As epidemiologic research demonstrates health concerns for hand problems among pianists, scientists are measuring historic piano keyboards and realizing that much of the piano literature was composed for and played on pianos with smaller keys compared to what is used on the modern piano. Having to play this literature on a larger keyboard is especially difficult for small-handed piano students and professionals. Fortunately, smaller keyboards are now available for use with standard pianos - and research shows that this ergonomic adjustment does reduce piano-related hand pain for small-handed musicians. Major universities are now offering this option to students, but only a few music schools possess these keyboards and not many people know about them. There are no known research studies to address people's awareness and attitude toward ergonomically scaled piano keyboards (ESPKs). The purpose of this study was to assess perception and attitude toward ESPKs and help to raise its awareness. To examine pianists' perception, two surveys was composed. First one was conducted on UNT campus in which ESPKs are available for their students, and the second survey was carried out on schools of music in the United States. The results reveal that substantial number of people already know about the existence of ESPKs, but they are not totally aware specific information about ESPKs. Subjects who are aware of ESPKs report significantly higher positive attitude compared to those have not known about ESPKs. Results from this study may have implications for health education initiatives within NASM schools of music.

The sea-surface microlayer (SML) is the boundary layer at the air-sea interface where many biogeochemical processes occur. Many organisms (e.g., bacteria) produce surface active agents (surfactants) for life processes, which accumulate in the SML and dampen short gravity-capillary waves, resulting in sea surface slicks. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is capable of remotely sensing these features on the sea surface by measuring reflected backscatter from the ocean surface in microwaves. This study coordinates SAR overpasses with in situ SML and subsurface (SSW) microbial sample collection to guide subsequent analysis after 16s rRNA sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq. In April 2017, 138 SML and SSW samples were collected near a targeted oil-seep where the Taylor Platform was knocked down in the Gulf of Mexico, both in and out of visually-observed oil slicks. In July and August 2018, 220 SML and SSW samples were collected near the Looe Key coral reef and a coastal seagrass area. Analysis of microbial abundance and diversity between the two experiments shows that within oil slicks, surfactant- and oil-associated bacteria prefer to reside within the SSW rather than in the SML. In natural slicks in the coastal seagrass area, these bacteria are more abundant in the SML. Outside of these slicks, surfactant-associated bacteria are more abundant within the SML than the SSW. This suggests that the presence of oil reduces the habitability of the SML, whereas natural slicks created by foam and other surfactants creates a more habitable environment in the SML. With lower wind speed, abundance of these bacteria are greater, as increased wind speed results in a harsher environment. The diurnal cycle had an effect on the relative abundance of surfactant-associated bacteria in the SML and SSW. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of synthetic aperture radar to remotely sense sea surface slicks in coordination with in situ surfactant-associated bacteria data collection of the sea surface slicks.

Two of the biggest issues facing large organizations today are knowledge transfer from the retiring Baby Boomers to their younger replacements, the Gamers, and the retention of those younger employees. Retirees are replaced by people 34 years old or younger who think, learn, believe, respond, and work differently further increasing the cultural gap that must be traversed in order to successfully transfer knowledge. This younger demographic is raised on technology and may not remember a time when there were no computers, video games, mobile devices, and the Internet. Large organizations aspiring to stay relevant must learn to take advantage of these unique traits. For organization that utilize repetitive work processes involving ruggedized handheld computing tools, both of these issues mentioned can be remediated through the adoption of modern technology. Some ruggedized handheld device manufacturers, however, have been hesitant to embrace consumer-implemented solutions such as the removal of all physical keys in order to incorporate touchscreen only input. Using Baby Boomer and Gamer-aged workers from a large transportation company experienced with ruggedized handheld devices, a time and error evaluation was performed to determine which input type is best by generation. This study found that moving from physical keyed devices to ruggedized handhelds with touchscreens only is a productive move for an industrial workforce but it’s the Boomers who stand to benefit from this change the most, not the Gamers. This study also identified near future requirements for the next iteration of ruggedized handheld devices based on the expectations of members of the current and future workforce. Results showed that participants from all generations selected a device that followed the touchscreen only model for data input. Experienced users from all generations preferred a smaller device with a large screen size. Lastly, Lean and Six Sigma were combined and their benefits explored in an effort of implementing manufacturing quality tools into a global, service-based, logistics organization. These tools and principles were used to improve the quality and timeliness of selecting and implementing a new ruggedized handheld device for the line-level workers on a global scale.

