This research study focuses on providing evidence that indicates that, making use of contemporary green building practices within a low cost subsidised housing project have more social, economical as well as environmental benefits than that of a conventional, non-green approach. Low cost subsidised housing units have become an everyday sight in the light of the global as well as the local economy. The increasing levels of unemployment and subsequent social problems lead to growing needs for this form of housing. As these projects consume a number of resources, steps need be taken to lighten the load – such as the carbon emissions - that is put on the environment. According to the United Nations, the key areas that are influenced by sustainability are environmental, economical as well as social. In South Africa, a number of government as well as local policies exist that regulates the planning and building practices of the low cost subsidised housing projects. These policies have been used as a foundation for this study. This study focuses on the Lufhereng project as a case study, and technology used in the Kuyasa as well as Cosmo City developments furthermore assisted in the groundwork for the comparison between the different construction approaches. The challenges facing the utilisation of a contemporary green building approach were researched, identified, discussed and recommendations were made. SAM (social accounting matrix) multiplier analysis on the Gauteng SAM obtained from the DBSA (Development Bank of South Africa), analysis and comparison of existing data as well as a qualitative questionnaire that was sent to industry stakeholders were utilised to obtain relevant information. The quantitative as well as qualitative data obtained from the primary as well as secondary research indicated that there are a number of aspects which has an influence on method of construction used in subsidised low cost housing units. The findings from literature as well as empirical research were analysed and discussed accordingly. Recommendations and suggestions regarding strategies that may be followed to increase the use of contemporary green approaches in these projects were made. These recommendations were based on the findings from literature as well as the research conducted for this study. The use of contemporary green approaches are vital for the social, economic as well as environmental sustainability of the country, and thus, ultimately of the world as a whole. It is, in this light, imperative that everything in our power should be done to preserve our resources by any means possible. / PhD (Urban and Regional Planning), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

This thesis reports the development of low-cost uncooled microbolometer focal plane arrays (FPAs) together with their integrated readout circuitry for infrared night vision applications. Infrared microbolometer detectors are based on suspended and thermally isolated p+-active/n-well diodes fabricated using a standard 0.35 &micro / m CMOS process followed by a simple post-CMOS bulk-micromachining process. The post-CMOS process does not require any critical lithography or complicated deposition steps / and therefore, the FPA cost is reduced considerably. The integrated readout circuitry is developed specially for the p+-active/n-well diode microbolometers that provides lower input referred noise voltage than the previously developed microbolometer readout circuits suitable for the diode type microbolometers. Two FPAs with 64 &times / 64 and 128 &times / 128 array formats have been implemented together with their low-noise integrated readout circuitry. These FPAs are first of their kinds where such large format uncooled infrared FPAs are designed and fabricated using a standard CMOS process. The fabricated detectors have a temperature coefficient of -2 mV/K, a thermal conductance value of 1.55 &times / 10-7 W/K, and a thermal time constant value of 36 ms, providing a measured DC responsivity (&amp / #8476 / ) of 4970 V/W under continuous bias. The measured detector noise is 0.69 &micro / V in 8 kHz bandwidth, resulting a measured detectivity (D*) of 9.7 &times / 108 cm&amp / #8730 / Hz/W. The 64 &times / 64 FPA chip has 4096 pixels scanned by an integrated 16-channel parallel readout circuit composed of low-noise differential transconductance amplifiers, switched capacitor integrators, and sample-and-hold circuits. It measures 4.1 mm &times / 5.4 mm, dissipates 25 mW power, and provides an estimated NETD value of 0.8 K at 30 frames/sec (fps) for an f/1 optics. The measured uncorrected voltage non-uniformity for the 64 &times / 64 array after the CMOS fabrication is 0.8 %, which is reduced further down to 0.2 % for the 128 &times / 128 array using an improved FPA structure that can compensate for the fixed pattern noise due to the FPA routing. The 128 &times / 128 FPA chip has 16384 microbolometer pixels scanned by a 32-channel parallel readout circuitry. The 128 &times / 128 FPA measures 6.6 mm &times / 7.9 mm, includes a PTAT temperature sensor and a vacuum sensor, dissipates 25 mW power, and provides an estimated NETD value of 1 K at 30 fps for an f/1 optics. These NETD values can be decreased below 350 mK with further optimization of the readout circuit and post-CMOS etching steps. Hence, the proposed method is very cost-effective to fabricate large format focal plane arrays for very low-cost infrared imaging applications.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Political Science, 2008. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 152-162).

