Nanostructures fabricated by different methods have become increasingly important for various applications at the cellular level. In order to understand how these nanostructures “behave” and for studying their internalization kinetics, several attempts have been made at tagging and investigating their interaction with living cells. In this study, magnetic iron nanowires with an iron oxide layer are coated with (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES), and subsequently labeled with a fluorogenic pH-dependent dye pHrodo™ Red, covalently bound to the aminosilane surface. Time-lapse live imaging of human colon carcinoma HCT 116 cells interacting with the labeled iron nanowires is performed for 24 hours. As the pHrodo™ Red conjugated nanowires are non-fluorescent outside the cells but fluoresce brightly inside, internalized nanowires are distinguished from non-internalized ones and their behavior inside the cells can be tracked for the respective time length. A machine learning-based computational framework dedicated to automatic analysis of live cell imaging data, Cell Cognition, is adapted and used to classify cells with internalized and non-internalized nanowires and subsequently determine the uptake percentage by cells at different time points. An uptake of 85 % by HCT 116 cells is observed after 24 hours incubation at NW-to-cell ratios of 200. While the approach of using pHrodo™ Red for internalization studies is not novel in the literature, this study reports for the first time the utilization of a machine-learning based time-resolved automatic analysis pipeline for quantification of nanowire uptake by cells. This pipeline has also been used for comparison studies with nickel nanowires coated with APTES and labeled with pHrodo™ Red, and another cell line derived from the cervix carcinoma, HeLa. It has thus the potential to be used for studying the interaction of different types of nanostructures with potentially any live cell types.

Virtualization is a key technology for cloud computing as it allows several operating system instances to run on the same machine, enhances resource manageability and enables flexible definition of billing units. Virtualization works by adding a software layer, a hypervisor, on top of the hardware platform. Virtual Machines, \emph{VMs}, are run on top of the hypervisor, which provisions hardwares resources to the VM guests. In addition to enabling higher utilization of hardware resources, the ability to move VMs from one host to another is an important feature. Live migration is the concept of migrating a VM while it is running and responding to requests. Since VMs can be re-located while running, live migration allows for better hardware utilization. This is because placement of services can be performed dynamically and not only when the are started. Live migration is also a useful tool for administrative purposes. If a server needs to be taken off-line for maintenance reasons, it can be cleared of services by live migrating these to other hosts. This thesis investigates the principles behind live migration. The common live migration approaches in use today are evaluated and common objectives are presented as well as challenges that have to be overcome in order to implement an ideal live migration algorithm. The performance of common live migration approaches is also evaluated and it is found that even though live migration is supported by most hypervisors, it has drawbacks which makes the technique hard to use in certain situations. Migrating CPU and/or memory intensive VMs or migrating VMs over low-bandwidth links is a problem regardless of which approach that is used. To tackle this problem, two improvements to live migration are proposed and evaluated, delta compression and dynamic page transfer reordering. Both improvements demonstrate better performance than the standard algorithm when migrating CPU and/or memory intensive VMs and migrating over low bandwidth links. Finally, recommendations are made on which live migration approach to use depending on the scenario and also what improvements to the standard live migration algorithms should be used and when.

Thesis advisor: Matthew S. Rutledge / This paper finds that musicians have more variable work schedules than comparable gig occupations and they are typically more disadvantaged in finding suitable employment opportunities. They are more likely to be self-employed and face the challenges that come with that status, and typically have less financial freedom. They also often work part-time due to the nature of the profession or take on multiple jobs to financially sustain themselves and their families financially. The pandemic has caused already-low hours for musicians to decrease further, still not fully recovering due to all live events being canceled, without the same ability to work remotely as similar gig occupations. These economic detriments have been accumulating for years as a result of the unstable music industry and the effects have multiplied after the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving musicians searching for a way forward within a broken system. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Economics.

Abstrakt Hvordan kan en låt oppfattes ulikt ut ifra hvordan den er arrangert og fremført? Hvilke følelser bringer ulike instrumenter med seg? Hvilken rolle spiller produksjonen for hvordan en låt blir tolket? Jeg har i forbindelse med dette prosjektet laget en akustisk live-versjon av en av mine egne, utgitte låter og har undersøkt hvordan disse to versjonene oppleves forskjellig av lytterne. Låten heter ”Du” og er i utgangspunktet en veldig produsert poplåt med fullt band og jeg ville se hvordan låten blir oppfattet med et helt annet arrangement. For å få svar på dette har jeg sendt de to versjonene og et spørreskjema til 9 personer. Prosjektet har gitt meg en ny oppfattelse av hvordan ulike mennesker tolker ulik fremførelse av musikk. Formålet med dette prosjektet har vært å undersøke hva det er som gjør at man opplever samme låt på forskjellig måte ut ifra hvordan den blir fremført og presentert.

