Blockchain is a decentralized database that is distributed among a computer network. To enable a smooth decision making process without any authority, different blockchain applications use their own consensus algorithms. The problem is that for a new blockchain application, there is limited aid in deciding which algorithm it should implement. Selecting consensus algorithms is crucial because reaching consensus is the fundamental issue of a decentralized system. Different algorithms are designed with their own advantages and limitations, making it complex to navigate one’s way through a list of consensus algorithms. This thesis attempts to contribute to solving this problem by surveying 15 existing cryptocurrencies’ consensus algorithms used in their blockchain application and then producing a decision tree as the aid for algorithm selection. The top 5 algorithms from each category in Proof of Work (PoW), Proof of Stake (PoS), and Hybrid Proof of Work + Proof of Stake (PoW + PoS) are selected. The research method is qualitative. The study shows that different consensus algorithms often share some properties, but they are usually built to solve the issues of another algorithm, which means they also have their own distinctive advantages. Therefore, the decision tree reveals how these algorithms are logically connected and the key properties blockchain consensus algorithms possess. Based on the result of this thesis, further research can be conducted to include more algorithms in order to make the decision tree more comprehensive. Implementations of these algorithms in similar network setup can also be done to experiment with their claimed properties. The decision tree can be sent to industry for further feedback. / Blockchain är en decentraliserad databas som distribueras i ett datornätverk. För att möjliggöra en smidig beslutsprocess utan någon auktoritet använder olika blockkedjeapplikationer sina egna konsensusalgoritmer. Problemet är att för en ny blockchain-applikation finns det begränsad hjälp för att bestämma vilken algoritm den ska implementera. Att välja konsensusalgoritmer är avgörande eftersom att nå konsensus är den grundläggande frågan för ett decentraliserat system. Olika algoritmer är designade med sina egna fördelar och begränsningar, vilket gör det komplicerat att navigera sig igenom en lista med konsensusalgoritmer. Forskningsmetoden är kvalitativ. Det här dokumentet försöker bidra till att lösa detta problem genom att kartlägga 15 befintliga kryptovalutors konsensusalgoritmer som används i deras blockkedjeapplikation och sedan ta fram ett beslutsträd som hjälp för val av algoritmer. De 5 bästa algoritmerna från varje kategori i Proof of Work (PoW), Proof of Stake (PoS) och Hybrid Proof of Work + Proof of Stake (PoW + PoS) väljs. Studien visar att olika konsensusalgoritmer ofta delar vissa egenskaper, men de är vanligtvis byggda för att lösa problem med en annan algoritm, vilket innebär att de också har sina egna distinkta fördelar. Därför avslöjar beslutsträdet hur dessa algoritmer är logiskt kopplade och de nyckelegenskaper som blockchain konsensusalgoritmer besitter. Baserat på resultatet av denna artikel kan ytterligare forskning utföras för att inkludera fler algoritmer för att göra beslutsträdet mer heltäckande. Implementeringar av dessa algoritmer i liknande nätverksuppsättningar kan också göras för att experimentera med deras påstådda egenskaper. Beslutsträdet kan skickas till industrin för vidare feedback.

While there is general agreement about its importance, the construct of educational readiness is nebulous with much debate about what constitutes readiness. Readiness has been found to be a multidimensional psychological construct from a psychometric perspective. However, there is a growing awareness that this psychometric focus is lopsided, and that readiness does not only reside in the child. Further, there is an accompanying appreciation that readiness research may need to focus more on the subjective experience of individuals within the context of their environment. This phenomenological study, using Bronfenbrenner's social-ecological model, explored how Antigua and Barbudan students experienced readiness as they prepared to take the 2017 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Exam (CSEC). In an interview, each of the 12 participants recounted their experience as they readied themselves for the CSEC. The data were analyzed through content and framework analysis. The results support findings in the literature that showed that readiness is a complex and iterative process. It is the result of the dynamic interplay of various inputs of a host of individuals functioning at different levels of the readiness system. These results can then provide a point of entry for both national dialogue and policy formulation culminating in the provision of comprehensive services to support students' readiness experiences. The ultimate hope is that readiness for the CSEC Exam will lead to actual success on the exams, which in turn will translate into improved life chances of Antigua and Barbudan students.

