Our lives are composed of multiple rhythms, but many of us, living in Western industrialised societies, believe that the world is moving ever faster. Many of us also feel the range of negative impacts that this supposed condition of acceleration brings to everyday life, to social interac- tions and to the natural world. From attempting to reconfigure our bodies through caffeine and other stimulants to working longer hours to manage the rush, or wondering how it is damaging our environment, we all eventually experience a sense of powerlessness regarding this supposed rule of acceleration. Acceleration, however, does not correspond to how the world is, but how it is presented for some people, in some situations. The notion of acceleration as a universalised condition is just an expression of dominant narratives of time, which are embedded in accounts of what it means to be modern or postmodern, and which have been recently demystified in the social sciences and the humanities. The world is comprised of multiple temporal expressions, which con- tinue to play important roles in our lives, despite being disregarded within dominant narratives. This thesis analyses the role of these narratives as well as different approaches to time in design. It suggests that the hegemony of such accounts has been restricting design practice in three main ways: 1. by monopolising designers’ understandings of time and precluding the exploration of alternative expressions and more recent theoretical work on time; 2. by locating temporality within technological artefacts and systems and ignoring the breadth of expressions beyond and around these technologies; and 3. by simplifying proposals for a diversification of temporal notions that would otherwise contribute to promoting more varied perceptions of rhythms. This simplification is particularly noticeable in the outcomes of the Slow Technology and Slow Design movements, which have failed to acknowledge such narratives and have become integrated in them rather than challenging them. The research proposes Temporal Design as a new perspective on time in design, one focused not on a particular rhythm or temporal expression, but on the multiplicity of ways in which we all inhabit time, in its contrasts, combinations, changes and superpositions. Temporal Design is based on three principles: 1. identifying dominant narratives and attempting to challenge them so as to reveal more nuanced expressions of time; 2. drawing attention to specific alternative temporalities; and 
3. tactically exposing networks of times so as to illustrate multiplicity and variety. The research invites designers to disturb taken-for-granted notions as a method of approaching principle (1) outlined above. It discusses the limitations of current Speculative and Critical De- sign approaches to tackling more complex issues of time, proposing instead a critical affirmative attitude toward approaching principles (2) and (3) outlined above. Temporal Design is explored in this research via three design interventions, namely the Family Clock, the Printer Clock and the TimeBots, which have been performed in both family homes and schools. The interviews conducted in the context of these interventions showed how domi- nant narratives are deeply embedded in the language used to describe temporal expressions. The interviews, however, also demonstrated how multiple temporalities are manifest beneath these concepts, how practices come together to construct multiple expressions of time and how temporal interpretations are essentially detached from issues of value. Most importantly, the interventions demonstrate how designers can foster temporal empathy, and disclose more nuanced, situated and complex temporalities and rhythms. Many authors have argued that design has the power to change perceptions of the world. By shifting the focus from individual modes to diversity, Temporal Design attempts not only to change the way designers perceive and approach time, but also to change more broadly the way designed artefacts and systems come to affect temporal perceptions among the general public. Perhaps through design, we will all come to recognise that acceleration is not the rule, but just one among many expressions of the rich temporal texture that constitutes time in the world.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Fig. in transparencies. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 121-128).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-128). Also available in print.

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Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

La plupart des épisodes de pollution atmosphérique intense apparaissent lors des situations des vents faibles. Les modèles de pollution atmosphérique surestiment ou sous-estiment les concentrations dans ces conditions, en fonction des modèles des écarts-types (σi avec i=x,y,z) de dispersion auxquels ils sont associés. Ceci a été mis en évidence dans la première partie de cette thèse où on a évalué l’efficacité de 5 modèles de dispersion associés à 6 modèles des écarts-types, en se servant de 5 bases des données internationales. Dans la deuxième partie, nous avons développé deux modèles écarts-types de dispersion (S_LMEE_Ond et S_LMEE_Taylor) à partir de bases de données expérimentales appropriées. On a montré ainsi que pour les vents faibles, la vitesse instantanée du vent est non-stationnaire et qu’elle est caractérisée par des fluctuations rapides (aléatoires ou turbulentes) et des fluctuations lentes (organisées). Les fluctuations turbulentes favorisent le mélange des particules à l’intérieur du panache et les fluctuations lentes entrainent leur transport horizontal. Les modèles des écarts-types développés dans cette thèse semblent mieux appropriés pour étudier la dispersion des particules par faibles vents. Le modèle S_LMEE_Taylor est fonction du module moyen de la vitesse du vent (V) et des écarts-types des fluctuations organisées (σu et σv). Des modèles ARX multivariables et autorégressifs ont été développés dans un environnement MATLAB pour la prédiction de ces paramètres avec un horizon de 10 mn et 30 min. / The most intense air pollution episodes occur in situations of low winds. The air pollution models overestimate or underestimate the levels in these conditions, according to models of standard deviations (σi with i = x, y, z) dispersion which they are associated. This was highlighted in the irst part of this thesis where we evaluated the efficacy of five models of dispersal patterns associated with six standard deviations, using five international databases. In the second part, we have developed two models of dispersal standard deviations (S_LMEE_Ond and S_LMEE_Taylor) from experimental databases appropriate. It has been shown and for light winds, the wind speed is non-stationary and ischaracterized by rapid fluctuations (random or turbulent) and slow fluctuations (organized). Turbulent fluctuations promote mixing of particles within the plume and slow fluctuations leading to their horizontal transport. Models of deviations developed in this thesis seem more appropriate to study the dispersion of particles by low winds. The model is based on the module S_LMEE_Taylor average wind speed (V) and standard deviations of fluctuations organized (σu and σv). ARX models and multivariate autoregressive have been developed in MATLAB to predict these parameters with a 10 min and 30 min.

