De nombreuses recherches ont mis en évidence les difficultés rencontrées par les élèves relativement au concept de fonction. Néanmoins, peu de chercheurs se sont penchés sur les sources possibles de ces difficultés qui sont liées au développement, chez les élèves du premier cycle du secondaire, du concept de covariation entre deux grandeurs, ni sur les moyens envisageables pour remédier à ces difficultés. C’est donc ce que nous faisons dans cette recherche. Évidemment, la problématique est très vaste et les angles pour l’aborder aussi. Nous avons donc choisi de nous concentrer sur les transferts entre modes de représentation, particulièrement le transfert de la situation au graphique. Ce choix est dû, entre autres, au fait que ce transfert en est un de ceux qui pose le plus de difficultés aux élèves alors qu’on le retrouve très tôt dans les objectifs des programmes de formation de l’école secondaire (MEQ, 1994 et MELS, 2003). Nos hypothèses sur la source de ces difficultés sont l’incompréhension du concept de covariation entre deux grandeurs par les élèves et le manque de prise en considération de la complexité des transferts entre modes de représentation dans l’enseignement. Afin d’approfondir cette deuxième hypothèse, nous nous sommes intéressé aux travaux de Duval (1988, 1993) en ce qui concerne les registres de représentation sémiotiques, ce qui nous a permis d’analyser précisément en quoi consiste le transfert de la situation au graphique. Nous avons alors élaboré sur la conversion d’une situation présentée à l’aide de deux registres, « verbal » et « figural », au registre « graphique », ce qui nous a permis par la suite d’analyser les résultats de l’expérimentation. Nous avons en effet conçu une séquence d’enseignement permettant de développer le concept de covariation et d’introduire le graphique comme étant la représentation visuelle de cette covariation chez des élèves de secondaire 2, puis nous l’avons expérimentée auprès de trois groupes d’élèves de niveaux académiques différents (faible, régulier et fort). Cette séquence d’enseignement repose principalement sur une perspective constructiviste de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage, ainsi que sur la considération des représentations spontanées des élèves. Elle propose donc une situation-problème menant les élèves à la construction de la représentation graphique à partir de leurs représentations spontanées. Notre analyse des résultats met principalement en évidence les caractéristiques des représentations spontanées des élèves, ainsi que leur évolution tout au long de l’expérimentation. Elle nous permet donc de tirer plusieurs conclusions relativement au développement du concept de covariation et à l’introduction de la représentation graphique chez les élèves du premier cycle du secondaire.

Cette recherche vise à répondre à un double objectif. D'une part, nous tentons de délimiter les contenus symboliques, intentionnels et communicationnels qui sont subjacents à l'acte de gérer son apparence au moyen d'objets de luxe et/ou à la mode. Et d'autre part, nous cherchons à apprendre comment se présente l'Altérité à la conscience des individus qui effectuent une médiation avec lesdits objets de parure. L'approche de cette recherche se veut, avant tout, compréhensive. Elle implique le domaine de la subjectivité et plus précisément l'interprétation que se font certains individus du monde et des objets qui les entourent. Nous adhérons donc à ce postulat qui conçoit que : « le fait social n'est pas un objet stable, il est produit de l'activité continuelle des hommes, qui mettent en œuvre des savoir-faire, des procédures, des règles de conduites, bref une méthodologie profane » (Coulon, 1997: 19). À partir de l'analyse discursive de données recueillies via des entretiens semi-dirigés, nous avons approfondi : 1) la relation symbolique que des femmes entretenaient avec leur identité, les objets de parure qu'elles possèdent et les Autres qui les entourent; 2) les motifs intentionnels et communicationnels de la pratique sociale ciblée. Nous concluons que l'intention derrière l'organisation du paraître est de rejoindre une forme allusive de soi et où la nécessité d'être perçu s'avère fondamentale. Nos conclusions permettent d'envisager l'appropriation des objets de mode et de luxe tel un accompagnement de soi. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : apparence, altérité, luxe, médiation, mode, phénoménologie.

