Decent housing available to the working class in America is in very short supply. Manufactured housing could help to meet this basic need. But community groups and politicians often reject manufactured housing because they fear it will have a negative impact upon property values and the aesthetic character of their community. This thesis examines the reasons behind these fears, how the history of manufactured housing has fed into these fears and what design elements can allay these fears. Three site planning typologies are developed using the factors found in the research, that create a good neighborhood for both the residents and outside observers. The typologies inform three designs that illustrate how manufactured housing developments can be designed to fit compatibly into existing communities. / Master of Landscape Architecture

The factory-built housing industry, while originating from mobile homes, has seen new industry-segments emerge such as, for example, modular, panelized, and pre-cut homes. These new segments have promoted the ability of existing producers to diversify. As producers of factory-built homes merge their production capabilities amongst these industry-segments the structure and the capacity of the industry is profoundly changing. This study looks at both the manufactured home industry-segment as well as the entire factory-built home industry to analyze how the current state of the industry is positioned to drive these foreseeable changes. Analysis of the manufactured home industry-segment is highlighted by econometric modeling of market share data across manufactured housings' product life-cycle curve. Results of this modeling mimic three periods of product life cycle change that ends with the current market share decline. Being so, it is concluded that manufactured housing firms are currently seeking fight or flight strategies to combat deepening market share losses. Producers of manufactured housing who persist in this industry-segment will confront mounting consolidation whereas producers who flee are likely to undergo strategic transformations. A mail questionnaire alternatively targeted the U.S. factory-built home industry to assess how diversification currently impacts industry structure and market share positioning. Results of this questionnaire reveal that two-product producers are strategically diversifying to hedge current demand fluctuations in the U.S. residential home market while also promoting market share positions. As a result it is concluded that product diversification positively impacts market share growth within the factory-built home industry. / Master of Science

Este trabalho aborda a evolução do móvel seriado para fins residenciais no Brasil, notadamente produzidos com painéis de madeira reconstituída. O período abrangido é o mesmo da utilização efetiva destes painéis que vai de meados do século XX até os dias atuais. O enfoque do estudo centra-se na origem e desenvolvimento dos painéis bem como seus elementos de revestimento ou acabamento; a passagem do sistema de produção do móvel de artesanal para o industrializado, com as descrições básicas de suas etapas produtivas atuais e o sistema de comercialização comumente empregado neste tipo de móvel, bem como as novas formas alternativas, apontando os fatores que direta ou indiretamente interferiram no aspecto formal dos produtos. Analisa o estágio em que a atividade de design se encontra neste setor e sua posição perante os demais elementos intervenientes. Por fim, o trabalho enfatiza a efetiva contribuição dos painéis de madeira reconstituída na consolidação e aprimoramento do setor moveleiro, colaborando na implantação de processos racionais de produção em larga escala, os quais puderam proporcionar o acesso do mobiliário a praticamente todas as faixas da população. / This study focuses on the evolution of home furniture in Brazil, mainly those manufactured with wood based panels used in serial production systems. The period covered is the same as the effective usage of such panels, i.e., since mid-twentieth century to the present days. It concentrates on the origin and development of the types of panels and their coating or finishing alternatives, the switching of furniture production systems from artisanal craft to the large-scale production lines, the basic descriptions of the current stages of production and marketing systems commonly used for this kind of furniture, as well as new alternatives, pointing out factors that directly or indirectly have interfered in the formal appearance of the products. It also analyzes the current stage of the practical usage of design in this sector and its position regarding other elements involved. Finally, this study emphasizes the effective contribution of wood based panels in the consolidation and improvement of furniture industry, collaborating with the implementation of rational processes of large-scale production, which could allow the access to the furniture market to virtually all income classes.

