Perfuração espontânea de colédoco em adolescente

Spontaneous perforation of the common bile duct is rare. It happens predominantly in children and it is related to obstructive disease of the biliary tract. We present a case of an 18 year-old male patient, with ulcerative rectocolitis associated with malignant tumor of the head of pancreas. The patient developed an acute abdomen syndrome and laparotomy, a spontaneous perforation of common bile duct was evidenced. The authors make a revision of the clinical aspects of that pathology.

Emancipating and developing learning activity: Systemic intervention and re-instrumentation in higher education.

The central theme of this thesis is the emancipation and further development of learning activity in higher education in the context of the ongoing digital transformation of our societies. It was developed in response to the highly problematic mainstream approach to digital re-instrumentation of teaching and studying practises in contemporary higher education. The mainstream approach is largely based on centralisation, standardisation, commoditisation, and commercialisation, while re-producing the general patterns of control, responsibility, and dependence that are characteristic for activity systems of schooling. Whereas much of educational research and development focuses on the optimisation and fine-tuning of schooling, the overall inquiry that is underlying this thesis has been carried out from an explicitly critical position and within a framework of action science. It thus conceptualises learning activity in higher education not only as an object of inquiry but also as an object to engage with and to intervene into from a perspective of intentional change. The knowledge-constituting interest of this type of inquiry can be tentatively described as a combination of heuristic-instrumental (guidelines for contextualised action and intervention), practical-phronetic (deliberation of value-rational aspects of means and ends), and developmental-emancipatory (deliberation of issues of power, self-determination, and growth) aspects. Its goal is the production of orientation knowledge for educational practise. The thesis provides an analysis, argumentation, and normative claim on why the development of learning activity should be turned into an object of individual|collective inquiry and intentional change in higher education, and why the current state of affairs in higher education actually impedes such a development. It argues for a decisive shift of attention to the intentional emancipation and further development of learning activity as an important cultural instrument for human (self-)production within the digital transformation. The thesis also attempts an in-depth exploration of what type of methodological rationale can actually be applied to an object of inquiry (developing learning activity) that is at the same time conceptualised as an object of intentional change within the ongoing digital transformation. The result of this retrospective reflection is the formulation of “optimally incomplete” guidelines for educational R&D practise that shares the practicalphronetic (value related) and developmental-emancipatory (power related) orientations that had been driving the overall inquiry. In addition, the thesis formulates the instrumental-heuristic knowledge claim that the conceptual instruments that were adapted and validated in the context of a series of intervention studies provide means to effectively intervene into existing practise in higher education to support the necessary development of (increasingly emancipated) networked learning activity. It suggests that digital networked instruments (tools and services) generally should be considered and treated as transient elements within critical systemic intervention research in higher education. It further argues for the predominant use of loosely-coupled, digital networked instruments that allow for individual|collective ownership, control, (co-)production, and re-use in other contexts and for other purposes. Since the range of digital instrumentation options is continuously expanding and currently shows no signs of an imminent slow-down or consolidation, individual and collective exploration and experimentation of this realm needs to be systematically incorporated into higher education practise.

Aspectos médico-legais da cirurgia para hérnia inguinal

Professional responsibility is an inherent factor to the medical activity. Therefore, the adoption of a healthy conduct based on good relationship between the physician and the patient, as well as the understanding of this professional of the several aspects involved in the inguinal hernia repairs, are considered the better means to protect himself against possible litigations with its patients. This issue provides a complete evaluation of medical and legal problems related to the inguinal hernia surgery, and discusses the care that surgeon must exercise during preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative periods. That authors also comment about medical error and its conception from the point of the new Civil Code.

