Changeable Message Signs (CMS) are commonly utilized by transportation agencies to inform motorists of traffic, roadway, and environmental conditions. They may be used to provide information, such as delay and alternate route guidance, in the event of an incident, construction or a roadway closure. The effectiveness of CMS in managing freeway traffic, however, is a function of many factors including the number of CMS installations, the location of CMS, the messages displayed, varied traffic network characteristics, and drivers' response to incident conditions and CMS information. The objective of this thesis is to develop a CMS location planning model that can be used by transportation agencies to develop a CMS location plan that could achieve the largest long-term benefit to the system. This research is mainly motivated by the lack of systematic, robust and practical methods for locating CMS. State-of-practice methods rely mostly on the practitioner's experience and judgement. Other methods fail to incorporate reasonable driver behaviour models, consider time-varying demand, allow for computational efficiency on large networks, or consider the spatial variation of incidents on a traffic network. A new CMS location optimization model has been developed that is unique in both model realism and computational efficiency. The model incorporates several components to estimate incident delay, predict driver response, estimate network-wide benefit, and choose those CMS locations that would provide the most benefit. Deterministic queuing methods are used in conjunction with historic incident characteristics to approximate the delay impact of an incident with and without CMS. A discrete choice model is used to predict the rate at which drivers would switch from the incident route to a less congested alternative under CMS information. A network traffic assignment model is then incorporated in an attempt to estimate the resulting traffic induced by incidents. Genetic algorithms are utilized as an optimization technique to choose a set of CMS that would provide the most benefit. An extensive computational analysis was performed on both a hypothetical network and a segment of Highway 401 through Toronto. A sensitivity analysis was performed to test the model's response to parameter and data estimation errors. The model was found to be most sensitive to the diversion model parameters. The model produced reasonable results with locations selected upstream of major freeway interchange diversion points. Considering the additional components included in the proposed model, and its ability to consider more location schemes, the proposed model may be considered superior to previous CMS location models.

Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie är att undersöka om metoden Signs-of-Safety kan öka barns delaktighet i barnutredningar gjorda av socialsekreterare. Frågeställningar är: - Hur reflekterar socialsekreterare som använder respektive inte använder Signs-of- Safety kring barns delaktighet i utredningar? Samt: - Varierar graden av delaktighet hos barn mellan utredningar där Signs-of-Safety används jämfört med utredningar där metoden inte används? Vi genomförde två stycken fokusgruppintervjuer med totalt tio socialsekreterare som arbetar med utredningar inom socialtjänsten, samt analyserade sju utredningar varav fyra var skrivna i en kommun som använde sig av Sign-of-Safety. De resterande tre utredningarna var skrivna i en kommun där de inte använde Signs-of-Safety. Teoretisk utgångspunkt var socialkonstruktivism. Det fanns en stor enighet bland socialsekreterarna om att det är viktigt att barn görs delaktiga. Analysen av både intervjuer och utredningar gjordes utifrån Harts delaktighetsstege samt socialkontruktivism och visade att metoden Signs-of-Safety inte verkade öka barns delaktighet, men att metoden tydliggjorde delaktigheten. / The purpose of this qualitative study was to get an insight in if the method Signs-of- Safety might improve childrens’ participation in investigations concerning themselves. Our research questions were; How do social workers who use or do not use Signs-of- Safety reflect on children's involvement in investigations? and; Is there accordingly to the social workers a variation in the degree of participation among children in investigations where Signs-of-Safety is used compared to investigations where the method is not used? Two focus group interviews in two different municipalities, one where Signs-of-Safety had been used and one where the method not had been used, were performed. The interviews and four written investigations i each work group were analysed by using Hart´s participation ladder and social constructivism. The result showed that all our informants regarded childrens’ participation as important. No differences in the degree of participation of the children could be identified.

The development of internet-based technologies, the design and adoption of wireless wearable and smart devices have been a growing study spot in all domains. The healthcare sector as many others is making technological progress to improve healthcare services and patients wellbeing and avoid or minimize the use of manual and traditional practices such as the use of paper notes to record the vital signs parameters data. The vital signs parameters are the most monitored physiology features, they produce a big amount of data and request a close follow up to define the health condition of a patient. Continuous vital signs monitoring involves the usage of different devices and systems, which if appropriate positively impact the activities involved, by enabling the continuous generation of data and information about the overall health status of patients and contribute to the wellbeing of individuals, in terms of preventing and reducing fatal risks. To investigate this situation, this research’s focus was in three parts; first, investigate recent research about patient’s health predictions based on vital signs parameters and the impacts of continuous monitoring on the care given. Second, explore the availability in terms of i.e. sensors used in devices that can continuously track vital signs parameters. Last, to provide a possible design recommendation to improve and/or replace the existing devices for vital signs parameters measuring and monitoring in emergency and post-operative care. A qualitative approach and participatory design approach were used to collect data. The qualitative part was achieved through interviews and the participatory design part was accomplished by the future workshop and two prototyping techniques, paper and digital prototypes. The findings of this research were analysed using conceptual analysis, and also discussed using those concepts. Together with the participants, this research resulted in three design suggestions which if implemented shall improve the vital signs continuous monitoring activities, by facilitating the healthcare professionals in their clinical responsibilities and improving the patients wellbeing while admitted in Emergency and Post-operative wards.