Este trabalho aborda a evolução do móvel seriado para fins residenciais no Brasil, notadamente produzidos com painéis de madeira reconstituída. O período abrangido é o mesmo da utilização efetiva destes painéis que vai de meados do século XX até os dias atuais. O enfoque do estudo centra-se na origem e desenvolvimento dos painéis bem como seus elementos de revestimento ou acabamento; a passagem do sistema de produção do móvel de artesanal para o industrializado, com as descrições básicas de suas etapas produtivas atuais e o sistema de comercialização comumente empregado neste tipo de móvel, bem como as novas formas alternativas, apontando os fatores que direta ou indiretamente interferiram no aspecto formal dos produtos. Analisa o estágio em que a atividade de design se encontra neste setor e sua posição perante os demais elementos intervenientes. Por fim, o trabalho enfatiza a efetiva contribuição dos painéis de madeira reconstituída na consolidação e aprimoramento do setor moveleiro, colaborando na implantação de processos racionais de produção em larga escala, os quais puderam proporcionar o acesso do mobiliário a praticamente todas as faixas da população. / This study focuses on the evolution of home furniture in Brazil, mainly those manufactured with wood based panels used in serial production systems. The period covered is the same as the effective usage of such panels, i.e., since mid-twentieth century to the present days. It concentrates on the origin and development of the types of panels and their coating or finishing alternatives, the switching of furniture production systems from artisanal craft to the large-scale production lines, the basic descriptions of the current stages of production and marketing systems commonly used for this kind of furniture, as well as new alternatives, pointing out factors that directly or indirectly have interfered in the formal appearance of the products. It also analyzes the current stage of the practical usage of design in this sector and its position regarding other elements involved. Finally, this study emphasizes the effective contribution of wood based panels in the consolidation and improvement of furniture industry, collaborating with the implementation of rational processes of large-scale production, which could allow the access to the furniture market to virtually all income classes.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Hyung Jin Kim / Children’s play is partially satisfied through provision of public playgrounds with manufactured playground equipment in urban settings in the U.S., however, manufactured playground equipment is often criticized for its monotonous play equipment and is considered to be the primary cause of low playground utilization and dissatisfaction by many researchers (Hart, 2002; Beckwith, 2000; Cunningham & Jones, 1999; Davies, 1996; Masters, 2011). This study selected an urban park playground, a community playground, and a neighborhood park playground with manufactured equipment in the city of Manhattan as study sites. The purpose of this study is to examine utilization of the current playground areas and equipment—specifically by examining playground satisfaction levels and utilization frequency, and playground equipment satisfaction and utilization frequency to reveal playground utilization issues. A playground field audit and an on-site visitor survey were used to collect data. This study found (a) study playgrounds are underutilized among 6-to-10 and 11-to-15 age groups, (b) correlations exist between play equipment utilization frequencies and satisfaction ratings for most play equipment, and (c) no correlation exists between playground utilization frequency and playground satisfaction ratings. Results also revealed that (d) rare and occasional playground visitors are more likely to be attracted to play equipment with moving parts, higher physical challenges, and creative designs. Playground utilization rates are at current levels partially due to the rigid demand for playground use and play equipment. Although this study showed that 57% of survey participants were satisfied with the manufactured play equipment overall, play equipment should still be carefully selected and installed in consideration of different age groups, and visitors’ needs and characteristics; and more creative and cutting-edge play equipment should be considered for future playground improvements.

Within the last few decades, epidemiological evidence has linked exposure to air pollution, both its particles and its organic components, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) progression. CVD is a life long disease with the disruption of the endothelium being the inaugural event in this inflammatory process. The vascular endothelium is extremely susceptible to environmental insults given its tremendous surface area and that it is in constant contact with blood and components circulating within the blood, including xenobiotics. The endothelium is important as a barrier from blood constituents however, dysfunction of this barrier leads to the influx of lymphocytes and granulocytes that lead to the fatty build‐up characteristic of atherosclerosis. The studies presented in this dissertation tested the hypothesis that two unique environmental contaminants, alumina nanoparticles and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), lead to increased endothelial cell dysfunction, characterized by increased adhesion molecule expression. Alumina nanoparticles induced vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (VCAM‐1), intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1), and E‐selectin (ELAM‐1), as well as increased monocyte adhesion to activated endothelium. Polystyrene nanoparticles did not elicit this response. B[a]P induced ICAM‐1 expression, but only after toxification by aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) controlled enzymes. Silencing of either AhR or the membrane microdomains called caveolae attenuated the B[a]P‐induced ICAM‐1 response. It was also shown that the induction of ICAM‐1 occurred by signaling through MEK, p‐38 MAPK, and activator protein‐1 (AP‐1). These data provide a novel mechanism by which air pollutants like B[a]P may cause increased atherosclerosis and describe a new toxicant, alumina nanoparticles, as a possible threat for the development of inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis. Little is known about dietary interventions capable of alleviating xenobiotic‐induced toxicity. Nutrition is an obtainable and inexpensive means of possible preventative therapy. With this in mind, it was also hypothesized that plant polyphenols, such as flavonoids, can down‐regulate B[a]P‐induced ICAM‐1. Selective flavonoids, containing both a 4’ B‐ring hydroxyl substitution and a 2‐3 C‐ring double bond, protected against B[a]P‐induced ICAM‐1 activation, however this protection did not correlate with the flavonoid’s antioxidant capacity.

