Quality assurance and software testing of software artifacts is as important as ever and this is especially so the case in web applications. The web applications of today are more complex and are used in more critical systems at a larger scale than ever before. However, testing of these applications is very challenging due to their dynamic nature. It is somewhat challenging to find clear and up-to-date guidelines on how to implement and evaluate regression software testing in small and medium-size enterprises (SME’s) developing web applications. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the problem at hand and propose an approach to implementing software regression testing in web applications for SME’s. That is, recommending what to test, recommending what kind of software testing could be implemented and using what state of the art front end testing frameworks. An in-depth literature study was conducted to see what had been done in the past and present. Two rounds of semi structured in-depth interviews were conducted with software developers at the company where this thesis was conducted. The main purpose of the first interview was to find business goals from which to derive and subsequently create a testing suite in four different testing frameworks; Cypress, Jest, Playwright and Vitest. The purpose of the second interview was to evaluate and compare the aforementioned testing suites in order to propose an approach on software testing in web applications. In addition, code coverage and mutation scoring was also considered when evaluating the testing suites. The findings of this thesis is that a reasonable approach of introducing software testing into an SME which develops a web application, is to use business requirements for generating test cases and prioritizing end-to-end testing since the perceived benefits of the latter in this thesis far outweigh the benefits of the component testing suites although a combination of both would be the best of both worlds. Although this thesis was conducted on a web application written in React, the findings and recommendations can be applied to any front end framework such as Angular or Vue. / Kvalitetssäkring och testning av mjukvara är lika viktigt som alltid och detta är i synnerhet även fallet i webbapplikationer. Dagens webbapplikationer är mer komplexa och används i mer kritiska system på en större skala än någonsin tidigare. Dessvärre är det svårt att testa dessa applikationer eftersom att de är dynamiska. Det är svårt att hitta riktlinjer för hur man ska implementera och utvärdera regressionstester på små och medelstora företag (SMF) som utvecklar webbapplikationer. Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka problemet och föreslå en riktlinje för hur man kan implementera regressionstestning i SMF och i webbapplikationer. Detta innebär att föreslå vad man kan testa, vilken form av mjukvarutestning man kan implementera och med vilka moderna testningsramverk man kan göra detta med. En ingående litteraturstudie genomfördes för att ta reda på vad som hade gjorts tidigare inom området. Två rundor av semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med mjukvaruutvecklarna på företaget där uppsatsen genomfördes. Syftet med den första intervjun var att hitta företagsmål som sedan agerade grund till testningssviter i fyra olika ramverk; Cypress, Jest, Playwright och Vitest. Syftet med den andra intervjun var att utvärdera och jämföra dessa testsviter för att rekommendera ett tillvägagångssätt för att implementera mjukvarutestning i webbapplikationer. Utöver intervjuerna så bidrog mutationspoäng och kodtäckning till rekommendationerna. Uppsatsen finner att ett rimligt sätt att implementera regressionstester i ett SMF och en webbapplikation är att generera testfall utifrån affärskrav och att prioritera testning på användarnivå eftersom att fördelarna från denna nivå av testning överväger fördelarna från komponenttestning. Allra helst bör man implementera en kombination av båda nivåerna. Fastän denna uppsats undersökte en webbapplikation i React så kan dessa upptäckter och rekommendationer även tillämpas på vilket frontendramverk som helst så som exempelvis Angular eller Vue.

Världen har genom historien formats och stöpts om av krig och konflikter. Dagens globala värld är inget undantag med inbördeskrig som ett ständigt återkommande fenomen. Våldsyttringar inom stater har sedan andra världskriget varit den största källan till konflikter och bidrar med flest antal offer. Inbördeskrig har drabbat en tredjedel av världens länder under 1900- talet och en femtedel har upplevt minst 10 år av inbördeskrig från 1960. Konflikter runt om i världen påverkar den internationella politiken och hur alla människor lever, och god kunskap om konflikters struktur är därmed ytterst viktig.  De flesta studier på området har behandlat s.k. inter-state wars, d.v.s. krig mellan stater. Studier rörande s.k. intra-state wars, konflikter mellan regeringsmakten i en stat och icke-statliga grupperingar, är dock inte lika vanliga. Under den senare delen av 1900-talet har inbördeskrig varit den form av konflikt som orsakat störst skada och lidande. 1996 publicerade David T. Mason och Patrick J. Fett artikeln ”How Civil Wars End: A Rational Choice Approach”. I artikeln undersöker författarna uppfattningen att det är svårare att fredsförhandla i inbördeskrig än i mellanstatliga krig. Detta då offer och förövare efter krigets slut fortsatt måste leva sida vid sida. I krig mellan stater drar parterna sig tillbaka till respektive territorier vilket gör att en eventuell fredsprocess anses relativt enklare att uppnå. Frågan är vilka faktorer som leder till fredssamtal alternativt till en seger för en av parterna?

