Particle simulations in real-time become reality only a few years before, when in computer science occured the idea of GPGPU. This new technology allows use the massive force of graphics card for general purposes. Today, the trend is to accelerate existing algorithms by rewriting into parallel form. On this priciple operate the particle systems too. An interesting area of particle systems are fluid simulations. The simulations are based on the theory of Navier-Stokes equations and their numerical solutions with SPH (Smoothed particle hydrodynamics). Liquids are part of everyday life, and therefore it is important to render them realistically. They are used in modern computer games and different visualizations that run in real time, therefore they must be quickly displayed.

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<p>Network on Chip is a scalable and flexible communication infrastructure for the design of core based System on Chip. Communication performance of a NoC depends heavily on the routing algorithm. Deterministic and adaptive distributed routing algorithms have been advocated in all the current NoC architectural proposals. In this thesis we make a case for the use of source routing for NoCs, especially for regular topologies like mesh. The advantages of source routing include in-order packet delivery; faster and simpler router design; and possibility of mixing non-minimal paths in a mainly minimal routing. We propose a method to compute paths for various communications in such a way that traffic congestion is avoided while ensuring deadlock free routing. We also propose an efficient scheme to encode the paths.</p><p>We developed a tool in Matlab that computes paths for source routing for both general and application specific communications. Depending upon the type of traffic, this tool computes paths for source routing by selecting best routing algorithm out of many routing algorithms. The tool uses a constructive path improvement algorithm to compute paths that give more uniform link load distribution. It also generates different types of traffics. We also developed a simulator capable of simulating source routing for mesh topology NoC. The experiments and simulations which we performed were successful and the results show that the advantages of source routing especially lower packet latency more than compensate its disadvantages. The results also demonstrate that source routing can be a good routing candidate for practical core based SoCs design using network on chip communication infrastructure.</p>

Rapid scientific and technological advances in health care mean that nurses need to keep learning and engage in professional education so that they can continue to provide safe and quality care. Education programs which prepare nurses for practice as a registered nurse have a vital role to play in ensuring that graduates are self-directed in responding to the need for ongoing learning throughout their professional career. In many countries, improving students’ readiness for self-directed learning has thus gained increasing recognition as being an important goal of nursing education programs. This level of interest in developing self-directedness in learning is evident in many policy documents and research in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to investigate factors influencing self-directed learning readiness amongst Taiwanese nursing students. A conceptual framework adopted from Biggs’s ‘3P model of teaching and learning’ was constructed to guide this study’s investigation. This study employed a two-staged mixed-method design to obtain a better understanding of Taiwanese students’ experience of SDL in undergraduate nursing programs. Stage one of the present study was a qualitative approach using semi-structured interview to explore students’ experiences with learning activities which they perceived to be self-directed in their undergraduate programs. Eight students were interviewed. Findings from this stage reveal that participants perceived a shift in teaching and learning styles between their previous nursing programs and the university. The more frequent use of student-directed learning activities, in which students were encouraged to be active and to take responsibility for their learning tasks, was one of the changes in teaching and learning approaches perceived by participants. Participants further suggested a number of factors that influenced the outcomes of these learning activities, including teacher-student interaction, facilitation process and learning resources. Stage two of this study used a quantitative approach consisting of two phases: instrument pilot testing and a cross-sectional survey. In the first phase, the instruments were translated into Chinese through a rigorous translation process and tested with a convenience sample of nursing students in Taiwan. Results indicated the translated instruments were reliable and stable. The second phase, a cross-sectional survey, was conducted to examine the conceptual framework of this study. A total of 369 undergraduate nursing students completed the questionnaire. Results of data analysis provides support for the conceptual framework proposed for this study, suggesting that students’ achievement goals and their perceptions of the learning environment significantly influence their adoption of learning approaches and the development of SDL readiness. Based on the results, this study provides practical implications that nurse educators may adopt to enhance students’ SDL readiness. This study also provides theoretical implications and recommendations for future research. It is envisaged that these recommendations may help future researchers focus their research design and further understandings of how to help students develop their ability to become self-directed learners.

