Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

A method to implement high-speed pulse shaping filters has been discussed. This technique uses a unique look up table based architecture implemented in 90nm CMOS using a standard cell based ASIC flow. This method enables the implementation of pulse shaping filters for multi-giga bit per second data transmission. In this work a raised cosine FIR filter operating at 4 GHz has been designed. Various Implementation issues and solutions encountered during the synthesis and layout stages have been discussed. In the second portion of this work, the design of a unique address based serial peripheral interface (SPI) for initializing, calibrating and controlling various blocks in a large system has been discussed. Some modifications have been made to the standard four-wire SPI protocol to enable high control speeds with lesser number of top-level pads. This interface has been designed to function in the duplex mode to do both read and write operations.

The study described in this thesis investigates how the implementation of raised floor system (RFS) for the fitout of office buildings can be promoted in the Australian construction industry. It essentially achieves this goal through justifying the RFS fitout advantages, improving industry practitioners' awareness of the innovative technology, and identifying the barriers hindering RFS application, and exploring integrated approaches to overcome these barriers. Due to increasing levels of technological, environmental and organizational changes in office buildings, the traditional office building fitout method cannot deliver flexible services economically and in a timely manner. RFS is highlighted for its superior underfloor distribution technologies and ability to promote healthy workplace environments and organizational flexibilities. Despite the many benefits RFS may bring, this innovative technology has not been widely used. Therefore, for countries with potential growth in the office building market, including Australia, how to make this state-of-the-art fitout technology more acceptable is of great importance. To encourage the RFS implementation in office buildings, the research set up five objectives: (1) to justify the RFS advantages for office building fitout compared with traditional fitout method; (2) to identify and present appropriate specifications of RFS products and applications in order to improve industry practitioners' awareness on RFS fitout; (3) to identify and seek potential solutions to barriers hindering RFS fitout implementation; (4) to integrate the barriers and their solutions into RFS project delivery using constructability study; and (5) to formulate guidelines for RFS fitout implementation in office buildings in the Australian construction industry. A comprehensive research methodology consisting of questionnaire, semi-structured interview, site observations, focus groups, life cycle cost (LCC) comparison, and constructability study was structured to support the exploratory research. With a combined qualitative and quantitative data analysis method, the questionnaire and interview surveys revealed the low level recognition of RFS within the industry, and identified 20 significant influence factors (SIFs) and 15 real problems associated with RFS fitout implementation. The site observations and focus groups validated the survey findings and justified the RFS fitout advantages. Then, the LCC comparison established a model and verified the LCC benefits of RFS fitout through a case study. The final discussion on the SIFs, real problems and their solutions uncovered 36 project level critical factors pertaining to RFS fitout design, construction, operation and maintenance. A constructability study was employed to integrate these key factors into RFS fitout project delivery, such as construction knowledge inputs, team skills, and RFS fitout programs. More importantly, five key issues with significant influences were revealed. Further investigation of these key issues led to a framework for the constructability implementation, a contracting strategy with nominated specialist contractors under CM/GC, and a process-based conceptual model for the selection of RFS products. Based on these findings, a set of guidelines for the RFS fitout implementation in office buildings was formulated as a contribution to practice. Questionnaires were again used to invite comments on the key issues and guidelines, and the results proved the validity of the research outcomes.

Webbsystem används flitigt och även för internt bruk gäller det att vara användbar, funktionell, tydlig och ha en god navigation. Människor läser inte text utan letar efter en text som uppfyller deras mål. En undersökning på företaget Stamford AB utförs med deras interna webbapplikation som ska uppdateras och fokusen i denna rapport ligger på designval av knappar och dess läsbarhet. Användbarhetstest har utförts med hi-fi prototyper där testpersoner fick utföra olika uppgifter där flera designförslag testades för hur knappar kan se ut enligt olika designprinciper så som flat design, raised design och rounded corners. Testpersonerna ombads att tänka högt under prototyptestet och intervjuas efteråt för att samla in nödvändig data för att kunna dra slutsatser av undersökningen. Testet visade att en läsbar knapp ska ha normal eller lite mer mellanrum och ha en textstil som är normal eller fet för högsta läsbarhet. Samtliga knappar hade mouseover effekt (highlight) men ingen animation när man trycker ner knappen. Flat design ansågs vara lättare för ögonen.

