Application for hydropower on a mobile device with focus on front-end

SINTEF Energy (hereafter called SINTEF) develops complex compu- tational models for energy production in Norway. These models are controlled by command line interfaces when used for testing, in meetings, or in other contexts. They may, to some extent, be visualized with Python or MATLAB scripts, but lacks a good graphical user interface, as well as including the users in an interactive manner. SINTEF desires to look at the capabilities of moving some of today s CLI-based workflow to a mobile environment, with an interactive user interface. They want to expand their view, exploring new ways of working. They also want to know if their current information models are able to handle these new environments. We will develop a front-end application for an Android tablet. With an agile prototyping methodology, we identify requirements to make such an application both user-friendly and useful to the end users. The application is primarily a proof-of-concept to illustrate the potential of making a new interface to SINTEFs existing computational models. The development process is also used to see if SINTEFs existing information models are extensive enough to match with the new mobile environments. The application will first and foremost be evaluated by its potential to present a prototype GUI, but also by a set of design principles regarding mobile design, and its strengths and weaknesses. Our concept illustrates the potential of visualizing parts of SINTEFs existing applications to a mobile device in an interactive manner. The users saw a potential in saving time by using such an application. The application is also used to suggest an extension to SINTEFs existing information model. This proposed CIM extension has been implemented in our application, and is generally viable for other software applications utilizing information model

The Fabric of Animation

With the technology we have today, animation is often computer generated. Traditional 2D hand drawn animation, as well as stop motion animation, is less common. Each animation style has a very distinctive look and style to it. It is easy to tell if an animation was computer generated or not. This project tested how using unaltered, non-digital elements combined with a digital animation program would impact the outcome of a computer generated animation. The overall goal for this project was to see if the viewer could tell the final product was computer generated or if it more resembled a stop motion animation. My main focus for this project was to use digital and non-digital elements to create an animation. For the non-digital elements, I chose to only use paper to keep the amount of variables to a minimum. I also decided to not alter them in any way in Adobe Photoshop or any other editing software. My first step was to gather information and inspiration for what components to make. I decided to center the animation on an island theme, because that theme’s elements would be easily recognizable. The background contained three separate parts: sky, sand, and a hut. The sky and sand were flat, unchanged pieces of scrapbook paper. For the hut, cut the base shape out of paper and added more layers to give it more depth and texture. For the character, I made individual pieces for each body part. I created a test template out of scrap paper to test the right size for all the pieces. Then I used the template to trace the correct size and shape onto scrapbook paper. I layered some of the pieces to add more detail such as the head, hair, and body. After I cut all the pieces, I tested that all of the joints worked properly. I then scanned all the paper elements separately. I then used Photoshop convert each element into PNG files which would give each file transparent backgrounds. I uploaded each individual file into Adobe After Effects. I chose to animate the character doing a walk cycle back and forth across the screen. This insured that all of the body parts of the character would be animated, allowing for a suitable amount of animated content for the viewer to decide which animation type was used. The only pieces that were stationary in the animation were the three background elements. The final product was a 22 second animation of a female character doing a walk cycle on an island. In total, it took around 10 hours to create and perfect all of the assets. The rest of the time was spent on animating which took roughly 35-45 hours. This project yielded a positive result. The end result closely resembled stop motion animation. With this knowledge, I now know that it would be possible to make longer, story driven animations using this technique if I desired a stop motion look and aesthetic. To continue this research in the future, I can add other variables to the non-digital elements aspect of this project, such as using more 3 dimensional materials like fabric, sequins, clay, etc. In addition to more variables, animating both the foreground and background can be another area to explore to see if they yield the same successful results as this project

Application for hydropower on a mobile device with focus on front-end

SINTEF Energy (hereafter called SINTEF) develops complex compu- tational models for energy production in Norway. These models are controlled by command line interfaces when used for testing, in meetings, or in other contexts. They may, to some extent, be visualized with Python or MATLAB scripts, but lacks a good graphical user interface, as well as including the users in an interactive manner. SINTEF desires to look at the capabilities of moving some of today s CLI-based workflow to a mobile environment, with an interactive user interface. They want to expand their view, exploring new ways of working. They also want to know if their current information models are able to handle these new environments.We will develop a front-end application for an Android tablet. With an agile prototyping methodology, we identify requirements to make such an application both user-friendly and useful to the end users. The application is primarily a proof-of-concept to illustrate the potential of making a new interface to SINTEFs existing computational models. The development process is also used to see if SINTEFs existing information models are extensive enough to match with the new mobile environments. The application will first and foremost be evaluated by its potential to present a prototype GUI, but also by a set of design principles regarding mobile design, and its strengths and weaknesses.Our concept illustrates the potential of visualizing parts of SINTEFs existing applications to a mobile device in an interactive manner. The users saw a potential in saving time by using such an application. The application is also used to suggest an extension to SINTEFs existing information model. This proposed CIM extension has been implemented in our application, and is generally viable for other software applications utilizing information model

