This study investigated the enablers and challenges in the implementation of e-Learning policies in public technical education, vocational and entrepreneurship training (TEVET) institutions under the Ministry responsible for Vocational Education and Training in Zambia. The aim of this study was to explore how implementation of e-Learning policies in a developing context could be enhanced so as to lead to improved access to TEVET. The study was guided by the following research questions: what knowledge do managers and lecturers have of e-Learning; what are the key enablers and challenges in implementing e-Learning policy; what criteria do individuals/institutions use to make the decision to adopt or reject e-Learning innovations and how are decisions made in the implementation of e-Learning in the TEVET sector. The study used the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory to answer the main research question in the study. The theory was used to gain insights into TVET implementers and policy makers motivations and actions. The study was qualitative with seven (7) individuals interviewed. In the study, interviews of TEVET managers and lecturers were conducted to provide the data required to answer the research questions.

Hybrid simulation is a numerical and experimental structural testing technique in which the critical structural members are tested experimentally, while the rest of the structure is modeled numerically. During hybrid testing, the numerical model is updated continuously based on the output of the experimental test. In this study, a quasi-static hybrid simulation was conducted on a steel truss structure. A single truss member was considered as the physical substructure, while the remaining members were modeled using Abaqus finite element software. The communication between the physical and numerical models was established using OpenFresco as a middleware. Using this setup, the structure was loaded until the physical substructure failed due to buckling. Finally, the results of the hybrid simulation were verified numerically and experimentally.

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Major breakthroughs in biotechnology are leading to the emergence of novel methods to select and alter future individuals’ genomes. Genetic intervention technology is evolving from the medical practice of screening for life-threatening congenital malformations to the selection against embryos that might develop mild disabilities. Scientific research suggests that heritable genome-editing technology would enable the custom alteration and the enhancement of human biological characteristics, including appearance, athletic and intellectual abilities. These novel developments and their potential long-term impacts raise the question of how effective are the laws on genetic interventions in setting limits to rapidly evolving biotechnologies. This thesis examines genetic intervention laws in the United Kingdom and France and shows it exhibits a pattern of continuous legal changes over the past several years to permit a broadening range of genetic interventions that were previously prohibited. This pattern is characterized by the regulatory licensing of genetic interventions that specific legal restrictions have sought to disallow, such as screening against conditions that are mild, treatable and not predominantly determined by genes. Moreover, governments are currently considering replacing their bans on inheritable human genetic modification with regulations that will allow the alteration of genes linked to conditions deemed “serious” and for “therapeutic” purposes. This proposed regulatory model would enable licensing the very same type of genomic alterations intended to be prohibited – genetic enhancements of human physiological and cognitive capabilities. This legal change pattern is prima facie inconsistent with the key legislative objectives and relevant international instruments, which seek to restrict these particular genetic interventions. The overarching objectives underpinning the restrictions are to prevent a pattern in which the legal boundaries would become gradually laxer, attempts to improve human heredity and the associated human rights, societal and medical impacts. Furthermore, the pattern in which the legal boundaries are becoming laxer over time stems from drawing the lines between permissible and impermissible genetic interventions using language that is vague, subjective and places few limits on the rules’ scope. A law reform can address the current limit-setting challenges by employing clearer conceptual and normative distinctions and by articulating them using language that gives greater attention to clarity, reduced subjectivity, and explicitly delimits the rules’ scope. The thesis offers a blueprint for such a reform, which includes suggestions for specific legislative amendments, clearer conceptual distinctions and newly developed legal tests. The proposed law reform aims to offer a new avenue to advance towards the key policy goal of preventing the misuse of genetic intervention technologies by strengthening its governance.

The fact that construction and the real estate sector account for a large part, of the emissions that come from Sweden, is a fact. Energy efficient buildings could mean that construction and the real estate sector would account for much lower emissions than they do today. Thermal insulation may play an important role in the new EU-directive, which states that all new buildings will be close to zero energy buildings by 2021. Experts believe that insulation is the solution proposed as the most profitable solution for lower energy consumption and CO2-emissions. The purpose of this thesis is to find out who determines insulation thickness in a building’s climate screen. Another purpose of this report is also to find out, through a thorough and objective study whether an increased insulation thickness is potentially good or not. The result turned out to be positive, as increased insulation thickness resulted in a reduced U-value. A decrease in U-value in turn leads to both lower Um-value and a lower primary energy figure, EPpet.

