Using the concept of open innovation companies have started to look beyond their own borders using the crowd as a source for labour, knowledge and innovation. During the last few years the phenomena of crowdsourcing and crowdfunding have become increasingly popular as sources of competitive advantage through the crowd. While several studies have examined crowd based platforms focusing on the users, little attention has been brought to the companies starting these crowd based services. This study addresses this gap in existing knowledge related to crowd based platforms through a qualitative case study examining a Swedish start-up. We demonstrate challenges related to networking, critical mass and quality in the context of launching a crowd based platform.

Using a new platform can be challenging, especially with relatively newly released platform and developer equipment. Difficulties and problems can arise during development from both hardware and software, some problems can be solved but sometimes help must be requested from the developers of the products. The consulting firm Altran in Karlstad has been dealing with this and has developed embedded software used in industrial welders for cars. There have been some uncertainty during their work, which has given birth to this project. The purpose of this project was to reconstruct and document Altran's initial development process, to make the process faster and easier for new developers. Besides the reconstruction, a discovery of unused features and components also became an important part of this project. The project has resulted in a documentation of various interfaces, an clock in system application called "Personnel Interactive Display and Educator", and a safe update application for the system.

This thesis addresses design and development associated problems identified within theplatform-game genre. The problem described originates from the fluctuating curve ofinterest towards the platform-game genre that can be observed between the 1980’s andtoday. The problem stated in this thesis is that modern platform-game developers mayoften overlook and –or deprioritize important design and gameplay related componentsthat we find reoccurring in previously popular games within the genre.This thesis strives to address such problems by decomposing the developmentprocess of a platform game into a light framework titled Implementation categories. Allincluded categories represent a set of design and development related platform-gamecomponents – primarily identified through previous research in the field. In order tocreate an understanding of each category’s complexity - as well as account for thepossibilities to use the categories as a guideline when developing a platform game - aprototype game was developed. The Implementation categories included in theprototype was then measured with a set of software complexity metrics. This thesis willmotivate and explain the selection of implementation categories, account for the usageof software complexity metrics as well as present a detailed documentation of theprototype development.The result of this thesis is a thorough presentation of the Implementation categories -attached with complexity examples for each category as well as a complete gameprototype. The complete results of this thesis will hopefully be of assistance in smallscale,independent or academic game projects in regard of design, decision making,prioritization and time planning.

Today's living room context offers more and more possibilities when it comes to when and how to interact with the television and media content offerings. Buzzwords such as "TV Everywhere" is something that both hardware manufacturers, content providers and television networks are pursuing to great lengths. At the core of such marketing schemes is the availability of platform-independent content consumption. In a Utopian setting, the end-user should never have to worry if he or she is currently using a smart TV, tablet, phone or computer to view a video or photos, play music or play games. Taking the concept even further, the devices should also be able to connect and communicate with each other seamlessly. Having for example a television set (first screen) controlled by a mobile phone (second screen) is commonly referred to as companion device interaction and is what this thesis has investigated. More specifically, a way of discovering and launching a first screen application from a second screen application using the zero configuration discovery protocol named DIAL has been implemented into a cross-platform messaging solution. A case study was conducted to gather data about the system and its context as well as what was needed of the framework in terms of architecture design, use cases and implementation details. A proof of concept application was developed for Android that used the proposed framework, showcasing the ease of use and functionality presented in integrating DIAL into such a solution. Since DIAL is so well-documented, easy to understand and is becoming one of the industry standards among consumer electronic manufacturers in terms of device discovery, I believe it should become a standard for so called zero configuration companion device interactivity.

Bereits 2014 schlossen sich Akteure aus mehreren sächsischen Hochschulen zusammen. Gemeinsames Ziel war die Schaffung einer bedarfsgerechten, innovativen und rechtlich unbedenklichen Videoplattform für alle Bereiche der Hochschule – Lehre, Forschung, Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Weiterbildung. Um Erfordernisse und Potentiale für den sächsischen Hochschulraum abzustecken und den Hochschulleitungen eine wissenschaftliche Entscheidungsgrundlage zu liefern, wurde 2015/2016 im Verbund von acht Hochschulen eine kumulative Machbarkeitsuntersuchung zum sogenannten Videocampus Sachsen (VCS)1 angefertigt. Der zeitliche und strukturelle Projektablauf ist in Abbildung 1 dargestellt. In diesem Artikel werden ausgewählte Ergebnisse des Teilprojekts Systemleistungsvergleich vorgestellt. In Kooperation zwischen der Hochschule Mittweida und der TU Chemnitz wurden existierende Plattformen recherchiert, in Frage kommende Lösungen hinsichtlich der im Teilprojekt Bedarfserhebung festgestellten Anforderungen zum Vergleich ausgewählt und die bereitgestellten Funktionen untersucht.

