The uses and gratifications approach places power in the hands of the audience and is a helpful perspective when trying to understand media usage, exposure, and effects. However, while the uses and gratifications approach has been applied regularly to traditional media, research explaining why people use new social media networks as well as the gratifications they obtain from them is scarce at best. This thesis provides a comprehensive overview of the uses and gratifications approach as well as the current literature about social media networks. An argument is built within the thesis to study Twitter as one social media network through the uses and gratifications theoretical lens. Research questions are provided and a survey of 216 college undergraduates was conducted. Results show that people use a variety of Twitter functions, that the gratifications sought from Twitter are not the gratifications obtained from Twitter, and that people are careful about the types of information they share on the social media network. Additionally, results suggest that Twitter users obtain more gratifications from the passive functions of Twitter rather the active functions in terms of relational maintenance and entertainment. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future directions are also provided.

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El objetivo de la presente tesis de especialización es describir la experiencia de desarrollo de una metodología didáctica para el trabajo con foros en un entorno virtual. Esta experiencia fue realizada en el marco del curso "Tecnología para la educación matemática" de la UNSa, con el tema: "Las tecnologías posibles a implementar en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje" para el subtema "Triángulo isósceles. Definición, propiedades y aplicaciones". Su aporte es el desarrollo de una metodología probada en este campo: análisis de la experiencia, evaluación y propuesta de mejora. Su estructura consta de dos partes interdependientes. En la primera parte se consideran los marcos teóricos referentes a los foros en comunidades virtuales. Se incluye la descripción de diferentes tipos de foros considerados apropiados para la enseñanza de la matemática y una posible manera de planificarlos. Se ejemplifica con foros realizados en cursos de capacitación y de postgrado realizados en diferentes plataformas virtuales. Todos abarcan problemáticas diferentes en los que la Matemática ocupa un lugar, desde la propia ciencia o desde la educación en esta área. En la segunda parte se relata la experiencia llevada a cabo en la Universidad Nacional de Salta con alumnos de segundo año del Profesorado de Matemática, en la asignatura Tecnología para la Educación Matemática. También se analiza el foro académico realizado, teniendo en cuenta los marcos teóricos de la primera parte. Se adjuntan dos anexos en los que se encuentran foros realizados dentro de la materia Tecnología para la Educación Matemática.

This study focuses on the motives that recruiters can or may have within companies, organizations and authorities of using Facebook as a complement in the investigation of potential work-candidates. The study also explores the consequences that could occur regarding the boundaries of private and public spheres when recruiters are researching Facebook-pages of potential work-candidates. The results were collected by qualitative interviews with eight different recruiters from a wide range of businesses in Kalmar. By applying a framework of already identified uses and gratifications, we discovered six different motives of why recuriters would use Facebook as a complement while recruiting work-candidates. The motives are; security, guidance and advice, convenience utility, surveillance, curiosity and economic motives. We also discovered that the following consequences of researching Facebook-pages of potential workcandidates are that candidates are restricted in the possibilities of acting private on their Facebook-pages and that candidates have zero control of their published materials since recruiters sets the limits of what can be thought of as private and as public.

This paper puts forward a new approach to the revitalization of vacant and neglected buildings and spaces by introducing the use of temporary pop-up environments. The initial research establishes groundwork for pop-up environments and temporary use, while pointing to their potential. Records from specialists, Florian Haydn, Robert Temel, and Philipp Oswalt, exhibit various types of temporary uses and interim strategies. Strategies are displayed in their selection of sites and operation. These strategic approaches will support transitioning space and present interim projects, which have the prospect of utilizing space as a secondary means, while a more primary use of space is in development. The case studies will demonstrate the temporary use strategies and social factors, which may establish new meaning to facilitate change. By presenting possibilities of repurposing through temporary and interim uses, there is the opportunity for renewal and averting the dependence on massive (re)development, sustaining a city’s heritage.

