På CBH (Skolan för kemi, bioteknologi och hälsa) har en mikro-CT utvecklats, men med förbättringspotential gällande användbarheten. Målet med kandidatexamensarbetet var att förbättra mjukvaran genom att automatisera tre olika aspekter av manuell datahantering: Dels att placera filerna i en mapp med namn kopplat till valda bildtagningsinställningar. Dels att kopiera data via SCP mellan två datorer kopplade till mikro-CT:n. Samt att radera kopierade data från disken som preliminärt sparar filerna. För att möjliggöra en automatisk dataöverföring implementerades ett SSH-nyckelpar med publik nyckelautentisering mellan de två datorerna. Till den befintliga mjukvaran tillades ett skript samt en klass med handhavande över de tre automatiseringsaspekterna. Genom användargränssnittet hämtar klassen inledningsvis information om bildtagningsinställningarna till mappnamnet och när bildtagningen är klar anropar programkoden skriptfilen som utför SCP-kopieringen. Därefter kontrolleras att inga data gått förlorade under överföringen, varefter en radering av de kopierade filerna utförs på den ursprungliga disken. Den nya klassen förbättrar mikro-CT:ns användarvänlighet och underlättar hanteringen av data efter en bildtagning. / At CBH (The School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health) a micro-CT has been developed, but the system has potential improvement regarding the usability. The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis was to improve the software by automatizing three aspects of manual data handling: Firstly to place the data in a folder with a name related to the obtained acquisition settings. Secondly to transfer files through SCP between the two computers connected to the micro-CT. Lastly to delete the copied data from the disk that initially saves the files. In order to automate the data transfer an SSH key pair with public key authentication was implemented between the two computers. To the existing software a script as well as a class controlling the three automation aspects were added. From the user interface, the class initially retrieves information about the acquisition settings to the folder name and when the acquisition is complete, the program code calls the script file that performs the SCP transfer. Afterwards a verification is made that no data was lost during the transfer, after which a deletion of the copied files is performed on the original disk. The new class improves the usability of the micro-CT and facilitates the handling of data after an acquisition.

Bakgrund: Taximarknaden har varit, och är, under förändring. Till följd av den teknologiska utvecklingen har nya aktörer och substitut etablerat sig på marknaden. Uber, Bzzt och Lime är endast tre av de företag som vuxit fram under de senare åren. De nya företagen bidrar inte endast med nya, innovativa substitut till traditionell taxi, utan även ökad konkurrens vad gäller tillgänglighet via digitala plattformar. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att analysera den teknologiska utvecklingens betydelse för taximarknadens struktur och funktion, med fokus på Stockholm. Metod: Uppsatsens referensram är Structure-Conduct-Performance modellen. För djupare analys och förståelse har intervjuer med: Bzzt, Svenska Taxiförbundet och Taxi Stockholm, genomförts. Uppsatsen innefattar även två egna undersökningar om taxiföretagens prisnivå och tillgänglighet. De taxiföretagen som inkluderas i uppsatsen är: Sverigetaxi, TaxiKurir, Taxi Stockholm, TOPCAB samt Uber. Slutsats: Den teknologiska utvecklingen har en stor betydelse för taximarknadens struktur och funktion, i det avseende att den bidrar till en mer kundcentrerad och effektivare marknad. Marknadsstrukturen i Stockholm liknar en hybridmarknad mellan oligopol och fullständig konkurrens, beroende på de storleksmässiga skillnader som finns mellan aktörerna. Marknaden har en jämn prisnivå och bra tillgänglighet, varav det sistnämnda har förbättrats till följd av utvecklandet av taxiföretagens egna applikationer. / Background: The taxi market has been, and is, undergoing a transformation. As a result of the technological development, new companies and substitutes have been established on the market. Uber, Bzzt and Lime are only three of all the new companies that have emerged in the recent years, and not only contribute with new, innovative substitutes for traditional taxi, but also increased competition in terms of accessibility through digital platforms. Purpose: The purpose of the essay is to analyze the influence of the technological development on the taxi market’s structure and function, with focus on Stockholm. Completion: The main framework of the essay is the Structure-Conduct-Performance model. For a more profound analysis three interviews were conducted with: Bzzt, Svenska Taxiförbundet and Taxi Stockholm. The essay also includes a study of the price level and a study of the accessibility to a taxi. The included companies are: Sverigetaxi, TaxiKurir, Taxi Stockholm, TOPCAB and Uber. Conclusions: The technological development have a large impact on the structure and function of the taxi market, since it contributes to a more customer-centered and efficient market. The market structure in Stockholm is similar to a hybrid market of an oligopoly and perfect competition, depending on the difference in size of the existing companies. The market has a uniform price level and a good accessibility, of which the latest has improved as a result of the development of the taxi companies own applications.

