O presente estudo apresenta o desenvolvimento de uma Bomba de Sangue Ápico Aórtica (BSAA) para uso como dispositivo de assistência ventricular esquerda. A BSAA é um dispositivo que já se encontrava em desenvolvimento antes do início deste trabalho e o ponto de partida deste estudo foi a realização de ensaios In Vivo. Os ensaios In Vivo foram realizados em porcos (Landrace, sem gênero definido e massa de 45 a 90 Kg) o tempo de pós-operatório programado foi de 6 horas. Ao total foram realizados 7 experimentos, sendo que um dos experimentos não foi incluso na análise dos resultados devido a complicações na cirurgia. Em três experimentos, as 6 horas de pós-operatório foram cumpridas, em 1 experimento, o animal veio a óbito após 5h30 e em dois experimentos o animal veio a óbito antes da BSAA entrar em uso. Através dos ensaios In Vivo, foi possível implementar diversas melhorias no dispositivo, principalmente no sistema de conexão das cânulas. Foi realizado um ensaio para determinar a geometria de topo da cânula de entrada, mostrando que o modelo com cânula tubular simples é o mais adequado. Em um ensaio de durabilidade foram observadas duas falhas: o desacoplamento do rotor por desgaste do pivô inferior do mancal e uma fratura no eixo do mancal. A fratura no eixo foi analisada por uma simulação computacional. Foi proposta uma modificação no eixo do mancal para eliminar uma região com acúmulo de tensões. Para solucionar o degaste do pivô inferior foi proposta uma modificação na topologia do estator que, deixando de ser axial e se tornando radial. Para verificar o efeito do estator radial na redução do desgaste no mancal foi realizado um ensaio de desgaste, este ensaio mostrou a influência da carga no mancal em relação ao desgaste e serviu para fundamentar a implementação do estator radial. O protótipo da BSAA com estator radial foi construído. Neste modelo, foi possível reduzir o tamanho do dispositivo. Os resultados do ensaio para determinar o Índice Normalizado de Hemólise (INH) do modelo com estator radial mostraram que um INH clinicamente satisfatório. O estudo do desempenho hidrodinâmico do modelo com estator radial mostrou que o dispositivo é capaz de gerar pressão e fluxo para seu uso na assistência ventricular esquerda. Os resultados deste trabalho permitiram aprofundar o conhecimento sobre o desempenho da BSAA em condições reais de uso, possibilitando a melhoria do dispositivo e redução do desgaste visando seu uso em terapias de longo prazo. / This study presents the development of an Apico-Aortic Blood Pump (AABP) a left ventricle assist device. AABP is a device that was already in development before the beginning of this research and the starting point were Acute In Vivo experiments. The In Vivo experiments were performed in pigs (Landrace, gender not defined and weight 45 to 90 Kg), post operatory time was 6 hours. 7 experiments were performed and one of them was not included in the data analysis due to complications in the surgical procedure that lead to animal\'s early death and thus its exclusion. In 3 experiments, the 6 hours of post operatory were achieved, in one experiment the animal died after 5h30 minutes and in two experiments, the animal died before AAPB implantation. These In Vivo experiments allowed AAPB improvement mainly in the connection system. A study to select the edge geometry of the inlet cannulae was performed, the results appointed that a tube shape cannulae model would be more appropriated for the device ease implantation. In the durability test two failures occurred: rotor decoupling due to wear in the lower pivot of the bearing system and a fracture in the bearing axis. The fracture in the bearing axis was further studied by computer simulation, which results lead to a modification in the axis geometry to eliminate a region with accumulated tension. To solve wear problem in the lower pivot, a stator topology modification was explored, AABP\'s stator would became radial instead of axial as it was in the original model. In order to verify the effect of the radial stator in reducing wear on the lower pivot, a wear test was performed. In this test, the influence of load on the wear production rate was observed and the results appointed that reducing the load would reduce the wear. These results were the basis for stator change to the radial topology. An AAPB prototype with the radial stator was constructed and this model had lower dimensions than the original model with axial stator. Normalized Index of Hemolysis (NIH) obtained with the prototype with the radial stator was in the clinically satisfactory limit. Hydrodynamic performance of the model with the radial stator indicated that this device could provide pressure and flow for its use as a left ventricle assist device. Results from this thesis allowed a deeper knowledge from AABP performance in real use conditions, which lead to the improvement of the device and through this study was possible to know and implement features aiming to enhance AAPB\'s durability for its use in long-term therapies.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Business Administration: Entrepreneurial Studies & Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / The automotive industry is the third largest sector in the South African economy and it plays such an important role in the economy, that it is often viewed used as a barometer of the health of the economy. Despite the relatively large number of automotive component manufacturers (ACMs) in South Africa, manufacturing a wide range of automotive components, and the incentives offered by the government to increase the local content of vehicles manufactured in the country, the majority of vehicle manufacturers as well as after-market wholesalers and retailers in South Africa source a greater proportion of their automotive components from foreign suppliers. This may be due to a number of reasons, and in this regard, this study investigated the nature and extent to which ACMs in Gauteng, South Africa, used innovative strategies to remain competitive. A quantitative research design was used, and a self-administered questionnaire was sent to all of the ACMs located in Gauteng. Some of the main findings from the study was that only 48.9% of the respondents had a Research and Development (R&D) department; ACMs ranked their clients, who include motor vehicle manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers, as the most important source of innovation, with existing employees being ranked second, suppliers ranked third, and competitors ranked fourth. The importance of a highly skilled workforce was highlighted by the finding that almost three quarters of the respondents agreed with the statement that new ideas and suggestions from employees had been implemented. Although the local motor vehicle manufacturers purchase most of the automotive components from ACMs located outside South Africa, the finding that 82% of the ACMs surveyed have been in operation for more than 10 years, with 72% of these organisations in operation for more than 15 years, indicates that most local ACMs are financially profitable and have adapted to global competition. / M