The aim of this thesis is to verify the accuracy of the location of the vertical road signs at selected intersections and to consider colorimetric and retroreflective properties of some of them. If some brands fail, it is necessary to propose solutions. At the end of this work there is a summary of how many brands fail and subsequent percentaual quantification.

This paper analyses signs of ill-omen in the selected literary Swahili prose of Euphrase Kezilahabi published between 1971-1991. We interrogate their indicative interpretation as foregrounded by the author. We shall specifically concentrate on how he artistically exploits the entrenched ill-omen belief system of his society to drive his themes and artistic techniques. Though critics have analysed some elements of literary symbolism in the works of Euphrase Kezilahabi, this paper, in particular, concentrates on the exploration of signs of ill-omen scattered in several of his prose works.

Background Female stress urinary incontinence (SUI) greatly affects quality of life. The midurethal sling (MUS) procedure has been widely accepted as the standard of care treatment for SUI, although there is little information regarding patients' subjective reports of symptom improvement. Objectives The objective of this study was to identify clinical and demographic characteristics that predict subjective symptom improvement following MUS procedures in women with SUI. Materials and Methods The study design was retrospective cohort. Subjects included women who underwent MUS between 2006 and 2008, returned mailed surveys and met our predefined inclusion criteria. Pre-operative data included demographics, prior surgery, co-morbid diseases, urodynamics and concomitant reconstructive surgery. Subjective improvement was measured by score improvement on the UIQ-7, UDI-6, the UDI stress subscale and Question 3 of the UDI, "Do you experience urine leakage related to physical activity, coughing, or sneezing?" Results The mean age of the study sample was 57 years, parity was 2.5 and BMI was 28. Subjects with lower MUCP demonstrated more improvement on the UIQ-7. ΔUDI-6 stress subscale scores were more sensitive to symptom change than either the ΔUDI-6 or ΔUIQ-7. Older, menopausal subjects with urethral hypermobility and concomitant vaginal suspension showed less improvement than subjects without these characteristics. After controlling for urethral straining angle, PVR, menopause and time out from surgery, older age and concomitant vaginal suspension were associated with persistent post-op symptoms on the UDI-6 Question 3 and age remained the only variable associated with persistent symptoms on the UDI-6 stress subscale. Conclusion Concurrent vaginal suspension and advancing age were risk factors for persistent symptoms following MUS procedures in patients with SUI. Symptoms may recur after 24 post-operative months. Clinicians are encouraged to provide additional preoperative counseling to those women who are at greatest risk for persistent symptoms.

Barn enligt Barnkonventionen ska ges förutsättningar till att uttrycka sina åsikter i frågor som rör dem. Trots detta lyfts i tidigare forskning, samt av flertalet myndigheter, brister kring hur barn i praktiken görs delaktiga i barnavårdsutredningar. Syftet med studien är att undersöka socialsekreterares upplevelser och erfarenheter av hur de med stöd av arbetsmetoden Signs of Safety involverar barn i utredningar. Utifrån en kvalitativ ansats genomfördes sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med socialsekreterare i socialtjänsten som arbetar med barnavårdsutredningar utifrån Signs of Safety. Genom en tematisk analys framkom det att socialsekreterare kan identifiera en del hinder och svårigheter med delar av Signs of Safety men att de i hög grad anser att Signs of Safety stöttar dem till att involvera barn i utredningar. / According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, children shall be provided the opportunity to express their views in all matters that affect them. Despite this, research and several public authorities highlight several shortcomings concerning the participation of children in child welfare practice. The purpose of the study is to investigate social workers' experiences with involving children when using the Signs of Safety working method. The study is based on a qualitative approach and seven semi-structured interviews with social workers in social services who work with child welfare assessments based on Signs of Safety. A thematic analysis indicated that social workers could identify some obstacles and difficulties with parts of Signs of Safety. However, they largely believe that Signs of Safety supports them to involve children.

Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka socialsekreterares uppfattning av barns delaktighet i socialtjänstens barnavårdsutredningar som använder sig av metoden Signs of Safety. Syftet med studien har även varit att undersöka socialsekreterares reflektioner, möjligheter, svårigheter och funderingar i arbetet med barns delaktighet. Studien har utgått ifrån en kvalitativ metod där sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med socialsekreterare genomfördes för att besvara studiens frågeställningar. Den insamlade empirin har tolkats och analyserats med hjälp av Johanssons teori om gräsrotsbyråkrater och Shiers delaktighetsmodell. Av resultatet framgår det att socialsekreterarna som intervjuades betonar vikten av att arbeta på ett sätt som främjar barns delaktighet och att det är en av de viktigaste arbetsuppgifter som socialsekreterarna har. Det framkommer att socialsekreterarna använder metoder och verktyg som förutsätter att barn blir delaktiga oberoende av vilka personliga egenskaper som barnet har. Resultatet visar även att det finns många svårigheter i barnavårdsutredningar. Dessa svårigheter har bland annat att göra med föräldrar och barns inställning till utredningen, oklara riktlinjer, arbetsbelastning och tidsbrist. Slutsatsen som togs, med hjälp av Johanssons teori om gräsrotsbyråkrater och Shiers delaktighetsmodell, är att barn inte alltid fullt är delaktiga i barnavårdsutredningar då de inte tilldelas någon konkret makt i beslutsfattande processer. En annan slutsats är att Signs of Safety har bidragit med ett nytt tankesätt kring vad barns delaktighet innebär och strukturerat upp konkreta verktyg för att möjliggöra barns delaktighet. Implementeringen av Signs of Safety i respektive kommun har trots detta inte haft något större inflytande i arbetssättet för barns delaktighet. / The purpose of this qualitative study has been to investigate social workers' perception of children's participation in social services' child care investigations that use Signs of Safety. The purpose of this study has also been to explore social workers' reflections, opportunities, difficulties and considerations in the work with children's participation. The study has been based on a qualitative method where six semi-structured interviews with social workers were conducted to answer the study's questions. The collected empirical data has been interpreted and analyzed with the help of Johansson's theory of street-level bureaucracy and Shier's participation model. The results of this study show that the social service workers who were interviewed emphasize the importance of working in a way that promotes children's participation and that this is one of the most important tasks that the social service workers have. It appears that the social service workers use methods and tools that presuppose that children become involved, regardless of what personal characteristics the child has. The results also show that there are many difficulties in child care investigations. These difficulties have to do with parents' and children's attitudes to the investigation, unclear guidelines, workload and lack of time. The conclusion drawn, using Johansson's theory of street-level bureaucracy and Shier's participation model, is that children are not always fully involved in child care investigations as they are not assigned any concrete authority in decision-making processes. Another conclusion is that Signs of Safety has contributed a new way of thinking about what children's participation means and structured concrete tools to enable children's participation. The implementation of Signs of Safety in each county has, despite this, not had any major influence on the way social workers work with children's participation.

I denna studie utforskas komposition ur ett semiotiskt perspektiv, och hur olika ”tecken” används i komposition för att förmedla något. Studiens syfte är att utforska semiotiska tecken vid komponerande av ett stycke musik, och studiens forskningsfrågor är: Vilka semiotiska tecken använder jag mig av när jag komponerar programmusik? Hur använder jag mig av dessa tecken i min komposition? Metoden som använts är ljudinspelningar av den komponerade musiken samt mina högt uttalade reflektioner över det som sker. Resultatet visar att jag som kompositör använder mig av tre olika teckentyper, indexikala, symboliska och affektionella tecken, för att förmedla musikens innehåll. Resultatdelen visar också att jag använder mig av varierande grad av definierad orkestrering för att förmedla dessa tecken med varierande tydlighet. Slutligen diskuteras dessa teckens egenskaper och funktion. / This study focuses on composition from a semiotic perspective, and how different “signs” are used in compositions to mediate the music’s content. The purpose is to explore the use of semiotic signs in a composition, and the research questions are: Which semiotic signs do I use in this specific composition? And how do I use these signs? The method consists of audio recordings of the composed music, and of my expressed thoughts and feelings. The result shows that I use three different kinds of signs: indexical, symbolic and affectional signs, in purpose to mediate the music’s content. Furthermore, the result shows that I use defined orchestration in varying degree to mediate these signs in purpose to obtain varied clarity. Finally the quality and the functions of these signs are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how different preschools work with signs such as AAC also known as TAKK. The study examined preschool teacher's previous experience and their view of TAKK for language development. The method for this study is interviews at four different preschools who works with signs such as AAC. An interview with a teacher who works with special needs was also included in this study. The purpose was to see how preschools interact with special education in language development. The study shows that the interviewed teachers felt that TAKK could be used to improve children's ability to communicate. The teacher's previous experience of TAKK was for use with children in special education. The interviews showed that preschool teachers are willing to use TAKK as a tool for all children to support their speech and communication. / Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur förskolor med olika pedagogiska inriktningar arbetar med Tecken som Alternativ och Kompletterande Kommunikation förkortat TAKK. Studien bygger på pedagogernas skilda erfarenheter och syn på TAKK. Metoden som tillämpats för studien är semistrukturerade intervjuer på fyra olika förskolor som arbetar med TAKK. Intervju med specialpedagog genomfördes för att ta del av sambandet mellan förskolorna och elevhälsoteamet i det språkutvecklande arbetet. Resultatet visar att pedagogerna har olika erfarenheter av att arbeta med TAKK i relation till andra metoder och material. Utifrån intervjuerna framkommer det att pedagogerna är positiva till TAKK som en språkutvecklande metod. De arbetar med att tillämpa TAKK till hela barngrupperna för att inte utesluta någon.