[pt] O objetivo deste estudo é o de comparar o desempenho do paradigma SCP (Mason, 1939; Bain, 1956, 1968), e de Porter (1980) na indústria farmacêutica brasileira no período de 1999 a 2002. Não se pretende, portanto, analisar a aplicabilidade ou robustez destes modelos ou mesmo criticá-los, mas tão somente testar sua aderência à realidade brasileira. Para a pesquisa, foram consideradas as 50 empresas da indústria farmacêutica brasileira com maior faturamento em reais no ano de 2002, representando 91% do faturamento total e 90% das unidades vendidas. Os dados foram retirados de Cohen (2004) e têm como fonte a base de dados do Pharmaceutical Market Brazil- PMB. Com base na técnica estatística de Modelo de Equações Estruturais e nos passos descritos por Hair et al (1998) para sua aplicação, testaram-se as variáveis selecionadas, determinaram-se as cargas em cada um dos modelos por meio da utilização do LISREL e, por fim, compararam-se os resultados apurados para os dois modelos teóricos. Concluiu-se, reservadamente, a despeito da qualidade da amostra, de pequena quantidade de casos, e do número de variáveis usadas para medir os construtos, que as estratégias das empresas têm influência mais importante no desempenho que o ambiente, confirmando estudos anteriores, e que esta influência é igual nos dois modelos testados. Uma sugestão para melhoria dos resultados diz respeito à troca da amostra pelo universo dos laboratórios, o que aumentaria a possibilidade de aderência dos modelos, sem que isso, necessariamente, venha a implicar relação direta com técnicas gerenciais. Outra, sem dúvida, seria a manutenção da amostra, mas com reavaliação das variáveis de teste. / [en] This study aims at comparing the performance of SCP (Mason, 1939; Bain, 1956, 1968) and Porter´s (1980) models in the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry between 1999 and 2002. The intension is not, therefore, to analyze the applicability or robustness of these models or even to criticize them, but just to test its adherence to the Brazilian reality. For the research, the 50 companies with greater revenue in reais in the year of 2002, in the pharmaceutical industry, are considered. They represent 91% of the total industry revenue and 90% of the industry sold units. Data are collected after Cohen (2004), which source is the Pharmaceutical Market Brazil-PMB data base. Based on the statistical technique of Structural Equations Model - SEM and using the stages described by Hair et al (1998) for its application, the selected variables are tested, the models are designed and calculated by means of LISREL and, at the end, results are compared. The conclusion, with reserves, is that, despite the quality of the sample - having small number of cases and proporcional great number of variables used to measure the constructs - the companies strategies show greater influence on the performance than the industrial structure, confirming previous studies, and that this influence is same in the two tested models. A suggestion for the improvement of the results concerns changing the used sample for the universe of the laboratories, what would increase the possibility of adherence of the models, without implicating direct relationship with managerial techniques. Other sugestion is to maintain the sample, but with revaluation of the test variables.

This thesis aims to conduct a market analysis of the Swedish grocery retail market, with a primary focus on the current market competition and strategic choices. The market analysis is done in order to investigate whether insufficient competition is a contributing factor to the high food prices today. Furthermore, the essay aims to identify and evaluate the strategies used by market players. The market analysis has been conducted by using the Structure-Conduct-Performance model as a theoretical framework to map out and analyse the market's structure, strategy, and outcomes. Over the past year, the prices of groceries have increased drastically, resulting in significant media coverage of the market. The high prices, combined with the timeliness of the topic, justifies the choice of the essay’s subject. The methodology used in the essay is a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The market structure is analysed for two different years, 2012 and 2021, in order to enable the evaluation of the firms’ strategic choices. In the thesis’ conclusion, it is stated that the Swedish grocery retail sector is an oligopoly market with high market concentration, where the three largest firms account for 90 percent of the market shares. The market structure is a result of the underlying demand and the barriers of entry identified in the thesis. The strategies processed in the thesis are vertical integration, customer bonus systems, mergers and acquisitions, and price strategies. The evaluated strategic choices of the companies are deemed effective for increasing their market power, while also inhibiting competition and making market entry difficult. Because of this, the market outcome is considered not to be fully functional from a welfare perspective. Furthermore this study allows the assumption to be made that the current competitive situation is a contributing factor to today's high food prices. / Uppsatsen syftar till att göra en marknadsanalys av svensk dagligvaruhandel, med stort fokus på den rådande konkurrenssituationen. Detta görs för att utreda huruvida bristfällig konkurrens är en bidragande orsak till dagens höga matpriser eller inte. Vidare syftar uppsatsen till att kartlägga samt utvärdera de strategier som marknadens aktörer använder sig av. Marknadsanalysen har genomförts med Structure-Conduct-Performance-modellen som teoretisk grund för att kartlägga samt analysera marknadens struktur, strategi och utfall. Priserna på dagligvaror har under det senaste året ökat drastiskt, vilket har resulterat i att marknaden har getts stort medialt utrymme. De höga priserna i kombination med ämnets aktualitet motiverar valet av uppsatsämne. Metodvalet i uppsatsen är en kombination av kvalitativ och kvantitativ metod. Marknadsstrukturen undersöks för två olika år, 2012 och 2021, med anledning att möjliggöra utvärdering av aktörernas strategival. I uppsatsens slutsats konstateras det att den svenska dagligvaruhandeln är en oligopolmarknad med hög marknadskoncentration där de tre största aktörerna står för 90 procent av andelarna på marknaden. Marknadsstrukturen är ett resultat av den grundläggande efterfrågan som finns, samt de etableringshinder som identifierats i uppsatsen. De strategier som behandlas i uppsatsen är vertikal integration, kundbonussystem, fusioner och förvärv samt prissättningsstrategi. Dessa strategival utvärderas som effektiva vad gäller utökandet av aktörernas marknadsmakt, samtidigt som de hämmar konkurrens och försvårar för nyetablering på marknaden. Detta leder till att marknadens utfall inte ses vara helt välfungerande utifrån ett välfärdsperspektiv. Efter genomförandet av denna studie görs dessutom antagandet att den rådande konkurrenssituationen är en bidragande orsak till dagens höga matpriser.

