This dissertation is focused on developing cross-linking and mass spectrometry methodologies to study protein-protein interactions. Top-down cross-linking, in combination with mass spectrometry, provides advantages over bottom-up approaches, such as retaining posttranslational modification. Intermolecular cross-linking studies focus on defining protein complex topology and protein-protein interactions. We first developed the top-down MS approach to analyze intermolecular cross-linking in human hemoglobin. Both α-α and β-β intermolecular cross-linking were found and the cross-linking sites on the protein were identified, obtaining distance constraints between subunits of the human hemoglobin protein complex. This methodology would be a promising approach to characterize protein complexes and protein-protein interactions with high throughput and automation. This dissertation also focuses on development of cross-linking mass spectrometry to study synphilin-1 interactors and aggresome formation. Synphilin-1 is a protein that promotes the formation of protein aggregates and aggresome formation upon proteasome inhibition, and is implicated in Parkinson disease. Synphilin-1 contains several protein binding motifs. The biological functions of synphilin-1 and its role in aggresome formation and the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease remain to be elucidated. We utilized tandem affinity purification and label-free mass spectrometry to explore the patterns of cellular proteins associated with synphilin-1. We identified 57 synphilin-1 interacting proteins, and functional enrichment and pathway analysis showed that many of the associated proteins are involved in chromatin modulation, RNA and protein metabolism. Furthermore, we developed a proteomic strategy to identify synphilin-1 binary interacting partners as well as interacting domains using affinity purification followed by isotopically tagged cross-linking in combination with mass spectrometry. We found 24 newly discovered proteins that directly bind to synphilin-1. The proteins were mainly involved in RNA metabolism. The coiled-coil domain (CC), ankyrin-like repeat domain 2 (ANK2), and the protein aggregate promoting domain, appeared to the main regions that bound proteins. The functions of synphilin-1 interacting proteins, such as CK2, in aggresome formation were studied. The results show that CK2 is an important regulator of aggresome formation, but not through its kinase activities. Involvement of synphilin-1 in autophagy was also investigated. Knockdown of synphilin-1 shows that synphilin-1 impacts autophagy.

Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med utökad kunskap om vilka förhållningssätt olika läromedel har gällande introduktionen av läs- och skrivinlärning samt i vilken grad läromedlen möjliggör interaktion mellan undervisningens samtliga deltagare. Studien är baserad på en kvalitativ textanalys där fyra läromedel, Simalabim grundbok 1, Prima svenska 1, Forma språket ettan samt Den magiska kulan, har analyserats utifrån sex olika kategorier, som alla berör det sociokulturella perspektivet. De sex kategorierna är: top-down, bottom-up, enskilt arbete, arbete i par, arbete i helklass samt högläsning av lärare. Kategorierna är baserade på det sociokulturella perspektivet, en socialkonstruktivistisk syn på kunskap samt den proximala utvecklingszonen. Analysen grundas i forskningsfrågorna:   Vilka förhållningssätt har de studerade läromedlen gällande introduktion av läs- och skrivinlärning? I vilken grad möjliggör läromedlen interaktion mellan undervisningens samtliga deltagare?   Resultatet redogörs med hjälp av en tabell (se tabell 2), som senare står till grund för en jämförelse. Jämförelsen tar avstamp i Lev Vygotskijs tankar inom det sociokulturella perspektivet där det lyfts fram att samspelet mellan människor är grunden till utveckling och lärande. Jämförelsen relateras även till den tidigare forskning som studien presenterar.   Studiens resultat påvisar olikheter i läromedlen gällande användningen av arbetssätt som möjliggör mellanmänsklig interaktion och samspel. Det visas att det vanligaste är att olika arbetssätt kombineras, undantaget en arbetsbok där endast ett tillvägagångssätt, enskilt arbete, används. Även Olga Dysthes tankar kring att olika arbetssätt bör kombineras lyfts fram i studien. Vygotskijs synsätt på lärande är att lärande och kunskapsinhämtning sker via sociala samspel, detta är någonting som kan diskuteras i relation till vad resultaten i denna studie visar. Två av kategorierna som undersöks i studien är top-down och bottom-up. Vad gäller top-down tillämpas den i tre av fyra arbetsböcker, varav en dessutom tillämpar bottom-up. Det är endast en arbetsbok som enbart tillämpar bottom-up.        Slutsatsen som kan dras baserat på studiens resultat är att innehållet i läromedlen är olika. Trots att flera arbetsböcker använder samma förhållningssätt till läs- och skrivinlärning skiljer sig arbetsböckernas innehåll och upplägg markant. Något annat som kan konstateras är att innehållet i arbetsböckerna till största del består av uppgifter som eleverna ska genomföra enskilt, dock är det även vanligt att flera olika typer av övningar som i olika grad möjliggör interaktion kombineras.

