrators and teachers all agreed that the benefits of virtual labs included flexibility, hands-on learning, and convenience.  With regard to challenges, CTE administrators indicated the following: inadequate teacher preparation for virtual teaching; constant technological changes, which meant more training for them; software problems; and teachers' resistance to the changes in their curricula.  Teachers, on the other hand, had the following challenges: inadequate communication between them and the technology centers in the schools, frequent failure of laboratory equipment and software, incompetent students allowed to study virtually, and inadequate training to teach in a virtual environment. CTE administrators identified three solutions to the challenges which they had faced.  In order to ensure that their virtual programs were running smoothly, they felt that adequate funding needed to be obtained and kept in the budget for training new and older teachers in the use of new teaching software.  They identified various venues for training teachers, including attendance at conferences, technological expositions, and bringing in software vendors to train the teachers on site.  The administrators also thought that providing adequate and prompt technical support when teachers had technical problems could help overcome the identified challenges.  On the other hand, CTE teachers thought that collaborating with other teachers who were facing similar problems would be an excellent way to overcome challenges.  They also indicated that initial training and continual training to update their skills would help them overcome problems. / Ph. D.

This thesis explores the landscape of Anti-forensics tools (AFTs) and their impact on digital forensic investigations. It begins with a comprehensive review of relevant literature and then delves into the methods employed by AFTs, including data encryption and file manipulation. A survey of popular AFTs, such as GnuPG, AESCrypt, Tails, StegHide, or CCleaner, provides insights into their functionalities and implications for forensic analysis. Results from experimentation and discussions on method validation, hardware benchmarks, and the ethical implications of AFT usage contribute to a comprehensive analysis. Key findings highlight the effectiveness of AFTs in circumventing forensic analysis, raising ethical concerns regarding their valid use. The thesis concludes with reflections on the scope of the study, ethical considerations, and avenues for future research. Through this exploration, the thesis provides valuable insights into the challenges posed by Anti-forensics tools in digital investigations. It underscores the need for continued research and ethical considerations in this evolving field.

No / In the UK, one third of the 850,000 people with dementia live in care homes. This article explores the process of carrying out research in nursing homes, identifying barriers and enabling factors, and making recommendations for researchers. The authors’ experiences derive from an ongoing study investigating the effect of educational interventions to promote and embed person-centred care, designed for nurses caring for the people with dementia in nursing homes. Design issues arose from the need to use cluster randomisation which requires a large sample size, implementation fidelity, poor compliance and high numbers of participants lost to follow up. Further difficulties included gaining ethical approval, recruitment, raising concerns and the practicalities of participant retention. There are many benefits of conducting research in care homes, for the homes themselves, their staff and residents. These include training and education, networking and empowerment of staff and subsequent improved standards of care. For the research team, benefits include opportunities to contribute to an underserved setting, to advance care standards and improve nurses’ working lives. / The authors would like to acknowledge the Burdett Trust for Nursing who funded the study

