Att designa fysiska escape rooms kan kräva mycket arbete och resurser. Detta arbete hanterade frågan om en digital-first approach kan underlätta arbetsprocessen och undersöker frågan om automatisk återställning av pussel samtidigt. Escape rooms är rum där grupper av människor ska lösa en serie pussel med hjälp av ledtrådar i rummet, vanligtvis med ett mål att ta sig ur rummet inom en viss tid. Det skapades en textbaserad spelprototyp i Twine och en 3D-prototyp genom spelet Escape Simulator för att undersöka hur de gick att skapa digitala escape rooms i. En digital-first approach är ett fördelaktigt första steg vid planering av fysiska escape rooms med få nackdelar och det går att testa möjligheter för automatisk återställning samtidigt.

In this dissertation, I analyze the 20th century text, A Room of One's Own, by Virginia Woolf (2005), and I engage with Woolf's concept of a woman's need for a room of her own in which she can be free to think for herself, study, write, or pursue other interests away from the oppression of patriarchal societal expectations and demands. Through library-based research, I identify four screens in Woolf's work through which she viewed and critiqued culture, and I use these screens to reconceptualize "a room of one's own" in 21st Century terms. I determine that the new "room" is intimately and intricately technological and textual and it is reformulated in the digital spaces of blogs, social media, and Web sites. Further, I introduce the new concept of the technologized politically embodied cyborg, or TPEC, and examine the ways 21st Century TPECs are shaping U.S. culture in progressive ways.

Detection of explosive gas leaks such as hydrogen (H2) becomes key element in the wake of counter-terrorism threats, introduction of hydrogen powered vehicles and use of hydrogen as a fuel for space explorations. In recent years, a significant interest has developed on metal oxide nanostructured sensors for the detection of hydrogen gas. Gas sensors properties such as sensitivity, selectivity and response time can be enhanced by tailoring the size, the shape, the structure and the surface of the nanostructures. Sensor properties (sensitivity, selectivity and response time) are largely modulated by operating temperature of the device. Issues like instability of nanostructures at high temperature, risk of hydrogen explosion and high energy consumption are driving the research towards detection of hydrogen at low temperatures. At low temperatures adsorption of O2- species on the sensor surface instead of O- (since O- species reacts easily with hydrogen) result in need of higher activation energy for hydrogen and adsorbed species interaction. This makes hydrogen detection at room temperature a challenging task. Higher surface area to volume ratio (resulting higher reaction sites), enhanced electronic properties by varying size, shape and doping foreign impurities (by modulating space charge region) makes nanocrystalline materials ideal candidate for room temperature gas sensing applications. In the present work various morphologies of nanostructured tin oxide (SnO2) and indium (In) doped SnO2 and titanium oxide (titania, TiO2) were synthesized using sol-gel, hydrothermal, thermal evaporation techniques and successfully integrated with the micro-electromechanical devices H2 at ppm-level (as low as 100ppm) has been successfully detected at room temperature using the SnO2 nanoparticles, SnO2 (nanowires) and TiO2 (nanotubes) based MEMS sensors. While sensor based on indium doped tin oxide showed the highest sensitivity (S =Ra/Rg= 80000) and minimal response time (10sec.). Highly porous SnO2 nanoparticles thin film (synthesized using template assisted) showed response time of about 25 seconds and sensitivity 4. The one dimensional tin oxide nanostructures (nanowires) based sensor showed a sensitivity of 4 and response time of 20 sec. Effect of aspect ratio of the nanowires on diffusion of hydrogen molecules in the tin oxide nanowires, effect of catalyst adsorption on nanowire surface and corresponding effect on sensor properties has been studied in detail. Nanotubes of TiO2 prepared using hydrothermal synthesis showed a sensitivity 30 with response time as low as 20 seconds where as, TiO2 nanotubes synthesized using anodization showed poor sensitivity. The difference is mainly attributed to the issues related to integration of the anodized nanotubes with the MEMS devices. The effect of MEMS device architecture modulation, such as, finger spacing, number and length of fingers and electrode materials were studied. It has been found that faster sensor response (~ 10 sec) was observed for smaller finger spacing. A diffusion model is proposed for elucidating the effect of inter-electrode distance variation on conductance change of a nano-micro integrated hydrogen sensor for room temperature operation. Both theoretical and experimental results showed a faster response upon exposure to hydrogen when sensor electrode gap was smaller. Also, a linear increase in the sensor sensitivity from 500 to 80000 was observed on increasing the electrode spacing from 2 to 20 μm. The improvement in sensitivity is attributed to the higher reactive sites available for the gaseous species to react on the sensor surface. This phenomenon also correlated to surface adsorbed oxygen vacancies (O-) and the rate of change of surface adsorbed oxygen vacancies. This dissertation studied in detail dimensionality aspects of materials as well as device in detecting hydrogen at room temperature.

