The paper looks at parents' experiences related to their children's preparations for attending an eight-year gymnázium (academic secondary school), with the goal of identifying and understanding how families experience this preparatory period and what preparatory strategies they choose; or rather, how they approach the preparatory exams, what preparations the family undergoes, what emotions they experience, and how they assess this experience. The theoretical part of this theoretical and empirical paper briefly defines some of the basic terminology necessary for understanding the paper's theoretical foundations and presents the legislative background of the state admissions exams. The third chapter of the theoretical part looks at several realized studies that have focused on the subject of multi- year gymnázia and parents' views on this phenomenon. The various chapters of the paper's empirical section present the author's qualitative methodology, describe the study's approach, and show the results of a qualitative study of parents and children who underwent this experience in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 school years. Their experiences with and perception of this process were determined via semi- structured interviews with both parents and children. The study also made use of interpretative phenomenological...

Tesis por compendio / [ES] Esta tesis se centra en el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas automatizadas que permiten inspeccionar nematodos Caenorhabidits elegans (C. elegans) en placas de Petri estándar, para el análisis de sus comportamientos. C. elegans es un nemátodo de 1mm de longitud, con el cual se pueden realizar distintos experimentos para analizar los efectos de fármacos, compuestos o alteraciones genéticas en su longevidad, su salud física o su cognición. El campo principal metodológico del presente trabajo para el análisis de esos efectos es la visión por computador; y con ello, el desarrollo completo del sistema de visión activo: sistema de iluminación inteligente, sistema de captura óptimo, procesamiento de las imágenes para detección y clasificación de nematodos. Los campos secundarios en esta investigación son el control y robotización. Los C. elegans son animales sensibles a la luz y por ello el primero de los métodos está en la rama de la iluminación inteligente, con el cual se permite regular la intensidad y las longitudes de onda de la luz que reciben los nematodos. El siguiente método es el procesado para la detección y clasificación de movimiento a partir de las imágenes obtenidas con esa iluminación controlada. Tener el ambiente controlado es fundamental, los nematodos son muy sensibles a las condiciones ambientales por lo que puede alterarse su actividad biológica, y con ello los resultados, así que el tercer método es la integración de las técnicas en un nuevo dispositivo que permite automatizar ensayos de lifespan y validar los resultados automáticos comparándolos con los manuales. El movimiento del animal es clave para poder realizar inferencias estadísticas que puedan mostrar tendencias en sus comportamientos, por ello la estimulación automatizada que provoque una reacción de su movilidad es el cuarto de los métodos. Por último, el aumento de la resolución en las imágenes muestra mayor detalle, mejorando el procesamiento y extracción de características. El quinto método es un robot multivista que posibilita tomar imágenes a distintas resoluciones, lo que permite mantener el seguimiento global de los gusanos, al mismo tiempo que se toman imágenes con un encuadre de mayor detalle del nematodo objetivo. / [CA] Esta tesi doctoral se centra en el desentrollament de noves tècniques automatitzades que permeten inspeccionar nemàtodes Caenorhabidits elegans (C. elegans) en plaques de Petri estàndar, per a l'anàlisi dels seus comportaments. C. elegans és un nemàtode d'1mm de llargària, ab el qual se poden realitzar distints experiments per a analitzar els efectes de fàrmacs, composts o alteracions genètiques en sa longevitat, la seua salut física o la seua cognició. El camp principal metodològic del present treball per a l'anàlisi d'eixos efectes és la visió per computador; i ab açò, el desentrollament complet del sistema de visió actiu: sistema d'il.luminació inteligent, sistema de captura òptim, processament de les imàtgens per a detecció i classificació de nematode. Els camps secundaris en esta investigació són el control i robotització. Els C. elegans són animals sensibles a la llum i por ello el primer dels mètodes està en la branca de la il.luminació intel.ligent, ab el qual es permet regular la intensitat i les longituds d'ona de la llum que reben els nematodes. El següent mètode és el processat per a la detecció i classificació de moviment a partir de les imàtgens obtinguda ab eixa il.luminació controlada. Tindre l'ambient controlat és fonamental, els nemàtodes són molt sensibles a les condicions ambientals per lo que pot alterar-se la seua activitat biològica, i ab aço els resultats, aixina que el tercer mètode és la integració de les tècniques en un nou dispositiu que permet automatitzar ensajos de lifespan i validar els resultats automàtics comparant-los ab els manuals. El moviment de l'animal és clau per a poder realitzar inferencies estadístiques que puguen mostrar tendències en el seus comportaments, per això la estimulació automatitzada que provoque una reacció de la seua mobilitat és el quart dels mètodes. Per últim, l'augment de la resolució en les imàtgens mostra major detall, millorant el processament i extracció de característiques. El quint mètode és un robot multivista que possibilita prendre imàtgens a distintes resolucions, lo que permet mantindre el seguiment global dels cucs, al mateix temps que se prenguen imàtgens ab un enquadrament de major detall del nematode objectiu. / [EN] This thesis focuses on the development of new automated techniques that allow the inspection of Caenorhabidits elegans nematodes (C. elegans) in Petri dishes, for the analysis of their behavior. This nematode is a 1mm long worm, with which different experiments can be carried out to analyze the effects of drugs, compounds or genetic alterations on its longevity, physical health or cognition. The main methodological field of the present work for the analysis of these effects is computer vision; and with it, the complete development of the active vision system: intelligent lighting system, optimal capture system, image processing for detection and classification of nematodes. The secondary fields in this research are control and robotization. C. elegans are light-sensitive animals and therefore the first method is in the field of intelligent lighting, with which it is possible to regulate the intensity and wavelength of the light that nematodes receive. The next method is the processing for the detection and classification of movement from the images obtained with that controlled lighting. Having a controlled environment is essential, worms are very sensitive to environmental conditions so it can alter biological activity, and with it the results, so the third method is the integration of techniques in a new device that allows automating tests of lifespan and validate the automatic results comparing them with the manual ones. The movement of the animal is key to be able to carry out statistical conferences that can show trends in its behaviors, therefore the automated stimulation that causes a reaction of its mobility is the fourth of the methods. Finally, increasing the resolution in the images shows greater detail, improving the processing and extraction of features. The fifth method is a multiview robot that enables images to be taken at different resolutions, allowing global tracking of worms to be maintained, while at the same time taking images with a more detailed frame of the target worm. / Puchalt Rodríguez, JC. (2022). Development and Evaluation of New Methods for Automating Experiments with C. Elegans Based on Active Vision [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/181359 / TESIS / Compendio

