<p>Inom området för telemedicin efterfrågas praktiska sätt för läkare att snabbt och tillförlitligt kunna ställa preliminära diagnoser. Genom att använda GPRS kan stetoskopljud överföras över långa avstånd. På så vis kan en patient bli undersökt utan att behöva träffa sin läkare. Den här rapporten förklarar arbetet med att konstruera ett trådlöst stetoskop som använder sig av GPRS. In the area of telemedicine practical methods are wantedfor a doctor to quickly and reliably be able to set a preliminary diagnose. By using GPRS stethoscope sound can be sent over long distances. In that way a patient can be examined without having to meet his or her doctor. This report explains the work of constructing a wireless stethoscope using GPRS.</p>

<p>The market of portable digital audio players (DAPs) have literally exploded the last couple of years. Other markets has grown as well. PDAs, GPS receivers, mobile phones, and so on. This resulted in more advanced ICs and SoCs becoming publically available, eliminating the need for in-house ASICs, thus enableing smaller actors to enter the markets.</p><p>This thesis explores the possibilities of developing a low power, hand-held device on a very limited budget and strict time scale.</p><p>This thesis report also covers all the steps taken in the development procedure.</p>

Sedan 2001 har skivindustrin förlorat en tredjedel av sin totala försäljning och framtiden för musikkonsumering är näst intill dagligen debatterad i media. På ena sidan finner man förespråkare för fri nedladdning och fildelning över Internet, medan den andra sidan består av artister och skivbolag som förklarar att man inte kan klara sig utan intäkter för musiken som produceras. Ett försenat lagförslag, ämnat att träda i kraft i juli 2005, som skulle förbjuda nedladdning av otillåtet material på Internet behandlas just nu av riksdagen. Framtiden är oviss, men det råder inga tvivel om att musikindustrin just nu undergår stora förändringar. Syftet och avsikten med den här uppsatsen är att undersöka hur stora skivbolag i Sverige hanterar de omvärldsförändringar som skett till följd av nedladdning över Internet. Vårt fokus ligger på strategiska val, aktiviteter och organisatoriska förändingar som implementeras av ledningsgrupperna på respektive företag. Vi har använt oss av tidigare studier och teorier inom strategi och change management som en plattform för att analysera företagens aktiviteter och inställning till nedladdningsfeno-menet sedan problemet identifierades. På deras respektive huvudkontor i Stockholm intervjuade vi representanter från de tre största skivbolagen i Sverige; EMI, Universal Music och Sony BMG. Datan som samlades in baserades på de frågor vi formulerat med hänvisningar till olika delar av managementteorin som behandlar diskontinuerlig förändring. En slutsats som vi dragit är att skivbolagen reagerat för sent för att till fullo ta tillvara på möjligheterna som musikdistribution over Internet trots allt besitter. Anledningarna är många, men deras relativt statiska strukturer och det faktum att man varit fast i gamla mönster är en stor del av förklaringen. Trots att man från skivbolagens sida reagerade ganska sent på förändringen så har man nu hunnit i kapp utvecklingen avsevärt och efter att ha tagit många strategiska steg på rätt väg är man nu till en större utsträckning förberedd att möta framtida behov. Den här uppsatsen innehåller mer detaljer och specifika element av deras strategiska respons, bland annat personalbyten, tydligare omvärldsanalyser och strategiförändringar. / Since 2001 the recording industry has lost a third of its total sales and the future of music consumption is almost daily debated in media. On one side there are voices proclaiming free downloading and music sharing over the Internet and on the other side there are artists and record companies explaining that they need the revenues to survive. A currently delayed law proposal to illegalise unauthorized downloading, planned to be implemented from July 2005, is being considered by the Parliament. The future outcome is uncertain, but the music industry is currently and unquestionably experiencing big change. The purpose and intention with this thesis is to examine how major record companies in Sweden are managing the environmental change, imposed by downloading over the Internet, focusing on strategic choices, actions and organizational change implemented by subsidiary level top management. We have used previous research and theories within the area of strategy and change management as a platform for analyzing what approach these companies have to this phenomenon and also what measures have been implemented since the problem was first recognized. In Stockholm we met with representatives from the three largest record companies in Sweden; EMI Sweden, Universal Music and Sony BMG. Our data was collected from these interviews, which were based on our questions referring to different parts of the management process when experiencing big change. One conclusion we have drawn is that the reaction from the recording industry has been too slow in order to fully capitalize on the possibilities in music distribution over the Internet. The reasons for this are many, but their relatively static structure and the fact that they have been caught up in old patterns are certainly part of the explanation. However, even though the record companies were somewhat slow from the beginning, they have now caught up substantially and since many of the measures suggested by previous research have been implemented, they are now to a larger extent equipped to meet the future needs. This thesis contains more specific elements on what responses to downloading the record companies are currently working with, such as restaffing procedures, rethinking the operational environment and reshaping strategies.