The study was done to understand the direction in which South Africa’s mining model is developed and the changes required for South Africa to take its rightful place in the mainstream spheres of economic and commercial affairs. The huge demand for African commodities is creating new opportunities for African governments to realise the hopes of their people for a better life. The objective of this study is to analyse the South African mining model to determine the sustainability of mining in South Africa. It was done by analysing Chrome, Coal and Platinum as selected minerals and metals. A literature study was conducted and the focus was on the reserves and resources that South Africa has in these minerals and metals, the current supply and demand factors and estimates were done on the future demand. The last part was to determine the state of and planned expansions of infrastructure like Electricity supply, Shipping Ports, Rail transport, Road transport and Water supply that mining operations require. Following the literature study, a survey was conducted in order to support the findings of the literature study and to determine the most important factors that can influence investment decisions in the mining sector by evaluating the investor’s acceptability of South Africa’s mineral and resource industry. It was concluded that the South Africa mining module is well developed with the required skills and knowledge for sustainable mining in the future. It was determined that there would be a future market to maintain a sustainable mining module. The major risk for the sustainable mining module is the reliance on infrastructures required in the mining environment, which is under governmental management. Survey results concluded that South Africa is not an investor-friendly country mainly because of its ineffective administration processes to perform mining. Investors are also seeking for independence of regulatory institutions. A recommendation for future research would be to determine the optimum South African Governmental needs of the investment in infrastructure capital to ensure that the country’s economy will be able to grow.The study was done to understand the direction in which South Africa’s mining model is developed and the changes required for South Africa to take its rightful place in the mainstream spheres of economic and commercial affairs. The huge demand for African commodities is creating new opportunities for African governments to realise the hopes of their people for a better life. The objective of this study is to analyse the South African mining model to determine the sustainability of mining in South Africa. It was done by analysing Chrome, Coal and Platinum as selected minerals and metals. A literature study was conducted and the focus was on the reserves and resources that South Africa has in these minerals and metals, the current supply and demand factors and estimates were done on the future demand. The last part was to determine the state of and planned expansions of infrastructure like Electricity supply, Shipping Ports, Rail transport, Road transport and Water supply that mining operations require. Following the literature study, a survey was conducted in order to support the findings of the literature study and to determine the most important factors that can influence investment decisions in the mining sector by evaluating the investor’s acceptability of South Africa’s mineral and resource industry. It was concluded that the South Africa mining module is well developed with the required skills and knowledge for sustainable mining in the future. It was determined that there would be a future market to maintain a sustainable mining module. The major risk for the sustainable mining module is the reliance on infrastructures required in the mining environment, which is under governmental management. Survey results concluded that South Africa is not an investor-friendly country mainly because of its ineffective administration processes to perform mining. Investors are also seeking for independence of regulatory institutions. A recommendation for future research would be to determine the optimum South African Governmental needs of the investment in infrastructure capital to ensure that the country’s economy will be able to grow. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

En este trabajo, se realiza una investigación vinculada al análisis de herramientas de autor para la generación de contenido de Realidad Aumentada (RA), con especial énfasis en aquellas orientadas al escenario educativo. Se consideran características tales como la funcionalidad que proveen, la amigabilidad de la interface, la licencia de uso, la plataforma sobre la cual se puede ejecutar, entre otras. El foco de este análisis es obtener un panorama general de las herramientas de autor para RA disponibles en el mercado, en relación con sus posibilidades de generar contenido de RA para el ámbito educativo. Además se incluyen en el trabajo, conceptos y definiciones necesarias para contextualizar al lector. Así, se aborda una introducción a la Realidad Aumentada y sus características, la definición de herramientas de autor adoptada, y criterios de evaluación que se consideran usualmente para analizar éstas, en relación al ámbito educativo. Se considera que la recopilación y análisis planteados aquí, resultarán un aporte para los docentes que deseen incluir actividades educativas mediadas por tecnología de RA.

The importance of monitoring, and where possible reducing, the level of radiation dose from diagnostic X-ray examinations has been recognised for many years and is becoming of increasing concern. Dose reduction is of particular concern in paediatric radiology, and there are specific problems associated with the monitoring and comparison of radiation doses to children. Any optimisation study relies on a framework of good dosimetry. Two techniques have been developed to improve the collection of patient dose data: the automation of survey techniques to increase the quantity of data collected; and a method of correcting for patient size which reduces one source of variability in the data. An optimisation strategy has been developed, consisting of theoretical simulations, experimental verification and clinical implementation. Monte Carlo techniques were used for the theoretical study, which investigated the effect of beam filtration on radiation dose and image quality for a wide range of parameters, specifically for a neonatal size phantom. Simulations included both radiography of bone in soft tissue and fluoroscopy of iodine and barium based contrast media. The results were assessed in terms of the beam spectra and the absorption and transmission characteristics of the phantom and image receptor. Experimental measurements of dose and contrast were made for a simple slab phantom corresponding to that simulated, and results showed good agreement with those predicted. A further set of experimental measurements were carried out using anthropomorphic phantoms in a clinical setting, which demonstrated how the theoretical predictions translated to clinical practice. A clinical trial of the use of a 0.1mm copper filter for fluoroscopic examinations of infants was performed, and the filter shown to give substantial dose reduction with no significant loss in image quality. Some general recommendations on dose quantities and the application of optimisation strategies to paediatric radiology have been made.

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