First-Time Homebuyers\u27 Perceived Preparedness: A Realtors\u27 Perspective

The purpose of this research study was to identify, from the perception of realtors, how prepared first-time homebuyers (FTHBs) are when purchasing a home and to discover what kind of issues and problems arose during the home-buying process. This study also identified common factors used by realtors to identify: how FTHBs are prepared, usefulness of FTHB workshops, FTHBs\u27 mortgage knowledge, and recommendations to better prepare FTHBs. The goal was twofold: identify areas in the home-buying process where FTHBs are less prepared and provide information to financial educators and real estate agents to help fill the gap in FTHB preparedness. This study covered three main areas of buying a home: pre-purchase preparedness, mortgage finance, and the closing process. Data for this study were collected using an online survey emailed to realtors in the Cache Rich Association of Realtors (CRAR) in Northern Utah. A total of 66 realtors responded to the survey. Descriptive statistics, matched pair t tests, correlations, and simple regression analyses were used. Overall, realtors find their FTHB clients to be less than somewhat prepared. This is evident when the mean percentage of FTHBs that realtors stated were well-prepared for homeownership was only 44.4%. According to realtors\u27 perceptions, many FTHBs did not have their personal finances in order and poorly understood the cost of obtaining a mortgage and its process. The analysis of the data collected from realtors\u27 responses also identified the most frequent problem or issue that arose during the home-buying process was obtaining a mortgage. When asked if FTHB workshops are useful, 60% of realtors perceived them to be more than somewhat useful. Reasons for their usefulness included being educational, beneficial, and preparing FTHBs for buying a home. Results also indicated that the level of mortgage knowledge and knowledge about housing sustainability directly related to the level of pre-purchase preparedness of FTHBs as perceived by realtors. When pre-purchase preparedness levels were low, mortgage knowledge and knowledge about housing sustainability levels were also perceived to be low. In the end, realtors offered their suggestions on how to better prepare FTHBs for homeownership and their answer to this question was to have FTHBs work with a qualified realtor and network of professionals. The second most frequent response was to educate FTHBs on affordability and housing sustainability

Interprofessional Teamwork in Hospital Units: A human factors approach to patient safety

