Procedural Modeling of Rocks

Gaming and other virtual environments are a big part of today's society, but manual modeling of terrains used in such environments can be a lengthy and tedious process. This thesis serves to explore a few methods of procedurally generating models of rocks or boulders that could be used in such contexts. This includes geometry and shading. A couple of different methods are explored. Sphere inflation, inspired by a classic sphere modeling method, involves "inflating" a base mesh (usually a platonic solid) to grow towards the boundaries of a sphere using an iterative subdivision approach, halting at a predetermined level of iteration. The second approach, recursive subdivision of segmented edges, involves dividing a base mesh into edge segments based on a predefined segment size, subdividing a polygon with pre-segmented edges with a recursive subdivision method based on the sphere inflation subdivision scheme. The segmented edges method is followed by a corner cutting step to "carve" the base mesh into a shape approaching a rock. The segmented edge method was not successfully finished within due time, but the sphere inflation method shows promise in generating fairly believable rock models. The shading includes GLSL based fragment and vertex shaders employing a Perlin noise based procedural granite 3D texture

Knowledge - A scarce resource : The relationship between expert power and knowledge transfer

Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats är att undersöka vilka förutsättningar som finns för kunskapsöverföring i ett specifikt kunskapsintensivt företag. I en organisation vars lönsamhet är beroende av att kunskap överförs, finns det hinder som beror på individens egenintressen att utöva makt inom organisationen? En analysmodell, som utarbetats efter den teoretiska referensramen, används för att avgöra hur kunskapsmakten påverkar överföringen av kunskap genom att studera förutsättningar för kunskapsöverföring. Ur modellen kan eventuella hinder för överföringen analyseras och därigenom kan resonemang föras kring om det finns en ovilja eller oförmåga att dela med sig av kunskap. En kvalitativ studie har utförts genom intervjuer med utvalda representanter från ett kunskapsintensivt företag. Resultat från undersökningen visar att kunskap är en viktig källa till makt inom företaget och att organisationen arbetar aktivt med kunskapsöverföring. Förutsättningarna för att kunskap skulle kunna överföras var uppfyllda, i alla fall till stor del. Några direkta hinder för kunskapsöverföring i det specifika fall som studerats har alltså inte identifierats.    The purpose of this thesis is to examine the current conditions around knowledge transfer in a specific knowledge-intensive company. In an organization that is dependent on knowledge transfer, are there any obstructions due to an individual's self-interest in retaining power that affect how knowledge is transferred internally? To determine if employees hoard their knowledge in order to stay in a power position, the transfer process is analyzed in depth to see if it is lacking due to the employees disinclination towards the transfering of knowledge or an inability to do so. A qualitative study was conducted through interviews with representatives from this specific knowledge-intensive company. The results from the interviews suggest that knowledge is in fact a source of power in this specific organization and the interviewees showed an awareness of the fact that knowledge transfer is crucial in order to stay successful. The conditions for knowledge transfer were greatly met and the results did not indicate any explicit evidence of individuals hoarding their knowledge in order to remain in a power position

Computerized data entry and display in trauma resuscitation : A case study

Trauma resuscitation, the initial management of a critically injured patient, still mostly relies on paper-based documentation. The aim of the current thesis is to design computerized tools fitted to the needs of the trauma resuscitation setting. Previous research has found that computerized support in the form of shared wall displays could make the trauma resuscitation work practice less error-prone and more efficient. However, the question as to how the data required by such screens could be collected has been rather neglected. As such, the focus of the current work lies on the development of design hypotheses of a mobile data entry system for real-time data entry and corresponding shared wall displays supporting team cognition in the trauma resuscitation setting. Those design hypotheses have been developed by means of a case study conducted at the Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden. To the extent of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to design a fully digital data entry system to support real-time documentation of trauma resuscitations as well as the first work to present a synthesis of the existing research on the design of shared wall displays in the trauma resuscitation setting

Computerized data entry and display in trauma resuscitation : A case study

Trauma resuscitation, the initial management of a critically injured patient, still mostly relies on paper-based documentation. The aim of the current thesis is to design computerized tools fitted to the needs of the trauma resuscitation setting. Previous research has found that computerized support in the form of shared wall displays could make the trauma resuscitation work practice less error-prone and more efficient. However, the question as to how the data required by such screens could be collected has been rather neglected. As such, the focus of the current work lies on the development of design hypotheses of a mobile data entry system for real-time data entry and corresponding shared wall displays supporting team cognition in the trauma resuscitation setting. Those design hypotheses have been developed by means of a case study conducted at the Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden. To the extent of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to design a fully digital data entry system to support real-time documentation of trauma resuscitations as well as the first work to present a synthesis of the existing research on the design of shared wall displays in the trauma resuscitation setting

Measurement of photodarkening in Yb-doped aluminosilicate fibres at elevated temperature