Eastern North Dakota has received excessive rainfall events since 1995, and soils are prone to waterlogging. This research evaluated the effects of subsurface tile drainage, raised beds, and iron-chelate (Fe-EDDHA) seed-application on iron-deficiency chlorosis (IDC) incidence in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], soybean growth, and yield, across six environments during 2013 and 2014. Tile drainage without beds increased soybean yield and reduced IDC by 11%. Beds resulted in more vigorous plants with 9% more biomass and increased soybean yield by 6%. There was no yield advantage to using both tile and raised beds within the same field. The Fe-EDDHA reduced plant population and IDC expression, increased plant biomass, but did not result in a yield increase. Farmers are encouraged to consider utilizing raised beds as a means to mitigate excess water. Additional research is needed to determine the cause of lower established plant density after seed application with Fe-EDDHA. / Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council / North Dakota Soybean Council / DuPont Pioneer

Background/Problematization: The statutory audit was abolished for small limited companies in Sweden, in 2010, with the intention of easing the burden on enterprises with high audit expenses and enhancing Sweden's competitiveness. After the abolishment, the debate about statutory audit has rekindled once more, where various actors and scholars emphasize the meaningfulness of statutory audit for small firms in terms of fighting criminality and ensuring financial information quality for stakeholders, while others argue that the benefits of the audit do not justify the expenditures incurred. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to map the debate about the statutory audit for small companies in Sweden since the abolishment in 2010 by exploring the main stakeholders, their differences in power as well as the arguments provided by the debaters. Methodology: This thesis adopts a critical discourse analysis method with an abductive research approach, where predetermined codes were developed in a scheme in order to collect the empirical data. The study includes 90 articles that were collected and used from 8 newspapers, magazines, or websites. Findings: The findings suggest that auditing- and accounting organizations, legislators, authorities, audit firms, clients, creditors and business associations are the main stakeholders of the debate. Further, the prominent arguments for a reinstatement are the increased criminality and the decreasing financial quality in the absence of an auditor, while the arguments for raised limit values involve the lack of necessity of audit in small firms as well as the incurred cost and lack of competitiveness due to statutory audit. Our findings indicate that there exist differences in power in the debate, where some stakeholders are more prevalent in the debate and are seen to be more influential than others.

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Access management techniques such as raised median installation and driveway consolidation improve safety conditions for motorists. Several locations where these access management techniques have been installed in the state of Utah were selected for analysis of the safety impacts. Although crash rates were not necessarily reduced as a result of the access management techniques, other safety improvements were observed. The raised medians generally reduced the more serious types of collisions, which resulted in a decrease in the severity of crashes. The fatality rates generally decreased as crashes became less severe. Because fatalities and the overall severity of crashes decreased, the overall cost of crashes was reduced. The cost of installing the raised medians was easily recouped by this reduction in the cost of crashes.

<p> The vegetational colonization and development preceding the establishment of lichen-heath was examined on a Hudson Bay coastal raised-beach system. A continuous and directional developmental sequence of approximately 200 years was quantified on both a coastal intraridge sample sequence and on an inland interridge sample sequence. Increasing gradients of elevation, soil peat thickness and soil organic matter coincide with the vegetational development, however no appreciable changes in soil pH or concentrations of available nutrients were detected and it is concluded that these parameters have little influence on the development of lichen-heath at this site. Community composition over the ridge profile forms a second major vegetational gradient which appears to be affected primarily by environmental factors related to ridge morphology and orientation. The interactions of environmental factors in the development of lichen-heath are discussed.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Thesis advisor: Micah Lott / How do we rectify structural injustice? Iris Marion Young presents a Social Connection Model that states those who participate in social processes that produce injustice have a forward-looking responsibility to redress the resulting injustice. Within some philosophical discourse, however, there is a general consensus that SCM is not action-guiding and is overly demanding. To supplement Young’s ideas, I explore Robin Zheng’s Role-Ideal Model; Zheng fills some necessary gaps left by Young. My aim in this paper is to use Young's SCM and Zheng's RIM in tandem to create a more action-guiding and ameliorative project for structural injustice. I offer a structurally sensitive account of responsibility for disempowerment that avoids passively repeating domination. I establish a prefatory set of tasks that can be applied to all roles. These tasks are an expansion of the terms mentioned in Zheng Role-Ideal:“raised consciousness” and “boundary pushing.” / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Philosophy.