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Thesis purpose The purpose of our thesis is to explore how and why consumers with low prior knowledge educate themselves about sports supplements and what effect gender has. Methodology Our research derives from a pragmatic orientation. We conducted a multi-method qualitative study, combining observations and interviews in order to explore and understand the online customer journeys of consumers
This thesis presents and tests the convergence rate of the Dirichlet-Neumann algorithm for two Poisson equations coupled by transmission boundary conditions. Three second order discretisation methods are used when analyzing the convergence: standard equidistant finite difference, standard adaptive linear finite element, and standard adaptive finite volume discretisation of Poisson's equation.
This thesis explores the possibility for (re)defining the relationship between humans and robots with conversational interfaces. It does so by looking at the creation process of a voice and text-based virtual assistant for tourists from the perspective of critical posthumanism and posthuman performativity. In a reflexive fashion, I analyze my involvement in a tech start-up, in order to argue that,
Anthropogenic land-use covers a constantly increasing fraction of the terrestrial surface area. By employing a dynamic global vegetation model, human-induced changes in the terrestrial water balance as compared to an undisturbed scenario were simulated. The results suggest that humanity is a main driver of change in the terrestrial water balance in general and green water in particular. Most strik
The water footprint assessment framework aims to illustrate the full impact of water consumption in the whole life cycle of a product, from direct water extraction to water pollution. The framework provides a comprehensive indicator for water resources which, if used with care, can provide detailed information about the different impacts of water consumption in order to aid with water stewardship
This thesis adds the role of the different types of proximity to the discussion on business development. It does so by aiming at start-ups that are currently located in business incubators in the city of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Current research has focused on the output, effectiveness, diversity, and different types and roles of business incubators. It focuses on what happens within the incuba
This paper investigates the firm and transaction characteristics of PIPE issuers. Whereas previous empirical studies have been focused on the U.S. market, this paper focuses on the characteristics of the European market and also examines the importance of PIPEs as a source of financing and the impact of the institutional settings in key European countries. My findings show that many PIPE issuers a
Hållbar utveckling är ett begrepp som fått ökat genomslag i ljuset av den pågående globaliseringen. Även om det finns flera definitioner till begreppet så innebär hållbar utveckling i sak en strävan efter en varaktig och långsiktig ekonomiskt tillväxt utan att för den sakens skull försaka sociala resurser eller skada naturens ekosystem. Då en allmän uppfattning av globaliseringen är att den bidrarThe notion of sustainable development has gained increased interest due to the on-going process of globalisation. Sustainable development as a concept refers to lasting economic growth that does not deplete social resources or harm ecosystems. As there is a general perception that globalisation brings markets and society ever so close to each other, demands are being raised to hold market actors –
The focal point of this thesis is the peacebuilding environment in Nepal following the end of the civil war in 2006. A fieldwork investigation was conducted focusing on the perceptions of inhabitants of Kathmandu on peace and peacebuilding issues using semi-structured interviews. By investigating these perceptions the study seeks to answer three main questions: -How can the contrasting perspecti
Indonesia is a significant global player both in terms of economic performance and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions. While its total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and emissions are ranked high in global comparisons, both in terms of per capita measures have a relatively low ranking, suggesting that there is potentially more growth to come. Growth in Indonesia’s total emissions is being driven by econ
Tendons connect muscles to bone and consist of a complex structure of almost parallel collagen fibres embedded in a hydrated matrix. The mechanical behaviour of tendons is viscoelastic and highly non-linear. The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body and it is essential for walking and jumping. It is the most frequently ruptured tendon in humans and today there is no consensus on what i
Spatial analysis, playing an essential role in data mining, is applied in a considerable number of fields. It is because of its broad applicability that dealing with the interdisciplinary issues is becoming more prevalent. It aims at exploring the underlying patterns of the data. In this project, we will employ the methodology that we utilize to tackle spatial problems to investigate how the cell
Does plasticity contribute to adult cognitive development, and if so, in what ways? The vague and overused concept of plasticity makes these controversial questions difficult to answer. In this article, we refine the notion of adult cognitive plasticity and sharpen its conceptual distinctiveness. According to our framework, adult cognitive plasticity is driven by a prolonged mismatch between funct
In this paper we inquire into the relationships between the Greek myth of Phaeton and Volkswagen's project to produce a luxury car (named Phaeton). Volkswagen apparently felt that the lack of a luxury car opened the possibility to question their 'son-of-God status', just like Phaeton in the Greek story. This inquiry is contextualized in the emergence of a more and more direct art-management relati
The evolution of reading frame maintenance must have been an early event, and presumably preceded the emergence of the three domains Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya. Features evolved early in reading frame maintenance may still exist in present-day organisms. We show that one such feature may be the modified nucleoside 1-methylguanosine (m(1)G37), which prevents frameshifting and is present adjacent
This study was designed to investigate suicide attempters' views on problems underlying their suicidal behavior. A questionnaire comprising 17 problems was presented to 54 non-consecutive patients (men/women=25/29, mean age 36 ±14 years) admitted to a specialized psychiatric ward following an attempt. (In the large majority of cases the method was self-poisoning. 37% had previously attempted suici
