Thesis (M. S.)--Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Schaefer, Dirk; Committee Member: Panchal, Jitesh; Committee Member: Paredis, Chris; Committee Member: Rosen, David; Committee Member: Yoder, Douglas. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Ocean acidification and warming have been shown to affect a wide range of marine organisms and impact assemblages and ecosystems. Many of the species experiencing negative biological effects provide valuable ecosystem services, yet it is unclear how these biological effects will affect ecosystem services provision. This thesis aimed to appraise the consequences of ocean acidification and warming on important shellfish species, from physiology to provision of ecosystem services, using a multidisciplinary approach. The responses to ocean acidification and warming of two ecologically and commercially important species of oysters – the native European Flat oyster Ostrea edulis, and the non-native Pacific oyster Magallana gigas – were assessed in laboratory mesocosms following long-term exposures to a range of scenarios predicted for 2050 and 2100. Oysters provide numerous ecosystem services, including improvement of water quality, reef formation, and food provision, but are at risks from ocean acidification and other stressors due to negative impacts occurring at multiple life-stages and threatening reef maintenance and functioning (Chapter 1). The physiology of adult oysters appeared susceptible to ocean acidification and warming, with evident sub-lethal effects (Chapter 2). Magallana gigas experienced a greater degree of stress than O. edulis, displaying increased Standard Metabolic Rate, reduced Clearance Rate, and poorer Condition Indices. Reductions in Clearance Rates of M. gigas are especially concerning and may have important ecological impacts by limiting their ability to improve water quality in the future. The physiological changes experienced by individual oysters held important implications for the functioning of the reefs through changes in predation resistance. Again, M. gigas appeared to undergo more pronounced changes than O. edulis, displaying increased muscle strength but weakened shell strength. These changes are expected to alter its susceptibility to predators and influence community level interactions. Both O. edulis and M. gigas also underwent important changes to their biochemical composition with trends for impoverished nutritional quality, which holds direct implications on the provision of sea food. In particular, M. gigas contained lower lipid, carbohydrate, and protein levels, but higher contaminant concentration (copper); this change holds concerns for both future food security and future food safety. It was apparent that the physiological stress experienced (Chapter 2), led to significant energy reallocation from somatic growth to metabolism by depleting energetic reserves (Chapter 4), at the detriment of its nutritional quality. No negative effects on the eating quality of M. gigas (appearance, aroma, texture, taste, and overall acceptability) were recorded following a short-term exposure to ocean acidification and warming (Chapter 5), which was considered positive for the aquaculture sector. In order to secure future food provision and economic revenue, the UK aquaculture industry might need to reconsider its management strategy in the future, and encourage the production and consumption of O. edulis, in addition to the already popular M. gigas. It is clear that the impacts of ocean acidification and warming on oysters are multifaceted and occurring at multiple scales and levels of organisation. The risks to oysters and oyster reefs appear species-specific; in the UK, introduced M. gigas may be more vulnerable than native O. edulis. To secure benefits and minimise costs related to the management of introduced species, these findings could be integrated into the current management and conservation measures in place for these species and the reefs they can form.

abstract: This report provides an overview of scramjet-powered hypersonic vehicle modeling and control challenges. Such vehicles are characterized by unstable non-minimum phase dynamics with significant coupling and low thrust margins. Recent trends in hypersonic vehicle research are summarized. To illustrate control relevant design issues and tradeoffs, a generic nonlinear 3DOF longitudinal dynamics model capturing aero-elastic-propulsive interactions for wedge-shaped vehicle is used. Limitations of the model are discussed and numerous modifications have been made to address control relevant needs. Two different baseline configurations are examined over a two-stage to orbit ascent trajectory. The report highlights how vehicle level-flight static (trim) and dynamic properties change over the trajectory. Thermal choking constraints are imposed on control system design as a direct consequence of having a finite FER margin. The implication of this state-dependent nonlinear FER margin constraint, the right half plane (RHP) zero, and lightly damped flexible modes, on control system bandwidth (BW) and FPA tracking has been discussed. A control methodology has been proposed that addresses the above dynamics while providing some robustness to modeling uncertainty. Vehicle closure (the ability to fly a trajectory segment subject to constraints) is provided through a proposed vehicle design methodology. The design method attempts to use open loop metrics whenever possible to design the vehicle. The design method is applied to a vehicle/control law closed loop nonlinear simulation for validation. The 3DOF longitudinal modeling results are validated against a newly released NASA 6DOF code. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Electrical Engineering 2012