Photodarkening behaviour in Yb-doped aluminosilicate fibres at elevated temperatures is reported. The fibre was core-pumped at 977 nm and the transmitted powers were monitored at 633 (probe) and 977 nm (pump) simultaneously with ~47% of population inversion of Yb3+ ions. A saturated photodarkening loss was found, which is inversely proportional to temperature and, at ~573 K, the loss was negligible at the pump wavelength. From the decay curves at different temperatures, it was found that the photodarkening involves second-order kinetics to form colour centres

Knowledge - A scarce resource : The relationship between expert power and knowledge transfer

Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats är att undersöka vilka förutsättningar som finns för kunskapsöverföring i ett specifikt kunskapsintensivt företag. I en organisation vars lönsamhet är beroende av att kunskap överförs, finns det hinder som beror på individens egenintressen att utöva makt inom organisationen? En analysmodell, som utarbetats efter den teoretiska referensramen, används för att avgöra hur kunskapsmakten påverkar överföringen av kunskap genom att studera förutsättningar för kunskapsöverföring. Ur modellen kan eventuella hinder för överföringen analyseras och därigenom kan resonemang föras kring om det finns en ovilja eller oförmåga att dela med sig av kunskap. En kvalitativ studie har utförts genom intervjuer med utvalda representanter från ett kunskapsintensivt företag. Resultat från undersökningen visar att kunskap är en viktig källa till makt inom företaget och att organisationen arbetar aktivt med kunskapsöverföring. Förutsättningarna för att kunskap skulle kunna överföras var uppfyllda, i alla fall till stor del. Några direkta hinder för kunskapsöverföring i det specifika fall som studerats har alltså inte identifierats.    The purpose of this thesis is to examine the current conditions around knowledge transfer in a specific knowledge-intensive company. In an organization that is dependent on knowledge transfer, are there any obstructions due to an individual's self-interest in retaining power that affect how knowledge is transferred internally? To determine if employees hoard their knowledge in order to stay in a power position, the transfer process is analyzed in depth to see if it is lacking due to the employees disinclination towards the transfering of knowledge or an inability to do so. A qualitative study was conducted through interviews with representatives from this specific knowledge-intensive company. The results from the interviews suggest that knowledge is in fact a source of power in this specific organization and the interviewees showed an awareness of the fact that knowledge transfer is crucial in order to stay successful. The conditions for knowledge transfer were greatly met and the results did not indicate any explicit evidence of individuals hoarding their knowledge in order to remain in a power position

Preparation of 3-Substituted-1-Isopropyl-1<i>H</i>-pyrazolo[3,4-<i>d</i>]pyrimidin-4-amines as RET Kinase Inhibitors

A series of 3-substituted-1-isopropyl-1<i>H</i>-pyrazolo­[3,4-<i>d</i>]­pyrimidin-4-amines have been designed, synthesized, and evaluated as RET protein kinase inhibitors. On the basis of docking results, a small library of pyrazolopyrimidine compounds with an extended hydrophobic side arm was synthesized. The most promising of the compounds (<b>7a</b>) displayed efficient inhibition in vitro and good selectivity when tested on a panel of kinases. Furthermore, <b>7a</b> inhibited GDNF-induced RET phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells at concentrations as low as 100 nM

Recommendations for a core outcome measurement set for clinical trials in whiplash associated disorders

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text.Core patient-reported outcome measures are recommended for clinical trials of whiplash associated disorders for each of 6 core domains-Physical Functioning, Perceived Recovery, Psychological Functioning, Quality of Life, Pain, Social and Work Functioning.Inconsistent reporting of outcomes in clinical trials of treatments for whiplash associated disorders (WAD) hinders effective data pooling and conclusions about treatment effectiveness. A multidisciplinary International Steering Committee recently recommended 6 core outcome domains: Physical Functioning, Perceived Recovery, Work and Social Functioning, Psychological Functioning, Quality of Life and Pain. This study aimed to reach consensus and recommend a core outcome set (COS) representing each of the 6 domains. Forty-three patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were identified for Physical Functioning, 2 for perceived recovery, 37 for psychological functioning, 17 for quality of life, and 2 for pain intensity. They were appraised in 5 systematic reviews following COSMIN methodology. No PROMs of Work and Social Functioning in WAD were identified. No PROMs had undergone evaluation of content validity in patients with WAD, but some had moderate-to-high-quality evidence for sufficient internal structure. Based on these results, the International Steering Committee reached 100% consensus to recommend the following COS: Neck Disability Index or Whiplash Disability Questionnaire (Physical Functioning), the Global Rating of Change Scale (Perceived Recovery), one of the Pictorial Fear of Activity Scale-Cervical, Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, or Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (Psychological Functioning), EQ-5D-3L or SF-6D (Quality of Life), numeric pain rating scale or visual analogue scale (Pain), and single-item questions pertaining to current work status and percent of usual work (Work and Social Functioning). These recommendations reflect the current status of research of PROMs of the 6 core outcome domains and may be modified as evidence grows