Amputation is the oldest surgical procedure recorded. In small animals, mainly dogs and cats, the goal of these procedures maintain the patient's life, when it is affected by lesions that progress to necrosis, malignancies, distal irreparable injury, and another one. The force platforms used to measure ground reaction forces involved inhuman and animal movement, allowing the interpretation of movement through mechanical variables. This study aims to analyse the distribution of weighting every limb and compare them with data from animals considered normal (with four limbs). It was studied 20 canines, divided into four groups: Group 1 (without the left forelimb), Group 2 (without the right forelimb), Group 3 (without the left hind limb) and Group4 (without the right hind limb). The animals evaluated within groups were not normal standard and they were above or below the upper and lower limits, because they had not one of the four members, adapting and transferring your weight to one of the other three members. It can be concluded that canines without the left forelimb band right forelimb transfer the weight to theirs contra lateral sides. Dogs that have not left forelimb transfer 76.99% of weight to the contra lateral side, as well as dog without right forelimb transferring 71.73% of weight to the contra lateral side. The canines that have not the left or right hind limbs, transfer weight to the forelimbs. / A amputação é o procedimento cirúrgico mais antigo registrado. Em animais de pequeno porte, principalmente cães e gatos, o objetivo desta cirurgia é manter a vida do paciente, quando acometido por lesões que evoluem para necrose, neoplasias malignas, lesões distais irreparáveis, dentre outras causas. A plataforma de força é utilizada para medir as forças de reação do solo envolvidas no movimento humano e animal, possibilitando a interpretação do movimento através de variáveis mecânicas. O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar a distribuição de força em cada membro e comparar com os dados de animais, considerados normais, por possuírem quatro membros. Para isso, foram utilizados 20 animais, caninos divididos em quatro grupos: o Grupo 1 (sem o membro anterior esquerdo), o Grupo 2 (sem o membro anterior direito), Grupo 3 (sem o membro posterior esquerdo) e o Grupo 4 (sem o membro posterior direito). Todos os animais avaliados não estavam dentro dos padrões considerados normais, ou estavam acima ou abaixo dos limites superiores e inferiores, pois não tinham um dos quatros membros, adaptando-se e transferindo seu peso para os outros três membros. Dessa forma, pode-se concluir que os animais sem o membro anterior esquerdo e o membro anterior direito transferem seu peso para seu lado contralateral. Os cães que não possuem membro anterior esquerdo transferem 76,99% do seu peso para o lado contralateral, e os sem membro anterior direito transferem 71,73% do seu peso para o lado contralateral. O grupo de animais que não possui o membro posterior esquerdo ou direito, transfere seu peso para os membros anteriores.

Through a discipline termed “comparative sedimentology”, modern carbonate depositional environments have been used extensively as analogs to aid in the interpretation of equivalent fossil systems. Using field samples, GIS and remote sensing data for three isolated carbonate platforms in the Pacific, this thesis seeks to examine relationships between grain texture and grain type and their environment of deposition. The motivation is to highlight relationships that have the potential to better understand facies relations on carbonate platforms, and thereby reduce uncertainty and increase accuracy of subsurface exploration. The results of this study show that on Raivavae, Tubuai, and Bora Bora: French Polynesia grain texture and type of collected sediment samples could be used to predict water depth and relative distance lagoonward from the reef rim with ≥ 73% and ≥ 67% accuracy, respectively. The predictive relationships; however, were largely site specific. The exception being that the same relationship between water depth and the abundance of mud and coral could be used on both Raivavae (accuracy = 81%) and Tubuai (accuracy = 78%). Additionally, the abundance of coral and Halimeda in sediment samples were able to classify samples as belonging to either the platform margin or platform interior environments on Raivavae, Tubuai, and Bora Bora with 75%, 65%, and 65% accuracy, respectively. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the abundance of coral holds potential to be utilized as a proxy for distance from the reef rim on modern and ancient isolated carbonate platforms dating back to the Miocene geological epoch.

Submitted to the Information Technology (IT) Department in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Technology, Durban University of Technology. Durban, South Africa, 2016. / This doctoral research introduces an integration of satellite systems and new stratospheric platforms for weather observation, imaging and transfer of meteorological data to the ground infrastructures. Terrestrial configuration and satellite communication subsystems represent well-established technologies that have been involved in global satellite sensing and weather observation area for years. However, in recent times, a new alternative has emerged based on quasi-stationary aerial platforms located in the Stratosphere called High Altitude Platform (HAP) or Stratospheric Communication Platforms (SCP). The SCP systems seem to represent a dream come true for communication engineers since they preserve most of the advantages of both terrestrial and satellite communication systems. Today, SCP systems are able to help, in a more cost effective way, developments of space Earth sensing and weather observation and weather sensing and observation. This new system can provide a number of forms ranging from a low altitude tethered balloon to a high altitude (18 – 25 km) fuel-powered piloted aircraft, solar-powered unmanned airplanes and solar-powered airship.