Den svenska marknaden för paketleveranser är en marknad i ständig expansion. Med e-handelns tillväxt har antalet varor som skickas från företag till privatpersoner ökat explosionsartat de senaste åren, samtidigt som konsumenternas preferenser ändrats. Ökningen har ställt helt nya krav på leveransföretagen, samtidigt som den inneburit möjligheter för nya företag att etablera sig på marknaden. Syftet med detta arbete är att analysera marknaden för paketleveranser till privatpersoner i Sverige. Vi riktar in oss på e-handlares prissättning på leveranser och konsumenters möjlighet att välja olika leveransalternativ. Analysen görs utifrån Structure-Conduct-Performance-modellen. Genomförandet består av tre olika metoder. Vi gör en kartläggning av leveransföretagen och deras olika leveransalternativ, en egen undersökning av pris och valfrihet samt en enkätundersökning till olika aktörer på marknaden. Vi drar den huvudsakliga slutsatsen att det råder informationsasymmetrier på marknaden som gör att e-handelsföretag har möjlighet att ta ut överpriser på leveranser gentemot sina konsumenter. Vi drar också slutsatsen att konsumenters valfrihet av leveransalternativ är begränsad – trots att antalet leveransföretag är större än någonsin. Vidare konstateras att det råder stark avtalsintegration på marknaden och att flera faktorer talar för att leveransföretagen såväl som e-handelsföretagen besitter marknadsmakt. På grund av detta identifierar vi en risk att konkurrensen och därmed valfriheten försämras på sikt.

Expressing foreign proteins in E.coli is a major challenge because they often tend to develop into unsolvable and inactive proteins. They aggregate into so called  inclusion bodies which prevent expression of the protein. This problem might be avoided by fusing the gene of the foreign protein with a soluble protein called solubility tags, which  function is to enhance the solubility of the foreign protein. This report investigates whether Sterol Carrier Protein-2 (SCP-2) could function as a solubility tag. The experiment was carried out by fusing SCP-2 to two recombinant proteins, Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and a form of chloroamphenicol acetyl transferase (CATΔ9). The gene fusion was then inserted into a pET-15 vector and transformed into  the E.coli strain BL21(DE3) to be expressed. The results obtained from Western blot and PageBlue staining indicates that SCP-2 does not enhance the solubility of GFP or CATΔ9 since neither of them was expressed.  Furthermore, previous studies have shown that GFP can in fact be expressed  usingmaltose binding protein (MBP) as a solubility tag. Unfortunately, no success has been made regarding CATΔ9. In conclusion, regarding the results from this report, SCP-2 does not function as a solubility tag. However, further studies should be carried out on SCP-2 with more experiments before rejecting the possibility to use SCP-2 as a solubility tag.

Expression of foreign proteins in host organisms usually results in the development of insoluble, inactive proteins. Further, these proteins have a tendency to form aggregates termed inclusion bodies. However, the formation of inclusion bodies can be avoided by fusing the gene encoding the foreign protein to a highly soluble protein. In this report Sterol Carrier Protein-2 (SCP-2) is reviewed as a possible solubility tag. The experiment was carried out by fusing SCP-2 to one of two i nsoluble proteins, Green fluorescent protein (GFP) or a form of chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT∆9). The protein fusion was then inserted into the vector pET-15b, transformed in Escherichia coli and the yield of actively expressed protein was measured. The results obtained from this study, as evaluated by PageBlue staining and  Western blot, are indicating that SCP-2 does not improve the solubility of GFP or CAT∆9. Nonetheless, the solubility of GFP has earlier been increased by fusing it to the solubility tag maltose-binding protein (MBP).  Producing more soluble forms of CAT∆9  have also been tested but without success. Therefore the conclusion drawn from this experiment is that SCP-2 does not work as a solubility tag, however more research must be performed to conclude this with certainty.

