Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Soontae An / Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relaxed regulations on broadcast DTC advertising in 1997, DTC advertising has become a prominent part of public health communication. The purpose of this study is to assess the stigma reducing components of DTC ads based on the attribution theory and recategorization theory. Taken together, the combination of these two health communication theories can provide a useful framework to assess whether DTC advertising has made a sufficient effort to reduce the barrier in an attempt to motivate people to take appropriate actions for their treatment. A content-analysis of the past ten years from 1998 to 2008 of DTC ads of stigmatized diseases was done to critically evaluate the practice of DTC ads. Results focus on the prevalence of onset controllability (e.g., whether contracting an illness is blamable or not), offset responsibility (e.g., whether people have efforts to cope with or not) and recategorization (e.g., in-group) as textual cues and visual cues in the ads. Only half of ads (57%) offered a stigma reducing strategy. The most prevalent for both textual cues and visual cues were recategorization. However, an unbalance of stigma reducing components implies a meaning that Corrigan and Penn (1999)’s strategy of interventions to reduce stigma could not effectively function. Therefore, it required appropriate adjustments by onset controllability, offset responsibility and recategorization.

Direct-to-Consumer advertisements allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers. Increasingly, marketing executives employed by pharmaceutical companies are shifting the focus of these advertisements from promoting the drug as a product, to promoting illness in general. Pharmaceutical companies defend this movement saying the advertisements have an educational function to "inform" consumers.

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Este trabalho desenvolve a simulação do controle de velocidade de motor de indução com a técnica de controle direto de torque (Direct Torque Control - DTC), sendo executada em um dispositivo lógico programável tipo FPGA (Field Programable Gate Array). A simulação é realizada usando-se dois programas: O MATLAB/Simulink e o ModelSim, sendo que estes dois programas trabalham em modo de co-simulação provida pelo toolbox Link-for-ModelSim do Simulink. Enquanto a dinâmica do motor e do inversor é executada no MATLAB, o algoritmo de controle da estratégia DTC é executada no ModelSim. O algoritmo de acionamento DTC é escrito em linguagem de descrição de hardware VHDL (Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language - VHSIC HDL) e utiliza a aritmética de ponto flutuante. Os resultados das simulações são apresentados e analisados no final deste trabalho. / This work presents a simulation of induction motor speed control using the technique of direct torque control (DTC), performed in a reprogrammable device type FPGA. The simulation is performed using two programs: MATLAB/Simulink and ModelSim, where these two programs work in a co-simulation mode, provide by Link for ModelSim toolbox from Simulink. While the motor and inverter dynamics is performed in MATLAB, the control algorithm of DTC technique runs in the ModelSim program. The algorithm of DTC drive is written in hardware description language (VHDL) and use the float point arithmetic. The simulation results are presented and analyzed in the end of this work.

Este trabalho desenvolve a simulação do controle de velocidade de motor de indução com a técnica de controle direto de torque (Direct Torque Control - DTC), sendo executada em um dispositivo lógico programável tipo FPGA (Field Programable Gate Array). A simulação é realizada usando-se dois programas: O MATLAB/Simulink e o ModelSim, sendo que estes dois programas trabalham em modo de co-simulação provida pelo toolbox Link-for-ModelSim do Simulink. Enquanto a dinâmica do motor e do inversor é executada no MATLAB, o algoritmo de controle da estratégia DTC é executada no ModelSim. O algoritmo de acionamento DTC é escrito em linguagem de descrição de hardware VHDL (Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language - VHSIC HDL) e utiliza a aritmética de ponto flutuante. Os resultados das simulações são apresentados e analisados no final deste trabalho. / This work presents a simulation of induction motor speed control using the technique of direct torque control (DTC), performed in a reprogrammable device type FPGA. The simulation is performed using two programs: MATLAB/Simulink and ModelSim, where these two programs work in a co-simulation mode, provide by Link for ModelSim toolbox from Simulink. While the motor and inverter dynamics is performed in MATLAB, the control algorithm of DTC technique runs in the ModelSim program. The algorithm of DTC drive is written in hardware description language (VHDL) and use the float point arithmetic. The simulation results are presented and analyzed in the end of this work.

