Bakgrund: Det råder en begränsad konsensus gällande en universell definition av begreppet självständig bland arbetsterapeuter, trots ett dagligt användande av begreppet. Forskningen visar på två beskrivningar av funktionsnedsättningar (medicinsk modellbeskrivning som utgår från fysisk kapacitet och social modellbeskrivning som betonar möjlighet till val, kontroll och självbestämmande) som i sin tur påverkar synen på självständighetsbegreppet. Ingen tidigare forskning är funnen som beskriver hur personer med lindrig intellektuell funktionsnedsättning uppfattar begreppet och deras upplevelser av att vara självständig respektive inte självständig/beroende. En betydelsefull kunskap för att kunna arbeta klientcentrerat. Syfte: Syftet är att beskriva hur personer med lindrig intellektuell funktionsnedsättning uppfattar begreppet självständig och vilka upplevelser de har av att vara självständiga respektive inte vara självständiga/beroende. Material och metod: Deltagarna i studien blev strategiskt valda utifrån ändamålsenligt urval. Individuella semi-strukturerade intervjuer gjordes med tio personer med lindrig intellektuell funktionsnedsättning (fem kvinnor, fem män i åldrarna 22-65 år) via Skype. Intervjuerna analyserandes utifrån kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Personer med lindrig intellektuell funktionsnedsättning anser att självständig betyder; att klara saker själv, att man kan vara självständig trots hjälp, att bestämma över sitt eget liv samt att hjälpa andra – vara kompetent. Upplevelser av att vara självständig är en förutsättning för att känna frihet. De beror på faktorer som personens inre resurser och en möjliggörande omgivning. Att inte vara självständig, känna sig beroende upplevs då man inte klarar, behärskar saker/situationer och inte blir lyssnad på. Nedsatt hälsa leder också till upplevelse av beroende. Slutsats: Självständig i betydelsen att bestämma över sitt eget liv är avgörande för upplevelsen av att vara självständig. Ju större begränsningar i självbestämmandet desto lägre upplevelse av att vara självständig och vice versa. Självständig trots hjälp, förutsätter ett partnerskap (ömsesidigt beroende) mellan personen och hjälparen. När man hjälper andra är man kompetent och självständig. Betydelse: Arbetsterapeuter bör uppmärksammas på att identifiera och stödja aktiviteter där personer med lindrig intellektuell funktionsnedsättning ges möjlighet att hjälpa andra och betyda något för någon annan. / Background: There is a limited consensus regarding a universal definition of the concept independent among occupational therapists, despite the daily use of the concept. The research shows two descriptions of disabilities (medical model description based on physical capacity and social model description that emphasizes the possibility of choice, control and self-determination) which in turn affects the view of the concept of independence. No previous research has been found that describes how persons with mild intellectual disability perceive the concept and their experiences of being independent and not independent / dependent. An important knowledge to be able to work client-centered.   Aim: The aim is to describe how persons with mild intellectual disability perceive the meaning of independent and what experiences they have of being independent versus not independent/dependent. Material and methods: The participants in the study were strategically selected based on an appropriate selection. Individual semi-structured interviews were performed with ten persons with intellectual disabilities (five women, five men, aged 22-65), by Skype. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Persons with mild intellectual disability believe that independent means; to handle things by yourself, that one can be independent despite recieving help, to make one’s own life decisions and to help others - be competent. Experiences of being independent is a qualification for feeling freedom. It depends on factors like the person's internal resources and an enabling environment. Not being independent, feeling dependent is perceived when you cannot cope, master things/situations and are not being listened to. Reduced health also entiles  experiencing dependence. Conclusions: To be independent, in the sense of making one’s own life decisions, is central for the experience of feeling independent. The more one’s self-determination is limited, the less one experiences being independent and vice versa. Independent despite help, presupposes a partnership (interdependence) between the person and the helper. When you help others - you are competent and independent. Significance: Occupational therapists should be alerted to identifying and supporting activities where persons with mild intellectual disabilities are given the opportunity to help others and mean something to someone else.

