Yes / In electronic government (hereafter e-government), a large variety of technology adoption models are employed, which make researchers and policymakers puzzled about which one to use. In this research, nine well-known theoretical models of information technology adoption are evaluated and 29 different constructs are identified. A unified model of e-government adoption (UMEGA) is developed and validated using data gathered from 377 respondents from seven selected cities in India. The results indicate that the proposed unified model outperforms all other theoretical models, explaining the highest variance on behavioral intention, acceptable levels of fit indices, and significant relationships for each of the seven hypotheses. The UMEGA is a parsimonious model based on the e-government-specific context, whereas the constructs from the original technology adoption models were found to be inappropriate for the e-government context. By using the UMEGA, relevant e-government constructs were included. For further research, we recommend the development of e-government-specific scales.E-

Yes / ‘Habit’ was the most important theoretical addition into UTAUT2 to challenge the role of behavioural intention as a lone predictor of technology use. However, systematic review and meta-analysis of Price value the other UTAUT2 additional construct revealed major inconsistency of the model with just 41% UTAUT2 based studies including the construct in their research. Thus, the aim of this research is to understand the appropriateness of ‘habit’ construct usage among UTAUT2 based empirical studies and their reason for omission or inclusion. The findings from 66 empirical studies revealed only 23 studies a meagre (35%) utilised ‘habit’ construct and the remaining massive 43 studies (65%) excluded the construct from their research model. The major reason for studies not including “habit” construct was they were examining users of new technology at early stage of adoption where sufficient time hasn’t elapsed for users to form habit. Moreover this study caution the use of experience as an alternative for habit. Since experience can be gained under mandatory settings which is not sufficient enough to form habit that occurs more naturally under voluntary settings. This study also provided number of recommendations for theory and practice based on the findings.

This study investigated the use of ORM as a conceptual modelling technique by using the UML domain model class diagram as benchmark. The rationale was that if the ORM-class diagram compared favourably with the benchmark, then ORM could be proposed as an alternate conceptual modelling technique. Proponents of ORM suggest that it has significant advantages over other techniques for conceptual modelling. The benchmark UML class diagram was developed according to the Unified Process through use-cases and collaboration diagrams. The ORM-class diagram was derived using the Conceptual Schema Design Process and ORM-UML Mapping Process. The evaluation of the two class diagrams was conducted by means of a questionnaire, based on a set of principles for conceptual models. The study concluded that ORM could not be proposed as a conceptual modelling technique up to the UML domain class diagram level without considering additional techniques for capturing the dynamics of the system. / Computer Science / M.Sc. (Computer Science)

Os métodos numéricos convencionais, baseados em malhas, têm sido amplamente aplicados na resolução de problemas da Dinâmica dos Fluidos Computacional. Entretanto, em problemas de escoamento de fluidos que envolvem superfícies livres, grandes explosões, grandes deformações, descontinuidades, ondas de choque etc., estes métodos podem apresentar algumas dificuldades práticas quando da resolução destes problemas. Como uma alternativa viável, existem os métodos de partículas livre de malhas. Neste trabalho é feita uma introdução ao método Lagrangeano de partículas, livre de malhas, Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) voltado para a simulação numérica de escoamentos de fluidos newtonianos compressíveis e quase-incompressíveis. Dois códigos numéricos foram desenvolvidos, uma versão serial e outra em paralelo, empregando a linguagem de programação C/C++ e a Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA), que possibilita o processamento em paralelo empregando os núcleos das Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) das placas de vídeo da NVIDIA Corporation. Os resultados numéricos foram validados e a eficiência computacional avaliada considerandose a resolução dos problemas unidimensionais Shock Tube e Blast Wave e bidimensional da Cavidade (Shear Driven Cavity Problem). / The conventional mesh-based numerical methods have been widely applied to solving problems in Computational Fluid Dynamics. However, in problems involving fluid flow free surfaces, large explosions, large deformations, discontinuities, shock waves etc. these methods suffer from some inherent difficulties which limit their applications to solving these problems. Meshfree particle methods have emerged as an alternative to the conventional grid-based methods. This work introduces the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), a meshfree Lagrangian particle method to solve compressible flows. Two numerical codes have been developed, serial and parallel versions, using the Programming Language C/C++ and Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA). CUDA is NVIDIAs parallel computing architecture that enables dramatic increasing in computing performance by harnessing the power of the Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). The numerical results were validated and the speedup evaluated for the Shock Tube and Blast Wave one-dimensional problems and Shear Driven Cavity Problem.