Les Aires Marines Protégées (AMPs) sont communément reconnues comme des outils de gestion durable du milieu marin, principalement destinés à la conservation de la biodiversité. L’évaluation de leur efficacité et de leur performance constitue, aujourd’hui, un champ de recherche en pleine expansion qui répond à une demande locale des gestionnaires, comme à une nécessité plus globale de rapportage (reporting) auprès des décideurs et bailleurs de fonds. Jusqu’ici, la plupart des recherches utilisent un angle d’analyse strictement biologique, laissant de côté l’étude des impacts socio-économiques. La réussite des AMPs repose pourtant sur trois piliers d’importance égale : la durabilité écologique, la faisabilité économique et l’acceptation sociale. Cette thèse s’intéresse aux impacts sociaux des AMPs et à la nécessité d’imaginer des outils pertinents permettant aux gestionnaires d’évaluer et de suivre l’acceptation sociale. Plus précisément, elle a pour objectif d’élaborer une méthode standardisée de suivi des dynamiques sociales au sein des AMPs, qui permette la construction d’indicateurs utiles pour la gestion locale comme pour le rapportage. A partir du cas de la Réserve Naturelle Marine de La Réunion, une démarche géographique, basée sur le concept de Territoire, est mise en place pour caractériser et mesurer l’acceptation sociale. Elle passe par la réalisation d’un diagnostic socio-économique, permettant l’identification des enjeux territoriaux des usagers. Ces enjeux sont l’expression des valeurs que les individus accordent aux services que rendait le territoire avant qu’il ne soit protégé et également de la crainte de perdre ces services. L’acceptation sociale de l’AMP est ainsi fonction du degré de satisfaction des enjeux territoriaux des acteurs. Des indicateurs de suivi de cette satisfaction, principalement basés sur le recueil de perceptions, sont proposés pour estimer l’acceptation sociale. Dans un second temps, la question de la généricité de cette démarche est posée. Sa déclinaison au cas du Parc Marin de Mohéli (Comores) et, plus rapidement, à l’AMP de Velondriake (Madagascar), montre que la territorialité des acteurs est un facteur majeur dans la construction de l’acceptation sociale, quel que soit le contexte politique et socio-économique local. Il existe, en revanche, des facteurs contextuels qui entrent également en ligne de compte et qui rendent incomplète la généricité de l’approche territoriale. / Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been widely adopted as sustainable management tools for marine ecosystems, mainly dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity. There is growing interest in research projects designed to assess their effectiveness and performance, in response to local demands from managers, as well as to a more global need for reporting mechanisms for decision-makers and funders. Until now, scientists have tended to evaluate effectiveness from a strictly biological perspective, without studying the socio-economic impacts. However, the success of MPAs is driven by three criteria of equal importance: ecological sustainability, economic feasibility and social acceptance. This thesis addresses the social impacts of MPAs and focuses on the need to imagine relevant tools to help managers estimate and monitor social acceptance. It aims to develop a generic methodology to monitor social dynamics in MPAs, in order to build appropriate indicators for local management and for reporting purposes. From the case of the Natural Marine Reserve of Reunion Island (French overseas department in the Western Indian Ocean), a geographical approach based on the Territory concept is developed to qualify and monitor social acceptance. A socio-economic diagnostic is made, to identify the users' territorial stakes, i.e. the values that individuals assign to the services rendered by the territory before it was protected and also to the fear of losing them. Thus, the social acceptance of MPAs depends on the user' levels of satisfaction with respect to their territorial stakes. Indicators based on perceptions are proposed, to monitor thesesatisfaction levels and hence to estimate social acceptance. The second part addresses the issue of the genericity of this approach. It is applied to the cases of Mohéli Marine Park (Comoros) and, more briefly, Velondirake MPA (Madagascar). Results show that users’ territoriality is a key factor in understanding social acceptance, whatever the local political and socio-economic context. Nonetheless, as certain contextual factors must also be taken into account, the territorial approach is not entirely generic.