This thesis presents an investigation of statistical analytical methods applied to the analysis of the shape of the arterial pressure waveform. The arterial pulse is analysed by a selection of both supervised and unsupervised methods of learning. Supervised learning methods are generally better known as regression. Unsupervised learning methods seek patterns in data without the specification of a target variable. The theoretical relationship between arterial pressure and wave shape is first investigated by study of a transmission line model of the arterial tree. A meta-database of pulse waveforms obtained by the SphygmoCor"??" device is then analysed by the unsupervised learning technique of Self Organising Maps (SOM). The map patterns indicate that the observed arterial pressures affect the wave shape in a similar way as predicted by the theoretical model. A database of continuous arterial pressure obtained by catheter line during sleep is used to derive supervised models that enable estimation of arterial pressures, based on the measured wave shapes. Independent component analysis (ICA) is also used in a supervised learning methodology to show the theoretical plausibility of separating the pressure signals from unwanted noise components. The accuracy and repeatability of the SphygmoCor?? device is measured and discussed. Alternative regression models are introduced that improve on the existing models in the estimation of central cardiovascular parameters from peripheral arterial wave shapes. Results of this investigation show that from the information in the wave shape, it is possible, in theory, to estimate the continuous underlying pressures within the artery to a degree of accuracy acceptable to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. This could facilitate a new role for non-invasive sphygmographic devices, to be used not only for feature estimation but as alternatives to invasive arterial pressure sensors in the measurement of continuous blood pressure.

At the commencement of this study, some sensitive overseas markets were rejecting chilled vacuum-packed New Zealand lamb due to higher than expected total viable counts, and counts of Enterobacteriaceae, a family of bacteria used to indicate sanitary condition. Of the many factors that influence the bacterial composition of chilled lamb in the overseas marketplace, the meat producer can only exert significant control over: Hygiene, ensuring the bacterial viable count on the meat prior to packaging is as low as possible, and comprised of as few species as possible that are capable of anaerobic growth at chilled meat temperatures. Maintaining the pH of the meat within acceptable limits, by careful animal selection and minimal pre-slaughter stress. Refrigeration temperatures, through rigorous maintenance of the cold-chain. The type of preservative packaging used, which is often limited by regulation in the marketplace. Initial work established that the bacterial microbiota present on the meat contact surfaces in the butchering facilities at some premises, in particular conveyor belting, was excessive and comprised of species that contributed to the high counts on the meat reported above. As a means of improving the hygiene of this process, this study investigated the hypothesis that some species of bacteria were able to form biofilms on the conveyor belt contact surfaces, becoming reservoirs for cross-contamination. This hypothesis was not been proven by this work; the results showing that biofilms were not present and that adequate hygiene of these surfaces instead depends on the ability to remove all meat-based residues from them at the completion of each day's processing. For premises operating interlocking belts from one manufacturer (Intraloxreg), a clean-in-place system is now available that is able to achieve this. Premises operating conventional disinfectant and water sanitisation of either continuous or interlocking belts must ensure that meat residue is completely removed before disinfection. The majority of New Zealand meat industry premises can now demonstrate that their hygienic processes in this area are under control. The microbiota of conveyor belting in this study was found to consist of bacteria from five taxonomic groups; the Flavobacteriaceae, the Actinomycetales, the Bacillus/Clostridium group, and the alpha and gamma branches of the Proteobacteria. The genera present on belts from premises whose hygiene was found to be in control did not contain species known to cause food-borne disease or spoilage of vacuum packaged meats. The bacterial viable count remains the most effective method available at this time for monitoring conveyor belt hygiene. Attempts to develop a monitoring system based on microscopy of an in-situ sampling device were unsuccessful due to an inability to penetrate the meat residue matrix. Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) may offer an alternative for rapid investigation of diversity, but further work is required before this can be validated for routine use.

