Det här arbetet är handlar om uppgifter inom bildämnet. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka hur bilduppgifter styr mottagarens skapande och i slutändan de bilder som produceras. Som blivande lärare så har jag upptäckt det lustfyllda och kreativa arbete som konstruerande av bilduppgifter för med sig, samtidigt väcktes frågor kring makt och styrning av andra människors skapande. I uppsatsen undersöker jag denna styrning genom att konstruera tre bilduppgifter som med form och formuleringar försöker styra tre informanter med olika mycket erfarenhet inom bildämnet mot ett och samma mål. Detta för att se om det fanns tillfällen då informanterna begränsades i sitt skapande, eller om det gick att se möjligheter för uppgifterna att uppmuntra och främja deras kreativa arbete. Flera olika sätt att utföra och jobba med bilduppgifter synliggjordes och tillsammans skapar de en bild av hur man kan förhålla sig till bilduppgifter, både som mottagare och som den som konstruerar bilduppgifter. Undersökningen resulterade även i en gestaltning som sammanfattar undersökningen och visar på det kreativa arbete som går in i att konstruera bilduppgifter. Relationen mellan uppgiftens försök till styrning och de bilder som producerades skapade ett slags kretslopp i tre delar, uppgiften och dess försök till styrning, informanternas bilder samt hur och om styrningen fungerat. Gestaltningen resulterade i tre verk och ställdes ut på Konstfacks Våruställning 12-22 maj 2016.

Det här arbetet är handlar om uppgifter inom bildämnet. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka hur bilduppgifter styr mottagarens skapande och i slutändan de bilder som produceras. Som blivande lärare så har jag upptäckt det lustfyllda och kreativa arbete som konstruerande av bilduppgifter för med sig, samtidigt väcktes frågor kring makt och styrning av andra människors skapande. I uppsatsen undersöker jag denna styrning genom att konstruera tre bilduppgifter som med form och formuleringar försöker styra tre informanter med olika mycket erfarenhet inom bildämnet mot ett och samma mål. Detta för att se om det fanns tillfällen då informanterna begränsades i sitt skapande, eller om det gick att se möjligheter för uppgifterna att uppmuntra och främja deras kreativa arbete. Flera olika sätt att utföra och jobba med bilduppgifter synliggjordes och tillsammans skapar de en bild av hur man kan förhålla sig till bilduppgifter, både som mottagare och som den som konstruerar bilduppgifter. Undersökningen resulterade även i en gestaltning som sammanfattar undersökningen och visar på det kreativa arbete som går in i att konstruera bilduppgifter. Relationen mellan uppgiftens försök till styrning och de bilder som producerades skapade ett slags kretslopp i tre delar, uppgiften och dess försök till styrning, informanternas bilder samt hur och om styrningen fungerat. Gestaltningen resulterade i tre verk och ställdes ut på Konstfacks Våruställning 12-22 maj 2016.

Autonomous electric vehicles are set to replace most conventional vehicles in the near future. Extensive research is being done to improve efficiency at the individual and fleet level. There is much potential benefit in optimizing the deployment and rebalancing of Autonomous Electric Taxi Fleets (AETF) in cities with dynamic demand and limited charging infrastructure. We propose a Fleet Management System with an Online Optimization Model to assign idle taxis to either a region or a charging station considering the current demand and charging station availability. Our system uses real-time information such as demand in regions, taxi locations and state of charge (SoC), and charging station availability to make optimal decisions in satisfying the dynamic demand considering the range-based constraints of electric taxis. We integrate our Fleet Management System with MATSim, an agent-based transport simulator, to simulate taxis serving real on-demand requests extracted from the San Francisco taxi mobility dataset. We found our system to be effective in rebalancing and ensuring efficient taxi operation by assigning them to charging stations when depleted. We evaluate this system using different performance metrics such as passenger waiting time, fleet efficiency (taxi empty driving time) and charging station utilization by varying initial SoC of taxis, frequency of optimization and charging station capacity and power.

