Bacteriophage Mu exhibits low specificity for the 5 bp sequence it selects as its transposition target, but shows regional biases in its insertion choices. For example, Mu prefers AT-rich DNA in vitro, exhibits a 1000-fold bias in target preference within the E. coli chromosome, and avoids targets carrying Mu end sequences. The Mu transposase is responsible for recognition of the 5 bp target consensus, but depends on the accessory protein MuB for efficient target capture. MuB preferentially binds to AT-rich DNA, explaining this particular regional preference. We have uncovered opposing roles for MuB in target capture and integration. We show while MuB-bound AT-rich DNA is favored for integration, the bound DNA itself is refractory, and that transposition occurs adjacent to, but not within the bound region. We show that this property of MuB is likely responsible for immunity of Mu from self-integration, since MuB was found to be strongly bound within the Mu genome. Genome-wide analysis of MuB binding on the E. coli chromosome showed that Mu target preference is positively related to MuB binding profile, and that MuB binding is insulated by the nucleoid-associated protein Fis but not by transcription events. Since Fis binding to the chromosome responds to the frequency of A-tracts, a chromosome domain structure signal, Mu transposition must also respond to chromosome domain signals. Work in this dissertation has provided a new understanding of how MuB influences and controls Mu target choice, and of reciprocal interactions between a bacterial chromosome and a transposable element. / text

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an imaging technique based on the radio reflectivity of the target being imaged. SAR instruments offer many advantages over optical imaging due to the ability to form coherent images in inclement weather, at night, and through ground cover. High resolution is achieved in azimuth through a synthesized aperture much larger than the physical antenna of the imaging device. Consequently, proper focusing requires accurate information about the relative motion between the antenna phase center and the scene. Any unknown target velocity, acceleration, rotation, or vibration will introduce errors in the image. This work addresses a novel method of focusing a moving target in a SAR image through the estimation of various motion parameters. The target azimuth position is determined through monopulse radar, at which point range velocity and acceleration are estimated across a series of overlapping sub-apertures. Cross-range velocity is then estimated through a search to optimize an image quality metric such as entropy or contrast. A final focused image is then generated based on this velocity vector. Methods of extending this work for a single phase center system are considered. This technique is demonstrated with real radar data from an experimental system, and the performance of this technique is compared both subjectively and with a variety of image metrics to the MITRE keystone technique. Finally, extensions to this current line of research are considered. / text

This report describes the architecture and implementation of a memory profiler for 3D graphics applications. The memory profiling is done for parts of the program which runs on the graphics processor and is responsible for rendering the image. The shaders are parsed and every memory instruction is instrumented with additional instruction for profiling. The results are then transferred from the video memory to CPU memory. Profiling is done for a frame and completes in less than three minutes. The report also describes various analyses that can be done using the results obtained from this profiler. The report discusses the design of an analytical cache model that can be used to identify candidate memory buffers suitable for caching among all the buffers used by an application. The profiler can segregate results for reads and writes separately, can handle all formats of texture access instructions and predicated instructions. / text

Understanding the content of a video sequence is not a particularly difficult problem for humans. We can easily identify objects, such as people, and track their position and pose within the 3D world. A computer system that could understand the world through videos would be extremely beneficial in applications such as surveillance, robotics, biology. Despite significant advances in areas like tracking and, more recently, 3D static scene understanding, such a vision system does not yet exist. In this work, I present progress on this problem, restricted to videos of objects that move in smoothly and which are relatively easily detected, such as people. Our goal is to identify all the moving objects in the scene and track their physical state (e.g., their 3D position or pose) in the world throughout the video. We develop a Bayesian generative model of a temporal scene, where we separately model data association, the 3D scene and imaging system, and the likelihood function. Under this model, the video data is the result of capturing the scene with the imaging system, and noisily detecting video features. This formulation is very general, and can be used to model a wide variety of scenarios, including videos of people walking, and time-lapse images of pollen tubes growing in vitro. Importantly, we model the scene in world coordinates and units, as opposed to pixels, allowing us to reason about the world in a natural way, e.g., explaining occlusion and perspective distortion. We use Gaussian processes to model motion, and propose that it is a general and effective way to characterize smooth, but otherwise arbitrary, trajectories. We perform inference using MCMC sampling, where we fit our model of the temporal scene to data extracted from the videos. We address the problem of variable dimensionality by estimating data association and integrating out all scene variables. Our experiments show our approach is competitive, producing results which are comparable to state-of-the-art methods.