Eleven som aktør i dialog med kunst : ungdoms erfaring med kunstundervisningens innhold og metode i faget kunst og håndverk i norsk grunnskole

Avhandlingen har sitt utspring i mitt engasjement for elevers møte med kunst i grunnskolen i faget kunst og håndverk og mitt syn på ungdom som kompetente bidragsytere til forskningen om fenomener som angår deres liv. Elevene er informanter til, eller aktører i, forskning på fenomenet dialog med kunst. Dialog med kunst er her definert som en helhetlig prosess som innlemmer alt fra elevenes møte med visuelle kunstverk til deres eget skapende arbeid. At avhandlingens fagdidaktiske problemområde er elevers praktisk skapende virksomhet, knytter undersøkelsen til slöjdpedagogisk forskning. Avhandlingens overgripende hensikt er å bidra til utvikling av fagdidaktikken i kunst og håndverk med utgangspunkt i elevenes erfaringer med kunstundervisningens innhold og metode på ungdomsskoletrinnet. Studien består av kasusstudier på to ungdomsskoler. Data ble innsamlet igjennom intervjuer, deltakende observasjon, dokumenter, prosessbøker og foto av formingsprodukter. Ungdoms dialog med kunst i skolen blir analysert og fremstilt ut fra et erfart og et operasjonalisert perspektiv. Funnene speiles i ulike fagdidaktiske tendenser, det vil si ulike hovedoppfatninger i debatten om det moderne samfunn, og i et virksomhetsteoretisk perspektiv. Resultatene fra undersøkelsen utfordrer oss til en fagdidaktisk nyorientering når det gjelder ungdoms møte med kunstverk i skolen, i retning av et mer ungdomskulturelt innhold og relasjonelle kunstmøter som er narrative, tolkningsorientert, opplevelsesorientert, dialogiske og flerstemmige. Undersøkelsen viser at elevene liker det praktisk skapende arbeidet, men at undervisningen i sterkere grad bør ta i bruk digital kunnskap og handle om hvordan kunst kan brukes som utgangspunkt for skapende arbeid, og den bør legge til rette for det læringspotensialet som ligger i dialogen elevene imellom. Elevene liker en undervisning som ikke bare handler om estetiske virkemidler, materialer og teknikker, men også om kommunikasjon og ytringsfrihet. Resultatene viser at det frie skapende arbeid består av tre likeverdige aspekter: det individuelle, det kulturelle og det sosiale. Både funnene og avhandlingens virksomhetsteoretiske perspektiv kan bidra til diskursen om kreativitetsbegrepet og identitetskonstruksjon i vårt moderne samfunn. Virksomhetssystemet blir i denne avhandlingen utviklet til en teori for skapende arbeid i faget kunst og håndverk, et overgripende fagdidaktisk rammeverk for bild/bildkonst og slöjdfaget satt inn i et nordisk utdanningsperspektiv.

Tunneälytaitojen ja transformationaalisen johtamisen roolit kosmetiikkamyymälän johtamisessa

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli kuvata ja ymmärtää tunneälymallin osa-alueiden ja transformationaalisen johtamisosaamisen ilmenemistä kosmetiikkatoimialalla toimivan case-yrityksen päälliköiden käytännön esimiestyössä. Aihetta tarkasteltiin teoreettisen viitekehyksen kautta empiirisesti myymäläpäälliköille tehdyn kvalitatiivisen teemahaastattelun ja kvantitatiivisin menetelmin kerätyn johtamisen itsearvion vastausten sekä alaisten antamien arvioiden avulla. Tutkimuksesta nousi esille useita yhteneväisyyksiä ja ristiriitaisuuksia aikaisempiin tunneälyn ja transformationaalisen johtamisen tutkimuksiin. Lähes kaikkien muuttujien tilastollisesti erittäin merkitsevät ja korkeat korrelaatiot nousivat tutkimuksen tuloksista yllätykseksi. Tuloksina havaittiin, että päälliköillä oli hyvin kehittyneet tunneälytaidot interpersonaallisten tekijöiden ja yleisen hyvinvoinnin alueilla sekä karismaattisen ja transaktionaalisen passiivisen johtamisen alueilla. Päälliköiden heikoiten kehittyneet tunneälytaidot olivat paineensietokyvyn alueilla. Johtopäätöksenä voitiin havaita esimiesten luovan positiivista palveluilmastoa sosiaalisen vuorovaikutuksen ja merkitysten luomisen kautta ja siten johtaminen perustui vahvasti käytännönläheiseen realismiin ja korkeaan tunneälyyn.

