The purposes of this study were: (1) to determine whether there was a correlation between a quantitative assessment of postural sway , and a clinical assessment of postural stability, in patients diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD); (2) to plot individual diurnal changes in postural sway characteristics of PD patients over an eight-hour time period; (3) to plot day to day changes in individual postural sway characteristics of PD patients: (4) to determine whether there was a difference in the postural sway characteristics of parkinsonians, with and without vision; (5) to determine whether there was a difference in the postural sway characteristics of the same individuals when using either Sinemet or Oeprenyl. Three male PD patients were recruited into this study. Each subject stood on a stable force platform (AMT1 OR6-5-1). Measurements included the standard deviations of the coordinates of the centre of pressure (COP) in the anterior-posterior (a-p) and lateral (lat) directions, the mean velocity of sway, and area of sway. These dependent measures were evaluated in a "quiet standing" condition, once with the eyes open (EO) and once with the eyes closed (EC). These procedures were carried out ten times over the course of an eight hour day. Each subject was tested two days while taking eight hour day. Each subject was tested two days while taking Sinemet, and two days while on the Deprenyl regimen. Secondly, at two periods of each test day, each patient was evaluated using the postural assessment section of the Sears Parkinson's Assessment Form (SPAF). The results were: (1) group analyses and individual analyses established the evidence of significant correlations between both the quantitative measures of postural sway (force platform) and the qualitative assessment tool (SPAF): (2) significant variability was evident in the analysis of individual data plots: (3) no statistically significant differences were observed tor any subject when measured from day to day; (4) generally, vision was a stabilizing factor in postural control, however, this was quite variable for each subject; (5) significant improvements in postural stability were observed with the introduction of Deprenyl for one out of three subjects. These findings are discussed in terms of their clinical and behavioral importance, with specific reference to Physiotherapy. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

No / Kernel P systems integrate in a coherent and elegant manner many of the features of different P system variants, successfully used for modelling various applications. In this paper, we present our initial attempt to extend the software framework developed to support kernel P systems: a formal verification tool based on the NuSMV model checker and a large scale simulation environment based on FLAME. The use of these two tools for modelling and analysis of biological systems is illustrated with a synthetic biology example.

Asset management of force main infrastructure entails accurate prediction of the condition of the system to operate and maintain at the lowest overall costs. In this thesis report, guidelines for asset management of force main infrastructure is provided by synthesizing the trends observed in the inspection, condition assessment and renewal engineering strategies. Furthermore, this thesis focuses on development of a centralized web-based platform for advanced asset management of force main infrastructure. The key components involved in this comprehensive asset management of the force main infrastructure are data management, model implementation and information visualization. The thesis depicts various aspects involved in developing a web-based application for utilities that store, collect and analyze the data in dissimilar methods. A risk assessment model employed by a utility to prioritize the assets for renewal is demonstrated with various utilities' data. Consequently, the model is published as geo-processing services through ESRI ArcGIS Server. A visualization tool is developed for individual utilities that interacts with the geo-processing services and renders a web-based interactive map to visualize the model results. A drupal website (www.pipeid.org) is developed to support the data collection and model dissemination process. / Master of Science

With the advent of smart devices, Internet of things and cloud computing the amount of information collected about an individual is enormous. Using this meta-data, a complete profile about a person could be created - professional information, personal information like his/her choices, preferences, likes/dislikes etc. The concept of privacy is totally lost with this gamut of technology. The ability to separate one's on-line identity from their personal identity is near impossible. The conflicting interests of the two parties - service providers' need for authentication and the users' privacy needs - is the cause for this problem. Privacy Preserving Authentication could help solve both these problems by creating valid and anonymous identities for the users. And simply by proving the authenticity and integrity of this anonymous identity (without revealing/exposing it) the users can obtain services whilst protecting their privacy. In this thesis, I review and analyze the various types of PPA schemes leading to the discussion of our new scheme 'Lightweight Anonymous Attestation with Efficient Revocation'. Finally, the scenarios where these schemes are applicable are discussed in detail. / Master of Science