Volunteer home-based caregivers are critical role players in South Africa‘s health care system and in the South African government‘s strategy to fight HIV and AIDS. In order to achieve the aims that the government seeks to attain, it is important that the care and treatment provided to patients receiving community home-based care (CHBC) be of a high quality. While the need for quality care is supported by government and civil society, research indicates that it is not clear whether quality care is indeed being provided and therefore there is a need for research into the quality of CHBC. The research aimed to undertake a critical assessment of CHBC programmes to determine the quality of care provided by volunteer caregivers using social capital theory as a theoretical framework. The study examined the quality of CHBC by analysing the context of CHBC, by investigating the support that volunteer caregivers and their clients receive and by discussing the support that volunteer caregivers and their clients still need. The study used one-on-one in-depth interviews and focus groups to obtain relevant data. The participants included volunteer caregivers, clients and supervisors who took part in the one-on-one interviews. The focus groups consisted of key informants and supervisors respectively. The quantitative data consisted of descriptive statistics which helped describe the participants. The qualitative data was coded and themes and sub-themes were developed. The data was also analysed by an independent coder. The results showed that poverty, and the related problems of poor living conditions and a lack of food security affects the quality CHBC. In addition, unemployment and the problem of stipends also affect quality CHBC. Certain socio-economic factors were also found to lead people to choose to become volunteer caregivers and unemployment was found to be an important driving force behind the choice to undertake volunteer caregiving. Furthermore, the volunteer caregivers in the sample received organisational support from their supervisors and their fellow caregivers or peers. They also received social support from their families and their communities. Regarding the clients of the volunteer caregivers, it was found that they received a number of types of support including psycho- iv social counselling, spiritual counselling and care of a holistic nature. In addition, the study found that there is a need for standardised quality training of volunteer caregivers, which will equip them with multiple skills. It was also found that volunteer caregivers require mentoring and quality supervision in order to be able to provide quality CHBC to their clients. Government has the ability to put the necessary systems and structures in place, such as a scope of practice for volunteers, standardised training and monitoring and evaluation, to enable CHBC and its relevant role players to operate at optimum levels. It also has the authority to make the changes and to enforce rules. Furthermore, it has the ability to unite CHBC organisations and can create the necessary conditions that can lead to increased social capital. Furthermore, the study recommends that two additional dimensions of quality care be added to existing dimensions of quality in health care. The first is the holistic approach to caregiving and the second is social support systems, namely supervisor/mentor and peer support and family and community support. This second dimension is also closely linked to social capital and the networks that make up CHBC.

