The aim of the diploma thesis is to create a business plan for a business in the field of sports entertainment. The thesis is consisted of two parts – theoretical and practical. The theoretical part explains a basic concepts relating to making a business, an establishing a limited liability company and describe a business plan. Practical part applies the knowledge from the theoretical part. It contains detailed elaboration of elements of the business plan for a specific company. In conclusion of the diploma thesis is performed the financial analysis and economic evaluation whether the business plan is effective and feasible.

This dissertation describes the elucidation and implementation of derivatisation in the quantification of biologically active vitamin D metabolites in limited volume serum and dry blood spot samples (DBS) using the liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analytical technique. This manuscript describes in detail the development and validation of an analytical methodology, highlighting the role derivatisation and mass spectrometry plays in the structural characterisation and quantification of vitamin D metabolites. The first chapter reviews comprehensively, the history of vitamin D biosynthesis discovery as an anti-rickets agent, the biochemistry of vitamin D, its metabolic pathway, functions in the different biological systems and the consequences of its deficiency in the body. The second chapter reviews the current methods and techniques utilised for the detection and characterization of vitamin D metabolites, with specific emphasis based on the contribution made by derivatisation and mass spectrometry. A brief introduction to derivatisation is provided, with specific focus on PTAD and Amplifex diene reagents (Cooksontype reagents) used in this study. The importance of sensitivity and selectivity of targeted analytes is described first in detail for underivatised analytes, followed by PTAD and Amplifex derivatised samples. Chapter 2 also describes the importance of vitamin D quantification using liquid chromatography, the strengths and limitations of LC-MS/MS when used in isolation and after derivatisation. Also discussed, is how combining these techniques can overcome inherent limitations in LCMS/MS and enhance analytical performance. In Chapter 3 the materials and methods used and the study design is laid out, describing a brief introduction of the routinely used clinical diagnostics assay enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as a reference method and is compared to an LC-MS/MS assay, to ascertain discrepancies and agreement between both methodologies from the same volunteer samples. Chapters 3 and 4 describes the comprehensive development, optimisation and validation of the highly sensitive PTAD derivatives LC-MS/MS assay for the quantification of active vitamin D metabolites, as well as the development of method using Amplifex diene derivatisation. Also discussed, is sample preparation optimisation of DBS and Mitra micro-samples. A holistic approach was taken to the development of the methodologies to provide data from which the required analytical information can be obtained for method evaluation and statistical analysis. The validated PTAD derivatives method is applied to the quantification of vitamin D metabolites in limited volume (100 μL) clinical human serum samples from 30 volunteers compared to results obtained using the clinical diagnostics ELISA technique. In Chapter 4 data analysis is described and the results are further discussed and a conclusion made based on the findings from the study. This study envisaged that combination of limited sample volume and DBS, derivatisation and LCMS/ MS is a powerful tool in vitamin D metabolite analysis and provided evidence of a positive increase in sensitivity and selectivity between derivatised compared to underivatised samples. A 10-fold increase in signal-to-noise-ratio (S/N) was observed when comparing PTAD derivatised, and Amplifex diene derivatised versus underivatised samples. Chapter 5 presents suggested future directions and considerations in the areas of vitamin D metabolite derivatisation and DBS sampling technique analysis using LC-MS/MS research based on the results presented in this dissertation. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Pharmacology / MSc / Unrestricted