Smart keys are increasing in popularity due to the many benefits they bring. Access control and overview have never been more efficient than it is today. This thesis project automates the digital production of a new line of keys. Automating this production process improves the production in scalability, reliability, and efficiency. This report includes background research on critical components, methodologies to solve presented subproblems, the results of this project, and a discussion providing insight into the possible benefits of using an automated development line. This automation’s core elements are an integrated circuit holding a microcontroller, hardware components, and a graphical user interface. This project results in an automated production process capable of producing smart keys more efficiently than today. A report containing the most common errors using this production process and suggestions to improve scalability, reliability, and efficiency further. / De många fördelar smarta nycklar bidrar med gör att de snabbt ökar i popularitet. Åtkomst och översikt över tillgång har aldrig varit så effektivt som det är idag. Detta examensarbete automatiserar den digitala produktionen av en ny serie elektroniska nycklar. Genom att automatisera den här processen kommer produktionens skalbarhet, pålitlighet och effektivitet att öka. Den här rapporten innehåller bakgrundsundersökningar gällande kritiska områden för utvecklingen, metoder för att lösa problemställningar, projektets resultat samt en diskussion gällande möjliga fördelar av produktionsautomatisering. Grundelementen i den här automatiseringen är ett kretskort med en mikrokontroller, hårdvarukomponenter samt ett grafiskt användargränssnitt. Projektet resulterar i en produktionsprocess kapabel att producera elektroniska nycklar effektivare än tidigare möjligt samt en rapport innehållande de mest förekommande produktionsfelen relaterade till den automatiserade processen. Rapporten innehåller även förslag på förbättringar för att ytterligare öka skalbarhet, pålitlighet och effektivitet.

En undersökning av det upplevda behovet att införa digitala lås på en enhet i Södertälje kommun, ett kvalitetshus används för att välja ett system utav tre. Därefter kalkyleras vad en investering skulle kosta och slutligen levereras en kalkyl som visar vad ett införande skulle kunna generera i monetära termer. Att investera i en pilotanläggning med 77 brukare skulle kosta cirka 50 000 kronor, detta är en sanning med modifikation – alla kostnader är inte medräknade, utan bara licens för mjukvara och hårdvaran. Kalkylen visar en potentiell besparing på: 200 000 kronor om man räknar på 20-minuter, 100 000 kronor om man räknar på 10-minuter och 120 000 kronor om man räknar på 12-minuter. Idag använder kommunen traditionella (fysiska) nycklar och förvarar brukarnas nycklar i både större och mindre skåp hos enheterna. Enligt rutinen ska nycklarna tillbaka till nyckelskåpet vid ett eventuellt byte, detta medför att det blir väldigt mycket spring med nycklarna. Om ett trygghetslarm utlöses så har utföraren 30-minuter att inställa sig hos brukaren. Problem kan uppstå om nycklarna inte finns registrerade i systemet på rätt sätt, samt att personalen under dagen har överlämnat nycklarna till någon annan i personalen och inte lämnat tillbaka nycklarna till nyckelskåpet mellan överlämningarna. Det kan också vara så att nycklar försvinner, som sedan måste ersättas av kommunen. De största tidstjuvarna finns: vid larm, morgonrutinen och byten på dagen. Det händer mycket under en arbetsdag, vilket gör att personalen behöver byta nycklar med varandra och personalen löser detta på det bästa sättet för tillfället och inte alltid enligt rutinen. I rapporten undersöks vilka system som utförarna använder och slutsatsen är att det är lämpligt att försöka använda ett system som passar in smidigt i befintliga system, så att det inte blir ytterligare system. Det är även viktigt vid ett eventuellt införande fundera på hur kommunen tänker organisera sig vid: installation, underhåll och förvaltning – vill kommunen disponera antingen en central enhet, decentraliserad ute hos enheterna eller använda externa entreprenörer, exempelvis en låssmed. Utförarna är positiva och upplever att behovet finns att införa digitala lås, medan fastighetsägarna inte ser en direkt nytta med lösningen. Mycket beror på hur kommunen för dialogen och bjuder in till samtal vid ett tidigt stadium och förklarar vad man har tänkt sig för lösning. / A study of the perceived need to introduce digital locks on a unit in Södertälje municipality, a quality house is used to select a system of three. Then calculates what investment would cost and finally, a calculation will be presented which shows what an introduction could generate in monetary terms. Investing in a pilot plant with 77 users would cost about SEK 50,000, this is a truth with modification - all costs are included, but only software and hardware licenses. If you count in 20 minutes, 100,000 kronor if you count 10 minutes and 120,000 kronor if you count in 12 minutes. Today, the municipality uses traditional (physical) keys and stores users' keys in both larger and smaller cabinets at the units. According to the routine, the keys should be returned to the key cabinet in the event of a change, which means that there will be a lot of running with the keys. If a security alarm is triggered, the operator has a 30-minute setting for the user. Problems can occur if the keys are not properly registered in the system, as well as during the day that staff have handed the keys to someone else in the staff and did not return the keys to the key box between the handover. It can also be that keys disappear, which must then be replaced by the municipality. The biggest time thieves are: in case of alarm, morning routine, and change of day. It happens a lot during a working day, which means that the staff needs to change keys with each other and staff solve this in the best way for the moment and not always according to the routine. In the reports investigate which system the executives use and the conclusion is that it is appropriate to use a system that fits smoothly into existing systems so that there is no additional system. It is also important for a possible introduction to thinking about how the municipality intends to organize: installation, maintenance, and management - which the municipality has either a central unit, decentralized out of the units or use external contractors, such as a locksmith. The performers are positive and feel that the need is to introduce digital locks, while the property owners do not see a direct benefit from the solution. Much depends on how the municipality for the dialogue and invites to talks at an early stadium and explains what you are planning for a solution.