The concept of Computer Vision is not new or fresh. On contrary ideas have been shared and worked on for almost 60 years. Many use cases have been found throughout the years and various systems developed, but there is always a place for improvement. An observation was made, that methods used today are generally focused on a single purpose and implement expensive technology, which could be improved. In this report, we are going to go through an extensive research to find out if a professionally sold, expensive software, can be replaced by an off the shelf, low-cost solution entirely designed and developed in-house. To do that we are going to look at the history of Computer Vision, examples of applications, algorithms, and find general scenarios or computer vision problems which can be solved. We are then going take a step further and define solid use cases for each of the scenarios found. Finally, a prototype solution is going to be designed and presented. After analysing the results gathered we are going to reach out to the reader convincing him/her that such application can be developed and work efficiently in various areas saving investments to businesses.

A alvenaria estrutural vem ganhando um grande impulso no Brasil ao longo das últimas décadas, sendo cada vez mais utilizada, principalmente em empreendimentos habitacionais de interesse social. No caso específico do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, nos últimos dois anos, a maioria dos empreendimentos habitacionais de baixa renda foram executados com esse processo construtivo. Por exigência dos órgãos financiadores destes tipos de empreendimentos, as empresas construtoras dos mesmos devem ser possuidoras de certificação do seu sistema de gestão da qualidade. Entretanto, apesar desta certificação, tem-se observado a presença de manifestações patológicas, com predominância de fissuras, nos empreendimentos de baixa renda, por elas executadas. As causas das manifestações patológicas em empreendimentos construídos em alvenaria estrutural têm sido objeto de estudo de diversas pesquisas. Porém, não se fez até então um estudo das possíveis causas destas manifestações do ponto de vista multicausal, envolvendo as várias etapas do processo construtivo. Neste sentido, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo principal analisar as relações de causa e efeito entre as fissuras dos empreendimentos construídos em alvenaria estrutural e as suas causas, utilizando-se de ferramentas de melhorias da qualidade que adotam uma visão multi-casual, muito utilizadas em outras indústrias Para este estudo foram utilizados relatórios de monitoramento de execução de empreendimentos que pertencem aos modos de provisão habitacional do Programa de Arrendamento Residencial (PAR) e Imóvel na Planta (IP), no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, ambos gerenciados pela Caixa Econômica Federal. A pesquisa consistiu em: (a) revisão bibliográfica; (b) levantamento e análise dos dados provenientes dos relatórios, identificando falhas, recomendações técnicas e boas práticas adotadas pelas empresas construtoras; (c) aplicação de um método de análise de relações de causa e efeito composto por ferramentas da qualidade; e (d) geração de mapas de relações de causa e efeito, recomendações para tratamento das principais causas e listagem de algumas boas práticas construtivas. Através desta pesquisa foi possível verificar as principais falhas ao longo do processo construtivo em vários níveis de análise e analisar as relações de causa e efeito entre eles e propor uma priorização de melhorias da qualidade. Com base nesta priorização foi sistematizado um conjunto de recomendações técnicas e de boas práticas que podem ser disseminadas entre as empresas construtoras tendo em vista a melhoria da qualidade dos empreendimentos em estudo. / Structural masonry has had a substantial development in Brazil in the last few decades, becoming increasingly important, especially in social interest housing projects. In the specific case of Rio Grande do Sul, in the last two years, most low cost housing projects have been built using this construction process. Due to the demand of the funding organizations, the construction companies that build those projects must have a certified quality management system. However, despite this certification, a large number of building pathologies have been observed in those projects, especially cracks. In fact, the causes of building pathologies in structural masonry buildings have been the focus of several research studies. However, very little has been investigated on the causes of those pathologies from a multi-causal perspective, considering several stages of the construction process. The main objective of this research work is to analyze the cause-effect relationships between cracks in structural masonry buildings and their causes, using quality improvement tools that provide such multi-causal perspective, widely used in other industries. This study was based on quality monitoring reports of projects from two housing programs, the Residential Leasing Program (PAR) and the Blue-print Program (IP), in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Both programs are managed by the National Savings Bank. The research study consisted of: (a) a literature review; (b) data collection and analysis using those reports, with the aim of identifying building failures, necessary improvements, and good practices adopted by construction companies; (c) application of a method for analyzing the cause-effect relationships which combined a set of quality tools; (d) development of cause-effect relationship maps, proposition of a set of improvements and a production of a list of good practices. Based on this study, it was possible to identify failures in the construction process, as well as to analyze the cause-effect relationships and propose some priorities in terms of improvements measures. Based on those priorities, a set of technical recommendations was established, as well as a list of good practices that should be disseminated among construction companies, in order to improve the quality of low-cost housing projects.