Menopause is a biological change that affects the aging woman at some point in her life. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been a primary medical intervention for decades, and this study explores how HRT products are marketed to women experiencing menopause through direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug ads. Through a qualitative analysis of DTC ads and interviews with women experiencing menopause symptoms, this research investigated their perspective on HRT drug ads to understand if women respond to this type of advertising. Women’s understanding and experiences concerning menopause are influenced by a number of factors and can vary depending on the meanings that are associated with menopause. In U.S. culture, physical appearance is emphasized above other characteristics, so menopause and other signs of aging chge the beauty ideal. Media portrayals of women too often value youth and ideal beauty, with direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads reinforcing this notion by emphasizing how women can remain young, fight the signs of aging, and maintain their vitality by using HRT products. Women also feel conflicted about their bodies as they age because of these dominant standards that can then lead to negative body image. Social comparisons are an inherent process guiding behavior and experiences that affect how people understand themselves (Corcoran, Crusius, & Mussweiler, 2011). People look at others and to media images of others, relating that information to themselves as a way to measure what they are and aren’t capable of. When advertisements construct menopause as a deficiency that women need to treat with medications, women compare themselves to mediated images as they try to understand their menopause experience. Ads analyzed for this study presented messages that women need medication to maintain healthy activities during and after menopause. Most of the ads focused on painful sex that can happen with menopause but nearly all of the participants agreed that these ads did not relate to their experiences. This research found that women don’t believe menopause is a disease to be treated but if medications are used, it should be for the shortest time possible and only if the symptoms drastically interfere with a woman’s quality of life. Through these interviews with menopausal women and analysis of HRT ads, this study adds to limited current research on DTC ads for hormone replacement therapies and menopause.

Att vara ett konkurrenskraftigt företag i dagens samhälle kräver prioritering av många områden. Med teknikens framfart blir det desto viktigare då produkters livslängder blir allt mer kortvariga. För att då bevara deras attraktion på marknaden krävs en strävan efter förbättring och en väsentlig parameter i detta är kostnader. Det finns olika strategier som fokuserar på kostnadsreducering men vissa är mer nyttjade än andra. En av de berörda är Design to Cost (DtC) och dess syfte är i huvudsak att optimera produktutveckling. Grunden ligger i att ta hänsyn till kostnad redan i en produkts designfas. I designfasen uppskattas ca 70 % utgöra livscykelkostnaderna, vilken gör den delen mest aktuell att analysera. På Valmet Karlstad har metoden uppmärksammats och det finns därför en ambition att integrera DtC i dess interna PLC-process. Företaget är ett globalt sådant och är en ledande utvecklare och leverantör inom teknologi, automation och service. Stort fokus ligger på hållbarhet och hög kvalitet. Vad som däremot är mindre prioriterat idag är kostnader. Det finns en tendens till att utföra kostnadsanalysering i en för sent skede där det är mindre påverkbart. För att bibehålla sin position och sitt positiva rykte bör därför detta förbättras. Denna rapport innehåller därför en undersökning av DtC som verktyg. En utvärdering av behovet av strategin har gjorts samt av den befintliga kunskapen på företaget. Detta har skett via analys av internt underlag, flertalet intervjuer och ett större mötesarrangemang i form av en workshop. Arbetet resulterade sedan i rekommendationer kring hur DtC kan implementeras i processen och tillämpas i den dagliga verksamheten. Även väsentliga faktorer och åtgärder lades som kan förbättra och underlätta förloppet. / Being a competitive company in today's society requires prioritization of many areas. With the advancement of technology, it becomes all the more important as the lifetimes of products become increasingly short-lived. In order to maintain their attraction in the market, an effort is needed for improvement and an important parameter in this is costs. There are various strategies that focus on cost reduction, but some are more useful than others. One of the parties involved is Design to Cost (DtC) and its purpose is primarily to optimize product development. The reason lies in taking cost into account already in a product's design phase. In the design phase, approximately 70% is estimated to be the life cycle costs, which makes the part most relevant to analyze. At Valmet Karlstad, the method has been recognized and there is therefore an ambition to integrate DTC into its internal PLC process. The company is a global one and is a leading developer and supplier in technology, automation and service. Great focus is on sustainability and high quality. What, on the other hand, is less prioritized today is costs. There is a tendency to carry out cost analysis at a late stage where it is less influential. To maintain its position and its positive reputation, this should therefore be improved. This report therefore contains a survey of DtC as a tool. An evaluation of the need for the strategy has been made as well as f the existing knowledge at the company. This has been done through analysis of internal data, several interviews and a larger meeting arrangement in the form of a workshop. The work then resulted in recommendations on how DtC can be implemented in the process and applied in the daily operations. Important factors and actions were also given that can improve and facilitate the process.

