Background: Due to the rising popularity of autonomous unmanned vehicles, and the lack of well-defined rules to follow, a solution is needed when the physical space is crowded to a point where it becomes a hazard. Partitioning space discretely is currently done in some cases, allowing vehicles to reserve partitions to operate within. This idea is expanded upon to ultimately propose a blockchain-based solution to the inefficiency of safety margins. Objectives: The main objective was to explore whether a blockchain-based system can be used by vehicles to automatically reserve the volumes of space they need for a limited time. The solution to congestion becomes a method for vehicles to communicate between each other to exchange the remainder of their reservations once they are no longer needed, even while disconnected from the main blockchain network, in exchange for the same currency used to reserve the volumes. Methods: An Ethereum private blockchain network is set up, and a smart contract is developed and deployed onto this blockchain. An emulation program used the smart contract functions to reserve and exchange volumes to evaluate the functionality, several isolated tests evaluated the network performance, and aspects that could not be tested were theoretically analyzed. Results: The system functions as intended, although a level of trust is required during exchanges. There is no risk of two vehicles reserving the same volume at the same time. The results indicate that some performance aspects will be affected by an increasing number of users, although the entire effect can be placed on synchronization time if the network parameters are adjusted. This likely affects the overall efficiency but not as much as it would with the original parameters. Conclusions: The proposed solution is viable to use, although further development is necessary before it is ready for release. The necessity currently is not evident, although projections suggest that this solution, or a similar one, will be necessary in the future.

Trusting autonomous vehicles is seen as crucial for their dissemination. However, research on autonomous driving so far is restricted by using closed training courses or simulators and by comparing behaviour and evaluation while driving oneself (a manual car) with being driven (by an autonomous car). In the current study, we investigated passengers’ eye movements, categorized as safety-relevant or not safety-relevant, and trust ratings while being driven, once manually and once by an autonomous car, in real traffic as well as in a simulator. As some of the effects observed in the field experiment might have been caused by driving style, driving style was additionally varied in the simulator. Fixations in safety-relevant regions (e.g., on the road and steering wheel) were observed more frequently during safety critical driving situations than during regular driving. More safety-relevant fixations for the autonomous compared to the manual driving mode were observed particularly in the field. Trust ratings were affected by driving mode mainly in the simulator: Here, being driven autonomously led to a lower reported trust than believing to be driven by a human driver. Driving style showed to affect trust ratings, but not gaze behaviour in the simulator experiment. Correlations between gazing into safety relevant regions and trust ratings were of smaller descriptive size than in recent investigations on drivers, suggesting that gazing into safety-relevant regions as objective alternative to trust ratings may not be as exhaustive for passengers as for drivers.

Tekniken är en stor del av dagens samhälle. Allt fler tjänster och saker blir digitaliserade, nu även sjukvården. Denna avhandling kommer att introducera dig till e-hälsa och hur digitaliseringen av sjukvården påverkar relationen mellan doktor och patient samt vilka förtroendeproblem som kan uppstå.E-hälsopplikationerna behöver vara användarvänliga och enkla att använda för patienterna. Patienterna behöver känna sig trygga och säkra. För att undersöka användarupplevelsen i de olika kanalerna jämförde vi de två olika flödena: personligt möte med videosamtal.Det finns många olika leverantörer av e-hälsoapplikationer i Sverige, Kry och Min Doktor är två av de mest populära. Digitaliseringen av sjukvården påverkar inte bara patienterna utan läkarna är lika involverade. För att få en läkares åsikt ställde vi ett par frågor till läkare om bedömning av patienter via videosamtal. Ett frågeformulär gjordes för att samla in information om patienternas förhållande, användning och erfarenhet av e-hälsoapplikationer.Frågeformuläret visade att det finns delade åsikter om e-hälsoapplikationerna. Vissa patienter tror att e-hälsapplikationerna kommer att gynna samhället och kan själva tänka sig att använda en e-hälsoapplikation för mindre åkommor. Andra patienter är starkt emot e-hälsa och de flesta av dem instämmer i att det är ett slöseri med skattepengar. En annan vanlig orsak emot e-hälsa är att patienter tycker att deras åkommor är för komplexa eller att de inte litar på att läkaren ger dem korrekt vård genom en applikation. / Technology is a big part of today's society. At this time more things and services become digitized, now even healthcare. This thesis will introduce you to e-health and how digitized healthcare will affect the doctor-patient relationship and the trust issue that may occur.E-health applications need to be user-friendly and easy to use. The user needs to feel comfortable and safe. To investigate the cross-channel user experience we compared the two different flows: in-person appointment and video session.There are many different providers for e-health applications in Sweden, most popular are Kry and Min Doktor. This digitizing not only affects the patients, the doctors are equally involved. We questioned doctors about their approach towards assistance through an application. A questionnaire was done to gather information about the patient's relationship and usage of e-health applications.The questionnaire showed that there are some divided opinions regarding e-health applications. Some patients think that e-health applications will benefit society and may use an e-health application for minor complaints. Other patients are strongly against e-health, and most of them agree that it is a waste of tax money. Another common reason against e-health is that patients think that their complaints are too complex or that they do not trust the doctor to provide them the accurate assistance through an application.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts in the Department of Social Work University of Zululand, South Africa, 1977. / The purpose of this study is to analyze and evaluate the approach to the practice of community work in a newly developing rural community. The Valley Trust, a social welfare organisation engaged in a health promotion scheme in a rural community is used for the purpose of the analysis and*evaluation. The study report consists of nine chapters which will be briefly discussed as follows : Chapter 1 : This is an introductory chapter which deals with the following aspects, viz.: motivation; objectives; method; and limitations of the study together with the method of presentation of the report. Chapter Z : In this chapter the community concept is discussed. Attention is paid to the analysis of the community concept, the rural community, and the characteristics of the rural community. Chapter 3 : Chapter 3 gives a detailed discussion of the key terms that are used in community work. These are : community organisation, community development and community work. Chapter 4 : This chapter deals with social work and its role in the newly developing communities. Particular aspects to which attention has been given are : the nature of social work; the focus and the contribution of social work activities in the newly developing communities; the role of the social worker; and the equipment of a social worker for rural community work in the newly developing communities. Chapter 5 : Chapter 5 gives attention to aspects of particular importance to social change. These aspects are : the prerequisites for building a community work programme; the.factors associated with the social needs and problems among the newly developing communities; planned social change and the role of the agent of change; and certain principles and factors to be taken into account by an agency involved in community work. Chapter 6 : In this chapter attention is given to an analysis of the community of' the Nyuswa Reserve. In this analysis points of particular importance are : the description of the Nyuswa Reserve and its inhabitants; the economic aspects of the people; the labour aspects; the educational aspects; social welfare services; communication means; and the tribal council as a unit of local authority. Chapter 7 : Chapter 7 deals with The Valley Trust, the social welfare agency involved in community work. Attention is given to the historical survey and the objectives of The Valley Trust. Further discussion covers the membership of the Association; the Management and administration of The Valley Trust; personnel and finances. Chapter 8 : This chapter gives attention to community work as practised by The Valley Trust. The discussion also covers the nature and range of services provided by The Valley Trust; the influence of the work of The Valley Trust; the evaluative remarks on the services of The Valley Trust. Chapter 9 : Chapter 9 deals with conclusions, recommendations and guidelines for the future. / University of Zululand