In economical and sustainable operation of cyber-physical systems, a number of entities need to often cooperate over a communication network to solve optimization problems. A challenging aspect in the design of robust distributed solution algorithms to these optimization problems is that as technology advances and the networks grow larger, the communication bandwidth used to coordinate the solution is limited. Moreover, even though most research has focused distributed convex optimization, in cyberphysical systems nonconvex problems are often encountered, e.g., localization in wireless sensor networks and optimal power flow in smart grids, the solution of which poses major technical difficulties. Motivated by these challenges this thesis investigates distributed optimization with emphasis on limited communication for both convex and nonconvex structured problems. In particular, the thesis consists of four articles as summarized below. The first two papers investigate the convergence of distributed gradient solution methods for the resource allocation optimization problem, where gradient information is communicated at every iteration, using limited communication. In particular, the first paper investigates how distributed dual descent methods can perform demand-response in power networks by using one-way communication. To achieve the one-way communication, the power supplier first broadcasts a coordination signal to the users and then updates the coordination signal by using physical measurements related to the aggregated power usage. Since the users do not communicate back to the supplier, but instead they only take a measurable action, it is essential that the algorithm remains primal feasible at every iteration to avoid blackouts. The paper demonstrates how such blackouts can be avoided by appropriately choosing the algorithm parameters. Moreover, the convergence rate of the algorithm is investigated. The second paper builds on the work of the first paper and considers more general resource allocation problem with multiple resources. In particular, a general class of quantized gradient methods are studied where the gradient direction is approximated by a finite quantization set. Necessary and sufficient conditions on the quantization set are provided to guarantee the ability of these methods to solve a large class of dual problems. A lower bound on the cardinality of the quantization set is provided, along with specific examples of minimal quantizations. Furthermore, convergence rate results are established that connect the fineness of the quantization and number of iterations needed to reach a predefined solution accuracy. The results provide a bound on the number of bits needed to achieve the desired accuracy of the optimal solution. The third paper investigates a particular nonconvex resource allocation problem, the Optimal Power Flow (OPF) problem, which is of central importance in the operation of power networks. An efficient novel method to address the general nonconvex OPF problem is investigated, which is based on the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) combined with sequential convex approximations. The global OPF problem is decomposed into smaller problems associated to each bus of the network, the solutions of which are coordinated via a light communication protocol. Therefore, the proposed method is highly scalable. The convergence properties of the proposed algorithm are mathematically and numerically substantiated. The fourth paper builds on the third paper and investigates the convergence of distributed algorithms as in the third paper but for more general nonconvex optimization problems. In particular, two distributed solution methods, including ADMM, that combine the fast convergence properties of augmented Lagrangian-based methods with the separability properties of alternating optimization are investigated. The convergence properties of these methods are investigated and sufficient conditions under which the algorithms asymptotically reache the first order necessary conditions for optimality are established. Finally, the results are numerically illustrated on a nonconvex localization problem in wireless sensor networks. The results of this thesis advocate the promising convergence behaviour of some distributed optimization algorithms on nonconvex problems. Moreover, the results demonstrate the potential of solving convex distributed resource allocation problems using very limited communication bandwidth. Future work will consider how even more general convex and nonconvex problems can be solved using limited communication bandwidth and also study lower bounds on the bandwidth needed to solve general resource allocation optimization problems. / <p>QC 20160203</p>

In recent years, the sales promotion techniques provided by marketing strategies has increased and has become an important factor in the fashion industry. In todays society customers have more knowledge and easier access to information online. Due to the growth of consumer awareness, businesses need to gain insight on how limited-time promotion techniques affect consumers.  Accordingly, the purpose is to gain insight and understand how millennials' impulse buying is influenced by limited-time promotion when purchasing fashion products online, and explore if hedonic and utilitarian motivation appear and lead millennials to a purchase decision. The aim is to develop a more recent and essential knowledge within this topic due to the poverty of recent studies on if limited-time promotion influences millennials impulse buying behavior.  The empirical findings that were collected using a multiple-method qualitative study of four focus-groups and six semi-structured interviews with people originated from Sweden. The findings were analyzed and discussed with the literature that have been presented to determine their similarities or differences.  The conclusion of this thesis demonstrates millennials in Sweden's awareness of businesses marketing strategies, and that they are detached to the process. Throughout the thesis, millennials' attitudes towards the businesses promotions in the market is saturated, and that they are not influenced by limited-time promotion online since the knowledge that there will soon occur a discount again. Although the increased awareness of millennials in Sweden, utilitarian and hedonic motivations tend to create impulse-buying behavior online. Furthermore, to attract millennials in Sweden some factors have been identified.