Interpreting marine benthic ecosystem functioning in coastal waters: validating the biological trait concept

Coastal areas harbour high biodiversity, but are simultaneously affected by rapid degradations of species and habitats due to human interactions. Such alterations also affect the functioning of the ecosystem, which is primarily governed by the characteristics or traits expressed by the organisms present. Marine benthic fauna is nvolved in numerous functions such as organic matter transformation and transport, secondary production, oxygen transport as well as nutrient cycling. Approaches utilising the variety of faunal traits to assess benthic community functioning have rapidly increased and shown the need for further development of the concept. In this thesis, I applied biological trait analysis that allows for assessments of a multitude of categorical traits and thus evaluation of multiple functional aspects simultaneously. I determined the functional trait structure, diversity and variability of coastal zoobenthic communities in the Baltic Sea. The measures were related to recruitment processes, habitat heterogeneity, large-scale environmental and taxonomic gradients as well as anthropogenic impacts. The studies comprised spatial scales from metres to thousands of kilometres, and temporal scales spanning one season as well as a decade. The benthic functional structure was found to vary within and between seagrass landscape microhabitats and four different habitats within a coastal bay, in papers I and II respectively. Expressions of trait categories varied within habitats, while the density of individuals was found to drive the functional differences between habitats. The findings in paper III unveiled high trait richness of Finnish coastal benthos (25 traits and 102 cateogries) although this differed between areas high and low in salinity and human pressure. In paper IV, the natural reduction in taxonomic richness across the Baltic Sea led to an overall reduction in function. However, functional richness in terms of number of trait categories remained comparatively high at low taxon richness. Changes in number of taxa within trait categories were also subtle and some individual categories were maintained or even increased. The temporal analysis in papers I and III highlighted generalities in trait expressions and dominant trait categories in a seagrass landscape as well as a “type organism” for the northern Baltic Sea. Some initial findings were made in all four papers on the role of common and rare species and traits for benthic community functioning. The findings show that common and rare species may not always express the same trait categories in relation to each other. Rare species in general did not express unique functional properties. In order to advance the understanding of the approach, I also assessed some issues concerning the limitations of the concept. This was conducted by evaluating the link between trait category and taxonomic richness using especially univariate measures. My results also show the need to collaborate nationally and internationally on safeguarding the utility of taxonomic and trait data. The findings also highlight the importance of including functional trait information into current efforts in marine spatial planning and biomonitoring.

Enabling Change in Universities: Enhancing Education for Sustainable Development with Tools for Quality Assurance