Autonomous electric vehicles are set to replace most conventional vehicles in the near future. Extensive research is being done to improve efficiency at the individual and fleet level. There is much potential benefit in optimizing the deployment and rebalancing of Autonomous Electric Taxi Fleets (AETF) in cities with dynamic demand and limited charging infrastructure. We propose a Fleet Management System with an Online Optimization Model to assign idle taxis to either a region or a charging station considering the current demand and charging station availability. Our system uses real-time information such as demand in regions, taxi locations and state of charge (SoC), and charging station availability to make optimal decisions in satisfying the dynamic demand considering the range-based constraints of electric taxis. We integrate our Fleet Management System with MATSim, an agent-based transport simulator, to simulate taxis serving real on-demand requests extracted from the San Francisco taxi mobility dataset. We found our system to be effective in rebalancing and ensuring efficient taxi operation by assigning them to charging stations when depleted. We evaluate this system using different performance metrics such as passenger waiting time, fleet efficiency (taxi empty driving time) and charging station utilization by varying initial SoC of taxis, frequency of optimization and charging station capacity and power.

It is usually recognized that, in the broad sense, our public schools are maintained for the instruction of children and youth. Moreover, there appear to be three important factors which bear directly upon the nature of this instruction: (1) the individuals who enter the teaching profession, the kinds of people they are, their physical, emotional and mental characteristics or capacities; (2) the kind of education these potential educators receive in preparation for their professional work; and, (3) the actual teaching assignment the individual receives in the particular school where he is employed. Commonly, these three matters are referred to as teacher recruitment, education and assignment.

Metabolomics is the study of metabolomes, the sets of metabolites observed in living systems. Metabolism interconverts these metabolites to provide the molecules and energy necessary for life processes. Many disease processes, including cancer, have a significant metabolic component that manifests as differences in what metabolites are present and in what quantities they are produced and utilized. Thus, using metabolomics, differences between metabolomes in disease and non-disease states can be detected and these differences improve our understanding of disease processes at the molecular level. Despite the potential benefits of metabolomics, the comprehensive investigation of metabolomes remains difficult. A popular analytical technique for metabolomics is mass spectrometry. Advances in Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FT-MS) instrumentation have yielded simultaneous improvements in mass resolution, mass accuracy, and detection sensitivity. In the metabolomics field, these advantages permit more complicated, but more informative experimental designs such as the use of multiple isotope-labeled precursors in stable isotope-resolved metabolomics (SIRM) experiments. However, despite these potential applications, several outstanding problems hamper the use of FT-MS for metabolomics studies. First, artifacts and data quality problems in FT-MS spectra can confound downstream data analyses, confuse machine learning models, and complicate the robust detection and assignment of metabolite features. Second, the assignment of observed spectral features to metabolites remains difficult. Existing targeted approaches for assignment often employ databases of known metabolites; however, metabolite databases are incomplete, thus limiting or biasing assignment results. Additionally, FT-MS provides limited structural information for observed metabolites, which complicates the determination of metabolite class (e.g. lipid, sugar, etc. ) for observed metabolite spectral features, a necessary step for many metabolomics experiments. To address these problems, a set of tools were developed. The first tool identifies artifacts with high peak density observed in many FT-MS spectra and removes them safely. Using this tool, two previously unreported types of high peak density artifact were identified in FT-MS spectra: fuzzy sites and partial ringing. Fuzzy sites were particularly problematic as they confused and reduced the accuracy of machine learning models trained on datasets containing these artifacts. Second, a tool called SMIRFE was developed to assign isotope-resolved molecular formulas to observed spectral features in an untargeted manner without a database of expected metabolites. This new untargeted method was validated on a gold-standard dataset containing both unlabeled and 15N-labeled compounds and was able to identify 18 of 18 expected spectral features. Third, a collection of machine learning models was constructed to predict if a molecular formula corresponds to one or more lipid categories. These models accurately predict the correct one of eight lipid categories on our training dataset of known lipid and non-lipid molecular formulas with precisions and accuracies over 90% for most categories. These models were used to predict lipid categories for untargeted SMIRFE-derived assignments in a non-small cell lung cancer dataset. Subsequent differential abundance analysis revealed a sub-population of non-small cell lung cancer samples with a significantly increased abundance in sterol lipids. This finding implies a possible therapeutic role of statins in the treatment and/or prevention of non-small cell lung cancer. Collectively these tools represent a pipeline for FT-MS metabolomics datasets that is compatible with isotope labeling experiments. With these tools, more robust and untargeted metabolic analyses of disease will be possible.

