The present work contributes to the ongoing discussion of the factors involved in perfecting foreign language learning through a close examination of vocabulary use. Motivated by Laufer’s (1991) argument that the use of less frequent vocabulary items is a sign that a language learner is approximating the lexical competence of a native speaker, I set out to model Laufer and Nation’s (1995) study that assessed lexical frequency. The first goal of this work was to assess the usefulness of the lexical frequency profile (Laufer and Nation, 1995) in evaluating written texts produced by learners of German. This lexical frequency profile had mostly been used to examine vocabulary use of learners of English. Instead of using frequency bands of German, this work relied on three generated word frequency lists. The second goal of this work was to examine how the language repertoire of aspiring bilinguals varies at the lexical level by comparing vocabulary use at three competency levels (Introductory German I, II and Intermediate German). The analysis revealed that the lexical frequency profile is a valuable tool for evaluating lexical use by language learners, although the tool was difficult to adapt for research of texts in German. Furthermore, learners in all three courses relied heavily on vocabulary from learning materials used in their courses, and they were more likely to use less frequent words as they progressed from the introductory to the intermediate language course.

The present work contributes to the ongoing discussion of the factors involved in perfecting foreign language learning through a close examination of vocabulary use. Motivated by Laufer’s (1991) argument that the use of less frequent vocabulary items is a sign that a language learner is approximating the lexical competence of a native speaker, I set out to model Laufer and Nation’s (1995) study that assessed lexical frequency. The first goal of this work was to assess the usefulness of the lexical frequency profile (Laufer and Nation, 1995) in evaluating written texts produced by learners of German. This lexical frequency profile had mostly been used to examine vocabulary use of learners of English. Instead of using frequency bands of German, this work relied on three generated word frequency lists. The second goal of this work was to examine how the language repertoire of aspiring bilinguals varies at the lexical level by comparing vocabulary use at three competency levels (Introductory German I, II and Intermediate German). The analysis revealed that the lexical frequency profile is a valuable tool for evaluating lexical use by language learners, although the tool was difficult to adapt for research of texts in German. Furthermore, learners in all three courses relied heavily on vocabulary from learning materials used in their courses, and they were more likely to use less frequent words as they progressed from the introductory to the intermediate language course.

Ultracentrifugation and imaging techniques of human blood serum are precise and information-rich methods for obtaining information about an individual’s lipoprotein particle content. The information derived from lipoprotein separations via an ultracentrifuge plays a key role in the area of preventative medicine in regards to atherosclerosis. Two of the most critical lipoprotein characteristics, diameter and density, are well preserved with the proper isopycnic gradient. Currently, lipoprotein particles are stained, ultracentrifuged, and profiled through image analysis. This particular technique is helpful in determining particle density and can be correlated loosely with particle concentration. The need to completely quantify lipoprotein concentrations is imperative in assessing risk factors accurately. Light scattering techniques, primarily Rayleigh scattering, are applied to density separated serum samples in resulting in improved qualitative data with progress in quantitative measurements through imaging alone. The Rayleigh theory dictates that a particle’s scattered intensity is based upon the incident intensity, the particle’s diameter, and the particle’s concentration when strict criteria are met within the sample and imaging apparatus. Applying this innovative imaging technique of Rayleigh scattering to ultracentrifuge tubes containing separated lipoproteins, particle concentrations at differing diameters can be calculated. This thesis primarily goes through the time consuming task of optimizing the innovative Rayleigh scattering system so that correct quantitative estimations can be performed. Constrained by Rayleigh theory and system limitations, lipoproteins of 15 nm to 35 nm are focused upon. By doing so, previously disguised data in regards to lipoprotein subclasses is exposed. Lipoprotein diameters are estimated from Rayleigh imaged serum profiles and the estimations are confirmed through secondary size analysis achieved by dynamic light scattering instrumentation. In addition to Rayleigh optimization, a strategy for quantifying the ultracentrifuged lipoprotein particles using the recently applied scattering technique is explained in detail providing a foundation for further research. In regards to all feasibility studies presented within this thesis, much success was achieved in furthering quantitation efforts in lipoprotein density profiling.

Crude oil is a complex mixture of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons of diverse molecular weight. In spite of its high hydrophobicity and toxicity, crude oil is a rich source of carbon for microorganisms. It has been proposed that microbial metabolism contributes to petroleum physicochemical characteristics, as highly specialized microorganisms are adapted to its extreme conditions. Deciphering these unique microbiomes will allow more in-depth characterization of crude oil and better understand its chemistry. The general aim of this study is to characterize the unique microbial communities of crude oil through a comparative metagenomics approach. I performed a survey of worldwide crude oil metagenomes in literature and databases. I identified 48 metagenomics datasets from five countries. The Comparative analysis of these metagenomes allowed us to identify how Methanogens are predominant in the North-American crude oil, being Methanoculleus and Methanosaeta the dominant genera in Canada and Methanothermococcus the predominant genus in the United States oil fields. In the case of Nigeria crude oil, Marinobacterium and Parvivaculum were the two dominant genera. In the case of Thailand, the dominant genus Thermus reflected the high-temperature environment of that oil field. Finally, metagenomes from China were the most diverse, reflecting the heterogeneity of the oil fields from that country. I generated metagenomics data from 27 Saudi Arabian crude oil samples originated in 6 different oil fields. As no crude oil metagenome has been reported yet for the Arabian Peninsula, the information provided in this dissertation is contributing towards a complete worldwide characterization of crude oils. Two genera, Peanibacilus and Thermospira, are proposed as the taxonomic markers for the set of Saudi crude oil analyzed. In this thesis I elucidated the structure of microbial communities in crude oils globally, suggesting that it may reflect the geological history of crude oils. This study sheds light on the importance of microorganisms for understanding petroleum geobiology. These findings suggest that it is possible to identify the distinctive microbiota associated with specific types of crude oil according to its location. The results presented here set the basis for developing novel methodologies for crude oil identification based on a microbial fingerprinting approach.