Enabling Change in Universities: Enhancing Education for Sustainable Development with Tools for Quality Assurance This thesis deals with enabling change in universities, more explicitly enhancing education for sustainable development with tools for quality assurance. Change management is a discipline within management that was developed in the 1980s because business changed from being predictable to unpredictable. The PEST mnemonic is a method to categorize factors enabling change; such as political, economic, socio-cultural and technological factors, which all affect higher education. A classification of a change, in either hard or soft, can help understanding the type of change that an organization is facing. Hard changes are more applied to problems that have clear objectives and indicators, with a known cause of the problem. Soft changes are applied to larger problems that affect the entire organization or beyond it. The basic definition for sustainable development is: the future generations should have similar opportunities as the previous. The UN has set as a global goal an integration of education for sustainable development (ESD) at all levels of education during 2005- 2014. The goal is set also in universities, the graduates of which are future leaders for all labor markets. The objective for ESD in higher education is that graduates obtain the competence to take economic, social and environmental costs and benefits into account when making decisions. Knowledge outcomes should aim for systematic and holistic thinking, which requires cross disciplinary education. So far, the development of ESD has not achieved its goals. The UN has identified a need for more transdisclipnary research in ESD. A joint global requirement for universities is quality assurance, the aim of which is to secure and improve teaching and learning. Quality, environmental and integrated management systems are used by some universities for filling the quality assurance requirements. The goal of this thesis is to open up new ways for enhancing ESD in universities, beyond the forerunners; by exploring how management systems could be used as tools for promoting ESD. The thesis is based on five studies. In the first study, I focus on if and how tools for quality assurance could be benefitted for promoting ESD. It is written from a new perspective, the memetic, for reaching a diversity of faculty. A meme is an idea that diffuses from brain to brain. It can be applied for cultural evolution. It is a theory that is based on the evolutionary theory by Darwin, applied for social sciences. In the second Paper, I present the results from the development of the pilot process model for enhancing ESD with management systems. The development of the model is based on a study that includes earlier studies, a survey in academia and an analysis of the practice in 11 universities in the Nordic countries. In the third study, I explore if the change depends on national culture or if it is global. It is a comparative study on both policy and implementation level, between the Nordic countries and China. The fourth study is a single case study based on change management. In this study, I identify what to consider in order to enable the change: enhancing ESD with tools for quality assurance in universities. In the fifth Paper, I present the results of the process model for enhancing ESD with management systems. The model was compared with identified drivers and barriers for enhancing ESD and for implementing management systems. Finally, the process model was piloted and applied for identifying sustainability aspects in curricula. Action research was chosen as methodology because there are not already implemented approaches using quality management for promoting ESD, why the only way to study this is to make it happen. Another reason for choosing action research is since it is essential to involve students and faculty for enhancing ESD. Action based research consists of the following phases: a) diagnosing, b) planning action, c) taking action and d) evaluating action. This research was made possible by a project called Education for Sustainable Development in Academia in the Nordic countries, ESDAN, in which activities were divided into these four phases. Each phase ended with an open seminar, where the results of the study were presented. The objective for the research project was to develop a process for including knowledge in sustainable development in curricula, which could be used in the quality assurance work. Eleven universities from the Nordic countries cooperated in the project. The aim was, by applying the process, to identify and publish examples of relevant sustainability aspects in different degree programs in universities in the Nordic countries. The project was partly financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers and partly by the participating pilot universities. Based on the results of my studies, I consider that quality, environmental and integrated management systems can be used for promoting ESD in universities. Relevant sustainability aspects have been identified in different fields of studies by applying the final process model. The final process model was compared with drivers and barriers for enhancing ESD and for implementing management systems in universities and with succeeding with management systems in industry. It corresponds with these, meaning that drivers are taken into account and barriers tackled. Both ESD and management systems in universities could be considered successful memes, which can reflect an effective way of communication among individuals. I have identified that management systems could be used as tools for hard changes and to support the soft change of enhancing ESD in universities with management system. Based on the change management study I have summarized recommendations on what to consider in order to enable the studied change. The main practical implications of the results are that the process model could be applied for assessment, benchmarking and communication of ESD, connected to quality assurance, when applied. This is possible because the information can be assembled in one picture, which facilitates comparison. The memetic approach can be applied for structuring. It is viable to make comparative studies between cultures, for getting insight in special characteristics of the own culture. Action based research is suitable for involving faculty. Change management can be applied for planning a change, which both enhancing ESD and developing management systems are identified to be.

