<p>Many information technology artefacts can be found in today’s cars. The interaction with these artefacts is the driver’s secondary task while driving the car in a safe way is the primary task. When designing interfaces for in-vehicle usage, measures have to be taken in order to make the interaction with the artefact suit the in-vehicle environment. One of these measures is to have the appropriate screen density level, which is the amount of information present on the screen.</p><p>This thesis compares the usability of two integrated in-vehicle display prototypes, one with low screen density and one with high screen density. The usability comparison considers both safety and user preferences. Safety was measured by a Lane Change Test (LCT) which measures distraction of a primary task while performing a secondary task, and user preferences was measured with a questionnaire. Before the comparison was made, controls and a graphical user interface were designed.</p><p>Results showed no significant difference in driver distraction between performing tasks on the high screen density display and the low screen density display. However, a vast majority of the users preferred high screen density over low. Furthermore, the distraction levels for both the high and the low screen density displays were below the proposed 0.5 meter limit for allowed driver distraction. The results indicate that in-vehicle displays can have a high level of screen density without imposing a level of distraction on the driver that is unsuitable for driving.</p>

Many information technology artefacts can be found in today’s cars. The interaction with these artefacts is the driver’s secondary task while driving the car in a safe way is the primary task. When designing interfaces for in-vehicle usage, measures have to be taken in order to make the interaction with the artefact suit the in-vehicle environment. One of these measures is to have the appropriate screen density level, which is the amount of information present on the screen. This thesis compares the usability of two integrated in-vehicle display prototypes, one with low screen density and one with high screen density. The usability comparison considers both safety and user preferences. Safety was measured by a Lane Change Test (LCT) which measures distraction of a primary task while performing a secondary task, and user preferences was measured with a questionnaire. Before the comparison was made, controls and a graphical user interface were designed. Results showed no significant difference in driver distraction between performing tasks on the high screen density display and the low screen density display. However, a vast majority of the users preferred high screen density over low. Furthermore, the distraction levels for both the high and the low screen density displays were below the proposed 0.5 meter limit for allowed driver distraction. The results indicate that in-vehicle displays can have a high level of screen density without imposing a level of distraction on the driver that is unsuitable for driving.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Framed by the South African imperative of widening epistemological access to undergraduate science studies, this research takes the form of a case study to investigate the educational affordances of an extended introductory physics course. Using theoretical tools from Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) (Maton, 2014a) – in particular, semantic gravity and semantic density – the study characterizes the pedagogical practices and student learning in this Extended course, in relation to a Mainstream course in the same Physics Department. Data was collected through classroom observations, observations of student groups working on Mechanics physics tasks, and interviews with students. Two external languages of description were developed in order to translate between the LCT concepts of semantic gravity and semantic density and the empirical data from the physics context. The first language of description was used to characterize the semantic shifts in pedagogical practices, using a Concrete-Linking-Abstract continuum. The second language of description drew on physics education research on representations (Knight, 2007; Van Heuvelen, 1991a) tasks. Semantic profiles (Maton, 2013) were then constructed to show the semantic shifts in the pedagogical practices and in lecturers’ and students’ approaches to physics tasks. The study has shown that the extra curriculum time enabled different pedagogical practices. The Extended course showed a steady progression in pacing, initially with a less compressed semantic profile, while the Mainstream course showed a consistent compression. The Extended course showed a greater prevalence of the Linking level, with more time spent at the Concrete level and greater semantic flow. The courses also exhibited different communicative approaches, with students in the Extended course more engaged in making the semantic shifts together with the lecturer. The Extended course used more real-life illustrations as a starting point, whereas the Mainstream course tended to use verbal problem statements. Looking particularly at how problem tasks were dealt with, the study suggested that the lecturers’ pedagogical practices in dealing with physics tasks influenced the way in which the students tackled these tasks. The semantic profiles showed a more rapid shift up the semantic continuum in the Mainstream pedagogy and student work, while in the Extended pedagogy and student work, the semantic profiles indicated that more time was spent initially unpacking the concrete problem situation and explicitly shifting up and down the semantic continuum. In terms of methodological contribution, this study has demonstrated the usefulness of LCT tools for characterizing pedagogical practices and student learning in a physics context. Furthermore, the study has linked LCT to physics education literature and to research on epistemological access and academic literacies in a novel way. It has modified Maton’s form of semantic profiling, through introducing the following: a more detailed time scale, gradations of semantic strength on the semantic continuum, and coding for interactive engagement in pedagogical practices. The study thus has important implications for how curriculum and pedagogical practices might better support epistemological access to disciplinary knowledge in the field of physics, not only at the Extended course level but for introductory physics courses more generally.