Aim and research questions: The study examined how text comprehension of middle school students in Sweden changed depending on the modalities of reading and speech synthesis. Impact on the outcome based on factors such as decoding ability, working memory, gender and multilingualism were examined. A new text comprehension test was evaluated. Method: Questionnaires and measuring instruments including the text comprehension test were used in an in-group design. Results: In the given sample (N=94), reading generated best results on the text comprehension test in comparison to speech synthesis. The effects were strongest in the group with weaker decoding ability. No significant correlations were found when working memory or gender was taken into account. The results of the study showed that monolingual participants got better results on the text comprehension test after speech synthesis than multilingual participants. Conclusion: The study found significant differences between modalities, where reading generated better results on the text comprehension test than speech synthesis. Multilingual children scored significantly lower with speech synthesis than monolinguals. Further studies are required. / Syfte och frågeställningar: Studien undersökte hur textförståelsen hos mellanstadieelever i Sverige förändrades beroende på modaliteterna läsning respektive talsyntes. Påverkan på utfallet utifrån faktorer som avkodningsförmåga, arbetsminne, könstillhörighet och flerspråkighet undersöktes. Ett nytt textförståelsetest utvärderades. Metod: Frågeformulär och mätinstrument inklusive textförståelsetestet användes i en inomgruppsdesign. Resultat: I givet urval (N=94) gav läsning bäst resultat på textförståelsetest i jämförelse med talsyntes. Effekterna var starkast i gruppen med svag avkodningsförmåga. Inga signifikanta korrelationer hittades när hänsyn togs till arbetsminne eller könstillhörighet. Studiens resultat visade att enspråkiga deltagare fick bättre resultat på textförståelsetestet efter talsyntes än flerspråkiga deltagare. Slutsats: Studien fann signifikanta skillnader mellan modaliteterna, där läsning gav bättre resultat på textförståelsetest än talsyntes. Flerspråkiga barn fick signifikant sämre resultat med talsyntes än enspråkiga. Vidare studier krävs.