Warranty Prediction Using Weibull Simulation

The main objective of this master’s thesis is to examine if Weibull analysis is suitable method for warranty forecasting in the Case Company. The Case Company has used Reliasoft’s Weibull++ software, which is basing on the Weibull method, but the Company has noticed that the analysis has not given right results. This study was conducted making Weibull simulations in different profit centers of the Case Company and then comparing actual cost and forecasted cost. Simula-tions were made using different time frames and two methods for determining future deliveries. The first sub objective is to examine, which parameters of simulations will give the best result to each profit center. The second sub objective of this study is to create a simple control model for following forecasted costs and actual realized costs. The third sub objective is to document all Qlikview-parameters of profit centers. This study is a constructive research, and solutions for company’s problems are figured out in this master’s thesis. In the theory parts were introduced quality issues, for example; what is quality, quality costing and cost of poor quality. Quality is one of the major aspects in the Case Company, so understand-ing the link between quality and warranty forecasting is important. Warranty management was also introduced and other different tools for warranty forecasting. The Weibull method and its mathematical properties and reliability engineering were introduced. The main results of this master’s thesis are that the Weibull analysis forecasted too high costs, when calculating provision. Although, some forecasted values of profit centers were lower than actual values, the method works better for planning purposes. One of the reasons is that quality improving or alternatively quality decreasing is not showing in the results of the analysis in the short run. The other reason for too high values is that the products of the Case Company are com-plex and analyses were made in the profit center-level. The Weibull method was developed for standard products, but products of the Case Company consists of many complex components. According to the theory, this method was developed for homogeneous-data. So the most im-portant notification is that the analysis should be made in the product level, not the profit center level, when the data is more homogeneous.

Organizing for Systemic Innovations – Research on Knowledge, Interaction and Organizational Interdependencies

Systemic innovation has emerged as an important topic due to the interconnected technological and sociotechnical change of our current complex world. This study approaches the phenomenon from an organizing perspective, by analyzing the various actors, collaborative activities and resources available in innovation systems. It presents knowledge production for innovation and discusses the organizational challenges of shared innovation activities from a dynamic perspective. Knowledge, interaction, and organizational interdependencies are seen as the core elements of organizing for systemic innovations. This dissertation is divided into two parts. The first part introduces the focus of the study and the relevant literature and summarizes conclusions. The second part includes seven publications, each reporting on an important aspect of the phenomenon studied. Each of the in-depth single-case studies takes a distinct and complementary systems approach to innovation activities – linking the refining of knowledge to the enabling of organizations to participate in shared innovation processes. These aspects are summarized as theoretical and practical implications for recognizing innovation opportunities and turning ideas into innovations by means of using information and organizing activities in an efficient manner. Through its investigation of the existing literature and empirical case studies, this study makes three main contributions. First, it describes the challenges inherent in utilizing information and transforming it into innovation knowledge. Secondly, it presents the role of interaction and organizational interdependencies in innovation activities from various novel perspectives. Third, it highlights the interconnection between innovations and organizations, and the related path dependency and anticipatory aspects in innovation activities. In general, the thesis adds to our knowledge of how different aspects of systems form innovations through interaction and organizational interdependencies. It highlights the continuous need to redefine information and adjust organizations and networks based on ongoing activities – stressing the emergent, systemic nature of innovation.

Protein folding: a perspective for biology, medicine and biotechnology

At the present time, protein folding is an extremely active field of research including aspects of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, computer science and physics. The fundamental principles have practical applications in the exploitation of the advances in genome research, in the understanding of different pathologies and in the design of novel proteins with special functions. Although the detailed mechanisms of folding are not completely known, significant advances have been made in the understanding of this complex process through both experimental and theoretical approaches. In this review, the evolution of concepts from Anfinsen's postulate to the "new view" emphasizing the concept of the energy landscape of folding is presented. The main rules of protein folding have been established from in vitro experiments. It has been long accepted that the in vitro refolding process is a good model for understanding the mechanisms by which a nascent polypeptide chain reaches its native conformation in the cellular environment. Indeed, many denatured proteins, even those whose disulfide bridges have been disrupted, are able to refold spontaneously. Although this assumption was challenged by the discovery of molecular chaperones, from the amount of both structural and functional information now available, it has been clearly established that the main rules of protein folding deduced from in vitro experiments are also valid in the cellular environment. This modern view of protein folding permits a better understanding of the aggregation processes that play a role in several pathologies, including those induced by prions and Alzheimer's disease. Drug design and de novo protein design with the aim of creating proteins with novel functions by application of protein folding rules are making significant progress and offer perspectives for practical applications in the development of pharmaceuticals and medical diagnostics.

