The goal of the thesis is to investigate and propose a new design for a contactor platform, both in terms of hardware and embedded software, which incorporates support to implement new state-of-the-art functions. The platform must support a wide range of contactors from basic ones with only core functions to advanced contactors using modern microcontrollers to provide efficient, quick and reliable operation.   Further, a significant focus of the thesis is on the interaction between electrical engineering and computer engineering. The electronics needs to interact seamlessly with a microcontroller running a versatile software to provide industry-leading performance. To achieve this, the software and hardware is evaluated with focus to develop an optimal platform.   The proposed embedded software uses development techniques rarely used in embedded applications such as UML code generation, compile-time initiation of objects and an object-oriented design, while maintaining the performance of traditional embedded programming. The thesis also provides suggestions to hardware changes to further improve to the contactor’s operation.

Movement interaction in games has over the last years been a main subject in the area of game design and recent motion based interaction systems provide many improvements over earlier systems. Research has proven that motion based games provide several benefits over general games, they increase the players’ engagement level and may induce both mental and physical health benefits. Still, not much research has been conducted in the area of motion based platform games, even though the platform game genre is one of the most popular game genres. In this thesis, a case study is conducted in order to extract design principles and guidelines applicable for motion based platform games. The study includes implementation of a browser-based 2D platform game that uses the web camera to provide motion based interaction. One of the conclusions in this study indicates that many game features from ordinary platform games only require minor modifications to be applicable for motion based platform games.

This dissertation comprises three essays analyzing various economic questions relating to open-source software development. The common thread linking these essays is the long-term sustainability of the open-source software development model, which is largely built on unpaid contributions from individual developers scattered across the world. The first essay develops a theoretical analysis of the market for operating systems as two-sided platforms, modeling the effects of competition and compatibility between a proprietary platform developed by a profit-maximizing firm, and an open platform (a public good developed by volunteers). Looking at the impacts on the proprietary platform firm, and application developer firms and users of both platforms, I find that under certain circumstances, a proprietary platform can find it profitable to become compatible with the open platform. However, it is always optimal in terms of social welfare to have compatibility between platforms. The second essay uses a laboratory experiment to examine how these characteristics and levels of motivations that are heterogeneous across individuals interact to result in sustainable, non-zero levels of contribution to open source software. There is a pronounced “leadership effect,” with subjects playing in the first position invariably contributing more frequently than those in the second position, and so on. Heterogeneity preserves the leadership effect, but increases contributions across the board, and eliminates the pattern of declining individual and total group contributions over time frequently observed in public goods experiments. The third essay studies the micro-foundations of open-source software contributions and provides an empirical examination of developer motivations using survey data. If open-source contributions and education are both signals of ability, then their impact on income is likely to be linked. They may be complements if open source contributions reinforce the signal from education by showing that one stands out from the crowd, or they might be substitutes if open-source development replaces expensive education in honing programming skills by offering more immediate feedback. Using an instrumental variables framework to deal with the endogeneity of the education and contribution choices, I find that leading an open-source project and completing college are complementary practices, so that the signaling and reputation-building aspect dominates.

In order to maximize operating time of an industrial machine and minimize stand-by time, service time and operating costs, a diagnostic system can be a useful tool. Diagnostic systems employ information already available in a machine’s control system (such as control signals, system state, sensor readings and so forth) to perform intelligent fault detection and localisation, and predict future faults and service needs. CC Systems develops advanced electronics and control systems for industrial machines and vehicles operating in rough environments. One of their products is a diagnostic platform called Diagnostic Runtime Engine (DRE), supplying the customer with a tool for building a diagnostic system. The platform offers supervision of the control system. Actions are performed when it detects a possible fault or indication of a potential future fault. An action could be for example the creation of an alarm. The DRE, as designed today, only works together with a control system running in an environment called CoDeSys. In this master thesis a new architecture of the platform is presented, with the objective to make the platform compatible with an arbitrary control system. A prototype is implemented to prove the concept of the suggested architecture model. A number of different standard diagnostic blocks, used for building the diagnostic system, are also suggested with the objective to make it easier for the user to employ the DRE. A proposition of how development with the diagnostic platform can proceed beyond this thesis is also presented. / För att maximera drifttid hos en industriell maskin och minimera driftskostnader samt standby- och service-tid, kan ett diagnostiksystem användas. Ett sådant system använder sig av information som redan finns tillgänglig i maskinens styrsystem (så som styrsignaler, tillstånd, sensorvärden och så vidare) för att utföra feldetektering och fellokalisering samt analys av möjliga framtida feltillstånd och servicebehov. CC Systems utvecklar avancerade elektronikkomponenter och styrsystem för industriella maskiner och fordon. En av deras produkter är en diagnostikplattform, Diagnostic Runtime Engine (DRE), som erbjuder ett verktyg för att bygga upp ett diagnostiksystem. Plattformen möjliggör övervakning av styrsystemet, och detektion av ett nuvarande feltillstånd eller möjligt framtida feltillstånd leder till att en handling utförs. En handling kan till exempel vara att ett alarm skapas. Diagnostikplattformen, som den är gjord idag, fungerar bara tillsammans med ett styrsystem som är implementerat i utvecklingsmiljön CoDeSys. I detta examensarbete presenteras en ny arkitektur på plattformen som möjliggör användande tillsammans med ett godtyckligt styrsystem. En prototyp är implementerad för att visa att den föreslagna arkitekturmodellen fungerar i praktiken. Dessutom är ett antal standard-diagnostikblock, som används då ett diagnostiksystem byggs upp, föreslagna. Standardblocken har till syfte att underlätta användandet av diagnostikplattformen. Ett förslag för hur DRE kan byggas om och utvecklas i framtiden är också presenterat.

