Mobile Technologies: Enhancing Teaching in Australian Literature

The purpose of this study is to explore teaching practices which incorporate mobile learning technologies in order to improve learning in the delivery of subjects in the Humanities. The focus is an Australian literature subject offered to students enrolled in a Bachelor of Education. Many students of the `Z generation appreciate the style of learning and pattern of communication promoted by the use of mobile technologies (Green & Hannon, 2007). Podcasts and video podcasts have the potential to engage students interests and enhance learning outcomes. Distinctive characteristics of mobile learning tasks relate to flexibility, autonomy, authenticity. Mobile technologies can facilitate conversations and social networking as well as individualise the access, production and exchange of information. The experience of the `book can be enriched through multi-modality. While examples are drawn from the field of literature, the strategies are relevant to various areas of study and have applications for primary, secondary and tertiary teachers

Creative Strategies with Literature: Developing Literacy in the Classroom

This presentation describes strategies for using literature to facilitate literacy in the primary school classroom. Critical research information is given on links with reading and the development of childrens writing. Teachers can put theory into practice by activities that engage the imagination and stimulate the acquisition of reading and writing skills. While phonological awareness is important in learning how to read, the context of a literary text (particularly of picture books) can assist language understanding (Bredekamp & Copple, 1997; (Galda & Cullinan, 2005). The words and picture of literary texts provide a catalyst for generating ideas, which deepen understanding and interest in language learning (Cole & Maddox, 1997). The activities described are based on popular award- winning childrens literature (e.g. Li Cunxins The Peasant Prince amongst others) and are suitable for the 5 12 year old age range

Individual game development with opensource software - A case study with guidelines for programmers and game designers

The focus of this project is individual (i.e., single-person) game development using open-source tools; specifically, the development of a side-scrolling, 2D platform game with a focus on players’ enjoyment, and the creation of this thesis, which is intended to serve as a case study of individual, open-source game development and a limited guide for future developers, especially those working alone. This report describes the development process for the aforementioned game (titled CheckerSphere), which includes both single-person game development and development using strictly open-source tools (aside from low-level proprietary software such as drivers for the graphics card used during development as well as proprietary hardware). Additionally, as a guide, this thesis contains items such as a list of personally recommended study material, mostly consisting of recorded lectures and video essays; a brief analysis of the movement systems of three 2D platformers; information regarding how to legally use existing assets and where to find them; in what ways CheckerSphere is designed for accessibility; and several lists of open-source tools that may be of use for a game developer. Open-source distribution of games may not always be considered feasible, but it brings new possibilities, such as potentially causing volunteers to contribute to the game for free, encouraging players to create problem descriptions when they find apparent bugs, allowing those who are unwilling to install closed-source software on their computers to play the game, increasing the amount of trust and good will towards the developers, and helping future game development projects by contributing to the open-source community. Additionally, using only open-source tools brings benefits such as being able to trust software to not infringe on one’s privacy or be otherwise malicious; being able to suggest, or personally implement, desired changes in a piece of software; being able to remove undesired parts of software; and having access to all software without payment, facilitating lower-budget development. This project has personally strengthened the view that open-source game development is entirely feasible when extreme graphical fidelity is not required, both in terms of using only open-source tools and in terms of distributing the game under an open-source license; the latter does not prevent the developer from releasing the game commercially, since non-code assets may remain proprietary

What we can learn fron non-biblical prophet movements

Frequently a new religion comes into being by means of a prophet—a per-son feeling himself divinely commissioned, who has had divine revelations and feels compelled to inform his fellow men of them. Should people respond to his message a prophet movement is born, and it may then develop into a new religion. If a number of prophet movements are examined, so many of their features appear similar or identical that one is justified in speaking about a "prophet pattern". The different elements of this prophet pattern stand out clearly if we try to answer these three questions: 1. Which are the causes for the appearance of a prophet? 2. What is the significance of his message? What function does it have? 3. Why do certain prophets get followers, but not others

The compositional and evolutionary logic of metabolism

Metabolism displays striking and robust regularities in the forms of modularity and hierarchy, whose composition may be compactly described. This renders metabolic architecture comprehensible as a system, and suggests the order in which layers of that system emerged. Metabolism also serves as the foundation in other hierarchies, at least up to cellular integration including bioenergetics and molecular replication, and trophic ecology. The recapitulation of patterns first seen in metabolism, in these higher levels, suggests metabolism as a source of causation or constraint on many forms of organization in the biosphere. We identify as modules widely reused subsets of chemicals, reactions, or functions, each with a conserved internal structure. At the small molecule substrate level, module boundaries are generally associated with the most complex reaction mechanisms and the most conserved enzymes. Cofactors form a structurally and functionally distinctive control layer over the small-molecule substrate. Complex cofactors are often used at module boundaries of the substrate level, while simpler ones participate in widely used reactions. Cofactor functions thus act as "keys" that incorporate classes of organic reactions within biochemistry. The same modules that organize the compositional diversity of metabolism are argued to have governed long-term evolution. Early evolution of core metabolism, especially carbon-fixation, appears to have required few innovations among a small number of conserved modules, to produce adaptations to simple biogeochemical changes of environment. We demonstrate these features of metabolism at several levels of hierarchy, beginning with the small-molecule substrate and network architecture, continuing with cofactors and key conserved reactions, and culminating in the aggregation of multiple diverse physical and biochemical processes in cells.Comment: 56 pages, 28 figure

