Context. Triangulated irregular network (TIN) can produce terrain meshes with a reduced triangle count compared to a regular grid. At the same time, TIN meshes are more challenging to optimize in real-time in comparison to other approaches. Objectives. This thesis explores efficient generation of view-dependent, adaptive TIN meshes for terrain during runtime with no or minimal preprocessing. Methods. Since the workings of the proposed technique is a novel approach, an empirical strategy was employed to present the findings instead of partial comparisons to related techniques. Results. To determine the result of the technique, run-time performance is measured and presented to provide incentives for implementation and improvements on the proposed algorithm. Several problem sizes are tested with varying terrain features to determine the effectiveness as a result of the features in the mesh.  Conclusions. We conclude that reducing the problem of mesh simplification to that of 2D Delaunay triangulation on sampled points spanning terrains is valid approach for triangulating on-the-fly. Moreover, this approach opens up for further improvements which may soon allow real-time triangulation of TINs.

Field of view in virtual environments such as games is the angular cone-of-vision a camera uses to display content on screen, and is subject to various characteristics and effects. Some of these effects have been documented based on simulation. However little to no research is readily available regarding video games. This paper set out to document and verify if field of view can reliably be used to affect potential game design aspects, particularly for first-person cameras. Several factors were identified and tests constructed which had participants play through a virtual first-person environment on regular computer hardware (no head-mounted display or other viewing mediums). The measured properties were distance, scale and speed as a function of field of view. According to the results, distances appear longer, objects appear smaller and movement faster at higher field of view, however at varying amounts depending on the context, scenario and viewing angle of the camera. In addition it was also shown that text readability and peripheral vision were significantly affected. It was concluded that field of view can be used within games and virtual applications to enable certain game design elements, and that field of view also should be a consideration in designing a game as it may be interpreted differently given a different field of view.

Abstract Research on software business has, so far, mainly concentrated on the software industry. However, software business has recently also been practised outside the software industry, in so-called industrial companies. This research aims at increasing empirical and theoretical understanding of the development of software business in industrial companies, shedding light on why a company not belonging to the software industry starts to do business involving software, how the company goes about starting such business, and how this in turn affects the company. First, past research on the resource-based approach, capability approach, dynamic capability approach and the concept of strategy is reviewed. Based on this review, four processes that hold the potential to give a company (sustained) competitive advantage – picking resources, exploiting resources, applying capabilities and developing capabilities – and three important dimensions of strategy – the objective of strategy, the process of strategy formation, and the focus of strategy – are identified. A conceptual framework for studying the development of software business in industrial companies is developed which encompasses the processes holding the potential for (sustained) competitive advantage and the different dimensions of strategy, as well as the company’s resource, capability and dynamic capability base. Following that, empirical data collected in two internationally operating industrial companies is analyzed with the help of the conceptual framework. As a result of the empirical data analysis, 23 capabilities and several resources important for software business in industrial companies could be identified. Capabilities are categorized according to their use in and applicability to different types of software business. Factors influencing the application, development and improvement of capabilities, as well as different ways of how industrial companies start to do software business, are identified. The conceptual framework is revised by adding the process of developing capabilities further to the processes which hold the potential for competitive advantage, and clarifying the role of dynamic capabilities in the development of software business in industrial companies.

Inledning: Utomhuspedagogik är på olika sätt ett intressant och aktuellt ämne att analysera.Utomhuspedagogik utgår från lärande där sinnliga upplevelser är i fokus och där lärandetflyttas utomhus.Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka pedagogers syn på användandet av utomhuspedagogik ide naturorienterande ämnena i förskoleklass och i årskurs 1-3. Vilka hinder begränsarpedagoger att bedriva utomhuspedagogik och vilka möjligheter ser pedagoger med att bedrivautomhuspedagogik?Metod: Vi har valt att använda en kvantitativ metod i form av undersökningsredskapetwebbenkät, riktad till pedagoger som arbetar i årskurs F-3. Svar från 135 respondenter haranalyserats.Resultat: Majoriteten av respondenterna ser möjligheter med att bedriva utomhuspedagogik.Däremot är det ett fåtal respondenter som ser utomhuspedagogik som ett hinder. Merparten avrespondenterna bedriver utomhuspedagogik i de naturorienterande ämnena på skolan som dearbetar på. Knappt hälften av respondenterna bedriver utomhuspedagogik 1 gång/vecka somgrund i de naturorienterande ämnena. Drygt hälften av respondenterna upplever att kollegoroch rektorer i mindre grad eller inte alls uppmuntrar till utomhuspedagogik. / Introduction: Outdoor education is in various ways an interesting and relevant topic toanalyze. Outdoor education is based on learning, where sensual experiences are in focus andwhere learning is moved outdoors.Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine the teachers view on the use of outdooreducation in science in primary school. What obstacles limit teachers to practice outdooreducation and what opportunities do teachers see to practice outdoor education?Method: We have chosen to use a web survey, a quantitative method, aiming towardsteachers who are working in primary school. Answers from 135 respondents have beenanalyzed.Results: The majority of the respondents see opportunities to practice outdoor education.However, there are a few respondents who see outdoor education as a limit. The majority ofthe respondents practice outdoor education in science at the school they work at. Almost halfof the respondents practice outdoor education 1 time a week as a basis in science. About halfof the respondents perceive that colleagues and principals, to a lesser degree or not at allencourage outdoor education.

Abstract The present thesis analyses different software supplier types and the development of supplier firms in the context of the Finnish ICT cluster, which underwent rapid growth in the 1990s. The central brand-owner firms in the cluster have been accompanied by a high number of smaller industrial supplier firms that base their business on serving their large customer organisations. The research to date on the ICT cluster has largely focused on understanding the development and purchasing strategies of the large customer firms and thus does not provide a sufficient basis for understanding how supplier firms in the cluster operate and develop. It is this gap that the present study undertakes to address. The thesis begins by building a theoretical framework that identifies the main factors affecting the development of industrial supplier firms. The inner context of the framework is based on the resource-based view of the firm and the capability approach, while the outer context rests on principles drawn from theories of evolutionary economics. Supplier development is analysed as a change from one firm type to another. The empirical part of the thesis consists of a quantitative and a qualitative study. The former identifies five software supplier types and elaborates a typology capturing their main features, e.g., key resources, capabilities and operating logic. The latter then applies the theoretical framework in analysing the development of four software supplier firms within the ICT cluster. The empirical analysis generates a number of propositions on the development of software supplier firms that together constitute a description of the firms' typical development path and the most significant resources and capabilities enabling the development identified. The software suppliers' change from providing customised software services towards independent production of software products was found to be extremely difficult. The thesis concludes with a discussion of strategy-level choices that are relevant in managing this type of development.

Studien syftade till att undersöka hur listläsning i kombination med boksamtal ökade elevers avkodningsförmåga samt läsintresse. Interventionen genomfördes på två olika skolor med elever i avkodningssvårigheter i år 1. De lästränade 15 tillfällen à 10 minuter med läslistor från Wendickmodellen Intensivläsning. Dessutom deltog de i gruppläsning med boksamtal vid fem tillfällen ca 40 min/tillfälle.   Studien lades upp enligt klassisk experimentell design med interventionsgrupp och kontrollgrupp i år 1. Sammanlagt deltog 24 elever. Studien genomfördes som en intervention med för- och eftertest gällande avkodningsförmågan. Eleverna fick dessutom fylla i en enkät efter första samt sista gruppläsningstillfället för att se om läslusten ökat. Testen visade att interventionsgruppen till viss del ökat sin avkodningsförmåga och därmed också i läsflytet men det hade även kontrollgruppen gjort, dock inte i lika hög grad. Enkäten visade att eleverna var positivt inställda till läsning både i form av skönlitteratur samt listläsning vilket vi tolkar som att läsintresse finns. Dock visade enkäten ingen större skillnad på svar före och efter interventionen. Vi tycker att studien visade att kombinationen av listläsning och boksamtal gagnade elevernas läsutveckling och läslust. Eleverna blev också mer motiverade och visade ökat självförtroende i boksamtalen. Det är dock inte möjligt att påvisa hur mycket mer effektiv interventionens åtgärder var än kontrollgruppens då den sistnämnda också uppnådde positiva resultat. Vår slutsats blir att kombinationen med olika träningssätt verkar lovande för ett lustfyllt och framgångsrikt lärande.