Specification plays a vital role in software engineering to facilitate the development of highly dependable software. The importance of specification in software development is to serve, amongst others, as a communication tool for stakeholders in the software project. The specification also adds to the understanding of operations, and describes the properties of a system. Various techniques may be used for specification work. Z is a formal specification language that is based on a strongly-typed fragment of Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory and first-order logic to provide for precise and unambiguous specifications. Z uses mathematical notation to build abstract data, which is necessary for a specification. The role of abstraction is to describe what the system does without prescribing how it should be done. Diagrams, on the other hand, have also been used in various areas, and in software engineering they could be used to add a visual component to software specifications. It is plausible that diagrams may also be used to reason in a semi-formal way about the properties of a specification. Many diagrammatic languages are based on contours and set theory. Examples of these languages are Euler-, Spider-, Venn- and Pierce diagrams. Euler diagrams form the foundation of most diagrams that are based on closed curves. Diagrams, on the other hand, have also been used in various areas, and in software engineering they could be used to add a visual component to software specifications. It is plausible that diagrams may also be used to reason in a semi-formal way about the properties of a specification. Many diagrammatic languages are based on contours and set theory. Examples of these languages are Euler-, Spider-, Venn- and Pierce diagrams. Euler diagrams form the foundation of most diagrams that are based on closed curves. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the extent to which diagrams can be used to represent a Z specification. A case study is used to transform the specification modelled with Z language into a diagrammatic specification. Euler, spider, Venn and Pierce diagrams are combined for this purpose, to form one diagrammatic notation that is used to transform a Z specification / School of Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

INTERNET-BASED BEHAVIOR OF IT PROFESSIONALS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ONLINE ERGONOMIC EDUCATION TO PREVENT WORK-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS By Priyadarshini Pattath, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2017 Director: Dr. Robin Hurst, Assistant Professor of Adult Learning, Teaching and Learning, School of Education The purpose of this study was to explore the preferences of medium of ergonomic education and views about self-directed online training modules to prevent musculoskeletal disorders in computer professionals and understand their perspectives and experiences about online health information seeking using a self-directed learning framework. To accomplish this, a qualitative research design was used to analyze data from interviews and observation. An exploratory case study research design was employed to examine the experiences of fifteen information technology professionals. The findings revealed that the preference for the mode of delivery of ergonomic education depends on the individual attitude and on the perceived attributes of the particular mode of delivery. The findings highlighted the role of the Internet in making significant lifestyle and contextual modifications. Finally, the findings highlighted the barriers that were faced when seeking health information on the Internet. The findings of this study were limited by the nature of the research and sample size. Additional research is needed to support the findings. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

This thesis describes extensions to state machines in the Umple model-oriented programming language to offer queued state machines (QSM), pooled state machines (PSM) and handing of the arrival of unexpected events. These features allow for modeling the behavior of a system or protocol in a more accurate way in Umple because they enable detecting and fixing common design errors such as unspecified receptions. In addition, they simplify the communication between communicating state machines by allowing for asynchronous calls of events and passing of messages between state machines. Also, a pooled state machine (PSM) has been developed to provide a different policy of handling events that avoid unspecified receptions. This mechanism has similar semantics as a queued state machine, but it differs in the way of detecting unspecified receptions because it helps handling these errors. Another mechanism has been designed to use the keyword ‘unspecified’ in whatever state of a state machine the user wants to detect these errors. In this thesis, the test-driven development (TDD) process has been followed to first modify the Umple syntax to add ‘queued,’ ‘pooled,’ and ‘unspecified’ keywords to Umple state machine’s grammar; and second, to make a change to the Umple semantics in order to implement these extensions in Umple. Then, additional modifications have been made to allow for Java code generation from those types of state machines. Finally, more test cases have been written to ensure that these models are syntactically and semantically correct. In order to show the usefulness and usability of these new features, an example is shown as a case study that is modeled using the queued state machine (QSM) besides other small tests cases.

The master thesis deals with the development of the tool for risk analysis support in information security. At first we perform a theoretical basis for security development of lifecycle process (SDL). Afterwards the theory of risk analysis based on fault tree analysis is described. Considering this knowledge base system was designed and implemented. Next chapter describes the best practice refer to the typical example of use and presents the potencial using of this tool in practice. Final chapter deals with the possibility of future expansion of this application.

Network on Chip is a scalable and flexible communication infrastructure for the design of core based System on Chip. Communication performance of a NoC depends heavily on the routing algorithm. Deterministic and adaptive distributed routing algorithms have been advocated in all the current NoC architectural proposals. In this thesis we make a case for the use of source routing for NoCs, especially for regular topologies like mesh. The advantages of source routing include in-order packet delivery; faster and simpler router design; and possibility of mixing non-minimal paths in a mainly minimal routing. We propose a method to compute paths for various communications in such a way that traffic congestion is avoided while ensuring deadlock free routing. We also propose an efficient scheme to encode the paths. We developed a tool in Matlab that computes paths for source routing for both general and application specific communications. Depending upon the type of traffic, this tool computes paths for source routing by selecting best routing algorithm out of many routing algorithms. The tool uses a constructive path improvement algorithm to compute paths that give more uniform link load distribution. It also generates different types of traffics. We also developed a simulator capable of simulating source routing for mesh topology NoC. The experiments and simulations which we performed were successful and the results show that the advantages of source routing especially lower packet latency more than compensate its disadvantages. The results also demonstrate that source routing can be a good routing candidate for practical core based SoCs design using network on chip communication infrastructure.