Topographic maps are an invaluable tool for planning routes through unfamiliar terrain. However, accurately planning routes on topographic maps is a time- consuming and error-prone task. One factor is the difficulty of interpreting the map itself, which requires prior knowledge and practice. Another factor is the difficulty of making choices between possible routes that have different trade-offs between length and the terrain they traverse. To alleviate these difficulties, this thesis presents a system to automate the process of finding routes on scanned images of topographic maps. The system allows users to select any two points on a topographic map and identify their specific preferences for their route. This system extracts terrain and contour line data from topographic map images using image processing techniques and then uses the A* Search algorithm to find a route between the specified points. This system can be used as a starting point for hand-drawn routes, as a means of considering alternative routes, or to entirely replace drawing routes by hand. This thesis also presents a user study which shows that this system produces routes in a significantly shorter time than hand-drawn routes, and with a similar level of accuracy.

BACKGROUND: The integration of robotics, and mixed reality has ushered in a substantial revolution within the realm of Industry 4.0. The incorporation of robots into the manufacturing sector plays a pivotal role in enhancing productivity, in which humans and robots collaborate with each other. However, the current robotic system operates within predefined pathways exclusively, lacking an automated mechanism for identifying obstacle free routes to facilitate the movement of robot . Also, in the Human Robot Collaboration , there exists a deficiency in visualising robot motion and status, consequently arise safety vulnerabilities for human operators. OBJECTIVES: This thesis aims to implement a pathfinding algorithm for the robot movement using a mixed reality environment. This Mixed Reality application is used to assign targets and handle obstacles in the robot movement path. The visual guide about the robot movement path, the state of the robot and the tasks to the user that will be displayed using MR. METHODS : In pursuit of the thesis objectives, a Mixed Reality environment was developed using Unity alongside MRTK plugins. Within this framework, an A Star pathfinding algorithm was implemented, facilitating the computation of obstacle free routes between source and destination points. This MR environment not only visualises the trajectory of the robot 's movement but also presents robot status updates and an intuitive interface for operator robot communication. The development process involved creating essential code using C# within the Visual Studio IDE. This code was subsequently deployed onto the HoloLens 2, the designated hardware device for MR applications. The positioning and alignment of virtual objects in relation to the physical world were achieved using the QR code methodology. In this context, source and destination points for the robot 's movement were symbolised as targets, while obstacles were represented by square game objects. For the control and communication of the ABB GoFa C RB 15000 robot, RAPID code was devised within Robot Studio.To guide the thesis, a constructivist philosophical paradigm was embraced, aiming to enhance efficacy. Ethical considerations were scrupulously considered for data collection, prioritising user privacy within the MR environment. Furthermore, commitment to sustainability was maintained throughout the thesis work, yielding environmental, economic, and societal advantages. ANALYSIS: The project that was developed underwent analysis through the scenarios, including both obstacle laden and obstacle free pathfinding situations. The A Star pathfinding algorithm, effectively calculated the obstacle free routes between targets and accomplished designated robotic tasks. This implementation not only offered visual path guidance but also supplied status updates. The analysis process involved observations, video recordings, and documentation. The findings indicated that the created Mixed Reality environment indeed enhanced safety and cognitive ergonomics for the operator. This section also outlines the industrial applications of the project developed. CONCLUSION: Successful development of a Mixed Reality environment has been achieved, aimed at enabling automated obstacle free pathfinding. This environment also offers visualisations for path and status information, with the goal of enhancing safety and cognitive ergonomics in Human Robot Collaboration. Throughout this thesis endeavour, strong attention has been paid to ethical considerations and sustainability.