It is now widely recognized that society’s over-reliance on the automobile contributes to environmental problems, especially in urban areas. Nevertheless, efforts to bring about modal shifts through transportation demand management strategies typically have had limited success. As a result, transportation research is increasingly focused on understanding the decision-making process of travel behaviour changes including mode choice and automobile ownership. The purpose of this study is to explore how individuals arrive at a decision to live either car-free or car-lite. Using a grounded-theory approach, this thesis explores the factors involved in a car-free/car-lite decision and the manner in which those factors work together to create the decision making process(es). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 driving members of a car-sharing organization, each of whom made a decision to go car-lite (car-sharing is their additional vehicle) or car-free (car-sharing is their primary vehicle). Five main interconnected themes emerged from the analysis: finances, personal values and attitudes, personal history, perceived accessibility and situational life events. In particular, the participants’ experiences reinforce the importance of situation life events in the decision-making process, a factor not commonly identified in behaviour change theory. Additionally, the participants’ narratives illustrate that intention is created from an individual’s inclination and ability to make a travel behaviour change. However, translation from intention into action appears to be conditionally dependent on contextual and/or situational changes, most often in the form of situational life events, that provide a push into or out of the decision-making process. Findings underscore the importance of life events as catalysts for bringing travel behaviour in line with an individual’s sense of what is important and what is possible. This research illustrates the relevance of qualitative work in advancing transportation research – particularly in understanding human travel decisions. While the current transportation-planning paradigm is appropriate for making short-term forecasts, we must recognize that non-linear, non-utilitarian, long-term, often qualitative factors, such as those identified in this research, are not exogenous to travel decision making. Results also provide a basis for reflecting on the appropriateness of various metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of transportation demand management initiatives.

Influenza A and B viruses are major causes of seasonal flu epidemics each year. Hemagglutinin (HA) mediates the binding of virus to host cell and the fusion with host membrane. The crystal of HA in complex with antibody that reveals the mechanism by which antibody recognizes HA may not diffract to high resolution, thereby preventing the accurate interpretation of the structural model. The application of normal mode refinement that aims for improving the structure quality at the low resolution is tested. These studies provide some guidelines for future refinement of HA-antibody complex structures. By comparing the residues constituting the base of the receptor binding site of influenza A and B virus HAs, it is found that they share some similarities, except for a Phe at position 95 of influenza B virus hemagglutinin (BHA) versus Tyr in of influenza A virus hemagglutinin (AHA). The recombinant protein BHA containing the F95Y mutation exhibits the increased receptor binding affinity and specificity. However, recombinant viruses with the Phe95Tyr mutation show lower erythrocyte agglutination titer and decreased binding abilities with different cell lines. The replication of the Phe95Tyr mutant virus in mice is also attenuated. These data suggest that the increased receptor binding ability of HA alone is not advantageous to the pathogenesis of the viruses. The structure of BHA2 (a portion of BHA near the C-terminus) at the post-fusion state has been determined to 2.45 Å resolution. This protein forms a hairpin-like conformation rich in -helices. About 70 residues from the N-terminus is a three-stranded coiled coil, and the remaining of the protein packs in anti-parallel against the groove formed by the central helices. In the post-fusion state of BHA2, the helix converted from the B-loop in pre-fusion state contacts the C-terminal fragment of this protein with more hydrophobic interactions as compared to AHA2. This structure illustrates the distinct stabilization strategy employed by BHA2 to form a post-fusion state that resembles that for AHA2. These studies will further the understanding of BHA with respect to its role in receptor binding ability and fusion.

Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka i vilken utsträckning studerande kvinnor 20-25 år vid Högskolan i Halmstad baserar sin klädkonsumtion utifrån de modetrender som dagligen visas i media. Metod: Enkätundersökning som genomförts med ett slumpmässigt urval av studiens målgrupp, studerande kvinnor 20-25 år, kvalitativ djupintervju som genomförts med en respondent från målgruppen. Samt två kvalitativa telefonintervjuer som genomförts med två chefredaktörer inom mediebranschen.Resultat: Samtliga av studiens kvalitativa intervjuer visar att en tydlig samverkan mellan skribenter för modebloggar, medie- och modeföretag samt konsumenter existerar. Detta samtidigt som studiens målgrupp inte finner sig påtagligt påverkbara vad gäller deras val och konsumtion av kläder från medias dagliga rapporteringar kring mode.