New techniques,languages and paradigms have facilitated the creation of distributed applications in several areas. Perhaps the most promising paradigm is the one that incorporates the mobile agent concept. A mobile agent in a large scale network can be viewed as a software program that travels through a heterogeneous network, crossing various security domains and executing autonomously in its destination. Mobile agent technology extends the traditional network communication model by including mobile processes, which can autonomously migrate to new remote servers. This basic idea results in numerous benefits including flexible, dynamic customisation of the behavior of clients and servers and robust interaction over unreliable networks. In spite of its advantages, widespread adoption of the mobile agent paradigm is being delayed due to various security concerns. Currently available mechanisms for reducing the security risks of this technology do not e±ciently cover all the existing threats. Due to the characteristics of the mobile agent paradigm and the threats to which it is exposed, security mechanisms must be designed to protect both agent hosting servers and agents. Protection to agent-hosting servers' security is a reasonably well researched issue, and many viable mechanisms have been developed to address it. Protecting agents is technically more challenging and solutions to do so are far less developed. The primary added complication is that, as an agent traverses multiple servers that are trusted to different degrees, the agent's owner has no control over the behaviors of the agent-hosting servers. Consequently the hosting servers can subvert the computation of the passing agent. Since it is infeasible to enforce the remote servers to enact the security policy that may prevent the server from corrupting agent's data, cryptographic mechanisms defined by the agent's owner may be one of the feasible solutions to protect agent's data.Hence the focus of this thesis is the development and deployment of cryptographic mechanisms for securing mobile agents in an open environment. Firstly, requirements for securing mobile agents' data are presented. For a sound mobile agent application, the data in an agent that is collected from each visiting server must be provided integrity. In some applications where servers intend to keep anonymous and will reveal their identities only under certain cir- cumstances, privacy is also necessitated. Aimed at these properties, four new schemes are designed to achieve different security levels: two schemes direct at preserving integrity for the agent's data, the other two focus on attaining data privacy. There are four new security techniques designed to support these new schemes. The first one is joint keys to discourage two servers from colluding to forge a victim server's signature. The second one is recoverable key commitment to enable detection of any illegal operation of hosting servers on an agent's data. The third one is conditionally anonymous digital signature schemes, utilising anonymous public-key certificates, to allow any server to digitally sign a document without leaking its identity. The fourth one is servers' pseudonyms that are analogues of identities, to enable servers to be recognised as legitimate servers while their identities remain unknown to anyone. Pseudonyms can be deanonymised with the assistance of authorities. Apart from these new techniques, other mechanisms such as hash chaining relationship and mandatory verification process are adopted in the new schemes. To enable the inter-operability of these mechanisms, a security architecture is therefore developed to integrate compatible techniques to provide a generic solution for securing an agent's data. The architecture can be used independently of the particular mobile agent application under consideration. It can be used for guiding and supporting developers in the analysis of security issues during the design and implementation of services and applications based on mobile agents technology.