The TRIUMF view screen system encompases a set of devices which individually image, and produce measurements of, the transverse profile of an accelerated electron beam. A control system is an essential component of the overall diagnostic device. The system requirements were compiled from those produced by the TRIUMF laboratory and from those based on the needs of the individual diagnostic devices. Based on the requirements, a control system was designed and implemented with a combination of industrial electrical and mechanical hardware, and a variety of software components. One component of the image reconstruction algorithm was validated with experimental data; the accuracy and precision of beam profile measurements was evaluated through simulation studies. Although it was not possible to demonstrate the satisfaction of requirements relating to alignment, it was shown that all other requirements were satisfied. / Graduate / 0798 / 0752 / 0605

Virtual reality has been a popular training tool for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in recent years. Although virtual reality was proven to be a promising tool for individuals with ASD by many previous studies, effects of virtual reality properties on user experience is still an unexplored area. More comparison studies and reliable data are needed to identify the benefits of different VR methods and properties, and leverage the future VR systems. In this dissertation, we explored effects of virtual reality properties on user experience of high functioning individuals with ASD with four different serious game experiments. The first experiment consisted of a virtual reality serious game system for vocational training of individuals with ASD. Although this experiment was focused on the effectiveness of virtual reality training on vocational skills of individuals with ASD and was not comparative; during the user study with 9 neurotypical and 9 high functioning ASD individuals, several observations regarding the effects of virtual reality properties on user experience have been performed. The next three experiments investigated the following: effects of instruction methods on user performance with virtual reality warehouse serious game, effects of visual fidelity and view zoom on user performance with a virtual reality investigation serious game, and effects of environmental clutter and motion on user performance with a virtual reality searching serious game. These three experiments were evaluated with user studies of 15 neurotypical and 15 high functioning ASD individuals. Our motivation was to provide positive contribution to the design and development of future virtual reality serious games targeting individuals with ASD so that more benefits could be gained from these applications. Results of the virtual reality for vocational rehabilitation experiment indicated that virtual reality provided effective training especially for the money management, cleaning and social skills of high functioning individuals with ASD. The distracters in the form of background motion and audio did not affect the performance of the participants significantly. Based on the results of the instruction methods experiment, using animated instructions and avoiding verbal instructions in virtual environments was recommended for an audience of high functioning individuals with ASD. The visual fidelity and view zoom experiment’s results indicated that using low visual fidelity and normal view zoom are better design principles for training applications targeting high functioning individuals with ASD. The results of the experiment on clutter and motion in virtual worksp aces suggested that using no clutter and no motion in training applications targeting high functioning individuals with ASD would provide better user experience. Several other design guidelines based on data analysis and observation were shared in the study, with the aim of leveraging future virtual reality serious games targeting high functioning individuals with ASD.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / A political arrangement is an arrangement for persons. Political arrangements are assessed in terms of the extent to which they manage the affairs of persons, which includes protecting their interests and entitlements. Political arrangements which are unable to protect the interests of its citizens, or a group of citizens, are deemed unacceptable, and where appropriate, alternative arrangements which do protect the interests and entitlements of its citizens are sought. In this thesis I argue that the political arrangement of John Rawls is unable to protect the interests and entitlements of the severely cognitively disabled who are regarded as full citizens by advanced political arrangements in the world today. I argue that it is the contract nature and conception of the person in Rawls’s system which excludes the severely cognitively disabled. This exclusion goes against our widely-held intuitions about the rights and entitlements of the severely cognitively disabled. I look to the Person Life View of Marya Schechtman, a conception of the person that includes the severely cognitively disabled, to see if a conception of the person that includes the severely cognitively disabled is able to solve the gap in Rawls’s system. I argue that it is not able to do so. I then propose a new way of approaching questions of personhood and appeal to the Aristotelian conception of the soul as the basis, arguing that membership of a type of organism typically considered a person is enough to be a complete member of that type and therefore a person.