En 10-plex GeneXpert analysmetod för diagnos av M. Tuberculosis infektion samt med kapacitet att särskilja aktiv och latent tuberkulos har utvecklats på Cepheid. Analysmetoden sker ex-vivo och kvantifierar uttryck av tuberkulos associerade mRNA biomarkörer i antigenstimulerat helblod. Ett original set av mRNA biomarkörer har nedselekterats till 9 biomarkörer som utgör mRNA signaturen i 10-plex analysmetoden. Urvalet av biomarkörer baserades på probescreening och optimeringstudier utfört med Cepheids ”in cartridge” qPCR teknologi. Den diagnostiska prestandan av mRNA signaturen utvärderades genom att analysera 380 antigenstimulerade kliniska prover klassificerade som M. Tuberculosis infekterad, aktiv tuberkulos, latent tuberkulos och icke infekterad. mRNA signaturens förmåga korrekt klassificera samt diskriminera aktiv och latent tuberkulos bestämdes genom att implementera ROC-kurvor vilket resulterade i ett optimalt AUC-värde på 0.784 vilket visar på diagnostisk kapacitet att separera aktiv och latent tuberkulos. / A 10-color prototype GeneXpert assay based on distinct mRNA expression profiles in ex-vivo antigen stimulated whole blood has been developed at Cepheid for diagnosis of M. Tuberculosis infection and separation of active and latent tuberculosis. An original larger set of mRNA biomarkers has been downselected to a set of 9 biomarkers constituting the mRNA signature in the 10-color assay. The downselection of biomarkers was based on probe screening and optimization studies performed with Cepheid’s “in cartridge” qPCR technology. The 10-color assay was evaluated for diagnostic performance by analyzing 380 banked antigen stimulated clinical samples classified as M. Tuberculosis infected, active tuberculosis, latent tuberculosis and not infected. The ability of the mRNA signature to correctly classify and separate active and latent tuberculosis was determined by implementing ROC curves using delta Ctvalues as test variables and resulted in an optimal AUC value of 0.784 indicating ability to separate active and latent tuberculosis.

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[pt] A revisão da literatura científica é um relato crítico dos principais trabalhos em uma área ou tópico específico. Dessa forma, os autores buscam a literatura e apresentam os artigos relevantes de forma organizada por data de publicação e evolução de um tema de pesquisa. Revisões da literatura fornecem uma fotografia do estado da arte de um tópico de pesquisa. Através da seleção dos trabalhos mais importantes de uma certa área é possível identificar os autores mais especializados na área ou em determinados artigos, proporcionando assim uma solução para o problema de encontrar potenciais candidatos especialistas. Nesta tese estudaremos o problema de selecionar e visualizar os artigos mais relevantes que refletem a evolução de um tópico de pesquisa. Para isso, propomos uma abordagem visual colaborativa baseada em grafos para recomendar referências importantes. Apresentamos também a tarefa de encontrar e classificar os autores dado um artigo científico usando caminhos de citações relevantes. A partir de um ranking de referências, o valor da expertise dos autores é calculado. Uma metodologia é proposta para construir e atualizar o grafo de citações de forma colaborativa com os votos dos especialistas. / [en] The scientific literature review is a critical account of the main papers in a particular subject area or topic. In this way, the authors surveys the literature and present the relevant articles in an organized way by publication date and evolution of the research topic, which gives an overview of the state of the art in a subject. Through these relevant papers it is also possible to identify the most expert authors in the area or in certain papers, thus providing a solution to the problem of finding potential expert candidates. The main challenge of making a literature review is to identify the most relevant articles that reflect the evolution of the different research topics. In this thesis, we propose a visual collaborative approach that uses graphs to recommend important references. In addition, we introduce the task of searching and ranking authors given a target paper using relevant citation paths. From a ranking of references, the value of the author s expertise is calculated. A methodology is proposed in order to build and update the citation graph in a collaborative way with the expert s votes.

