The objective of this research was to increase the independence and safety of the sight impaired by developing an enhanced travel aid in the form of a sensor embedded long-cane to reduce the risk of injury from walking into suspended or overhanging objects while providing the sight impaired community with a familiar and well accepted tool. Prior research at the Electromechanical Systems Laboratory had established a theoretical framework for ultrasound-based ranging and spatial obstacle localization from the moving reference frame of a long-cane. A prototype was implemented using analog threshold detection techniques. This research focused on a new approach. A coded pulse was transmitted and correlation techniques were used to identify echoes and determine time of flight. Compared to the prior effort this new approach was more sensitive, had greater noise immunity, and provide greater spatial resolution for obstacle detection. The first step in the coded pulse approach was to generate a transmit pulse with an embedded binary code that is highly distinguishable. A transmit pulse generated by phase modulating a 40 kHz carrier signal with a 13-bit Barker code word, with each bit consisting of 4 cycles of the 40 kHz carrier was used. Digitized representative echoes were used as reference vectors for correlation to account for the effect of the impulse responses of the transducers, the air, and the reflection, on the transmitted pulse. In a detection cycle, the coded pulse was transmitted, the A/D converters took 2600 samples at the 150 kHz sampling rate to capture any echoes from objects between 1 and 4 meters in front of the cane. The receiver data was cross-correlated with the stored echo image to find echoes in the received signal. The correlation peak positions from the upper receiver were then compared to the peak positions from the lower receiver and if they collaborated within the synthetic aperture, the range and height were calculated annunciation was made by a synthesized voice. The new obstacle detection system described above was designed and a prototype was constructed and embedded into the shaft of an 18 mm diameter body of a long cane.

This paper presents a case study conducted in Malmö, Sweden, with the aim of examining and improving the accessibility and usability of pedestrian walkways for blind and visually impaired people (BVIP). The study focuses on identifying the obstacles faced by BVIPs in using pedestrian walkways in Malmö and proposes strategies to enhance their accessibility. A mixed methods approach, including observations, walk-along interviews, and photography, was employed to collect data. The study observed several pedestrian walkways in Malmö and interviewed four informants to gain a diversity of perspectives. The findings identified five types of obstacles faced by BVIPs: barriers issues, building issues, Tactile Walking Surface Indicator (TWSI) issues, aids issues, and natural issues. Consistency in the guidance line with contrasting brightness and tactile features was found to be a crucial requirement for BVIPs. The study also explores the factors that impact the implementation of universal design (UD) principles on pedestrian walkways, including old buildings, city decision-makers, street designers, and a lack of a feedback system. To improve accessibility and usability, the study proposes five key principles: maintaining consistent lead lines, maximizing the effectiveness of TWSIs, separating areas with different functions, designing streets based on user needs and daily habits, and promoting UD for all as a long-term strategy. In conclusion, this study identifies obstacles faced by BVIPs on pedestrian walkways in Malmö and proposes strategies to enhance their accessibility and usability. It argues that implementing these strategies can implement UD principles and create more accessible and usable pedestrian walkways for BVIPs and contribute to inclusivity

No description available.

Wide bandgap semiconductors have been broadly investigated for their potential to detect and emit high energy ultraviolet (UV) photons. Advancements in deep UV optoelectronic materials would enable the efficient and affordable realization of many medical, industrial and consumer UV optical devices. The traditional growth method, vacuum deposition, is an extremely complicated and expensive process. Sol-gel processing dramatically simplifies facility requirements and can be scaled to industrial size. The work presented here involves a novel study of the ternary wide bandgap material Ni1-xMgxO. Films were developed by sol-gel spin coating for investigation of material and electrical properties. This method produced films 200-600 nm thick with surface roughness below 4 nm RMS. Sintered films indicated an improvement from 60% to 90% transmission near the band edge. Additionally, compositional analysis was performed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and film defects were characterized by photoluminescence using a continuous wave He-Cd UV laser, revealing the expected oxygen defect at 413nm. This film growth technique has produced thin polycrystalline films with low surface roughness and a high degree of crystalline orientation; crucial characteristics for semiconductor devices. These films have demonstrated the ability to be tuned over the full compositional range from the bandgap of NiO (3.6 eV) to that of MgO (7.8 eV). Optoelectronic devices produced by standard photolithographic techniques are discussed as well as the electrical transport properties of their metal contacts. Based on initial results, these films have demonstrated strong potential as solar blind detectors of UV radiation.

