The purpose of this study was to profile the procedural and instructional components of 17 Practical Academic Cultural Education (PACE) Centers in Florida, comparing them with those associated with traditional high schools and to identify the factors associated with their success. Of primary focus were the success of enrolled high school students while attending the program, the extent to which students were successful after leaving the program, and the program components that contributed to their success. The research design was a descriptive, non-experimental, multi-site case study involving the 17 PACE Centers in existence during the 1999-2000 school year. Surveys, a review of archival records, interviews, and site visitations were the methods used to collect data. The researcher modified three existing survey instruments for use in this study which were mailed to participants. The instruments were designed to gather demographic information about the participants, information about the procedural and instructional components of the PACE Centers, and information on student satisfaction with the program. Results of the study indicated that the following components contributed to the success of the program: (a) a selective admission policy, (b) small class size, (c) a caring environment and staff, (d) an extended academic year, (e) a comprehensive therapeutic component, and (f) a gender-separate, gender-specific philosophy that has resulted in the development and implementation of a unique curriculum. Recommendations for developing alternative programs for girls were to design programs that allow for flexibility in terms of structure and application, so as to personalize the program to fit the needs of the student population, and to establish an environment that differs from that is which some students have not flourished. Additionally, it was recommended that those designing alternative programming for girls consider incorporating components associated with success in PACE Centers.

Ce mémoire a pour but de faire un diagnostic et des recommandations en vue de l’amélioration de la performance du système d’entreposage de l’usine IPL située à St-Damien. Ces recommandations devraient permettre d’améliorer la qualité de service de l’entrepôt en optimisant l’espace disponible, ce qui diminuera le temps de préparation des commandes et facilitera le réapprovisionnement. Ce travail s’est déroulé en plusieurs étapes. Nous avons commencé par une analyse de l’existant. Nous avons ensuite identifié les critères pouvant influencer les scénarios tels que l’optimisation du système de travail actuel, l’état actuel de l’entrepôt de St-Damien (avec moins d’étagères), et la situation dans laquelle il y aurait des étagères sur l’ensemble de l’espace disponible. Ensuite, nous avons évalué les enjeux économiques de chaque scénario que nous avons alors comparé avec la solution existante. Sur la base des besoins de l’entreprise, nous proposons le scénario répondant le mieux aux objectifs de l'entreprise.

Une bonne planification et un bon contrôle des opérations ayant lieu dans une aluminerie sont cruciaux pour atteindre un haut niveau de performance et de productivité dans l'usine. Compte tenu du grand nombre de processus impliqués dans le secteur de l’électrolyse, de leur complexité ainsi que de leurs interrelations, il est loin d'être trivial d'évaluer les impacts causés par un changement d’ampérage dans les cuves d’électrolyse sur la capacité opérationnelle de l’usine. Dans le présent travail, un modèle de simulation basé sur la méthode à événements discrets est développé pour analyser la gestion des opérations dans le secteur de l’électrolyse. Les entrées du modèle sont l’aménagement des installations, les horaires de travail, les temps de déplacements et de traitement, la disponibilité et la capacité des équipements tels que les creusets, les ponts roulants, etc., et la liste des cuves à traiter en fonction des demandes de la fonderie. Le modèle a été validé avec les données de l'usine. Les résultats de la simulation incluent des détails sur les opérations effectuées au cours d’une période de 12 heures, soit le temps d'un quart de travail et le moment où elles ont été complétées. La simulation fournit également des informations pertinentes telles que l'incapacité opérationnelle à respecter la planification. En se basant sur le contexte actuel de l’aluminerie Alcoa Deschambault, la recherche permet de démontrer qu'il est possible, avec les ressources actuelles, de soutenir des augmentations de 5% et 10% d’ampérage dans les cuves d’électrolyse. Les travaux contribuent de plus à démontrer la façon de déployer correctement des véhicules autoguidés pour le transport des anodes afin de bien répondre aux besoins de l’entreprise. Le modèle de simulation proposé dans ce mémoire peut donc être considéré comme un outil puissant d’aide à la décision pour tester différents scénarios et ainsi conduire à des décisions bénéfiques à court et à long terme. / A good planning and control of the operations involved in a smelter is crucial for achieving a high-level of performance and productivity for the plant. Given the large number of processes involved in a smelter, as well as their complexity and interrelationships, it is far from trivial to evaluate the real impact that a change to the cell amperage may have on work organization and schedules, equipment capacities and replacement, etc. In the present work, a simulation model based on the discrete event method is developed to analyze the operations management in a potroom. The inputs to the model are the plant layout, the work schedule, the travel and process times, the availability and the capacity of equipment such as crucibles, cranes, etc., and the list of required cells to be tapped, based on the cast house requirements. The model was validated with plant data. Results of the simulation include some details concerning the operations performed within a 12-hour period, a work shift duration, and the time at which they were completed. The simulation also provides information such as the operational incapacity to respect the planning when applicable. Based on the actual context of the Alcoa Deschambault’s smelter, the research demonstrates that it is possible, with current resources, to support an increase of 5% or 10% of amperage. Furthermore, it shows how auto-guided vehicles for the transport of the anodes could be implemented regarding the needs of the company. The proposed simulation model can therefore be viewed as a powerful tool to test different scenarios and lead towards profitable short-term and long-term planning decisions.

