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Företag har olika sätt att se på kundrelationer och de marknader där de är verksamma. De har olika prioriteringar beroende på använd strategi och skillnader bör därför finnas i företagens arbete i stort, så också i marknadsföringsarbetet. Denna uppsats ämnar att undersöka och bidra med kunskap om dessa skillnader med utgångspunkt i de strategiska inriktningarna Low-Cost Defenders och Differentiated Defenders. Det genom en kvantitativ undersökning av nordeuropeiska företags procentuella användning av diverse mediekanaler. Även om tidigare forskning lyft relaterade frågor saknas forskning om hur mediekanalerna används av företagen som applicerar dessa två företagsstrategier. Resultaten av uppsatsen ger en förståelse för de två strategiernas användning av mediekanalerna och lyfter även möjliga förklaringar till varför företag väljer att använda sig av vissa metoder för att nå ut till sina valda målgrupper. Resultaten visar vissa likheter mellan företagen inom vardera strategi. En statistisk signifikant skillnad fanns emellertid mellan de två företagsstrategierna inom mediekanalerna TV och OOH (Out of Home). Här verkar de största olikheterna finnas mellan Low-Cost Defenders och Differentiated Defenders arbete med mediekanaler.

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Brigham Young University has developed a low-cost, light-weight, and low power consumption SAR for flight on a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at low altitudes. This micro-SAR, or uSAR, consumes only 18 watts of power, ideal for application on a small UAV. To meet these constraints, a linear frequency modulation-continuous wave (LFM-CW) transmit signal is utilized. Use of an LFM-CW signal introduces some differences from the typical strip map SAR processing model that must be addressed in signal processing algorithms. This thesis presents a derivation of the LFM-CW signal model and the associated image processing algorithms used for the uSAR developed at BYU. A data simulator for the BYU LFM-CW SAR is detailed and results are provided for the case when the simulated data are processed using the uSAR algorithms. Data processing schemes are discussed, including compression, receive signal phase detection, interference filtering and auto-focusing. Finally, data collected from the instrument itself are processed and presented.

Background: Errors related to patient safety are a major contributor to adverse incidents and preventable deaths. Interventions aimed at changing team behaviour and implementing World Health Organisation Safe Surgical Checklists (WHO SSCL) have been associated with improved outcomes. We required a cost- and timeefficient vehicle to address low adoption rates of the WHO SSCL, barriers to interdisciplinary teamwork, and inadequate attention to patient safety. Method: We aimed to test the feasibility and efficacy of a simulation-based intervention to improve behaviour influencing patient safety in operating theatres. We performed a prospective cohort study using survey tools for attendee feedback immediately after the event and at 6 weeks. We report feasibility and efficacy data plus qualitative feedback from the education team describing the advantages of this instructional design. The intervention was a 2-stage simulation. First, learners watched a 5-minute film, set in the operating theatre, depicting an error-filled WHO SSCL timeout. Second, learners entered a simulated operating theatre environment with multiple errors and risks to patient safety. Learners identified errors and prioritised them in order of importance. Their observations were discussed in a small group debrief session facilitated by novice debriefers before a whole group plenary discussion. Results: One hundred and three health workers attended the education event and 77 (75%) responded to the Immediate Questionnaire. Surgeons (27), Anaesthetists (18) and Scrub Nurses (12) made up the majority of respondents. Sixty-seven (87%) participants agreed or strongly agreed that they “now have an increased awareness of patient safety”, while 75 (97%) agreed or strongly agreed that they “feel more committed to ensuring a team approach to patient safety”. Thirty (29%) attendees responded to the Delayed Questionnaire distributed via email 6 weeks after the event. Twenty-eight (93%) agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more committed to ensuring a team approach to patient safety. Conclusion: The total cost of the event was low. Faculty reported that the instructional design afforded deliberate targeting of the importance of multi-disciplinary teamwork in patient safety. The simulation event was feasible at low monetary, time, and human resource costs. This approach offers a scalable instructional design that targets inter-professional learning.

Abstract Electrochemical sensors are simple, fast, accurate, and low-cost analytical devices. They are especially important to the field of healthcare since they enable measurement of important indicators of patient health such as electrolytes and glucose in blood. Continued development and improvements in electrochemical sensors can result in more accessible, affordable, and effective diagnoses and treatment strategies. Electrochemical sensors employ electrodes, usually modified with a recognition agent specific for the analyte (the biomolecule of interest). The presence of the analyte at the electrode surface is typically measured through an electrochemical reaction that generates a signal in the form of an electric current or difference in electric potential. As an alternative, electrochemiluminescence, a phenomenon whereby an electrochemical reaction generates a product in an electronically excited state that is capable of emitting light, has great benefits due to its high sensitivity, selectivity, and extremely low background signal. Here we employ a camera equipped with a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) detector that is interfaced with a simple zoom lens to measure ECL generated at low-cost pencil graphite electrodes and small electrode arrays using tris(2,2′- bipyridyl) dichlororuthenium(II) hexahydrate ([Ru(bpy)3]2+) with tri-n-propylamine (TPA) as the coreactant. ECL signals produced at pencil graphite working electrodes were linear with respect to [Ru(bpy)3]2+ concentrations for 45–450μM [Ru(bpy)3]2+. The detection limit was found to be 2µM using the CMOS camera with exposure time set at 10s. This proof-of-concept work suggests the pencil graphite electrode with simple imaging system platform can be applied for ECL-based biosensing strategies.

