Detta examensarbete har gått ut på att arbeta fram en lättläst och lättförståelig elfaktura eftersom dessa slags fakturor upplevs som krångliga och svårförståeliga. Utifrån de kvantitativa och kvalitativa metoderna enkätundersökning, intervju och fokusgrupp har detta varit möjligt. Mina frågeställningar var ”Hur kan man, med hjälp av form och principerna för lättläst, förenkla texten i elfakturor, utan att någon viktig information går förlorad?” och ”Hur kan läsflödet samt överblicken i en elfaktura förbättras?”. Utifrån teorierna arbetade jag fram ett gestaltningsförslag som min fokusgrupp fick ta del av och därefter gjordes ändringar utifrån deras åsikter. Mitt slutliga gestaltningsförslag visar på hur en lättläst och lättförståelig elfaktura, utan att viktig information gått förlorad, kan se ut. / The purpose of this thesis was to develop a clear and comprehensible electricity bill since these kinds of bills are perceived as complicated and difficult to understand. Based on the quantitative and qualitative methods using survey, interview and focus group, it was made possible. My question formulation was "How can you, using the form and principles of readability, simplify the text in an electricity bill without losing important information?" and "How can the flow in reading and the oversight of an electricity bill get improved?". Based on the theories, I worked up a design proposal that my focus group had access to, and based on their opinions I made relevant ​​changes. My final design proposal shows how a readable and comprehensible electricity bill, with no important information is lost, can look like.

När en grafisk profil för en spännande ny internationell webbtidning för ungdomar skall göras är det viktigt att tänka på hur färg och form påverkar våra känslor. Experiment med färg som har gjorts av ledande färgpsykologer och färgvetare som Goethe, Itten, Lüscher och Karl Ryberg bevisar att färg har en stor psykologisk påverkan på människan. Internet är ett väldigt effektiv kommunikationsmedium och för att kommunicera effektivt är det inte bara orden, utan även färgerna och formerna på webbsidorna som skall vara väl genomtänkta. Vilka färger kopplar ungdomar i Sverige och Chile ihop med vissa känslor? Vilka former kopplas ihop med samma känslor? Svaren på de frågorna sammanställdes och analyserades efter svaren på en enkät om färg och form som delades it till två högstadieskolor i Borlänge, Sverige och en i Santiago, Chile.

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The possibility of urban decline in metropolitan post-war inner suburbs is currently being examined in the planning literature, particularly in the United States. Inner suburbs are built between 1946 and 1971 and are therefore older and structurally different from the later suburbs. At the same time, they lack the amenities of the core and the inner cities. This thesis aims to examine whether inner suburban decline is occurring in Canada. 15 largest Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) are selected for the purpose of this study. All CMAs are then separated into five urban zones: the core, the inner suburbs, the outer suburbs, and the fringe/exurbs. All zones are then assessed for decline based on relative changes in median household income, average dwelling values, and average gross rent in the period between 1986 and 2006. Subsequently, nine of the largest CMAs are also assessed for declines in the prosperity factor and the exclusivity factor. These variables are extracted via a factor analysis which includes variables measuring demographic, socio-economic, and housing characteristics. Results indicate that inner suburbs declined in median household income, the average value of dwelling, and the prosperity factor measures. In contrast, average gross rent and the exclusivity factor showed less clear results. Overall, the results obtained in this study suggest that Canada’s inner suburbs are experiencing decline. The possible causes of inner suburban decline remain poorly understood. A number of possible explanations are offered, ranging from the lack of urban appeal of the inner suburbs, the decline of the industrial employment sector, to aging housing stock, the movement of displaced low-income immigrants, and the aging of seniors with limited income. More research is necessary in order to establish plausible mechanisms beyond preliminary speculation. A number of policy approaches to inner suburban decline are outlined. Emphasis is placed on the revitalization of housing, greater cooperation between metropolitan regions and implementation of smart growth strategies. Further research avenues include the confirmation of the phenomenon in Canada, as well as policy case studies examining the success of planning approaches in arresting inner suburban decline.

