Problems, emerging from requirements changes in software development and maintenance phases are analyzed in this thesis. Requirements for an architecture, which allow easier implementation of requirements changes, are discussed. There are analyzed world spread architectures, which ease the maintenance of the software. Also there is analyzed the three tier architecture implementation in the project “distributed basketball competition registration and analysis software”, analysis subsystem. The cons and pros of implemented architecture are discussed also.

Compared to traditional business services, IT-enabled services provide more value to customers and providers by enabling traditional business services with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and delivering them via e-channels (i.e., Internet, Mobile networks). Although IT-enabled service systems help in co-creating value through collaboration with customers during service design and delivery, they raise challenges when we attempt to understand, design and produce innovative and intelligent IT-enabled services from a multi-disciplinary perspective by including businesses, technology and people for value addition and increasing benefits. Due to their social-technical nature and characteristics (i.e., Intangibility, Inseparability, Perishability, Simultaneity), IT-enabled services also lack common methods to systemize services driven by customer requirements and their satisfactions and co-produce them through ad-hoc collaboration. In this thesis, we propose a middle-out methodology to model, design and systemize advanced IT-enabled service driven by customer requirements and collaboration among all actors to jointly co-create service systems. From a multi-disciplinary perspective, the methodology relies on a multi-view models including a service system reference model, a requirement model and a collaboration model to ensure system flexibility and adaptability to requirement changes and take into account joint efforts and collaboration of all service actors. The reference model aims at a multi-disciplinary description of services (ontological, systematical and characteristic-based descriptions), and formalizing business knowledge related to different domains. As for the requirement model, customer needs are specified in common expressiveness language understandable by all service actors and made possible its top-down propagation throughout service lifecycle and among actors. The collaboration model advocates a data-driven approach, which increases busi-ness, technical and semantic interoperability and exhibits stability in comparison to business processes centric approaches. Finally, the collaboration hinges on de-livery channels expressed as data flows and encapsulating business artifacts as per which business rules are generated to invoke underlying software components.

Magistro baigiamajame darbe atlikta įmonės UAB "XXX" apyvartinio kapitalo analizė. Pirmoje darbo dalyje teoriniu aspektu apžvelgta įmonės apyvartinio kapitalo koncepcija ir struktūra. Antroje darbo dalyje pateikta tyrimo metodologija, pasirinkti apyvartinį kapitalą analizuojantys finansiniai rodikliai ir analizuojamas ryšys tarp jų. Trečioje darbo dalyje atliekama įmonės UAB "XXX" analizė ir pateikiama apyvartinio kapitalo poreikio prognozė. / In the master's thesis is conducting an analysis of working capital in a company "XXX" Ltd. In the first part of the master's thesis ir reviewing the theoritical aspects of a company's working capital concept ant structure. In the second part are introducting the methodology of the research and selected financial ratios being used for working capital analysis and researching the relationship between these financial ratios.

Adopting a minimalist framework, the dissertation provides an analysis for the syntactic structure of comparatives, with special attention paid to the derivation of the subclause. The proposed account explains how the comparative subclause is connected to the matrix clause, how the subclause is formed in the syntax and what additional processes contribute to its final structure. In addition, it casts light upon these problems in cross-linguistic terms and provides a model that allows for synchronic and diachronic differences. This also enables one to give a more adequate explanation for the phenomena found in English comparatives since the properties of English structures can then be linked to general settings of the language and hence need no longer be considered as idiosyncratic features of the grammar of English. First, the dissertation provides a unified analysis of degree expressions, relating the structure of comparatives to that of other degrees. It is shown that gradable adjectives are located within a degree phrase (DegP), which in turn projects a quantifier phrase (QP) and that these two functional layers are always present, irrespectively of whether there is a phonologically visible element in these layers. Second, the dissertation presents a novel analysis of Comparative Deletion by reducing