Psykisk hälsa/ohälsa är ett svårdefinierat begrepp som sätter fingret på ett av de största folkhälsoproblemen i vårt land, där depression är en av de vanligaste diagnoserna. Manualerna DSM-IV TR och ICD-10 används inom stora delar av sjukvården, världen över, i syfte att ge kunskap om lämpligast behandling till patienter med psykiska besvär. Denna studie syftar till att, genom en kvalitativ analys, undersöka vilka grunder som finns bakom de vanligast använda diagnosmanualerna och vilka kriterier som krävs för att uppfylla två vanligt förekommande diagnoser, PTSD och svår depression. Vidare syftar studier till att belysa eventuella likheter och olikheter mellan dessa diagnoser och vad det kan föra med sig. Såväl psykologisk forskning som klinisk praktik utgår idag mestadels från psykiatriska diagnoser, vilket kan ha såväl fördelar som nackdelar, men samtidigt diskuteras huruvida man istället ska lägga fokus på en annan mer underliggande nivå, nämligen processerna som sträcker sig över diagnosernas gränser. Fördelarna med ett transdiagnostiskt perspektiv är att det delvis kan ge en förklaring till den höga komorbiditet som finns i kliniska grupper och som skulle kunna iakttas även i de sjukdomsbilder som denna studie fokuserar på. Unified Protocol är en annan behandlingsmodell som tas upp i studien, vilken baseras på en betydande fenotypisk över-lappning mellan olika ångeststörningar hos patienter, där personer med subkliniska nivåer av symtom ändå kan ha en nedsatt funktionsnivå och ett subjektivt lidande, fastän de inte uppfyller alla de diagnostiska kriterierna för en specifik störning. Resultatet visar på möjligheten att se över diagnosgränser, för att öka chanserna för ett tillfrisknande hos patienten. Människans upplevelser av olika situationer den befinner sig i formas av personens egen uppfattning om sin förmåga, eller oförmåga, att påverka resultatet. Att uppleva sig ha mist kontroll över sitt eget liv kan i sig leda till såväl depression som suicidala tankar/-handlingar. Om symtomen för depression jämförs med kriterierna som står att finna under diagnosbilden “Posttraumatiskt stressyndrom” under kapitlet “ångestsyndrom”, kan många likheter konstateras. Slutsatsen blir att likheterna i symtombild skulle ge patienter med PTSD en behandlingsrekommendation som inte alls överensstämmer med de rekommenderade riktlinjer som är utformade för PTSD. Trots diagnosernas likheter rekommenderas olikartad behandling, och även olika förutsättningar för att fungera i kombination med förvärvsarbete påvisas. Vid så lika symtombilder, men ändå så skilda rekommenderade behandlingsplaner utifrån de olika diagnoserna, torde risken för en felaktig rehabiliteringsplan vara över-hängande. / Mental health/illness is complex to define and this highlight of the biggest public health problems in our country, in which depression is one of the most common diagnoses. The manuals DSM-IV TR and ICD-10 is used in much of health care, worldwide, in order to provide knowledge of appropriate treatment for patients with mental disorders. This study aims to, through a qualitative analysis, examine the grounds behind the most commonly used diagnostic manuals and the criteria required to meet two common diagnoses, PTSD and severe depression. Further studies aimed to highlight any similarities and differences between these diagnoses and what it can bring. Both psychological research and clinical practice today is based mostly from psychiatric diagnoses, which can have both advantages and disadvantages, but also discussed whether they should instead focus on another more underlying level, namely the processes that extend across the diagnostic boundaries. The advantages of a trans-diagnostic perspective are that it may partly explain the high co-morbidity found in clinical groups and that could be observed even in those syndromes which this study focuses on. Unified Protocol is a different treatment model that is entered in the study, which is based on a significant phenotypic overlap between anxiety disorders in patients, where individuals with subclinical levels of symptoms still can have a reduced level of functionality and a subjective suffering, although they do not meet all the diagnostic criteria for a specific disorder. The result shows at the opportunity to review the diagnostic boundaries, to increase the chances for a recovery of the patient. The human experiences of different situations it is in the form of personal self-perception of their ability, or inability, to influence the outcome. To experience they have lost control over his own life in itself can lead to both depression that suicidal thoughts / actions. If the symptoms of depression compared with criteria that are to be found during diagnostic image "Post-traumatic stress disorder" in the chapter "disorder" can be found many similarities. The discourse comes to that the similarities in symptoms would provide patients with PTSD, a treatment recommendation, which did not conform to the recommended guidelines that are designed for PTSD. Despite the diagnosis, the similarities are recommended disparate treatment, and also different conditions to work in conjunction with work shown. At this same symptom pictures, yet so different recommended treatment plans based on the different diagnoses, would risk a false rehabilitation plan to be imminent

