Low Impact Development (LID) is gaining popularity as a solution to erosion, flooding, and water quality problems that stormwater ponds partially address. LID analysis takes a spatially lumped approach, based on maintaining the predevelopment Curve Number and time of concentration, precluding consideration of the spatial distribution of impervious areas and Integrated Management Practices (IMP's), runoff-runon processes, and the effects of land grading. Success is thus dependent on the accuracy of the assumption of watershed uniformity, applied to both land cover distribution and flow path length. Considering the cost of long-term paired watershed monitoring, continuous, spatially-distributed hydrologic modeling was judged a better method to compare the response of LID, forest, and conventional development. Review of available models revealed EPA-SWMM 4.4H as the most applicable to the task. A 4.3-acre subwatershed of a local subdivision was adapted to LID using impervious surface disconnection, forest retention, and IMPs. SWMM was applied to the LID development at a fine spatial scale, yielding an 80-element SWMM model. The LID model was modified to reflect conventional development, with gutters, storm sewer, and detention. A predevelopment forest model was also developed. Two parameter sets were used, representing a range of assumptions characterized as favorable or unfavorable toward a particular development form. Modeled scenarios included favorable and unfavorable versions of Forest, LID, uncontrolled Conventional Development, and Conventional Development with Stormwater Management. SWMM was run in continuous mode using local rainfall data, and event mode using NRCS design storms. Runoff volumes, peak flows, and flow duration curves were compared. / Master of Science

This study investigates the further development of the commercially available re-entrant steel deck profile. The effects of various embossments and continuous construction are investigated through three Series of composite slab load tests. The test specimens in this study were constructed to simulate actual field construction of composite slabs as part of reinforced concrete structures. The results of this experimental study are analyzed using methods given in the ASCE Standard for the Structural Design of Composite Slabs. Recommended design procedures for the improved re-entrant profile are given and various future profile modifications are suggested. / Master of Science

Yes / Although the depth of reinforced concrete deep beams is much higher than that of slender beams, extensive existing tests on deep beams have focused on simply supported beams with a scaled depth below 600 mm. In the present paper, test results of 12 two-span reinforced concrete deep beams are reported. The main parameters investigated were the beam depth, which is varied from 400 mm to 720 mm, concrete compressive strength and shear span-tooverall depth ratio. All beams had the same longitudinal top and bottom reinforcement and no web reinforcement to assess the effect of changing the beam depth on the shear strength of such beams. All beams tested failed owing to a significant diagonal crack connecting the edges of the load and intermediate support plates. The influence of beam depth on shear strength was more pronounced on continuous deep beams than simple ones and on beams having higher concrete compressive strength. A numerical technique based on the upper bound analysis of the plasticity theory was developed to assess the load capacity of continuous deep beams. The influence of the beam depth was covered by the effectiveness factor of concrete in compression to cater for size effect. Comparisons between the total capacity from the proposed technique and that experimentally measured in the current investigation and elsewhere show good agreement, even though the section depth of beams is varied.

No / We often complete step downs in the absence of visual feedback of the lower-limbs, and/or of the area on the ground where we intend to land (e.g. when descending a step whilst carrying a laundry basket). Therefore, the present study examined whether information from lower visual field (lvf) provides any advantage to the control of step descent. Ten healthy subjects (age 24.4 ± 9.4 years) completed repeated step downs over three-step heights with visual information available from either full or upper visual fields (lvf occluded), and for specific intervals relative to step initiation. Visuomotor control of step descent was assessed by determining pre-landing kinematic measures and landing mechanic variables for the initial landing period. Findings indicate that whilst there were only limited effects on pre-landing kinematic measures under lvf occlusion, individual’s ability to plan/control landing mechanics was significantly different in such conditions compared to when they had access to full field vision. These changes were consistent with participants being uncertain regarding precise floor height when access to lvf was restricted, and consequently led them to adapt their landing behaviour but without fundamentally altering their stepping strategy. Compared to when vision was available throughout, the occlusion of vision (full or upper visual field) from toe-off or mid-swing onwards caused very few differences in landing behaviour. This suggests that the contribution of information from lvf to the control of landing behaviour occurs predominantly prior to or during movement initiation and that ‘online’ vision is used only in the latter portion of the descent phase to subtly ‘fine tune’ landings.

Yes / With the advancement of disruptive new technologies, there has been a considerable focus on personalisation as an important component in nurturing users' engagement. In the context of smart cities, Internet of Things (IoT) offer a unique opportunity to help empower citizens and improve societies' engagement with their governments at both micro and macro levels. This study aims to examine the role of perceived value of IoT in improving citizens' engagement with public services. A survey of 313 citizens in the UK, engaging in various public services, enabled through IoT, found that the perceived value of IoT is strongly influenced by empowerment, perceived usefulness and privacy related issues resulting in significantly affecting their continuous use intentions. The study offers valuable insights into the importance of perceived value of IoT-enabled services, while at the same time, providing an intersectional perspective of UK citizens towards the use of disruptive new technologies in the public sector.