This thesis aims to study the design possibilities for supporting explorative form-finding in 3D modeling applications. For today’s many design professions, 3D forms are achieved partly in engagement with digital environments. Use of software has far exceeded final idea execution, extending to the early phases of design work in which the outcome is not predetermined. This insight led designers of interactive systems support sketching and ideating activities by reducing the risk of experimentation and cognitive effort demanded from user. Yet, there has been less emphasis on traditional design and craft practice that acknowledges engagement with materials and effort spent on work as an integral part of creative process.The notion of exploration in the scope of this thesis attempts to incorporate such aspects. Relevant literature about workshop practice in design and craft has been reviewed, as well as examples of CAD technologies that aid designers. In this light, HCI perspectives on the design of creativity support tools and games have been discussed. The thesis work aimed to concretize this background by building a design strategy and an interactive artifact. A 3D form-finding application concept using objects in modeling space to indirectly manipulate geometry, “kfields”, has been developed and evaluated with users at various stages. The thesis concludes by reflecting on the findings of different design stages and proposing further directions for design.

Closer to the walker is a project exploring different needs connected to the walker. Based on a human-centered design approach it includes methods such as observation, embodied experiences, workshops, interviews with users and stakeholders. Within this project different aspects are touched upon, such as posture, visual appearance, vibration and breaks. Resulting in a redesign of a walker for outdoor use, situating the product in an urban setting, exploring methods of manufacturing and needs of the users in today’s society.

This diploma thesis focused on the situation of Social pedagogy graduates in the labor market. It has a theoretical-empirical character. The theoretical part focus on Social pedagogy as a science and its contemporary position within the Czech legislation. Further it lists study possibilities of Social pedagogy in the Czech Republic, defines the possible scope of social educators and deals with the topic of graduates' adaptation to the labor market in general. The empirical part is devoted to research with seven respondents. The method used in this thesis is in-depth interviews. The research identifies challenges the graduates were facing while finding a job and while performing their profession, what made the adaptation proces easier and vice versa more difficult. The research showed that despite no legal definition of social pedagogy as a profession, graduates had no problems to find a job. However, the perceived difficulty for them, for example, was an inaccurate idea of using the gained experience. Respondents also made recommendations to current social pedagogy students. Most often mentioned was a recommendation to find own specialization in the social pedagogy while still studying.

Este trabalho apresenta um catálogo da produção coreográfica do Balé da Cidade de São Paulo, de 1968 até 2007, indicando quais fontes documentais podem ser encontradas no arquivo da companhia. Baseado na abordagem funcional para a classificação dos documentos, o catálogo, ainda que não exaustivo, oferece uma visão da instituição como um todo e indica quais atividades foram, ou não, documentadas no processo de encenação de espetáculos. Além de constituir um instrumento para a pesquisa, este trabalho oferece uma proposta de como preservar a memória coreográfica. / The archives of the Balé da Cidade de São Paulo offer a panoramic vision of its institutional life, since 1968 till 2007. In spite of the lacks we observe in several series of records, it is possible to describe them and elaborate a finding aid where the essential characteristics of the whole are indicated, under a functional approach. Besides its role as a guide to researchers, this work also intends to offer an example of how to preserve our choreographic memory.

Unemployment among formerly incarcerated citizens is a complex problem that continues to grow. Previous reentry studies describe the collateral effects of incarceration on employment from the perspective of formerly incarcerated individuals, yet little academic research exists regarding reentry practitioners' perceptions of constraints during the job search process. Using Goldratt's theory of constraints as the foundation, the purpose of this case study of reentry and employment in a mid-Atlantic state was to explore from the perspective of practitioners, the types of constraints individuals with criminal records face during the job search process, the most difficult phase of the job search process, and recommendations on improving employment outcomes. Data for this study were obtained from 20 reentry professionals in Maryland, who completed an online, open-ended response survey. Data were inductively coded and subjected to thematic analysis procedure. The results showed that practitioners perceived the background check to be the most difficult phase in the job search process, and that external and environmental constraints such as employer bias and social stigma prevent individuals with criminal records from securing job offers. The results also showed that reentry professionals support automatic record expungement, record shielding, employer partnerships, and employment programming that provides job leads, resume building, and mock interview assistance. The positive social change implications stemming from this study include policy recommendations to policy makers to include centralizing and expanding the location of statewide employment centers, record shielding under the Second Chance Act, and fair education access through Ban-the Box for state colleges.