自報禁開放以來台灣報業市場仍屬寡占市場，雖然報業家數增加了，但閱報率卻出現逐年下降。本文根據產業組織理論，分析台灣報業之市場結構、行為與績效。結果發現，台灣報業市場結構呈現穩固的寡占結構，且呈現「強者越強，弱者越弱」的現象，其背後原因可能為報業本身存在規模經濟、資金需求龐大、行銷通路、原料取得等進入障礙。 此外，迴歸實證結果顯示，有線電視普及率與閱報率之間有顯著負向相關；有線電視廣告營收與報紙廣告營收之間並無顯著相關；上網普及率與閱報率之間有顯著負向相關；網路廣告營收與報紙廣告營收之間有顯著負向相關。上述實証結果進一步顯示，新興媒體網際網路的成熟，可能是導致閱報率持續下跌，進而將影響報業廣告的營收隨之下跌。

"Due to the dramatic growth in the use of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) applications - ranging from environment and habitat monitoring to tracking and surveillance, network research in WSN protocols has been very active in the last decade. With battery-powered sensors operating in unattended environments, energy conservation becomes the key technique for improving WSN lifetimes. WSN Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols address energy awareness and reduced duty cycles since the radio is the component that consumes most of the energy. This thesis investigates the performance of two recently published energy-aware MAC protocols, Crankshaft and SCP-MAC. Crankshaft has been shown to be one of the best protocols in terms of energy consumption in dense WSNs while SCP-MAC has a dedicated low duty cycle and low average latencies. The focus of this investigation is to discover techniques for reducing the latency of Crankshaft. Using OMNeT++, an open source and component-based simulation framework, this study investigates possible modifications to Crankshaft to improve its latency. The potential improvements considered include modifications to Crankshaft’s retransmission contention scheme (Sift), adjustments to its inherent settings, and investigating the impact of ACKs. Since OMNeT++ readily provided only a variant of SCP-MAC identified as SCP-MAC*, the simulations results presented involve comparing variants of both protocols (Crankshaft and SCP-MAC*). The performance of these protocols is also analyzed using distinct sensor node communication patterns. It was determined that Crankshaft’s latency depends on its ACK/Retransmission settings. Specifically, Crankshaft has the best latency with No ACKs, without much loss in energy consumption. But the latency can also be improved when ACKs are enabled by reducing the number of retries. Furthermore, the latency and delivery ratio are also directly governed by the WSN traffic pattern and the congestion in the network, as there was a noticeable improvement for both parameters in one-hop traffic, compared to multi-hop convergecast traffic to the sink. Finally, it was observed that Crankshaft’s broadcast performance in flooding traffic can be improved by increasing the number of broadcast slots used, though this is detrimental to its performance in unicast traffic."

L'ouverture des économies et la mondialisation accentuent la compétition entre firmes et territoires économiques. Dans un espace mondial dominé par les grands pays et les firmes multinationales, les petites économies insulaires peinent à trouver leur place. Ces petites économies ont certes des atouts, mais surtout de nombreux handicaps qui désavantagent leurs entreprises. Celles-ci sont le plus souvent de petites ou moyennes entreprises, doublement pénalisées par leur taille et leur environnement insulaire. Nous voulons analyser cette situation particulière à partir de l'exemple de ces petits territoires, qui présentent les handicaps propres aux petites économies insulaires, mais qui sont aussi intégrés dans un espace économique développé plus vaste : il s'agit des économies de l'Outre-mer français situées dans la Caraïbe.<br />La thèse examine les comportements stratégiques des entreprises situées sur un petit territoire insulaire, pour répondre aux contraintes liées à leur situation insulaire et aux défis engendrés par les modifications de l'environnement socioéconomique. <br />Ces entreprises tirent parti des ressources créées par les politiques publiques mises en place par des Etats à économie développée, mais doivent pouvoir aussi surmonter des difficultés supplémentaires créées par leur situation paradoxale. <br />Nous nous inspirons des concepts de l'Economie Industrielle pour montrer l'existence, pour les entreprises les plus exposées à la pression concurrentielle externe, d'un étroit sentier stratégique fondé sur la recherche de la différenciation de leurs produits. Mais les entreprises les moins exposées peuvent aussi développer des stratégies qui peuvent aller à l'encontre de l'optimum social cher aux économistes néoclassiques.