Low-code is a modern approach to software development and has grown rapidly in recent years. By hiding complexity behind layers of abstraction, it allows inexperienced developers to create complex applications in a shorter amount of time. This thesis sets out to evaluate the current state of low-code as well as a few of the available low-code development platforms and how well their finished applications perform. A simple order management system was implemented in three low-code development platforms, Mendix, OutSystems, and Airtable, in order to gain experience in all of them. The platforms were then evaluated with respect to user experience and performance. The created applications load time and memory usage were measured in three different tests. It was found that there are plenty of low-code platforms that exist for different purposes, and that they all have their own learning curve depending on how flexible they aim to be. The performance of their respectively created applications is also similar to each other, with the only major differences being by design. / Low-code är en modern metod för mjukvaruutveckling och har vuxit snabbt under de senaste åren. Genom att dölja komplexitet bakom lager av abstraktion, kan oerfarna utvecklare producera komplexa applikationer på kort tid. Detta examensarbetet utvärderar den aktuella statusen för low-code, samt några av de tillgängliga low-code plattformarna och hur deras skapade applikationer presterar. Ett enkelt orderhanteringssystem implementerades på tre stycken low-code plattformar, Mendix, OutSystems och Airtable för att få olika erfarenheter. Plattformarna utvärderades sedan med avseende på användarupplevelse och prestanda. De skapade applikationernas laddningstid och minnesanvändning mättes i tre olika tester och utvärderades. Det visade sig att det finns flertalet low-code plattformar för olika ändamål. Plattformarna har olika inlärningskurva beroende på hur flexibla de är. Prestandan som uppmättes på vardera plattform när applikationen hade utvecklats visade sig vara väldigt likt sinsemellan. Den största skillnaden plattformarna emellan visade sig vara designvalen.

This body of work presents methods for the optimization, analysis, and control of mixed serial-parallel structures known as SP-Stacks. A SP-Stack is a series of Stewart Platforms (SPs) linked via their top and bottom plates to create a serial chain of parallel mechanisms. SP-Stacks are unique in their bridging of the benefits of parallel architectures (high rigidity, strength, and precision) and serial architectures (reach and manipulability), at the cost of being extremely overactuated. SP-Stacks are also difficult to provide kinematic solutions for, as neither forward nor inverse kinematics of a system are closed form. The first work presented focuses on presenting algorithms and optimization functions pertaining to the kinematic configuration of a SP-Stack. It first presents two methods of fast inverse kinematics (IK) for the SP-Stack which do not take forces into account. The outputs of those more simplistic solvers as used as initial conditions for a Nonlinear Program (NLP) algorithm which optimizes the internal configuration of a SP-Stack such that the end effector (EE) plate remains at the desired location, and the maximal force experienced on any actuator is minimized. The second work presented focuses on hardware testing some of the constituent algorithms and conclusions drawn from the first paper and determining methods of compensating for, in software, detected defects in hardware and hardware measurement systems. This work also demonstrates a different form of force-optimization - compliance control (CC), which is executed on both a single SP responding to external forces, and a 2 SP-Stack responding to regular internal perturbation. Conclusions drawn from these works are useful for stacks of an arbitrary number of SPs, can be extended to other mixed-kinematic systems, and advance the capabilities of these systems to be useful contributors in field robotics. / Master of Science / A stewart platform (SP) is a type of robot which consists of two plates interconnected by six linear actuators in parallel, which allow the robot to either translate or rotate about any axis in space. SPs are limited in their ability to move, as their parallel construction limits their workspace. In order to counteract this, SPs can be stacked on top of one another, creating a SP-Stack. The SP-Stack is capable of using its status as a mixed serial-parallel system to move in a significantly larger area (an advantage derived by the serial component of its architecture) and retain extraordinary rigidity and strength (an advantage from its parallel architecture). As each SP has 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF), enabling the previously described free-space motion, a SP-Stack possesses 6n DoF, making it overactuated. An overactuated system has multiple internal configurations which allow for a desired end effector configuration. The body of work presented herein focuses on manipulating the overactuation of SP-Stacks to achieve desirable results such as finding configurations which are most resistant to external loading (optimization of actuator forces) or algorithms which allow SP-Stacks to comply with external loading (compliance control (CC)). The first work presented herein focuses on determining an optimal configuration for a 4 SP-Stack such that the maximum force experienced by any one of its linear actuators is minimized, given a known external force. This work also presents two methods of generating initial configurations for the SP-Stack which are fed into the optimization algorithm which produces the final solution, as well as providing details on the constraints which govern the movement and validity of configurations for the system. The second work presented expands on the work done in the first, moving into hardware testing for verification of algorithms which calculate forces experienced by the linear actuators. The hardware testing showcases some errors that can be introduced by low fidelity hardware, along with methodologies for counteracting those errors. Finally, the second work introduces CC, the ability for a robot to move itself to adapt to incoming forces, and applies it to a physical 2 SP-Stack as a demonstrator.