Functional differences between two morphologically distinct cell subpopulations within a human colorectal carcinoma cell line

The LISP-I human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line was isolated from a hepatic metastasis at the Ludwig Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. The objective of the present study was to isolate morphologically different subpopulations within the LISP-I cell line, and characterize some of their behavioral aspects such as adhesion to and migration towards extracellular matrix components, expression of intercellular adhesion molecules and tumorigenicity in vitro. Once isolated, the subpopulations were submitted to adhesion and migration assays on laminin and fibronectin (crucial proteins to invasion and metastasis), as well as to anchorage-independent growth. Two morphologically different subpopulations were isolated: LISP-A10 and LISP-E11. LISP-A10 presents a differentiated epithelial pattern, and LISP-E11 is fibroblastoid, suggesting a poorly differentiated pattern. LISP-A10 expressed the two intercellular adhesion molecules tested, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and desmoglein, while LISP-E11 expressed only low amounts of CEA. On the other hand, adhesion to laminin and fibronectin as well as migration towards these extracellular matrix proteins were higher in LISP-E11, as expected from its poorly differentiated phenotype. Both subpopulations showed anchorage-independent growth on a semi-solid substrate. These results raise the possibility that the heterogeneity found in the LISP-I cell line, which might have contributed to its ability to metastasize, was due to at least two different subpopulations herein identified.

Building bone tissue: matrices and scaffolds in physiology and biotechnology

Deposition of bone in physiology involves timed secretion, deposition and removal of a complex array of extracellular matrix proteins which appear in a defined temporal and spatial sequence. Mineralization itself plays a role in dictating and spatially orienting the deposition of matrix. Many aspects of the physiological process are recapitulated in systems of autologous or xenogeneic transplantation of osteogenic precursor cells developed for tissue engineering or modeling. For example, deposition of bone sialoprotein, a member of the small integrin-binding ligand, N-linked glycoprotein family, represents the first step of bone formation in ectopic transplantation systems in vivo. The use of mineralized scaffolds for guiding bone tissue engineering has revealed unexpected manners in which the scaffold and cells interact with each other, so that a complex interplay of integration and disintegration of the scaffold ultimately results in efficient and desirable, although unpredictable, effects. Likewise, the manner in which biomaterial scaffolds are "resorbed" by osteoclasts in vitro and in vivo highlights more complex scenarios than predicted from knowledge of physiological bone resorption per se. Investigation of novel biomaterials for bone engineering represents an essential area for the design of tissue engineering strategies.

Teollisuuden palveluliiketoiminnan vaativien toimitusprosessien kehittäminen arvovirtakartoituksen avulla

Työssä kartoitettiin teollisuuden palveluliiketoiminnan vaativien toimitusprosessien kehittämistä Lean -ajattelu yritysympäristössä. Tavoitteena oli vaativien toimituspro-sessien ongelmien selvittäminen ja kehittämiskohteiden määrittäminen palveluliike-toiminnan tuottavuuden kehittämisen näkökulmasta. Lisäksi tutkittiin arvovirtakuvauksen soveltuvuutta teollisuuden palveluliiketoiminnan prosessien kehittämiseen. Kirjallisuusosuudessa selvitettiin teollisuuden palveluliiketoiminnan prosessien kehit-tämisen erityispiirteitä ja Lean -ajattelun periaatteita. Tavoitteena on löytää teollisuuden palveluliiketoiminnan kehittämisen erityispiirteet tuottavuuden kannalta ja arvioida niiden soveltuvuutta Lean -ajatteluun. Työn empiirisessä osuudessa kartoitettiin yrityksen vaativat prosessit. Menetelminä työssä käytettiin puolistrukturoitua kyselyä, ryhmähaastattelua, ja osallistuvaa ha-vainnointia. Tutkimuksen tulosten perusteella laadittiin kehityssuunnitelma. Diplomityö käynnisti kohdeorganisaatiossa prosessien päivitysprosessin, ja loi puitteet vaativien toimitusten kehityssuunnitelman toteuttamiselle.