it to an overtness constraint holding on operators: in this way, it is reduced to morphological differences and cross-linguistic variation is not conditioned by way of postulating an arbitrary parameter. Cross-linguistic differences are ultimately dependent on whether a language has overt operators equipped with the relevant – [+compr] and [+rel] – features. Third, the dissertation provides an adequate explanation for the phenomenon of Attributive Comparative Deletion, as attested in English, by way of relating it to the regular mechanism of Comparative Deletion. I assume that Attributive Comparative Deletion is not a universal phenomenon, and its presence in English can be conditioned by independent, more general rules, while the absence of such restrictions leads to its absence in other languages. Fourth, the dissertation accounts for certain phenomena related to diachronic changes, examining how the changes in the status of comparative operators led to changes in whether Comparative Deletion is attested in a given language: I argue that only operators without a lexical XP can be grammaticalised. The underlying mechanisms underlying are essentially general economy principles and hence the processes are not language-specific or exceptional. Fifth, the dissertation accounts for optional ellipsis processes that play a crucial role in the derivation of typical comparative subclauses. These processes are not directly related to the structure of degree expressions and hence the elimination of the quantified expression from the subclause; nevertheless, they are shown to be in interaction with the mechanisms underlying Comparative Deletion or the absence thereof. / Unter Verwendung eines minimalistischen Frameworks wird in der Dissertation eine Analyse der syntaktischen Struktur von Vergleichskonstruktionen vorgestellt, mit besonderem Augenmerk auf der Ableitung des eingebetteten Satzes. Die vorgeschlagene Analyse erklärt, wie der komparative Nebensatz mit dem Matrixsatz verbunden ist, wie der Nebensatz in der Syntax gebildet wird und welche zusätzlichen Prozesse zu seiner endgültigen Struktur beitragen. Außerdem beleuchtet sie diese Probleme aus cross-linguistischer Sicht und bietet ein Modell, das synchrone und diachrone Unterschiede berücksichtigt. Dies ermöglicht auch eine adäquatere Erklärung der Phänomene in englischen Vergleichskonstruktionen, da die Eigenschaften der englischen Strukturen mit allgemeinen Eigenschaften der Sprache verknüpft werden und es daher nicht mehr nötig ist, sie als idiosynkratrische Merkmale der Grammatik der englischen Sprache zu behandeln. Die Dissertation bietet zum einen eine einheitliche Analyse von Gradphrasen, wobei die Struktur von Vergleichskonstruktionen mit der von anderen Graden verbunden wird. Es wird gezeigt, dass graduierbare Adjektive sich in einer Gradphrase (degree phrase, DegP) befinden, die wiederum eine Quantorenphrase (QP) projiziert, und dass diese beiden Funktionsschichten immer vorhanden sind, unabhängig davon, ob es ein phonologisch sichtbares Element in diesen Schichten gibt. Zweitens präsentiert die Dissertation eine neue Analyse von Komparativ-Tilgung (Comparative Deletion), die auf eine Overtheits-Bedingung für Operatoren reduziert wird: dadurch wird das Phänomen auf morphologische Unterschiede zurückgeführt, und cross-linguistische Variation wird nicht durch die Postulierung eines arbiträren Parameters begründet. Cross-linguistische Unterschiede sind letztlich davon abhängig, ob eine Sprache overte Operatoren mit den relevanten Merkmalen – [+ compr] und [+ rel] – hat. Drittens bietet die Dissertation eine adäquate Erklärung für das Phänomen der attributiven Komparativ-Tilgung (Attributive Comparative Deletion), wie man sie im Englischen findet, indem sie mit dem regulären Mechanismus der Komparativ-Tilgung in Zusammenhang gebracht wird. Ich gehe davon aus, dass attributive Komparativ-Tilgung kein universelles Phänomen ist, und dass ihr Vorhandensein im Englischen durch unabhängige, allgemeinere Regeln erfasst werden kann, während das Fehlen solcher Regeln zur Abwesenheit des Phänomens in anderen Sprachen führt. Viertens erklärt die Dissertation bestimmte Phänomene in Bezug auf diachronische Veränderungen und untersucht, wie Veränderungen im Status der Komparativoperatoren beeinflussen, ob Komparativ-Tilgung in einer Sprache vorkommt: Ich argumentiere dafür, dass nur Operatoren ohne eine lexikalische XP grammatikalisiert werden können. Die zugrunde liegenden Mechanismen sind im Wesentlichen allgemeine Prinzipien der Ökonomie, und damit sind die Prozesse nicht sprachspezifisch oder Ausnahmen. Fünftens bietet die Dissertation eine Erklärung für optionale Ellipsenprozesse, die bei der Ableitung von typischen komparativen Nebensätzen eine entscheidende Rolle spielen. Diese Prozesse haben nicht direkt mit der Struktur von Gradphrasen und somit mit der Entfernung der quantifizierten Phrase aus dem Nebensatz zu tun; aber es wird gezeigt, dass sie mit den Mechanismen, die Komparativ-Tilgung oder deren Abwesenheit zugrunde liegen, interagieren.