No Brasil, o amplo incentivo e a disponibilidade de financiamento à produção habitacional de baixa renda, nos últimos anos têm estimulado a padronização do produto e aplicação de conceitos de produção em massa neste setor. No entanto, a entrega de produtos altamente padronizados a clientes com diferentes necessidades, desconsiderando seus modos de vida e percepções de valor, frequentemente resulta em produtos inadequados, os quais necessitam ser modificados logo após a entrega. A customização em massa tem se destacado como uma estratégia para aprimorar a geração de valor e aumentar o grau de satisfação de clientes na indústria da manufatura. No contexto da habitação de baixa renda, a definição de um conjunto de opções relevantes do ponto de vista dos clientes, baseado na sua percepção de valor, é um dos principais desafios para a implementação desta estratégica. O objetivo da presente pesquisa consiste em propor um método para identificar atributos customizáveis da empreendimentos habitacionais customizados, baseado em um modelo conceitual denominado cadeia meios-fim. Este modelo foi adaptado ao contexto de habitação de baixa renda, de forma a ser utilizado para relacionar os atributos do produto com os valores dos clientes, por meio da aplicação da técnica laddering. Além disso, a pesquisa tem como objetivo específico desenvolver dispositivos visuais que apoiem a tomada de decisão sobre a oferta de espaços de solução para unidades habitacionais customizadas. Com o objetivo de testar a aplicabilidade da solução desenvolvida, foram realizados dois estudos empíricos. O primeiro estudo foi desenvolvido para o segmento de mercado específico de uma empresa construtora de habitações, enquanto no segundo estudo fez-se a comparação de quatro segmentos de mercado delineados no Programa Minha Casa Minha Vida. A principal contribuição do método proposto é indicar as unidades de customização que são mais relevantes para os clientes finais e modelar a geração de valor na perspectiva dos usuários finais, de forma a entender as prioridades estabelecidas pelos mesmos. Além disso, os resultados permitem entender diferenças sobre a geração de valor para diferentes perfis de clientes e identificar oportunidades de melhoria em produtos habitacionais existentes. / In Brazil, high incentives and availability of funding for low-cost housing projects, in recent years, have encouraged product standardization and the application of mass production ideas in that sector. However, the delivery of highly standardized housing units to customers with different requirements, without considering their lifestyles and perceptions of value, often results in inadequate products, which need to be modified soon after delivery. Mass customization has been pointed out as an effective strategy to improve value generation and increase the degree of client satisfaction in the manufacturing industry. In the context of low-cost housing, the definition of a set of relevant options from the point of view of clients, based on their perceptions of value, is a major challenge for the implementation of this strategy. The aim of this research work is to propose a method for identifying value-adding attributes in customized housing projects, based on a conceptual model named means-end chain. That model was adapted to the low-cost housing context in order to connect product attributes to clients’ values, by applying the laddering technique. Besides, this investigation has the secondary aim of devising visual devices that can support decision-making related to the solution space of customised housing units. Two empirical studies were carried out in order to assess the applicability of the proposed solution. The first study was developed considering the specific market segment of a house-building company, while in the second study a comparison was made between four segments of the My House My Life Program. The main contribution of the proposed method is to identify which customization units are the most relevant ones for the final clients, as well as to model value generation from the point of view of clients, with the aim of understanding the priorities established by them. Moreover, the results explain differences in value generation for distinct client profiles, and identify improvement opportunities for existing housing products.