Despite the need for affordable housing, consumers have failed to recognize manufactured housing as a viable alternative to site-built housing. The decline in market share for manufactured housing and subsequent decrease in sales has threatened the sustainability of manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, and support organizations. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the extent that respondents' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, perceptions of manufactured home characteristics, and perceptions of manufactured home occupants and neighborhood characteristics predicted the acceptance of manufactured homes. The model of acceptance of manufactured homes provided the theoretical framework for the study. Data were collected from 2 surveys distributed among adult learners (n = 204) enrolled in a nontraditional degree-seeking program at university campuses in west Tennessee. One survey applied to single-section manufactured homes and another survey instrument applied to double-section homes. Correlation and multiple regression analyses techniques tested the hypotheses. Six of the 12 independent variables emerged as moderate predictors of manufactured home acceptance (R2 = .217), which were respondents' housing value, perceived manufactured home occupant behavior, perceived educational levels of manufactured home occupants, respondents' household size and composition, land-use mix, and respondents' neighborhood population range. The research findings may contribute to social change through providing a foundation for future research on variables that influence consumer perceptions about affordable housing choices.

There are over 3,700 active and decommissioned municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites located in Ontario (MOE, 1991). Under current legislation, these landfill sites must be rehabilitated to a defined end use when decommissioned. In Ontario, the primary prescribed end use of closed landfills is typically agriculture, and that end use can lead to food-consumer concerns, due to the perceived risk of potential contamination from legacy materials found in landfills. Converting these sites to produce biomass-energy crops instead of food crops could mitigate that concern and also help to avoid the current controversy with bioenergy-crop production on high-capability agricultural land. In this study, a 3.5-year field program with subsequent verification and analysis investigated and developed rehabilitation prescriptions using locally obtained topsoil and soil-forming materials (subsoil) to develop anthropogenic soil profiles on top of a sealed landfill cover (clay cap). These prescriptions provided crop productivity at least as good as, and generally better than, local agricultural soils. Mixed forages and biomass-specific crops (warm season grasses) were grown on these soils in replicated plot trials to evaluate the efficacy of a range of soil treatments. Following establishment of technical feasibility for site rehabilitation, economic modeling was conducted to determine the feasibility of using these anthropogenic soils for the production of forage crops, biofuel feedstock, and simple energy products at a scale consistent with typical landfill sites in Ontario. An economic model was developed to aid proponents in selecting appropriate rehabilitation methods and to assess potential bioenergy-crop outputs for their site. This study demonstrated that while it is technically feasible to rehabilitate these waste sites to produce agricultural crops and/or biofuel feedstock, the scale of typical landfill sites makes it very difficult to compete, from an economic perspective, with conventional energy sources. However, the diverted incoming materials, such as leaf and yard waste, compostable biosolids, and paper mill waste, can be used in the development of manufactured soil profiles for rehabilitation, significantly reducing rehabilitation costs and facilitating more cost-competitive production of agricultural and biomass feedstock crops. / Niagara Waste Systems Limited, a division of Walker Industries Holdings Limited, MITACS

Ce travail de recherche présente des concepts généraux pour l'évaluation de la performance des environnements de réalité virtuelle qui sont pertinents pour l'activité de conception des produits manufacturés. De plus il, vise à présenter aussi le contexte de la recherche pour l'industrie automobile thaïlandaise, car cette thèse soulaite elevelopper de nouvelles connaissances au profit de l'économie thaïlandaise. Cette recherche couve plusieurs contextes concernant l'interaction homme machine mais aussi l'évaluation de la réalité virtuel pour dans les secteurs industriels et éducatifs. L'état de l'art pertinent pour cette recherche comprend les thématiques: interface utilisateur, les problèmes liés aux facteurs humains, mais aussi l'évaluation de l'utilisabilité, le souhait ici est d'aller plus loin vers l'évaluation de l'utilité des système realité virtuelle. Nous devons identifier des critères abstraits d'évaluation dont, l'affordance, l'ergonomie, l'intuitivité, la tangibilité et la fatigue qu'implique ces environnement. Cette évaluation de