abstract: This dissertation considers an integrated approach to system design and controller design based on analyzing limits of system performance. Historically, plant design methodologies have not incorporated control relevant considerations. Such an approach could result in a system that might not meet its specifications (or one that requires a complex control architecture to do so). System and controller designers often go through several iterations in order to converge to an acceptable plant and controller design. The focus of this dissertation is on the design and control an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle using such an integrated system-control design framework. The goal is to reduce the number of system-control design iterations (by explicitly incorporate control considerations in the system design process), as well as to influence the guidance/trajectory specifications for the system. Due to the high computational costs associated with obtaining a dynamic model for each plant configuration considered, approximations to the system dynamics are used in the control design process. By formulating the control design problem using bilinear and polynomial matrix inequalities, several common control and system design constraints can be simultaneously incorporated into a vehicle design optimization. Several design problems are examined to illustrate the effectiveness of this approach (and to compare the computational burden of this methodology against more traditional approaches). / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Electrical Engineering 2014

A exploração de bacias petrolíferas do pré-sal, principalmente campos gigantes como o campo de Libra, na bacia de Santos, traz consigo demandas por sistemas capazes de operar com poços de alta capacidade de produção e em grandes profundidades. Nesse cenário, linhas de produção ou injeção (risers) rígidas em catenária livre apresentam a forma mais simples de solução para essas demandas. A utilização de risers rígidos em catenária livre, como já sabido, permite uma maior produtividade por linha devido a possibilidade de utilização de dutos de maiores diâmetros, ao mesmo tempo em que resistem a maiores pressões, possibilitando a exploração de forma mais eficiente de poços em grandes profundidades. No entanto, este tipo de solução, devido a sua natureza de maior rigidez quando comparado com dutos flexíveis, é submetida a esforços dinâmicos elevados impostos no topo do riser pela grande movimentação da embarcação, principalmente em operações em águas profundas, inviabilizando sua aplicação em unidades do tipo FPSOs convencionais, construídos a partir da conversão de um navio petroleiro. Este problema dinâmico é agravado pelas condições ambientais da região, que são mais severas do que as observadas na Bacia de Campos, tornando difícil a aplicação das tecnologias existentes. A alta produtividade dos poços do pré-sal da Bacia de Santos também estimula a utilização de plantas de processo de alta capacidade de processamento de óleo, maiores do que as utilizadas até hoje no offshore brasileiro. Estimativas iniciais mostram que estas plantas gigantes demandam uma área de convés muito maior do que as plataformas convencionais, e, mais do que isso, de uma maior largura (boca) da embarcação. Para atender requisitos tão conflitantes, foi desenvolvido o conceito ULFPSO (Unidade Flutuante de Produção, Armazenamento e Alívio Ultra-Larga), que se caracteriza por sua proa e popa circulares e pela presença do moonpool, de forma a viabilizar a conexão dos risers mais próximos ao centro de gravidade da plataforma, reduzindo assim o esforço dinâmico. Adicionalmente a forma do casco é otimizada para redução do nível de movimentos verticais, reduzindo os esforços dinâmicos nos risers. Nesta dissertação de mestrado serão apresentados os estudos relativos à comprovação de viabilidade do conceito, dividido em três etapas: A primeira com foco no entendimento do problema e dimensionamento preliminar da unidade; A segunda focada na avaliação experimental do conceito; E finalmente, a terceira, com objetivo de avaliar o modelo de síntese para otimização do projeto do casco, com base nos resultados obtidos nas fases anteriores. / The offshore exploitation of oil fields in the pre-salt, especially giant fields such as Libra, in the Santos basin, brings with it demands for systems capable of operating with high capacity production wells and at ultra-deep waters. In this scenario production or injection steel catenary risers present the simplest solution for these demands. As known in industry, the use of steel catenary risers in free-hanging configuration allows greater productivity per line due to the possibility of using pipes of larger diameters, at the same time withstand higher pressures, allowing for more efficient wells operation at great depths. However, due to its nature more rigid compared to flexible pipe, this kind of solution is subjected to high dynamic forces imposed on the top of the riser by the large movement of the vessel, especially in deepwater operations, impeding their application in FPSO conventional units, constructed from the conversion of an oil tanker. This dynamic problem is compounded by environmental conditions of the region, which are harsher than those observed in the Campos Basin, making it difficult to apply other extant technologies. The high productivity of the pre-salt of Santos Basin wells stimulate the use of plants to high-capacity oil processing process, larger than those used today in the Brazilian offshore. Initial estimates show that these plants require a much larger deck area than conventional platforms and, more than that, a greatest width (breadth) of the vessel. To satisfy such conflicting requirements, the ULFPSO (Ultra Large Floating Production, Storage and Offloading) concept was developed, which is characterized by its circular bow and stern and the presence of the moonpool, to enable the connection of the risers closest to the platform\'s center of gravity, thereby reducing the dynamic tension. Additionally, the hull shape is optimized to reduce vertical movements, reducing dynamic stresses on the riser. In this master\'s thesis will be presented studies on the proof of concept viability, divided into three stages: The first focused on understanding the problem and preliminary sizing of the unit; The second focused on the experimental evaluation of the concept; And finally, the third, to evaluate the synthesis model for optimizing hull design, based on the results obtained in the previous phases.