This paper sets out to examine the correlation between social trust and ethnic heterogeneity. Between the years 2011 and 2015 Sweden experienced a previously unprecedented increase in the number of people applying for asylum. The study uses data from a nationwide survey to measure social trust under the period 2011 to 2017. With basis in previous studies, the essay hypothesises a negative relationship to be found between the two types of social trust examined (local and generalised trust) and the proportion of foreign-born inhabitants in Sweden’s 21 counties. The methodology used is regression analysis with and without fixed county effects. Initial bi- and multivariate regression models present a small negative correlation between social trust and ethnic diversity. However, when a fixed effects model is used the relationship turns positive for local trust and loses all statistical significance for generalised trust. The main conclusion is that ethnic heterogeneity does not seem to affect trust in the short term.

Over 1.5 million U.S. soldiers have deployed oversees since the beginning of the War on Terror in 2001; consequently, spouses are faced with new physical, emotional, and psychological challenges. Many researchers have documented the effects of deployment on marriages and families. However, few researchers have explored the correlates of trust, marital commitment, and marital satisfaction for wives during deployment. This quantitative study, grounded in risk and resilience theory and interdependence theory, used a web-based survey to investigate the relationship between perceived likelihood of spousal infidelity, trust, marital commitment, and marital satisfaction in a sample of 127 military wives whose husbands were deployed oversees. The 'Events with Others' questionnaire, Dyadic Trust Scale, Commitment Inventory Revised, Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale, and Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale were used. Results indicated that length of deployment did not have a statistically significant impact on marital satisfaction. Bivariate correlation analysis indicated statistically significant relationships among wives' perceived likelihood of spousal infidelity, trust, marital commitment, and marital satisfaction. After controlling for wives' attachment style, marital commitment and trust were significant explanatory variables of marital satisfaction. The findings from this study can inform establishing effective programs to support military marriages during deployment. Such programs will promote social change by improving satisfaction, decreasing relationship conflicts, and reducing the rate of divorce. The Armed Forces may benefit from the results of this study by addressing marital commitment and trust issues prior to deployment, thereby supporting wives, husbands, and children during deployment.

