Bakgrund Enligt lärare för en högskoleutbildning för en generell examen finns ett upplevt återkommande problem med att studenter som läser ett treårigt kandidatprogram inte förstår hur kurser hänger ihop med varandra och att kurser kan vara behörighetsgivande. Hur ser egentligen problemet ut ur studenters perspektiv? Kan det som lärare beskriver bekräftas av studenter? Hur ser de på sin programtid, hur tar de till sig information om sina studier och hur skulle de vilja få den informationen? Syfte Syftet med forskningsstudien är att bidra med kunskap om vilken typ av information studenter vid en högskoleutbildning behöver under sin programtid. Studiens två frågeställningar är: Vilken information behöver studenter för att de ska förstå sin egen programtid? Hur kan lärosäten utforma information för att stödja studenters förståelse för sin egen tid vid programmet? Metod Metoderna för insamlande av empiri var enkät, semistrukturerade intervjuer och dokumentanalys. De tre årskurserna på Informationsdesignprogrammet vid Högskolan Dalarna tillsammans med dokument som studiehandledningar, kursplaner, utbildningsplan och informationssidorna som finns tillgängliga för studenterna, har utgjort empirin för studien. Totalt utfördes sju intervjuer med studenter från dessa årskurser. Resultat Studien identifierade två huvudsakliga teman i relation till hur studenterna uppfattade programmet, ”Kontext/Identitet” och ”Förståelse/Relevans”. Återkommande uttryck för oförståelse av hur programmets innehåll hänger samman och en osäkerhet kring dess slutmål. Slutsatser Studenter behöver att utbildningens innehåll kopplas till programmets slutmål och mot kommande arbetsliv. Programmet upplevs som väldigt brett och svårt att greppa och att vissa kurser behöver en tydligare relevans för att öka förståelsen, engagemanget och motivationen. Studiehandledningen är ett centralt dokument som borde delvis standardiseras och innehålla specifik information. En interaktiv lösning över programmet med filtreringsfunktion behövs. / Background According to teachers for a higher education for a general degree, there is a perceived recurring problem that students who study a three-year bachelor's program do not understand how courses are connected to each other and that courses can be qualifying. What does the problem really look like from a student's perspective? Can what teachers describe be confirmed by students? How do they view their program time, how do they absorb information about their studies and how would they like to receive that information? Aim The purpose of the research study is to contribute knowledge about the type of information students in a higher education program need during their program time. The study's two questions are: What information do students need in order to understand their own program time? How can higher education institutions design information to support students' understanding of their own time in the program? Method The methods for collecting empirical data were questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The three years of the Information Designprogram at Dalarna University, together with documents such as study guides, syllabi, study plan and the information pages that are available to the students, have formed the empirical basis for the study. A total of seven interviews were conducted with students from these year groups. Results The study identified two main themes in relation to how students perceived the program, "Context / Identity" and"Understanding / Relevance". Recurring expressions of misunderstanding of how the content of the program is connected and an uncertainty about its end goal. Conclusion Students need the content of the education to be linked to the final goals of the program and to future working life.The program is perceived as very broad and difficult to grasp and that some courses need a clearer relevance to increase understanding, commitment and motivation. The study guide is a central document that should be partially standardized and contain specific information. An interactive solution over the program with filtering function is needed.

Master of Science / Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Malgorzata J. Rys / During the last several decades, the number of drivers and the number of senior citizens driving on U.S highways has increased significantly along with the number of traffic signs. The median age of the drivers has also increased due to the aging population. Traffic signs provide a plethora of necessary information - directions, guidance, warnings, regulations, and recreation. With today's congestion and higher speed, it's very important to recognize the need for brighter and easier to read signs to increase safety among drivers. In the recent years, there has been innovation in the field of traffic engineering, giving rise to numerous innovations in retro-reflective sheeting materials and fonts. It is important to identify the combination of font and retro-reflective sheeting material, which performs best by increasing the legibility distance between the driver and the sign during both day and night time conditions. The objective of the research was to determine the combination of font (among Clearview 5-W, Series E-Modified and Clearview 5-W-R) and retro-reflective sheeting materials (DG3, Type 4 and Type 1) that produces maximum legibility distance. The objective was also to study the safety benefits of the Clearview font. Both field and computer based tests were carried out to find out which combination of font and retro-reflective material produced maximum legibility distance. From field tests it was found that the Clearview 5-W-R font along with Type 1 reflective material produced the maximum legibility distance in day time conditions, whereas Clearview 5-W-R along with Type 4 reflective material produced the maximum legibility distance at night conditions. It was also seen that while the Type 1 sheeting material performed well during day time, it failed to produce good results during night time. In fact it ended up as the worst performing sheeting material during night time. Based on these observations, it is recommended to use the Clearview 5-W-R in combination with Type 4 retro-reflective sheeting as it showed the most consistent performance compared to all other combinations of fonts and DG3 or Type 1 retro-reflective material.

