Interest in BiCMOS technology has been generated recently due to the potential advantages this technology offers over conventional CMOS which enjoys widespread use in today’s semiconductor industry. However, before BiCMOS can be readily adopted by the VLSI community, an understanding of the design issues and tradeoffs involved when utilizing it, must be achieved. The principal focus of this research is to move towards such an understanding through the means of analytical modeling and circuit simulation using PSPICE [1]. The device chosen for the modeling approach is the basic BiCMOS Inverting Buffer Driver. The model yields equations that characterize output rise and fall transients and quantify the delays incurred therein. At the end of the analysis, we have a composite set of delay equations that are a measure of the total gate delay and reflect the importance of individual device and circuit parameters in determining this delay. Further investigations conducted to determine the influence of device, circuit and process parameters on BiCMOS, indicate that this technology is far more resilient to variations in such parameters than CMOS. At the end of this research, we are able to make a definitive judgement about BiCMOS performance and its superiority over CMOS in the switching speed domain. / Master of Science

As one of the most critical elements in distance learning, interaction has been identified empirically as increasing learner motivation, satisfaction, participation, communication, and achievement. Fostering pedagogically effective interaction is a major challenge for educators in distance learning. In response to this challenge, the goal of this research was to develop a theoretically- and empirically- grounded framework for guiding interaction design in distance learning. It is anticipated that this framework can assist educators and instructional designers in designing quality interaction in distance learning. This study employed a design and developmental research methodology with three phases: analysis, development and evaluation, and revision. Findings from a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed interaction theory and research in distance learning as well as expert review informed the building of a three-phase framework for guiding interaction instructional design in distance learning. / Ph. D.

<p>“Unemployment is a restriction of people’s social</p><p>networks and the feeling of participation in the society”</p><p>-Marita Eastmond & Lisa Åkesson</p><p><strong>Abstract </strong></p><p>The main aim of this study is to discuss integration in the labour market by analyzing and discussing a governmental Proposition and a Pilot Project as well as the results of the field work herein carried out. In order to understand how integration in the labour market occurs and to provide some suggestions to improve the governmental documents, the concepts of securitization of migration and transnationalization of migration were used as analytical frameworks. The Pilot Project chosen is <em>Pilotverksamhet med etableringssamtal och etableringsplan – Uppdaterad projektplan med mål och riktlinjer för den utvidgade försöksverksamheten </em>based on the Proposition <em>2009/10:60</em> ”<em>Nyanlända invandrares arbetsmarknadsetablering – egenansvar med professionellt stöd”. </em>The research questions are 1) which questions are left aside from the Proposition and which are possible suggestions to the questions found? 2) How are the interviewees and the Pilot Project/Proposition affected by securitization of migration and transnationalization of migration? Furthermore, suggestions to improve the proposition were discussed. Interviews with primary and secondary stakeholders were also carried out. This analysis was carried out together with the results of the field work in Kronoberg (focused on residents of Araby, Arbetsförmedlingen and Växjö Kommun) in the view of the concepts of securitization and transnational migration issues. The method of this research is qualitative with an abductive approach. The result of this study indicates a number of issues to be improved in the Proposition document before the law be promulgated by the government, as well as some issues that hinder the integration process of the primary stakeholders. Reflection for future studies concerning the influence of securitization and transnationalization phenomena, as well as suggestions to improve people’s integration processes are presented in the conclusion of this study. </p><p>Keywords: Arbetsförmedlingen, Araby, county, immigration, integration, international migration, municipality, Kommun, policy, Proposition, securitization, Sweden, Swedish, Växjö</p>