l'environnement de réalité virtuelle nécessite le développement el' une method adapté à ces critères. Nous sommes spécifiquement intéressé par les étapes de conception ou de préparation de la fabrication, et plus particulièrement dus les activités d'assemblage et de simulation de mouvements. La conception d'un environnement de réalité virtuelle et la mise en œuvre d'une application informatique qui soutient l'évaluation de ces activités sont présentées. L'objectif principal d'une telle application reste l'évaluation de la performance des environnements de réalité virtuelle pour soutenir les tâches des concepteurs et des ingénieurs.Cette recherche a conduit à deux expériences: la première pour valider l'évaluation et la comparaison de la performance d'un environnement de realité virtuel par l'utilisation de capteurs de base mesmont la complétude de la tâche, sa durée et l'instabilité des gestes de l'utilisateur. La tâche testée connect ne l'assemblage de vis permettant l'analyse des mouvements de base tels que la translation, la rotation, l'orientation et l'insertion dans les alésages. Nous avons mis en œuvre l'expérience sur quatre environnements et avons invité 40 participants à notre protocole expérimental. La deuxième expérience a été organisée autour d'une simulation de mécanisme de came à barillet qui fonctionne avec un seul mouvement de rotation mais qui fournit une trajectoire 3D de complexe. Les experts en conception peuvent avoir des difficultés à anticiper le comportement de ce système. Ils éprouvent généralement des difficultés lors du réglage des paramètres de conception pour s'assurer que le mécanisme fonctionne bien. On étudie donc la capacité de la réalité virtuelle à surpasser ces difficultés. Si cette capacité est démontrée, il est également prévu d'évaluer et de comparer les performances du système d'environnement de la réalité virtuelle par l'utilisation d'une technique d'évaluation abstraite de haut niveau associée aux capteurs de bas niveau. Trente participants ont été impliqués dans cette expérience où les deux capteurs de base ont été capturés et des critères de haut niveau ont été évalués via un questionnaire. Encore une fois, les quatre environnements, y compris la stéréoscopie ou le dispositif haptique, ont été utilisés pour établir des comparaisons à l'égard de cette nouvelle tâche. / The aim of this research introduces general concepts for performance assessment of virtual reality environments which are relevant to the design activity of manufactured products. Moreover, it aims to present also the context of the research respect to the Thai automotive industry, because this thesis expect to build new knowledge for the benefit of Thailand economy. This research covers several contexts of Human-Computer Interaction research as well as evolution of the VR assessment in the industrial and educational sector. The state of the art with direct relevance for the current research includes: user interface, human factor issues but also usability assessment but the wish here is to go a step further towards utility assessment. This research focuses on abstract level assessment criteria including: affordance, ergonomics, intuitiveness, tangibility, and tiredness assessments. We propose and analyse an assessment method of virtual reality for given activities. We are specifically concerned by activities involved at design stage or at manufacturing preparation stage and we have a deep focus on assembly activity and motion simulation. The design of a virtual reality environment and the implementation of a computer application that supports the evaluation of these activities are presented. The main objective of such application remains the assessment of the performance of virtual reality environments to support the tasks of designers and engineers.This research consists of two main activities: The first experience to validate the evaluation and comparison of the performance of the VRES by the use of low basic sensors consisting of docking quality, task duration, and gesture instability sensor. The experimental task is a set of simple screw assemblies allowing the analysis of the basic movements such as translation, rotation, orientation, and insertion into the holes. We have implemented the experiment on four environments and invited 40 participants to our experiment protocol. The second experience was thus organized around a barrel cam mechanism simulation which is operated with a single rotation motion but which provides a complex cam 3D trajectory. Even design experts may have some difficulties to anticipate the behaviour of this system. They usually experience difficulties when tuning design parameters to ensure that the mechanism is working well. It is thus investigated virtual reality capacity to overpass these difficulties. If this capacity is demonstrated, it is also expected to evaluate and compare the performance of the virtual reality environment system by the use of high level abstract assessment technique combined with low level sensors. Thirty participants have been involved in an experience where both basic sensors and high level assessment criteria were captured. Four virtual reality environments including either stereoscopy or haptic force-feedback device were compared respect to a given task.