This thesis encompasses a feasibility study of using low-cost materials to manufacture microfluidic chips that can perform the same functions as chips manufactured using traditional methods within an acceptable range of efficiency of chips created with more exotic methods and materials. The major parts of the project are the selection and characterization of the fabrication methods for creating the channels for fluid flow, the methods for sealing the channels to create a usable chip and the electrophoretic separations of carboxylated microspheres of different potentials. In this work we seek to answer the question if laser-etched PMMA microfluidic chips are comparable in functionality to microfluidic chips created with PDMS or glass. In the process of answering this question we will touch on FEA modeling, characterization of the manufacturing process and multiple prototype designs while keeping within the low-cost theme. The purpose of capillary electrophoresis is to separate proteins based on their inherent electric charge. Capillary electrophoresis is a standard chip design used in the microfluidics world to prove a new fabrication method or chip material before branching out to other experiments because it is a fairly simple and robust design. Common problems associated with the manufacturing methods and materials were taken into account such as electroosmotic flow and chip sealing. CZE designs from literature were referenced to create a chip that would separate carboxylated microbeads with reasonable resolution. Wire electrodes were affixed to the chip to induce electric fields for the electrophoresis experiments. The goal of this thesis is to prove the manufacturing methods and attain results within 70% of literature standards.

While tremendous advances have been made in prosthesis technology, a greater understanding of amputee gait is needed, especially among amputees in developing countries. Field studies as well as prosthesis technology in developing countries are limited due to barriers associated with equipment and resources availability. Furthermore, individuals with lower limb amputation experience increased difficulty walking and a higher fall rate compared to non-amputees, which may be exacerbated by environment, terrain, or prosthesis componentry. Due to the importance of walking on various terrain for increased quality of life as well as the differences between prosthesis technology available in developing and developed countries, a better understanding of amputee gait on underdeveloped outdoor terrain is needed. We began to address these needs with three studies that explored factors that influenced and predicted amputee gait on realistic end-user outdoor terrain. First, we investigated the effects of environment (i.e. indoor laboratory or outdoor natural walking path), terrain, and amputation level on energy expenditure and dynamic stability while walking among lower limb amputees and non-amputees. We found that terrain and amputation level affected amputee energy expenditure and stability while environment and specific uneven terrain type had minimal effects. These results may guide future work investigating the effects of terrain in laboratory-based studies. Second, we investigated the ability to predict quantitative measures of amputee gait on outdoor underdeveloped terrain from laboratory-based measurements. We found individual participant characteristics and easily accessible measures of indoor gait were as or more effective at predicting energy expenditure and dynamic stability than gait measures requiring greater experimental and analytical resources. These results may offer a tool for researchers to assess performance among amputees in various settings without the need for expensive and technical equipment. Third, we examined the effect of a low-cost prosthetic knee joint on amputee gait. Specifically, we investigated the effects of on energy expenditure, gait stability, and perceptions of the low-cost prosthetic knee joint while walking on indoor and outdoor terrains. We found evidence that the low-cost knee increased energy expenditure and increased some characteristics of dynamic stability while decreased others. Furthermore, we also identified key insights among amputees about the performance of the low-cost prosthetic knee joint that could aid in future design modifications of the knee. Together, these studies help to clarify differences in walking performance between laboratory and outdoor terrains among lower limb amputees, help circumvent the challenges of obtaining quantitative gait measures during field studies in developing countries and may help guide the future design and use of low-cost prosthetic knee technology. / Doctor of Philosophy / While tremendous advances have been made in prosthesis technology, a greater understanding of how lower limb amputees walk (i.e. amputee gait) is needed, especially among amputees in developing countries. Studies in the field as well as the devices that amputees where to walk (prosthesis technology) in developing countries are limited due to barriers associated with equipment and resources availability. Furthermore, individuals with lower limb amputation experience increased difficulty walking and a higher fall rates compared to non-amputees, which may be exacerbated by environment, terrain, or components of the prosthesis. Due to the importance of walking on various terrain for increased quality of life as well as the differences between prosthesis technology available in developing and developed countries, a better understanding of how amputees walk on uneven outdoor terrain is needed. We began to address these needs with three studies that explored factors that influenced and predicted how amputees walk on realistic end-user outdoor terrain. First, we investigated the effects of environment (i.e. indoor laboratory or outdoor natural walking path), terrain, and amputation level on energy expenditure and walking stability among lower limb amputees and non-amputees. We found that terrain and amputation level affected amputee energy expenditure and stability while environment and specific uneven terrain type had minimal effects. These results may guide future work investigating the effects of terrain in laboratory-based studies. Second, we investigated whether we could predict amputee walking performance on outdoor underdeveloped terrain from laboratory-based measurements. We found individual participant characteristics and easily accessible performance measures were as or more effective at predicting energy expenditure and stability than performance measures requiring greater experimental and analytical resources. These results may offer a tool for researchers to assess performance among amputees in various settings without the need for expensive and technical equipment. Third, we examined the effect of a low-cost prosthetic knee joint on amputee gait. Specifically, we investigated the effects of on energy expenditure, gait stability, and perceptions of the low-cost prosthetic knee joint while walking on indoor and outdoor terrains. We found evidence that the low-cost knee increased energy expenditure and increased some characteristics of stability while decreased others. Furthermore, we also identified key insights among amputees about the performance of the low-cost prosthetic knee joint that could aid in future design modifications of the knee. Together, these studies help to clarify differences in walking performance between laboratory and outdoor terrains among lower limb amputees, help circumvent the challenges of obtaining quantitative gait measures during field studies in developing countries and may help guide the future design and use of low-cost prosthetic knee technology.