This research describes a methodology for measuring built form patterns using spatial data and GIS that is amenable to the study of large geographical areas. This methodology was used to investigate the capability of municipal planning to influence residential development. In the early 1990s, the Town of Markham, Ontario, Canada adopted a residential development philosophy inspired by New Urbanism. An adjacent municipality, the City of Vaughan, has employed a conventional development approach. By calculating several built form measures derived from the design prescriptions associated with New Urbanism, this study seeks to discern if Markham's adoption of an unconventional development philosophy has resulted in a residential built form distinct from that in Vaughan. <br /><br /> Built form measures are calculated for both municipalities for two eras. Development from 1981 to 1995 represents the "before" or baseline configuration, while development from 1996 to 2003 is used to characterize built form created when Markham's New Urbanist-inspired approach was in force. Period over period comparisons are carried out for each municipality, as are within-period comparisons between municipalities. <br /><br /> Findings indicate that development patterns are distinct in the two study periods. From the early period to the more recent, street networks take on a more grid-like organization while building lots and blocks become smaller. These changes are accompanied by an overall decline in accessibility to amenities. However, development patterns were found to be quite similar in both municipalities in the recent study period, exhibiting differences in degree, not in kind. The findings appear to indicate that planning's influence over residential built form is limited to moderately accelerating positive trends, and moderately retarding negative trends.

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This paper deals with the novel Jazz, written by African-American writer Toni Morrison. The paper argues that the novel deconstructs itself. Also, it illustrates how the jazz music in the novel works as a deconstructing force on the characters and the narrative form. The essay begins with a chapter about deconstructive theory.  Next, there is a brief summary of jazz music – its history and features. Then, there is an analysis which focuses on how jazz music affects the characters. Last, the narrative form is investigated, for instance in terms of the narrator’s tendency to shift between various points of view. / Uppsatsen påbörjades vid Halmstad Högskola med Cecilia Björkén Nyberg som handledare, men slutfördes vid Växjö Universitet. Magisterexamen är sedan uttagen vid Högskolan i Halmstad.

In this thesis we study algorithms for computing normal forms for matrices of Ore polynomials while controlling coefficient growth. By formulating row reduction as a linear algebra problem, we obtain a fraction-free algorithm for row reduction for matrices of Ore polynomials. The algorithm allows us to compute the rank and a basis of the left nullspace of the input matrix. When the input is restricted to matrices of shift polynomials and ordinary polynomials, we obtain fraction-free algorithms for computing row-reduced forms and weak Popov forms. These algorithms can be used to compute a greatest common right divisor and a least common left multiple of such matrices. Our fraction-free row reduction algorithm can be viewed as a generalization of subresultant algorithms. The linear algebra formulation allows us to obtain bounds on the size of the intermediate results and to analyze the complexity of our algorithms. We then make use of the fraction-free algorithm as a basis to formulate modular algorithms for computing a row-reduced form, a weak Popov form, and the Popov form of a polynomial matrix. By examining the linear algebra formulation, we develop criteria for detecting unlucky homomorphisms and determining the number of homomorphic images required.

This research describes a methodology for measuring built form patterns using spatial data and GIS that is amenable to the study of large geographical areas. This methodology was used to investigate the capability of municipal planning to influence residential development. In the early 1990s, the Town of Markham, Ontario, Canada adopted a residential development philosophy inspired by New Urbanism. An adjacent municipality, the City of Vaughan, has employed a conventional development approach. By calculating several built form measures derived from the design prescriptions associated with New Urbanism, this study seeks to discern if Markham's adoption of an unconventional development philosophy has resulted in a residential built form distinct from that in Vaughan. <br /><br /> Built form measures are calculated for both municipalities for two eras. Development from 1981 to 1995 represents the "before" or baseline configuration, while development from 1996 to 2003 is used to characterize built form created when Markham's New Urbanist-inspired approach was in force. Period over period comparisons are carried out for each municipality, as are within-period comparisons between municipalities. <br /><br /> Findings indicate that development patterns are distinct in the two study periods. From the early period to the more recent, street networks take on a more grid-like organization while building lots and blocks become smaller. These changes are accompanied by an overall decline in accessibility to amenities. However, development patterns were found to be quite similar in both municipalities in the recent study period, exhibiting differences in degree, not in kind. The findings appear to indicate that planning's influence over residential built form is limited to moderately accelerating positive trends, and moderately retarding negative trends.

