Choice of Law: A Well-Watered Plateau

De flesta stora företag använder idag ett affärssystem, för att exempelvis integrera olikafunktioner i verksamheten och automatisera affärsprocesser, vilket har bidragit till attmånga leverantörer har ökat försäljningsfokus mot mindre företag. Små företag inserockså behovet av affärssystem (Iskanius et al., 2009) och statistik visar även attanvändandet ökar i mindre företag (SCB, 2013). Små företag kan inte ses som mindreversioner av stora företag (Malhotra och Temponi, 2010; Welsh och White, 1981), dådessa skiljer sig i exempelvis striktare resursbegränsningar, vilket innebär attaffärssystemsprojekt också skiljer sig från de i stora företag. Av denna anledning är detviktigt för leverantörer att förstå vad som påverkar små företag underinförskaffningsprocessen av ett affärssystem. Denna rapport syftar till att, för småsvenska företag, identifiera faktorer som är avgörande för valet att införskaffa ettaffärssystem och undersöka hur dessa påverkar viktiga faktorer senare i processen.Utifrån en litteraturstudie och en inledande empirisk datainsamling ställdes en teori uppi form av hypoteser om hur avgörande faktorer i införskaffandeprocessens initieringsfaspåverkar viktiga faktorer under anskaffnings- och implementeringsfasen. Genom enfallstudiemetod, där sex företag som införskaffat ett affärssystem under de senaste årenundersöktes, analyserades och testades den framtagna teorin.Studiens resultat belyser vikten av inblandade personers befintliga kunskap, en faktorsom påverkar bland annat möjligheten att ta fram en genomtänkt kravspecifikation ochprojektets struktur. Vidare identifierades stora skillnader i inställningen till att förändraoch effektivisera verksamheten och en syn på resursbegränsningar som leder till attexempelvis otillräcklig tid avvaras för projektet. Trots att affärssystem i små företag oftaanvänds endast för ekonomi och ibland även logistik tyder undersökningen också på attinförskaffandet kan medföra ett stort värde genom ett effektivare arbetssätt.Most large companies today use an ERP system, for example to integrate differentfunctional areas of the organization and automate business processes. This has mademany suppliers increase their sales focus on smaller companies. These companiesrealize the need for ERP systems (Iskanius et al., 2009) and statistics also show that theusage is increasing in smaller companies (SCB, 2013). However, small enterprisescannot be seen as smaller versions of large companies (Malhotra and Temponi, 2010;Welsh and White, 1981) as these differ, for example in more stringent resourceconstraints, which means that ERP projects also differ from those of large companies.For this reason, it is important for suppliers and consultants to understand what affectssmall companies during the process of acquiring an ERP system. This report aims to, insmall Swedish companies, identify factors that affect the decision to acquire an ERPsystem and examine how these affect important factors later in the process.Based on a literature review and an initial empirical data collection, a theory wascreated in the form of hypotheses about how the determinants of the aquiring processinitialization phase affects important factors during the acquisition and implementationphases. Through a case study method, in which six companies that has acquired an ERPsystem in recent years were studied, the developed theory was analyzed and tested.Our results highlight the importance of the existing knowledge of involved persons, afactor that influences, for example, the ability to develop a good requirementsspecification and the project structure. Furthermore, we identified significantdifferences in the openness to changing and improving the work flow of the companyand a view of resource constraints that often leads to insufficient time being spared forthe project. Although ERP system in small enterprises often are used only for financialmanagement and sometimes logistics the study shows that the acquisition can add largevalue to the organization through more efficient work processes

Porcine intestinal glycosphingolipids recognized by F6-fimbriated enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