Heat-reducing measures for urban microclimates

Det står klart att rådande klimatförändringar har lett och kommer i framtiden att leda till ökade temperaturer samt fler och längre perioder av värmeböljor. Ökade temperaturer i kombination med värmeöeffekter medför att urbana miljöer är särskilt utsatta och människor som väljer att bosätta sig på sådana platser riskerar allvarliga konsekvenser när det gäller hälsa och välbefinnande. De negativa effekter värme har på människors hälsa är entydiga och kan leda till allvarliga följder som utmattning eller dödsfall. Värmeböljan i Sverige år 2018 är ett exempel på en allvarlig händelse med rekordhöga temperaturer i hela landet, där onormalt många dödsfall påvisades jämfört med samma period år 2017. Yrkesverksamma inom gestaltning- och projekteringsprocessen behöver ta till sig kunskapen om vilka värmereducerande åtgärder det finns att tillgå för att lindra värmeöeffekter och därmed forma framtidens resilienta och hållbara städer. Arbetet berör åtgärder för värmereducering som yrkesverksamma inom gestaltning- och projekteringsprocessen kan tillämpa för att skapa goda urbana mikroklimat, året runt. Åtgärderna har studerats via en litteraturstudie och tillämpats i en så kallad tillämpningsstudie där vi har undersökt ett perspektiv för hur dessa kan tillämpas vid omprojektering och nyprojektering. De identifierade åtgärderna har delats in i kategorierna; material, vegetation, skugga, bebyggelsegeometri och vatten, vilka har visat sig vara aktuella under olika faser av planeringsstadiet samt i olika skalor. Åtgärder som berör bebyggelsegeometri är främst applicerbara i ett tidigt planeringsstadie och har stor inverkan i olika skalor; exempelvis påverkar placeringen av en enda byggnad skuggbilden över en dag och vid stora områden av tät bebyggelse sker generellt en hög värmelagring vilket leder till ökade urbana värmeöeffekter. Vegetationens inverkan på mikroklimat är tydlig tack vare dess evaporativa kylning och skuggivande förmåga. Vitaliteten för dessa är högst relevant då träd som är livskraftiga kan bidra till mer evaporativ kylning och skugga, således krävs en växtbädd anpassad efter trädets förväntade slutstorlek. Lövfällande träd är att föredra för att uppnå ett gott urbant klimat året runt, då de tillåter solljus att skina igenom höst, vinter och vår samt skuggar sommartid när solen är stark. Aspekter som är väsentliga att beakta vid växtval i urbana miljöer är därmed bladmassa, grenverk, bladutspring och bladfällning. Således är det inte bara viktigt huruvida vegetationen är närvarande i städerna, utan också vilka arter samt hur och var dessa är placerade. Material har visat sig ha en stor inverkan på mikroklimat där permeabilitet, värmekapacitet och färg (albedo) är av stor betydelse. Permeabla markbeläggningar och ytor är genomsläppliga för vatten vilket kan bidra med markfukt, som i sin tur leder till lägre temperaturer. Vid torka kan den avkylande effekten via avdunstning från material och vegetation avta på grund av vattenbrist. Således är det viktigt att kombinera flera olika värmereducerande åtgärder i städerna, såsom högt albedo på material och skuggivande element som exempelvis torktoleranta träd, vilka förblir välmående trots längre perioder av torka. Helårsperspektivet är i en svensk kontext, av yttersta vikt för att skapa resilienta, hållbara och trivsamma urbana miljöer där människor vill vistas både under heta sommardagar och kyliga vinterdagar. Förekomsten av både soliga och skuggiga platser behöver existera så människan själv kan välja vart den vill vistas beroende på årstid och personliga behov. Genom att förstå hur material, vegetation, bebyggelsegeometri, vatten och skugga kan påverka en plats eller en hel stad, kan vi tillsammans skapa framtidens resilienta, hållbara och trivsamma urbana miljöer för alla individer, stora som små.It is clear that current climate changes have led and will in the future lead to increased temperatures and more and longer periods of heat waves. Increased temperatures combined with heat island effects entails that urban environments are particularly vulnerable and the people who choose to settle in such places risk serious consequences in terms of health and well-being. The negative effects heat has on human health are clear and can lead to serious consequences such as exhaustion or death. The heat wave in Sweden in 2018 is an example of a serious event with record-high temperatures throughout the country, where an abnormally high number of deaths were detected compared to the same period in 2017. Professionals in the design and project-planning process need to acquire the knowledge of what heat-reducing measures that are available to alleviate heat island effects and thus shape the resilient and sustainable cities of the future. The thesis concerns measures for heat reduction that professionals in the design and project-planning process can apply to create good urban microclimates, all year round. The measures have been studied through a literature study and applied in an application study where we have examined a perspective for how these can be applied in redesigning and new planning. The identified measures have been divided into the categories; materials, vegetation, shade, building geometry and water, which have proven to be relevant during different phases of the planning stage and at different scales. Measures that affect building geometry are mainly applicable in an early planning stage and have a large impact at different scales; for example, the placement of a single building affects the shadow image over a day and in large areas of dense built-up there is generally a high heat storage, which leads to increased urban heat island effects. The impact of vegetation on microclimates is clear thanks to its evaporative cooling and shading ability. The vitality of these is highly relevant as trees that are thriving can contribute to more evaporative cooling and shade, thus a plant bed adapted to the expected final size of the tree is required. Deciduous trees are preferred to achieve a good urban climate all year round, as they allow sunlight to shine through during autumn, winter and spring and provide shade during summer when the sun is strong. Aspects that are essential to consider when choosing plants in urban environments are thus leaf mass, branch density, leaf emergence and leaf shedding. Thus, it is not only important whether the vegetation is present in the cities, but also which species and how and where these are located. Materials have been shown to have a major impact on microclimates where permeability, heat capacity and colour (albedo) are of great importance. Permeable ground coverings and surfaces are pervious to water, which can contribute to soil moisture, which in turn leads to lower temperatures. In droughts, the cooling effect through evaporation from materials and vegetation can decrease due to a lack of water. Thus, it is important to combine several different heat-reducing measures in cities, such as high albedo on materials and shading elements such as drought-tolerant trees that remain thriving despite longer periods of drought. The year-round perspective is, in a Swedish context, of utmost importance to create resilient, sustainable and pleasant urban environments where people want to stay both during hot summer days and cold winter days. The existence of both sunny and shady places needs to exist so that people can choose where they want to stay depending on the season and personal needs. By understanding how materials, vegetation, building geometry, water and shade can affect a place or an entire city, can we together create resilient, sustainable and pleasant urban environments of the future for all individuals, large and small

