Project THINK was designed as a classroom project that combined the use of instructional multimedia technology, linked to the California History/Social Science standards, which engaged gifted middle school students in the design of these standards-based video materials.

see PDF

In this thesis, we investigate cooperation by applying OFDM signals to cooperative relay networks. We consider the single path relay network and the multiple path relay network. Using the amplify-and-forward relay algorithm, we derive the input-output relations and mutual informations of both networks. Using a power constraint at each relay, we consider two relay power allocation schemes. The first is constant gain allocation, where the amplifying gain used in the amplify-and-forward algorithm is constant for all subcarriers. The second is equal power allocation, where each subcarrier transmits the same power. The former scheme does not require CSI (channel state information), while the latter one does. We simulate the mutual informations using the two relay power allocation schemes. Results indicate that equal power allocation gives a slightly higher mutual information for the single path relay network. For the multiple path network, the mutual information is practically the same for both schemes. Using the decode-and-forward relay algorithm, we derive the input-output relations for both networks. The transmitter and each relay are assumed to have uniform power distributions in this case. We simulate the BER (bit error rate) and WER (word error rate) performance for the two networks using both the amplify-and-forward and decode-and-forward relay algorithms. For the single path relay network, amplify-and-forward gives very poor performance, because as we increase the distance between the transmitter and receiver (and thus, add more relays), more noise and channel distortion enter the system. Decode-and-forward gives significantly better performance because noise and channel distortion are eliminated at each relay. For the multiple path relay network, decode-and-forward again gives better performance than amplify-and-forward. However, the performance gains are small compared to the single path relay network case. Therefore, amplify-and-forward may be a more attractive choice due to its lower complexity.

Abstract In this thesis a new phenomenon called lay participatory design (PD) is described and defined. The work is based on a long-term historical and ethnographic field study in a non-profit community of dog breeders. The case community is committed to the understanding and support of indigenous dogs and their hunting skills through the improvement of breeding knowledge using information technology. This is conceptualized as a user-field-design perspective within a natural cultural historical IT context. The new design mode based on this perspective can be seen as infrastructuring, which integrates the activity, community, and IT. Once in actual use, new knowledge and IT is put into practice in the field, which is the actual focus of the change. As it is practice field-driven, lay PD differs conceptually and theoretically both from conventional and professional IT expertise and IS design models, and from representative-, design- or project-driven approaches to PD and to design ethnography. Because of the traditional division of labour in IS these approaches often take only the professionalized (IT) design as the starting point and ignore the epistemological interests of ordinary people, non-IT-professional users active in their own, everyday domains and in their own participative and collaborative practices in the field of practice. The use-field-design perspective, which is conceptualized in lay PD, is complementing these approaches because it takes seriously ordinary people/users as local designers who are competent with topics, everyday domains, activity and IT located in the related field of practice. The case shows that IT and the core activity of a community can be developed together, and that this co-development is sensible. The results of this study suggest that lay PD concepts can describe essential features of the design process for everyday communities of practice. As a bottom-up form of systems design using everyday knowledge, lay PD can be adopted in other domains and study areas. Thus, lay PD is one new member in the emerging family of Participatory Design, Social Shaping of Technologies, and End User Development-driven systems.