Il est reconnu, dans la littérature, que les groupes d'intérêt en santé, comme les associations de patients, s'imposent de plus en plus en tant qu' intervenants influents dans le processus d'élaboration des politiques publiques. À cet effet, notre recherche vise l'étude des modes d'influence déployés par Diabète Québec pour convqincre le gouvernement d'inscrire à son agenda un plan d'action spécifique pour le diabète. Selon nous, la réussited 'un groupe par rapport à un autre, outre ses ressources et sa taille, cons~ste en sa éapacité à transformer un problème singulier en un problème d' intérêt général (politisation du singulier). Pour y arriver, les groupes d'intérêt doivent chercher à atteindre l'opinion publique - et par ricochet les décideurs - et la meilleure façon d'y arriver consiste à avoir recours à des tactiques indirectes. Nos résultats mettent justement en lumière l'utilisation de telles tactiques par Diabète Québec.

The purpose of the study have been: (1) to provide an explanatory, descriptive, and analytic viewpoint of the functions and structure of crisis intervention centers (2) to provide an intensive investigation of counseling and treatment practices in crisis intervention centers and (3) to relate the experiences that the writer has encountered as a resident counselor at Help House Inc. (twenty-four hour drug and crisis intervention center in Denton, Texas) to sociological, psychological, social psychological and philosophical constructs that deal with or pertain to crisis intervention, particularly in the area of drug use. The study indicates how participatory observation serves as an aid in acquiring insight into sociological areas such as crisis intervention centers. The role of the participatory observer is most important because concepts and theories arise out of actual situations.

The purpose of this study is to examine the evolution of six U.S. corporate logos – Apple, McDonald‟s, Nike, Pepsi, Shell, and Starbucks – from each logo‟s inception until the newest version of the graphic emblem today. The objective is to determine the meanings that logos have for a corporation‟s identity, mission, and relationships, as well as the messages that logos convey to viewers (i.e., mostly customers). By “evolution” of logos here, the researcher means “ongoing transformation” of logos. The semiotic model used in this analysis is Charles Sanders Peirce‟s (1958 [1931]) semiotic framework. Peircean semiotics is made up of a three-part paradigm of signification: the representamen (or the sign itself), the object (or “referent” – what the sign refers to), and the interpretant (the effect on the viewer, or the viewer‟s interpretation). Based on the semiotic data on logo evolution, the researcher found six main themes that emerged across the analyses of U.S. corporate logos. These themes are (1) Direction toward the Future, (2) Identity with Viewers, (3) Instant Recognition and Distinctiveness, (4) Consistency throughout Evolution, (5) Invocation of Change, and (6) True Representation of Corporate Identity. The ultimate conclusion of this analysis is that the communicative intent of a company, through its logo, tends to take a long time to develop. A successful logo is one that portrays the true objectives and principles of a company. For this reason, the ideal identity of a corporation tends to be built over a long period of time, which makes logo improvement “evolutionary” in nature. In all six cases, communication plays a major part in logo improvement.

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a non-destructive electromagnetic investigative tool used in many applications across the fields of engineering and geophysics. The propagation of electromagnetic waves in lossy materials is complex and over the past 20 years, the computational modelling of GPR has developed to improve our understanding of this phenomenon. This research focuses on the development of accurate numerical models of widely-used, high-frequency commercial GPR antennas. High-frequency, highresolution GPR antennas are mainly used in civil engineering for the evaluation of structural features in concrete i. e., the location of rebars, conduits, voids and cracking. These types of target are typically located close to the surface and their responses can be coupled with the direct wave of the antenna. Most numerical simulations of GPR only include a simple excitation model, such as an infinitesimal dipole, which does not represent the actual antenna. By omitting the real antenna from the model, simulations cannot accurately replicate the amplitudes and waveshapes of real GPR responses. Numerical models of a 1.5 GHz Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. (GSSI) antenna and a 1.2 GHz MALÅ GeoScience (MALÅ) antenna have been developed. The geometry of antennas is often complex with many fine features that must be captured in the numerical models. To visualise this level of detail in 3d, software was developed to link Paraview—an open source visualisation application which uses the Visualisation Toolkit (VTK)—with GprMax3D—electromagnetic simulation software based on the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method. Certain component values from the real antennas that were required for the models could not be readily determined due to commercial sensitivity. Values for these unknown parameters were found by implementing an optimisation technique known as Taguchi’s method. The metric used to initially assess the accuracy of the antenna models was a cross-corellation of the crosstalk responses from the models with the crosstalk responses measured from the real antennas. A 98 % match between modelled and real crosstalk responses was achieved. Further validation of the antenna models was undertaken using a series of laboratory experiments where oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions were created to simulate the electrical properties of real materials. The emulsions provided homogeneous liquids with controllable permittivity and conductivity and enabled different types of targets, typically encountered with GPR, to be tested. The laboratory setup was replicated in simulations which included the antenna models and an excellent agreement was shown between the measured and modelled data. The models reproduced both the amplitude and waveshape of the real responses whilst B-scans showed that the models were also accurately capturing effects, such as masking, present in the real data. It was shown that to achieve this accuracy, the real permittivity and conductivity profiles of materials must be correctly modelled. The validated antenna models were then used to investigate the radiation dynamics of GPR antennas. It was found that the shape and directivity of theoretically predicted far-field radiation patterns differ significantly from real antenna patterns. Being able to understand and visualise in 3d the antenna patterns of real GPR antennas, over realistic materials containing typical targets, is extremely important for antenna design and also from a practical user perspective.

