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This thesis explores the effectiveness of SystemC compared to VHDL in implementing an I2C controller at the Register Transfer Level (RTL). The main objective was to determine if SystemC could be seamlessly integrated into existing development workflows to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and streamline the design process. The study involved the development and coding of both a SystemC and a VHDL model of an I2C controller, followed by a detailed comparison of the two in terms of coding effort, simulation time, synthesis results, and power consumption. The SystemC I2C implementation required additional steps, including High-Level Synthesis (HLS), which introduced added complexity and cost. The results revealed no significant advantage in coding effort or synthesis performance for the SystemC I2C, but simulation times were notably longer compared to VHDL I2C. Although the SystemC I2C offered slightly lower power consumption, the advantages did not offset the disadvantages in complexity and time. The study concludes that while SystemC may offer benefits in some contexts, VHDL remains a more practical choice for this type of RTL design, especially in development environments where simplicity and efficiency are crucial., Denna avhandling undersöker effektiviteten hos SystemC, jämfört med VHDL vid implementering av en I2C-kontroller på Register Transfer Level (RTL).Det avisktliga målet var att avgöra om SystemC sömlöst kunde integreras i det befintliga arbetsflödet för att förbättra effektiviteten, minska kostnaderna och effektivisera designprocessen. Studien involverade utveckling och kodning av både en SystemC- och en VHDL-modell av en I2C-styrenhet, följt av en detaljerad jämförelse av de två I2C modellerna när det gäller kodningsansträngning, simuleringstid, syntesresultat och strömförbrukning. SystemC implementeringen krävde ytterligare steg, inklusive High-Level Synthesis (HLS), som införde ökad komplexitet och kostnad. Resultaten visade inte på några signifikanta fördelar i kodningsansträngning eller syntesprestanda för SystemC I2C:en, men simuleringstiderna var märkbart längre jämfört med VHDL I2C:en. Även om SystemC I2C:en erbjöd något lägre strömförbrukning, uppvägde fördelarna inte nackdelarna i komplexitet och tid. Studien drar slutsatsen att även om SystemC kan erbjuda fördelar i vissa sammanhang, är VHDL fortfarande ett mer praktiskt val för denna typ av RTL-design, särskilt i de utvecklingsmiljöer där enkelhet och effektivitet är avgörande.

In order to improve existing horse husbandry practices by providing social contact and exercise opportunities, it is necessary to fully understand the behaviour of horses in relation to group housing. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of dominance hierarchy on the locomotor behaviour and area utilization in a large group of horses in a pasture-based housing system in Northern Germany. The movements of 40 ponies with established group affiliations were observed over approximately one month from late August to early October 2022 using GPS technology. Their dominance hierarchy was determined by testing each possible combination in separate pair-feeding tests. For the determination of area utilization, the available space was divided into a total of 8889 quadrants with 3x3 m each. Analysis of daily distances travelled by the horses revealed an average of 5.4 ± 1.2 km/day, with no significant effect of social rank. However, age had a significant effect, with older horses walking shorter distances. Quadrants used per hour, as measure of area utilization, averaged 37.9 ± 6.4, with no effect of social rank but a significant effect of age observed. Heat maps showed full pasture utilization, with lower ranked horses having less access to resources around the watering trough and a greater use of less attractive grazing areas. The study suggests that in this specific setting, social rank did not significantly affect locomotor behaviour or area use. Although the study did not find a correlation between dominance rank and locomotor behaviour or area use, it highlighted the need for further research in different group sizes and housing systems to optimise group housing practices for horses, especially in settings with limited space and resources.