The internationalization process of emerging market multinationals (EMNCs) has been the focus of study of several studies on the recent decades. Importance was given as well to differentiate the patters of those from the multinationals coming from developed countries (MNCs). This study investigates specificities in the path of a Brazilian steel industry, Gerdau, into foreign production in developed countries, Canada and United States. By pointing out the different theories, the case of Gerdau can be better understood not only as an internationalization process, but as well as a company that could reach opportunities in a sector going through a problematic period by acquiring regional players, instead of using exports to reach those markets. Some authors states managerial capabilities being understood as second most important competitive advantage of Brazilian firms, loosing only to differentiated access of natural resources. In this study, we go through the understanding of how this capabilities played important role in a company outside of the natural resources business, supporting Gerdau's successful path.

Internetanvändandet i Sverige ökar och en väsentlig del av Internetanvändandet inbegriper bloggar. Bloggläsande är mest populärt bland unga kvinnor och det är just denna grupp studien syftar att undersöka. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur bloggläsare påverkas av det de läser i bloggar, med fokus på bloggläsares konsumtion och reflektera över hur det i sin tur påverkar bloggläsares identitetsskapande. Huvuddelen av tidigare forskning inom ämnet blogg har belyst bloggförfattarnas perspektiv. Den tidigare forskning vi presenterar i arbetet visar att bloggförfattare kan använda bloggen som ett verktyg i sitt identitetsskapande. Vi vill istället fokusera på bloggläsarnas perspektiv. Studier som har haft bloggläsare som utgångspunkt har visat att en stor del av de som läser bloggar någon gång har köpt en produkt eller tjänst som de har läst om i en blogg. Det har också framkommit att tjejer i högre grad än killar hämtar inspiration till framtida inköp genom bloggar. Vårt empiriska material består av tematiskt öppna intervjuer med sju aktiva kvinnliga bloggläsare. Vår teoretiska ram bygger på teorier om identitetskapande och angränsande teorier av Anthony Giddens, Thomas Ziehe och Erving Goffman. Vi har även inkluderat grundläggande teorier om konsumtion av Zygmunt Bauman och Thorstein Veblen samt en grundläggande teori om mode av Georg Simmel. Vårt resultat visar att respondenterna använder bloggen som en inspirationskälla till konsumtion. Det gäller främst klädinköp, kosmetikainköp, smyckeinköp och i viss mån matinköp. Respondenterna söker inte inspiration i bloggar till resor och plastikoperationer och de anser inte att de konsumerar mer som ett resultat av att de är bloggläsare. De efterstävar inte bloggarens utseende i helhet. Respondenterna är medvetna om att bloggare blir sponsrade och får betalt för att skriva om vissa varor och tjänster, men det stoppar dem inte från att inhandla varan eller utnyttja tjänsten. Bloggarna är en av de grupper som tagit över den arbetsfria klassens roll som inspirationskälla till konsumtion hos respondenterna. Trots detta skäms de över att de läser bloggar och vill inte att alla ska veta om det. Bloggen fungerar även som ett verktyg i respondenternas skapande och återskapande av självidentiteten då bloggläsandet leder till en viss sorts konsumtion, som i sin tur leder till identitetsskapande.