Ph.D. / This study investigated the nature of collaboration between three institutions: the school, NGO and community (local leaders and members) in enabling sustainable development in regard to the creation of livelihoods and conservation. Two school-based environmental education programmes in South Africa and Tanzania were used to investigate the nature and issues of collaboration involving the tripartite institutions. Adopting pragmatic and critical paradigms, a mixed model approach formed the framework within which the study was conducted. A mixed model emphasising qualitative methods was appropriate and proved useful enabling insightful investigations. The study found that the nature of collaboration between the tripartite institutions was superfluous. Inspired by their traditional roles and modernistic competitive practices, most institutions preferred independent or singularist approaches and weaker inter-relationships to openness and closer working partnerships for survival. The resultant deliberate negation of developing local capacities promoted the traditional independent relational status quo, which assured little or no innovative approaches to conservation and livelihood creation. The isolated and independent institutional activity implementation approaches led to institutions copying each other as opposed to learning from each other innovatively as enunciated in communities of practice. The position thus contributed in stifling the efforts that could drive sustainable development activities in local communities through the institutions. It also impeded the development of familiarity between, and among the institutions further discouraging meaningful collaboration. Local institutions thus isolated themselves from each other making themselves vulnerable to external forces that further derailed their efforts to contribute towards education, conservation and the creation of livelihoods in local contexts. It is recommended that NGOs involved in education and environmental activities, and the government departments of education in particular assist educators to establish forums and nurture them to attain functional capacities. This is one way of encouraging continuous professional development and growth. Learners must be exposed to as many active learning opportunities as possible, which include activities in the community as part of their formal education requirements and assessment for their final grades. Furthermore, more innovative approaches are required in introducing curriculum changes to educators and involving them to co-interpret such changes with the developers to fit respective contexts and to meaningfully contribute in implementing the envisaged changes. NGOs should invest material and financial resources in school and community programmes during implementation to illuminate deeper socio-economic, cultural and political community issues that influence community development and well-being as a core activity. Indeed conventional education and community development programmes should be integrated in design, budgets, and capacity-building objectives and implementation plans to effectively demonstrate natural community or societal systemic functions essential for nurturing sustainable communities. In conclusion, it is recommended that a critical review of such knowledge claims as "poverty causes environmental degradation" and some of the models that are popularly used in most environmental education activities which relate to human-nature interactions be exposed to learners and community development workers as a way of enabling them to engage with such knowledge claims and realities. The continuing reliance on such false science does not promote a practical understanding, practice, or foster self-sustaining communities for the current generation and posterity.

The goal of this project was to explore associations between maternal and paternal employment around nine months after the birth of a child and child socioemotional, cognitive, and health outcomes at two and four years of age. Three research aims were addressed. Aim One: To Examine Associations Between Maternal Employment And Child Outcomes Findings indicated that few links exist between maternal full and part time employment (compared to no employment) and child outcomes at two and four years. A series of home and family process variables were also analyzed to determine whether they served as significant mediators or offsetting variables in the association between employment and child outcomes. Although there was some variation by outcome, generally full and part time maternal employment was linked with more maternal knowledge of child development, less maternal depression, more maternal income, better attachment classification, and a higher quality home environment. Each of these process variables were, in turn, linked with positive child outcomes. On the other hand, full and part time maternal employment was also associated with less time spent with the child, which was associated with poorer child outcomes. Full and part time maternal employment was linked with greater participation in nonparental child care, which was associated with both better and worse child outcomes, varying by type of care and the specific outcome. Compared to non-working mothers, full time employment was linked with a shorter duration in breastfeeding, while part time employment was linked with a longer duration in breastfeeding. Duration of breastfeeding was associated with better child outcomes at age two. Lastly, the number of well child visits was not found to be a significant pathway between maternal employment and child outcomes. It appeared that positive and negative pathways existed, and in most cases balanced out to a non significant direct effect of employment on outcomes. Aim Two: To Examine Associations Between Parental Employment And Child Outcomes Findings from the second study indicated that, compared to children with a non working mother and full time working father, children with two full time working parents displayed more illness by age two. At age four, compared to children with a non working mother and full time working father, children with a part time working mother and a father with part time or no work showed less engagement of a parent. Children with a part time working mother and full time working father, children with a part time working mother and part time or non working father, and children with two full time working parents displayed more externalizing behavior. A series of home and family process variables were analyzed to determine their role as mediators or offsetting variables in the association between parental employment and child outcomes. Although there was some variation by outcome, generally the employment groups that included a full time working father and a part or full time working mother fared best on process variables. These groups were associated with more mother and father knowledge of child development, less maternal depression, more use of child care, more income, more maternal sensitivity, and a better home environment. These process variables were, in turn, associated with better child outcomes. On the other hand, those families with a non working mother and a part time or non working father generally fared worst on process variables. This group was associated with less mother and father knowledge of child development, more maternal and paternal depression, a lower quality home environment, less income, less months breastfed, and lower maternal sensitivity. These process variables were generally associated with poorer child outcomes at ages two and/or four. Aim Three: To Examine the Mediating Role Of Child Care Quality In The Association Between First-Year Parental Employment And Child Outcomes At Age Four Results indicated that overall there were associations between employment and child care, but few and inconsistent links between child care type and quality and child outcomes. The child outcomes for which some types of child care served as a significant pathway for parent employment were math ability, reading ability, engagement of the parent, and expressive language. High quality center-based care, high quality relative care, and high quality non-relative care were all positively linked with at least one child outcome measured at age four. However, low quality center based care was also positively linked with both math ability and engagement of the parent. The positive link with math was surprising, particularly in the absence of a positive link between high quality center-based care and math ability, which was expected based on previous findings. Engagement of the parent was the only socioemotional outcome with a positive link with parental employment though child care. The pathway emerged through both high and low quality, center-based settings. Because of the large groups and decreased one-on-one time with an adult, center-based care, at the onset of the study, was expected to have a negative link with socioemotional outcomes. No links with child health were found.