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Detta självständiga arbete behandlar grundskollärares syn på hållbar utveckling och lärande för hållbar utveckling, hur arbetet med detta läggs upp i skolor och vilket fokus detta ges i skolan. Arbetets syfte är att jämföra hur olika lärare, verksamma på skola i staden respektive på landsbygden, som arbetat olika länge samt undervisar i skilda ämnen, förhåller sig till hållbar utveckling och lärande för hållbar utveckling i sin undervisning. Arbetet lyfter vilka likheter och/eller skillnader som återfinns hos lärarna. Syftet är även att titta på hur lärares synsätt och arbetssätt förhåller sig till styrdokument, läroplan och regeringsbeslut. Det har i studien visat sig att lärarna inte till fullo uppfyller statens intentioner. Utgångpunkt för arbetet är följande frågeställningar: - Hur är lärares synsätt på undervisning kring hållbar utveckling och lärande för hållbar utveckling? - Hur förhåller sig lärares synsätt gentemot det som styrdokument, läroplan och regeringsbeslut säger angående hållbar utveckling och lärande för hållbar utveckling? - Går det att se någon skillnad på lärares synsätt utifrån variablerna verksamhetstid, undervisningsämne och om läraren arbetar i en skola på landsbygd eller i en stad? Uppsatsen riktar sig till alla som vill skapa sig en bild över hur olika grundskollärare, verksamma i de yngre åldrarna, förhåller sig till hållbar utveckling och lärande för hållbar utveckling i skolan och i sin undervisning samt vad som skiljer och/eller liknar sig i deras resonemang.

The purpose of this study was to determine which specific resources contribute to the strategy-to-performance gap of small businesses trading in the Pietermaritzburg metropolitan area, from a resource-based perspective of strategic management. The research was prompted by a study conducted by Marakon Associates, the purpose of which was to investigate how successfully companies translate their strategies into performance and what steps they take to close the resulting strategy-to-performance gaps. The main reasons advanced for poor strategy-to-performance results are inadequate or unavailable resources. The research design in the study is quantitative and descriptive in nature. The data was collected from a structured questionnaire comprising of 18 questions emailed to the owners using LimeSurvey. The findings of the survey show that the businesses surveyed lack resources, which leads directly to strategy-to-performance gaps. The most important resources they lack are financial and human resources. / Business Management / M. Tech. (Business Administration)

Observations show that antagonising and depressing relationships among individuals and communities are being experienced. In this regard, against the background of a cursory description of the Hindu life-view, the research examines a Hindu perspective on the pedagogic significance of the relationship structure by means of the phenomenological, exemplaric and historical methods. Since man is always in a situation in the world, which influences his being in the world, an attempt to analyse features of modern society in order to establish their effect on the actualisation of authentic Hindu relationships has been undertaken. Examples of these features are materialism; narcissism and hedonism; egalitarianism and globalism; technocracy; secularism and nihilism; violence and also pessimism. In order to properly understand the Hindu life-view and its relevance with regard to the child's authentic relationships, the relationship between the child and significant others, such as parents, family/relatives, other fellow human beings, educator/teacher, community, himself, objects and God, is presented from a Hindu perspective. An analysis of these relationships reveals that a pedagogic relationship structure can be identified. Relevant components of this structure, such as communication, understanding, trust, authority and religiosity are explained from a Hindu perspective. The thesis demonstrates that authentic (Hindu) relationships make it possible to determine sound education principles. In fact, it is demonstrated that authentic relationships and sound education principles are but two sides of the same coin. As such the vital role, which authentic relationship(s) plays with regard to the actualisation of education principles, is discussed from a Hindu perspective. In concluding the study, several recommendations are made. In the final analysis, it is suggested that poor and meaningless relationships can to a certain extent be seen as a response to disregard particular life-views and focus on the promotion of a global society. Sound relationships, on the other hand, can only be established and maintained by identifying norms and values in a world which has contradictory and confusing values. This means that adults and children ought to obey the demands of their life-view, especially because the relationship structure becomes pedagogically significant in terms of a particular life-view. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)