Studiens syfte var att genom intervjuer med verksamma gymnasielärare inom ämnet Svenska som andraspråk undersöka hur de arbetar med det centrala innehållet jämförelse mellan svenska och elevens modersmål i kursen Svenska som andraspråk 1. De intervjuade lärarna berörde fyra olika teman: andraspråksutveckling, transspråkande, språktypologi och språksociologi. Språksociologi utgör det område inom vilken lärare aktivt arbetar med språkjämförelse även om språktypologiska övningar förekommer i undervisningen där jämförelse mellan språken är i fokus. Lärarna beskrev transspråkande som ett arbetssätt att arbeta med språkjämförelse samt var elevernas andraspråksutveckling ständigt närvarande vid lärares motivering av sin praktik. Teman analyserades utifrån dimensionen specialisering där lärares beskrivna undervisning tolkas utifrån hur det antingen förekommer högre grad av fokus på kunskapsinnehåll eller högre grad av fokus på eleverna och deras förhållande till sitt modersmål. Resultatet visade att lärarna arbetade med språkjämförelsen i högre grad för att stärka elevernas identitetsskapande samt utifrån ett synsätt där flerspråkighet i klassrummet ses som något naturligt.

Dans le contexte de l'amélioration de la compacité des alimentations d'électronique de puissance, l'intégration des composants passifs constitue l'un des principaux leviers pour atteindre des niveaux de miniaturisation conséquents. Dans ce cadre, différents travaux ont déjà été engagés de part le monde. Les travaux présentés dans ce mémoire concernent la réduction des volumes des composants passifs, inductance - transformateur – condensateur, indispensables à toute structure d'électronique de puissance, en mariant ces trois éléments en un seul et unique appelé composant « LCT ». L'adaptabilité de cette association dépend en grande partie des performances des diélectriques utilisables dans cette réalisation permettant l'intégration de capacités élevées pour ainsi insérer ce dispositif LCT dans tout type de structure. Actuellement, le développement des matériaux ne permettant pas d'envisager toutes les applications classiquement rencontrées en électronique de puissance, nous avons étudié une nouvelle structure de convertisseur à transfert d'énergie mixte (MET) adaptée au LCT pouvant offrir un intérêt industriel dans un futur proche compte tenu de sa similitude avec une alimentation à découpage classique Forward. Outre les matériaux diélectriques en cours d'évolution, l'expansion de ce concept passe par un travail de modélisation conséquent, ainsi que par des technologies de mise en œuvre performantes comme les circuits multicouches. A l'issu de ce travail, un prototype a été réalisé dont les performances sont présentées, comprenant un composant LCT au sein de cette structure MET.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia, particularly In the information and communications technology (lCT) sector, are faced with an increasingly volatile environment. The Malaysian business scene has opened up their markets to the world where smaller businesses find themselves competing with newly launched multinational subsidiary and subdivision companies, along with the large local firms. The Malaysian Government has launched several campaigns and support for smaller local businesses to be more competitive and to continuously compete at par with these larger companies. This research project supports the Malaysian Government's objective of instilling a more structured approach towards a more competitive SME by focusing on the management of competitive information related to these companies. In recognising the rising need for competitive support, management and executives are increasingly relying on a concept called Competitive Intelligence (Cl), a systematic and ethical process for gathering, analysing, and managing information that can affect a company's plans, decisions, and operation. In managing competitive information, several companies have emerged especially to develop online tools and software that would enhance the Cl process and the value competitive intelligence brings to organisations. The success of these Cl software tools depends, however, on the sophistication of an organisation's understanding of the Cl process and scope of usage. Different companies derive different values from different approaches to competitive intelligence, and therefore require a flexible tool that is very specific to the company's needs. Therefore, this research investigated the structures and contexts of Malaysian Small and Mediumsized Enterprises (SMEs) based on competitive intelligence (Cl) concepts to derive a more customised approach to the use of Cl for SMEs in the ICT sector, as well as in the selection of appropriate Cl software. Mintzberg's approaches to analysing organisational structures and contexts, Bouthillier and Shearer's Intelligence Cycle, Herring's Key Intelligence Topics, and Davis' concept of effectiveness were used in two main stages. The first stage involved identifying the nature and range of SMEs, which exist under Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor, a government benchmarking body for local businesses. This gives an account, on the basis of cluster analysis, of a taxonomy of SME categories consisted of ten clusters. The relationships between the categories were also examined in the first stage of the research. The relationships and clusters found in the first part of the research offered the basis for the second part of the research, which constructs the criteria for evaluating online tools and software for competitive intelligence. The evaluation criteria are then used to evaluate eight Cl-ready software packages in finding suitable tools for the different categories of SMEs. Finally, the research concludes with a study of the prospective users' perceptions of effectiveness in SMEs drawn from the identified clusters. This 'multiple constituency' approach to understanding effectiveness evaluates both Davis' concept of effectiveness (usefulness), as well as the differential evaluations of perceived effectiveness. The research findings provide evidence of a range of SME structures in a variety of contexts. Levels of importance placed on different levels in the Cl process are identified, as well as aspects that need support, automation and/or augmentation. The software evaluation in the second part of the research provided ten recommendations of suitable software package(s) for each SME cluster. However, an initial review by SME managers of perceived effectiveness mostly did not reveal results that were parallel to the findings from the software evaluation study. All in all, the research confirms that SMEs can be analysed by clusters but further research would be necessary to confirm the effectiveness of using the recommended Cl software over a longer period of time.