The increasing demand for electrical energy to bring about development and social change has brought about renewed interest in the use of nuclear power as one of the sources of electrical energy. The nuclear power industry has had a few decades of low activity due to previous accidents which turned the public perception against the use of nuclear as an electrical power source. The low activity has resulted in the shortage of nuclear skills as the skill previously available is now aged and about to reach retirement. The South African Government has recently announced its commitment to having nuclear in the energy mix. This will require construction of new nuclear power plants. This research arises from the need to understand whether the required human capital will be available, looking specifically at technician level in the nuclear energy industry. The main research goal of the study was to find what training and development initiatives are currently being used in industry and what needs to be in place to ensure that the industry is ready for the nuclear new-build. The researcher than proposes training and development initiatives that should be put in place to meet the demand that will be created by the nuclear new-build. / Thesis (MSc (Engineering Sciences in Nuclear Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The increasing demand for electrical energy to bring about development and social change has brought about renewed interest in the use of nuclear power as one of the sources of electrical energy. The nuclear power industry has had a few decades of low activity due to previous accidents which turned the public perception against the use of nuclear as an electrical power source. The low activity has resulted in the shortage of nuclear skills as the skill previously available is now aged and about to reach retirement. The South African Government has recently announced its commitment to having nuclear in the energy mix. This will require construction of new nuclear power plants. This research arises from the need to understand whether the required human capital will be available, looking specifically at technician level in the nuclear energy industry. The main research goal of the study was to find what training and development initiatives are currently being used in industry and what needs to be in place to ensure that the industry is ready for the nuclear new-build. The researcher than proposes training and development initiatives that should be put in place to meet the demand that will be created by the nuclear new-build. / Thesis (MSc (Engineering Sciences in Nuclear Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

公共圖書館是文化與教育的機構，對教育改革而言，圖書館是提供資料與知識的資源站。教師和圖書館一樣，在教育的改革路上，影響力不容小覷。使用圖書館的習慣需從小培養，引領未來主人翁進入圖書館世界，為教師重要的責任，所以，教師本身是否了解圖書館，是否有善用圖書館習慣，則為重要的問題。 本研究之對象以宜蘭縣所有公立國民小學全體教師為調查對象，目的在調查國小教師對公共圖書館的使用需求及滿意情形，並探討其差異情形。再綜合教師對公共圖書館的意見提出建議，提供宜蘭縣公共圖書館擬定館藏及經營發展政策的基本方向，期望公共圖書館能提供更便利的服務來支援教學，讓教學和圖書館利用能更加緊密的結合。 本研究以問卷調查法為主輔以半結構式訪談進行研究，正式問卷統計分析後，整理欲深入探討之問題設計成訪談大綱，並進行半結構式訪談。研究結果摘要如下： 宜蘭縣國小教師在不同角色、任務、情境等會有不同的資訊需求，教師對於解決需求上，在增加新知的需求程度最高，資訊尋求的方式已經由網路取代由實體圖書館獲得所需要的資訊。 宜蘭縣國小教師在圖書館資料需求已圖書為主，最常使用的資料服務為借閱圖書資料；教師希望圖書館提供圖書館利用教育課程配合教學需要，認為圖書館應該主動提供資訊支援教學；在空間部分，教師最常利用的是閱覽空間，座位舒適度、空氣、光線品質為重視之項目；國小教師認為圖書館地點、圖書館人員態度、專業知能是影響使用公共圖書館意願之主要因素。 宜蘭縣國小教師對於宜蘭縣公共圖書館的公共圖書館整體滿意度還算尚可，將宜蘭縣國小教師對公共圖書館的意見與看法加以整理分析，教師對於館藏、管理、支援教學、位置與空間規劃以及閱讀推廣活動與人力資源方面期待很高，希望可以擁有一個完善的公共圖書館。 由研究結果歸納以下建議：建議地方行政機關增置公共圖書館專業人員及提撥固定經費，專款專用；輔導機關方面應該建立推廣公共圖書館與國小合作並辦理相關教育研習活動，培養專業人力；建議宜蘭縣公共圖書館加強宣導與服務並主動提供相關訊息、改善圖書館網站、統籌規劃圖書館利用教育、參與相關教育研習加強和學校合作、多舉辦推廣圖書館相關活動；建議各國小重視學校圖書館，加強其功能，鼓勵師生利用；建議國小教師培養利用公共圖書館之習慣、善用圖書館支援教學活動、培養圖書館利用教育知能、主動向公共圖書館提出建議。 / Public libraries are cultural and educational institutions and serve as the resource center for education reform. Teachers, together with libraries, exert indispensable influence on the process of education reform. The habit of using libraries should be created among children and it is the responsibility of the teachers to help children become familiar with the libraries. Therefore, how well the teachers understand the libraries and whether or not they have developed a habit of utilizing libraries are important issues. The participants of the study are all public elementary school teachers of Yilan County and the study aims to investigate the users’ needs and survey the user satisfaction of the elementary school teachers in their experience of using libraries. A suggestion synthesizing the study result is to propose to provide the public libraries a direction to