The corporate political activity field has focused on the study of political capabilities that allow firms to influence governments and regulators. Building on previous studies, this thesis examines a set of capabilities that allow host firms to adapt to rather than influence political environments. Specifically, this set of adaptive political capabilities can be used by firms to confront host country political contexts in emerging economies that share two characteristics: authoritarian regimes and weak institutions. The findings of this thesis show that host firms can develop and use adaptive political capabilities rather than political capabilities to start and sustain their operations in this type of political contexts. This entails attuning firm processes, structures, and practices to local norms and political behaviors, rather than attempting to shape the host country political environment in its own likeness. Our results suggest host firms can develop adaptive political capabilities to enhance their strategic repertoire when starting or sustaining operations in emerging economies with such characteristics. Our contribution is that by using mixed methods, we provide and test several exploratory propositions that support the conceptualization of a framework to guide the development of adaptive political capabilities by host firms and we make explicit a taxonomy of corporate adaptive political strategies that can enable firms to envision how they can adapt to host political contexts.

Consequences of human activity in natural environments can be observed in urban phenomena. Urban Heat Island is one of those consequences, it is characterized by higher temperature levels in surface-cover and air in urban centers compared with its surrounding rural areas. UHIs are present in cities of arid ecosystems such as Phoenix and Tucson. Existing urban development trends contribute to UHI episodes. Urban Agriculture (UA) is an emerging environmental strategy and, contrary to traditional and industrial agricultural methods, UA systems provide the option of not using soil, its geometrical arrangement lets grow crops disregarding of extensive surface of land to be consumed. UA systems can be implemented as building fabric components. Urban Agriculture provides access to healthier and economic food, it is more energy efficient and promotes a more vegetarian diet which can eventually contribute diminishing health problems such as obesity and toxicity. A response for achieving a decrease in temperature levels in an urban arid region scenario can be established by demonstrating the following premise: "Urban Heat Island effect in arid regions can be mitigated if vegetated surface in the form of agriculture is properly integrated in the built environment". Research procedures were applied at building scale. Results involved physical objective data acquisition. Research methods required the use of software and thermodynamic tools to measure thermal behavior of samples. The impact of vegetated cover in temperature levels and thermal comfort in an outdoor scenario was digitally simulated. The selected research case contributed as a source of data for comparison and baseline benchmarking of thermodynamic circumstances. Employment of green infrastructure in cities can contribute to the improvement of energy efficiency in buildings and developing self-sufficient communities. Urban agriculture comprises implications and side beneficial environmental consequences in arid habitats beyond decreasing temperature levels in cities, such effects are energy conservation, reducing air pollution, diminishing food security concerns, improving soil quality and runoff wastewater as well as cutting down fossil fuel use in transportation of food. In that sense, future research fields include water quality and availability, innovative emerging materials, climate analysis, societal and cultural value, Net zero development and energy efficiency as well as solid waste management.

In our aging society, the design and implementation of a high-performance autonomous distributed vision information system for autonomous physical services become ever more important. In line with this development, the proposed Intelligent Vision Agent System, IVAS, is able to automatically detect and identify a target for a specific task by surveying a human activities space. The main subject of this thesis is the optimal configuration of a sensor system meant to capture the target objects and their environment within certain required specifications. The thesis thus discusses how a discrete sensor causes a depth spatial quantisation uncertainty, which significantly contributes to the 3D depth reconstruction accuracy. For a sensor stereo pair, the quantisation uncertainty is represented by the intervals between the iso-disparity surfaces. A mathematical geometry model is then proposed to analyse the iso-disparity surfaces and optimise the sensors’ configurations according to the required constrains. The thesis also introduces the dithering algorithm which significantly reduces the depth reconstruction uncertainty. This algorithm assures high depth reconstruction accuracy from a few images captured by low-resolution sensors. To ensure the visibility needed for surveillance, tracking, and 3D reconstruction, the thesis introduces constraints of the target space, the stereo pair characteristics, and the depth reconstruction accuracy. The target space, the space in which human activity takes place, is modelled as a tetrahedron, and a field of view in spherical coordinates is proposed. The minimum number of stereo pairs necessary to cover the entire target space and the arrangement of the stereo pairs’ movement is optimised through integer linear programming. In order to better understand human behaviour and perception, the proposed adaptive measurement method makes use of a fuzzily defined variable, FDV. The FDV approach enables an estimation of a quality index based on qualitative and quantitative factors. The suggested method uses a neural network as a tool that contains a learning function that allows the integration of the human factor into a quantitative quality index. The thesis consists of two parts, where Part I gives a brief overview of the applied theory and research methods used, and Part II contains the five papers included in the thesis.