The diagnosis system of a Scania vehicle is an indispensable tool for workshop personnel and engineers in their work. Today Scania has a system for fetching diagnostic information from field test vehicles remotely and store them in a database, so called remote diagnosis. This saves the engineers much time by not having to visit every vehicle. The system uses a Windows based on-board PC in the vehicle called an Interactor. The Interactor has a telematic unit for communication with Scanias Fleet Management System and the CAN-bus in the vehicle. In the next generation of the Interactor, its telematic unit is to be replaced by a Linux based telematic unit called the Communicator 200 (C200). The purpose of this master project is to create a new architecture for a remote diagnosis system that uses the new telematic unit Communicator 200. <br />The thesis gives an analysis of the current remote diagnosis system used at Scania and proposes an architecture for a new generation remote diagnosis system using the C200. Also a system for demonstrating how to perform remote diagnosis over the C200 has been built. The thesis describes the operation and how the demonstration system was implemented.

<p>The diagnosis system of a Scania vehicle is an indispensable tool for workshop personnel and engineers in their work. Today Scania has a system for fetching diagnostic information from field test vehicles remotely and store them in a database, so called remote diagnosis. This saves the engineers much time by not having to visit every vehicle. The system uses a Windows based on-board PC in the vehicle called an Interactor. The Interactor has a telematic unit for communication with Scanias Fleet Management System and the CAN-bus in the vehicle. In the next generation of the Interactor, its telematic unit is to be replaced by a Linux based telematic unit called the Communicator 200 (C200). The purpose of this master project is to create a new architecture for a remote diagnosis system that uses the new telematic unit Communicator 200.</p><p><br />The thesis gives an analysis of the current remote diagnosis system used at Scania and proposes an architecture for a new generation remote diagnosis system using the C200. Also a system for demonstrating how to perform remote diagnosis over the C200 has been built. The thesis describes the operation and how the demonstration system was implemented.</p>

OBJECTIVES: To identify the types of patients who talk with their physicians as a result of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) advertising. METHODS: Data were taken from a national survey, "Public Health Impact of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs, July 2001- January 2002", conducted by researchers from Harvard Medical School. Participants (n = 3000) were interviewed by telephone. We constructed a conceptual framework consisting of outcomes (3 types of physician visits), intervention (DTC experience) and five groups of explanatory factors (health beliefs, demographics, health status, socioeconomic status and market factors). Data were analyzed with three multivariate stepwise logistic regressions. The three dependent variables were whether an advertisement for a prescription drug had ever prompted the patient to: 1) visit to discuss prescription drug, 2) visit to discuss new condition, and 3) visit to discuss treatment change. RESULTS: Out of all independent variables, only six variables consistently showed significant effects on the three dependent variables after adjusting for other variables. They were: 1) taking medication on regular basis, 2) having anxiety, 3) having high advertisement attentiveness, 4) viewing media as the most important source prompting one to talk with physician, 5) believing that DTC advertisements increased awareness of new treatment, and 6) believing that DTC advertisements improved discussion with health professionals. The six variables were the strongest predictors for DTC-prompted physician visits.CONCLUSIONS: Our nationally representative study found multiple factors were associated with different types of physician visits prompted by DTC advertisements. This information could be used to target those patients most likely to talk to their physicians as a result of DTC advertisements.