Homeownership is widely advocated and believed to contribute towards economic activity, employment, wealth creation, economic, political, and neighbourhood stability and financial independence. Despite government’s interventions to advance homeownership there is currently a declining trend in homeownership and an increase in renting experienced in South Africa. As the government does not have the resources to provide adequate housing to all South Africans, identifying the factors which attribute to non-subsidised homeownership will assist in implementing interventions and strategies to increase access to non-subsidised homeownership and reduce reliance on government subsidised housing. The main objective of this study was to determine the comparative odds of variables contributing to non-subsidised homeownership in South Africa from secondary data obtained from a South African household survey. Compared to the heuristic model, the following variables were found to align closely with the expectation created; non-subsidised homeownership attainment was most likely for households within high-income groups and least for households within the low-income groups, more likely for households who have access to credit than those without, more likely for households with no accounts in arrears than those with accounts in arrears, more likely for households with an ability to save than those without, most likely for households consisting of seven or more household members and least likely for single member households, most likely for households where FKP (Financially Knowledgeable Person) has completed a tertiary education level and least likely for households with primary not completed education levels, most likely for households where the FKP is older (aged 65 and older) and least likely for young FKP households (aged between 18 and 24), most likely for households residing in rural areas and least likely for households residing in metropolitan areas, most likely for female FKP households and least likely for male FKP households. Unexpectedly the regression model indicated that non-subsidised homeownership is most likely for households where the Financially Knowledgeable Person (FKP) is not economically active (for example pensioners) and least likely for employed households, most likely for households from the African population group and least likely for Indian households, most likely where the FKP is never married or single and least likely for separated or divorced FKP households (which is expected) and most likely for households residing in Limpopo (which is expected) and least likely for households residing Western Cape. / Financial accounting / M. Phil. (Accounting Science)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:23:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luis Arlindo Feriani.pdf: 608669 bytes, checksum: 7108d99041441b63b117daa9ba336385 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-18 / The thesis discusses how the legal issues are decided in the judicial context, but also the decisions under administrative proceedings. The primary goal is more specifically the treatment that should be given to the discretion. Start with the analysis of the concept of discretion to conclude that it can be used by the judge as a means to interpret the facts and even can get to the applicable law, however, to decide, the conclusion will be the effect that the judge can not decide with discretion. Furthermore, efforts will be made to demonstrate that the same does not occur with the public administrator. Understanding is in the sense that, despite doctrinal position exists asserting that the administrator also can not decide with discretion, it can not maintain that administrative discretion has been entirely eliminated. Indeed, as will be shown, to the administrator should be given some portion of discretion in assessing the public interest in each case. As the legislator is unable to consider all possible occurrence of the daily routine, only the administrator in contact with social reality, can decide what seems better for the community. That way, the thesis will highlight that, while it requires the court to take the best decision, and not one among many possible and acceptable, administratively, although it can not fail to consider that there was a mitigation of the discretion, it continues to exist so that it can best be served to the public interest / A tese examina como são decididas as questões jurídicas no âmbito jurisdicional, como também as decisões no âmbito administrativo. O objetivo primordial é mais especificamente o tratamento que deve ser dado à discricionariedade. Parte-se da análise do conceito de discricionariedade para se concluir que ela pode ser utilizada pelo juiz como meio de interpretação dos fatos e até poder se chegar ao direito aplicável, porém, para decidir, a conclusão será no sentido de que o juiz não pode decidir com discricionariedade. Por outro lado, procurar-se-á demonstrar que o mesmo não ocorre com o administrador público. O entendimento é no sentido de que, a despeito de existir posição doutrinária asseverando que o administrador também não pode mais decidir discricionariamente, não de pode afirmar que a discricionariedade administrativa tenha sido inteiramente eliminada. Com efeito, como será demonstrado, ao administrador deve ser conferida alguma parcela de discricionariedade na avaliação do interesse público em cada caso concreto. Como o legislador não tem condições de considerar todas as possíveis ocorrências do dia a dia, só o administrador, em contato com a realidade social, poderá decidir o que se afigura melhor para a comunidade. Assim, a tese deixará evidenciado, que, ao mesmo tempo em que se exige do órgão jurisdicional a melhor decisão, e não uma dentre as possíveis e aceitáveis, na esfera administrativa, embora não se possa deixar de considerar que houve uma mitigação da discricionariedade, ela continua a existir para que melhor possa ser atendido o interesse público

Product Development Processes have achieved a state of some maturity in recent years, but have focused primarily on structuring technical activities from the initiation of development to launch. We advocate major advances on three fronts; first, implementing an end-to-end process from the front end through field operations, second, integrating business considerations much better into the end-to-end process, and third, incorporating a performance improvement closed loop into the process. We call the resulting process a Product Development Business Process. Three initial applications are summarized. / Improving product development processes along three key vectors leads to greatly improved business performance. / Center for Innovation in Product Development

Underwater has always been attractive and curiosity for human beings. Exploring, employing and being part of underwater has been a challenge for them at all times. The first underwater structures were products of engineering studies and have been used for fields of scientific researches and observations, military purposes and obtaining energy for centuries. However, underwater is a new medium for human for accommodation and entertainment purposes / and correspondingly new subject which is worth to study for architects. Designing underwater structures became a race between architects and engineers during last years. Accordingly, underwater hotel and restaurant projects were realized. Currently, underwater structures can uttered as a fantasy and a new understanding for architecture, however in the future underwater may be suggested as a new accommodation area. The thesis aims to point out the design considerations of underwater structures from not merely engineering, but also architectural aspects. Designing underwater has its own principles and characteristics and these should be asserted under the light of the study on former structures. On the other hand, basic criteria and purposes of architectural aspects for underwater structures should be defined to meet requirements of human. To achieve that, parameters will be pointed out and interpreted according to the conditions and limitations of the environment in order to set the fundamentals for architectural approaches to underwater design. A comparative study on contemporary examples will be made to evaluate these parameters and comments will be made under the light of the evaluation.