Abstract In today’s business world, the delivery of superior information technology services has become an important deliverable for successful organisations. This study focuses on the end user perception of information technology service quality in manufacturing organisations. The study focuses on one manufacturing organisation, namely Nissan South Africa, a supplier of quality vehicles to South African customers. The main research problem describes the necessity of having a tool in place that can measure users’ perception of information technology service quality. The two subproblems describe the change of perception regarding information technology service quality when measured from a functional area or designation level perspective. The functional area represents the various departments within an organisation and the designation level, the hierarchical position of the employee within an organisation. A broad literature review is conducted and a theoretical foundation is developed and relevant service quality models are reviewed and adjusted in order to construct a model to measure information technology from a service quality perspective. The information has been collected by means of a questionnaire, which was distributed to approximately 1200 users. i i The overall perception of the information technology service quality, as experienced by the Nissan user base, is rated as above average customer satisfaction. No significant differences are identified between the demographic levels and the dimensions of the service quality model. Even though the model used in this study provides a good indication of the information technology service quality, it needs to be refined on a continuous basis in order to ensure that it is aligned with the dynamic nature of information technology.

The purpose of this thesis is to research the possibility of realizing hardware support for hybrid single electron transistor (SET)-CMOS circuits by a systematic approach of design, analysis and simulation. The metallic SET transistors considered in this work are fabricated within the chip interconnect layers using CMOS back-end-of-line (BEOL)-compatible processing. The CMOS process integration can be divided into front-end-of-line (FEOL) and BEOL processes. The FEOL includes processes required to form isolated CMOS transistors whereas BEOL is the second portion of the IC fabrication where the devices get interconnected through the wiring using multiple layers of dielectrics and metals. Therefore, metallic SET circuits can be easily stacked above the CMOS platform presenting a low cost, low thermal budget, improving the overall yield at high-volume production of highly integrated systems. This considerably decreases the interconnect parasitics and increases the density of functions while maintaining the overall acceptable performance. Many problems such as low current drivability, delay and small voltage gain that hinder SET technology for its implementation in integrated circuits can be alleviated by intelligent circuit design. Although a complete replacement of CMOS by SETs is unlikely in the near future, an augmentation of CMOS with SETs is desirable if interfacing from and to CMOS works well. Interfacing from CMOS to SET circuitry is simple as the current and voltage levels are small and in accessible range. But interfacing CMOS from SET circuits is delicate due to SET logic's low current driving capability for CMOS and its interconnect. There is no concrete research on the interface issue wherein a SET-only circuitry drives a CMOS and its interconnects. For such hybridization to become possible, it is necessary to demonstrate the SET logic driving capability for CMOS with sufficient current drive and output voltage. The core SET logic can be designed to operate at low voltage, but at the interface the output of the SET logic must be in a voltage range that can be fed to a CMOS input for proper logic functionality. It is hence necessary to develop and adopt a systematic design methodology for such hybrid circuits at a specific technology node for room temperature operation. In this thesis we will look at a generalized design methodology that can be applied to (a) develop a fabrication model with parasitic effect of a hybrid SET-CMOS and SET-only circuits, (b) design and analyze the SET based fundamental building block in hybrid SET-CMOS or SET-only circuit and (c) simulate such a circuitry to assess its merits. More specifically, we will address the interfacing issue of such hybrid circuits in which we exploit the maximum capability of a SET logic in terms of driving capability, voltage response and power for a room temperature operation. The result of this research motivates the application of SET logic in 2 stages realizing some properties beyond those of CMOS devices. The first stage is the heterogeneous integration at chip level around a CMOS core. In such a circuitry, the SET introduces new functionalities such as reconfigurable logic, random number-based circuits, and multiband filtering circuits that can be combined with CMOS based general purpose processors or I/O signal restoration. The second stage of application is to use a new information processing technology focussed on a "new switch" exploiting a new state variable to provide functional scaling substantially beyond that attainable solely with ultimately scaled CMOS.

Caspase-7 is a member of a family of cysteine proteases that includes apoptotic initiators (caspases-8, -9 and -10) and executors (caspases-3, -6 and -7). During apoptosis, executioner caspases are cleaved by initiator caspases either by the extrinsic (death receptors) or by the intrinsic (mitochondrial) pathway of caspase activation. Caspase-7 is an obligate dimer in the cell and cleavage of the interdomain connector (IDC), which split the catalytic domain in two subunits, at either site 1 or site 2 allows the conversion of the enzyme from the zymogen (inactive) state to the active state through a conformation switch that leads to the creation of a substrate binding pocket and the catalytic site. During caspase-7 activation, a 23-residue N-terminal peptide is also cleaved. Consequently, caspase-7 displays different N-terminal residues from those of its zymogen. This can change the stability of caspase-7 according to the N-end rule, which relates the half-life of a protein with the residue presented at its N-terminus. This degradation pathway controls the ubiquitination of the protein based on the N-terminus. To replicate the different forms of caspase-7 produced during its activation process in a controlled manner, a TEV protease cleavage site [ENLYFQ[arrow down](S/A)] was strategically inserted to mimic the different possibilities of IDC cleavage: 1) cleavage at site 1 only, 2) cleavage at site 2 only, or 3) a double cleavage. This was done in order to obtain the N-terminal residues normally presented during the cleavage of caspase-7. These constructions have been also optimized to preserve the proteolytic activity of the enzyme with as little change as possible to the length of the IDC. These constructs were cleaved by TEV protease in vitro and in cellulo and allowed the activation of apoptosis. Furthermore, the cellular half-life of caspase-7 seems to be changed by its cleavage. In conclusion, we have developed an interesting tool for the study of caspase-7.