Mobile platforms for archaeological purposes have increased in use over the last 20 years with many of the developments coming from Continental Europe. Mobile platform developments have mainly focused on one type of instrumentation, offering multiple sensors, depths of detection or frequencies. This development of mobile platforms has focused on data acquisition rates but has not considered the physical impact on the soil. The Geoscan Research Mobile Sensor Platform (MSP40) was intended to improve survey efficiency and remain a lightweight system. The platform can collect two earth resistance configurations that show directional variation of the current flow through soil. Additional sensors were integrated on to the square frame of the hand-pulled cart to record simultaneous fluxgate gradiometer data and a microtopographic surveys. Ground based geophysical investigation will always have a physical impact on a site. The MSP40 is no exception but careful selection of wheel types and the lightweight frame limit the damage compared to many mobile arrays. The MSP40 has been tested on a number of different soils at various times of the year with encouraging results; however issues with overcoming the contact resistance of electrodes remain. The continuous collection rate and combination of techniques means a slight drop in data quality is inevitable. However the increased data density, multiple-sensors and improved rate of collection offset reductions in data quality. The research has shown that the MSP40 can perform low impact rapid site assessments on 'vulnerable' sites, whilst maximising the information gained from a single traverse.

As today's real-time embedded systems grow increasingly ubiquitous, rising complexity ensues as more and more functionalities are integrated. Market dynamics and competitiveness further constrict the technology-to-market time requirement, consequently pushing it to the very forefront of consideration during the development process. Traditional system development approaches could no longer efficiently cope with such formidable demands, and a paradigm shift has been perceived by many as a mandate. This thesis presents a novel platform-centric SoC design method that relies on a platform-based design to expedite the overall development process. The proposed approach offers a new perspective towards the complex systems design paradigm, and can attain the desired paradigm shift through extensive reuse and flexibility. It offers a unified communication means for all sectors involved in the development process: Semiconductor vendors can use it to publish their platform specifications; Tool vendors can use it to develop and/or enhance their tools; System developers can use it to efficiently develop the system. Key technologies are also identified, namely the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and the Unified Modeling Language (UML), that realize the proposed approach. This thesis extends XML to attain a standard means for modeling, and processing a large amount of reusable platform-related data. Additionally, it employs UML's own extension mechanism to derive a UML dialect that can be used to model real-time systems and characteristics. This UML dialect, i.e. the UML profile for Codesign Modeling Framework (UML-CMF), remains compliant to the UML standard. A sub-profile within the UML profile for Codesign Modeling Framework is also developed so as to furnish a means for efficient modeling of platforms, and that can be seamlessly integrated with other real-time modeling capabilities offered by the UML-CMF. Such an effort yields a robust UML-compliant language that is suitable for a general platform-based modeling and design. A practical use of the proposed approach is demonstrated through a powerful case study that applies the approach to develop a digital camera system. The results are comparatively presented against the SpecC approach in terms of cost metrics based on the COCOMO II model.