Les travaux présentés dans ce mémoire s'inscrivent dans une thématique nouvelle pour 1*équipe Electronique de Puissance du LEG : "l'intégration hybride des composants passifs". Us portent sur la conception de composants passifs et s'attardent sur leur modélisation, leur réalisation et leur caractensation. Ces composants seront employés au sein d'un convertisseur AC-DC à prélèvement sinusoïdal qui servira de support à notre étude. Il ressort d'une évaluation de quelques convertisseurs que la structure à résonance série se prête bien à l'intégration. Les effets des interactions électriques en haute fréquence ont été pris en compte grâce à une nouvelle formulation axisymétrique. Cette dernière couplée avec les équations de circuit électrique s'avère bien adaptée pour la caractérisation électromagnétique des composants magnétiques. Les travaux de modélisation des composants passifs, développés au LEG, ont permis de caractériser la structure LCT en prenant en compte tous les aspects utiles de son comportement. Cela a conduit, en particulier, à l'évaluation des pertes dues au diélectrique. Les mesures ont montré que la structure LCT intégrée apporte surtout une meilleure compacité.

Last chance tourism (LCT) is defined as an endangered place due to climate change which creates motivations for tourists to travel to these places before they vanish. These trips also involve interaction with and observation of rare species that is about to disappear due to climate change. By integrating the Value-Belief-Norm and cognitive dissonance theory models, the main purpose of this research was to investigate psychological antecedents of engaging in LCT in higher educational institutions in Sweden. A survey was administered to 234 academics on seven universities in Sweden consisting of items measuring beliefs, pro-environmental personal norms, cognitive dissonance, and intentions to engage in Last Chance Tourism. The data was later analyzed using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation (PLS-SEM) approach. The results revealed a significant impact of cognitive dissonance on intentions to engage in LCT. These findings are important since they support the advantage of using cognitive dissonance theory within the context of LCT. The implications will hopefully spark an interest among academics to develop a sustainable tourism rescue plan and transfer this knowledge to a younger generation. For practitioners, this could be food for fought for organizations that are operating within the field of LCT.

The objectives of the thesis were to find the mechanisms that govern compression failures in paperboard and to find the link between manufacturing process and paperboard properties. The thesis also investigates two different test methods and evaluates how suitable they are for paperboard grades. The materials are several commercial board grades and a set of hand-formed dynamic sheets that are made to mimic the construction of commercial paperboard. The method consists of mounting a stereomicroscope on a short-span compression tester and recording the compression failure on video, long-span compression testing and standard properties testing. The observed failure modes of paperboard under compression were classified into four categories depending on the appearance of the failures. Initiation of failure takes place where the structure is weakest and fiber buckling happens after the initiation, which consists of breaking of fiber-fiber bonds or fiber wall delamination. The compression strength is correlated to density and operations and raw materials that increase the density also increases the compression strength. Short-span compression and Long-span compression are not suitable for testing all kinds of papers; the clamps in short-span give bulky specimens an initial geometrical shape that can affect the given value of compression strength. Long-span compression is only suitable for a limited range of papers, one problem with too thin papers are low wavelength buckling.