Cognitive Radar (CR) is a paradigm shift from a traditional radar system in that previous knowledge and current measurements obtained from the radar channel are used to form a probabilistic understanding of its environment. Moreover, CR incorporates this probabilistic knowledge into its task priorities to form illumination and probing strategies thereby rendering it a closed-loop system. Depending on the hardware's capabilities and limitations, there are various degrees of freedom that a CR may utilize. Here we will concentrate on two: temporal, where it is manifested in adaptive waveform design; and spatial, where adaptive beamsteering is used for search-and-track functions. This work is divided into three parts. First, comprehensive theory of SNR and mutual information (MI) matched waveform design in signal-dependent interference is presented. Second, these waveforms are used in a closed-loop radar platform performing target discrimination and target class identification, where the extended targets are either deterministic or stochastic. The CR's probabilistic understanding is updated via the Bayesian framework. Lastly, we propose a multiplatform CR network for integrated search-and-track application. The two radar platforms cooperate in developing a four-dimensional probabilistic understanding of the channel. The two radars also cooperate in forming dynamic spatial illumination strategy, where beamsteering is matched to the channel uncertainty to perform the search function. Once a target is detected and a track is initiated, track information is integrated into the beamsteering strategy as part of CR's task prioritization.

English is an international and global language that students, regardless of mother tongue, encounter in their everyday lives. In Sweden, students are introduced to English teaching in year 1, 2 or 3, and in some cases, year 4. English teaching can sometimes be problematic when the language of instruction often consists of Swedish, which for second language students becomes a challenge to acquire new skills in a week language. The study aims to examine, with a qualitative study, how pedagogues plan and implements English teaching in first grade with students whose mother tongue are other than Swedish. Further, the aim was to examine how pedagogues say they relate to the fact that second language pupils participating in English lessons and if they think it affects their English teaching. The conclusions is that the pedagogues has probably not been problematized the phenomenon examined and say they do not adapt their teaching. In the interviews reveals information about the teaching method which, in my opinion, indicates that, unconsciously, adapting their teaching when they have second language students. Furthermore, the study points out the importance of English as language of instruction when there is a more equal situation for all students regardless of language. Second langue students do not need to go through the Swedish language to be taught in English.

The current discussion of Inflation Targeting (IT) in emerging economies deals with the effects that nominal exchange rate movements have on the overall inflation rate. The literature has focused in the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages that IT has with respect to other monetary policy regimes and the relevancy of the nominal exchange rate pass-through effect into inflation. So far none of them have dealt with the differences arising from the policy instruments used to fight off inflationary pressure under an IT regime. The literature on IT for emerging economies can be separated in two categories. In the first category the monetary authority uses interest rate policy as the instrument variable to implement and control the inflation target. The second category illustrates when the monetary authorities use international reserves as the instrument to influence the nominal exchange rate in such a way that the depreciation rate is consistent with the overall inflation target. This dissertation presents a model in which both policy instruments are available to the monetary authority. This model is used to address two questions: i) Is IT better than a monetary rule regime? and ii) Is it better to intervene directly in the foreign exchange market rather than use interest rate policy to control exchange rate pressure on inflation, or are they equivalent? The results show that there are important differences between these choices and the answers to these questions are shock dependent. These differences arise because the intervention needed under IT is accompanied by important output costs or benefits depending on the direction of the shock being analyzed. Regarding the pass-through effect, some studies have shown that the pass-through effect from currency depreciation into inflation has been decreasing and therefore is becoming less of an issue for these countries. The literature has offered different explanations for these declines but so far they have not been directly linked to the adoption of IT. This dissertation shows that lower pass-through levels can be a natural result of fear of floating observed in emerging countries that adopted IT and therefore exchange rate effects on inflation are still relevant.