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Latin-American guitarist-composers Ernesto Cordero, Leo Brouwer, and Sergio Assad are three of the most influential figures in the contemporary world of classical guitar. In addition to their important compositions for solo guitar, their compositions for guitar ensemble represent significant contributions to the concert repertory. These three guitarist-composers share a knowledge of popular, folkloric and classical music and demonstrate a commitment to bridging these realms in their compositions in the classical tradition. This study reviews the history of the guitar quartet. It then examines the different cultural influences in selected compositions for classical guitar quartet by each composer, exploring the significance of these choices for the performer and for the medium. The document also offers a performer’s guide for accurate and stylistic performance. When performed well, these quartets represent the vitality of contemporary Latin American composition and confirm the stature of the guitar quartet as a compelling medium for the concert artist.

A system is presented that is capable of confining an ion beam or plasma within a region that is essentially free of applied fields. An Artificially Structured Boundary (ASB) produces a spatially periodic set of magnetic field cusps that provides charged particle confinement. Electrostatic plugging of the magnetic field cusps enhances confinement. An ASB that has a small spatial period, compared to the dimensions of a confined plasma, generates electro- magneto-static fields with a short range. An ASB-lined volume thus constructed creates an effectively field free region near its center. It is assumed that a non-neutral plasma confined within such a volume relaxes to a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. Space charge based confinement of a second species of charged particles is envisioned, where the second species is confined by the space charge of the first non-neutral plasma species. An electron plasma confined within an ASB-lined volume can potentially provide confinement of a positive ion beam or positive ion plasma. Experimental as well as computational results are presented in which a plasma or charged particle beam interact with the electro- magneto-static fields generated by an ASB. A theoretical model is analyzed and solved via self-consistent computational methods to determine the behavior and equilibrium conditions of a relaxed plasma. The equilibrium conditions of a relaxed two species plasma are also computed. In such a scenario, space charge based electrostatic confinement is predicted to occur where a second plasma species is confined by the space charge of the first plasma species. An experimental apparatus with cylindrical symmetry that has its interior surface lined with an ASB is presented. This system was developed by using a simulation of the electro- magneto-static fields present within the trap to guide mechanical design. The construction of the full experimental apparatus is discussed. Experimental results that show the characteristics of electron beam transmission through the experimental apparatus are presented. A description of the experimental hardware and software used for trapping a charged particle beam or plasma is also presented.

This study examines the prospects of using the electrospinning process to fabricate tissue engineering scaffolds targeting a variety of regenerative applications, with a primary focus on the production of nerve guides for the treatment of long-defect nerve injuries in the peripheral nervous system. A basic overview of the conventional electrospinning process is provided, and the utility of this fabrication scheme in the production of collagen-based tissue engineering scaffolds is demonstrated. Next, a novel modification of the basic electrospinning process is presented. This process, called two pole air gap electrospinning, was developed to produce nerve guides that exhibit an anisotropic structure that mimics the extracellular matrix of native peripheral nerve tissue. This electrospinning process makes it possible to produce macroscopic nerve guides that are cylindrical in shape and composed of dense arrays of nano- to micron-scale diameter fibers. Unlike, conventional hollow core nerve guides, these electrospun constructs lack a central lumen, hence the designation 3D (for three-dimensional) nerve guide. The fibers are nearly exclusively arrayed in parallel with the long axis of the construct. This architectural feature provides thousands of individual channels, and aligned fibers that provide guidance cues that are designed to drive regenerating axons to grow in a highly directed fashion down the longitudinal axis of the guide. To supplement the structural cues provided by the fibrillar arrays of the electrospun 3D nerve guides, an alginate-based platform designed to deliver therapeutic reagents was developed and characterized. This platform makes it possible to fabricate gradients of therapeutic reagents within the fibrillar arrays of an electrospun nerve guide. Functional and structural analyses of these constructs supplemented with or without a gradient of NGF, in a long-defect nerve injury in the rodent sciatic nerve indicate that the 3D design is superior to the gold standard treatment, the autologous nerve graft. Animals treated with the 3D grafts recovered motor and sensory function faster and exhibited far higher nerve-to-nerve and nerve-to-muscle signal amplitudes in electrophysiological studies than animals treated with autologous grafts or conventional hollow core cylindrical grafts.

Title: The Choice of Universal Abseiling Aids for the Requirements of the Czech Armed Forces Objectives: Choosing abseiling - belaying aids in accordance with the needs of the Czech Armed Forces. Methods: A mixed empirical research was involved. In order to analyse the results, closed questionnaires created in MS Excel were produced and evaluated later on. They were split into two phases. The analysis of the relationships of the variables was carried out using methods of descriptive statistics. To collect data, the Delphi research method was used. The survey was conducted in cooperation with chief instructors of military climbing. Respondents were selected according to their qualifications. Results: It was chosen ATC Guide like the most acceptable abseiling aid for the requirements of the Czech armed forces by informant with help research method Delphi. Keywords: Research method Delphi, Special physical education, Army climbing, Descent, ATC Guide. J. STRNAD 10.4. 2011

