Study background Nursing plays a pivotal role in the care of people living with HIV and AIDS and makes an obvious contribution in influencing HIV and AIDS policy. Studies suggest that despite their knowledge and experience nurses do not systematically inform policy. Against the background of the research problem above, the following research question was posed: How can a model for HIV and AIDS care, research and policy interface be developed? Purpose of the study and objectives The purpose of this study was to develop and describe a model for HIV and AIDS care, research and policy interface. The study objectives were developed in two phases relevant to the methodology of developing a model. Phase One objectives Phase 1 objectives – The identification and classification of concepts in relation to HIV and AIDS care, research and policy interface.  To examine how HIV and AIDS stigma influences nurses‟ provision of prevention, care and treatment to patients and families.  To explore and describe how HIV and AIDS affects the workforce.  To examine the HIV and AIDS policies and interventions Phase 2 objectives Phase 2 objectives – Concept definition, description and model development  To describe a conceptual framework  To construct the relational statements amongst the identified concepts Methods Three different instruments were used in both qualitative and quantitative collection of data. These were the Human Resource Management (HRM) Rapid Assessment Tool, the Clinical Survey and the Interview Guide. Content and construct validity were used to determine rigour of the quantitative instruments; trustworthiness of the qualitative data was established according to Lincoln and Guba (1985) and Krefting‟s (1991) considerations of trustworthiness Results Concluding statements were deduced from the analysed data. These were further deducted into: HIV and AIDS care, research, HIV and AIDS stigma, staff outcomes and policy. These core concepts were used to develop a model for HIV and AIDS care, research and policy interface. Recommendations Recommendations for practice, research, education and policy included stakeholder inclusion in HIV and AIDS policy, increasing the research component of clinical nurses and rolling out the use of HIV and AIDS care, research and policy interface model. / PhD (Nursing), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Study background Nursing plays a pivotal role in the care of people living with HIV and AIDS and makes an obvious contribution in influencing HIV and AIDS policy. Studies suggest that despite their knowledge and experience nurses do not systematically inform policy. Against the background of the research problem above, the following research question was posed: How can a model for HIV and AIDS care, research and policy interface be developed? Purpose of the study and objectives The purpose of this study was to develop and describe a model for HIV and AIDS care, research and policy interface. The study objectives were developed in two phases relevant to the methodology of developing a model. Phase One objectives Phase 1 objectives – The identification and classification of concepts in relation to HIV and AIDS care, research and policy interface.  To examine how HIV and AIDS stigma influences nurses‟ provision of prevention, care and treatment to patients and families.  To explore and describe how HIV and AIDS affects the workforce.  To examine the HIV and AIDS policies and interventions Phase 2 objectives Phase 2 objectives – Concept definition, description and model development  To describe a conceptual framework  To construct the relational statements amongst the identified concepts Methods Three different instruments were used in both qualitative and quantitative collection of data. These were the Human Resource Management (HRM) Rapid Assessment Tool, the Clinical Survey and the Interview Guide. Content and construct validity were used to determine rigour of the quantitative instruments; trustworthiness of the qualitative data was established according to Lincoln and Guba (1985) and Krefting‟s (1991) considerations of trustworthiness Results Concluding statements were deduced from the analysed data. These were further deducted into: HIV and AIDS care, research, HIV and AIDS stigma, staff outcomes and policy. These core concepts were used to develop a model for HIV and AIDS care, research and policy interface. Recommendations Recommendations for practice, research, education and policy included stakeholder inclusion in HIV and AIDS policy, increasing the research component of clinical nurses and rolling out the use of HIV and AIDS care, research and policy interface model. / PhD (Nursing), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Externally bonding of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) strips or sheets has become a popular strengthening method for reinforced concrete structures over the last two decades. For most such strengthened concrete beams and slabs, the failure is at or near the FRP-concrete interface due to FRP debonding. The objective of this thesis is to develop a deeper understanding of the debonding behaviour of the FRP-concrete interface through mesoscale finite element simulation. Central to the investigation is the use of the concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) model for modelling the concrete. The FRP is treated as an elastic material. The numerical simulation is focused on the single shear test of FRP-concrete bonded joints. This problem is known to be highly nonlinear and has many difficulties in achieving a converged solution using the standard static loading procedures. A dynamic loading