Introduction Human factors, such as teamwork and communication, have an important impact on patient safety in hospitals. Hospitals have a patient safety problem, with more than every 10th patient experiencing errors and adverse events during their hospital stay. Root cause analysis have showed that ineffective teamwork and communication failures are the most common causes of errors and adverse events. To improve patient safety in hospital units, healthcare professionals needs competency in teamwork, such as communication, decision making, leadership, situational monitoring and mutual support. Interprofessional team training is a key strategy for improving teamwork and patient safety in hospital units. Previous research on interprofessional team training in specialty units has showed promising results; however, the impact on surgical wards is uncertain. The Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) program had not been implemented in Norway. Team decisionmaking has not yet been studied previously among multiple healthcare professionals across diverse hospital units. Aim The overall aim of the thesis is to gain knowledge about teamwork in hospital units and to evaluate and explore the impact of an interprofessional team training intervention regarding teamwork and patient safety culture in a surgical ward. The specific aims of the sub-studies are as follows: 1) To translate the CSACD-T questionnaire into Norwegian and test it for psychometry properties. The further aim is to describe and compare healthcare personnel's perceptions of collaboration and satisfaction about team decision-making across hospital units (Study I, paper 1). 2) To evaluate the professional and organizational outcomes of an interprofessional teamwork intervention among healthcare professionals in a surgical ward after 6 and 12 months (Study II, paper 2). 3) To explore if an interprofessional teamwork intervention in a surgical ward changes the healthcare personnel’s perceptions of patient safety culture, perceptions of teamwork, and attitudes toward teamwork over 12 months (Study II, paper 3). Methods Study I (paper 1) had a cross-sectional design. The Collaboration and Satisfaction About Care Decisions in teams (CSACD-T) questionnaire was used for the survey conducted among healthcare professionals across multiple hospital units (hospital A and B). Study II (paper 2) used a pre-post design with re-measurement (hospital C), with surveys (CSACD-T, TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire (T-TPQ), and Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS)) distributed to healthcare professionals in the intervention ward at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. Study II (paper 3) used a controlled quasi-experimental design, with surveys (CSACD-T, T-TPQ, HSOPS, and TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Attitude Questionnaire (T-TAQ)) distributed to all healthcare professionals in the intervention ward and control ward (hospitals C and D) at baseline and after 12 months. The intervention was a 6-hour TeamSTEPPS interprofessional team training included simulation training, followed by implementation of teamwork tools and strategies in the ward over 12 months (hospital C). The implementation followed Kotter’s eight steps for leading change. The human factors systems engineering initiative for patient safety (SEIPS) model was used as a theoretical perspective. Results The CSACD-T questionnaire showed promising psychometric properties in terms of construct validity and internal consistency. The scores of collaboration and satisfaction with care decisions in teams varied among unit types and were highest among the healthcare professionals in the wards, with a significant difference between the maternity ward and emergency room (paper I). The outcomes from the intervention study showed significant changes in organizational outcomes after six months, and were in the following areas of patient safety culture: “Organizational Learning and Continuous Improvement” and “Communication Openness” (paper 2). After 12 months, significant changes were found in professional outcomes within the intervention ward, which were in three perceptions of teamwork dimensions: “Situation Monitoring,” “Mutual Support,” and “Communication”, in addition to organizational outcomes, which were in three patient safety culture dimensions: “Communication Openness,” “Teamwork Within Unit,” and “Manager’s Expectations & Actions Promoting Patient Safety” (papers 2 and 3). The improved teamwork dimension “Mutual Support” was found to be a predictor of “Patient Safety Grade” (paper 2). The controlled results revealed significant differences favoring the intervention ward in three patient safety culture measures: “Teamwork Within Unit,” “Overall Perceptions of Patient Safety” and “Patient Safety Grade” (paper 3). Conclusion This thesis presents new insights into team decision-making in diverse hospital units, as reported by healthcare professionals from multiple healthcare professions. The thesis also presents new insights into the impact of an interprofessional TeamSTEPPS intervention in a surgical ward in Norway. The outcomes are promising, indicating that TeamSTEPPS intervention improves teamwork and patient safety culture in a surgical ward. The causal relationships among inputs, processes, and outcomes are, however, not certain, and further studies are required to confirm the outcomes of this comprehensive and well-described interprofessional team-training intervention. Nevertheless, the knowledge from this thesis adds to the vast field of teamwork and patient safety research internationally

The Short-Term Impact of Military Jet Flight Activity on Semi-Domestic Reindeer in the Two Reindeer Districts Grovfjord and Tjeldøya

Rangifer tarandus (hereby referred to as reindeer) are a migratory species with a diet changing throughout the year, and survival and reproduction depend on access to, and time for optimal grazing. Reindeer can be disturbed by anthropogenic activities, like aircraft activity, construction of roads and outdoor recreation. Such disturbances may change their migration route, delay their arrival at new grazing areas, increase grazing in less optimal areas or reduce time spent foraging. A two-year study, starting in June 2021, experimentally tested the effects of jet flight activity on reindeer in two test and two control groups within the reindeer herding districts Grovfjord and Tjeldøya. Fieldwork in June 2021, September 2021 and September 2022 tested two models of jets, the F-16 and the new F-35, by registering the test reindeers’ behaviour as aircrafts passed them. Control animals, i.e. animals that were not exposed to the jets, were also registered. Video cameras and binoculars were used to register the animals’ reactions. In Grovfjord, the majority of the test reindeer reacted clearly by either changing their behaviour or abruptly looking up while grazing (i.e. vigilance). At Tjeldøya, there was no difference between the number of test reindeer reacting clearly or not. The test animals overall showed a high level of vigilance in both districts. For both clear/unclear reaction and vigilance, none of the control animals in either district changed their behaviour over time. When analysing 60 seconds of “maximum overflight”, control animals in Grovfjord show a high level of relaxed behaviour like lying and grazing, while the test animals show a high level of ‘stressed’ behaviour, like standing, walking and running. At Tjeldøya, results were unpredictable, with more ‘walking’ in the control group than anticipated. During the test period, reindeer on average stressed the most approximately 17-25 seconds into the minute and relaxed after that. An analysis including sound measurements showed that noise levels did not have a significant effect on the reindeer’s reactions. Reindeer reactions were probably influenced by a mix of different factors, and not just the noise, such as movement, surroundings and more