This dissertation originated from a concern regarding healthy and sustainable living, with the focus on aspects of well-being, eating and nutrition. It has not been seen or explicitly explored as a problem to address within the discipline of interior design. It is of the opinion that the environments in which we live can directly influence the way we live. Green (Inside)? is a project proposal which addresses both a normative stance towards interior design and a recognized gap in the social sphere. A scarceness of experiential design in interior environments is examined. This stance is contextualized as a response against the status quo of the restaurant industry towards sustainable living. Restaurants, specifically fast-food outlets or caf?'s, tend to promote unhealthy lifestyles and lack to provide an experience beyond the food itself. The theoretical approaches of sustainable development, human centred design and experiential design, informed the design discourse. The character of the design is guided by the found theories of a process oriented view, the farm-to-table concept, urban farming and principles of the changing kitchen. The programme is placed within the Maboneng precinct in Johannesburg CBD. It establishes a new urban food identity and brand, furthermore connected with its creative and industrial identity. The conceptual restaurant, the Inside, proposes an eating experience, using the eating process as medium of communication to address various topics of ecological and lifestyle sustainability. It will intentionally expose users to participate and interact within the spaces, its processes and a specific sensory-story. The design interventions will aim to encourage and educate users towards sustainability. / n Kommer oor gesonde en volhoubare lewensstyle, spesifiek gerig op welsyn en eetgewoontes, was die vertrekpunt vir die verhandeling. Hierdie kwessie is nog nie heeltemal verken as 'n probleem wat aangespreek kan word in die dissipline van binne-ontwerp nie. Dit is egter van mening dat die ruimtes waarin ons leef en beweeg ons manier van lewe be?nvloed. "Green (Inside)?" is 'n projek wat gebaseer is op twee aspekte: Die eerste handeling is 'n normatiewe standpunt vir binne-ontwerp, waar 'n skaarste in die ervarings van binneruimtes erken is; die tweede aspek het 'n tekortkoming in die sosiale mark ge?dentifiseer. Die probleem is geplaas in die konteks van die restaurant bedryf, rakende volhoubare lewenswyses. Restaurante, spesifiek kitskoswinkels en kafee's, is geneig om ongesonde lewensstyle aan te moedig. Daar is ook 'n gebrek aan ruimtelike ervarings, buiten die ervaring wat die kos self bied. Verskeie teoretiese benaderings het die argument versterk, onder andere die kwessie van volhoubare ontwikkeling, 'n her-definie?ring van kos en die eet proses, verbruiker fokus in ontwerp en laastens ervaringsleer ontwerp. Die karakter van die ontwerp was be?nvloed deur die proses-geori?nteerde uitkyk teorie, die plaas-tot-tafel konsep, stedelike landbou asook nuwe beginsels van hoe 'n kombuis verander. Die projek is geplaas in die Maboneng gebiedct, Johannesburg. Verder was 'n nuwe stedelike kulin?re verbruiker voorgestel, gebaseer op die kreatiewe en industri?le identiteit van die ligging. Die konseptuele restaurant, "the Inside", is a voorstelling van 'n eet-ervaring. Die eetproses word gebruik as kommunikasiemiddel waarmee ekologiese en volhoubaarheids kwessies aangespreek word. Verskeie prossesse van die ruimtes sal doelbewus blootgestel word, van waar di? interaksies sal beoog om 'n sensoriese storie vir die verbruiker te skets. Die ontwerp sal beoog om mense te onderig en aan te moedig om aspekte van volhoubaarheid te beoefen. / Mini Dissertation (MInt (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Architecture / MInt (Prof) / Unrestricted