Chief executives (CEOs) and other senior managers do not seem to be satisfied with the performance of their corporate communication managers/practitioners. Perceptions are that practitioners fail to assume broad decision making roles in organisations. They seem to be unable to see the big picture or understand the key issues in their industry-their thinking is tactical, rather than strategic. Practitioners are focused on their own activities and media, on the achievement of communication goals and objectives--without necessarily linking them to business goals. There appears to be a lack of understanding between top management and the corporate communication function on the latter's role in the strategic management process. This situation might be the result of a lack of strategic management and strategic communication knowledge and skills amongst corporate communication managers, possibly caused by insufficient training in these areas (Groenewald 1998a). The research objectives addressed by this study are the following: Firstly, to conceptualise a strategic role for the corporate communication practitioner at the top management level of the organisation (the role of the PR strategist). This is done by investigating the strategic management literature to determine whether a need exists at the top management level to play a strategic role. The behavioural activities of such a role were identified both from the public relations and the strategic management literature. Secondly, to conceptualise corporate communication strategy as an activity of a corporate communication practitioner in the role of the· PR manager, a strategic role at the functional or meso level of the organisation. Furthermore, to differentiate a corporate communication strategy from a communication plan. Thirdly, to hypothesise a model for developing corporate communication strategyand thereafter to implement, evaluate and improve the model by assessing and comparing the corporate communication strategy projects of third year corporate communication students at the University of Pretoria, as partners in the action research process. The research approach selected is qualitative research-an exploratory design is employed in achieving the first three objectives by means of a literature investigation. A confirmatory design is used for the implementation, evaluation and improvement of the model through the methodology of action research. In implementing, evaluating and revising the hypothesised model, this study moves away from the traditional teacher-centred approach in the classroom to a situation where students are involved in a research inquiry to build theory. At the same time, the participant community (non-profit organisations in this case) is exposed to strategic communication knowledge. They are involved in a process whereby they become active participants (together with the students and the lecturer/researcher) in developing corporate communication strategy for their organisations. The results are twofold': firstly, staff members of the non-profit organisation (as well as the students) acquire strategic communication skills; and secondly, the researcher investigates a new area of interest, builds theory, and facilitates a learning process for students whereby they obtain experience and knowledge that is applicable to practice. In conceptualising both a new role for the corporate communication practitioner at the top management level (the role of the PR strategist), and proposing corporate communication strategy as the link between the communication plan and the corporate strategy, an attempt is made to provide possible solutions to important problems in practice. Copyright / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2000. / Communication Management / MCom / Unrestricted

This study aims to examine the potential of reading dramatic scripts in the Swedish EFL classroom, using the play Top Girls by Carol Churchill as an example. In particular, it focuses on how literary theory and different aspects of feminism can be taught through the use of the play. The study is conducted through a textual analysis of the play’s main characters and the Swedish National Syllabus. The results show that there is a great potential in working with dramatic literature in the EFL classrooms. Using drama is effective in the way it covers several aspects of the core content of English in upper secondary school, and may be used to develop language skills, cultural understanding and critical thinking. The play contains complex ideas about different types of feminism, and the two main characters Joyce and Marlene represent two ways of striving for equality between men and women. These ideas are, in other words, represented by and embodied in the two main characters, which could make the ideas easier for students to understand.