Nursing programs have embraced distance learning in their curricula, but discussion is ongoing about course assignments and grading criteria to increase examination scores in nursing distance learning courses. Because course examinations are a predictor of success on the postgraduate licensing examination (NCLEX-RN), the purpose of this study was to determine whether differences existed in student examination scores between nursing distance learning courses with and without points aligned to assignments. The theoretical framework was Knowles's theory of andragogy, which highlights adults' motivation and self-direction to succeed. The quantitative causal comparative study included a convenience sample of 164 students to compare archival data of 4 examination scores between 2 nursing distance-learning courses. Data analysis included an independent-groups one-tailed t test. No significant differences were found between the 2 courses, suggesting that students do not achieve higher examination scores with course points aligned with course assignments. Nursing administrators and faculty in nursing programs with a distance learning component will benefit from the findings of this study. Findings may be used to draft, revise, and implement assignment criteria and point alignment for nursing distance learning courses. Social change will occur when nursing distance learning faculty use problem-solving and critical thinking assignments, including case studies, discussion boards, group assignments, concept mapping and NCLEX-RN style testing in each nursing distance learning course. Because point alignment to course assignments do not significantly improve examination scores, implementation of problem-solving and critical thinking assignments is necessary to promote student learning and examination success.

The purpose of this study was to examine assignment writing as a phenomenon of academic writing. This was done through exploring the experiential accounts of members of a university writing community. Their accounts described the community's perceptions and experiences of literacy practices needed to write assignments, of how students developed these practices, and, of what constituted success in the writing. A multi-method, embedded, case-study approach was used. Quantitative data were derived from first-year, second-year, and fourth-year respondents' perceptions and experiences related to assignment writing. A cross-sectional comparison of groups showed consistent year-level effects. Fourth-year students were more confident as writers than first-year and second-year students, and had less difficulty with declarative and procedural aspects of writing assignments. These findings were replicated in a repeated-measures study using a sub-group of first-year and fourth-year students. However, when students contextualised their responses by nominating a subject and referring to their completion of its written assignment, first-year students reported less difficulty with the declarative aspects while fourth-year students were more positive in the procedural aspects. Year-level effects were found for what they reported as helpful in acquiring declarative and procedural knowledge of writing. First-year students reported a wider range of sources as helpful than fourth-year students did, with two exceptions. More of the latter had found information gained in consultations helpful in understanding an assignment question. Additionally more had found friends helpful. Second-year students generally were more positive than first-year and fourth-year students about the usefulness of information in helping them understand an assignment question and in writing it in an academic genre. Knowing how to write predicted success more strongly and consistently than any other factor. Qualitative data informed findings from the quantitative analyses by providing experiential accounts about students' perceptions of themselves as assignment writers, their experiences when writing assignments, and how these experiences developed literacy practices that contributed to success. Additionally, qualitative data were collected from lecturers who convened first-year subjects and those who convened fourth-year subjects. The qualitative data indicated students' strong reference to experiences of writing and of seeking help. Both had shaped their self-perceptions as writers and these had changed over time. First-year students believed that knowing what lecturers wanted in writing assignments was an important factor in success. They described their efforts to access this information and to give lecturers what they thought was wanted. Fourth-year students recognised the same factor, but were more self-reliant in approaching an assignment task. The change to greater internal control appeared to be an outcome of encountering inconsistent and confusing information from external sources over their four years of writing assignments. For their part, lecturers of first-year students said that successful students knew what to write and how to write it. However, lecturers of fourth-year students believed knowing what to write should be subsumed by knowing how to write, and concentrated on the procedural aspect. They believed a coherent assignment resulted when students conceptualised subject matter in ways that enabled them to write academically. Findings in this study extend recent reconceptualisations of literacy as 'literacies' and socio-cultural, socio-cognitive theories about literacy as social practice. They demonstrate limitations of an apprenticeship model for acculturation and suggest a more agentic role for novice members in accounting for learning outcomes as students develop as assignment writers. The experiential accounts reported by members of the academic writing community described their shared and idiosyncratic perceptions of literacy practices and relations of these practices with success in assignment writing. Their descriptions enhance our understanding of the complexity and consequences of these experiences. They also account for why calls for the community to be more visible and explicit in sharing communal expectations of what is privileged and valued in academic assignment writing generally may not be a solution. Based on findings here, this is not a solution. Expectations need to be co-constructed within the community, among students, and lecturers within the context of the writing task. An outcome of understandings reported here is the development of a model from which factors, conditions and critical events that situate learning within a rhetorical conundrum may be described and predicted. This model offers a framework for members of a writing community to explicate individual experiences and expectations in ways that help everyone make sense of those critical events that contribute to a rhetorical conundrum and shape encultured knowledge.