Although the spectral technique is frequently used for the horizontal discretization in global atmospheric models, it is not common in limited area models (LAMs) because of the non-periodic boundary conditions. We apply the Haugen-Machenhauer extension technique to a regional three-layer shallow-water model based on double Fourier series. The method extends the time-dependent boundary fields into a zone outside the integration area in a way that periodic fields are obtained. The boundary fields necessary for the regional model simulations are calculated in advance by a global simulation performed. In contrast to other studies, we use exactly the same numerical model for the global and the regional simulation, respectively. The only difference between these simulations is the model domain. Therefore, a relatively objective measure for errors associated with the extension technique can be obtained. First, we compare an analytic stationary non-linear and non-periodic solution of the governing model equations with the spectral LAM solution. Secondly, we compare the time evolution of pressure and fiow structures during a westerly fiow across an asymmetric large-scale topography in the global and regional model domains. Both simulations show a good agreement between the regional and the global solutions. The rms-errors amount to about 2 m for the layer heights and 0.2 ms-1 for the velocity components in the mountain fiow case after a 48 h integration period. Finally, we repeat this simulation with models based on 2nd and 4th order finite differences, respectively, and compare the errors of the spectral model version with the errors of the grid point versions. We demonstrate that the high accuracy of global spectral methods can also be realized in the regional model by using the Haugen-Machenhauer extension technique. / Obwohl spektrale Techniken häufig zur horizontalen Diskretisierung in globalen Atmosphärenmodellen genutzt werden, sind sie aufgrund der nicht-periodischen Randbedingungen in Regionalmodellen nicht üblich. Wir verwenden das Erweiterungsverfahren von Haugen und Machenhauer in einem Flachwassermodell mit drei Schichten, das auf doppelten Fourier-Reihen basiert. Das Verfahren setzt die zeitabhängigen Randfelder so in einen Bereich außerhalb des Integrationsgebiets fort, daß man periodische Randbedingungen erhält. Die für die Simulationen mit dem Regionalmodell benötigten Randfelder werden mittels einer zuvor durchgeführten globalen Simulation berechnet. Im Gegensatz zu anderen Untersuchungen verwenden wir genau das gleiche Modell für die globale und die regionale Simulation. Der einzige Unterschied zwischen den beiden Simulationen ist das Modellgebiet. Dadurch erhält man ein relativ objektives Maß für die Fehler, die durch die Anwendung des Erweiterungsverfahrens entstehen. Als ersten Test vergleichen wir zunächst eine analytische, stationäre, nicht-lineare und nicht-periodische Lösung der Modellgleichungen mit der spektralen Lösung des Regionalmodells. Zweitens vergleichen wir die zeitliche Entwicklung von Druck- und Strömungsmustern während einer westlichen Strömung über eine unsymmetrische, großskalige Topographie im globalen bzw. regionalen Modellgebiet. Beide Simulationen zeigen eine gute Übereinstimmung der globalen und regionalen Lösungen. Die rms-Fehler betragen ungefähr 2 m für die Schichthöhen und 0.2 ms-1 für die Geschwindigkeitskomponenten bei der Bergüberströmungssimulation nach einer Integrationszeit von 48 h. Darüberhinaus wiederholen wir diese Simulation mit auf Finiten Differenzen 2. bzw. 4. Ordnung basierenden Modellen und vergleichen die Fehler der spektralen und der Gitterpunktversionen. Wir zeigen, daß die hohe Genauigkeit der globalen spektralen Methoden durch die Anwendung des Erweiterungsverfahrens von Haugen und Machenhauer auch auf das regionale Gebiet übertragen werden kann.

Increasing numbers of English-language learners (ELLs) with limited literacy skills in middle schools have resulted in a high percentage of long-term English-language learners (LTELLs). The problem of LTELLs, ELLs who have attended school in the United States for more than 6 years and have not met the state ESL exit criteria, is addressed in this study. Cummins' concept of second language acquisition and Vygotsky's zone of proximal development theoretical frameworks were used in this qualitative case study to explore the perceptions of 6 Title I middle school teachers. The purpose of this study was to explore middle school teachers' perceptions of LTELLs and their impact on classroom instruction. The research questions investigated how middle school teachers perceived the limited literacy skills among LTELLs and respectively how middle school teachers perceived the effect of LTELLs on their classroom instruction. Data were collected through interviews and document analysis, and analyzed with descriptive analytical techniques Findings from the data indicated that middle school teachers' misconceptions about LTELLs, a lack of knowledge of LTELL and second language acquisition, and a lack of linguistic support, contributed to the limited literacy skills among LTELLs. The resulting project, a white paper, focused on recommendations for the stakeholders on how to address the issue of limited literacy skills among LTELLs. This study's contribution to social change includes a better understanding of LTELLs and their learning needs, as well as addressing teachers' misconceptions about LTELLs and second language acquisition. The results and recommendations provide suggestions that, if implemented, may improve ELLs' academic achievement and reduce the number of LTELLs.

Physical activity is an important health-related behavior, and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-physical activity (MVPA) daily (CDC, 2015). However, worldwide, many children do not reach those requirements and health problems associated with physical inactivity are becoming more prevalent (CDC, 2015; World Health Organization [WHO], 2016). Recently, a few studies have conducted an intervention analysis to evaluate implications for function-based interventions to increase physical activity (Larson, Normand, Morley, & Miller, 2014; Zerger, Normand, Boga, & Patel, 2016). However, intervention analyses, indicate an overall decrease in levels of MVPA. This limitation could hinder further improvements of function-based interventions to increase physical activity, and is thus important to investigate. The current study partially replicated Zerger et al. (2016), and investigated the effects of alternating FA test conditions and repeated presentation of single condition exposure on maintenance of levels of MVPA in children. Additionally, the current study also evaluated the effectiveness of a more intermittent contingent schedules of reinforcement (i.e., fixed-interval limited-hold schedule) during intervention conditions. Results suggest it might be beneficial for caretakers and parents to deliver reinforcement in the form of social reinforcement to increase MVPA in preschool children. Additionally, the data suggest to promote MVPA, a more intermittent schedule of contingent social reinforcement does not reliably promote stable levels of MVPA.

