<p>As space exploration vehicles travel deeper into space, their distance to earth increases.The increased communication delays and ground personnel costs motivatea migration of the vehicle health management into space. A way to achieve thisis to use a diagnosis system. A diagnosis system uses sensor readings to automaticallydetect faults and possibly locate the cause of it. The diagnosis system usedin this thesis is a model-based reasoning tool called RODON developed by UptimeSolutions AB. RODON uses information of both nominal and faulty behavior ofthe target system mathematically formulated in a model.The advanced diagnostics and prognostics testbed (ADAPT) developed at theNASA Ames Research Center provides a stepping stone between pure researchand deployment of diagnosis and prognosis systems in aerospace systems. Thehardware of the testbed is an electrical power system (EPS) that represents theEPS of a space exploration vehicle. ADAPT consists of a controlled and monitoredenvironment where faults can be injected into a system in a controlled manner andthe performance of the diagnosis system carefully monitored. The main goal of thethesis project was to build a model of the ADAPT EPS that was used to diagnosethe testbed and to generate decision trees (or trouble-shooting trees).The results from the diagnostic analysis were good and all injected faults thataffected the actual function of the EPS were detected. All sensor faults weredetected except faults in temperature sensors. A less detailed model would haveisolated the correct faulty component(s) in the experiments. However, the goal wasto create a detailed model that can detect more than the faults currently injectedinto ADAPT. The created model is stationary but a dynamic model would havebeen able to detect faults in temperature sensors.Based on the presented results, RODON is very well suited for stationary analysisof large systems with a mixture of continuous and discrete signals. It is possibleto get very good results using RODON but in turn it requires an equally goodmodel. A full analysis of the dynamic capabilities of RODON was never conductedin the thesis which is why no conclusions can be drawn for that case.</p><p> </p>

Thesis (M.Sc. (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

According to recent surveys on the use of systems development methodologies, many organizations claim that they are adapting systems development methodologies (Hardy et al. 1995; Russo et al. 1996; Fitzgerald, 1998). The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the adaptation of systems development methodologies in South Africa. This problem was investigated by addressing the following research questions: • What are the perceptions of system developers regarding systems development methodologies? • Why do system developers adapt system development methodologies? • How do they adapt the methodologies? • Is there a difference in the quality of the systems which are developed with these adapted systems development methodologies opposed to those systems which are developed according to a specific formalised methodology? In this dissertation, interpretive case studies have been used to add to the researcher's knowledge concerning how and why systems development methodologies in South Africa are adapted. Qualitative interviewing was used as a data collection method. All interviews were recorded and transcribed. The next step was to analyse the transcribed data. In this study, content analysis with cross-case analysis was used. The findings obtained were confirmed by making use of triangulation and member checking. The results indicated that although the use of systems development methodologies is mandatory in organizations, it is not enforced by senior employees. Organizations use multiple systems development methodologies. Systems development methodologies are adapted due to several reasons, i.e. financial gains that is obtained, the lack of knowledge, time limitations, the fact that methodologies are not universally applicable, etc. Systems development methodologies are statically and dynamically adapted by adding and removing steps. The combination of methodologies and switching between methodologies also occur. The results indicate that developers realize that formal systems development methodologies produce systems of a higher quality. However, because it is so time-consuming, they are prepared to accept a lower quality system in order to gain a faster delivery time. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Manufacturing companies are continuously faced with requirements regarding technology novelty, shorter time to market, a higher level of functionality, and lower prices for their products. This is especially true of suppliers that develop and manufacture highly customized products within the automotive industry. It is not uncommon that a request for a new product or subsystem goes out to several suppliers and that the one that can deliver the product most quickly and at the lowest price receives the contract. It is therefore vital for any supplier to answer to quotation requests rapidly and with a high level of precision while also ensuring that company assets are used efficiently. Other issues that apply to suppliers in the automotive industry are heavily fluctuating requirements during development projects, each customer’s individual preferences, and the ever changing interfaces with the OEM product with which the supplier’s product is to be integrated. Platform strategies have been widely accepted in industry to serve a wide product variety while maintaining business efficiency. However, the challenge of applying a platform strategy at the supplier level in the face of the reality described above has not been fully investigated. Platform approaches tend to require a focused development of the platform, which in turn requires some knowledge about which future variants are to be derived from the platform. The research presented in this thesis investigates the state of practice in industry regarding the challenges, needs, and current use of platforms. To respond to the identified need, a platform approach is proposed that expands the scope of what a product platform has traditionally contained. This is undertaken to aid in the development of highly customized products when physical modules or component scalability does not suffice. The platform approach provides a coherent environment for heterogeneous design assets to be used in product development, supporting both the activity of designing and off-the-shelf solutions. The approach is based on identifying and modelling generic product items that are associated with descriptions governing their design. By describing the outcome of technology and product development like finished designs, design guidelines, constraints, etc., in a standardized format, the platform continues to evolve. To aid in using the platform approach, a support system called Design Platform Manager is introduced at a company active as a secondtier supplier in the automotive industry. The system enables the creation of generic product items that can be structured, instantiated, and associated with descriptions, which aids in realizing product variants. The aim of the platform approach and tool is to support the quotation and continued design processes by identifying valid knowledge to use as circumstances, such as requirement changes or new design iterations, warrant. The support tool and overarching model have been evaluated by company representatives, who reported good results.

Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2017-10-05T19:04:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 AlineChristianeBezerraLopesDeAndrade_DISSERT.pdf: 51570637 bytes, checksum: 350449f09bb2a5df26d35f1618a13198 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-10-17T19:09:45Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 AlineChristianeBezerraLopesDeAndrade_DISSERT.pdf: 51570637 bytes, checksum: 350449f09bb2a5df26d35f1618a13198 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-17T19:09:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AlineChristianeBezerraLopesDeAndrade_DISSERT.pdf: 51570637 bytes, checksum: 350449f09bb2a5df26d35f1618a13198 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-19 / O n?mero de partos cir?rgicos no Brasil excede a recomenda??o da Organiza??o Mundial da Sa?de. Para estimular a prefer?ncia pelo parto normal, o Minist?rio da Sa?de, entre outras medidas, tem incentivado a melhoria das edifica??es destinadas aos servi?os de aten??o obst?trica e neonatal, priorizando o acolhimento e a privacidade dos usu?rios, por meio de um atendimento humanizado. Nesse contexto surgiu o Centro de Parto Normal Peri-hospitalar (CPNp), estabelecimento vinculado funcionalmente a um hospital de refer?ncia. Diante disso, esta disserta??o tem como objetivo elaborar o anteprojeto arquitet?nico de um Centro de Parto Normal Perihospitalar, que possa ser adaptado a diferentes tipos de terreno e de demandas, baseado em aspectos de humaniza??o e de conforto ambiental. A proposta ? destinado a munic?pios da regi?o litor?nea do RN, inseridos na zona bioclim?tica 8, definida na NBR 15220. Este documento contempla referencial te?ricometodol?gico, abordando temas relacionados ? humaniza??o, ao conforto ambiental e ? ado??o de projetos-modelo; referencial emp?rico, com estudos de edifica??es cujos usos e solu??es foram refer?ncia para proposta desenvolvida; prepara??o da proposta arquitet?nica, onde s?o descritos o conceito do projeto, a programa??o arquitet?nica, o pr?-dimensionamento e o partido; por fim, ? mostrada a evolu??o da proposta arquitet?nica, na qual se apresenta uma unidade m?nima com possibilidade de amplia??o para demandas futuras e pass?vel de implanta??o em terrenos com orienta??es distintas. A unidade m?nima, com 846,06m2 de ?rea constru?da, possui 03 quartos PPP e 02 enfermarias de alojamento conjunto. Pequenas unidades de apoio administrativo, t?cnico e log?stico d?o suporte ?s atividades. O lote m?nimo sugerido para implanta??o ? de 48m de largura por 60m de profundidade, e acomoda a amplia??o da unidade para 1005,59m2, com 05 quartos PPP e 03 enfermarias de alojamento conjunto. O agrupamento de ambientes em diferentes blocos permite a varia??o de sua posi??o em busca das melhores condi??es de orienta??o em rela??o ? geometria solar e ? ventila??o natural. / Number of cesarean section in Brazil exceeds World Health Organization?s recommendation. To stimulate preference for natural childbirth, Brazilian Ministry of Health, among other measures, has encouraged improvement of buildings for obstetric and neonatal care services. These improvements prioritize user privacy and hospitality, aiming at humanizing care. In this context, the Peri-hospital Birth Center (PBC) has emerged as an establishment to perform natural childbirth, functionally linked to a reference hospital. This study aims at developing an architectural design of a PBC, able to adapt to different implantation and population contexts, emphasizing humanization and environmental comfort aspects. This project is intended to municipalities located in the coastal region of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, inserted in bioclimatic zone 8. This work includes theoretical and methodological framework, addressing issues related to humanization, environmental comfort and adoption of model projects. It also presents empirical reference, studies of buildings used as reference to this proposal. Moreover, design concept, architectural programming, pre-sizing and architectural party are described in the architectural proposal preparation. Finally, it shows the evolution of the architectural proposal, which proposes a minimum unit with possibility of expansion to future demands. This proposal is also capable of deployment on land with different orientations, preserving the environmental conditions of comfort for users. The minimum unit, with 846,06m2, has 03 PPP rooms and 02 wards with shared accommodation. The activities are supported by minor administrative technical and logistical units. The minimum lot suggested for implementation is 48m x 60m, and accommodates the expansion of the unit to 1005,59m2 with 05 PPP rooms and 03 wards of shared accommodation. The group of rooms in different blocks allows the variation of its position in search of the best orientation conditions in relation to solar geometry and natural ventilation.