procedure is applied in this research and various parameters such as time step, loading rate etc. are investigated. In particular, the effect of the damping ratio is investigated in depth and an appropriate selection is recommended for solving such problems. It has been identified that the concrete damage model can have a significant effect on the numerical predictions in the present problem. Various concrete empirical damage models are assessed using cyclic test data and simulation of the single shear test of the FRP-concrete bonded joint and it is proposed that the Birtel and Mark’s (2006) model is the most appropriate one for use in the present problem. Subsequently, the effects of other aspects of the concrete behaviour on the FRP-concrete bond behaviour are investigated. These include the tensile fracture energy, compression strain energy and different concrete compression stress-strain models. These leads to the conclusion that the CEBFIP1990 model is the most appropriate one for the problem. An important issue for recognition is that the actual behaviour of the FRP-concrete bonded joints is three dimensional (3D), but most numerical simulations have treated the problem as two dimensional (2D) which has a number of imitations. True 3D simulation is however very expensive computationally and impractical. This study proposes a simple procedure for modelling the joint in 2D with the 3D behaviour properly considered. Numerical results show that the proposed method can successfully overcome the limitations of the traditional 2D simulation method. The above established FE model is then applied to simulate a large number of test specimens. The bond stress-slip relationship is extracted from the mesoscale FE simulation results. An alternative model is proposed based on these results which is shown to be advantageous compared with existing models. This new model provides the basis for further investigation of debonding failures in FRP strengthened concrete structures in the future.

This diploma thesis focuses on a model-oriented system for decision support. The main contribution of the thesis consists in creating a system simulating energy saving which would result from the purchase of plastic windows and/or of a heat pump. The basis of the simulator is a functional model consisting of individual variables and connections between them and created in compliance with relevant notation. The thesis describes and illustrates not only the model structure itself, but, in the same time, also its logic on which basis the corresponding energetic saving is calculated after entry of necessary initial values. The diploma thesis includes, in addition to the model, also the description and the graphical representation of the created user interface which provides the user with easy entry of parameters and clear display of results. The introductory part of this work introduces the basic theoretical terms and approaches concerning the system dynamics together with its principles. The following part is dedicated to the description of the enterprise for which the system for decision support was created. The final part contains the above mentioned model, its structure and description, as well as the created user interface.

This thesis deals with component software, software frameworks for the Eclipse platform and the creation of a graphical editor for designing component systems with the usage of the Eclipse platform. After introducing the conception of UML component diagram, it describes the overview of component software, components and component technologies of major players on ground of component software: OMG, Sun, Microsoft. A significant part is dedicated to software frameworks for the Eclipse platform for manipulating with meta models. EMF, GEF and GMF are described in more detail. The main part presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a graphical editor for designing component systems with emphasis on understandability and good arrangement.

This diploma thesis covers the design and implementation of changes and extension modules of a chosen information system, used in JUDr. Ján Bartánus's attorney office in Ružomberok. The system, implemented as a web application based on the Symfony framework, is dedicated to the simplyfing, monitoring and organization of the work processes in a generic attorney office located in the Slovak Republic. For the purposes of a correct design, the thesis contains an analysis of the current state of the given attorney office, the environment in which it operates, its information system and existing solutions. Tools that were used to conduct the analysis were the SLEPT method, Porter's five forces, model 7S and SWOT matrix. Based on the results of the analyses, a change of the system has been designed, which entails an upgrade of the system, its user interface, integration of the register of companies of Slovak Republic and an extension module intended for the financial valuation of work performed by an attorney. The application has been developed utilizing the PHP and JavaScript programming language. The valuation module integrates the Google Maps API. The stability and speed of the system were tested by functional tests and profiling of the duration of HTTP requests. The main contribution of this thesis is the design and implementation of an extension of the information system, which can be used in any arbitrary attorney office situated in the Slovak Republic, and its practical application in the chosen company. This thesis builds on a previous thesis dedicated to the design and implementation of the information system, which is being extended in this diploma thesis.