Non-government schools in Queensland must be accredited by the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board established by the Queensland Government under the Education(Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Act 2001 in order to operate the school.In 2005, there were 457 non-government schools registered in Queensland with the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (Non-State Schools Accreditation Board 2005). The enrolment of 207,859 students constituted approximately 30 per cent of student enrolments in the State. Government funding to non-government schools is substantial (general recurrent funding of $303 million was provided by the Queensland government in 2002) (Non-State Schools Accreditation Board 2005).The accreditation criteria set out in the Act are: the school’s administration and governance arrangements; the school’s financial viability; the school’s educational program and student welfare processes; the school’s resources; and the school’s improvement processes. The Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Regulation 2001 provides further details on the requirements of the accreditation for all criteria, except for governance and administration criterion. This is the major gap addressed by this research.The methodology for doing so was:• a theoretical framework for effective corporate governance developed from the relevant literature• case studies of six non-government schools with a range of ownership/governance models to identify their current governance policies and practices and to compare them with the theoretical framework to assess their effectiveness• a suite of policies and procedures based on the theoretical framework and “standout” practice from the six case study schools that would provide an effective corporate governance practice for non-government schools.The potential clients of this research are:• The Office of Non-State Education• Independent Schools Queensland (“ISQ”)• Auspicing denomination or other ownership group of schools, their governing bodies and the auditors of non-government schools; including, but not only, the case study schools• Newly accredited schools wishing to start well. Of particular interest to the researcher is Warwick Christian College Limited, a newly accredited school of which the researcher is a Board member. The Board of the school has agreed to embark on a policy development process which is consistent with the findings of this research.A suite of recommended policies and procedures that non-government schools could adopt in order to comply with the administration and governance criteria of the Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Act 2001 was developed from the theoretical framework and the “standout” practices, policies and procedures from the case study schools.

This thesis uses an action research methodology to develop a framework for improving independent scholarly reporting about interventions addressing social or environmental conflict. As there are often contradictory interpretations about the causes and strategic responses to conflict, the problem confronting scholar-reporters is how to address perceptions of bias and reflexively specify the purpose of reporting. It is proposed that scholar-reporters require grounding in conventional realist-based social theory but equally ability to incorporate theoretical ideas generated in more idealist-based peace research and applied conflict resolution studies. To do this scholar-reporters can take a comparative approach systematically developed through an integrated framework as described in this thesis. Conceptual and theoretical considerations that support both conventional and more radical constructions are comparatively analysed and then tested in relation to a case study. In 2000 Aboriginal people throughout South Australia deliberated whether their native title claims could be better accorded recognition through conservative court processes or a negotiation process to allay deep-seated conflict. The author, in a scholar-reporter capacity, formulated a report attributing meaning to this consultative process. As such a report could have been formulated according to alternative paradigms, methodological approaches and theoretical frameworks, the analysis of the adopted framework highlights how different approaches can bias the interpretation of the process and prospects for change. Realist-based conservative interpretations emphasise 'official' decision-making processes where legitimacy is expressed through political and legal frameworks based on precedent. Idealist-based interpretations emphasise that circumstances entailing significant conflict warrant equal consideration being given to 'non-official' 'resolutionary' problem-solving processes where conflict is treated as a catalyst for learning and outcomes are articulated as understanding generated about conflict and how different strategies can transform it. The developed integrated framework approach establishes the independence of scholarly reporting. Its purpose goes beyond perpetuating scholarly debate about alternative 'objective' understandings of conflict; it focuses primarily on communicating a more inclusive understanding of the contradictions inherent in a particular conflict. It increases the capacity to understand when, where, why and how conflict precipitates social change, and articulates possibilities for reconceptualising what might be the more sustainable direction of change.

Christian Parent Controlled (CPC) Schools, which commenced in the 1960s, are a relatively small, but growing component of the non-government schooling sector in Australia. In 2001, they enrolled over 22 000 students in 85 schools. Very little research has been conducted on the values and practices of CPC schools and while these schools frequently assert that they promote explicitly Christian values, their foundational values have not previously been identified or recorded. This research identifies the key foundational values which are characteristic of these schools and examines the extent to which these values continue to influence the prevailing practices of these schools. Consideration is given to the implications of the relationship between foundational values and prevailing practices for the identity, development and leadership of CPC schools in Australia. The ability of these schools to articulate their foundational values and consider their prevailing practices in the light of these values should enhance their ability to understand their heritage, assess their current situation and plan their future. The research found that in general, prevailing practices in these schools give faithful expression to the foundational values; however, the research also identified a number of areas where CPC schools struggle to engage consistently with these values. As a result of this study, recommendations are proposed to assist national and school-based leadership in their strategic planning for the maintenance of these values and the future of these schools.

Endocytosis effectuates a critical interface between the eukaryotic cell and its apposing environment. It is, subsequently, paramount for many physiologically important processes and encompasses a diverse array of mechanisms and pathways. The classical endocytic routes mediated by clathrin and caveolin are the best understood and the molecular roles of their major regulators, such as dynamin, adaptor proteins and various lipid species, are the most comprehensively described. Recent identification of an assortment of constitutive, noncaveolar, clathrin-independent endocytic (CIE) pathways has expanded the endocytic system. Unlike the classical endocytic pathways, little is known about the guiding parameters of CIE routes. Consequently, it is not possible to understand the important cellular roles these pathways may be fulfilling. This study has begun to characterise the very basic parameters governing the morphologically striking Clathrin-Independent Carrier (CLIC) pathway. Development of a diverse molecular toolkit has now allowed the quantitation of endocytic capacity provided by CLICs, the visualisation of subtle sorting components of the CLIC pathway, the isolation of novel CLIC cargo and regulators, and has linked this mechanism to the critical cellular processes of cellular migration and membrane repair. Calculation of the individual capacity of endocytic routes provides important information about the contribution of each pathway to total plasma membrane (PM) uptake and turnover. Quantitation of the volume, surface area and number of structures forming per minute in this study shows that CLICs provide the vast majority of constitutive endocytosis, up to four times the capacity of the clathrin mediated endocytic (CME) pathway. As the equivalent of the entire PM area could pass through the CLIC pathway within 12 minutes it is evident that CLICs are fundamental housekeepers of bulk membrane internalisation. Thus, they are likely to be central regulators of PM homeostasis and turnover. High-resolution tomography, in conjunction with analysis of CLIC cargo trafficking, identifies these carriers as complex, pleiomorphic structures that sort the bulk of membrane to early endosomes and recycle cargo back to the cell surface. Such vast internalisation combined with an ability to rapidly recycle components quickly attributes the CLIC pathway as a complex sorting station. Isolation of novel cargo and regulators has identified a striking array of proteins now associated with the CLIC pathway for the first time. A significant proportion of identified targets localise to lipid-rafts and recycle from the PM, facets consistent with association to the CLIC pathway. Numerous targets have also been directly implicated in clathrin-independent endocytosis by independent groups. Verification of selected cargo, such as CD44, Thy-1 and myoferlin, showing specific internalisation through the CLIC pathway, has provided insight into the sorting ability of the CLIC pathway and links to adhesion turnover and membrane recycling. Consistent with a role in cellular adhesion turnover, it was found that CLICs become polarised within migrating cells. This has shown the first instance of spatial separation between three major endocytic routes, CLICs, caveolae and CME and highlights the important and coordinated roles of multiple endocytic pathways during physiologically significant processes. The specific internalisation of paxillin, Thy-1 and CD44 through CLICs at the leading edge of migrating cells suggests that CLICs rapidly turnover adhesion components for dynamic extracellular sensation during directional cell migration. Indeed, specific ablation of the CLIC pathway significantly impedes cellular migration, implying coordination with CME at the leading edge. This study has defined numerous parameters of the CLIC pathway, developing the current understanding of this poorly defined route and places the CLIC pathway as a unique player during critical cellular processes.

<p>Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka användbarheten av metoden Independent Component Analysis (ICA) för brusreducering av bilder tagna av infraröda kameror. Speciellt fokus ligger på att reducera additivt brus. Bruset delas upp i två delar, det Gaussiska bruset samt det sensorspecifika mönsterbruset. För att reducera det Gaussiska bruset används en populär metod kallad sparse code shrinkage som bygger på ICA. En ny metod, även den byggandes på ICA, utvecklas för att reducera mönsterbrus. För varje sensor utförs, i den nya metoden, en analys av bilddata för att manuellt identifiera typiska mönsterbruskomponenter. Dessa komponenter används därefter för att reducera mönsterbruset i bilder tagna av den aktuella sensorn. Det visas att metoderna ger goda resultat på infraröda bilder. Algoritmerna testas både på syntetiska såväl som på verkliga bilder och resultat presenteras och jämförs med andra algoritmer.</p> / <p>The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the applicability of the method Independent Component Analysis (ICA) for noise reduction of infrared images. The focus lies on reducing the additive uncorrelated noise and the sensor specific additive Fixed Pattern Noise (FPN). The well known method sparse code shrinkage, in combination with ICA, is applied to reduce the uncorrelated noise degrading infrared images. The result is compared to an adaptive Wiener filter. A novel method, also based on ICA, for reducing FPN is developed. An independent component analysis is made on images from an infrared sensor and typical fixed pattern noise components are manually identified. The identified components are used to fast and effectively reduce the FPN in images taken by the specific sensor. It is shown that both the FPN reduction algorithm and the sparse code shrinkage method work well for infrared images. The algorithms are tested on synthetic as well as on real images and the performance is measured.</p>