Um dos principais desafios que um professor de Física enfrenta ao tentar atualizar suas aulas e trazer novas abordagens para o contexto escolar diz respeito a infraestrutura necessária para implementá-las. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo o desenvolvimento de materiais instrucionais de baixo custo para a realização de experimentos de Física relacionados ao conteúdo de Cinemática usando a placa Arduino-UNO como interface para aquisição de dados. Para isto foi desenvolvido um material didático, amparado na Teoria de Aprendizagem Significativa de David Ausubel, composto por: I) equipamento constituído por sensores ópticos infravermelhos e ultrassônico; II) três modelos de shield para a placa Arduino-UNO; III) softwares desenvolvidos em Python para visualização em tempo real dos gráficos de posição, velocidade e aceleração em função do tempo; IV) vídeos tutoriais mostrando a montagem de todo o equipamento utilizado para aquisição de dados; V) guias pedagógicos para orientar o professor na aplicação das aulas; VI) guias de atividades elaborados com a metodologia “Predizer, Interagir e Explicar” (P.I.E.). O material instrucional foi elaborado dentro de um conceito de Recursos Educacionais Abertos (REA). Atribuímos licenças permissivas a todo o material desenvolvido neste trabalho a fim de que professores, pesquisadores, estudantes e demais membros da sociedade possam usar, estudar, modificar e compartilhar livremente todo o seu conteúdo. A proposta foi implementada em três turmas do primeiro ano do Ensino Médio na Escola Técnica Frederico Guilherme Schmidt na cidade de São Leopoldo (RS), durante o terceiro trimestre de 2014, totalizando dezenove períodos. Durante a aplicação do projeto foram realizadas duas provas como instrumento de avaliação da aprendizagem, além dos questionários que fazem parte do guia de atividades dos alunos, entregues no final de cada tarefa. Os resultados indicam que o uso de experimentos com aquisição automática de dados nas aulas de Física, em conjunto com uma metodologia adequada de ensino, contribuíram para o aprendizado e motivação dos alunos. Acreditamos que, por se tratar de um material didático de baixo custo, elaborado com uso de softwares livres e hardware aberto, é altamente disseminável e tornar-se-á muito útil para o desenvolvimento de projetos e práticas educacionais no Ensino de Física. / One of the main challenges faced by physics teachers to bring innovative teaching approaches to class is related to the lack of infrastructure to implement it. The objective of this work was to develop low cost instructional materials to conduct didactical experiments about Kinematics using the Arduino-UNO board as an interface for data acquisition. It was developed a teaching material, supported by the Theory of Meaningful Learning (David Ausubel), composed of: i) an equipment with infrared and ultrasonic sensors; II) three shields for the Arduino-UNO board; III) a software developed in Python for real time visualization of graphs position, velocity and acceleration versus time; IV) video tutorials showing the assembly of all equipment used for data acquisition; V) teaching guides to orient the lessons; VI) activity guides designed with the methodology "Predict, Interact and Explain" (P.I.E.). The instructional material was prepared within a concept of Open Educational Resources (OER). We attribute permissive licenses to all material developed so teachers, researchers, students and other members of society can use, study, modify and freely share all the content. The proposal was implemented in three high school classes at the Frederico Guilherme Schmidt Technical School in São Leopoldo (Brazil) during the third quarter of 2014, totalizing 19 class periods. Questionnaires and exams were carried on to evaluate students learning. Our results suggests the use of experiments with automatic data acquisition in physics classes, together with an appropriate teaching methodology, contributed to the learning and student's motivation. Considering the low cost of the hardware and the use of open source software and open hardware the materials developed can be easily adopted giving to the teachers minimal conditions for the development of projects and educational practices in physics teaching.