The validity of the influence of urban form on travel behavior has been a topic of interest in travel behavior research. Empirical research shows that urban form influences travel behavior causing less travel impacts. However, according to the conventional travel impact assessment following the ITE?s (Institute of Transportation Engineers) Trip Generation Handbook, developments with higher levels of urban form measures will generate a greater travel impacts because they generate higher number of trips. The ITE Trip Generation Handbook is typically used as a guideline to estimate the number of trips generated by a development. The hypothesis made in the present research is that a development defined with higher levels of land use mix, street connectivity and residential density will generate a higher number of trips because of the greater accessibility but they will be shorter in length. Therefore, the effective distance travelled will be less even though higher numbers of trips are generated. Considering the distance travelled on a roadway will be an appropriate unit for measuring the travel impacts, the research argues that VMT (Vehicle Miles Travelled) can be a better measurement unit than the number of trips to validate the influence of urban form on travel behavior.

From Jimmy Carter’s self-identification as a “born again Christian” in the 1976 presidential campaign to George W. Bush’s declaration of “Christ” as his favorite political philosopher “because he changed my heart” in a Republican primary debate of the 2000 campaign, presidential speeches and campaigns are often laced with religious language. Such an observation is nothing new. However, many scholars and political observers do not know what to make of such religious references. Such language is often dismissed as either shameless pandering to religious constituencies or something hopelessly out of place in American politics. This dissertation attempts a deeper analysis of this controversial subject by identifying how presidents use the rhetorical resources of religion by employing religious argument patterns stemming from the Jewish and Christian religious traditions in presidential speeches. Specifically, this dissertation explores how the last five presidents (Jimmy Carter through George W. Bush) have used such religious rhetorical forms in attempts to strike a symbolic chord within the larger American public. The religious rhetorical forms explored herein, if employed judiciously, can serve as political shibboleths—or passwords—which indicate a basic level of identification with the public thanks to the basic elements, such as transformation, atonement, and renewal, which comprise the mythical core of these forms.

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is common amongst equine athletes of various disciplines and linked to decreased performance. Prevalence among racehorses has been reported to be over 90%, performance horses at 60%, and endurances horses at about 70%. In swine, concentrate form and smaller particle size increase gastric ulceration; thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of concentrate type on EGUS. Quarter Horse yearlings (n=19; 12-18 mo) were blocked by initial EGUS score on a scale of 0 to 4 (0= no ulceration or hyperkeratosis, 4= extensive, deep ulceration) and sex, and utilized in a 77-d cross-over design with two 28-d periods separated by a 21-d washout period. During the first 28-d period, horses were separated into 1 of 2 treatment groups that were all fed Bermuda grass hay and either a commercially available pelleted or textured concentrate. After the initial 28-d period, horses were all fed pelleted feed and Bermuda grass hay for a 21-d washout period then treatment groups were switched for the final 28-d period. Baseline EGUS scores were not different between horses assigned to either treatment (mean 1.1); however, upon treatment, horses fed textured feed acquired a reduced incidence of ulceration as compared to those fed pelleted (mean score of 1.6 vs 1.1, respectively; P =0.02). Degree and incidence of ulceration was influenced by concentrate form; yearlings fed pelleted feed had higher ulcer scores then those fed textured feed. Therefore, the findings of this study suggests that textured feed may be a effective management tool to aid in the reduction of severity in horses afflicted with EGUS.

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Prior research suggests that the use of accounting information differs substantially by investor class. My analysis extends this line of research to the area of SEC Form 8-K filings. Prior research also provides mixed evidence on the informativeness of these filings. I hypothesize that the method of the disclosure is an important factor in evaluating 8-K usefulness to varying types of investors. Specifically, the timing, venue, and packaging of these accounting disclosures affect their use by investors. Regulation Fair Disclosure (2000) considers both press releases and 8-K filings as broad-based disclosures that do not favor any investor class. I, however, identify five unique informational settings in which 8-K filings occur. The five settings are: a concurrent 8-K event and filing (with or without a press release), a filing which precedes the press release, a press release that precedes the filing, an 8-K event that precedes a filing and/or press release, and the 8-K event alone. I examine the similarities and differences in trading by small and large investors across these settings. The identification of these empirical regularities with respect to disclosure form should be particularly useful to policy makers seeking to implement level playing field objectives with respect to public disclosures. My findings show that the relative trading activity to 8-K filings is different by the type of disclosure. Differential trading activity was found to be more pronounced in disclosure settings that contained a public announcement. In addition, the type of Form 8-K disclosure also had an effect on the differential trading activity. Form 8-K filings of acquisition or disposition of assets were associated with the most pronounced responses. My findings show the differential trading activity to these filings differs from other accounting events such as earnings announcements and annual report filings.