Background: Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) are major contributors to wealth,economy as well as society. In today’s uncertain times, the challenge for SMEs’ top managerslies in choosing the right strategic approach to generate a competitive advantage and wealth. Research Problem: Due to the ambiguous business context, the strategic approach of SMEs isof high importance to ensure a flexible, growth, and value-generating approach. Top managersare exposed to the difficulty of applying a strategy, which ensures performance and enables thecreation of newness. The concept of strategic entrepreneurship consists of advantage-seekingand opportunity-seeking and aims to ensure wealth creation. This is done by combining thesetwo dimensions to ensure strategic renewal within established organizations. Until now,especially in SMES, the concept of strategic entrepreneurship has not been studied substantialenough from a top managers perspective. We consider the field decisive to analyze, ensuring astrategic approach for top managers in SMEs to help manifest the competitive advantage intoday’s ambiguous business context. Research Purpose: To explore how top managers are managing the two dimensions, namelythe performance (advantage-seeking) and the entrepreneurial (opportunity-seeking) dimension,of strategic entrepreneurship in SMEs.Research Questions: (1) How do top managers engage in strategic entrepreneurship in SMEs?(2) How do top managers manage the relationship between advantage-seeking and opportunityseekingin SMEs? (3) How does the SME context impact top managers in managing SE? Method: Ontology: Relativism - Epistemology: Social constructionism - Research approach:Qualitative study - Methodology: Study based on exploratory qualitative interviews - Datacollection: In-depth interviews - Sampling: Purposive sampling with 10 SME top managers and2 SME consultants - Data Analysis: Content analysis with tree-diagram Conclusion: This study contributes by demonstrating the cognitive as well as the contextuallevel top managers are utilizing to engage in strategic entrepreneurship in the performanceorientedSME context. Moreover, our contributions are associated with various managerialsupport actions. To demonstrate these, we developed a model which outlines top managers’cognitive-oriented engagement towards the advantage-seeking and opportunity-seekingdimension of SE in SMEs. Managerial Implications: We present three managerial implications for top managers who areactive in SE as well as for aspiring top managers and SME owners. The practicalrecommendations can support top managers’ engagement in strategic entrepreneurship from anindividual as well as an organizational perspective.

Background & problem:  In a fast-moving environment where organizations are forced to meet changing stakeholder needs, the importance of understanding top management teams (TMT) becomes more prominent given their influential position. Further on, with a growing population, the demand in the real estate industry is deemed to have a continuous growth. For this reason, the urge to implement a sustainability strategy has become fundamentally important to stay competitive. Hence, corporate sustainability communication has purposely been served as a tool to provide misleading information, commonly referred as greenwashing.   Purpose: Building on that, by studying the attitude of TMT regarding the integration of corporate sustainability strategies, it is possible to explore how TMTs are being influenced by stakeholders in their strategic decisions. Furthermore, it is possible to identify characteristics that affect potential drivers of greenwashing.    Method: To serve the purpose of this study, data were collected through a quantitative online survey targeting TMT members of Swedish real estate companies. The framework created for this study is based on an extensive literature review and contains constructs based on observable characteristics drawn on the illuminations from upper echelon theory (UET) (Hambrick & Mason, 1984). To adequately analyse relationships between the different variables, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis as well as multiple linear regression analysis were conducted.    Conclusion: The results show that the business career construct based on the UET items: financial position, different functional track, career experience and education, has a positive correlation with TMTs perceived gain of positive publicity by stakeholders if implementing a sustainability strategy. Moreover, this study adds knowledge of the underlaying characteristics of managers’ attitude towards corporate sustainability and provide support that business career characteristics follow a stakeholder-orientated logic of implementing a sustainability strategy.

This master’s thesis project concerns implementing and evaluating Web 2.0 services for IPTV. This thesis project was carried out at Accedo Broadband during the period August to December 2008. Accedo Broadband is a provider of interactive applications and on-demand content for IPTV. The report will analyze, specify, create, and evaluate a solution for adding Web 2.0 functionality from the most popular sites as IPTV content. We will evaluate several different web services APIs and examine how suitable they are for implementation in the context of IPTV. An IPTV set-top box has limited CPU processing power, memory capacity, screen resolution is generally limited to 720 by 576 pixels, and only a limited set of input devices and interfaces are available. The IPTV set-top box receives digitally encoded audio and video content through IP and renders this content so it is viewable on an analogue TV and the audio is output via speakers. The goal of this project is to reduce the amount of integration work and configuration necessary for creating Web 2.0 IPTV applications by creating a general framework for Web 2.0 applications. We will present and evaluate the most common web programming technologies and see which are most suitable for our purposes. We have developed four different interactive demonstration services to illustrate the usage of an IPTV platform. / Denna rapport är ett examensarbete beträffande implementering och evaluering av Webb 2.0 tjänster för IPTV. Examensarbetet har utförts på företaget Accedo Broadband under perioden augusti till december 2008. Accedo Broadband är ett företag som utvecklar interaktiva applikationer och on-demand tjänster för IPTV. Denna rapport handlar om att analysera, specificera, skapa och utvärdera en lösning för att kunna implementera en Webb 2.0 funktionalitet från de mest populära tjänsterna till IPTV. Vi utvärderar olika webbtjänsters API:er och utforska hur passande dom är. En IPTV set-up box har begränsad CPU, minne, skärmstorlek på 720×576 pixlar och en begränsad uppsättning av inmatningenheter & gränssnitt. IPTV set-top boxen tar emot digitalt kodade ljud- och videoströmmar genom IP och konverterar dem så att det går att se på en analog TV. Målet med detta projekt är reducera arbetet med integrationen och nödvändiga konfigurationer för IPTV för Webb 2.0 applikationer. Vi kommer att presentera och utvärdera den webbteknik som är vanligast förekommande och ser vilka som passar våra syften bäst. Vi har utvecklat fyra olika demonstrations applikationer för att illustrera hur en IPTV plattform fungerar.