I takt med att den globala befolkningen fortsätter att växa, ökar efterfrågan på nya bostadsbyggnader avsevärt. Samtidigt har behovet av bostäder och byggande vuxit över hela världenunder de senaste decennierna, vilket har lett till en ökad efterfrågan på byggmaterial. Betong ärdet viktigaste byggmaterialet för flervåningsbyggnader pga. sin hållfasthet, men det bidrarbetydligt till utsläppen av växthusgaser. För att minska koldioxidavtrycket och främja hållbarhet är det avgörande att minimera materialanvändning med moderna byggmetoder.Syftet med denna studie är att optimera flervåningsbyggnadsstrukturer genom att ersättabärande väggar med pelare och balkar. Studien använder en referensbyggnad belägen iSandvikens kommun och verktyget StruSoft FEM-Design. Studien genomförs i två steg.I steg 1 utförs modellering, design och analys av referensbyggnaden med bärande väggar(byggnad 1). I steg 2 genomförs en förändring av byggnadsstrukturen genom att ersätta debärande väggarna med pelare och balkar av armerad betong (byggnad 2). Samma procedurersom i steg 1 upprepas för den omkonstruerade strukturen. Resultaten jämförs medreferensbyggnaden med hänsyn till utnyttjandegrad, deformation, spänningar, reaktioner, viktoch stabilitet.Ersättningen av bärande väggar med bärande pelare och balkar av armerad betong har variteffektiv. Båda strukturerna uppfyller de nödvändiga kraven. Baserat på resultaten ärdeformationen 9 mm för byggnad 1 och 7 mm för byggnad 2, vilket indikerar att skillnaden ideformation mellan de två strukturerna inte är signifikant.Byggnad 1 har en maximal utnyttjandegrad på 87%, medan byggnad 2 har en högre maximalutnyttjandegrad på 99%. Detta innebär att byggnad 2 kan utnyttjas i större utsträckning änbyggnad 1. Reaktionskrafterna är 563,6 respektive 476,4 kN i båda byggnaderna, vilketindikerar att reaktionskrafterna i byggnad 2 är 15% lägre än i byggnad 1. Båda strukturerna ärstabila, men det finns en skillnad i byggnadernas totala vikt. Vikterna på byggnaderna är 4169respektive 3 143 ton. Resultatet indikerar att byggnadens totala vikt minskar med ca 25% vidanvändning av betongpelare och betongbalkar.

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This thesis aims to investigate the potential integration of generative AI into the UX design process, particularly in its early stages, to enhance structured ideation sessions. The research-through-design methodology was employed, utilizing qualitative semi-structured interviews and contextual inquiries to inform design decisions. By analyzing data from contextual inquiries using affinity mapping and work models, three significant problems in ideation sessions that AI has the potential to address were identified: participants face difficulties generating ideas within a limited time frame, they refrain from sketching during online ideation sessions, and the starting point for discussions is not optimized. Tools addressing these problems were sketched, and the one solving the idea generation difficulties was further developed with a low-fidelity design after considering each tool’s feasibility, desirability, and viability. Usability testing sessions were conducted, resulting in five insights regarding the integration of generative AI in structured ideation sessions. These insights shed light on how AI-generated words and images assist participants in ideation and how such sources of inspiration should be presented. A Figma plugin was implemented using the React framework and chatGPT API, offering essential functionality. This implementation was tested in two ideation sessions to evaluate the tool’s usefulness and functionality, leading to an additional set of five insights that confirmed the tool’s effectiveness in a real-world scenario and further expanded on the initial set of insights. These two sets of insights lay the foundation for developing a high-fidelity tool prototype or pursuing further research in this area.

With an emphasis on usability, this paper intends to create a digital museum guide app using the Flutter framework and Firebase web platform. In order to improve the visitor's experience, the app will make use of Geolocation, QR codes, and text-to-speech with translation. It will also provide pertinent audio tracks, activate them based on the user's location, and let users pause and resume audio for those around. The paper will examine how technology may enhance the museum-going experience and analyze the opportunities and challenges associated with developing a digital guide app that seeks to support the group experience.

Introduction: In this study, foveated rendering has been explored as its impacton people in a virtual reality (VR) video game setting. Foveated rendering has thepotential to decrease the performance cost of virtual reality gaming by only renderingthe part of the scene where the user is looking. It achieves this with the use of aneye tracker. Although, this study does not focus on the performance gain.Related Work: The work that has previously been done has mostly focused onperformance. Studies that concentrate on how it affects people have only used ascene with a still or moving target in it. This work will expand upon this by includingit in a whole game instead. Method: A user study is conducted to test the perceived visual quality by playinga fast-paced game that requires a lot of eye and head movements. This is tested asa first-person shooter game, which is played thrice with different types of foveation.Those being no foveation, static, and dynamic foveated rendering and comparingthem with each other. The user study performed to test this had 20 participants whoplayed the game and answered a questionnaire afterward regarding the quality. These participants were experienced in normal gaming but had little previous experiencewith virtual reality. Results and Analysis: The results show that the majority do not notice a differencein quality between the game types. However, the type most people preferred wasfoveated rendering without the use of an eye tracker, called static foveation.Discussion: The results demonstrate that video games can effectively incorporatefoveated rendering, resulting in significant performance improvements with minimaldrawbacks. However, it is important to note that foveated techniques have certainhardware requirements that may limit their widespread adoption. One such require-ment is Variable Rate Shading, which is becoming increasingly prevalent as it issupported by all new graphics cards. This means that the market may more easilyadopt foveated rendering techniques that do not rely on an eye tracker. Additionally,a built-in eye tracker in headsets is another hardware requirement that might makeit harder for that to happen.Conclusion: Foveated rendering has almost no impact on the perceived quality of VR games which can lead to performance gains and makes it easier for people to getfeel more immersed in them.