O trabalho voltado à saúde tem recebido uma atenção especial em dois enfoques: a humanização do atendimento e a formação de equipes multidisciplinares. A primeira propõe a valorização da dimensão psicossocial do atendimento, processo amplo, complexo, que passa pela quebra de protocolos, como a relação de autoridade entre profissional e paciente; a formação de equipes multidisciplinares encontra dificuldades inerentes ao caráter racional das ciências especializadas, que fragmenta o saber, perdendo a visão de totalidade. Promover a humanização e o trabalho multidisciplinar, foi a proposta de uma equipe atuando em uma academia de ginástica, criada para atender portadores de HIV/Aids. Formada por alunos e profissionais da Educação Física, Fisioterapia, Nutrição e Psicologia, a equipe reunia-se para discutir aspectos técnicos e psicossociais referentes ao atendimento. O presente estudo teve como objetivo identificar elementos relacionados à apropriação do trabalho, produção de conhecimento derivado do atendimento prestado, e seus desdobramentos para a formação do profissional envolvido. Entrevistas individuais, realizadas junto aos participantes da equipe, permitiram a identificação de conteúdos referentes à avaliação do trabalho realizado, cujos significados foram, posteriormente, agrupados em categorias temáticas: a) Integração, cujos conteúdos se referiam à interação na equipe e desta com as pessoas atendidas; b) Produção do Conhecimento, envolvendo elementos para a construção do saber dentro da equipe, enquanto produto da apropriação da experiência informal ou acadêmica; c) Avaliação, enquanto crítica e autocrítica sobre o trabalho realizado, em função de metas não atingidas ou relacionadas ao trabalho multidisciplinar; d) Perspectivas, ou propensões para a continuidade das atividades, sejam no programa ou na carreira profissional. Tais categorias temáticas, enquanto elementos subsidiários á criação de um background para o atendimento humanizado em saúde, apontam para necessidades de mudanças importantes nos processos de formação em saúde, envolvendo formas de apropriação do trabalho no interior das equipes multidisciplinares. / The work directed to health has received special attention in two approaches: the humanization of health service and the formation of multidisciplinary teams. The first one is considered to ad value to the psychosocial service, a wide and complex process which goes through protocol breaks, such as, the relation between professionals and patients; the formation of multidisciplinary teams finds difficulties inherent to the rational aspect of specialized sciences, that breaks up knowledge, losing the global vision. To promote the humanization and multidisciplinary approach was the proposal of a team working in a health club, established to take care of HIV/Aids patients. Created by students and professionals from Physical Education, Physiotherapy, Nutrition and Psychology, the team congregated itself to discuss technical and psychosocial aspects referring to the service. The present study had as a purpose, to identify elements related to the appropriation of work, knowledge production derived from the service, and its developments to the formation of involved professionals. Individual interviews, carried through the team´s participants, allowed the identification of contents referred to the evaluation of work covered, whose meanings were, later, grouped in thematic categories: a) Integration, whose contents related to the teams interaction and its interaction with the people taken care of; b) Knowledge production, involving elements to the construction of knowledge in the team, while a result of the appropriation of informal academic experience; c) Evaluation, while critical and self-critical on the carried work, either as a matter of unreached goals or not related to multidisciplinary work; d) Perspectives, or propensities for the continuity of the activities, either in the program or in the professional career. Such thematic categories, while subsidiary elements to the creation of a humanized service background in health, point to necessary and important changes in the process of health formation, involving forms of appropriation work inside the multidisciplinary teams.