A remote residential control system enables home users to remotely manage devices at their homes. These devices may include energy management, security surveillance, household appliances, consumer electronics, etc. This system involves technologies in home automation, home networking, and interfacing a home network with external networks. However, lacking a single standard poses a big challenge to the design of such a system. This thesis proposed three methods of turning an IP Set-Top Box into a remote residential control platform. Additionally, future trends are discussed. Various technologies in the fields mentioned above are also examined. / Ett system för fjärrstyrning av intelligenta hem (remote residential control system) är ett system som möjliggör för hemanvändare att på distans övervaka och styra utrustning i hemmet. Denna utrustning kan vara energiövervakning, säkerhetsutrustning, hushållsapparater, konsumentelektronik, etc. Det saknas dock en gemensam standard, vilket gör det till en stor utmaning att konstruera ett sådant system. I detta examensarbete föreslås tre sätt att göra en set-top box till en plattform för fjärrstyrning av intelligenta hem. Framtida trender diskuteras också. Olika tekniker inom nämnda områden undersöks[.]

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The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and compare how women and men in a CEO position have experienced the recruitment process for the function as CEO. The study aims to identify similarities and differences between women and men's experience of contributing factors to the fact that they were recruited to the position of CEO. The study also intends to create an understanding of what opportunities and obstacles women and men have experienced that have affected their path to the CEO position. The study is comparative and the empirical material consists of ten semi- structured interviews with five women and five men who have been recruited to the position of CEO. The study shows that the most central factors in being recruited to the CEO position is to be a part of a network, have access to social capital and have "good success stories". This is described by both our female and male respondents. However, no typical process can be identified. The recruitment process is perceived as “solid” and “waterproof” by the majority of respondents. The study shows that four out of five women have been recruited internally, thus, they have been included in networks internally. Among our male respondents, four out of five have been recruited externally, indicating that they have been included in networks outside the organization. We found that women have experienced that they have been given opportunities internally, which has contributed to them advancing to the CEO position. In contrast to women, men describe that opportunities create the individual, they are not given. The results of our study show that being part of significant networks provides opportunities. The respondents experience age as an obstacle, that they have been young in senior positions is perceived to be problematic. No respondent experiences any obstacles during the recruitment process. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka och jämföra hur kvinnor och män på vd- position upplevt rekryteringsprocessen till posten som vd. Studien ämnar identifiera likheter och skillnader mellan kvinnor och mäns upplevelse av bidragande faktorer till att de rekryterats till posten som vd. Studien avser även skapa förståelse för vilka möjligheter och hinder kvinnor respektive män upplevt påverka deras väg till vd- posten. Studien är komparativ och det empiriska materialet består av tio semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem kvinnor och fem män som rekryterats till vd- posten. I studien framkommer att det mest centrala för att rekryteras till vd-posten är att vara en del av nätverk, ha tillgång till socialt kapital och ha ”good success stories”. Detta beskrivs av både våra kvinnliga och manliga respondenter. Någon typisk process kan inte identifieras. Rekryteringsprocessen upplevs som ”gedigen” och ”vattentät” av majoriteten av respondenterna. Studien visar att fyra av fem kvinnor rekryterats internt, de har således inkluderats i nätverk internt. Bland våra manliga respondenter har fyra av fem rekryterats externt, vilket tyder på att de inkluderats i nätverk utanför organisationen. Vi finner att kvinnor upplevt att de fått möjligheter internt, vilket varit bidragande till att de avancerat till vd-posten. Männen beskriver i motsats till kvinnorna att möjligheter skapar individen, de ges inte. Vår studies resultat visar att vara del av betydelsefulla nätverk ger möjligheter. Respondenterna upplever ålder som ett hinder, att de varit unga på seniora poster upplevs varit problematiskt. Ingen respondent upplever några hinder under rekryteringsprocessen.