PURPPOSE: The objective of this research was to measure MVS between the central incisors and the posterior areas to evaluate whether computer designed guides can be used. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 150 adult subjects (aged 22−78) were included. The population was further stratified by race, sex and Angle Classification. The examiner measured the maximum vertical space (MVS) at six specific sites. Measurements were repeated twice at each site. In addition overbite and ovejet were measured at the central incisor position. The pilot drill/guide appliance combination space requirement was tested with each category of MVS measurement. RESULTS: (i) there was a race effect, with African American having a greater maximum vertical space measurement than Caucasian and Asian respectively (P < 0.0001); (ii) there was a also gender effect, with males having a greater maximum vertical space measurement than females(P < 0.0001); (iii) there was an inverse association with overjet on central incisors and first premolars, with less overjet subjects having a greater maximum vertical space measurement (P < 0.05). We found that overall only 76% of the female cohort in our sample satisfied this space requirement of Nobel Guide (45mm) at the central incisor position. SUMMARY: Using the Nobel computer guided surgery minimum dimension requirement of 45mm, our findings suggest that first premolar or second molar implants could not be placed in our sample of dentulous patients, while a central incisor implant could be placed in 76%-100% of subjects depending on gender and race factors.

The South African government spends huge sums of funds on schools with an aim to redress past inequalities. Schools receive resource budget allocations to exclusively procure learning materials to ensure that the government’s aim is realised. This study examines availability and enactment of learning materials to enhance effective curriculum delivery. Four township public ordinary primary schools participated in this study. Focus was mainly on Grade 3 home language lessons. I used the case study methods to interview one teacher from each school and scrutinized their documents to establish what learning materials they have in their possession. Additionally I observed and analysed three lessons per educator. Analysis across the cases reveals different collections and variations in usage of learning materials. The former covers the standard, mix and match, and limited collections. Whereas the latter refers to the textbook bound, productive blend and the haphazard approaches. Significantly, the study also explored principles in line with the “ideal teacher”- under which desired results can be achieved.

Nous présentons la combinaison de la propagation de la lumière lente avec les propriétés de résonance d'une cavité à cristal photonique et par le mode lent d'un guide d'ondes à cristal photonique. Nous démontrons théoriquement et expérimentalement que la lumière lente générée par les oscillations cohérentes des populations (OCP) permet d'avoir une cavité de petite taille et ultra-haute facteur de qualité (Q), quels que soient les enjeux technologiques et de design. La démonstration expérimentale est réalisée dans une cavité L3 dans un cristal photonique (CPh) bidimensionnel avec puits quantiques semi-conducteurs, milieu actif dans lequel l'effet OCP est induit. Nous obtenons une facteur-Q de la cavité de 520000 qui correspond à une amélioration de 138 en comparant avec le facteur-Q initial de la cavité. Nous présentons une approche théorique à la combinaison de la lumière lente obtenue par l'effet OCP et le mode lent dans des guides d'ondes à CPh, ce qui montre que l'indice du groupe total correspond à une multiplication des indices de groupes associés à la lumière lente générée par OCP et aux modes lents des guides d'ondes. Nous avons aussi posé les bases pour la démonstration expérimentale, faisant la conception et de la fabrication des échantillons dans les salles blanches du LPN et abordant la difficulté du couplage et de l'extraction de la lumière dans les guides d'ondes à CPh. Une conception particulière des guides d'ondes sous forme de un super réseau qui permet de coupler la lumière perpendiculairement au plan du CPh à partir de l'espace libre est proposée. Le coupleur vertical a été connu et fabriqué le long du guide et a été expérimentalement caractérisé. L'investigation expérimentale de la combinaison de lumière lente basée sur l'effet OCP dans les guides à CPh est toujours en cours. / We report on the combination of slow light propagation with the resonance properties of a photonic crystal (PhC) cavity and with the slow mode of a PhC waveguide. We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that slow light induced by the Coherent Population Oscillation (CPO) effect enables to have small-size and ultrahigh quality (Q) factor cavity, regardless of the technological and design issues. The experimental proof is performed in a L3 2D PhC cavity with semiconductor quantum wells as active, medium in which the CPO effect is induced. We achieve a cavity Q-factor of 520000, which corresponds to an enhancement by a factor 138 in comparison with the original Q-factor of the cavity. We present a theoretical approach to the combination of CPO-based slow light and slow mode in PhC waveguides, showing that the total group index is a multiplication of the group indices associated respectively to the CPO slow light and to the waveguide slow mode. We also set the basis for the experimental demonstration by designing and fabricating samples in the clean room facilities of LPN and addressing the challenging issue of coupling and extracting light in and from the waveguides. A particular design of the PhC in the waveguide is issued as a grating that allows to couple light perpendicularly to the plane of the PhC from free space. The vertical coupler has also been designed and fabricated along the waveguide and has been experimentally characterized. Slow light based on CPO effect in the PhC waveguides is always under experimental investigation.