Liver Tumor Segmentation Using Classical Algorithms & Deep Learning

Liver cancer is a common condition that traditionally required open surgery, posing a high risk of complications. Laparoscopic surgery has become increasingly popular, but comes with navigation challenges. The MedTech start-up Navari Surgical has developed a visualization solution using augmented reality, and this project aims to suggest a tumor segmentation method to support this solution. Previous studies have inspired this work to explore tumor segmentation utilizing different approaches, such as thresholding algorithms, active contour models, and a deep learning model utilizing the U-Net architecture. Thresholding methods uses pixel intensities, active contour models focuses on minimizing image energy, and U-Net models learn image features through training. For the U-Net models, variations in the learning rate, augmented data quantity, and loss functions are explored. The study utilizes the open-source LiTS dataset. The methods employ either liversegmented or cropped tumor images as inputs. Evaluation metrics include dice’s similarity coefficient (DSC) and recall, with a dataset of 107 images for evaluation of the classical algorithms, and 696 test images for the U-Net models. The obtained results demonstrate that thresholding algorithms with cropped input yield the highest DSC and recall values for the classical algorithms. The best performance was observed with cropped Multi Otsu (DSC: 0.435, recall: 0.605). For the U-Net models, increased augmented data, reduced learning rate, and more epochs resulted in improved performance. The best U-Net model achieved a DSC of 0.766 and a recall of 0.796. The discussion highlights challenges with algorithms designed for single tumor detection when evaluating datasets containing multiple tumors per image. Classical algorithms show a need for individualization for each scan, impacting automation and efficiency. Overfitting is a concern for the U-Net models, suggesting room for improvement. Further enhancements include pre and post-processing techniques, parameter variation, exploration of modified architectures, and utilization of 3D input data. In conclusion, U-Net demonstrated the best performance among the methods explored. However, its performance is not yet suitable for practical use, requiring further improvements. The recommendation for Navari is to continue to explore deep learning and U-Net for future advancements in tumor segmentation

Security Analysis of Machine Monitoring Sensor Communication A threat modeling process implementation and evaluation

The number of small devices that are connected to the Internet is increasing rapidly and the system that controls them are becoming more and more complex. Using these devices in products and system has the potential to lower costs, increase performance and provide new functionality. A substantial amount of these devices are used in "smart homes" or to monitor and control critical electro-mechanical systems. When developing such system often functionally and performance is prioritized in comparison to security and many systems have computer security and network security concerns. To help the developers create secure systems it exist a practice named Threat Modeling in which you work with the system through different stages to find its vulnerabilities. There exist several threat models that are aimed for specific systems of a certain type. It exists limited research about threat models aimed for system consisting of small devices connected to the Internet. In this project a threat modeling process will be conducted and applied on a smartphone/IoT system developed by one of Cybercom’s customer. In addition, the threat modeling process will be evaluated for correctness and applicability when applying it to a smartphone/IoT system and how the process might be improved. Platform specific threat libraries created by accredited sources will be used to for both validation and improvements. Penetration testing will be carried out with a subset of the threats generated by the threat modeling process and from the threat libraries in order to validate the applicability of the threats