<p>The IT industry is characterised by rapid changes and an increased level of consolidation and competition. Hardware and software developers are moving away from proprietary technologies to open-standards based technology. This makes it more difficult for large hardware vendors, such as Hewlett Packard (HP) and IBM, to lock their customers and partners to proprietary solutions. Therefore, in order to keep and increase its market share, HP needs to improve its collaboration with partners. The partners, especially local and regional independent software vendors (ISV), are important due to their applications focused on solving business problems, their ability to provide industry relevance to HP’s products and their ability to influence what kind of hardware and software platforms the end-customers will choose.</p><p>We have identified key market characteristics, the ISVs’ key needs and challenges, as well as what they consider crucial in order for them to recommend a certain vendor’s hardware platform. Companies in the IT industry face several unique challenges; one is that there often exist conflicting interests between the different industry members, e.g. competitors collaborating with each other. This puts extra pressure on clarifying the rules of engagement between the collaborating parties. The ISVs are generally agnostic to which hardware platform the customers buy as long as their applications run on the specific platform, therefore the ISVs’ vendor preference is often based on more intangible relationship factors. Factors that affect and decide the ISVs’ preference are e.g. their existing vendor relationships, ease of doing business, clear point of contact and clear rules of engagement. Furthermore, many of the ISVs are interested in having joint- business planning and go-to-market strategies with HP. In order to leverage hardware, we recommend that HP tries to tie the ISVs to them and form closer relationships with the ISV community. (HP must however carefully evaluate the value of the individual ISVs and what they can offer.)</p><p>The recommendations consist mainly of how to select the relevant ISVs and, after the selection, how the ISVs should be categorised and managed by utilising HP’s partner portal for developers. This would enable HP to engage more efficiently with key partners, which in turn would lead to increased leverage of HP hardware.</p>

<p>Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att ta del av revisorers uppfattning om det förekommer självgranskningshot vid utfärdandet av apportintyg, samt vilka rådgivningstjänster som kan utövas utan att det hotar revisorns självständighet och opartiskhet.</p><p>Metod: Vi har i vår studie använt oss av en kvalitativ forskningsmetod, där vi har intervjuat fyra stycken auktoriserade revisorer. Detta har givit oss en bra grund för att kunna reda ut syftet med uppsatsen.</p><p>Teori: Uppsatsens teoridel består främst av fakta från Krister Moberg samt tidningen Balans, då dessa har varit relevanta för att kunna forska i det valda ämnet.</p><p>Empiri: Denna del består av fyra stycken intervjuer med auktoriserade revisorer som besitter erfarenhet av apportuppdrag. Dessa revisorer kommer från två olika byråer som ligger i två olika städer.</p><p>Resultat: Vår studie visar att det råder delade meningar om att apportuppdrag kan leda till självgranskningshot. Men alla revisorerna var överrens om att självgranskningshot blir ett faktum om revisorn själv värderar apportegendomen. Detta eftersom revisorn vid bokslutet kommer att granska sin egen värdering. En annan anledning till varför revisorn inte själv ska värdera apportegendomen är att revisorn ej besitter den kompetens som kan krävas vid en sådan värdering. Därför är det viktigt att värderingen sker av en pålitligt, oberoende samt kunnig värderingsman.</p> / <p>Purpose: The purpose with our thesis is to understand if the auditors think that it occurs a self-audit threat about the issue of capital contribution, and which service can an auditor perform without not disturb and threat the auditor’s independence.</p><p>Methodology: We have used a qualitative method in our thesis. We carried out four interviews with auditors from two different auditing firms.</p><p>Theory: Our thesis theory part is based especially on facts from Krister Moberg and the newspaper Balans, because these facts have been relevant to our study.</p><p>Empirical foundation: This part exists of four interviews with four chartered accountants, who have experience capital contribution. Our four auditors were from two different auditor firms in two different towns.</p><p>Conclusions: Our study shows different pictures about capital contribution that can lead to a self-audit threat. But every one of the auditors is agree that a self-audit threat can occur if the auditor himself appraises the property. The reason is that the auditor is going to review his own appraises in the final account. Another reason is that the auditors not have the competence to do appraise like this. It is important that appraise performs by a reliable, independent and competent appraiser.</p>