Syftet med detta examensarbete var att utveckla en GC-metod för analys av etylenglykoler i förorenade vattenprover, exempelvis industriavloppsvatten. Detta skulle åstadkommas med en GC-FID och MMI (Multimode Inlet), samt helst utan provupparbetning. Ett annat av målen var att kunna kvantifiera inom området 1 ppm till 100 ppm, och att metoden skulle vara tillräckligt stabil för att kunna ackreditera den.Ett flertal kolonner testades, där en HP-5 med dimensionerna 30 m*0,53 mm*0,88 μm från Agilent var den som gav bäst resultat. Även två olika liners provades, dels en med glasull och dels en 2 mm dimpled liner, där dimpled linern gav bäst resultat, och minst ”carry-over” mellan analyserna. Bland de parametrar som gav störst effekt utmärker sig trycket i injektorn, och tiderna som de olika flödena är igång. För fullständiga inställningar, se bilaga 2.En metod redo för ackreditering hann ej tas fram, det finns ett flertal parametrar som bör undersökas för en effektivare och stabilare analys. Men metoden som är framtagen är redo för omfattande repeterbarhetstest. / The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis was to develop a GC method for analysis of ethylene glycols in polluted water samples, for example industrial sewage water. This was meant to be accomplished with a GC FID and MMI (Multimode Inlet), preferably without sample preparation. One of the goals was to be able to quantify between 1 ppm and 100 ppm, and that the method was stable enough for accreditation.A number of columns were tested, from where a HP-5 with the dimensions 30 m*0,53 mm*0,88 μm from Agilent gave the best results. Also, two different liners were tested, one with glass wool and one 2 mm dimpled liner, where the dimpled liner gave the best results and the least carry-over between samples. Amongst the parameters which gave the biggest effect, the inlet pressure and the different flow times stands out. For a full set of settings, see Bilaga 2.A method ready for accreditation was not developed due to short of time. There are still a number of parameters which should be investigated for a more efficient and stabile analysis. But the method developed is ready for extensive repeatability tests.

It is now widely recognized that society’s over-reliance on the automobile contributes to environmental problems, especially in urban areas. Nevertheless, efforts to bring about modal shifts through transportation demand management strategies typically have had limited success. As a result, transportation research is increasingly focused on understanding the decision-making process of travel behaviour changes including mode choice and automobile ownership. The purpose of this study is to explore how individuals arrive at a decision to live either car-free or car-lite. Using a grounded-theory approach, this thesis explores the factors involved in a car-free/car-lite decision and the manner in which those factors work together to create the decision making process(es). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 driving members of a car-sharing organization, each of whom made a decision to go car-lite (car-sharing is their additional vehicle) or car-free (car-sharing is their primary vehicle). Five main interconnected themes emerged from the analysis: finances, personal values and attitudes, personal history, perceived accessibility and situational life events. In particular, the participants’ experiences reinforce the importance of situation life events in the decision-making process, a factor not commonly identified in behaviour change theory. Additionally, the participants’ narratives illustrate that intention is created from an individual’s inclination and ability to make a travel behaviour change. However, translation from intention into action appears to be conditionally dependent on contextual and/or situational changes, most often in the form of situational life events, that provide a push into or out of the decision-making process. Findings underscore the importance of life events as catalysts for bringing travel behaviour in line with an individual’s sense of what is important and what is possible. This research illustrates the relevance of qualitative work in advancing transportation research – particularly in understanding human travel decisions. While the current transportation-planning paradigm is appropriate for making short-term forecasts, we must recognize that non-linear, non-utilitarian, long-term, often qualitative factors, such as those identified in this research, are not exogenous to travel decision making. Results also provide a basis for reflecting on the appropriateness of various metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of transportation demand management initiatives.

Although wind power as a renewable energy is assumed to be an all-round advantageous source of energy, its intermittent nature can cause difficulties, especially in the islanding mode of operation. Conventional synchronous generators can help to compensate for wind fluctuations, but the slow behavior of such systems may result in stability concerns. In this study, the virtual inertia method, which imitates the kinetic inertia of a synchronous generator, is used to improve the system’s dynamic behavior. Since the proposed method incorporates no long-term power regulation, it requires no mass storage device and is thus economical. To preclude additional costs, a rotating mass connected to the Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) shaft or a super-capacitor connected to the DC-link on a back-to-back converter of a wind power generator could be used. The concept and the proposed control methods are discussed in detail, and eigen-value analysis is used to study how the proposed method improves system stability. As well, the advantages and disadvantages of using DFIG rotating mass or a super-capacitor as the virtual inertia source are compared. The proposed approach also shows that while virtual inertia is not incorporated directly in long-term frequency and power regulation, it may indirectly enhance the system’s steady-state behavior. A time domain simulation is used to verify the results of the analytical studies.