This thesis presents evidence that income polarization is accompanied by increasing social-spatial disparities between areas of the city that were developed in different societal contexts, with different planning approaches, and that have different land use and transportation dynamics. An analysis of the social structure of the Toronto Metropolitan Area finds indications of widespread gentrification in the inner city, socioeconomic decline in the postwar suburbs, and sustained household affluence in the ever expanding outermost suburbs of the metropolitan area. It is argued that, as a political and social endeavor that is embedded in broader development regimes, urban planning influences social-spatial polarization to the extent that it influences urban form.

Living organisms constantly respond to changing environmental conditions, and some changes can be far from optimal for many organisms. Insects represent the majority of species in many ecosystems and play an important role in bioaccumulation and biotransformation of environmental contaminants such as selenium and arsenic. Some insectivorous predators feeding on these insects are highly sensitive to such elements resulting in reduced growth, reproductive failures and low population numbers. The mechanisms of selenium and arsenic uptake through the food chain are poorly understood. The determination of chemical speciation is a prerequisite for a mechanistic understanding of a contaminants bioavailability and toxicity to an organism. Synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy was used to identify the chemical form of selenium and arsenic in insects in both the field and laboratory conditions. Insects living in streams near Hinton, Alberta affected by coal mine activities were examined for selenium speciation. Results showed higher percentages of inorganic selenium in primary consumers, detritivores and filter feeders than in predatory insects. Selenides and diselenides constitute a major fraction of selenium in these insects. In another field setting, speciation of selenium was studied in insects attacking selenium hyperaccumulating plant <i>Astragalus bisulcatus</i>. The effect of selenate and arsenate alone and the combined effects of selenate and arsenate on insects and parasitoids were monitored using a laboratory-reared moth (<i>Mamestra configurata</i>). Hosts receiving selenium biotransformed selenate to organic selenides and diselenides, which were transferred to the parasitoids in the third trophic level. Arsenic fed larvae biotransformed dietary arsenate to yield predominantly trivalent arsenic coordinated with three aliphatic sulfurs. Larvae receiving arsenate used a novel six-coordinated arsenic form as an excretory molecule in fecal matter and cast skin. X-ray absorption spectroscopy imaging with micro X-ray fluorescence imaging on selenate and arsenate fed larvae revealed highly localized selenium and arsenic species, zinc and copper within the gut. The results provide insights into how the insects cope with their toxic cargo, including how selenium and arsenic are biotransformed into other chemical forms and how they can be eliminated from the insects. The implication of selenium and arsenic species in the diet of predators and detritivores is discussed.