It is well-known that the large diversity of protein functions and structures derives from the broad spectrum of physicochemical properties of the 20 canonical amino acids that constitute modern proteins. According to the generally accepted coevolution theory of the genetic code, evolution of protein structures and functions was continuously associated with enrichment of the genetic code, with aromatic amino acids being considered the latest addition to the genetic code to increase structural stability of proteins and diversification of their catalytic functions. The main objective of this master thesis was to test whether enzymatic catalysis could precede the appearance of aromatic amino acids in the standard genetic code. For that purpose, the effect of amino acid alphabet reduction on structure and function of dephosphocoenzyme A kinase (DPCK) was studied. Dephosphocoenzyme A kinase catalyses the final step in the biosynthesis of coenzyme A, a very conserved cofactor. Two aromatic amino acid-lacking mutants of DPCK from a thermophilic bacterium, Aquifex aeolicus, were designed by substituting aromatic amino acid residues by (i) leucines and (ii) various non-aromatic amino acids to best preserve the structural stability of the protein. Wild type protein and the two mutants were cloned and...

I takt med den exponentiella tillväxten av digitala framsteg har traditionella arbetsmetodergradvis blivit föråldrade och mindre anpassade till dagens krav och behov. Därav väljer fleraorganisationer att genomgå en förändring och adoptera det agila arbetssättet. Att genomgå enförändring är en komplex och riskabel process. Inte minst är en övergång till agilarbetsmetodik en krävande sådan då denna metodik tror på självorganisering och innebär enstor förändring för människors tänkande och beteende. Det har tidigare även saknats praxissom ska hjälpa organisationer att övergå till agilt arbete. För att fylla detta kunskapsgap ärstudiens syfte att undersöka individers upplevelser inom en organisation vars team genomgåtten förändring till att arbeta agilt. Detta för att kunna identifiera teamens framgångsfaktorersamt om de stött på hinder under förändringens gång. För att uppnå detta har en induktivflerfallsstudie genomförts innefattande dokument och nio semistrukturerade intervjuerfördelat på tre olika team inom olika avdelningar på en organisation. Studiens resulterade isju framgångsfaktorer och fem hinder vilket ansetts vara väsentliga vid en övergång till agiltarbete. / With the exponential growth of digital advancements, traditional work methods havegradually become obsolete and less adapted to today's demands and needs. As a result,several organizations choose to undergo a change and adopt the agile way of working.Undergoing a change is a complex and risky process. Not least, a transition to agile workmethodology is a demanding one as this methodology believes in self-organization andinvolves a major change for people's thinking and behavior. In the past, there has also been alack of practices to help organizations transition to agile work. To fill this knowledge gap, theaim of the study is to investigate the experiences of individuals within an organization whoseteam has undergone a change to work agile. This is to be able to identify the teams' successfactors and whether they encountered obstacles during the course of the change. To achievethis, an inductive multiple case study has been carried out including documents and ninesemi-structured interviews distributed among three different teams within differentdepartments of an organization. The study resulted in seven success factors and fiveobstacles, which were considered to be essential in a transition to agile work.

Over 25 million Americans report limited English proficiency (LEP) since 2013, and this number has been steadily increasing over the past few decades as immigration to the United States continues to climb. Due to the expanding heterogeneity of the population, cultural and language barriers became more common in the healthcare field which led to worse patient outcomes, inappropriately ordering too many or too few tests, and decreased use of preventative services. This necessitated further resources and interventions to better accommodate individuals with LEP. In accordance with Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act which was elaborated further in Executive Order 13166, federal agencies were required to provide language services to people with LEP. As a result, more medical institutions began implementing interpreter services. Despite these measures, there is lower-than-expected physician compliance with utilizing these services and considerable variability in services offered depending on the clinical setting. Not only does this perpetuate and potentiate the health disparities that this population already faces, but it can also negatively impact a patient’s agency as they do not have the proper resources to fully advocate for their health. Hence, it is integral to examine the potential reasons why the current infrastructure for interpreter services is still lacking and what can be done to optimize accessibility. This thesis will explore some of these limitations and then offer potential solutions that both institutions and medical professionals can implement in order to provide equitable care to patients with LEP. / Urban Bioethics