<p>I denna uppsats avhandlas hotuppfattningar och strategier för maritim säkerhet i Östersjön ur ett svenskt perspektiv. Ökade varuflöden, oljetransporter och handel inom östersjöregionen har tillsammans med den snabba omvärldsutvecklingen bidragit till ett nationellt och transnationellt intresse för bibehållen maritim säkerhet i Östersjön.</p><p>Syftet med uppsatsen är att med kunskap om av regering och riksdag identifierade hot under perioden 1998-2009, analysera vilka strategier Sverige valt för att hantera hoten och bibehålla den maritima säkerheten.</p><p>För att identifiera hoten mot svenska intressen i Östersjön har teorin om det vidgade säkerhetsbegreppet använts för att med sektorerna; politik, ekonomi, samhälle, miljö samt militär identifiera de hot som regering och riksdag lyfter fram i propositioner och försvarsberedningar.</p><p>Strategierna som har analyserats har fokus både på svenskt nationellt såväl som transnationellt samarbete och berör både nutid och framtid.</p><p>Resultatet av uppsatsen visar att Sverige lägger allt mer fokus på transnationellt samarbete med bl.a. EU och de nordiska länderna men att även instruktioner till svenska myndigheter betonar ökat behov av samarbete för att hantera de identifierade hoten.</p>

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to achieve a greater understanding of the contemporary situation in Kosovo. This understanding is to be made concrete by viewing the international community’s and the domestic actor’s view of the root causes to the contemporary situation. First, the historical background and the contemporary political-, economical- and societal situation of the province are presented. Secondly follows the International Community’s- and the domestic actors stated view that is analyzed using the theories of Political Culture, Relative Deprivation and Human Needs.</p><p>The method that I have chosen is the qualitative together with Semi Structured Interviews that took place in Kosovo during spring 2007.</p><p>I find in my analysis that the view of the International Community and the domestic actors differ. The international community judge the root causes to be foremost the economy, historical legacy and unresolved status and that these have an Interest need based feature. The Kosovo Albanian elite deems that the economy, dual administration, living in a post-communist society and the unresolved status are the most important root causes. The Kosovo Serbs judge them to be lack of political stability and security, and the unresolved status. These needs are Value- and Human Need based to a greater extent than the International Community’s stated ones.</p><p>Keywords: Kosovo, International and Domestic Perspective, Relative Deprivation, Human Needs</p>