xiii, 221 p. : ill., music, forms. A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call number: MUSIC MT35 .M87 2006 / The main purpose of the study was to examine the effects of learning songs by ear in multiple keys on skills in playing by ear and sight-reading. Secondary purposes of the study were to explore the effects of instruction on student attitudes, and to consider differential effects due to music aptitude. Students were brass and woodwind musicians ( N =28) in grades 7--8, placed in one of two instructional groups according to music aptitude, instrument, and music background. Time for instruction was three 20-minute lessons per week for four weeks. Students in the experimental group learned songs by ear in the keys of Bb, Db, and G concert, while students in the contact-control group practiced technical exercises in those same keys. Before and after instruction, students performed a well-known melody by ear in the keys of Bb, Db, and G concert, as well as a short etude in each of the three keys. Two adjudicators listened to recorded performances and evaluated pitch accuracy. To assess the effects of instruction on performance, repeated-measures ANOVAs considered the variables of group, time, and key. The experimental group improved significantly in playing by ear in the keys of Db and G concert, p < .001, but not in Bb. The contact-control group did not improve significantly in playing by ear in any of the keys. Both groups improved significantly in sight-reading in all three keys, p < .001. Analyses of qualitative and quantitative data from a researcher-authored attitude survey indicated that students in the experimental group perceived significant improvement in the new keys of Db and G, while students in the contact-control group did not perceive improvement. There were no statistically significant effects of music aptitude on performance achievement or attitude. Whether this was because the sample sizes were too small for the detection of effects, or whether there were no significant effects, is not known. The results of the study suggest that learning songs by ear may benefit student musicians. / Committee in Charge: Dr. Harry E. Price, Chair; Dr. Michael D. Bullis; Dr. Phyllis M. Paul; Dr. Steve Vacchi

La investigación está orientada al diseño e implementación de un Modelo Integrado de Gestión de la Producción para la fabricación de llaves de cerradura, este modelo integra la teoría de restricciones para resolver los cuellos de botella y utiliza algunas herramientas de Lean Manufacturing para eliminar los desperdicios que se generan en los procesos que generan los cuellos de botella. El objetivo de la aplicación del modelo es el mejorar la productividad de la línea de fabricación de llaves de cerradura, la reducción de costos mediante la mejora de la eficiencia de sus procesos que permitan a la empresa ser más competitiva en el mercado. The research is focused on the design and implementation of an integrated management of production for the manufacture of keys lock model, this model integrates the theory of constraints to solve bottlenecks and used some tools of lean manufacturing to eliminate waste that is generated in the processes that create bottlenecks. The purpose of applying the model is to improve the productivity of the manufacturing line lock keys, reducing costs by improving the efficiency of their processes that enable the company to be more competitive in the market.

Coastal forest retreat in the Florida Keys during the 20th century has been attributed to a combination of sea level rise and hurricane storm surge impacts, but the interactions between these two disturbances leading to forest decline are not well understood. The goal of my research was to assess their effects over a period spanning more than two decades, and to examine the relationships between these press and pulse disturbances and freshwater availability in pine rockland, hardwood hammock, and supratidal scrub communities. Impacts and recovery from two storm surges, Hurricanes Georges (1998) and Wilma (2005), were assessed with satellite-derived vegetation indices and multiple change detection techniques. Impacts were greater at lower elevations, and in hardwood hammock, spectral signatures indicative of plant stress and productivity returned to pre-disturbance levels within a few years. In pine rockland, impacts were predominately related to Hurricane Wilma, however, a similar return to pre-disturbance conditions was absent, suggesting that trajectories of disturbance recovery differed between the two communities. Long-term monitoring of forest composition, structure, and groundwater salinity showed that compositional shifts in the low shrub stratum were associated with salinization of the freshwater resource attributable to sea level rise. Throughout the course of twelve months of climate and groundwater monitoring (2011-2012), groundwater salinity generally decreased in response to large precipitation events. Modeling of geophysical data indicated that groundwater salinity was an important predictor of community type. Isotopic analysis of d18O in plant stem water and foliar d13C was used to determine temporal and spatial patterns in water use and plant stress in two community dominants, slash pine, Pinus elliottii var. densa, and buttonwood, Conocarpus erectus. Both species relied heavily on groundwater, and plant stress was related to increasing groundwater salinity. The results of this work suggest that the interaction of press and pulse disturbances drive changes in community composition by causing mortality of salt-sensitive species and altering the freshwater resource.

This thesis dealing with description and system design for administration keys trough the using RFID technology. The main task of this thesis is create a complete controlling algorithms for this system include operating program for platform Windows. Practically output of this thesis is system controlled by microcontroller, which make a decision based on authorisation whether man in question have an accession to the system and which keys he can take.