The overall objective of this thesis was to compare compensatory reactions in young and older adults following unexpected platform perturbations in the frontal and sagittal planes during gait. Eleven young (aged 18-30) and ten community-dwelling older adults (aged 65+) completed a general health questionnaire, Mini BESTest, hip strength tests, and 45 walking trials on a motion platform. The walking trials were completed in a randomized block design on a 5 m pathway that moved following right heel contact after at least two steps. Young adults had stronger hips and performed better on the Mini BESTest than older adults. Compensatory reactions (measured through gait parameters and centre of mass motion) indicated that lateral perturbations were more difficult for both groups. These measures showed that young adults were able to recover more quickly than older adults. This could be attributed to altered base of support changes that occurred immediately following platform motions. / Ontario Graduate Scholarship

Nowadays there are several different types of ways to build a mobile application, through web technologies, or through mobile manufacturers’ languages. Thus, in this study we focus on the three major mobile application development strategies: Native, Hybrid, and Web to Native. This plurality of solutions renders the selection of a mobile application development strategy complex. Hence, this study aims at understanding how developers deal with the selection of a mobile development approach. This thesis analyses their behaviour thanks to a survey that collects crucial information about developers searching habits. The latter analysis concludes that general guidelines are not sufficient to provide a tailored and accurate selection of mobile application development approach. Therefore, this study aims at improving the activity of finding a mobile application development strategy. In addition to this, the past and current states of the subject are discussed in a critical manner, which therefore results in using an analytical research approach. Knowing the aforementioned, a design science research approach is used to outline the iteration processes that occurred during this study. Each step of the study is thoroughly treated thanks to a tailored design cycle. Consequently, a mobile development strategy-finding model has been built by combining literature review and survey’s results. This model highlights the importance of the criteria extracted from the literature review and the survey. To support and allow constant self-evolution of the model, a suggestion of web platform is proposed. Finally, this model has been compared with a Titanium model. The result of this comparison outlines that the model created in this study seems more usable because it comprises the three major mobile application development strategies whereas the Titanium model only focuses in native solutions and its own hybrid solution. Moreover, the Titanium model focuses on selling its product rather than showing why it is better than the other mobile application development strategies.

Due to the requirements of the Web 2.0 applications and the relational databaseshave a limitation in horizontal scalability. NoSQL databases have become moreand more popular in recent years. However, it is not easy to select a databasethat is suitable for a specific use. This thesis describes the detailed design, im plementation and final performance evaluation of a key-value NoSQL databasefor the SensibleThings platform, which is an Internet of Things platform. Thethesis starts by comparing the different types of NoSQL databases to select themost appropriate one. During the implementation of the database, the algorithms for data partition, data access, replication, addition and removal ofnodes, failure detection and handling are dealt with. The final results for theload distribution and the performance evaluation are also presented in this pa per. At the end of the thesis, some problems and improvements that need betaken into consideration in the futures.