This ethnographic, descriptive case study is concerned with an analysis of the Elderhostel experience at one specific university. Questionnaires, evaluation documents, observations, phototographs, and interviews were used in this study to describe the 1988 Elderhostel experience at North Texas State University. Thirty-three persons were initially asked to participate in this study. Twenty-nine agreed and actually completed the questionnaires, and 26 completed the program evaluation. The study is organized and presented in the following manner: Chapter I introduces the study. Chapter II presents a review of related literature addressing those studies directly concerned with the Elderhostel experience, those addressing motivational reasons for participation in adult education, and those dealing with learning abilities, interests, and goals of the elderly in general. Chapter III includes the methods and procedures used to collect and analyze the data. Chapter IV presents the descriptive and statistical analysis of the data, and Chapter V includes the summary, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations that were derived from the analysis. Major findings of this study include a description of the organization and administration of the program, a description of the educational and co-curricular activities offered and how they were evaluated by the participants, and demographic and motivational data of the participants involved. The "average" participant can be described as white, married, female, retired, white-collar background, from an urban community, a mean age of 70, a mean educational level of 16.5 years, and an income in excess of $20,000 annually. The most frequent reason given for attending Elderhostel was "program content," and for attending North Texas State University, the "International Focus." On the basis of the findings of this study it can be concluded that the characteristics of older adults most likely to enroll in educational programs can be identified; the North Texas State University Elderhostel program is meeting the needs and interests of its participants; and the primary motivators for attending Elderhostel are instrumental in nature.

Thesis (D.Tech. - Electrical Engineering, Dept. of Process Control and Computer Systems, Faculty of Engineering and Technology)--Vaal University of Technology. / In recent years, industrial plant maintenance has changed dramatically. These changes are due to a considerable increase in the number and variety of physical plant assets, increased design complexity, new maintenance techniques and changing perspectives regarding on how to perform maintenance effectively. Managers at modern process plants are becoming increasingly aware of the extent to which equipment failure affects safety and the environment. Process plant personnel are limited in their ability to accurately and consistently evaluate the health of plant assets. Due to poor record keeping, maintenance staff often has little defence against aging equipment and asset failures. As a result companies have undertaken to implement planned equipment maintenance schedules and install new technology to allow for efficient tracking and analysing of equipment health across the board. The introduction of an integrated asset management solution is presented in this thesis. The integrated asset management solution will assist maintenance staff to cost-effectively predict the probability of asset failure prior to the occurrence of any actual plant incidents. The integrated solution documented in this thesis will be implemented at the Sasol Solvents site to enhance plant availability, maximum up time for all plant assets and plant safety. Strategic Asset Management Inc. (SAMI) uses the Operational Reliability Maturity Continuum model to improve profitability, efficiency and equipment reliability. The SAMI empirical model employs various stages to address improved performance and asset management and was used as a guideline to develop an integrated solution to optimise plant performance and profits. The integrated asset management solution, documented in this thesis, was developed with the intended function of bringing information from diverse plant based systems and field equipment to the maintenance personnel in an understandable interface so that the information can be used to improve the reliability and availability of all plant assets.

This thesis makes the task of clearly from many angles to describe and analyze the corporate reorganization in Kordárna, Inc. An important part of this plan is certainly describe "new" Insolvency law, the commercial law marks a significant step towards convergence to the West business law. Kordárna , Inc. the company came to the existential problems in the beginning of the year 2009 that lenders with a new crisis management handled the reorganization of the company. It was one of the first applications of the new reorganization law in that scope, which introduced this kind of solution. The emphasis of my work is primarily placed on the causes of problems and that the company pursued a number of different methods, which have to give a comprehensive view of the causes of various angles. My work also deals with the reorganization itself. An important passage is the comparison of solutions of bankruptcy and corporate reorganization, which is why the work has the support of the new insolvency law.