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo principal desenvolver um método para obtenção de parâmetros antropométricos através de um digitalizador tridimensional de baixo custo. A fundamentação teórica da presente pesquisa abrange temas relacionados ao processo de Design, produtos personalizados e de tecnologia assistiva, além da relação entre os parâmetros antropométricos e o projeto de produto. Assim, foram investigados os métodos utilizados para o levantamento dos parâmetros antropométricos pelo processo direto de medição e o respectivo estado da arte. Ainda, foram investigados os métodos utilizados para o levantamento de parâmetros antropométricos lineares por digitalizadores tridimensionais. A metodologia da pesquisa consiste em cinco etapas: pesquisa bibliográfica, coleta e análise dos dados antropométricos pelo método direto e o desenvolvimento do método indireto de obtenção de medidas antropométricas, comparação e análise dos dados obtidos, discussão dos resultados e a finalização da pesquisa. O processo de digitalização utilizado está baseado em um dispositivo de baixo custo, o Microsoft Kinect e no software kscan3D. Para o levantamento antropométrico a partir do modelo tridimensional, é utilizado o software Autodesk 3D Studio Max. Através da comparação e avaliação entre os dados obtidos pelo método direto e indireto, foi possível verificar a compatibilidade dos dados e, assim, validar o método desenvolvido. Como resultado foi proposto um método para realização do levantamento de parâmetros antropométricos utilizando um digitalizador 3D de baixo custo. A pesquisa apresenta recomendações e restrições para a geração do modelo tridimensional, de forma a se obter uma malha com precisão satisfatória. É apresentado um fluxograma para orientar a aplicação do método desenvolvido no processo de Design bem como um quadro-resumo contendo diretrizes para esta aplicação. O método desenvolvido obteve 97,96% de compatibilidade nos resultados das variáveis mensuradas em relação ao método direto. Estes resultados foram obtidos com um tempo de exposição do indivíduo de apenas 3 minutos e 28 segundos, muito inferior ao tempo necessário no método direto, que foi de 1 hora e 12 minutos, o que demonstra uma das principais contribuições do método proposto. / The aim of this paper is to develop a method for obtaining anthropometric parameters using a low cost three-dimensional digitizer. The theoretical foundation of this research covers topics related to the design process, personalized products and assistive technology. It also considers the relationship between anthropometric parameters and product design. Thus, we investigated the methods used in the analysis of anthropometric parameters through direct process measurement and its state of the art. Moreover, it was investigated the methods used for collect anthropometric parameters through linear three-dimensional scanners. The research methodology is divided in five steps: literature review; collection and analysis of anthropometric data using the direct method and also the development of the indirect method for obtaining anthropometric measurements; comparison and data analysis; discussion of results and the completion of the research. The digitization process developed it is based on Microsoft Kinect, a low-cost device, and also on the software kscan3D. For the anthropometric collection from the three-dimensional model is used Autodesk 3D Studio Max. Through the comparison and evaluation of the data obtained by the direct and the indirect methods, it was possible to verify the compatibility of the data and thus validate the developed method. Therefore, it was proposed a method for collecting anthropometric parameters using a low-cost 3D scanner. This research presents requirements and constraints for generate the threedimensional model in order to obtain a mesh with satisfactory precision. It is presented a flowchart to guide the implementation of the developed method in the design process as well as a summary table containing guidelines for this application. The developed method achieved 97.96% of compatibility considering the results of the measured variables in relation to the direct method. These results were obtained with an exposure time of the individual of only 3 minutes and 28 seconds, which is less than the time required in the direct method – 1 hour and 12 minutes. This demonstrates one major contribution of the developed method.