This paper assumes that the student may be motivated to seek knowledge through various mechanisms, and many include the challenge and the joy of accomplishment as a strategy, which is known as a reward paradigm. This research aims to detect the current level of use of computer games as a tool for learning in vocational technical education at the Federal Institute Farroupilha (IF Farroupilha) and in a second step, analyze the potential unexplored games most cited on this. After submitting an online questionnaire to a group of teachers of IF Farroupilha, the information was analyzed, highlighting the three computer games most commonly used by them. The second part of relapsed analysis of the cognitive potential of, relating to, as a result, the characteristics of each of the analyzed games. The findings show that most teachers want to take games as an important tool in the learning process. However, point out difficulties in finding games that meet the needs related to the educational level in which they operate, indicating as necessary features to games the existence of mechanisms of adaptation to the level of knowledge shown by the user, collaborative environment, and multidisciplinary approach to content. / O presente trabalho parte do pressuposto que o discente pode ser motivado a buscar conhecimento por meio de diversos mecanismos, e muitos incluem o desafio e o prazer da conquista como estratégia, fato conhecido como paradigma da recompensa. Esta pesquisa tem o objetivo de detectar o atual nível de utilização de jogos computacionais como ferramenta de auxílio ao aprendizado no ensino técnico profissional no Instituto Federal Farroupilha (IF Farroupilha), bem como, em um segundo momento, analisar o potencial ainda não explorado dos jogos mais citados nesta. Após a submissão de um questionário online ao grupo de docentes do IF Farroupilha, as informações foram analisadas, destacando-se os três jogos computacionais mais utilizados pelos mesmos. A segunda parte da análise recaiu sobre o potencial cognitivo destes, relatando-se, na sequência, as características de cada um dos jogos analisados. As conclusões mostram que a maioria dos docentes deseja adotar jogos como ferramentas auxiliares no processo de aprendizagem. Porém, apontam dificuldades em encontrar jogos que satisfaçam as necessidades relativas ao nível educacional em que atuam, indicando como características necessárias aos jogos a existência de mecanismos de adaptação ao nível de conhecimento demonstrado pelo usuário, ambiente colaborativo, e abordagem multidisciplinar dos conteúdos.

Class of 2016 Abstract and Report / Objectives: An estimated 5.7 million Americans had heart failure (HF) in 2012 with an economic cost of $30.7 billion. By 2030 the prevalence of the disease is expected to increase by 46%. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services penalizes hospitals for 30-day readmissions. This study evaluated the effect of our multidisciplinary HF intervention on readmissions. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. Patients were identified from electronic inpatient admission records from January 1 to December 31, 2014. Patients who received any component of intervention were compared to patients who did not receive any intervention. Intervention included student pharmacist medication counselling, HF education, and post-discharge phone calls with Modified Morisky questionnaire. Age, sex, admission/discharge dates, readmission diagnosis, smoking status, ejection fraction, medications, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) conditions were collected. Results: A total of 221 patients with 249 discrete admissions were identified. No difference in age (p=0.42), sex (p=0.48), smoking status (p=0.10) existed between the groups. No difference in readmissions was found between patients receiving complete intervention and control (p=0.41) or patients receiving 1 or 2 intervention components and control (p=0.41). Patients with CCI score≥ 8 had greater risk of readmission compared to CCI scores 0-2 (OR 7.7, 95% CI 1.6-36.3, p=0.01). Conclusions: This analysis did not identify an intervention impact on 30-day readmissions in patients with HF; high CCI scores were associated with increased readmission risk. The intervention may be best targeted towards patients with high CCI scores as they have the highest readmission rate.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of a multidisciplinary pain management program on five measures of subjective psychosocial factors. Ninety-five participants in the comprehensive multidisciplinary treatment group and the standard medical intervention control group were surveyed about various psychosocial factors using Axis II of the West Haven - Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI), pre- to post-treatment. It was hypothesized that post-treatment levels would be significantly lower than pre-treatment levels for all five psychosocial variables. Additionally, gender and ethnicity variables were examined. Based on preliminary analyses indicating pre-treatment differences between the experimental and control group, five 2 x 2 x 3 analyses of covariances (ANCOVAs) were used to examine the above hypotheses. Results indicated significant differences between the treatment conditions on measures of control, with the comprehensive group feeling more in control than the standard group at post-treatment. No other significant main effects for treatment condition were found on the measures of pain severity, interference with daily activities, negative mood, or social support. However, a significant gender main effect was found for social support at post-treatment, with females reporting more social support than males. A significant gender x ethnicity interaction was also found for post-treatment control, with African-American females exhibiting higher levels of control than the other groups. Finally, a significant gender x treatment condition was found for negative mood, with males in the comprehensive group reporting more affective distress than those in the standard group. In this study, control appeared to be an integral factor in the chronic pain sample and greatly improved with comprehensive multidisciplinary treatment; while other areas of relative efficacy were not confirmed in this population.

The aim of this thesis was to examine the contribution of nurses to interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in the operating room (OR) guided by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Patient Care Practice (IECPCP) framework. First, a secondary analysis of interviews with 19 registered nurses was conducted. Twenty emergent themes were identified. The most prevalent of the four dimensions (internalization; shared goals and vision; governance; and formalization) consisted of the internalization dimension relating to human interaction and sense of belonging within the interprofessional team. A scoping review then identified 20 studies evaluating four interventions (briefings, checklists, team training, and debriefings) used to improve IPC in the OR. Despite weak study designs, these interventions showed improvements in communication, teamwork, and safety outcomes. OR nurses contribute mainly through interactional processes and they require organizational support to foster their efforts in IPC. Nurse are involved in all IPC interventions and their contribution is important to support IPC in the OR.