The effects of soil-foundation-structure (SFS) interaction and extreme loading on structural behaviors are important issues in structural dynamics. System identification is an important technique to characterize linear and nonlinear dynamic structures. The identification methods are usually classified into the parametric and non-parametric approaches based on how to model dynamic systems. The objective of this study is to characterize the dynamic behaviors of two realistic civil engineering structures in SFS configuration and subjected to impact loading by comparing different parametric and non-parametric identification results. First, SFS building models were studied to investigate the effects of the foundation types on the structural behaviors under seismic excitation. Three foundation types were tested including the fixed, pile and box foundations on a hydraulic shake table, and the dynamic responses of the SFS systems were measured with the instrumented sensing devices. Parametric modal analysis methods, including NExT-ERA, DSSI, and SSI, were studied as linear identification methods whose governing equations were modeled based on linear equations of motion. NExT-ERA, DSSI, and SSI were used to analyze earthquake-induced damage effects on the global behavior of the superstructures for different foundation types. MRFM was also studied to characterize the nonlinear behavior of the superstructure during the seismic events. MRFM is a nonlinear non-parametric identification method which has advantages to characterized local nonlinear behaviors using the interstory stiffness and damping phase diagrams. The major findings from the SFS study are: *The investigated modal analysis methods identified the linearized version of the model behavior. The change of global structural behavior induced by the seismic damage could be quantified through the modal parameter identification. The foundation types also affected the identification results due to different SFS interactions. The identification accuracy was reduced as the nonlinear effects due to damage increased. *MRFM could characterize the nonlinear behavior of the interstory restoring forces. The localized damage could be quantified by measuring dissipated energy of each floor. The most severe damage in the superstructure was observed with the fixed foundation. Second, the responses of a full-scale suspension bridge in a ship-bridge collision accident were analyzed to characterize the dynamic properties of the bridge. Three parametric and non-parametric identification methods, NExT-ERA, PCA and ICA were used to process the bridge response data to evaluate the performance of mode decomposition of these methods for traffic, no-traffic, and collision loading conditions. The PCA and ICA identification results were compared with those of NExT-ERA method for different excitation, response types, system damping and sensor spatial resolution. The major findings from the ship-bridge collision study include: *PCA was able to characterize the mode shapes and modal coordinates for velocity and displacement responses. The results using the acceleration were less accurate. The inter-channel correlation and sensor spatial resolution had significant effects on the mode decomposition accuracy. *ICA showed the lowest performance in this mode decomposition study. It was observed that the excitation type and system characteristics significantly affected the ICA accuracy.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(情報学) / 甲第23309号 / 情博第745号 / 新制||情||127(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院情報学研究科知能情報学専攻 / (主査)准教授 吉井 和佳, 教授 河原 達也, 教授 西野 恒, 教授 田中 利幸 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Informatics / Kyoto University / DFAM

Because communication has always been difficult for people who are deaf-blind, The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute (SKERI), in conjunction with the California Polytechnic State University Mechanical Engineering department, has commissioned the design, construction, testing, and programming of a robotic hand capable of performing basic fingerspelling to help bridge the communication gap. The hand parts were modeled using SolidWorks and fabricated using an Objet rapid prototyper. Its fingers are actuated by 11 Maxon motors, and its wrist is actuated by 2 Hitec servo motors. The motors are controlled by Texas Instruments L293D motor driver chips, ATtiny2313 slave microcontroller chips programmed to act as motor controllers, and a master ATmega644p microcontroller. The master controller communicates with a computer over a USB cable to receive sentences typed by a sighted user. The master controller then translates each letter into its corresponding hand gesture in the American Manual Alphabet and instructs each motor controller to move each finger joint into the proper position.