With healthcare organizations struggling to remain competitive and financially stable in a market where minimizing costs is a priority, hospital administrators feel the sense of urgency when it comes to keeping patients satisfied with services in order to expand volume and market share. The Emergency Department is considered the front door of a healthcare organization, and keeping its visitors satisfied in order to guarantee a future visit or a referral to a friend or family member is a must. While patient input on the services received in a healthcare facility is essential to improving quality of care, the costs associated with measuring, collecting and analyzing their feedback are remarkable. This research focuses on developing a linear regression model to predict patient satisfaction in the ED using surrogate measures related to patient's socio-demographic characteristics and visit characteristics. With a model of this kind, healthcare administrators can potentially eliminate survey costs while still being able to determine where the hospital stands in the eyes of the patient. Three modeling approaches were used to develop a multiple regression equation. Modeling approach 1 used monthly patient satisfaction scores as the dependent variable collected by a third-party survey organization. The goal of this model was to predict monthly patient satisfaction scores. Modeling approach 2 used patient satisfaction scores collected by the discharge registrar prior to the patient leaving the ED. The goal of this model was to predict patient satisfaction scores on a patient-by-patient basis. Modeling approach 3 used patient satisfaction scores collected by a third-party survey organization. The goal of this modeling approach was to predict patient satisfaction scores on a patient-by-patient basis. Each modeling approach developed in this study used its own survey tool. Though this study had limitations when it came to developing the models and validating the findings, results are very promising. Analysis shows that predicting average patient satisfaction scores on a monthly basis gives the most accurate results, with socio-demographic characteristics and visit characteristics explaining 96% of variation in monthly average patient satisfaction scores. Other model indicators, such as normality of residuals, predicted error, mean square error, and predicted R-square show that the model fits the data very well and has strong predictive ability. Models that attempted to predict patient satisfaction on a patient-by-patient basis appeared to be ineffective, with very large predicted errors and prediction intervals and low predictive ability.

Supervised Injection Facilities (SIFs) for the medical supervision of illicit drug use exist in Europe, Canada, and Australia to reduce infectious disease transmission, overdose deaths, and other harms of drug use. They have been shown to reduce rates of needle sharing by 69% and local overdose mortality by 35% without increasing rates of drug use or related crime. In light of increasing rates of illicit opioid use and overdose death in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Medical Society recently endorsed opening a SIF in Boston. This thesis proposes a study of the Boston SIF with the hypothesis that higher SIF utilization will be associated with decreased incidence of fatal overdose, HIV seroconversion, and HCV seroconversion during the study period. I propose evaluating this hypothesis prospectively by following clients of the SIF at 6 month intervals and comparing the rates of overdose death and HIV or HCV seroconversion among frequent and infrequent clients of the SIF. Based on data reported from previous SIFs and projections of the population of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Boston, a study with this design should detect a significant difference in these three primary endpoints between people using the SIF frequently and those using it infrequently within five years. A positive finding would confirm the efficacy of SIFs in harm reduction and secondary prevention for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), potentially leading to broader adoption in other hotspots of opioid use in the United States.