Globalization and industrialization has allowed designers and artists to visualize and create artifacts and consumer goods at an extremely rapid rate. As a result, the public consumes and disposes of these objects at a rapid rate as well because these objects are readily available and inexpensive. Technological innovation, clever advertising, and fleeting design trends have led people to overconsumption and obsession over ownership of objects. The integration of computer aided design technologies into object making practices has accelerated the rate of production and consumption. Material objects have become disposable which has proven to have a negative impact on the environment. I am employing Computer Numerical Control and Rapid Prototyping technologies to design and produce functional pieces out of wood and metal. Mechanical production enables me to experiment with form and surface texture but also eliminates direct physical contact with the object. This disconnect causes a tension between the method of production and the intended interaction and interpretation between user and object. This tension influences my work and my objective is to reconcile the rather impersonal production techniques by creating functional objects that evoke feelings of slowness, appreciation and physical interaction. My master's research is to create objects that involve the user in a kinesthetic and sensual experience in order to evoke an emotional response and establish an interaction beyond the appreciation of the visual. I am experimenting with the application of surface texture in order to design objects that can engage the user in a more substantial and personal experience through touch. Through this engagement it is my hope that the life cycle of the object can be extended in order to slow down the cycle of production and consumption.

One of the important topics in sleep medicine is sleep structure. Normal sleep consists of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and nonrapid eye movement (NRME) sleep states. NREM sleep can be further classified into stage 1, 2 and slow wave sleep (SWS) according to the current sleep scoring standard. Among them, SWS has been considered to be very important due to its r restorative value. The goal of this research is to detect SWS by using a single channel EEG signal. Its applications can be divided into two phases. In the first phase, a personalized SWS detector is designed for each individuals By combining these personalized SWS detectors, the second phase develops a general SWS detection method that can be applied to general population with any personalized training process. By applying the proposed method to 62 persons, the experimental results show that the proposed method, in average, achieves 90.69% classification accuracy 90.09% sensitivity and 93.97% specificity. Our experimental results also demonstrate, when applied to persons with higher AHI (apnoea-hypopnea index) values, the proposed method can still provided satisfactory results.

This study aims at sleep stage classification problem via EOG signals. The classification problem consists of four steps. The first step is to distinguish slow wave sleep from the rest of the sleep periods. Wake periods are identified in the second step. The third step finds REM sleep and the last step classifies stage 2 and stage1 sleep. By using different EOG signal features in different steps of the classification process, this work uses back-propagation trained neural networks to perform classification. With the exception of stage 1 sleep, the sensitivity and positive predictive value ranges from 70% to 80%. The overall classification accuracy is 74.80%.

Photonic crystals are optical materials where patterning of dielectrics on sub-wavelength length scales creates unusual optical properties such as waveguides with propagation speeds much slower than the vacuum speed of light. In this thesis, I examine the classical and quantum optical properties of such structures, specifically the enhancement of photon emission rate from a single quantum dot embedded in the waveguide (the Purcell Effect) and extrinsic scattering from an injected waveguide mode due to fabrication imperfections. The photon emission rate is found to be significantly enhanced over a large bandwidth in slow light photonic crystal waveguides and I provide detailed results for optimizing the emission properties of a novel photonic crystal ridge waveguide to suite a given application. Using an incoherent scattering theory, I show how slow light propagation enhances extrinsic scattering from unavoidable manufacturing imperfections leading to back scattering and radiation loss that scale with the group velocity v_g, as v_g^{-2} and v_g^{-1} respectively. I then improve the modeling of scattering using a coherent, multiple scattering approach to explain the experimental observation of disordered resonances in slow light waveguide modes. The theoretical predictions show good agreement with experimental measurements. This document provides a thorough introduction to the properties and problems of slow light photonic crystal waveguides. / Thesis (Master, Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-03 12:29:01.696