Glaucoma is a group of diseases that lead to a progressive loss of vision in the majority of the cases due to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness after cataract. According to the National Eye Institute's report, there were almost 2.7 million detected cases in the United States in 2010.Everybody older than 40, African Americans and Hispanics at any age, are at high risk and would need frequent IOP measurement in order to diagnose the disease at an early stage. Majority of the existing tonometers measure the IOP through the cornea and their operation requires clinical professionals. As a result, the measurement has to take place at the doctor's office and requires local anesthesia. This work demonstrates a novel multi-probe tactile-tonometer, which is operated by the patients and measures the IOP through their eyelid. Finite element (FE) models were used to estimate the static, mechanical response of the eye, due to indentation at different IOPs. The models include hyperelastic behavior of the sclera and cornea. The thickness variation of the sclera, throughout the geometry was also considered. Volumetric constraint was applied on the eye cavity, but its actual anatomic structure was neglected. In-vitro indentation tests were performed on enucleated porcine eyeballs, as a proof of concept of tactile-tonometry. Eye/patient specific calibration method was demonstrated, in order to further improve accuracy ("Forward Biomechanics"), and in-vivo estimation of biomechanical properties of the eye ("Inverse Biomechanics"). The method uses simplified FE models and a feed forward artificial neural network (ANN). The tactile-tonometer was implemented for human use, and clinical studies were performed on a small number (10) of human subjects. Based on the measurements from the recruited 10 patients (3 females, 7 males) with a mean age ±SD of 43±19.33 and the measured IOP range of 9.25-21.25mmHg, the novel technique has a mean of differences of ≈ 0mmHg and its 95% limits of agreement are ±4.84mmHg with respect to the Goldmann Applanation Tonometer.

Windows provide building occupants with important physiological and psychological benefits but are absent from many indoor spaces. It is argued that most existing attempts at compensating for an absence of windows fall short because they lack either outdoor environmental information or sensory stimulation. A wind-animated digital-tree shadow was used to test this hypothesis. The work concludes that the following strategies are likely to help most to compensate for an absence of windows: (1) establishing a live connection with the outdoors; (2) introducing controllable sensory variation into a space; (3) making such change a source of natural environmental information. It is suggested that these approaches could be helpful used either separately or in combinations but that a live connection with the outdoors that introduces controllable naturally-generated change into a space would likely be most effective. The video files that accompany this thesis show the digital shadow with wind and computer generated movement.

本研究使用PND和PEM對106篇單一受試研究進行後設分析，藉以了解實驗處理對於搗亂行為的影響效果。當研究者以原作者對於實驗處理效果的判斷作為效標時，使用PEM進行後設分析的效度是可以被接受的。本研究並分析實驗處理、研究特徵和受試者特徵與處理效果的關係，獲得下列研究結果：1.不同的實驗處理對降低搗亂行為有不同影響效果；2.研究設計、治療者身分、實驗情境、性別、受試者症狀特徵、搗亂行為種類對實驗處理效果有顯著影響。本研究建議學校人員接受有關於矯正搗亂行為的行為改變技術訓練是必要的，教師如能在教室活動中發展合適的課程和教導學生適當的溝通反應將有助於降低搗亂行為。 / A meta-analysis of 106 single-subject studies was conducted utilizing the PND and PEM approaches to investigate treatment effectiveness in reducing disruptive behavior. The validity of the PEM approach was acceptable based on original authors’ judgments of treatment effect. Variables were analyzed for covariation between treatment effectiveness and interventions, study characteristics, and subject characteristics. The following results were obtained: (a) interventions had significant influence on treatment effectiveness; (b) study design, intervenor, setting, sex, diagnosis, and target behaviors showed systematic relation to treatment outcomes. Suggestions are made that it is necessary for staff in schools to receive adequate training in treating disruptive behavior with the use of behavior modification techniques, and it is potentially useful for the reduction of disruptive behavior if teachers develop suitable curriculum and teach appropriate communicative responses in classroom activities.