During the late or post Weichselian glacial periods, about 9500 years ago, several faulting associated with large scale earthquakes were triggered in northern Fennoscandia. The end- or post-glacial scarps have a range of the lengths c. 3 to 155 km and the heights 0 to 30 m while most of them are reverse faults trending NE-SW with SE dips. In this literature study, I try to compile the estimated history and cause of seismicity in northern Sweden, and predict the future activity. The result indicates that although the timing of these faulting might not be in the same phase of deglaciation, the upheaval induced by glacial retreating is considered as the major factor of these paleoseismicity. Since the strain from glaciers has been mostly released, the main cause of recent earthquakes in this region is tectonic stress accumulation. Accompanied by the progress of observing techniques such as drilling and grand penetrating radar detection especially in this decade, the geometry of these glacially induced faults and recent micro-seismicity in the vicinity of these scarps have been detected better and better. According to the results, the recorded epicenters form clusters in the east side of the faults’ zone. It implies the correlation between recent seismicity and end- or post-glacial faults. However, there is still insufficient data of the faults’ structure and previous seismicity in order to clarify the faults’ geometry, the age of main movements and estimate their future activity. More investigations are expected to take place in this region.

While capitalism can be held responsible for many of the numerous social and environmental issues that haunt us today, corporations hold great power and possibilities to compensate for the damage they cause. A solution can be the implementation of Creating Shared Value (CSV), which builds on identifying societal needs and approaching these as business opportunities. By doing so, value can be created for society whilst driving business results. The purpose of this thesis is to examine what factors influence the implementation of CSV in companies operating in Sweden. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with experts who have worked with CSV. Factors that influence the implementation of CSV policies and practices, as well as factors that influence whether these lead to the desired goal of shared value creation have been extracted. The findings suggest that the public’s prevailing distrust towards companies’ engagement in solving social issues is the most noteworthy barrier for implementation of CSV, while managerial buy-in and understanding of the concept represent the strongest enabler. Getting lost in rhetoric and belief in the concept as well as focusing too strongly on measuring procedures illustrate the two greatest risks for implemented CSV policies and practice to become decoupled from the end goal of shared value creation.

Discussions of autonomy at the end of life in health care contexts is no new phenomenon. However, what seems to have changed in issues of autonomy is cases where patients want to refuse a treatment to cases where patients are demanding more treatment when medical professionals may not agree or be able to provide them with the medical treatment. Some key competing interests impacting patient autonomy include beneficence-doing what is in the best interests of the health or well-being of the patient- and resource limitations. Here, I will explore distributive justice theories that impact the end of life and how they constrain autonomy.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 28-31, 1996 / Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, California / The world of data communication and networking has grown rapidly over the last decade, and this growth has been accompanied by the development of standards that reflect and facilitate the need for commercial products that work together in a reliable, robust, and coherent fashion. To a great extent this commercialization, with its increasing performance and diminishing cost, has not been adapted to the data communication needs of satellites. As budgets and mission development and deployment timelines shrink, space exploration and science will require the development of standards and the use of increasing amounts of off-the-shelf hardware and software for integrated satellite ground systems. The Renaissance project at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center has engaged in rapid prototyping of ground systems using off-the-shelf hardware and software products to identify ways of implementing satellite ground systems "faster, better, cheaper". This paper presents various aspects of these activities, including issues related to the configuration and integration of current off-the-shelf products using telemetry databases for existing spacecraft, an analysis of issues related to the development of standard products for satellite communication, tradeoffs between hardware and software approaches to performing telemetry front-end processing functions, and proposals for future standards and development.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 27-30, 1997 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / The Low Earth Orbit Terminal (LEO-T) developed by AlliedSignal for NASA Wallops is a fully autonomous satellite tracking system which provides a reliable, high quality, satellite data collection and dissemination service. The procurement was initiated by NASA, in an effort to provide more tracking capacity with a decreasing budget. A large mission set of NASA satellites in the next decade will not require the performance of existing large aperture systems. NASA is planning to use the larger aperture antennas to only support those missions needing the higher performance. The remainder of the missions will be supported with the smaller LEO-Ts, which are smaller, significantly less expensive, and fully automated. The procurement is also an attempt at a first step towards fostering commercialization and privatization of small station acquisition and services. The system design features a modular architecture to simplify integration and to support affordable future expansion. This paper begins with a brief summary of the LEO-T program, then provides the design details and capabilities of the LEO-T system.