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Neste trabalho, foi desenvolvido um simulador numérico baseado no método livre de malhas Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) para a resolução de escoamentos de fluidos newtonianos incompressíveis. Diferentemente da maioria das versões existentes deste método, o código numérico faz uso de uma técnica iterativa na determinação do campo de pressões. Este procedimento emprega a forma diferencial de uma equação de estado para um fluido compressível e a equação da continuidade a fim de que a correção da pressão seja determinada. Uma versão paralelizada do simulador numérico foi implementada usando a linguagem de programação C/C++ e a Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) da NVIDIA Corporation. Foram simulados três problemas, o problema unidimensional do escoamento de Couette e os problemas bidimensionais do escoamento no interior de uma Cavidade (Shear Driven Cavity Problem) e da Quebra de Barragem (Dambreak). / In this work a numerical simulator was developed based on the mesh-free Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method to solve incompressible newtonian fluid flows. Unlike most existing versions of this method, the numerical code uses an iterative technique in the pressure field determination. This approach employs a differential state equation for a compressible fluid and the continuity equation to calculate the pressure correction. A parallel version of the numerical code was implemented using the Programming Language C/C++ and Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) from the NVIDIA Corporation. The numerical results were validated and the speed-up evaluated for an one-dimensional Couette flow and two-dimensional Shear Driven Cavity and Dambreak problems.

Cette thèse traite des problèmes des concentrations de contraintes locales, en particularité des effets des bords libres dans des structures stratifiés. À l'interface entre deux couches avec des propriétés élastiques différentes, les contraintes ont un comportement singulier dans le voisinage du bord libre en supposant un comportement de matériau élastique linéaire. Par conséquent, ils sont essentiels pour promouvoir le délaminage. Via Formulation unifiée de la Carrera (CUF) différents modèles cinématiques sont testés dans le but de capter les concentrations de contraintes. Dans la première partie de ce travail, les approches de modélisation dimensionnelle réduits sont comparées. Deux classe principale sont présentés: la couche équivalent (ESL) et l'approche par couche, LW. Par la suite leurs capacités à capter les singularités sont comparées. En utilisant une fonction a priori singulière, via une expression exponentielle, une mesure des contraintes singulières est introduite. Seulement deux paramètres décrivent pleinement les composantes des contraintes singulières au voisinage du bord libre. Sur la base des paramètres obtenus les modèles sont comparés et aussi les effets sous des charges d'extension et de flexion et pour différents stratifiés. Les résultats montrent une nécessité des modèles complexes dans le voisinage du bord libre. Cependant loin des bords libres, dans le centre de plaques composite, aucune différence significative ne peut être noté pour les modèles plutôt simples. La deuxième partie de ce travail est donc dédiée au couplage de modèles cinématique incompatibles. Modèles complexes et coûteux sont utilisés seulement dans des domaines locaux d'intérêt, tandis que les modèles économiques simples seront modéliser le domaine global. La eXtended Variational Formulation (XVF) est utilisé pour coupler les modèles de dimensionnalité homogènes mais de cinématique hétérogènes. Ici pas de recouvrement de domaine est présent. En outre, le XVF offre la possibilité d'adapter les conditions imposées à l'interface en utilisant un paramètre scalaire unique. On montre que, pour le problème de dimensionnalité homogène, que deux conditions différentes peuvent être imposées par ce paramètre. Un correspondant à des conditions fortes des Multi Point Constraints (MPC) et un second fournir des conditions faibles. La dernière offre la possibilité de réduire extrêmement le domaine qui utilise le modèle cinématique complexe, sans perte de précision locale. Comme il s'agit de la première application de la XVF vers les structures composites, le besoin d'un nouvel opérateur de couplage a été identifié. Un nouveau formulaire est proposé, testé et sa robustesse sera évaluée. / This work considers local stress concentrations, especially the free-Edge effects of multilayered structures. At the interface of two adjacent layers with different elastic properties, the stresses can become singular in the intermediate vicinity of the free edge. This is valid while assuming a linear elastic material behaviour. As a consequence this zones are an essential delamination trigger. Via the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF), different kinematical models are testes in order to obtain the correct local stress concentration. In the first part of this work, the reduced dimensional modelling approaches are compared. Two main class are presented: Equivalent Single Layer (ESL) models treating the layered structure like one homogenous plate of equal mechanical proper- ties, and the Layer Wise approach, treating each layer independently. Subsequently their capabilities to capture the appearing singularities are compared. In order to have a comparable measurement of those singularities, the obtained stress distributions will be expressed via a power law function, which has a priori a singular behaviour. Only two parameters fully describe therefore the singular stress components in the vicinity of the free edge. With the help of these two parameters not only the different models capabilities will be compared, but also the free edge effect itself will be measured and compared for different symmetrical laminates and the case of extensional and uniform bending load. The results for all laminates under both load cases confirm the before stated need for rather complex models in the vicinity of the free edge. However far from the free edges, in the composite plates centre, no significant difference can be noted for rather simple models. The second part of this work is therefore dedicated to the coupling of kinematically incompatible models. The use of costly expensive complex models is restricted to local domains of interest, while economic simple models will model the global do- main. The Extended Variational Formulation (XVF) is identified as the most suitable way to couple the kinematically heterogenous but dimensional homogenous models. As it uses a configuration with one common interface without domain overlap, the additional efforts for establishing the coupling are limited. Further the XVF offers the possibility to adapt the conditions imposed at the interface using a single scalar parameter. It will be shown that for the homogenous dimensional problem under consideration only two different conditions can be imposed by this parameter. One matching the strong conditions imposed by the classical Multi Point Constrains (MPC) and a second one providing a weak condition. The last one is shown to provide the possibility to reduce further the domain using the complex kinematical model, without the loss of local precision. As this is the first application of the XVF towards composite structures, the need for a new coupling operator was identified. A new form is proposed, tested and its robustness will be evaluated.