This project presents the marketing strategy that should be developed in order to be successful in the Latin American market. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the market's opportunities and threats linked to the customers/consumers expectations by using the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis.

Portable mass spectrometers provide a unique opportunity to obtain in situ measurements. This minimizes need for sample collection or in laboratory analysis. Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometry (MIMS) utilizing a semi permeable membrane for selective rapid introduction for analysis. Polydimethylsiloxane membranes have been proven to be robust in selecting for aromatic chemistries. Advances in front end design have allowed for increased sensitivity, rapid sample analysis, and on line measurements. Applications of the membrane inlet technique have been applied to environmental detection of clandestine drug chemistries and pollutants. Emplacement of a mass spectrometer unit in a vehicle has allowed for large areas to be mapped, obtaining a rapid snapshot of the various concentrations and types of environmental pollutants present. Further refinements and miniaturization have allowed for a backpackable system for analysis in remote harsh environments. Inclusion of atmospheric dispersion modeling has yielded an analytical method of approximating upwind source locations, which has law enforcement, military, and environmental applications. The atmospheric dispersion theories have further been applied to an earth based separation, whereby chemical properties are used to approximate atmospheric mobility, and chemistries are further identified has a portable mass spectrometer is traversed closer to a point source.

Background. Primary and secondary prevention trials have shown that implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) reduce the risk of cardiac death, but concerns have been raised regarding the psychological well-being of ICD patients. Anxiety can affect a significant proportion of these patients, but there is limited information about prevalence and determinants of anxiety after the implementation of the more recent guidelines for ICD implantation. Several behavioral interventions have been effective in improving anxiety in these patients, however the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) has not been investigated in ICD patients, and there is limited information regarding the characteristics of pre-intervention, “dispositional” mindfulness in patients with cardiovascular disease never exposed to mindfulness training. The aims of this dissertation project were: 1) To determine the feasibility of a randomized clinical trial of a phone-administered, mindfulness-based training program, as measured by recruitment and retention rates, treatment adherence and fidelity; 2) To evaluate the current baseline prevalence and determinants of anxiety in the study population and 3) To describe the correlates of dispositional mindfulness in the study population. Methods. The study was conducted at the Electrophysiology Service at the UMass Memorial Medical Center. All consecutive patients who recently underwent an ICD procedure or received ICD shocks were screened for eligibility to participate in a pilot randomized controlled trial in which an eight session, phone-delivered, weekly MBI was compared to a usual care condition. Assessments were performed at baseline and post-intervention. A cross-sectional design was used for aims 2 and 3. Anxiety was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; a shortened version of the Five Facets of Mindfulness questionnaire was used to evaluate mindfulness. Results. Thirty patients (21 M, 9 F; mean age 63.1 ±10.3 years) were enrolled in the study. The methods ultimately adopted to screen, recruit, and retain study participants were feasible to conduct and satisfactory to ICD outpatients, and the study intervention was safe. Phone delivery resulted in excellent retention rates and limited costs. Assessments of treatment fidelity showed that the content of the intervention was delivered as intended in almost 100% of cases. The study findings do not show a decrease in the overall prevalence of anxiety in ICD patients compared with earlier cohorts; anxiety was associated with young age, low socio-economic status and previous psychological morbidity, but not with ICD-related factors including prior shock delivery. Finally, baseline mindfulness was most strongly associated with previous psychological morbidity (in particular, depression), and current anxiety symptoms. Conclusion. Psychological morbidity appears to be the major determinant of anxiety in the patients currently enrolled in the study. Dispositional mindfulness is inversely associated with current anxiety and depression and with prior psychological morbidity, supporting the hypothesis of a modulating role of mindfulness on the processing of negative emotions. A phone-delivered, individual MBI is feasible, acceptable to patients and can be adequately delivered by trained instructors. The findings from this dissertation work support the need for larger clinical trials of MBI in ICD patients.