<p>The purpose of this study is to examine the possible theoretic and (f)actual role(s) of pop-culture icons in peace and evelopment-related global issues, using the qualitative research methods of text- and discourse analysis. Do pop-culture icons have a role to play at all in this field? If so, what is that role? What are these celebrity activists currently saying and doing on the international development scene and what are their analyses like? What are their current and historical functions? There is support in the academic literature suggesting that celebrity activists can possess vast power resources (scope of influence), (soft) power and (charismatic) authority, which in turn enables them to influence the attitudes and values of (especially young, receptive) people. The findings also show that the most successful celebrity activists have a global reach, as well as access to the international arenas of political power (e. g. the G8 and the World Economic Forum). Celebrity activists seem to be able to "sell" messages in a way that the politicians and officials of today cannot. When they speak, people listen. They further employ a two-level outreach, as they connect with political and economical elite groups as well as with the masses of world citizens in a way that politicians and officials, whose influence is more often limited by traditional nation state boundaries, cannot. I argue that the celebrity activists should be seen as a complement to the civil society and the work of NGO's and INGO's, since it is by further enhancing their work and strengthening their agendas that most of them act.Celebrity activists offer an alternative to the political establishment, which is viewed by suspicion by large groups of citizens, and can play a role in empowerment, inspiration, education, information, awareness raising, fundraising, opinion building and lobbying and function as diplomats, spokespersons, ambassadors, entrepreneurs, convenors and heroic voices.</p>

<p>Human rights and solidarity, as well as moral and legal responsibilities to protect people in need of refuge, seem to be principles of secondary importance within international migratory policies today. Instead, the predominant view seems to focus more and more on the protection of territorial borders, the welfare state and national identity. This international change in discourse can also be seen in the political trends of individual states. There are reasons to believe that this is a development that is also perceptible in the political rhetoric that is used in parliamentary debates, which constitute the main focus of this thesis. The aim of this study has therefore been to increase the understanding of this change in migratory policies by analyzing Swedish parliamentary debates between 1975 and 2002, using a theoretical framework focused on two different perspectives on security: First, the Copenhagen School and securitization of migration, and second, human security and human rights. The method consists of an interpretative and reflective method, together with a critical discourse analysis approach. The main results of the thesis show a possibility to distinguish four sets of discourses with close ties to the contemporary societal context during this period of almost three decades. However, the main arguments for such a change in discourse are first, that although the migration policies have developed in a more restrictive way since the 1980’s, the arguments and rhetoric in parliamentary debates have not changed much even though the tendencies are harder tones simultaneously with such restrictions. Second, in spite of this similarity, there have been people in parliament who have raised their voices and protested during this period when, in their view, the politics has moved outside of the ordinary framework. Finally, this thesis argues that it is possible to place the two debating sides in what could be named the security/rights- nexus, depending on each side’s point of departure according to the security framework of this thesis.</p>

<p>The aim of this field study was to analyze, by taking into consideration the small farmers' perspective, the possibilities and obstacles for an implementation of a Green Revolution in southern Niassa, Northern Mozambique.</p><p>We also highlighted the following question:</p><p>In what sense are the findings in Asia, presented by Djurfeldt, relevant for the situation in southern Niassa?</p><p>The analytical framework used is based on the scheme developed by Nitsch and Åkesson. This scheme has been used to understand the small farmer's relationship toward the technology linked to the Green Revolution. The Green Revolution is a result of an initiative to resolve the food crisis by increasing crop yields and augmenting aggregate food supplies. By the 1970s it become known as a 'package' consisting of improved seeds, farm technology, better irrigation, and chemical fertilizers.</p><p>We have chosen to use Göran Djurfeldt's, a Swedish professor at the University of Lund, concept of the Green Revolution in Asia. Through his findings, he concludes that the success of the Green Revolution in this area is not only due to the technology but also that the strategy was a state-driven, small-farmer based, and market-mediated which arose due to particular domestic and geopolitical factors.</p><p>By taking this in consideration we conclude that neither the state, market nor the geopolitical context are working in favor of a Green Revolution in Mozambique, however the factors are vital if a Green Revolution will succeed in Niassa. The small farmers have to deal with many obstacles if a Green Revolution will be possible. To summarize the small farmer’s attitude toward the Green Revolution we look at the individual circumstances, the direct surrounding and the society in general. We first concluded that the small farmer does not have much knowledge about the Green Revolution. This makes it hard for her or him to have an opinion neither about it nor about the techniques related to the Green Revolution. Secondly, the small farmer have several reason to why she or he do not want to implement the Green Revolution, due to risk taking, tradition, former bad experiences with new technique etc. Thirdly, there are also numerous obstacles that hinder the small farmer to implement the Green Revolution technology. Those are the small farmer's health and time, the lack of extension workers, the international and the domestic agricultural politics, and the lack of inputs and credits etc.</p>