The algorithms for the mathematical modeling to predict productivity of underground room-and-pillar mining systems are well-known and documented. These algorithms consider the time-varying relationships between mining equipment for a given geometry of operations as well as other constraints. This study presents a newly developed, user-friendly visual simulation computer tool for the Windows environment. This tool can be easily customized and utilized by field engineers and will help mine operators plan the optimum mining sequence for different mine geometries and equipment layouts. Program output includes monitoring of shift data, equipment utilization indices, and so forth. The simulation technique can be used with any environment. Use of the system is demonstrated in different mining equipment configurations. Development and validation of the system was aided by the Peabody Group. / Master of Science

Bakgrund: Arbetsmiljön består av fyra delar: fysiska, psykiska, organisatoriska och psykosociala. Delarna i arbetsmiljön påverkar personalen olika mycket. Den organisatoriska delen är stor på operationsavdelningar, där fokus ligger på planering av operationsprogrammet för att inte behöva stryka patienter och att patienter med mest behov ska få vård först. Det gör att snabba förändringar behöver göras och att operationssjuksköterskan inte alltid hinner med att förbereda sig. Motiv: Föreliggande studie kommer att kunna leda till kunskap om operationssjuksköterskans hantering av förändringar i operationsprogrammet. Den informationen kan vara värdefull för mindre erfarna operationssjuksköterskor. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva erfarenheter bland operationssjuksköterskor gällande hanteringen av kortsiktiga förändringar i operationsprogrammet. Metod: Studien är kvalitativ där deltagarna var operationssjuksköterskor och arbetade vid ett länssjukhus i Norrland. Semistrukturerade intervjuer användes för att samla in data, med en respondent i taget. Kvalitativ innehållsanalys användes sedan för att analysera materialet. Resultat: För hantering av kortsiktiga förändringar har deltagarna olika sätt att förbereda sig, de beskrev vad som var avgörande för att räcka till och vilket sorts inflytande operationssjuksköterskorna har. Dessa tre delar har delats in i kategorier: att hinna förbereda sig, att räcka till och att ha inflytande. Konklusion: Operationssjuksköterskorna beskrev en förståelse av förändringarna som sker i operationsprogrammet. Irritation och frustration kan däremot uppkomma vid sena ändringar och vid ovana ingrepp. Erfarenhet är en tillgång när det gäller förändringar, då de kan jämföra ingrepp med tidigare operationer. Ovana ingrepp kan annars lösas genom byte med kollega eller förlita sig på övrig personal på salen. Antalet förändringar i operationsprogrammet upplevs ha minskat något över tid. / Background:The work environment consists of four parts: physical, mental, organizational and psychosocial. The parts of the work environment affect the staff differently. The organizational part is large in operating wards, where the focus is on planning the operating program so as not to have to cancel patients and that patients with the most needs should receive care first. This means that rapid changes need to be made and that the operating room nurse sometimes does not have enough time to prepare. Motive: The present study will be able to lead to knowledge about the operating room nurse's handling of changes in the operating program. That information can be valuable for less experienced operating room nurses. Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe experiences among operating room nurses regarding the management of short-term changes in the operating program. Methods: The study has a qualitative approach where the participants were operating room nurses and worked at a county hospital in northern Sweden. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, with one respondent at a time. Qualitative content analysis was then used to analyze the material. Result: To manage short-term changes, the participants have different ways of preparing, they described what was crucial to suffice and what kind of influence the operating room nurses have. These three parts have been divided into categories: to have time to prepare, to suffice and to have influence. Conclusion: The operating room nurses described an understanding of the changes that are taking place in the surgical program. Irritation and frustration can, however, occur at late changes and the unfamiliar procedures. Experience is an asset when it comes to changes, as they can compare procedures with previous operations. Unusual interventions can otherwise be solved by changing with a colleague or relying on other staff in the hall. The changes in the operating program are perceived to have decreased.