Universities worldwide struggle with maintaining academic integrity due to the rise of advanced large language models (LLM) capable of generating flawless source code. Teachers need to be able to identify artificial intelligence (AI)-generated source code in student submissions accurately. There are already multiple different tools for detecting AI-generated content. Yet teachers are not using these tools. For this reason, this case study will focus on creating a prototype for automating the process of checking for AI-generated source code in submitted assignments in programming courses. Teachers at Linnaeus University (LNU) are using GitLab for submissions of programming assignments. The prototype in this case study will be created on GitLab and tested on submitted test assignments using the same structure utilized by teachers at LNU for their programming courses. The automated process will be accomplished using continuous integration (CI) pipelines on GitLab that will execute Python files that send and receive data to and from the AI-detection tool’s application programming interface (API). The received data will be represented on GitLab for teachers and students to see.

No / When stepping down from one level to another, the leading limb has to arrest downward momentum of the body and subsequently receive and safely support bodyweight before level walking can begin. Such step downs are performed over a wide range of heights and predicting when and where contact between the landing limb and the lower level will be made is likely a critical factor. To determine if visual feedback obtained after movement initiation is habitually used in guiding landing behaviour, the present study determined whether pre-landing kinematics and the mechanics of landing would be modulated according to the type of visual feedback available during the stepping down phase. Ten healthy participants (32.3 ± 7.9 years) stepped, from a standing position, down from three different heights onto a forceplatform, either coming immediately to rest or proceeding directly to walking across the laboratory. Repeated trials were undertaken under habitual vision conditions or with vision blurred or occluded 2¿3 s prior to movement initiation. Pre-landing kinematics were assessed by determining, for the instant of landing, lead-limb knee and ankle angle, stepping distance, forwards positioning of the body CM within the base of support and the forwards and downwards body CM velocity. Landing mechanics for the initial contact period were characterized using lead limb vertical loading and stiffness, and trail limb un-weighting. When vision was occluded movement time, ankle plantarflexion and knee flexion were significantly increased compared to that determined for habitual vision, whereas forwards body CM positioning and velocity, vertical loading and stiffness, and trail limb un-weighting, were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). Similar adaptations were observed under blurred conditions, although to a lesser extent. Most variables were significantly affected by stepping task and step height. Subjects likely reduced forwards CM position and velocity at instant of landing, in order to keep the CM well away from the anterior border of the base of support, presumably to ensure boundary margins of safety were high should landing occur sooner or later than expected. The accompanying increase in ankle plantarflexion at instant of landing, and increase in single limb support time, suggests that subjects tended to probe for the ground with their lead limb under modified vision conditions. They also had more bodyweight on the trail limb at the end of the initial contact period and as a consequence had a prolonged weight transfer time. These findings indicate that under blurred or occluded vision conditions subjects adopted a cautious strategy where by they ¿sat back¿ on their trail limb and used their lead limb to probe for the ground. Hence, they did not fully commit to weight transfer until somatosensory feedback from the lead limb confirmed they had safely made contact. The effect of blurring vision was not identical to occluding vision, and led to several important differences between these conditions consistent with the use of impoverished visual information on depth. These findings indicate that online vision is customarily used to regulate landing behaviour when stepping down.

We study ideals of pointfree function rings. In particular, we study the lattices of z-ideals and d-ideals of the ring RL of continuous real-valued functions on a completely regular frame L. We show that the lattice of z-ideals is a coherently normal Yosida frame; and the lattice of d-ideals is a coherently normal frame. The lattice of z-ideals is demonstrated to be atly projectable if and only if the ring RL is feebly Baer. On the other hand, the frame of d-ideals is projectable precisely when the frame is cozero-complemented. These ideals give rise to two functors as follows: Sending a frame to the lattice of these ideals is a functorial assignment. We construct a natural transformation between the functors that arise from these assignments. We show that, for a certain collection of frame maps, the functor associated with z-ideals preserves and re ects the property of having a left adjoint. A ring is called a UMP-ring if every maximal ideal in it is the union of the minimal prime ideals it contains. In the penultimate chapter we give several characterisations for the ring RL to be a UMP-ring. We observe, in passing, that if a UMP ring is a Q-algebra, then each of its ideals when viewed as a ring in its own right is a UMP-ring. An example is provided to show that the converse fails. Finally, piggybacking on results in classical rings of continuous functions, we show that, exactly as in C(X), nth roots exist in RL. This is a consequence of an earlier proposition that every reduced f-ring with bounded inversion is the ring of fractions of its bounded part relative to those elements in the bounded part which are units in the bigger ring. We close with a result showing that the frame of open sets of the structure space of RL is isomorphic to L. / Mathematical Sciences / Mathematics / D.Phil. (Mathematics)