Stockholms läns regionala planeringsorgan vill utveckla sitt arbete med digitalisering inom regional planering med inriktning på ekologisk hållbarhet. Syftet med denna rapport är att bidra till detta arbete genom att jämföra och identifiera sätt som digitaliseringen behandlas i regional planering i syfte att nå ekologisk hållbarhet. Begreppet ”digitalisering” syftar på den process där teknik och digital information blir en del av samhället. Konceptet ”smart city” identifierades som intressant och tolkades om för en ”smart region”, och vad det skulle kunna innebära. Ingångar i frågorna skaffades i en workshop med Stockholmsregionens Tillväxtoch Regionplaneförvaltning, samt i en intervju med sakkunnig. Det genomfördes en studie av fem storstadsregioners regionplanedokument, och av litteratur om regional planering, digitalisering och ekologisk hållbarhet. Sju strategier för digitalisering och ekologisk hållbarhet i regional planering identifierades utifrån de regionala planeringsdokumenten. En digital plattform identifierades som ett möjligt sätt att arbeta med tjänster som är kopplade till strategierna. I litteraturen hittades analysverktyg vilka användes för att identifiera hur strategierna med digitalisering kan innebära ökad ekologisk hållbarhet. Efter det diskuterades hur den digitala plattformen kan samverka med regional planering, samt hur den digitala plattformen och samarbetsplattformen kan tolkas ur en planeringsteoretisk vinkel. / The Stockholm County regional planning agency wants to develop its work on digitalisation in Regional Planning with a focus on ecological sustainability. The purpose of this report is to contribute to this work by comparing and identifying ways that digitalisation is treated in regional planning in order to achieve ecological sustainability. The concept of "digitalisation" refers to the process where technology and digital information becomes a part of the community. The concept of "smart city" was identified as interesting and was interpreted for a "smart region", and what this could entail. Starting points to the issues were gathered in a workshop with the Stockholm region's Growth and Regional Planning Administration, as well as in an interview with an expert. A study was conducted of the five metropolitan regions’ regional planning documents, and of literature on regional planning, digitalisation and ecological sustainability. Seven strategies for digitalisation and ecological sustainability in regional planning were identified on the basis of the regional planning documents. A digital platform was identified as a possible way to work with services that are linked to the strategies. In the literature analysis tools were found which were used to identify how the strategies of digitalisation can lead to increased environmental sustainability. After that it was discussed how the digital platform can interact with regional planning, as well as how the digital platform and the collaboration platform can be understood from a planning theoretical angle.

The player experience (PX) of games can be inspected in various ways to help developers understand the essential ingredients for a successful and engaging game design. Users are even able to experience games on a variety of different gaming platforms, which presents more ways of interaction compared to games that are restricted to only a single gaming platform. The overall chain of interactions between games and platforms, becomes a central design target to understand the complex nature of digital games. However, there are a limited number of studies that investigate how the gaming platforms affects the general PX, and how to conduct an effective evaluation on a game that exists on several platforms. The purpose of this thesis is to research the general PX of these multi-platform games and to generate information about a topic of interest where there is not much prior knowledge. This was done through a single case study using participants and measure their overall PX when played on two different platforms. This process used playability heuristics based on literature focusing on PX and usability, along with semi-structured interviews and observations. The data from this case study would then be discussed to serve as a base for a future hypothesis to be studied, and to discuss how research around multi-platform gamescan be managed and assist game developers in their process of creating an enjoyable PX.Besides presenting how games developed for several platforms can affect the evaluation of the PX, the study also presents findings for how players personal preference for gaming platforms can impact both their performance, and their opinions of a games design.