Hemmasittare är ett relativt nytt fenomen som innefattar barn och ungdomar som isolerar sig i hemmet och av olika anledningar inte förmår att gå i skolan. Att vara frånvarande i grundskolan under en längre period kan orsaka konsekvenser för individen. Syftet med studien är att få en förståelse för den tvärprofessionella samverkan mellan skola, barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin och socialtjänsten i arbetet med hemmasittare. Detta genom att beskriva och analysera de yrkesprofessionellas erfarenheter av handlingsutrymme inom ramen för samverkan. Detta är en kvalitativ studie där det empiriska materialet bygger på sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med yrkesprofessionella som kommer i kontakt med hemmasittare. Resultaten visar att de yrkesprofessionellas handlingsutrymme utmanar den tvärprofessionella samverkan. Faktorer som begränsar samverkan är handlingsutrymmets flexibilitet, tidsram, sekretess och otydlig ansvarsfördelning. Resultaten visar även att hemmasittare är ett nytt fenomen som leder till att det ännu inte finns en evidensbaserad metod på hur problematiken ska hanteras vilket är en begränsning. I följd med detta krävs en god kommunikation mellan aktörerna vilket även den visar sig vara bristfällig. Detta leder slutligen till långa väntetider och begränsade anpassade insatser som drabbar dagens hemmasittare. / Homesitters is a relatively new phenomenon that includes children and young people who isolate themselves at home and for various reasons are unable to go to school. The aim of the study is to gain an understanding of the cross-professional cooperation between school, children’s psychiatry, and social services in the work with homesitters. This by describing and analyzing the professionals' experiences of room for action within the framework of cooperation. This is a qualitative study where the empirical material is based on seven semi-structured interviews. The results show that the professionals' room for action challenges the collaboration between the operations. Factors that limit cooperation are the flexibility of the room for action, time frame, confidentiality, and unclear division of responsibilities. The result shows limitations with the fact that homesitters are a new phenomenon which leads to that there is not, yet any worked out template for homesitters to handle. Communication between the actors is required, which the results show today is deficient. Finally, it leads to today's homesitters suffering from long waiting times and limited customized interventions.

<p> In this thesis, we focus on the rationing polices for the hotel room inventory control problems. Our study begins with a brief overview of revenue management in hotel industry, emphasizing the importance of room inventory control in revenue management problems. Mathematical models for controlling the room inventory in the literature are then reviewed along with recently developed game theoretic applications in revenue management. In game theoretic context, we establish three types of models to solve the hotel room inventory control problem in three different situations: 1) two-player two-fare-class static single-period game with complete information; 2) two-player two-fare-class dynamic multiple-period game with complete information; and 3) two-player two-fare-class single-period game with incomplete information.</p> <p> In the first situation, we find the existence of unique Nash equilibrium and Stackelberg equilibrium in the non-cooperative case. We provide the exact forms for these equilibria and corresponding conditions. Next, under the dynamic game settings, we provide the sufficient conditions for the unique Nash equilibrium. In the last situation, we consider the static single-period games with incomplete information and discuss the optimal strategies for the uninformed case, secret information case, private information case and public information case. The unique Bayesian Nash equilibrium in each case is found. We then analyze the values of different types of information and study their relations in different situations. Under each game theoretic setting, we present the managerial implications of our solutions along with the numerical examples. The thesis is concluded by a discussion of how game theory can is useful in hotel industry, and its relationship to other topics in revenue management.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The main purpose of this study is to investigate how individuals engaged in social work with socially vulnerable women in Bali perceive their room for action. Our participants' clients are widows, divorced women, unmarried women, or women with children born out of wedlock. In our thesis, we refer to these women as jandas. In an environment influenced by cultural and patriarchal norms, we explore in this essay how they perceive their professional roles in terms of roomfor action, challenges, motivational drivers, and approaches to promoting empowerment. Our aim is to enrich the understanding of the diverse spectrum within which our participants operate. This inquiry aims to uncover the motivating factors influencing our interview subjects, to discern the hurdles they encounter concerning agency in the context of Bali, and to illuminate their strategies for facilitating empowerment. Employing a qualitative methodology, the research has been conducted through semi-structured interviews involving six seasoned respondents with extensive experience in the field of social work in Bali. Drawing upon prior scholarship concerning Bali's cultural and historical milieu, coupled with theoretical frameworks of socio-legal paradigms and empowerment, we have meticulously analyzed the collected data. The findings from the study reveal that religious and spiritual awakenings significantly underpin the dedication of our participants. Furthermore, it emerges that informal norms rooted in religious customs and patriarchal traditions often wield more influence than formal legal statutes, thereby intricately complicating the landscape of social work. Additionally, the study underscores the prominence of varied approaches to empowerment, which our respondents identify as the most effective means of providing support in the Bali context.