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Ivan Roberto Santana Casella / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do ABC, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Elétrica, 2016. / Este trabalho visa o desenvolvimento de antenas planares multibanda de baixo custo para aplicações em sistemas de comunicações sem fio. As antenas propostas, baseadas nas topologias Quasi-Yagi e Vivaldi para sistemas SISO (Single Input Single Output) e Meandered Loop para sistemas MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output), foram otimizadas para operar nas faixas de frequência das redes LTE (Long Term Evolution), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) e WIMAX (Worldwide Interoperability For Microwave Access). Após os estudos preliminares de simulação e otimização para a definição final das topologias propostas, foram montados alguns protótipos para a realização de testes de medida e comprovação experimental das funcionalidades das antenas. / This work is aimed at developing low-cost multiband planar antennas for applications in wireless communications systems. Antennas proposals based on Quasi-Yagi topologies and Vivaldi for SISO systems (Single Input Single Output) and meandered Loop for MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) were optimized to operate in the frequency bands of the LTE (Long Term Evolution), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) and WIMAX (Worldwide Interoperability For Microwave Access). After the preliminary studies simulation and optimization for the final definition of the proposed topologies, some prototypes were assembled to perform measurement tests and experimental verification of the functionalities of antennas.

Main concerns in the building industry includes the development of alternative building materials that reduces the amount of energy spent during manufacturing process and easier to work with. Wood-crete is a composite material developed in this study, made up of wood waste (sawdust), paper, tradical lime and water. Wood-crete is developed to provide an alternative material in construction solving problems associated with the delivery of low-cost housing across all income earners, reducing the amount of energy spent during manufacturing process of construction materials and the ease with which these construction materials are developed and solve issues related to waste management. This thesis presents the processing technologies, factors which affect the performance and properties of wood-crete. Wood-crete properties were found to be closely related to the composition of the constituent elements though compressive strength and modulus of elasticity were low when compared to other building materials like concrete and steel. In a bid to improve the strength of the developed wood-crete, the properties were investigated based on the modification of sawdust by hot water boiling and alkaline treatments which help to modify cellulose fibre surface to reduce the hydrophilic nature of sawdust thereby improving the sawdust-matrix bonding. It was found that the surface modification, processing of cellulosic fibril and the extraction of lignin and hemi-cellulosic compounds with alkali had an effect on the compressive strength of wood-crete, with treating sawdust with 4% NaOH at 140mins of boiling time achieving the highest compressive strength and boiling sawdust from 100mins to 140mins had a gradual increase in compressive strength but reduced at higher boiling time. Furthermore, treating sawdust with NaOH more than 4% weakened the individual wood particles thus leading to poor strength of wood-crete. Additionally, the properties of wood-crete were investigated based on the type of wood sawdust – hardwood (beech and oak) and softwood (pine and cedar). Apart from individual wood density having a significant effect on the density of wood-crete, other factors such as lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose contents including fibre length of individual wood species affect the strength properties of wood-crete. The compressive strength of wood-crete was closely related to the wood species, with highest compressive strength of 3.93MPa recorded for hardwood wood-crete compared to 1.37MPa and 0.26MPa of wood-crete from softwood and mixed wood respectively. Results from thermal conductivity tests on wood-crete also show that wood-crete blocks can be produced with good insulating properties for building construction. Addition of different types of paper fibres to reduce the density of wood-crete and improve the insulating properties of composite developed also had a dominant influence on both strength and thermal conductivity, reflecting its effect on the structure of composite and contribution of self strength of paper fibres. The addition of various percentages of waste paper (de-fibred) had a significant influence on the thermal conductivity of wood-crete with 75% addition of waste paper achieving a thermal conductivity value of 0.046W/mK performed with the TCi thermal conductivity analyser. Thermal conductivity results for wood-crete made from hardwood and softwood sawdust was closely related to the chemical composition of various wood species, with softwood wood-crete having about 20% lower thermal conductivity compared to hardwood wood-crete. The developed wood-crete was able to withstand impact load and considered, like hempcrete, most suitable for wall panelling or other non- and semi-structural applications with good thermal insulating properties. Findings of this study provides an alternative new material for the construction industry and an important background for achieving better strength of wood-crete, choosing what type of sawdust to be used for development of wood-crete and for directing a better use of this potential material with very small embodied energy and carbon negative.