There are several critical success factors suggested for why agile software development projects succeed, including organisational and process factors. Although there are an increasing number of identified critical success factors, IT professionals lack the modelling techniques and the theoretical framework to help them meaningfully understand their influences. To solve this problem, this study developed a model by employing the following theories: Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to create a fit model for agile software development projects. The research sought to answer the question: What are the critical success factors that influence the success of agile software development projects? The literature review considers the continued failure of agile and traditional software development projects which have led to the consideration of, and dispute over, critical success factors — the aspects most vital to a methodology’s success. Though TRA, TPB and UTAUT have previously been applied to agile methodologies, empirical models have not been completely integrated to develop a fit model. This research sought to fill this gap. Data was collected in South Africa through a web-based survey using structured questionnaires and an interview guide. Face-to-face interviews were done to identify the critical success factors in agile projects. The data was captured and analysed for descriptive statistics, convergent and discriminant validity, composite and internal reliability, and correlation in order to inform the structural equation modelling (SEM). SEM was used to test the research model and hypotheses to answer the research questions. The results informed development of a comprehensive model that could provide guidelines to the agile community. The study contributes towards understanding the critical success factors for agile projects. It examined direct, indirect and moderating effects, and the findings contribute towards developing a framework to be used by agile professionals. These key result shows that organisational factors have a great influence on performance expectancy characteristics. To ensure success of agile projects, managers are advised to focus on the effect of the organisation’s environment, culture and policies on performance and effort expectancy. / School of Computing / Ph. D. (Computer Science)

This study investigated the use of ORM as a conceptual modelling technique by using the UML domain model class diagram as benchmark. The rationale was that if the ORM-class diagram compared favourably with the benchmark, then ORM could be proposed as an alternate conceptual modelling technique. Proponents of ORM suggest that it has significant advantages over other techniques for conceptual modelling. The benchmark UML class diagram was developed according to the Unified Process through use-cases and collaboration diagrams. The ORM-class diagram was derived using the Conceptual Schema Design Process and ORM-UML Mapping Process. The evaluation of the two class diagrams was conducted by means of a questionnaire, based on a set of principles for conceptual models. The study concluded that ORM could not be proposed as a conceptual modelling technique up to the UML domain class diagram level without considering additional techniques for capturing the dynamics of the system. / Computer Science / M.Sc. (Computer Science)