近年來平台商業模式與網路交友的盛行，使得許多網路交友平台應運而生。平台的收費模式不以傳統使用者付費的觀念建立，而是以整體平台的互動作為收費的考量，以較優惠或是免費的方式來吸引會引起正向跨邊網路效應的使用者加入，讓他們作為平台的被補貼方，藉此吸引平台的付費方群體加入。 本研究以雙邊平台的觀點來研究網路交友平台是如何設計讓使用者願意加入此平台、如何設計互動機制讓平台上雙方群體進行互動，如何訂定合適的管制讓使用者能方便使用並信任此平台上使用者的真實性，讓適當的顧客匯集。即使同為網路交友平台，其交友的目的、交友的模式也有所不同，因此本研究先探討各交友平台是如何設計互動模式，來促進使用者間的交流，並比較各平台的不同之處。 理解平台的互動機制後，接著探討平台的補貼準則。因為各網路交友平台的設計不同也使得補貼準則有所差異，透過文獻裡所述的補貼準則來分析平台是透過哪種方式來向使用者進行收費，以及分析使用者願意支付費用的原因。 透過幾個交友平台的個案分析，本研究觀察到雖都為網路交友平台，但是其交友的機制都會因其設計理念、交友目的而有所不同。因此本研究整理出哪些補貼準則被應用在網路交友平台上，而各交友平台如何設計收費時機在互動模式上，以理解網路交友平台的整個收費訂價的方式。 / Platform business model and online dating has become popular in recent years, therefore more and more online dating platforms are being set up. Platform pricing model is not set up by user charge alone, how users interact on the platform is also considered. Platform controller attract users who can cause positive cross-side network effect by offering them better price so that they can attract users who are willing to pay the fee. This research depends on two-side market theory to explain how online dating platforms attract users to enter their platforms, design interaction mechanism and set rules to allow users to use platforms easily. Depending on different dating purposes, every online dating platform has its own design. Therefore, this research discusses how different online dating platforms design interaction mechanism and compare the differences between them. After understanding how platforms design interaction mechanism, platform pricing model is then discussed. Every platform has its own pricing model, because of different design. This research analyzes platform pricing model by subsidy rules from previous studies, and why users are willing to pay. By analyzing several online dating platform cases, this research concludes that platforms have different interacting mechanisms because of website design purpose and user dating purpose. This research demonstrates which subsidy rules are used on online dating platform and how these platform design charge timing in order to understand online dating platform pricing model.

Short of dramatic protests, Chinese citizens do not have much recourse against unscrupulous manufacturing companies who produce defective or unsafe products. The Great Wall web and app based platform empowers Chinese citizens to hold manufacturers accountable for the true costs of their own neglectful and sometimes endangering conduct. The Great Wall corrects the injustice of companies passing the costs of their negligence on to consumers while reaping unmitigagted profits. The Great Wall achieves this by offering a suite of services and tools that effectively unites similary affected consumers, aggregates their legal retainer fees thereby reducing the costs associated with legal proceedings and connects them with legal representation that will facilitate highly efficient legal negotiations on their behalves. The Great Wall is the first non-profit social venture supporting the Chinese Government’s efforts to foster accountability among manufacturers and meet the demand for a safer and higher quality marketplace for the Chinese population. Key Words: Non-profit social venture, Manufacturer negligence, Accountability, Consumer rights, Legal retainer, Mainland China.

Den här studien undersöker för- och nackdelar med att migrera existerande mobilaapplikationer till Xamarins crossplatform ramverk Xamarin Forms. Metoden somanvänts för att samla in data är inom ramen för forskningsparadigmet Design Science.En prototyp har utvecklats med syftet att undersöka vad som är möjligt att migrera tillXamarin Forms. Prototyputvecklingen har dokumenterats i loggböcker som sedananalyserats som kvalitativ data. Två intervjuer har även genomförts med andraxamarinutvecklare med syftet att nå en djupare förståelse för ämnet. Studien harproducerat ett flödesschema för när ett beslut om att migrera en existerande applikationtill Xamarin Forms bör tas. Vid beslut om migration har vi även formulerat ett antalriktlinjer som bör efterföljas för att uppnå bra resultat. Flödesschemat och riktlinjerna ärbaserade på resultaten från analysen av loggböckerna och intervjuerna. / This study investigates the pros and cons of migraiting existing mobile applications toXamarins crossplatform framework Xamarin Forms. The method that is being used tocollect data is within the scope of the research paradigm Design Science. A prototype ofan existing mobile application has been developed in order to research the possibilitiesof migraiting existing applications to Xamarin Forms. The development process of theprototype has been documented in journals which later were to be analyzed asqualitative data. Two interviews have been done with other Xamarin developers in orderto get a deeper understanding of the subject. This study produced a flowchart that is tobe used when deciding about a migration of an existing mobile application aswell asguidelines for the migration itself. The flowchart and guidelines are based on analyzingthe data from our journals aswell as our interviews with other developers.