Sammanfattning Datum:2008-06-15 Nivå: Magisteruppsats i företagsekonomi, 15 hp Författare: Fredrik Barthel Emmelie Österberg Eskilstuna Västerås Handledare: Esbjörn Segelod Titel: Vilka anpassningar av target costing har Ericsson Power Modules AB valt att göra? Problem: Den ökande globaliseringen har lett till att konkurrensen har ökat. Detta ställer högre krav på företagen att minska kostnaderna. Då är target costing en möjlighet att kostnadsminimera. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att jämföra teoretisk referensram med empiri från Ericsson Power Modules AB för att visa på hur olika faktorer kan påverka och styr arbetet med target costing. Metod: Metoder som används för denna uppsats är litteratursökning och telefonintervjuer. Litteratursökningen valdes för att få den teoretiska referensramen och sökorden för detta var target costing. Resultat: Uppsatsförfattarna har funnit ett antal olika faktorer som påverkar Ericsson Power Modules AB:s sätt att arbeta med target costing. De påverkande faktorerna är produkten, komponenterna, lönerna och konstruktionstiden. Däremot har det inte kunnat påvisas att det skulle vara några kulturella betingelser som styr.

ABSTRACT Title: How do you get the students to listen? – A study of Academic Works communication towards students (Hur får du en student att lyssna? – En studie av Academic Works kommunikation mot studenter) Number of pages: 38 (41 including enclosures) Author: Fredrik Hansson Tutor: Peder Hård af Segerstad Course: Media and Communication studies C Period: Autumn 2007 University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University. Aim: The purpose of this paper is to study the strategies involved in the communication process between an organisation and its target audience. The study also aims to examine the company Academic Work and its communication efforts towards the targeted audience students. Method/Material: In order to examine the aim above, interviews were made with two persons involved in the communication of Academic Work. In addition to the interviews, a questionnaire was carried out at campus Ekonomikum, Uppsala University. Main results: The main result can be summarized as: · Academic Works communications have a lot of resemblance with the papers presented theory. · Events and direct meetings is the communication effort by Academic Work that has the biggest impact on student’s awareness and knowledge of the company. · A large majority of the students at campus Ekonomikum at Uppsala University are interested in working part-time and are aware of Academic Work. Despite this, only a few percents of the students participating in the questionnaire are working or have ever worked for Academic Work. Keywords: Communication, students, Academic Work, target audience, strategies, message, media channel.

Abstract Title: Brand communication – An analyze of Borka and BayIcons communicative labor in relations with WJOS. (Varumärkeskommunikation – En analys av Borka och BayIcons kommunikativa arbete i relation till WJOS) Number of pages: 53 (55 including enclosures) Author: Johan Larsson Tutor: Göran Svensson Course: Media and Communications Studies C Period: Second term / autumn 2007 University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University Purpose/aim: The purpose of this essay is to study how two small Swedish clothing companies, Borka and BayIcon, manage their brand communication. Brand communication includes work with target groups, brands, media and finally communication in a bigger perspective. The clothing companies are compared and analyzed thru a perspective of an advertising agency. Material/method: This essay uses two case studies with qualitative research interviews as methods. The material is combined by three interviews, one with Borka, one with BayIcon and one with WJOS. Main result: Borka uses newspaper adverts, fairs and sponsoring as their mixture of mediums. BayIcon uses web pages, events and sponsoring. The events, fairs and sponsoring are arranged under the definition arrangements and it is the richest form of communication because it gives the opportunity of a dialog. The dialog is a good way to get in touch with the customers. Both Borka and BayIcon use a strategic way of working with communication, which emphasizes that communication is created in a dialog between the customer and the company. The biggest difference between WJOS and Borka and BayIcon is that the clothing companies work more with what they think is right and less with strategies. Keywords: brand, communication, target groups, events, strategic communication, dialog, advertising.