Denna uppsats har, utifrån tidigare forsknings definition av power metal, analyserat tre, för genren representativa musikaliska verk genom text och formanalys. För att sammanställa tidigare forsknings definitioner av power metal till kategorier och konventioner anpassades vedertagna teoretiska principer om familjelikheter och genreprototyper till en modell för genrekonventioner. Därefter ställdes resultaten av analyserna emot de genrekonventioner som tidigare forskning ansåg utmärka power metal. Först gjordes ett urval av representativa band utifrån de som omnämndes ofta av tidigare forskning. Dessa blev Tysklands Blind Guardian och Helloween, samt Italiens Rhapsody (numera Rhapsody of Fire). Därefter valdes ett musikaliskt verk per band utifrån de låtar som låg som öppningsspår på samtliga bands samlingsskivor. Dessa blev Blind Guardians Imaginations From the Other Side, Helloweens Mr. Torture, samt Rhapsodys Dawn of Victory. För att analysera dessa låtar applicerades tre olika metoder, nämligen formanalys, textanalys och analys av genrekonventioner. Resultatet av att ställa tidigare forsknings genrekonventioner emot analysresultaten av de tre, för genren representativa musikaliska verken blevatt de till övervägande del stämde överens med varandra.

No description available.

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) is an influential sport/interest group that has a long history of advocacy and involvement with policies and management related to the conservation of wildlife and outdoor recreation. Since the 1990’s, the OFAH have been outspoken with their criticisms towards particular Indigenous treaty hunting and fishing rights, co-management agreements, and land claims which are perceived to threaten conservation, future recreational opportunities, and the outdoor economy. Using semi-structured interviews with 20 Indigenous and non-Indigenous respondents and a content analysis of the OFAH’s official documents, this thesis analyzes and compares the views surrounding treaty rights between the OFAH leadership and ordinary hunters and fishers inside and outside the organization. Discourse Analysis, Group Position Theory, and Colour Blind Racism theory were used to flesh out how the meanings and perceived legitimacy of treaty rights are constructed and negotiated, and whether opposition to Indigenous harvesting rights reflects a reactionary response to defend settler-Canadians’ sense of superiority, privileges, and access to resources. The results showed that the OFAH and 55% of the respondents expressed feelings of concern, resentment, and in some cases opposition, revealing an established sense of group position. Although the OFAH leaders and 45% of the respondents displayed varying and limited degrees of support for treaty rights, the general pattern showed how OFAH leaders and respondents drew on similar repertoires with arguments and justifications based on equality, fairness, and a concern for wildlife conservation in order to criticize and/or oppose treaty rights. Consequently, these criticisms directly and indirectly work to define and redefine treaty rights and Indigenous treaty hunters and fishers in a negative manner. This case shows how resentment of and opposition to treaty rights within a settler colonial context embodies a perceived threat to settlers’ sense of group position and the status quo. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) is an influential organization that has criticized Indigenous peoples’ treaty hunting and fishing rights and land claims for allegedly threatening conservation, recreational opportunities, and the outdoor economy. This thesis analyzes and compares the views surrounding treaty rights between the OFAH leadership and ordinary hunters and fishers inside and outside the organization. Interviews with 20 (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) respondents and a review of the OFAH’s official sources showed that OFAH leaders and 55% of the respondents expressed feelings of concern, resentment, and opposition. Although OFAH leaders and 45% of the respondents displayed limited degrees of support for treaty rights, the general pattern showed how they drew on similar arguments based on equality, fairness, and a concern for wildlife to criticize and/or oppose treaty rights revealing a defensive reaction to maintain their privileges and access to resources.