Many reasons to consider extending the useful time of ageing wind farms. Like to take advantage of it being located in a good wind source, besides existing infrastructure, etc. Repowering can be an appropriate option for the ageing wind farm that suffering less yield energy and increment of cost of operation and maintenance.  The thesis discusses the repowering potential of old wind farms. The case study is implemented on a selected wind farm in Denmark. Different repowering scenarios were considered with the technical-economic assessment for each scenario to determine which scenario is viable. The sensitivity analysis was done taking into consideration selected parameters to find out the effect of each parameter on the profitability and productivity of the repowered wind farm. More details will be explored in the following chapters.

This diploma thesis focuses on the topic of feasibility studies. The first-theoretical part defines basic concepts such as market analysis, financial analysis or efficiency and risk assessment. The aim of the practical part of the work is to develop a feasibility study, evaluation of economic viability and thus the feasibility of the project. An integral part is the evaluation of welding methods of the steel frame of the motorcycle and its subsequent implementation.

The aim of my work is to analyse the market with the residential estates in Brno and its surroundings. To check all the factors and impacts that influence outside and inside of the neighbourhood of the residential housing living and their mutual connections. To describe the strong and weak points, future threats, the facilities in residential areas and to establish the main advantages. To evaluate the feasibility in present conditions on the base of my anlysis and to suggest a suitable solution for the residential dwelling improvement.

Rural organic waste is becoming a problem in developing countries due to lack of financial and technological support comparing with situation in urban area. A rural organic waste treatment system was designed utilizing vermicomposting technology to treat organic waste generated in rural area. ROWATS is a theoretical facility to treat rural organic wastes in Shandong Peninsula, China where cow dung and domestic organic waste are disposed freely. Theoretical demonstration shows that ROWATS can treat 1,200 kg of organic wastes daily and produce around 20 tons of vermicast and 800 kg of earthworm body and larvae every month. Products of ROWATS can be used as soil fertilizer, fish bait, and biopharmaceuticals and so on. Sufficient financial support is the most important factor for ROWATS in rural area. Cost-Benefit Analysis and Net Present Value Calculation were made to assess the feasibility of ROWATS. Results showed that ROWATS is a profitable project in terms of 2 years and 5 years. Sensitivity Analysis is also applied to evaluate the impact of different factors variation on ROWATS, of which result shows price and productivity variation of products can affect the profit of ROWATS more significantly comparing with cost changes. Hence, operator should keep products production stable. ROWATS can also improve the environmental and hygienic impacts through reduction of leakages, odor and bacteria and virus infection from flies, mosquitoes and other poisonous species.

Older adults often show declines in subjective and objective memory performance relative to younger adults. One potential path for helping older adults with memory may be compensatory memory training programs. Compensatory memory training programs teach strategies to manage memory impairment. Traditional compensatory memory training programs tend to be highly specific to a task and often do not generalize to other memory tasks. Ecologically Oriented Neurorehabilitation of Memory (EON-Mem) is a method for teaching memory strategies that may generalize for efficient use in everyday contexts. We performed a feasibility study to determine the value of pursuing a group-based version of EON-Mem with older adults in a future larger-scale randomized controlled trial. The current feasibility study took place in two phases with two separate samples. The first sample consisted of five separate groups of healthy young adults (n=39). The second sample consisted of three separate groups of older adults (n=26). We collected data on recruitment, treatment adherence, memory improvement, drop-out rate, cost, time spent, and participant-report data on barriers to successful implementation of EON-Mem treatment. We also collected data on memory performance and overall cognitive functioning. In order to assess improvement before and after treatment within our sample, reliable change indices were calculated using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) delayed memory index score. Participants first performed a baseline assessment (traditional and ecological memory tasks, general cognition tasks, emotional functioning, demographics). After the baseline assessment, participants attended one treatment session (90 minutes) per week for a total of seven group-based EON-Mem treatment sessions. Thirty-nine young adults and 26 older adults enrolled in the study; 20 young adults and 10 older adults completed the treatment sessions. We prematurely ended older adult group treatment sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All participants performed a post-intervention assessment using alternate versions when available. Attendance rates were low for the young adult sample (51% completed the treatment) and as expected for the older adult sample when accounting for COVID-related changes (77% eligible for completer status prior to cancelling sessions). Twenty percent of each sample reliably improved on the RBANS delayed memory index score before and after treatment. Costs were higher than expected ($345 and 18.6 research hours for each young adult participant; $319 and 16.9 research hours for each older adult participant). Subjectively, both samples reported enjoying the interactions with others and the presentation of the treatment, but disliked peg words. Overall, although a randomized controlled trial of group-format EON-Mem in older adults is feasible, such a study may or may not be cost-effective depending on the resources and goals of the researcher.

Noninvasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) use scalp-recorded electrical activity from the brain to control an application. Over the past 20 years, research demonstrating that BCIs can provide communication and control to individuals with severe motor impairment has increased almost exponentially. Although considerable effort has been dedicated to offline analysis for improving signal detection and translation, far less effort has been made to conduct online studies with target populations. Thus, there remains a great need for both long-term and translational BCI studies that include individuals with disabilities in their own homes. Completing these studies is the only sure means to answer questions about BCI utility and reliability. Here we suggest an algorithm for candidate selection for electroencephalographic (EEG)-based BCI home studies. This algorithm takes into account BCI end-users and their environment and should assist in study design and substantially improve subject retention rates, thereby improving the overall efficacy of BCI home studies. It is the result of a workshop at the Fifth International BCI Meeting that allowed us to leverage the expertise of multiple research laboratories and people from multiple backgrounds in BCI research.

In this paper, we present solutions concerning communications resource allocation for tactical communication networking. Given a mission definition (which defines communication needs among participants) and participant capabilities (such as processing power and bandwidth), algorithms are presented to determine if the mission as presented is feasible. The mathematical foundation of the problem is presented, and a "static" model to determine feasibility is shown. Further evolution of the algorithm into a "dynamic" model and the reasons for the more demanding requirements are presented. Reasoning behind use of the Netflo algorithm in the dynamic model is also discussed. The inclusion of the algorithm in a stand-alone program is discussed, including overall program structure, graphical user interface components and alternative output (such as the generation of high level network policy). Finally, future work in this area is discussed. / Master of Science

Background: Family-centered web-based lifestyle interventions have the potential to be a scalable and cost-effective strategy to promote physical activity for children. However, program engagement and attrition are key challenges facing self-guided web-based interventions. Human email-mediated support may be a solution to these challenges. Currently, there is a lack of research examining whether the addition of human email-mediated support to self-guided family-centered physical activity interventions can improve engagement and intervention effectiveness. Thus, a feasibility study is needed to further understand ways to enhance web-based intervention delivery. Objective: (i) Evaluate the feasibility (recruitment, attrition, engagement, satisfaction) of a human email-mediated support compared to a self-guided web-based intervention (ii) examine the potential efficacy of a human-supported versus self-guided web-based intervention in improving children’s physical activity and parental support behaviours. Methods: Children aged 8-12 years old who did not meet the Canadian physical activity guidelines were recruited. Families were allocated to either 10-week human email-mediated support or self-guided program. The programs were developed using the multi-process action control (M-PAC) framework. The programs provided information and interactive online activities targeting healthier lifestyle behaviours. The human support group received multiple weekly support emails as needed. The self-guided only received one generic email per week. Both parents and children completed validated questionnaires assessing physical activity and parental support behaviours pre- and post- 10-week intervention. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze recruitment rate, attrition and website engagement. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to evaluate intervention effectiveness. Post-program interviews were added to further explore program satisfaction. Results: Fifty-one families contacted the researcher and eighteen families completed follow-up measures. The overall recruitment rate over a 16-month period was 41% (21/51). The attrition for human email-mediated support and the self-guided group was 10% and 18.2%, respectively. The attrition for both groups was 14% (3/21). The human email-mediated support group showed a significantly higher login frequency (4.7±2.1 vs. 2.3±1.4, respectively; p = 0.02), percentage of core pages accessed (35.8±19.6 vs. 13.1±18.2, respectively; p = 0.02), and total time spent in minutes (180.6±110.6 vs. 108.8±88.1, respectively; p = 0.01). The human email-mediated support group was more satisfied with the program compared to the self-guided group (p < 0.05). Both human support and self-guided groups improved their informational and appraisal-emotional support (p < 0.01; ηp2 = 0.9), parent self-efficacy to support their child’s physical activity (p = 0.03; ηp2 = 0.27), and child physical activity confidence (p = 0.04; ηp2 = 0.26). Children in the human email-mediated group showed a greater increase in the children’s physical activity intrinsic motivation (p = 0.02; ηp2 = 0.34) than self-guided group following the intervention. Conclusions: Study recruitment was a challenge. The human email-mediated support group had a lower attrition rate and a higher engagement than the self-guided group. Both interventions showed potential efficacy in improving physical activity measures. A full-scale study is recommended to confirm findings. / Graduate

The purpose of this thesis is to document river otter (Lutra canadensis) distribution and reintroduction potential in northern Utah. Distribution was studied using data from 3 sources: 1) otter sighting records from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources; 2) surveys of Utah furbearer trappers and natural resources personnel; and 3) searches of streams for otter sign. Potential for river otter habitat/reintroduction was evaluated by assessing food, cover, and reintroduction attributes. Streams were ranked using an evaluation system based on data from the otter literature. Forty-six positive otter sightings were made in Utah by trappers, natural resources personnel, and the public, 1964-1988. Only 1.3% of 844.4 km of northern Utah streams had otter sign during winter and summer searches. General characteristics of northern Utah streams such as habitat type and stream gradient are suitable for river otters. However, stream alterations and livestock grazing have negatively impacted potential otter habitat. Ninety-four percent of the studied streams are presently unacceptable for reintroductions. Escape cover is the most limited habitat attribute, but food appears to be available in adequate quantities. We recommend no otter reintroductions be made until riparian zones are rehabilitated and protected. Reestablishment of stream bank vegetation is essential to provide escape cover for reintroduced otters. We also recommend control of pollution inputs and no further construction of reservoirs. Surveys of otter distribution and evaluation of potential reintroduction should be done on the Colorado River drainage in Utah.

No description available.