Yes / The prevalence of micromoulded components has steadily increased over recent years. The production of such components is extremely sensitive to a number of variables that may potentially lead to significant changes in the surface geometry, often regarded as a crucial determinant of the product¿s functionality and quality. So far, traditional large-scale quality assessment techniques have been used in micromoulding. However, these techniques are not entirely suitable for small scales . Techniques such as Atomic Force Mi- croscopy (AFM) or White Light Interferometry (WLI) have been used for obtaining full three-dimensional profiles of micromoulded components, pro- ducing large data sets that are very difficult to manage. This work presents a method of characterizing surface features of micro and nano scale based on the use of the Biharmonic equation as means of describing surface profiles whilst guaranteeing tangential (C1) continuity. Thus, the problem of rep- resenting surface features of micromoulded components from massive point clouds is transformed into a boundary-value problem, reducing the amount of data required to describe any given surface feature.The boundary conditions needed for finding a particular solution to the Biharmonic equation are extracted from the data set and the coefficients associated with a suitable analytic solution are used to describe key design parameters or geometric properties of a surface feature. Moreover, the expressions found for describ- ing key design parameters in terms of the analytic solution to the Biharmonic equation may lead to a more suitable quality assessment technique for mi- cromoulding than the criteria currently used. In summary this technique provides a means for compressing point clouds representing surface features whilst providing an analytic description of such features. The work is applicable to many other instances where surface topography is in need of efficient representation.

This thesis explores possibilities for extending the features of honeypot systems to decrease the chance of an attacker discovering that they have compromised a honeypot. It is proposed that by extending the period of time that an attacker spends on a honeypot oblivious to its status, more information relevant to profiling the attacker can be gained. Honeypots are computer systems that are deployed in a way that attackers can easily compromise them. These systems, which contain no production data, are useful both as early warning systems for attacks on production systems, and for studying the tools, techniques, and motives of attackers. Current honeypot systems mitigate the risks of running a honeypot by restricting out-bound traffic in a way that might be obvious to an attacker. The extensions proposed for honeypots will be tested in a controlled laboratory environment.

Název diplomové práce v anglickém jazyce, abstrakt v anglickém jazyce a tři klíčová slova v anglickém jazyce Psychological profiling of an offender Abstract The subject of this diploma thesis is the method called psychological profiling (also called criminal profiling or offender profiling), which was created in the 1970s by the American FBI to help investigators to solve serious violent crimes, such as serial murders or rapes. It involves working out the characteristics of an offender by examining the characteristics of the crime scene and the crime itself. Its aim is to create a profile of a likely offender, therefore it is usually perceived as a useful tool by law enforcement agencies when regular forensic methods fail to reveal the indentity of an unknown suspect. The main goal of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive view of this method, including its advantages and disadvantages, free from media distortion. The thesis consists of four main chapters. The first chapter explains the term psychological profiling and its roots and definitions, focuses on the history of the method and its most significant approaches - crime analysis, investigative psychology and behavioral analysis. Further in this chapter, I describe the ideal characteristics and background of an expert creating a profile. The last...

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The purpose of this paper was to explore customer racial profiling in retail stores in Sweden. To accomplish the exploration, unstructured interviews were used in the paper to contain knowledge of customers' experiences in the retail store................................................................................................ likely to experience customer racial profiling in stores as compared to female customers. / <p>This bachelor thesis was conducted during the spring semester of 2022 at Linnaeus University in Växjö by marketing students Adila Aadila, MuhammadTalha Qadri, and Shashank Shukla. While conducting this research the authors had the opportunity to implement some of the knowledge gained throughout the three years of studying the marketing program. This thesis would not have been accomplished without the help of our informative and competent professors. We would like to show our gratitude to MichaelaSandell- our supervisor who has always been easy to reach when we needed help and provided us with valuable feedback during the process. We would also like to thank Åsa Devine- our examiner for her constructive feedback during the seminars. Last but not least we would like to thank Dan Halvarsson for helping us with the method chapter and all the opponent groups for their input and feedback during the seminars. </p>

This thesis documents research providing improvements in the field of accessibility modelling, which will be of particular interest as computing becomes increasingly ubiquitous. It is argued that a new approach is required that takes into account the dynamic relationship between users, their technology (both hardware and software) and any additional Assistive Technologies (ATs) that may be required. In addition, the approach must find a balance between fidelity and transportability. A theoretical framework has been developed that is able to represent both users and technology in symmetrical (hierarchical) recursive profiles, using a vocabulary that moves from device-specific to device-agnostic capabilities. The research has resulted in the development of a single unified solution that is able to functionally assess the accessibility of interactions through the use of pattern matching between graph-based profiles. A self-efficacy study was also conducted, which identified the inability of older people to provide the data necessary to drive a system based on the framework. Subsequently, the ethical considerations surrounding the use of automated data collection agents were discussed and a mechanism for representing contextual information was also included. Finally, real user data was collected and processed using a practically implemented prototype to provide an evaluation of the approach. The thesis represents a contribution through its ability to both: (1) accommodate the collection of data from a wide variety of sources, and (2) support accessibility assessments at varying levels of abstraction in order to identify if/where assistance may be necessary. The resulting approach has contributed to a work-package of the Sus-IT project, under the New Dynamics of Ageing (NDA) programme of research in the UK. It has also been presented to a W3C Research and Development Working Group symposium on User Modelling for Accessibility (UM4A). Finally, dissemination has been taken forward through its inclusion as an invited paper presented during a subsequent parallel session within the 8th International Conference on Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction.