Writing is so important. It is important in school and in our careers; writing is found to be helpful physiologically and psychologically. Experts wonder, with writing so important, why is writing not being adequately taught in the schools. The answer may be that writing is complex and teaching it is even more complex. The Read-to-Write Strategy is a writing model based on the study of exemplary models of text and children are explicitly taught how to write the way an author writes through a process of the teacher modeling how to write this way; the teacher sharing the writing task with children, and having children collaborate with a partner during the writing task, so that eventually children can independently write text to match the child’s audience and purpose. In this exploratory study, second grade children were explicitly taught a writing strategy that followed the model proposed by Read-to-Write Strategy. This study of writing compared samples of children’s writing before and after they received instruction in the Read-to-Write Strategy. Children made good improvements in their writing and the tests run on the children’s writing samples infer that learning was significant.

Accounting for goodwill and identifiable intangibles is one of the most controversial issues in financial reporting. It has been on the agenda of the Australian Accounting Standards Board, the US, UK, and the International Accounting Standards Boards, and the Full High Court of Australia. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has also placed accounting for intangibles in its Media Releases directed at specific companies. Evidence suggests that the materiality of goodwill and identifiable intangible assets in corporate statements of financial position for a large number of companies is the reason for the considerable attention given to goodwill and identifiable intangibles. The present study has two objectives. First, it analyses the Australian market perception of goodwill and identifiable intangibles as assets in the determination of the market valuation of companies. Second, it investigates whether the market perceives goodwill and identifiable intangibles as wasting resources when valuing Australian firms. In order to achieve these objectives, the analysis initially develops and estimates a model (the asset-based model) that uses financial position statement items to explain the market value of companies' equity. This model examines the association between reported goodwill and identifiable intangible asset values and companies' market values. Given Ohlson's (1993) argument that companies' market value might be better explained by a model that includes a stock concept of value and a flow concept of earnings, a second model (the asset and income-based model) that incorporates an income variable into the initial model, is then developed and estimated. This model examines the association between the goodwill and identifiable intangible amortisation expense and companies' market values. Evidence suggests that there is a statistically significant negative association between equity market values and write-offs of goodwill, confirming the market perception of write-offs of goodwill as a wasting resource when valuing companies. Evidence also suggests that there is a statistically significant negative association between equity market values and write-offs of identifiable intangibles, at least for the total sample of the present study, providing limited evidence of the market perception of identifiable intangibles as wasting resources when valuing companies. However, the negative and inconsistently significant association between equity market values and write-offs of identifiable intangibles on an annual basis suggests that the relationship may be more complex than traditionally analysed / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>Detta examensarbete reder ut arbetsprinciperna för olika typer av hårddiskskrivskydd; hårdvaruskrivskydd, mjukvaruskrivskydd, hybridskrivskydd och bygelskrivskydd. Slutsatsen av utredningen är att endast hårdvaruskrivskydd Detta examensarbete reder ut arbetsprinciperna för olika typer av hårddiskskrivskydd; hårdvaruskrivskydd, mjukvaruskrivskydd, hybridskrivskydd och bygelskrivskydd. Slutsatsen av utredningen är att endast hårdvaruskrivskydd bedöms ha tillräckligt pålitliga skyddsprinciper, vilket motiveras av dess oberoende från både hårdvara och operativsystem. </p><p>Vidare undersöks hårdvaruskrivskyddet Image MASSter(TM) Drive Lock från Intelligent Computer Solutions (ICS). Några egentliga slutsatser gick inte dra av kretskonstruktionen, bortsett från att den är uppbyggd kring en FPGA (Xilinx Spartan-II, XC2S15) med tillhörande PROM (XC17S15APC). </p><p>En egenutvecklad idé till autenticieringsmetod för hårddiskkloner föreslås som ett tillägg till arbetet. Principen bygger på att komplettera hårddiskklonen med unik information om hårddisk såväl kloningsomständigheter, vilka sammanflätas genom XOR-operation av komponenternas hashsummor.Autenticieringsmetoden kan vid sjösättning möjligen öka rättsäkerheten för både utredarna och den som står misstänkt vid en brottsutredning. </p><p>Arbetet är till stora delar utfört vid och på uppdrag av Statens kriminaltekniska laboratorium (SKL) i Linköping.</p>

Iron-cobalt alloys have been extensively studied as potential hard disk drive write head materials due to their potentially high saturation flux densities (~2.4T), low coercivities and ease of deposition. Iron-cobalt plating solutions have, however, been shown to have stability issues, necessitating that they be used at low pH or that a stabilizing agent be added to the solution. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the stability of a dibasic ammonium citrate plating solution and to characterize the deposits which result from its use. The plating solutions are found to be less stable than previously claimed. The solutions are oxidized by dissolved oxygen, which leads to a valence change in the iron ions and eventually the formation of iron oxide/hydroxide precipitates. These effects are exacerbated by heating or the application of a voltage across the solution. Deposits plated from the solution are fine grained (<40nm) and compact through their thickness. While normally deposited as the equilibrium BCC phase, metastable phases are deposited at elevated temperatures, high pH or in the absence of a stabilizing agent. A metastable phase which is isomorphous to α-Mn is deposited at elevated temperatures. This phase transforms to the BCC phase when annealed at >174ºC and is highly textured. Its presence is detrimental to deposit coercivity. / Materials Engineering

Detta examensarbete reder ut arbetsprinciperna för olika typer av hårddiskskrivskydd; hårdvaruskrivskydd, mjukvaruskrivskydd, hybridskrivskydd och bygelskrivskydd. Slutsatsen av utredningen är att endast hårdvaruskrivskydd Detta examensarbete reder ut arbetsprinciperna för olika typer av hårddiskskrivskydd; hårdvaruskrivskydd, mjukvaruskrivskydd, hybridskrivskydd och bygelskrivskydd. Slutsatsen av utredningen är att endast hårdvaruskrivskydd bedöms ha tillräckligt pålitliga skyddsprinciper, vilket motiveras av dess oberoende från både hårdvara och operativsystem. Vidare undersöks hårdvaruskrivskyddet Image MASSter(TM) Drive Lock från Intelligent Computer Solutions (ICS). Några egentliga slutsatser gick inte dra av kretskonstruktionen, bortsett från att den är uppbyggd kring en FPGA (Xilinx Spartan-II, XC2S15) med tillhörande PROM (XC17S15APC). En egenutvecklad idé till autenticieringsmetod för hårddiskkloner föreslås som ett tillägg till arbetet. Principen bygger på att komplettera hårddiskklonen med unik information om hårddisk såväl kloningsomständigheter, vilka sammanflätas genom XOR-operation av komponenternas hashsummor.Autenticieringsmetoden kan vid sjösättning möjligen öka rättsäkerheten för både utredarna och den som står misstänkt vid en brottsutredning. Arbetet är till stora delar utfört vid och på uppdrag av Statens kriminaltekniska laboratorium (SKL) i Linköping.

Though erasure codes are widely adopted in high fault tolerance storage systems, there exists a serious small-write problem. Many algorithms are proposed to improve small-write performance in RAID systems, without considering the network bandwidth usage. However, the network bandwidth is expensive in cloud systems. In this thesis, we proposed an ECL-based (E-MBR codes, Caching and Logging-based) technique to improve the small-write performance without using extra network bandwidth. In addition, the ECL-based technique also reduces the delayed parity update and data recovery latency compared with the competing algorithm.

With the advent of Flash based solid state devices (SSDs), the differences in physical devices used to store data in computers are becoming more and more pronounced. Effectively mapping the differences in storage devices to the files, and applications using the devices, is the problem addressed in this dissertation. This dissertation presents the Umbrella File System (UmbrellaFS), a layered file system designed to effectively map file and device level differences, while maintaining a single coherent directory structure for users. Particular files are directed to appropriate underlying file systems by intercepting system calls connecting the Virtual File System (VFS) to the underlying file systems. Files are evaluated by a policy module that can examine both filenames and file metadata to make decisions about final placement. Files are transparently directed to and moved between appropriate file systems based on their characteristics. A prototype of UmbrellaFS is implemented as a loadable kernel module in the 2.4 and 2.6 Linux kernels. In addition to providing the ability to direct files to file systems, UmbrellaFS enables different decisions at other layers of the storage stack. In particular, alternate page cache writeback methods are presented through the use of UmbrellaFS. A multiple queue strategy based on file sequentiality and a sorting strategy are presented as alternatives to standard Linux cache writeback protocols. These strategies are implemented in a 2.6 Linux kernel and show improvements in a variety of benchmarks and tests.