establish their collection development policy and management policy. Thus, a goal of combining teaching and library utilizing can be achieved by the more convenient library service offered by the public libraries. The study conducts a questionnaire survey using method of semi-structured interviews. After analyzing the data collected by the questionnaire, semi-structured interviews were performed with an interview outline developed on the basis of issues to be probed into. The results of the study are summarized as follows: For the change of role, objective, and situation, elementary school teachers of Yilan County demand differently on the information provided by the libraries. The foremost need for the teachers in using libraries is acquiring the advanced knowledge, while the libraries’ function of data research has been replaced by the internet. The main need of elementary school teachers of Yilan County for library material is books, and the checkout service is the service used the most. Teachers wish that libraries can offer educational curse to work with regular teaching and actively offer information to support teaching. The space in libraries using most for teacher is the reading room; the evaluation standards includes the seat comfort, air quality, and the sufficient light. The teachers also consider that the location of libraries, attitude and the proficiency of the clerk are main factors influencing users’ willingness to use public libraries. The overall Satisfaction of elementary school teachers of Yilan County over public libraries of Yilan County is passable. Collecting and analyzing opinions and suggestions made by the teachers, they expect a complete and well functioned public library with sufficient collection, management, location, space planning, and human resource; and wish that libraries can support the teaching, and create reading habit among children. Further suggestions are made based on the result of the study as follows: local government should expand the professional staff and allocate funds earmarked for the development of the libraries only; guidance institution should develop and promote the collaboration between libraries and elementary schools, organizing the education and study activities and cultivating professional development; public libraries of Yilan County should make more introduction on the services and activities available in the libraries through improving the library website, mapping complete library utilizing educational course, participating in the education and study activities, strengthening the collaboration with the schools, and holding more activities aiming at promoting usage of libraries; elementary schools should place importance on their own libraries, enhancing the functions and encouraging the using among teachers and pupils; elementary school teachers should cultivate habit of using libraries, manage to utilize the resource in libraries to improve teaching, advance the library using skills, and should be willing to provide suggestion actively to the public libraries.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The decline of the passenger rail transport system of South Africa over the past two decades has left the passenger rail industry in a difficult position. The most significant impact has been the deterioration of the physical assets. Due to the renewed focus by government on passenger rail transport, the need for improving the physical asset management has been recognised. Physical asset management manifests itself through the application of strategies. The need for new and/or updated strategies was identified and summarily examined. Through the initial literature study, it was found that strategies are founded on the specific maintenance policy of an organisation. The application of the new/updated strategies was intended to take place at Metrorail. An investigation at Metrorail revealed the lack of any significant policy that is required to develop any new strategies. This discovery led to a shift in focus from the development of new strategies to the development of a physical asset management policy. A generic policy statement called Requirement-­‐based Asset Management (RAM) was developed, with its primary focus being the conducting of maintenance activities based on the requirements of the organisation, the employees, the asset and the customer. In order to evaluate the suitability of RAM, a strategic roadmap was developed based on the policy statement and validated in three areas of Metrorail. These three areas were the wheel set maintenance system, the Top 7 fault evaluation procedure and the scheduled maintenance cycle of the train sets. The application procedure concluded that the roadmap and thus by deduction RAM are suitable for the Metrorail environment. RAM can be used to develop/improve an organisation’s physical asset management policy. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die agteruitgang van die vervoerspoorwegstelsel vir passasiers gedurende die afgelope twee dekades in Suid-­‐Afrika het hierdie bedryf in ‘n moeilike posisie geplaas. Die mees beduidende impak van hierdie verwaarlosing is die agteruitgang van die instandhouding van fisiese bates. Die regering se hernuwe fokus op die vervoer van passasiers per spoor het gelei tot die herkenning van die behoefte aan verbeterde bestuur van fisiese bates. Die bestuur van fisiese bates word gemanifesteer deur die toepassing van strategieë. ‘n Behoefte aan nuwe en/of opgedateerde strategieë is geïdentifiseer en nagevors. Die aanvanklike literatuurstudie het bevind dat strategieë op ‘n organisasie se spesifieke instandhoudingsbeleid gebaseer is en die toepassing van hierdie nuwe en/of opgedateerde strategieë is beplan by Metrorail. ‘n Gebrek aan ‘n noemenswaardige beleid wat vereis word vir die ontwikkeling van nuwe strategieë is by Metrorail gevind. Hierdie bevinding het ‘n fokusverskuiwing tot gevolg gehad – van die ontwikkeling van nuwe strategieë na die ontwikkeling van ‘n bestuursbeleid vir fisiese bates. ‘n Generiese beleidsverklaring genaamd “Requirement-­‐based Asset Management” (RAM), met die primêre fokus op instandhoudingsaktiwiteite, is ontwikkel en is gebaseer op die behoeftes van die organisasie, die werknemers, bates en kliënte. ‘n Strategiese metodologie wat op die beleidsverklaring gebaseer is, is ontwikkel om die geskiktheid van die RAM te evalueer en is dit in drie areas van Metrorail gevalideer. Hierdie drie areas sluit in die instandhoudingstelsel vir wielstelle, die prosedures betrokke by die evaluasie van die sewe mees beduidende foute, en die geskeduleerde instandhoudingsiklus van die treinstelle. Deur die toepassingsprosedure is die gevolgtrekking gemaak dat die metodologie, en gevolglik die RAM, geskik is vir die Metrorail-­‐omgewing. Die RAM kan dus gebruik word vir die ontwikkeling en/of verbetering van ‘n organisasie se bestuursbeleid vir fisiese bates.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:48:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FabioAGS_DISSERT.pdf: 1631308 bytes, checksum: cb5c8aa720129c7e7b32a24acd2a4b2c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-30 / The importance of non-functional requirements for computer systems is increasing. Satisfying these requirements requires special attention to the software architecture, since an unsuitable architecture introduces greater complexity in addition to the intrinsic complexity of the system. Some studies have shown that, despite requirements engineering and software architecture activities act on different aspects of development, they must be performed iteratively and intertwined to produce satisfactory software systems. The STREAM process presents a systematic approach to reduce the gap between requirements and architecture development, emphasizing the functional requirements, but using the non-functional requirements in an ad hoc way. However, non-functional requirements typically influence the system as a whole. Thus, the STREAM uses Architectural Patterns to refine the software architecture. These patterns are chosen by using non-functional requirements in an ad hoc way. This master thesis presents a process to improve STREAM in making the choice of architectural patterns systematic by using non-functional requirements, in order to guide the refinement of a software architecture / Cada vez mais os sistemas computacionais precisam satisfazer requisitos n?ofuncionais. No entanto a satisfa??o destes requisitos exige uma aten??o especial j? que s?o requisitos que devem ser levados em considera??o pelas arquiteturas de software que representam esses sistemas. Uma arquitetura de software inadequada introduz uma complexidade maior, al?m da complexidade intr?nseca do sistema. Al?m disso, estudos mostram que apesar das atividades de engenharia de requisitos e de arquitetura de software atuarem em diferentes aspectos do desenvolvimento, ? preciso execut?