This thesis presents the development of a new multiscale stochastic fracture mechanics modelling framework informed by in-situ X-ray Computed Tomography (X-ray CT) tests, which can be used to enhance the quality of new designs and prognosis practices for fibre reinforced composites. To reduce the empiricism and conservatism of existing methods, this PhD research systematically has tackled several challenging tasks including: (i) extension of the cohesive interface crack model to multi-phase composites in both 2D and 3D, (ii) development of a new in-house loading rig to support in-situ X-ray CT tests, (iii) reconstruction of low phase-contrast X-ray CT datasets of carbon fibre composites, (iv) integration of X-ray CT image-based models into detailed crack propagation FE modelling and (v) validation of a partially informed multiscale stochastic modelling method by direct comparison with in-situ X-ray CT tensile test results.

This diploma thesis describes how to create or convert traditional Java programs to desktop-like rich internet applications with the Google Web Toolkit. The Google Web Toolkit is an open source development environment, which translates Java code to browser and device independent HTML and JavaScript. Most of the GWT framework parts, including the Java to JavaScript compiler as well as important security issues of websites will be introduced. The famous Agricola board game will be implemented in the Model-View-Presenter pattern to show that complex user interfaces can be created with the Google Web Toolkit. The Google Web Toolkit framework will be compared with the JavaServer Faces one to find out which toolkit is the right one for the next web project.:I Abstract II Contents III Acronyms and Glossary III.I Acronyms III.II Glossary IV Credits 1 Introduction 2 Basics 2.1 Development of the World Wide Web 2.2 Hypertext Markup Language 2.3 Cascading Style Sheets 2.4 JavaScript 2.5 Hypertext Markup Language Document Object Model 2.6 Asynchronous JavaScript and XML 3 GWT toolbox and compiler 3.1 GWT in action 3.2 A short overview of the toolkit 3.3 GWT compiler and JSNI 3.3.1 Overview of GWT compiler and JSNI 3.3.2 Deferred binding and bootstrapping process 3.3.3 GWT compiler steps and optimizations 3.4 Java Runtime Environment Emulation 3.5 Widgets and Panels 3.5.1 Overview of GWT Widgets 3.5.2 Event handlers in GWT Widgets 3.5.3 Manipulating browser’s DOM with GWT DOM class 3.5.4 GWT Designer and view optimization using UiBinder 3.6 Remote Procedure Calls 3.6.1 Comparison of Remote Procedure Calls with Remote Method Invocations 3.6.2 GWT’s RPC service and serializable whitelist 3.7 History Management 3.8 Client Bundle 3.8.1 Using ImageResources in the ClientBundle interface 3.8.2 Using CssResources in the ClientBundle interface 4 Model-View-Presenter Architecture 4.1 Comparison of MVP and MVC 4.2 GWT Model-View-Presenter pattern example: Agricola board game 4.3 Extending the Agricola web application with mobile views 4.4 Introducing activities in the Agricola Model-View-Presenter pattern enabling browser history 5 Comparison of the two web frameworks: GWT and JSF 5.1 Definitions of comparison fields 5.2 Comparison in category 1: Nearly completely static sites with a little bit of dynamic content, e.g. news update 5.3 Comparison in category 2: Doing a survey in both technologies 5.4 Comparison in category 3: Creating a forum to show data 5.5 Comparison in category 4: Writing a chat application 5.6 Comparison in category 5: Writing the speed game Snake 5.7 Summary 6 Security 6.1 Download Tomcat 6.2 Dynamic Web Application Project with GWT and Tomcat 6.3 Establish HTTPS connections in Tomcat 6.3.1 Create a pem certificate 6.3.2 Convert pem certificate into a key store object 6.3.3 Configure Tomcat’s XML files to enable HTPPS 6.4 Establish a database connection in Tomcat 6.4.1 Create TomcatGWT user and schema, and add the table countries 6.4.2 Configure Tomcat’s XML files to get access to the database connection 6.4.3 PreparedStatements avoid MySQL injections 6.5 Login mechanism in Tomcat 6.6 SafeHtml 7 Presenting a complex software application written in GWT 8 Conclusions 8.1 Summary 8.2 Future work A Appendix A 1 Configure the Google Web