Three types of poly(norbornane carbonate) or PNC oligomers were synthesized and characterized via spectroscopic methods and elemental analyses to validate their chemical structures. Using the results from proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) experiments, the degree of polymerization and size of each PNC chain was estimated via end-group analysis. All three types of PNC structures were both thermally-labile and acidolytically-labile, allowing them to be used as sacrificial materials in both direct-write and thermally-processed template systems. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data was used to determine the kinetic parameters for the thermolytic decomposition reactions and evolved-gas analysis via mass spectrometry (TGA-MS) was used to determine the mechanisms for thermolytic degradation. PNC oligomers were freely-mixed with hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) to form solutions that were spin-coated to form templated films. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the free-mixing of PNCs with HSQ resulted in the agglomeration of the porogen molecules during the spincoating step. This phase-segregation produced domain sizes much larger than those of the individual chains, and during decomposition large pores were produced. To combat the phase segregation, hydrosilylation reactions were used to covalently bond vinyl end-capped PNC chains to silane-functionalized siloxane and silsesquioxane molecules. These matrix-like materials served as compatibilizers in order to improve the phase-compatibility of the sacrificial polymers in HSQ films. NMR and GPC analyses showed that the solids recovered from the hydrosilylation reactions were binary mixtures of hybrid nanocomposite molecules and residual ungrafted PNC chains. TEM imaging showed that the domains in these nanocomposite films had bimodal size distributions due to the presence of two components in the mixtures. The hybrid molecules produced pores ranging in size from about 6-13 nm as a result of improvements in the phase-compatibility of the grafted oligomers. However, the residual ungrafted oligomers in the blends produced larger domains measuring 30-40 nm. It is believed that separation difficulties can be avoided if the vinyl termination reaction conditions can be adjusted to ensure 100% conversion of all the terminal hydroxyl groups to vinyl groups. Doing so would allow all PNC chains to be grafted during hydrosilylation reaction; thus, avoiding the recovery of free PNC oligomers.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the teachers’ described experiences of advantages as well as disadvantages of Arne Trageton’s write to read-method (“ASL”) in contrast to the code-oriented traditional way of teaching. The aim of this study is furthermore to depict the teachers’ opinions on whether they experience that the ASL-method is unfavourable for students in general. This study will also investigate the teachers’ standpoint regarding choice of reading and writing method. The following questions form the basis of this study: Which advantages or disadvantages do the teachers experience with the ASL-method relative to using the code-oriented traditional way of teaching? Do the teachers experience that the ASL-method is unfavourable for some students? Do the teachers only use the ASL-method or do they combine many different reading and writing methods in their teaching? How do the teachers explain their decision in that matter? This study is based on a qualitative method and interviews were performed to acquire knowledge of the teachers’ experiences. The major theoretical approaches of this study are Arne Trageton’s, the founder of the ASL-method, theories concerning the ASL-method and the socio-cultural perspective on learning. The result of the study demonstrates that the ASL-method is described as advantageous because the students’ interests, creativity, motivation and self-confidence increased when using the ASL-method, in contrast to using the traditional way of teaching. The ASL-method was also described as easier to individualize in comparison with the traditional letter-based teaching. The disadvantage with the ASL-method, in contrast to using the traditional teaching, was mainly the fact that the computers and tablets sometimes did not work properly. Overall the ASL-method was described as a good method because all students could participate in the teaching despite their capacity. Speech technology and word editing programs on the tablets were described as descent support for students with slower motor development, difficulties in reading or writing and second language students. Even though the ASL-method was considered a superior method, the method was not described to be sufficient by itself.

The purpose of my examination is contributing with knowledge about the relation between language- stimulation in preschool and read- and writes developing and teachers thought about that. In order to meet the purpose I read literature that deals with my matter and is based previous research. I also made qualitative interviews with three elementary school teachers and three preschool teachers who work within preschools that concentrate on development of language in a town in the middle of Sweden.  In this way I find out about their thoughts about what they think is important to work with about language in preschool and how the preschool teachers can work with the development of language to make it easier for the children in their read- and writes developing. The result shows that it is important to work with children’s development of language in preschool. Children need some part of language awareness when they start at the public school. The result also shows that it is not just one way that’s good for training children’s language development. You need to work with de language in many different ways with the children so that they can learn about all the parts of the language.  I can not see any big difference between the teachers that I interviewed concerning their thoughts in my result. / Syftet med mitt examensarbete är att bidra med kunskap om relationen mellan språkstimulering i förskolan och läs- och skrivutveckling och lärares tankar kring det. För att uppfylla mitt syfte har jag läst litteratur och tidigare forskning som behandlar mitt ämne. Jag har även genomfört kvalitativa intervjuer med tre grundskollärare och tre förskollärare på förskolor med språkinriktning i en stad i Mellansverige. Jag tog på så sätt reda på deras tankar kring vad som är viktigt att arbeta med språkmässigt i förskolan och hur förskolan kan arbeta med barns språkutveckling för att underlätta barnens läs- och skrivinlärning. Resultatet visar att det är viktigt att arbeta med barnens språkutveckling i förskolan. Barnen behöver en viss språklig medvetenhet när de senare börjar grundskolan. Resultatet visar även att det inte bara finns ett sätt som är bra att arbeta på för att språkstimulera barnen utan att man behöver arbeta med språket på flera olika sätt för att barnet ska lära språkets alla delar. Jag ser ingen större skillnad mellan förskollärarnas och grundskollärarnas tankar i mitt resultat.