One important virulence factor of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli is their ability to adhere via fimbrial adhesins to specific receptors located on the intestinal mucosa. Here, the potential glycosphingolipid receptors of enterotoxigenic F6-fimbriated E. coli were examined by binding of purified F6 fimbriae, and F6-expressing bacteria, to glycosphingolipids on thin-layer chromatograms. When intestinal mucosal non-acid glycosphingolipids from single pigs were assayed for F6 binding capacity, a selective interaction with two glycosphingolipids was observed. The binding-active glycosphingolipids were isolated and characterized as lactotriaosylceramide (GlcNAc beta 3Gal beta 4Glc beta 1Cer) and lactotetraosylceramide (Gal beta 3GlcNAc beta 3Gal beta 4Glc beta 1Cer). Further binding assays using a panel of reference glycosphingolipids showed a specific interaction between the F6 fimbriae and a number of neolacto core chain (Gal beta 4GlcNAc) glycosphingolipids. In addition, an occasional binding of the F6 fimbriae to sulfatide, galactosylceramide, lactosylceramide with phytosphingosine and/or hydroxy fatty acids, isoglobotriaosylceramide, gangliotriaosylceramide, and gangliotetraosylceramide was obtained. From the results we conclude that lactotriaosylceramide and lactotetraosylceramide are major porcine intestinal receptors for F6-fimbriated E. coli

Delamination of Cross-laminated timber and its impact on fire development | Focusing on different types of adhesives

In the recent decade, the interest of building taller all-timber structures using engineered timber materials such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) has increased substantially. On the other hand, there’s also a significant resistance and fear concerning the fire safety of buildings with wood-based load-bearing structures. In this report, the aim is to investigate the potential deviations of the fire performance of CLT. More specifically the occurrence of losing entire layers due to fire exposure, delamination, and how this might affect the fire development. Fire tests were performed in a standard testing furnace with specimens of CLT manufactured with five different adhesives. For these tests, the fire conditions of a previous full-scale test were attempted to be replicated. After evaluating the results, it was concluded that the type of adhesive used, could have a significant impact on whether a CLT-element delaminates or not. Furthermore, delamination also has a severe impact on the fire development, increasing the temperatures and extending the duration of the fire. CLT as a future building material still faces a lot of challenges, and further research is needed to optimise the composition of the material and investigate complications other than fire performance as well.För framtidens träkonstruktioner är limträprodukter, så som korslimmat trä, helt avgörande för utvecklingen. Korslimmat trä kan tillämpas som prefabricerade element i såväl bärande väggar, som bjälklag och öppnar upp för helt nya möjligheter för snabbt, hållbart byggande. Samtidigt finns det ett kraftigt motstånd från många håll mot det ökande användandet av trä i bärande konstruktioner, inte minst ur ett brandsäkerhetsperspektiv. Tidigare forskning om brandbeteendet hos solitt trä är omfattande, men när det gäller eventuella avvikelser hos modernare limträprodukter, är beteendet mindre känt

The Future Climate Moisture Susceptibility of Wall Assemblies: Analysis Based on Monte Carlo Simulation Using a Simplified Deterministic Hygrothermal Simulation Model

A newly developed generic algorithm to assess moisture susceptibility of simplified wall assemblies has been developed within the CIB-W080 WG 2. This group is focusing on guidelines for design for durability of building envelopes. The algorithm is implemented in a publicly available Matlab code. A simplified wall assembly consisting of up to four material elements is considered. Optional vapor retarder and thermal resistances are located between the elements. In this paper modelling of a ventilated cladding is implemented. Using the simplified numerical model, a probability‐based risk analysis using the Monte Carlo method is demonstrated. The risk assessment of the wall assembly considers the interior and exterior climatic load. The moisture transport mechanism accounted for in the analysis is diffusion. The rain load is assumed to be transferred directly to a chosen outer susceptible material element in the construction. An insulated wooden wall structure is analyzed and the probability distribution of the time of wetness is presented for cases using sequence of 31 consecutive climatic years, randomly varying indoor moisture excess, indoor temperature and driving rain leakages

Personalized short-term blood glucose prediction in T1DM

Insulin therapy for tight glycemia regulation in T1DM strongly depends on patients ́ daily decisions about insulin delivery adaptations in relation to: health status, current BG, target BG, insulin sensitivity, diet and foreseen activities. A personalized predictor providing near future BG predictions would support the users in the decision-making tasks while letting them maintaining control over their own treatments management