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo desenvolver um método de controle de distorção adequado ao design de superfície de produto industrial, com forma tridimensional não planificável, produzido em larga escala, de modo a minimizar as distorções gráficas procedentes da aplicação de uma imagem bidimensional em um objeto tridimensional com superfície não planificável, considerando, principalmente, a complexidade da geometria do objeto. Essa pesquisa justifica-se quando se verifica o aumento de produtos com formas não planificáveis no mercado e a visível dificuldade dos profissionais em resolver problemas de distorções das imagens quando o objeto tem uma geometria complexa. Além disso, o estudo visa contribuir também com a redução de custos de desenvolvimento desse tipo de produto, já que estuda um método que possibilita a verificação digital, eliminando os custos físicos de tentativa e erro. O método utiliza recursos de representação paramétrica de superfícies, que viabilizam a manipulação de objetos tridimensionais complexos no meio computacional e que são definidos por equações que relacionam um domínio paramétrico plano e o espaço tridimensional. Para cada uma das dimensões (x, y e z) do espaço tridimensional, existe uma equação que faz a relação com o espaço paramétrico bidimensional de coordenadas u e v. Dentre esses recursos, os mais utilizados são: mapeamento de textura e render to texture. A indústria de desenhos animados e games tridimensionais costuma utilizar com frequência estes recursos computacionais para melhorar o realismo de suas imagens. Nesta pesquisa, estudase a possibilidade de direcionar essas ferramentas computacionais para a indústria de produtos físicos manufaturados produzidos em série. A pesquisa propõe-se estudar três casos de produtos com superfícies não planificáveis de materiais distintos e processos de produção diferentes entre si. A partir dos três estudos de casos é proposto o método que visa permitir a solução sistematizada dessa classe de problema relacionado às distorções. A verificação do método é realizada, com resultados significativos, em conjunto com três grandes empresas nacionais localizadas da região sul do Brasil. O primeiro estudo de caso consiste em uma tigela de cerâmica da empresa Oxford®; o segundo, uma chaleira de metal da empresa Tramontina®, e o terceiro, uma sandália de polímero da empresa Grendene®. Assim, por meio desta pesquisa, espera-se ampliar a área do conhecimento que circunscreve o design de superfície, ampliando os meios que facilitem a atividade projetual e apontando para a necessidade de instrumentos tecnológicos que venham facilitar os projetos de superfícies de objetos com formas não planificáveis. / This work aims to develop a distortion control method adequate for surface design of mass-produced industrial products with non-planable tridimensional shape, so as to minimize the graphic distortions resulting from the application of a bidimensional image onto a tridimensional object with non-planable surface, taking into consideration mainly the complexity of the object’s geometry. The justification for this research lies in the increase of products with nonplanable shapes available on the market and in the clear difficulty of professionals to solve image distortion problems when the object presents complex geometry. Besides, this research aims to contribute to the reduction of costs of developing this kind of product, seeing that it studies a method that enables digital verification so eliminating the physical costs of trial and error. The method uses resources of parametric representation of surfaces, which enable the manipulation of complex 3D objects in the computational environment, and which are defined by equations that relate one plane parametric domain and the tridimensional space. For each dimension (x, y e z) of the tridimensional space there is an equation that makes the relation with the bidimensional parametric space with coordinates u and v. The most frequently used computational resources are texture mapping and render to texture, which are often used by the industry of 3-D animation to improve the realism of their images. In this work we study the possibility to apply these computational tools in the industry of manufactured products. This research contemplates three case studies of products with non-planable surfaces of different materials and different manufacturing processes. We then propose a method that allows a systematized solution for distortion-related problems. The verification of the method, which showed meaningful results, was carried out together with three large national enterprises located in the southern region of Brazil. The first case study consists in a ceramic bowl by Oxford®; the second, a metal kettle by Tramontina®; and the third, a polymer sandal by Grendene®. With this research we expect to expand the field of knowledge in which surface design is inserted thus extending the resources for the projectual activity and pointing to the need for technological tools that may help with the projects of surfaces of objects with non-planable shape.