This work deals with performance and security testing of blockchain protocols based on the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus model. It describes properties, problems, but also the use of blockchain systems. On theoretical levels, this thesis compares the properties and resistance to various attacks of numerous PoS protocols, specifically Algorand, Casper, Gasper, Snow White, Stellar and Decred. Additionally, this work implements a protocol simulator of Algorand, Casper FFG and Gasper. The simulator is built on top of the Bitcoin Simulator simulation tool, which is based on the NS-3 discrete network event simulator. Then, it compares the properties of the implemented protocols using discrete simulation.

This study explored the associations of students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation towards high-stake tests in Physical education. The study collected data with questionnaires from 81 Swedish compulsory school students. The questionnaires in this study were based on the Academic Motivation Scale. Furthermore, this study was based on Self-Determination Theory. In congruence with previous research, this study found that females received a significantly higher grade than male students. The results also suggest that there was no significant difference between the different test-groups actual performance. The results of the study concluded that there are no correlations between motivation [towards high-stake tests] and the actual performance of students. Moreover, students were more motivated by external regulation (receiving higher grades) than intrinsic motivation to know (to learn a skill for life). Students perceived higher test anxiety if they were to perform in front of their classmates. However, the test-groups did not perform statistically differently which then leads to the question on the necessities of using these forms of high-stake test since it does not increase performance but is perceived to be more stressful for students. Further research is necessary to draw any generalizable conclusions if there is any correlation between motivation, high-stake tests, and perceived test anxiety.

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is still an ongoing topic, broadly analysed and discussed in many studies. Recent articles state that sustainable assets can offer return volatility resilience during demand shock events and, in some cases, provide higher returns than their unsustainable counterparts. We set out to test such claims in our own controlled study. This paper is written from the perspective of a portfolio manager and examines four main variables: share/token prices, log returns, volatility, and trading volumes in a difference-indifference statistical regression in order to compare the performance of sustainable and unsustainable portfolios in the context of the market shock suffered on March 11, 2020. We are using both a traditional asset, stocks, and a non-traditional asset, cryptocurrencies, therefore analysing a total of four investment portfolios. The present study aims to help fill in a gap in the current literature regarding the extension of the flight-to-quality theory to sustainable and unsustainable assets, treating sustainable stocks and cryptocurrencies as our safer assets and unsustainable stocks and cryptocurrencies as our riskier assets. Method results uncover that, on the surface, a sustainable equity portfolio does indeed seem to have lower return volatility and less negative average returns post-WHO announcement compared to an unsustainable equity portfolio, but a deeper statistical analysis indicates that a high ESG score is not the main factor influencing such performance. Sustainable cryptocurrency portfolio results uncover a different picture of significantly lower average returns and higher return volatility post-event compared to the unsustainable crypto portfolio. However, the PoS sustainability factor is not the main suspect in the poor performance indicated by the statistical analysis. The flight-to-quality cannot be extended to sustainable assets due to the lack of significant evidence and the performance dynamics of the average returns. Our analysis finds that the sustainability factor alone does not provide a benefit to portfolio managers and investors in the context of equity and alternative asset classes. This paper contributes empirical evidence to the green finance theory and puts forward relevant advice for investment policy statement consideration.