This master’s thesis presents experiences from an evaluation of AdApt, a multi- modal, conversational dialogue system, using PARADISE, PARAdigm for Dialogue System Evaluation, a general framework for evaluation. The purpose of this master’s thesis was to assess PARADISE as an evaluation tool for such a system. An experimental study with 26 subjects was performed. The subjects were asked to interact with one of three different system versions of AdApt. Data was collected through questionnaires, hand tagging of the dialogues and automatic logging of the interaction. Analysis of the results suggests that further research is needed to develop a general framework for evaluation which is easy to apply and can be used for varying kinds of spoken dialogue systems. The data collected in this study can be used as starting point for further research.

ABD-Derived Affinity Proteins (ADAPTs) is a novel class of small engineered scaffold proteins based on albumin-binding domain (ABD) of streptococcal protein G. High affinity ADAPT  binders against various therapeutic targets can be selected.  In this thesis, we report a development of ADAPT-based radionuclide imaging agents providing high sensitivity and specificity of molecular imaging of HER2 expression in disseminated cancers. We investigated the feasibility of the use of ADAPTs as imaging agents and influence of molecular design and radiolabeling chemistry on in vivo targeting and biodistribution properties of the tracers. In Paper I we demonstrated the feasibility of the use of anti-HER2 ADAPT6 molecule as a high contrast imaging agent; In Paper II we evaluated the influence of composition of histidine-containing tag on in vivo biodistribution of ADAPT-based tracers labeled with 99mTc using 99mTc(CO)3 binding to histidine-containing tags and 111In using DOTA chelator at N-terminus; In Paper III we evaluated the influence of different aspects of N-terminus leading sequence on targeting including effect of sequence size on clearance rate and effect of the composition of the sequence on biodistribution profile; In Paper IV, we evaluated the influence of residualizing properties and positioning of the label on biodistribution and targeting; and In Paper V, we compared tumor-targeting properties of the ADAPT6 labeled at C-terminus with 99mTc using N3S chelator and 111In using DOTA chelator. In conclusion, ADAPTs constitute a very promising class of targeting probes for molecular imaging providing high contrast. Molecular design of the ADAPT proteins and chelators/linkers for labeling has an appreciable effect on their imaging properties.

This dissertation discusses a study that I carried out using action research methodology to answer to the research question; to what extent can the Mind Dynamix Profile® inform the practice of reflecting on change in facilitating learning in higher education? The Mind Dynamix Profile® instrument is used as a new and innovative profile instrument that has been developed in South Africa. Although the instrument can be used in a variety of circumstances, this research focuses on its use an instrument to facilitate reflection in the context of lecturers in a Private Higher Education Institution. A total of nine research subjects participated in this research project. As is often the case with action research the process of research was flexible and had to be adapted to the circumstances in which I, as the researcher, found myself. Through the process of doing this research I learned that the Mind Dynamix Profile® is a valuable tool for identifying areas of strength and areas of development among lecturers. Though the lecturers’ profiles varied, there were some common variables in their genetic profiles. However, the most important part of knowledge of the profile lies not in knowing the genetic profile, but rather in lecturers using that baseline knowledge to adapt their style of facilitating learning to the extent where they are able to accommodate the learning styles of all the students in the classroom. With the Mind Dynamix Profile® this flexibility is known as whole brain and whole body learning. The results of this study provide evidence that the Mind Dynamix Profile® is indeed a valuable instrument that assists in developing learning style flexibility and when used correctly, allows for definite change of facilitation strategies in the context of higher education. However, for lecturers to adapt these areas of development effectively a mentoring and coaching process needs to be implemented in conjunction with reflective tools. Although all the lecturers showed some sign of reflection on their style of facilitating learning, only two research subjects embraced the action research process to the point of deep, constructive reflection. Action research does not look only on the processes of the lecturers involved in this study, but more importantly on my own change of practice as a result of this research. My intention was to improve my own professional practice in addition to involving various lecturers in order to enhance their learning experience. Through the process of implementing this research I learned to reflect on my own values, attitudes and relationships with lecturers as they impacted on my practice. I believe that I have achieved reflective competence by demonstrating an ability to integrate and connect my own performance and decision making with understanding, and that I am successfully able to adapt, explain and change my style of facilitating learning and conducting research, when challenged by unforeseen circumstances. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

No description available.

To re-purpose an abandoned wine cooperative into a set of workshops and studios with a focus on re-interpreting the role of the ‘crafts apprentice’ in a contemporary setting. The project hopes to upsurge society’s interest in the cultural value that such skills and products hold today, as a way of ceasing the decrasing number of dissapearing crafts and craftmen and women. Simultaneously and above all, the main effect that the interventions to this building and the activities taking place is hoping to have, is to add a transcendental societal, communal and sociological value for our community.