Lwethulwa ukufeza izidingo zeziqu zobudokotela Emnyangweni wezilimi zabomdabu Nyunivesithi yakwaZulu = Submitted in fulfilment for the requerements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the department of African Languages at the University of Zululand, 2009. / Lolu cwaningo luveza injula yesiko lokwelusa esizweni sakithi kwaMthaniya nendlela elithuthukisa ngalo ulimi lwakithi. Lubheka ukubaluleka kwemfuyo ngokwezinga layo lunyuke njalo lubheka imfundiso nolwazi olutholakala lapho kanye nemidlalo etholakala khona ekwaluseni. Isahluko sokuqala sethula ucwaningo nenhloso yalo. Kuvezwa umklamo wocwaningo nendlela ezosetshenziswa ngenkathi kuqwalwa le ntaba. Kwendlalwa kafuphi ngokubaluleka kwaleli siko nemibono yongoti ngaleli siko. Isahluko sesibili sibheka iqhaza elibanjwa imfuyo ezimpilweni zethu kusukela ezinkukhwini, amakati, izinja, izimvu nezimbuzi kuze kuyoshaya ezinkomeni. Kubhekwa imisebenzi enhlobonhlobo eyenziwa ngemfuyo. Isahluko sesithathu sibheka amazinga okwelusa kusukela umfana esemncane elusa izinkukhu akhule aye ezimbuzini aphumele endle aluse amathole aze agogode ngokwelusa izinkomo. Kuzobhekwa ukukhula komqondo kulelo nalelo zinga elusa kulo. Isahluko sesine sibheka kabanzi imfundiso etholakala ekwaluseni njnegokufunda ulwazi lwemibala yezinkomo, ukwazi ukuqagula nokubona isimo sezulu, ulwazi olunzulu lokwazi izinhlobonhlobo zezihlahla, izilwane, izinyoka, amakhambi emfuyo, ulwazi lokweshela kanye nenhlonipho efundwa khona ekwaluseni. Isahluko sesihlanu sibheka imidlalo enhlobonhlobo edlalwa abafana ngenkathi belusile neqhaza elibanjwa yilowo nalowo mdlalo ekucijeni umqondo womfana. Sibheka imidlalo efana nokungcweka, ukuqhathana, ukudla iphaphu, ukubhukuda, ukuzingela, ukuciba insema neminye. Isahluko sesithupha sesithi khumu, amajoka siwabeke ethala bese sihlaziya sicubungule lonke ucwaningo siveze nezincomo ezisuselwa emiphumelweni yocwaningo. Ekugcineni kuphethwa wonke umsebenzi.

Two strains of mouse embryos at the four- and eight-cell stages had biopsy specimens obtained by means of two different mechanical techniques: aspiration and displacement. Embryos and biopsy specimen cells were evaluated for survival and development. Blastomere acquisition rates were significantly higher with the displacement biopsy technique; however, no difference in survival or developmental rates was found in blastomere biopsy specimens removed from either four-cell or eight-cell embryos. A maximum of one blastomere can be removed from a four-cell embryo, whereas three blastomeres can be taken at biopsy from an eight-cell mouse embryo without significantly affecting embryo development, although mouse strain differences were noted. Intact, viable, biopsied blastomeres will develop in vitro when cocultured with morphologically intact embryos. Births of live offspring after embryo biopsy are reported.