Toolkit framework in Eclipse A 1.1 Install the Java Developer Kit A 1.2 Download Eclipse A 1.3 Install the GWT plugin in Eclipse A 1.4 Create first GWT Java Project A 2 Figures A 3 Listings A 3.1 Source code of the Agricola board game A 3.2 Source code of GWT and JSF comparison A 4 Tables R Lists and References R 1 Lists R 1.1 List of Tables R 1.2 List of Figures R 1.3 List of Listings R 2 References R 2.1 Books R 2.2 Online resources / Diese Diplomarbeit beschreibt die Erzeugung desktopähnlicher Anwendungen mit dem Google Web Toolkit und die Umwandlung klassischer Java-Programme in diese. Das Google Web Toolkit ist eine Open-Source-Entwicklungsumgebung, die Java-Code in browserunabhängiges als auch in geräteübergreifendes HTML und JavaScript übersetzt. Vorgestellt wird der Großteil des GWT Frameworks inklusive des Java zu JavaScript-Compilers sowie wichtige Sicherheitsaspekte von Internetseiten. Um zu zeigen, dass auch komplizierte graphische Oberflächen mit dem Google Web Toolkit erzeugt werden können, wird das bekannte Brettspiel Agricola mittels Model-View-Presenter Designmuster implementiert. Zur Ermittlung der richtigen Technologie für das nächste Webprojekt findet ein Vergleich zwischen dem Google Web Toolkit und JavaServer Faces statt.:I Abstract II Contents III Acronyms and Glossary III.I Acronyms III.II Glossary IV Credits 1 Introduction 2 Basics 2.1 Development of the World Wide Web 2.2 Hypertext Markup Language 2.3 Cascading Style Sheets 2.4 JavaScript 2.5 Hypertext Markup Language Document Object Model 2.6 Asynchronous JavaScript and XML 3 GWT toolbox and compiler 3.1 GWT in action 3.2 A short overview of the toolkit 3.3 GWT compiler and JSNI 3.3.1 Overview of GWT compiler and JSNI 3.3.2 Deferred binding and bootstrapping process 3.3.3 GWT compiler steps and optimizations 3.4 Java Runtime Environment Emulation 3.5 Widgets and Panels 3.5.1 Overview of GWT Widgets 3.5.2 Event handlers in GWT Widgets 3.5.3 Manipulating browser’s DOM with GWT DOM class 3.5.4 GWT Designer and view optimization using UiBinder 3.6 Remote Procedure Calls 3.6.1 Comparison of Remote Procedure Calls with Remote Method Invocations 3.6.2 GWT’s RPC service and serializable whitelist 3.7 History Management 3.8 Client Bundle 3.8.1 Using ImageResources in the ClientBundle interface 3.8.2 Using CssResources in the ClientBundle interface 4 Model-View-Presenter Architecture 4.1 Comparison of MVP and MVC 4.2 GWT Model-View-Presenter pattern example: Agricola board game 4.3 Extending the Agricola web application with mobile views 4.4 Introducing activities in the Agricola Model-View-Presenter pattern enabling browser history 5 Comparison of the two web frameworks: GWT and JSF 5.1 Definitions of comparison fields 5.2 Comparison in category 1: Nearly completely static sites with a little bit of dynamic content, e.g. news update 5.3 Comparison in category 2: Doing a survey in both technologies 5.4 Comparison in category 3: Creating a forum to show data 5.5 Comparison in category 4: Writing a chat application 5.6 Comparison in category 5: Writing the speed game Snake 5.7 Summary 6 Security 6.1 Download Tomcat 6.2 Dynamic Web Application Project with GWT and Tomcat 6.3 Establish HTTPS connections in Tomcat 6.3.1 Create a pem certificate 6.3.2 Convert pem certificate into a key store object 6.3.3 Configure Tomcat’s XML files to enable HTPPS 6.4 Establish a database connection in Tomcat 6.4.1 Create TomcatGWT user and schema, and add the table countries 6.4.2 Configure Tomcat’s XML files to get access to the database connection 6.4.3 PreparedStatements avoid MySQL injections 6.5 Login mechanism in Tomcat 6.6 SafeHtml 7 Presenting a complex software application written in GWT 8 Conclusions 8.1 Summary 8.2 Future work A Appendix A 1 Configure the Google Web Toolkit framework in Eclipse A 1.1 Install the Java Developer Kit A 1.2 Download Eclipse A 1.3 Install the GWT plugin in Eclipse A 1.4 Create first GWT Java Project A 2 Figures A 3 Listings A 3.1 Source code of the Agricola board game A 3.2 Source code of GWT and JSF comparison A 4 Tables R Lists and References R 1 Lists R 1.1 List of Tables R 1.2 List of Figures R 1.3 List of Listings R 2 References R 2.1 Books R 2.2 Online resources