In power distribution system planning, it is essential to understand the impacts that electric vehicles (EVs), and the non-linear, time-variant loading profiles associated with their charging units, may have on power distribution networks. This research presents a design methodology for the creation of both analytical and behavioral models for EV charging units within a VHDL-AMS simulation environment. Voltage and current data collected from Electric Avenue, located on the Portland State University campus, were used to create harmonic profiles of the EV charging units at the site. From these profiles, generalized models for both single-phase (Level 2) and three-phase (Level 3) EV chargers were created. Further, these models were validated within a larger system context utilizing the IEEE 13-bus distribution test feeder system. Results from the model's validation are presented for various charger and power system configurations. Finally, an online tool that was created for use by distribution system designers is presented. This tool can aid designers in assessing the impacts that EV chargers have on electrical assets, and assist with the appropriate selection of transformers, conductor ampacities, and protection equipment & settings.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This research introduces a new design of a converter modified from SEPIC converter (Single end primary inductive converter), capable of generating desired voltage levels and polarities. The new switching converter topology allows for boost and buck of the input voltage theoretically achieving infinite positive and negative voltage levels. The proposed topology utilizes single high frequency switch to perform the power conversion which simplifies the design of the gate driver, but meanwhile, it still retains the ability to provide a wide range of output voltage. Mathematical modeling of the converter and computer simulations are validated by experimental data. To verify its performance a prototype was designed and built. It is experimentally proven that the circuit can generate a desired voltage in the range of voltages up to ±170 V, delivering 480 Watts of power to a resistive load.

The care of the athlete has come into much discussion and has been the object of much research, but all this has come about in recent years. The athlete's health is paramount to a successful team and a conscientious coach; more so is his health important in contact sports with intercollegiate football in the foreground. The interest in football injuries has increased with the increased emphasis of the sport, for the coach is finding it more and more important to have all his players in the best possible condition to withstand the physical and mental strain under which they must compete. The coach, therefore, relies heavily on the team trainer. Are there enough trained and qualified athletic trainers in our colleges and universities to meet this challenge? Are these same institutions properly equipped to care for the athlete? What methods, materials, and equipment are being used? What improvements can be made in the field of training? These questions came to the authors attention only after experience as trainer for four different organizations. In truth, the field of athletic training seemed no more than an embryo with a great need for an accumulation of fata which would bring out various methods, uses of equipment and of materials, and comparison of the existing training departments of more schools than just the one where the young athlete and future coach gets his training. Thus, the inspiration for this investigation was born. The problem undertaken was to report the existing training departments of a selected group of colleges and universities, and to present an ideal training department for both the large university and the smaller college. The State of California has twenty-two four year colleges and universities within its boundaries. They range from the largest university in the world to a college with a male enrollment of 475. Of these twenty-two institutions all sponsoring intercollegiate football, nineteen have training departments, and reports from sixteen of these schools form the basis of this thesis. The data was gathered over a two year period from visits and questionnaires from the schools involved. The information is by no means conclusive, but it does help to show the position training occupies at the present time in California universities and colleges. Unless otherwise stated, all statements represent the consensus of opinion by the trainers involved.

A patient monitor device for use during open heart surgery has been designed and constructed. The device uses a VIC 20 microcomputer along with some additional circuitry to monitor 3 separate functions. The first patient variable monitored is the blood flow rate through the extracorporeal blood circuit during surgery. The device also continuously monitors and displays 6 separate temperatures. Finally, 3 individual timers are monitored and displayed with the device. Both the hardware and the software used in the design are fully described. / Master of Science