The purpose of the SCRIT project is to determine size and shape of short-lived and rarely-produced nuclei by elastic electron scattering, which is the best probe for the structure studies, for the first time. In traditional electron scattering, a solid target having an order of 1023 nuclei/cm^2 is normally used, which is not possible for short-lived and rarely-produced nuclei. In this project a Self Containing Radioactive Isotope Target scheme (SCRIT) is going to be employed. This innovative ion-trap method is shown to be a way to make measurements with a very small amount of nuclei, an order of only 106 nuclei. In order to determine the absolute cross section for elastic electron scattering for structure study, the simulates measurement of the bremsstrahlung from the trapped nuclei is required. Since the bremsstrahlung cross section for a nucleus of the atomic number Z is well know, the precise measurement of the bremsstrahlung provides the luminosity. My theme in this SCRIT project was a construction of a bremsstrahlung luminosity monitor. It consists of a position monitor for measuring the spatial distribution of bremsstrahlung and a Pb-glass Cerenkov detector for energy measurement. My efforts have been mainly devoted to the construction of a position monitor system using fiber scintillators. The construction of the position monitor was divided into five parts; detector construction, support construction, trigger detector construction, software programming, software testing and detector tests. The position monitor consists of two sets of fiber scintillation detectors. Each of them uses 16 fibers, Bicron BCF-10 with a cross section of 2x2mm^2, optically coupled to a multi-anode photomultiplier, (Hamamatsu H6568-10). The position monitor can measure the XY distribution of bremsstrahlung. Strictly speaking, the fiber detector detects not bremsstrahlung directly but electrons and/or positrons by pair creation of bremsstrahlung in a materials. The data acquisition system has been programmed in NI LabVIEW. The software is an advanced X/Y-coordinate counting system, which can additionally preform functions as save data to file and 3D-plot to determine the spreading of the bremsstrahlung luminosity. The results can be saved and transferred online to a server so that is possible to access the data from anywhere. The system has been tested using beta rays from 90Sr source. The results of the test shown that the detectors can detect minimum ionizing particle, i.e. electrons and positrons. The detector and software testings shows that the system is ready to use for luminosity measurements at SCRIT experiment. This system I constructed surely provides a new and useful information for the SCRIT experiments. / SCRIT Project

The trade today consist of global trade. Businesses are exercising cross-border activities and businesses tend to establish themselves in foreign markets. Many choices and factors affect a business choice of country to enter, and its choice of form of establishment in the new market. Therefore the thesis will examine the market entry strategy of the four Swedish businesses Lundalogik AB, Infobric AB, Funded-by-me AB, and PayEx AB in the information technology (IT) industry that have established their businesses in Norway. The authors believe that Norway is an interesting country to study as it is one of Sweden's most important ex-port markets and the IT-sector stands for approximately 13% of all Swedish exports towards the whole world. The purpose with the thesis is to explore and understand the market entry strategy used by the above mentioned four Swedish IT-businesses when entering the Norwegian market. With help of the purpose of the thesis the authors intend to answer what the underlying reasons for the four businesses were when entering the Norwegian market and its choice of form of establishment. As this is an explorative study the research method applied is an inductive approach with influences from the grounded theory. An inductive approach is when observations help to formulate a theory whereas the grounded theory is when a theory is discovered from social research. The reason why an inductive approach is better suited for the thesis is due to the flexibility in deciding which theory to choose after analyzing the primary data. After analyzing the four case studies it can be concluded that no pure internationalization strategy exists among the companies, instead a variety of customer follower and market seeker strategies are common. Moreover, the choice of form of establishment has many factors. Credibility, market knowledge, design of business and existing business relationships were the four most common factors identified by the authors affecting the case studies‟ choice of form of establishment.

I FORM is the biggest health magazine of Scandinavia. It is a magazine that treats subjects like health food, training, sports gear, sex and relationships. The magazine addresses women directly and only women appear in the magazine. This is a study on how I FORM portrays women in their segment called “Addicted to” (Biten av). It is a study of what kind of stereotypes that are used and also what kind of pictures that has been used to portrait the women. Lastly I try to answer the question of how the portraits in I FORM can recreate or transform the medial use of dominating gender discourses in society. The method of use is the rhetorical text analysis as described in Jostein Gripsruds book Mediekultur och mediesamhälle, where I’m looking at the three first steps of the Partes model. The theoretical framework treats the subjects of primary and secondary socialization, social and personal identity, and the influence of media, gender and stereotypes, both in written text and in pictures. The conclusion of this study is that there is a common use of different stereotypes in I FORM:s portraits. They use their segment “Addicted to” (Biten av) to promote different types of exercises and the women are portrayed differently depending on if the type of exercise is counted as more of a male or a female exercise.