MP3 blogs and their aggregators, which have risen to prominence over the past four years, are presenting an alternative way of promoting and discovering new music. I will argue that MP3 files greatly affect MP3 blogs in terms of shaping them as: a genre separate from general weblogs and music blogs without MP3s, especially due to the impact of MP3 blog aggregators such as The Hype Machine and Elbows; a particular form of rhetoric illuminated by Kenneth Burke's dramatistic ratios of agency-purpose, purpose-act and scene-act; and as a potentially subversive subculture, which like other subcultures, exists in a symbiotic relationship with the traditional media it defines itself against. Using excerpts from multiple MP3 blogs and their forums, interviews with MP3 bloggers and Anthony Volodkin (creator of The Hype Machine), references to MP3 blogs in traditional press, and Burke's theory of dramatism and Hodge and Kress's theories of social semiotics, I will demonstrate that the MP3 file is not only changing the way music is consumed and circulated, but also the way music is promoted and discussed.

Inom området för telemedicin efterfrågas praktiska sätt för läkare att snabbt och tillförlitligt kunna ställa preliminära diagnoser. Genom att använda GPRS kan stetoskopljud överföras över långa avstånd. På så vis kan en patient bli undersökt utan att behöva träffa sin läkare. Den här rapporten förklarar arbetet med att konstruera ett trådlöst stetoskop som använder sig av GPRS. In the area of telemedicine practical methods are wantedfor a doctor to quickly and reliably be able to set a preliminary diagnose. By using GPRS stethoscope sound can be sent over long distances. In that way a patient can be examined without having to meet his or her doctor. This report explains the work of constructing a wireless stethoscope using GPRS.

MP3 blogs and their aggregators, which have risen to prominence over the past four years, are presenting an alternative way of promoting and discovering new music. I will argue that MP3 files greatly affect MP3 blogs in terms of shaping them as: a genre separate from general weblogs and music blogs without MP3s, especially due to the impact of MP3 blog aggregators such as The Hype Machine and Elbows; a particular form of rhetoric illuminated by Kenneth Burke's dramatistic ratios of agency-purpose, purpose-act and scene-act; and as a potentially subversive subculture, which like other subcultures, exists in a symbiotic relationship with the traditional media it defines itself against. Using excerpts from multiple MP3 blogs and their forums, interviews with MP3 bloggers and Anthony Volodkin (creator of The Hype Machine), references to MP3 blogs in traditional press, and Burke's theory of dramatism and Hodge and Kress's theories of social semiotics, I will demonstrate that the MP3 file is not only changing the way music is consumed and circulated, but also the way music is promoted and discussed.

With complexities of Systems-on-Chip rising almost daily, the system designers have been searching for new methodology that can handle given complexities with increased productivity and decreased times-to-market. The obvious solution that comes to mind is increasing the level of abstraction. However, the most important things that system designers care about are system architectures (components topology), HW/SW performance, and the communication protocols. System designer has to make decisions on these factors in a very short time. Furthermore, the transaction level model (TLM) can satisfy the requests on simulation speed and the information that system designer need. We implement a TLM virtual prototype platform with SystemC composing with the variable wrappers. The basic modules: ISS interface, user-define modules and a flexible bus. Based on the infrastructures, a much faster modeling process of the system can be achieved in this thesis. Finally, the platform will run the whole-system-simulation to verify the functional model and collect the dynamic information on the buses and IPs to diagnose the bottle-neck of the system.