Abstract The use of agent systems has increased enormously, especially in the field of mobile services. Intelligent services have also increased rapidly in the web. In this thesis, the utilization of software agent technology in mobile services and decentralized intelligent services in the multimedia business is introduced and described. Both Genie Agent Architecture (GAA) and Decentralized International and Intelligent Software Architecture (DIISA) are described. The common problems in decentralized software systems are lack of intelligence, communication of software modules and system learning. Another problem is the personalization of users and services. A third problem is the matching of users and service characteristics in web application level in a non-linear way. In this case it means that web services follow human steps and are capable of learning from human inputs and their characteristics in an intelligent way. This third problem is addressed in this thesis and solutions are presented with two intelligent software architectures and services. The solutions of the thesis are based on a combination of neural network and agent technology. To be more specific, solutions are based on an intelligent agent which uses certain black box information like Self-Organized Map (SOM). This process is as follows; information agents collect information from different sources like the web, databases, users, other software agents and the environment. Information is filtered and adapted for input vectors. Maps are created from a data entry of an SOM. Using maps is very simple, input forms are completed by users (automatically or manually) or user agents. Input vectors are formed again and sent to a certain map. The map gives several outputs which are passed through specific algorithms. This information is passed to an intelligent agent. The needs for web intelligence and knowledge representation serving users is a current issue in many business solutions. The main goal is to enable this by means of autonomous agents which communicate with each other using an agent communication language and with users using their native languages via several communication channels.

L’avènement des communautés virtuelles de marque (VBC) bouleverse les relations avec les consommateurs et pousse les annonceurs à adopter une véritable Orientation Clients. Or, la littérature a mis en exergue certains avantages induits sans pour autant offrir une analyse holistique des bénéfices et impacts des plateformes d’engagement communautaires. Tel est donc l’objet de cette recherche qui tente d’apporter une première modélisation des bénéfices qualitatifs et quantitatifs des VBC. Le cadre théorique de notre recherche s’inscrit dans celui des théories relationnelles et de l’engagement des consommateurs. L’exploration conceptuelle de la littérature nous a permis de mieux appréhender les enjeux des VBC pour le champ du comportement du consommateur et le management du Marketing, avant de dresser une typologie des bénéfices induits. Aussi, compte tenu du faible nombre de VBC et de l’aspect stratégique de notre problématique, nous avons opté pour des entretiens semi-directifs avec des experts ou Dirigeants Marketing. Cette recherche hypothético-déductive nous a permis de mettre en lumière des catégories de bénéfices, avec notamment les impacts sur la Connaissance Clients, la Relation Clients, l’innovation participative, le crowd sourcing ou encore la gouvernance et le management. La phase exploratoire a validé les propositions de recherche avec des nuances récurrentes, notamment pour ce qui est de la représentativité relative des membres. Les principaux apports de cette recherche sont la mise en avant des facteurs d’optimisation de l’engagement des membres au sein des VBC, ainsi que l’impact sur le retour sur investissement. Ce travail ouvre de nouvelles perspectives de recherche du fait de son aspect pluridisciplinaire et des enjeux pour le management du Marketing, de la Relation Clients et des marques. / The advent of Virtual Brand Communities (VBC) is changing customer relationships and pushing advertisers to adopt a true Customer Driven Strategy. The literature has highlighted some of the benefits that have been gained, without providing a holistic analysis of the benefits and impacts of community engagement platforms. It is therefore the object of this research that attempts to provide a first modelization of the qualitative and quantitative benefits of VBC. The theoretical framework of our research is in line with relational theories and consumer engagement. The conceptual exploration of literature allowed us to better understand the stakes of the VBCs for the field of consumer behavior and marketing management, before drawing up a typology of the profits induced. Also, given the low number of VBCs and the strategic aspect of our research, we have opted for semi-directive interviews with experts or marketing executives. This hypothetico deductive research has allowed us to highlight families of benefits, with impacts on Customer Knowledge, Customer Relationship, participative innovation, crowd sourcing, governance and management. The exploratory phase validated the research proposals with recurring nuances, in particular with regard to the relative representativeness of the members. The main contributions of this research are the optimization of the factors of member’s engagement within the VBC, as well as the impact on the return on investment. This work opens new research perspectives, because of its multidisciplinary aspect and the stakes for Marketing management, Customer Relations and brands.