Technological advancement, as well as consumer demands, has motivated the miniaturization of electronic/mechanical systems and increase of device power and performance. The notebook computer is not an exception, and innovative thermal management solutions must be employed to compensate for the increased heat dissipation in the space-constrained enclosures. The majority of current cooling systems in laptop computers rely on heat pipes attached to a remote heat exchanger with micro-fans providing forced convection to reject heat to the ambient, however this technique can not accommodate the increasing heat fluxes in the confined laptop enclosure. In this study, a two-phase closed loop cooling system is designed and tested for a laptop computer. The cooling system consists of an evaporator structure containing boiling structures connected to a compact condenser with mini fans providing external forced convection. A pump is also incorporated to assist the return of the condensate back to the evaporator. The cooling system is characterized by a parametric study which determines the effects of volume fill ratio of coolant, initial system pressure, and pump flow rate on the thermal performance of the closed loop. Experimental data shows the optimum parametric values which can dissipate 25 W of chip power with a chip temperature maintained at 95C. Numerical analysis provides additional data to further enhance the heat dissipation from the external air-cooled side of the condenser by studying the effects of ventilation and air flow rate across the system. Thermal management of mobile systems must be considered during the early design phases, and this research shows the feasibility of implementing of a two-phase cooling system to dissipate 25 W in a laptop computer.

When the conventional mobile communication antennas embedded in the laptop computers, it is difficult to achieve enough bandwidths or a larger antenna size is required for covering the GSM/DCS operation. To overcome this problem, three new mobile communication internal antennas, having multi-band operation capability and suitable to be embedded in the laptop computers are proposed. At first, we introduce a monopole antenna with a shorted parasitic element. This antenna can provide wide bandwidths to cover GSM900, DCS, PCS, and UMTS operations. Then, in order to additionally achieve the GSM850 operation to form the penta-band operation, we present a wideband monopole antenna with a shorted structure. Finally, we propose an open-loop antenna with a shorted parasitic element. The antenna occupies a smaller volume and is capable of providing wide bandwidths to cover GSM850, GSM900, DCS, PCS, and UMTS operations. Detailed antenna designs and experimental results are presented and discussed.

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to document the perceptions that faculty hold regarding changes made to their curricular, pedagogical, and personal practices in an introduction to education course during the implementation of a one-to-one laptop initiative at a medium-sized Midwestern university teacher’s college. Technology transforms the work of faculty in higher education. Faculty face changes that are revolutionizing their personal and professional teaching lives because of choices that universities have to make in order to meet the demands of the current student body as well as state and national standards. Institutional support including faculty driven, content-specific professional development, on-demand help, hands-on practice time, and individualized attention are paramount for faculty learning and continuing to engage in technology integration to meet the learning needs of today’s technology-savvy students. / Access to thesis and accompanying PDF permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Educational Studies

Thesis (D.Ed.)--University of Delaware, 2008. / Principal faculty advisors: Chrystalla Mouza and Albert R. Cavalier, Jr., School of Education. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.95-100).

These (Ph.D.)--Northcentral University, 2008. / Title from PDF title page. Available through UMI ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-119). Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Dec., 2008. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

M.A. (Public Management and Governance) / The Preamble of the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act 84 of 1996) states that it is the goal of the South African government to provide all learners with a high quality education. However, despite this goal, academics, scholars and social commentators concur that the public education system in South Africa is in crisis. Nevertheless, there is agreement that there has been an improvement in the numbers of learners enrolled at schools and the pass rates in public education, but not in the quality of education. In support of this statement, commentators refer to international surveys that show that the majority of learners are underachieving in key learning areas such as reading, mathematics and science. Many of the commentators ascribe the situation to the underperformance of educators. Research conducted by Van der Berg et al. (2011) suggests that a possible solution to the problem would be to help educators to improve their teaching outputs and outcomes in the classroom. This, in turn, implies that a tool such as a laptop loaded with the relevant and appropriate software and the additional required technology would assist educators in improving their teaching outputs and outcomes. Ms N Pandor, the former Minister of Education, announced the Teacher Laptop Initiative (TLI) in 2009. In his response to the State of the Nation’s address in June 2009 President Zuma endorsed this initiative and stated that the objective of the TLI is to provide every educator with both a laptop and access to the Internet and that the initiative should be seen as an incentive to help educators to improve the quality of education in schools. However, evidence shows that educators have not received the subsidies to procure the laptops as promised by government. The study sets out to investigate the implementation of the TLI and, thus, the aim of the research was to conduct a formative evaluation of the implementation of the TLI. The research was conducted within a qualitative research paradigm and the data were collected using both the TLI policy document and the findings resulting from the purposive, face-to-face interviews that were conducted with key stakeholders. This data were analysed through the application of the content analysis method.

The West Virginia Prescription Drug Abuse Quitline (WVPDAQ) is a resource that offers education and support to individuals and families affected by prescription drug abuse. The WVPDAQ began functioning September 11, 2008, through the use of mobile phone and laptop technology. Although some helplines and quitlines use some aspects of remote technology, most function through traditional call center and landline technology, making the WVPDAQ unique. This article describes the process evaluation of the WVPDAQ and outlines both the positive findings and challenges faced by the WVPDAQ. Lessons learned and future recommendations for remote quitline endeavors are also presented. It is hoped that the experiences and information regarding the WVPDAQ presented can provide best-practice insight for public health practitioners and evaluation personnel who are considering using alternative technologies to deliver quitline services.