Green Service Level Agreement under Sustainability Lens in IT Industry

Nowadays, when most of the business are moving forward to sustainability by providing or getting different services from different vendors, Service Level Agreement (SLA) becomes very important for both the business providers/vendors and as well as for users/customers. There are many ways to inform users/customers about various services with its inherent execution functionalities and even non-functional/Quality of Services (QoS) aspects through negotiating, evaluating or monitoring SLAs. However, these traditional SLA actually do not cover eco-efficient green issues or IT ethics issues for sustainability. That is why green SLA (GSLA) should come into play. GSLA is a formal agreement incorporating all the traditional commitments as well as green issues and ethics issues in IT business sectors. GSLA research would survey on different traditional SLA parameters for various services like as network, compute, storage and multimedia in IT business areas. At the same time, this survey could focus on finding the gaps and incorporation of these traditional SLA parameters with green issues for all these mentioned services. This research is mainly points on integration of green parameters in existing SLAs, defining GSLA with new green performance indicators and their measurable units. Finally, a GSLA template could define compiling all the green indicators such as recycling, radio-wave, toxic material usage, obsolescence indication, ICT product life cycles, energy cost etc for sustainable development. Moreover, people’s interaction and IT ethics issues such as security and privacy, user satisfaction, intellectual property right, user reliability, confidentiality etc could also need to add for proposing a new GSLA. However, integration of new and existing performance indicators in the proposed GSLA for sustainable development could be difficult for ICT engineers. Therefore, this research also discovers the management complexity of proposed green SLA through designing a general informational model and analyses of all the relationships, dependencies and effects between various newly identified services under sustainability pillars. However, sustainability could only be achieved through proper implementation of newly proposed GSLA, which largely depends on monitoring the performance of the green indicators. Therefore, this research focuses on monitoring and evaluating phase of GSLA indicators through the interactions with traditional basic SLA indicators, which would help to achieve proper implementation of future GSLA. Finally, this newly proposed GSLA informational model and monitoring aspects could definitely help different service providers/vendors to design their future business strategy in this new transitional sustainable society.

Metrics for Predicting User Behavior and Experience in an Interactive Storytelling System

In much of the previous research into the field of interactive storytelling, the focus has been on the creation of complete systems, then evaluating the performance of those systems based on user experience. Less focus has been placed on finding general solutions to problems that manifest in many different types of interactive storytelling systems. The goal of this thesis was to identify potential candidates for metrics that a system could use to predict player behavior or how players experience the story they are presented with, and to put these metrics to an empirical test. The three metrics that were used were morality, relationships and conflict. The game used for user testing of the metrics, Regicide is an interactive storytelling experience that was created in conjunction with Eero Itkonen. Data, in the forms of internal system data and survey answers, collected through user testing, was used to evaluate hypotheses for each metric. Out of the three chosen metrics, morality performed the best in this study. Though further research and refinement may be required, the results were promising, and point to the conclusion that user responses to questions of morality are a strong predictor for their choices in similar situations later on in the course of an interactive story. A similar examination for user relationships with other characters in the story did not produce promising results, but several problems were recognized in terms of methodology and further research with a better optimized system may yield different results. On the subject of conflict, several aspects, proposed by Ware et al. (2012), were evaluated separately. Results were inconclusive, with the aspect of directness showing the most promise.