Cette thèse aborde deux sujets de recherche dans le cadre du même projet. La première voie de recherche, expliquée en détail au chapitre 3, est une approche de modélisation relative à la dynamique de confiance dans une société en réseau. La seconde voie de recherche, décrite au chapitre 4, est une approche expérimentale visant w étudier les décisions humaines lors de l’échange d’un actif avec une croissance moyenne positive par période dans un environnement de laboratoire contrôlé. Un des liens communs entre ces deux thèmes est l’action collective, qui joue un rôle déterminant dans de nombreux phénomènes, par exemple la dynamique de la panique, les faillites et par conséquent le risque systémique. C’est pourquoi, j’espère que ce travail contribuera à l’étude des phénomènes d’actions collectives, en particulier dans la finance quantitative, où les conclusions spécifiques du modèle de confiance et l’expérience de trading en laboratoire mentionnés ci-dessus pourront être utilisées dans leur état actuel. / This thesis reports on two different research topics belonging to the same project. The first research avenue, which is thoroughly explained in chapter 3, is a modelling approach to the dynamics of trust in a networked society. The second, whose description can be found in chapter 4, is an experimental approach to study human decisions when people trade an asset with a positive average growth per period in a controlled laboratory environment. One of the common links between these two topics is collective action, which is a key player in a number of phenomena, for example in the dynamics of panic, bankruptcies and, consequently, systemic risk. Therefore, the author hopes that this work will contribute to the study of collective action phenomena, especially in the field of quantitative finance, in which it is more likely that the specific findings from the above mentioned trust model and trading experiment can be used in their present form.

E-commerce retail sales continue to experience significant growth in the United States (U.S.) annually. However, the contribution of e-commerce retail sales towards total retail sales in the U.S. remains low. Furthermore, the growth of e-commerce retail sales from year to year as a percentage of total retail sales in the U.S. is also fractional. The lack of online trust by consumers has been cited as a significant barrier to transacting online and a possible cause of this slow-moving trend. E-commerce retail sales are paramount to the success and profitability of online merchants. It remains critical to understand the underlying determinants of online trust as a precursor to online purchase intention. This study sought to explore the effect of one such determinant namely, website design, on online trust. Using constructs and scales synthesized from the salient literature, the effects of visual design, social-cue design, and content design on online trust were measured and reported. Additionally, the mediating influence of online trust on online purchase intention was investigated. Demographic factors of age and gender were also examined for possible moderating effects of website design on online trust. A conceptual model of the influence of website design on online trust and the influence of online trust on purchase intention in e-commerce retailing environments was also tested. The study involved scenario-based survey research methodology. Participants were presented with two websites along with a fictitious purchase scenario and post-scenario survey. The survey captured their responses with respect to the design elements of each website, their inclination to trust each website, and their intention to make a purchase from each website. Participants’ age range and gender were also captured in the survey. A total of 502 participants took part in the study. The results found that each of the components of website design namely, visual design, social-cue design, and content design had a statistically significant effect on online trust. Online trust was also found to mediate the effect of these design factors on purchase intention. Finally, no significant effects of age or gender on website design’s relationship with online trust were found. Subsequently, implications and suggestions for future research are presented.

The study of interpersonal relationships continues to be a major focus of theory and research in a wide array of disciplines. The present research examined one of the most prevalent and significant interpersonal relationships in the workplace context—the dyadic relationship between a supervisor and a subordinate. This research examined the relationships between trust, quality of the leader-member exchange relationship (LMX; a measure of the quality of the dyadic relationship), perceived organizational justice, and several employee attitudes and behaviors that are important to individual workers and the organizations in which they work. Data were collected in both laboratory and field settings. The laboratory setting allowed for the manipulation of organizational justice, which permitted inferences regarding the causal effects of organizational justice on the relationships between trust and LMX and the outcome variables examined. The field setting allowed for the testing of the hypothesized relationships in a “real world” environment in which external contextual factors (e.g., industry and organizational differences) were naturally controlled. Two-hundred and twenty-three currently employed undergraduate students participated in the laboratory study. In the field study, data were collected in a Fortune 500 company from 113 subordinates and their supervisors. Results from both studies indicated that perceptions of trust in one's supervisor were strongly related to LMX. Importantly, in the field study, quality of the dyadic relationship was modeled as an emergent property of the perceptions of both subordinates and supervisors. Perceptions of LMX were related to a sense of overall fairness, which was jointly determined by procedural and distributive justice. Perceptions of overall fairness were related to job satisfaction, intention to quit, organizational commitment, in-role job performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and organizational retaliatory behaviors. Additionally, results of the laboratory study indicated that established perceptions of trust in one's supervisor and LMX were adversely affected by violations of either procedural or distributive justice. This adverse effect was greatest when both procedural and distributive justice were low. The theoretical and practical implications of the research are discussed.

In this thesis a numerical study of the one dimensional viscous Burgers equation is conducted. The discretization techniques Finite Differences, Finite Element Method and Group Finite Elements are applied and their impact on model reduction techniques, namely Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD), Group POD and the Discrete Empirical Interpolation Method (DEIM), is studied. This study is facilitated by examination of several common ODE solvers. Embedded in this process, some results on the structure of the POD basis and an alternative algorithm to compute the POD subspace are presented. Various numerical studies are conducted to compare the different methods and the to study the interaction of the spatial discretization on the ROM through the basis functions. Moreover, the results are used to investigate the impact of Reduced Order Models (ROM) on Optimal Control Problems. To this end, the ROM is embedded in a Trust Region Framework and the convergence results of Arian et al. (2000) is extended to POD-DEIM. Based on the convergence theorem and the results of the numerical studies, the emphasis is on implementation strategies for numerical speedup. / Master of Science