Bayesian Combination of Multiple Plasma Glucose Predictors

This paper presents a novel on-line approach of merging multiple different predictors of plasma glucose into a single optimized prediction. Various different predictors are merged by recursive weighting into a single prediction using regularized optimization. The approach is evaluated on 12 data sets of type I diabetes data, using three parallel predictors. The performance of the combined prediction is better, or in par, with the best predictor for each evaluated data set. The results suggest that the outlined method could be a suitable way to improve prediction performance when using multiple predictors, or as a means to reduce the risk associated with definite a priori model selection

The New Zealand Thrush: An Extinct Oriole

The New Zealand Thrush, or Piopio, is an extinct passerine that was endemic to New Zealand. It has often been placed in its own family (Turnagridae), unresolved relative to other passerines, but affinities with thrushes, Australaian magpies, manucodes, whistlers, birds-of-paradise and bowerbirds has been suggested based on morphological data. An affinity with the bowerbirds was also indicated in an early molecular study, but low statistical support make this association uncertain. In this study we use sequence data from three nuclear introns to examine the phylogenetic relationships of the piopios. All three genes independently indicate an oriole (Oriolidae) affinity of the piopios, and the monophyly of the typical orioles (Oriolus), figbirds (Sphecotheres), and the piopios is strongly supported in the Bayesian analysis of the concatenated data set (posterior probability = 1.0). The exact placement of the piopios within Oriolidae is, however, more uncertain but in the combined analysis and in two of the gene trees the piopios are placed basal to the typical orioles while the third gene suggest a sister relationship with the figbirds. This is the first time an oriole affinity has been proposed for the piopios. Divergence time estimates for the orioles suggest that the clade originated ca 20 million years ago, and based on these estimates it is evident that the piopios must have arrived on New Zealand by dispersal across the Tasman Sea and not as a result of vicariance when New Zealand separated from Gondwana in the late Cretaceous

Retrofitting of a listed brick and wood building using vacuum insulation panels on the exterior of the facade: Measurements and simulations

Many old listed buildings have an unsatisfactory thermal performance compared to the standards of today. The listing often limits the position and necessary thickness of an added insulation layer in the building envelope. Vacuum insulation panels (VIP) present unprecedented possibilities to reduce the required thickness of the insulation layer. The aim of this study is to explore the performance of VIP in the retrofitting of listed buildings. The goal is to improve the thermal transmittance and moisture performance of the wall and the thermal comfort for the occupants. Hygrothermal sensors were installed in the wall of a listed building insulated with VIP on the exterior. Sensors were also installed in a neighboring (non-retrofitted) wall as reference. Through a comparative analysis of the measured data it was concluded that the hygrothermal performance of the retrofitted wall was substantially better than of the reference wall. The measurement results were also compared to hygrothermal simulations to quantify the improvements in the thermal transmittance and moisture performance. A deviation was found between the measured and simulated relative humidity in the wall which was explained by vertical air leakage paths in the wall

Brukarinflytandets villkor och professionella hjälpare

The aim was to gain insight into how specialist-teams intervening in psychiatric illness among individuals with disabilites handled and viewed service-user participation and how the view of the service-user effected service-user influence. Also other factors like authority and organizational context and limitations were recognized and accounted for. Data were collected by use of semi-structured interviews of the specialist-team and professional caregivers at the grouphomes where the interventions had taken places. By using primarily Ernesto Laclau and Chantelle Mouffe´s discourse analysis as method for highlighting discourses, and organization theory and Berger and Luckmann´s sociology of knowledge approach interpretative I found several discourses and factors impacting the service-users participation and possible means of user influence practice in various degrees. The dilemmas of service-user influence on professional interventions were not to be solved by my research but the study clearly shows how both discourses and organizational frame impacts and also show the necessity of service-user influence