- las de forma iterativa e entrela?ada para produzir sistemas computacionais satisfat?rios. Com o objetivo de diminuir a lacuna existente entre requisitos de software e o desenvolvimento de uma arquitetura de software que reflita esses requisitos, foi proposto o processo STREAM (Strategy for Transition between REquirements models and Architectural Models). O STREAM consiste de uma abordagem sistem?tica que enfatiza os requisitos funcionais, sendo os n?o-funcionais usados de forma ad hoc. Entretanto, os requisitos n?o-funcionais normalmente impactam o sistema como um todo. Assim, a maneira proposta pelo STREAM para fazer com que a arquitetura de software desenvolvida reflita os Requisitos N?o-Funcionais elicitados no modelo de requisitos ? atrav?s do refinamento da arquitetura usando padr?es arquiteturais escolhidos com base nos requisitos n?o-funcionais. No STREAM a escolha desses padr?es ? realizada de forma ad hoc. Com o objetivo de sistematizar a forma de escolha dos padr?es arquiteturais, esta disserta??o prop?e um processo para sistematizar a escolha desses padr?es, a partir de requisitos n?o-funcionais racionalizados, que ser?o usados para refinar arquitetura de software

Det ingår i ögonsjuksköterskans arbetsuppgifter att mäta synfunktioner och att informera om undersökningsresultat. Det kan kännas svårt att lämna information om att patientens syn inte uppfyller gällande synkrav för körkort, då informationen kan påverka patientens livskvalité negativt. Syftet med studien var att undersöka ögonsjuksköterskans erfarenheter av att informera patienten om att synkraven för körkort inte uppnås. En intervjustudie genomfördes där nio ögonsjuksköterskor medverkade. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys utfördes sedan på insamlad data. Tre kategorier framkom: personcentrering vid informationstillfället, patientreaktioner påverkar informationstillfället samt omständigheter påverkar informationstillfället. Resultatet visade att ögonsjuksköterskorna var djupt involverade i körkortsärenden och de flesta kände ansvar att informera patienten när synkraven för körkort inte uppnåddes. Genom ett personcentrerat förhållningsätt försökte ögonsjuksköterskorna skapa de bästa förutsättningarna för att göra patienten delaktig. Informationstillfället påverkades av patientens reaktioner samt andra omständigheter så som vilken diagnos patienten hade och vilka konsekvenser informationen skulle kunna innebära för patienten. Det visade sig vara av betydelse att ögonsjuksköterskorna hade goda kunskaper i handhavande och bedömningar i körkortsfrågor varför sådan utbildning rekommenderas. Oftalmologiska verksamheter bör avsätta tillräckligt med tid till dessa patientbesök då även detta visade sig vara viktigt. För att ytterligare förbättra den oftalmologiska omvårdnaden är det angeläget att i kommande studier belysa patientens upplevelse av informationstillfället. / It is part of the ophthalmic nurse’s duties to measure functions relating to sight and to report outcomes of such examinations. It can feel difficult to deliver information about sight no longer being sufficient to fulfil the requirements for a drivers’ licence, as such information may negatively impact quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of ophthalmic nurses in informing the patients that their vision no longer fulfils the requirements for holding a drivers’ license. The study comprised interviews in which nine nurses participated. A qualitative content analysis of the collected data was conducted. Three categories emerged: person-centering the delivery of information, reactions of patient affect the delivery of information and circumstances affect the delivery of information. The results show that ophthalmic nurses were deeply involved in drivers’ licence cases, and most of them felt a responsibility to inform patients when their sight fell short of requirements for drivers’ license. By means of a person-centred approach, nurses attempted to create the best conditions in which to involve patients. The time of information delivery was impacted by the reactions of patients, as well as other circumstances such as the type of patient diagnosis and the consequences this information might have for the patient. It was deemed significant that ophthalmic nurses had good knowledge of process and judgment in matters of drivers’ licenses, why such education is recommended. Sufficient time for those meetings was shown to be important. In order to further improve ophthalmic caring, it is important to also highlight the patients’ experience at the time of information.