<p>Sedan 2001 har skivindustrin förlorat en tredjedel av sin totala försäljning och framtiden för musikkonsumering är näst intill dagligen debatterad i media. På ena sidan finner man förespråkare för fri nedladdning och fildelning över Internet, medan den andra sidan består av artister och skivbolag som förklarar att man inte kan klara sig utan intäkter för musiken som produceras. Ett försenat lagförslag, ämnat att träda i kraft i juli 2005, som skulle förbjuda nedladdning av otillåtet material på Internet behandlas just nu av riksdagen. Framtiden är oviss, men det råder inga tvivel om att musikindustrin just nu undergår stora förändringar.</p><p>Syftet och avsikten med den här uppsatsen är att undersöka hur stora skivbolag i Sverige hanterar de omvärldsförändringar som skett till följd av nedladdning över Internet. Vårt fokus ligger på strategiska val, aktiviteter och organisatoriska förändingar som implementeras av ledningsgrupperna på respektive företag.</p><p>Vi har använt oss av tidigare studier och teorier inom strategi och change management som en plattform för att analysera företagens aktiviteter och inställning till nedladdningsfeno-menet sedan problemet identifierades. På deras respektive huvudkontor i Stockholm intervjuade vi representanter från de tre största skivbolagen i Sverige; EMI, Universal Music och Sony BMG. Datan som samlades in baserades på de frågor vi formulerat med hänvisningar till olika delar av managementteorin som behandlar diskontinuerlig förändring.</p><p>En slutsats som vi dragit är att skivbolagen reagerat för sent för att till fullo ta tillvara på möjligheterna som musikdistribution over Internet trots allt besitter. Anledningarna är många, men deras relativt statiska strukturer och det faktum att man varit fast i gamla mönster är en stor del av förklaringen. Trots att man från skivbolagens sida reagerade ganska sent på förändringen så har man nu hunnit i kapp utvecklingen avsevärt och efter att ha tagit många strategiska steg på rätt väg är man nu till en större utsträckning förberedd att möta framtida behov. Den här uppsatsen innehåller mer detaljer och specifika element av deras strategiska respons, bland annat personalbyten, tydligare omvärldsanalyser och strategiförändringar.</p> / <p>Since 2001 the recording industry has lost a third of its total sales and the future of music consumption is almost daily debated in media. On one side there are voices proclaiming free downloading and music sharing over the Internet and on the other side there are artists and record companies explaining that they need the revenues to survive. A currently delayed law proposal to illegalise unauthorized downloading, planned to be implemented from July 2005, is being considered by the Parliament. The future outcome is uncertain, but the music industry is currently and unquestionably experiencing big change.</p><p>The purpose and intention with this thesis is to examine how major record companies in Sweden are managing the environmental change, imposed by downloading over the Internet, focusing on strategic choices, actions and organizational change implemented by subsidiary level top management.</p><p>We have used previous research and theories within the area of strategy and change management as a platform for analyzing what approach these companies have to this phenomenon and also what measures have been implemented since the problem was first recognized. In Stockholm we met with representatives from the three largest record companies in Sweden; EMI Sweden, Universal Music and Sony BMG. Our data was collected from these interviews, which were based on our questions referring to different parts of the management process when experiencing big change.</p><p>One conclusion we have drawn is that the reaction from the recording industry has been too slow in order to fully capitalize on the possibilities in music distribution over the Internet. The reasons for this are many, but their relatively static structure and the fact that they have been caught up in old patterns are certainly part of the explanation. However, even though the record companies were somewhat slow from the beginning, they have now caught up substantially and since many of the measures suggested by previous research have been implemented, they are now to a larger extent equipped to meet the future needs. This thesis contains more specific elements on what responses to downloading the record companies are currently working with, such as restaffing procedures, rethinking the operational environment and reshaping strategies.</p>

Since the introduction of the iPod in 2001, portable music listening devices that play or stream compressed music files have steadily become the standard devices used to listen to music. Despite this, few music education researchers have investigated the role that such devices have in shaping students' music listening experiences. This dissertation is meant to fill that gap in the literature and contribute to the existing sociological and psychological literature on music listening in everyday life. Phenomenology served as the theoretical framework for the design of the study. 10 college students from three institutions underwent iterative interviews and were asked questions developed from McCarthy and Wright's (2004) Deweyan method for investigating user experiences with technology. The questions fell into five categories: sensual, emotional, compositional, spatio-temporal, and the sense-maker. The participants' responses were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using grounded theory methods. The following four axial codes emerged from the data and were used to divide the dissertation into chapters: "Embodying the Experience," "Organizing the Experience," "Navigating Real and Virtual Spaces," and "Developing the Self." The main finding articulated in the chapter entitled "Embodying the Experience" is that the participants located the music in their heads while listening to music on their devices using headphones or earbuds. In contrast, participants consistently reported that, when listening to music through open-air speakers, they experienced the music as being located everywhere or in their whole bodies. The main finding in the chapter entitled, "Organizing the Experience," is that participants exercised agency in their music listening experience by creating playlists. Typically, playlists were created by the participants to be used in conjunction with other activities such as exercising, studying, commuting, and so forth. I used these findings to develop the concept of "Integration in Consciousness" which models the participants' simultaneous engagement with the music and other activities. In the chapter entitled "Navigating Real and Virtual Spaces," I explore how the participants simultaneously navigated the spatial aspects of the music listened to on their players and the spatial aspects of the physical spaces within which their activities naturally occurred. In doing so, I provide an example of how the participants experienced music and activities as "Integrated in Consciousness." In chapter seven, "Developing the Self," I explore how the participants' uses of their devices reflect their development as adolescents. In addition, I propose that participants' uses of their devices may be constitutive of their adolescent development. Finally, in chapter eight, I explore the ways in which music teachers can utilize the findings of this study in the development of their own classroom pedagogies. Among other things, I propose that music teachers can use the "Integration in Consciousness" model to help their students communicate about their music listening experiences in the classroom. In the use of this model, music teachers can tailor their pedagogies specifically for the technology rich, "post-performance" world within which they teach.

Thesis (Ph.D. )--Duquesne University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-142) and index.