Live action role-playing (larp) is a form of narrative play that engages participants in fictional words within the dialectic of experience (unorganized time) and narrative (organized time). In this thesis I explore the complexities of the fictional worlds created by larps and how the participation in larps constructs requires a different engagement with traditional thoughts about narrative. Discussing fictional worlds theory, Aristotle, Frye, and Ricoeur along side concepts from game studies, such as the magic circle and the frames of exogeny, endogeny, and diegesis, I propose an alternative approach to understanding narrative within larps that looks at the larp worlds and plot as being driven by a process of affirming the identities constructed to participate within the fictional worlds through the mimetic process. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

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A demand for requested death in the human society seems to be increasing nowadays. In some countries, there has been such an institue legitimized. However, this demand is not usually accepted by the branches of state power. The main argument against the right for assisted life ending is often appointed as, what is so called, right for life. These are the appointments in international and national documents, which gurantee opportunity of human beeings' lives, as a unique organism. This appointment first appears in Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is then used in every other document dealing with basic human rights. Because of some sort of unclear thoughts, when deeper analysing right for life, it is possible to contest and disagree with an interpretation of above mentioned institute and its place of shield against positive efforts of setting the human's right of a decision, how and when to end the life. The problem seems to lie right in the creation of such an institue - which interpretation have had people, who have been creating original document, on their minds? Another unclear thoughts seem to appear in the effort of setting a subject and the content of the mentioned right. The main point is, if the right-for-lifeholder is a human after or before the birth and if before, when...

Den här doktorsavhandlingen presenterar ytinteraktion som ett gränssnitts-paradigm för grafiska användargränssnitt inom kreativa tillämpningar. Ytinteraktion utgår ifrån användarnas innehåll och allt innehåll presenteras på en oändligt stor tvådimensionell yta. Ytan är gränssnittet mot en databas som navigeras och zoom, pan och textfilter. Textfilter används för att visa vilka innehållselement som motsvarar en textsträng, ju fler tecken i strängen, desto färre motsvarande element. Ytinteraktion gör att användare kan dela och redigera innehåll tillsammans via synkront samarbete.Ytinteraktion har studerats genom att utveckla en interaktiv prototyp för kollaborativ live multimedia. Prototypen designades tillsammans med musik- och videoartister inom electronica- och klubbmusikgenren. Den kan användas med pekskärm eller med skäm, mus och tangentbord. Design-processens resultat utvärderades genom en fallstudie som omfattade artisternas förberedelse inför och genomförandet av ett framträdande vid en festival. Analysen av data resulterade i fem bruksvärden; instrumentvärde, kommunikationsvärde, förberedelsevärde, livevärde och underhållningsvärde. Det huvudsakliga bruksvärdet var att den interaktiva prototypen uppfattades som ett instrument. Prototypens design underlättade kommunikationen mellan artisterna i flykten på scen. Instrumentvärdet gjorde det lättare att spela live vilket i sin tur medförde att publiken blev underhållen. Kunskap om den interaktiva prototypen och ytinteraktion har formats med forskning genom design där aktionsforskning var det övergripande ramverket i forskningsprocessen. Aktionsforskning är ett kvalitativ förhållningssätt som sätter fokus på praktikers deltagande i forskningsprocessen och att forskningen intervenerar i praktiken med syfte att förbättra den och att inducera kunskap. Som ett resultat av designprocessen presenteras designprinciper för ytinteraktion. Dessa gör resultaten användbara för praktiker inom interaktionsdesign, människa–datorinteraktion och programvaruteknik. / This dissertation presents surface interaction as an interface paradigm for graphical user interfaces of creative applications. The users' content is the basis for surface interaction, and all content is presented on an infinitely large two-dimensional surface. The surface is an interface to a database, and is navigated by zoom, pan, and text filter. Text filter is to display which content elements match a text string, the more characters of the string the less matching element. Surface interaction allows users to share and edit content collaboratively via synchronous collaboration. Surface interaction was examined by developing an interactive prototype for collaborative live multimedia. The prototype was designed in collaboration with music and video artists within the genres of electronica and club music. It can be used either with a touch screen or with a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. The result of the design process was evaluated in a case study which included the artists' preparations for and carrying through of  a live performance at a festival. The analysis of data yielded five utility values; instrument value, communication value, preparation value, live value, and entertainment value. The main utility value of the interactive prototype was that the artists saw it as instrument.  The design of the prototype made communication easier in the live situation on stage. The instrument value made it easier to play live which consequently entertained the audience.Cognition in the interactive prototype and surface interaction has been created with research through design where action research was the overarching framework. Action research is a qualitative method  which focuses on the participating practitioners and on the intervention of the practice with the purpose improving the practitioner’s situation and of increasing the knowledge of the participants. Design principals and guidelines will be presented as a result of the design process. The guidelines make the results of this dissertation applicable to practitioners of interaction design, human computer interaction and software engineering.