Idag råder en företagsmiljö som består av digitaliserade strukturer i form av informations- och affärssystem där den digitala informationen är central. Den nya företagsmiljön kräver enligt forskningen nya metoder för utvärdering och rapportering. Medan digitaliseringen kommit långt i utveckling inom företagande och samhället i stort så har redovisnings- och revisionsmetoder stått stilla.Ett koncept som har kommit att bli aktuellt i tomrummet mellan digitaliseringens framväxt och revisionsmetoders traditionella utförande är Continuous Auditing. Konceptet har forskats kring under en relativt lång tid, varvid förhoppningen var att företag skulle ta till sig konceptet och byta ut sina omoderna revisionsmetoder. Bland annat förespråkas att revisionen borde utföras på ett mer proaktivt sätt och att automatiserade lösningar ska ersätta manuella utföranden. Undersökningar har visat på att Continuous Auditing enbart har tillämpats i en begränsad utsträckning. Syftet med denna studie är därmed att utreda varför så är fallet genom att undersöka huvudanvändarna, internrevisorernas inställning till konceptet.För att genomföra undersökningen tillämpar denna studie en kvalitativ forskningsansats med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer med internrevisorer. Intervjuerna och analysen kring dessa har utgått ifrån en teoretisk referensram bestående av tidigare litteratur och forskning inom internrevision, Continuous auditing och teori kring teknologitillämpning.Bland annat ger resultatet uttryck för att studiens internrevisorer är öppna för att införa närliggande koncept och upplever att det finns ett behov av att införa sådana i företag. Däremot råder det tveksamheter kring vilka användarna av sådana koncept ska vara. / There is a discussion about the current way of conducting business that contains a digitalized structure in the form of information- and enterprise systems where the digital information is vital. According to research this new environment requires new methods for measurement and reporting. While the development of the digitalization in businesses and society has gone far, the accounting and auditing methods have not.One concept that has become relevant in the process of digitalization is Continuous Auditing. There has been research about the concept for a while and there was a hope that businesses would start adopting it and switch from traditional auditing methods. For instance, the research has spoken about the possibility to do auditing in a more proactive way and implement automated technology. However, the research has shown that the concept only has been implemented in a few cases. This study has the purpose to examine why through examining the main users, the internal auditors` attitudes towards the concept.This study has applied a qualitative approach with the help of semi-structured interviews with internal auditors. The interviews and the analysis have been formed by previous literature and conducted research on internal auditing, continuous auditing and also theory about technology adoption.For instance, the results of this study were that internal auditors are willing to adopt similar concepts and are feeling the need to implement such. However, it is unclear whether the users should be internal auditors.

Idag råder en företagsmiljö som består av digitaliserade strukturer i form av informations- och affärssystem där den digitala informationen är central. Den nya företagsmiljön kräver enligt forskningen nya metoder för utvärdering och rapportering. Medan digitaliseringen kommit långt i utveckling inom företagande och samhället i stort så har redovisnings- och revisionsmetoder stått stilla. Ett koncept som har kommit att bli aktuellt i tomrummet mellan digitaliseringens framväxt och revisionsmetoders traditionella utförande är Continuous Auditing. Konceptet har forskats kring under en relativt lång tid, varvid förhoppningen var att företag skulle ta till sig konceptet och byta ut sina omoderna revisionsmetoder. Bland annat förespråkas att revisionen borde utföras på ett mer proaktivt sätt och att automatiserade lösningar ska ersätta manuella utföranden. Undersökningar har visat på att Continuous Auditing enbart har tillämpats i en begränsad utsträckning. Syftet med denna studie är därmed att utreda varför så är fallet genom att undersöka huvudanvändarna, internrevisorernas inställning till konceptet. För att genomföra undersökningen tillämpar denna studie en kvalitativ forskningsansats med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer med internrevisorer. Intervjuerna och analysen kring dessa har utgått ifrån en teoretisk referensram bestående av tidigare litteratur och forskning inom internrevision, Continuous auditing och teori kring teknologitillämpning. Bland annat ger resultatet uttryck för att studiens internrevisorer är öppna för att införa närliggande koncept och upplever att det finns ett behov av att införa sådana i företag. Däremot råder det tveksamheter kring vilka användarna av sådana koncept ska vara. / There is a discussion about today’s current way of conducting business that contains a digitalized structure in the form of information- and enterprise systems where the digital information is vital. According to research this new environment requires new methods for measurement and reporting. While the development of the digitalization in businesses and society has gone far, the accounting and auditing methods have not. One concept that has become relevant in the process of digitalization is Continuous Auditing. There has been research about the concept for a while and there was a hope that businesses would start adopting it and switch from traditional auditing methods. For instance, the research has spoken about the possibility to do auditing in a more proactive way and implement automated technology. However, the research has shown that the concept only has been implemented in a few cases. This study has the purpose to examine why through examining the main users, the internal auditors` attitudes towards the concept. This study has applied a qualitative approach with the help of semi-structured interviews with internal auditors. The interviews and the analysis have been formed by previous literature and conducted research on internal auditing, continuous auditing and also theory about technology adoption. For instance, the results of this study were that internal auditors are willing to adopt similar concepts and are feeling the need to implement such. However, it is unclear whether the users should be internal auditors.