To identify a climate trend, a lot of data is required for the conclusion to be accurate. A trend can require 30 years worth of measurements in order to say anything with certainty about how the climate is changing. It is therefore important to utilize every source of data in climate research. In this thesis, weather data from the Smart Stake weather stations on the Greenland ice sheet was reprocessed and utilized in analysis after not having been worked with since the early 2000s. Erroneous data was selectively discarded, and the remaining data was merged for each of the five Smart Stake stations. After being formatted, the data was adjusted and processed by filters in order to reduce the amount of noise in the measurements. The measured quantities, such as temperature, wind velocity and snow height, were plotted and compared in order to establish the causes of increased melting at certain stations. 2003 was found to be a year with more melt around the Smart Stake stations than other years, and 2004 was found to have particularly small amounts of melt occurring. A station at a lower elevation than others, experiencing higher than average temperatures, measured more melting. This implies a reliable data set which means that the data from the Smart Stake stations can be used in further research, in climate models and for verification purposes, as well as by legislators and for construction planning. / För att kunna identifiera en klimattrend krävs en stor mängd data. En trend kan kräva en mängd data som motsvarar 30 år av mätningar för att säkert kunna säga hur klimatet förändras. Det är därför viktigt att utnyttja all data som samlas in för att kunna skapa noggranna klimatmodeller och dra korrekta slutsatser. I denna avhandling bearbetades väderdata från fem Smart Stake väderstationer på Grönlands istäcke på nytt. Mätningarna från dessa väderstationerhar inte utnyttjats sedan de sattes upp under tidiga 2000-talet. Felaktiga mätningar blev selektivt bortplockade och resterande data formatterades och sammanfogades till en fil per väderstation. Datan justerades och bearbetades sedan med hjälp av filter för att reducera mängden brus i mätningarna och markera ytterligare felaktig data. De uppmätta storheterna, exempelvis temperatur, vindhastighet och snöhöjd, visualiserades i diagram och jämfördes med mängden smält is och snö för att identifiera orsaken till högre uppmätt mängd smält is kring vissa väderstationer. 2003 visade sig vara ett år då mer smältning uppmättes än andra år, och 2004 ett år då inte lika mycket smält is uppmättes av Smart Stake väderstationerna. En station belägen på en lägre höjd över havet, som upplevde högre medeltemperaturer, var också benägen att uppmäta mer smält is. Detta implicerar att mätningarna från Smart Stake stationerna är pålitliga och att de kan användas till vidare forskning och klimatmodellering samt av lagstiftare och till planering av infrastruktur och byggnadskonstruktion.

The present research studies marital dissolution using data from both spouses from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) and uses the method of multiple imputation to handle missing data. Role theory and another four approaches (social exchange theory, stake theory, gender perspective and heterogeneity perspective) are used to make a methodological argument why using data from both spouses is necessary to study marital stability. Five data sets are imputed and there are 3,777 observations in each imputed data set. Main research findings are as followed. First, the model fits of the data from both spouses on marital dissolution are significantly better than the model fits of the data from one spouse only; therefore, gathering perceptual data from both spouses is necessary to understand marital dissolution. Second, overall, the effects of most spousal discrepancies do not support the heterogeneity perspective. Third, the model fits of the wife only model are significantly better than the model fits of the husband only model across different periods of marital duration, and the predictability of wives' variables is more stable than husbands' variables. Therefore, if only individual-level data are available to use, researchers are encouraged to use wives' data rather than husbands' data. Fourth, the predictability of factors varies with marital duration and gender in the models with data from both spouses.

One may well wonder how these missionaries adjust themselves again to their daily routine of life. What is the religious, economic, and educational status of these returned missionaries? The purpose, therefore, of this study is to discover facts which might show the present religious, economic, and educational status of fity-seven returned missionaries of Idaho Stake in Bannock County, Idaho. Associated with these aspects under study are certain beliefs and practices to which the present reaction of the missionary is reported. Because of the very nature of the questions asked, the writer discovered the inability of the respondent in some cases to determine accurately the truth. Such data are reported as opinions only and are given for what they may be worth. Succeeding sections show how the terms, religious, economic, and educational are delimited.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a study of the early Church educational program in Southeastern Utah, especially the Emery County area. This study is to trace the growth and development of one aspect of this program from 1889 to 1922, and to lend special emphasis to the founding and location of the Emery Stake Academy, the buildings and their development, the growth of the curriculum, the enrollment, the activities, and the influence of the Academy upon the area.