This thesis presents an e-learning solution to facilitate formative assessment of electronically submitted open-ended written assignments.It is widely accepted that formative assessment is highly beneficial to student leaning. A number of researchers are active in developing specialized approaches and software systems for assisting formative assessment of student work. However, no comprehensive e-learning solution exists for facilitating formative assessment of students' open-ended written work. The project presented in this thesis has developed a new approach for using computers to facilitate formative assessment of electronically submitted open-ended written assignments.Based on the literature review of the education theories around formative assessment and current computer software technologies, this project has developed three principles for e-learning support for formative assessment of open-ended written assignments:1. It needs to facilitate all the activities that are potentially required for formative assessment of student assignments (for example, the creation of assessment criteria, the submission of assignments, and the analysis of the assessment results), not only the marking activity to create feedback on assignments.2. It needs to provide an onscreen marking tool which enables human markers to mark open-ended written assignments in an intuitive and efficient way by replicating their paper-based assessment approaches.3. It needs to provide a generic solution for facilitating formative assessment of open-ended written assignments from all disciplines, not a limited solution restricted to some specific domains (for example, computers science or business courses).Based on these principles, a specification of an e-learning system for facilitating formative assessment of open-ended written assignment was developed and a system was implemented accordingly. This system, called the Written Assignment Assessment (WAA) system, has been already used in the assignment marking of several courses at Massey University.

<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p><strong>Purpose</strong></p><p>The purpose of this paper is to find out which personal-related factors are influencing on the task performance and the contextual performance of expatriate managers.</p><p><strong>Design/Methodology/Approach</strong></p><p>This research adopts a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews with key-information from the managers taking international assignments.</p><p><strong>Findings</strong></p><p>The findings indicate that there is a series of significant associations between personal-related factors (personality traits, competences/skills, self-willingness and previous experience) and the performance of expatriates’ assignments.</p><p><strong>Research limitations/implications</strong></p><p>One suggestion for further research is to explore deeper and more comprehensive on other less important factors or the important factors which we are overlooking; it also could be more comprehensive on the factors that relate to the performance of expatriates.</p><p><strong>Practical implications</strong></p><p>We present a table of the relationship between personality traits, competences/skills, self-willingness, previous experience and the job performance of expatriates’ assignments. Thus, HR departments can follow this guidance when selecting expatriates to manage overseas assignments. Furthermore, individuals can take this model as a reference when making decisions for their career lives.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong></p><p>Expatriate assignments, personality traits, self-willingness, competences/skills, previous experience, job performance, task performance, contexture performance</p><p><strong>Paper type</strong></p><p>Master Thesis</p>