Zur Realisierung individualisierter Produkte halten agile Arbeitsweisen vermehrt Einzug in Prozesse von produzierenden Unternehmen. Dabei ist die Durchdringung agiler Arbeitsweisen durch die etablierten Prozesse in den Entwicklungsabteilungen produzierender Unternehmen aktuell sehr gering; ein Großteil der Unternehmen beginnt jedoch die punktuelle Einführung agiler Arbeitsweisen in ausgewählten Pilotprojekten. Die Anwendung agiler Arbeitsweisen führt in den Prozessen der Entwicklung physischer Systeme zu neuen Herausforderungen und unbekannten Entwicklungsrisiken, die den Vorteilen von Agilität gegenüberstehen. Deswegen ist die Einführung agiler Vorgehensweisen in die Prozesse der Entwicklung physischer Systeme ein Problemlösungsprozess. Die Art, nach der Agilität für einen Anwendungsfall gestaltet wird und in diesen eingeführt wird muss demnach zum Anwendungsfall passen und ist stets individuell. Um diese Individualität in der Einführung agiler Arbeitsweisen zu ermöglichen wurden in Vorarbeiten bereits 228 Faktoren identifiziert, die Einfluss auf die agilen Arbeitsweisen verschiedener Organisationeinheiten haben. Die gezielte Beeinflussung ausgewählter Einflussfaktoren durch geeignete agile Methoden führt zu einer Anwendungsfall-spezifischen Gestaltung und Einführung agiler Vorgehensweisen und erhöht die Eignung des Ansatzes im Vergleich zu einer Anpassungs-freien Einführung. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird eine Verknüpfung der Faktoren erarbeitet, um Schlüsselfaktoren abzuleiten. Durch die gezielte Beeinflussung dieser soll die Veränderung durch die Einführung agiler Methoden hinsichtlich ihrer Ausbreitung in den Entwicklungskontext gezielt verstärkt werden. Analog zum Szenario Management werden bezüglich der Faktoren mittels einer Vernetzungsanalyse verschiedene Kennzahlen ermittelt. Basierend auf der Analyse kann die Tragweite der Einführung von agilen Methoden genauer eingeschätzt werden und die zielgerichtete Auswahl von agilen Methoden für die Einführung in die Prozesse der physischen Produktentwicklung unterstützt werden.

Manufacturing facilities need control for sustainability and longevity. If no control is provided for the manufacturing facility, then chaos can be unleashed causing much alarm. Therefore, it is essential to understand how control can be utilized to support the manufacturing facility and the corresponding manufacturing processes. This thesis will walk through a tool to help provide control and that tool is a Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Thisthesis will start with research to defineMESand its implications, then will work into the development of MES from the ground up. The design process willbe systematic and utilize the Collective System Design (CSD) approach with the aiding tool of the axiomatic decomposition map. Then examples will be given for the implementation and execution of the decomposition map as it relates to inventory and traceability. Finalwork will show the 7 FRs ofmanufacturing and how they are applicable to MES with given examples. Throughout the entire design and implementation, the initial hypothesis will be evaluated to determine if MES can provide the control requiredfor a robust manufacturing facility.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the weaknesses of current e-learning environment development models and to establish a comprehensive e-learning environment development model (EEDM). In the literature study I established the components of a comprehensive EEDM by looking at five existing models. The main concern in all of the models is the lack of configuration management, which lead to the investigation of other characteristics that an EEDM should have to be described as a comprehensive model. I then used these characteristics to establish the E-learning Dome - a comprehensive EEDM. The E-learning Dome consists of three layers, namely the Infrastructure layer, E-learning administration layer and the Course development layer. The Quality Dome encompasses the combination of these three layers. Through the use of case studies to test the feasibility of the E-learning Dome I concluded that the E-learning Dome is successful as a comprehensive EEDM. / Theoretical Computing / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

Thesis (M. Tech.: Information Technology)-Dept. of Information Technology, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 xiv, 170, [20] leaves / This study examines the efficiency, ease of use and ease of understanding of user interface designs implemented in current e-commerce websites. Four South African based e-commerce websites formed the test cases of this study. Selection of the test cases was based on the results and conclusions of previous surveys conducted by an independent research institution. The outcome of that survey identified the most popular e-commerce websites among South African internet users.

Thesis (MScEng)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis is concerned with unsteady, one-dimensional flow, which closely mimics those found in the manifolds of internal combustion engines. The physical equations describing problems of this nature are presented and some of the important concepts introduced. These equations and concepts were verified by comparison to published results. The Method of Characteristics (MaC) for unsteady one-dimensional flow with friction and heat transfer was used to analyse the gas flow through the inlet and exhaust systems of an engine. The theoretical derivation of unsteady gas dynamic boundary conditions is presented and the integration with the unsteady pipe flow explained. A simulation flow model was developed to analyse the flow by using the Mae. Thisflow model was then incorporated into an engine simulation program, ESA,to simulate internal combustion engines and to predict the performance of a specific engine. A cam-profile model and an in-cylinder thermodynamic model are used to complete the ESAsoftware. Experimental work was done on a modified Nissan Z24/NA20 engine to evaluate the simulation model. The manifolds of the Nissan Z24/NA20 were modified to isolate one of the cylinders for a proper single cylinder model. More experimental work was done on a Volkswagen 1.6£ 8-valve and a 1.6£ 20-valve engine to obtain performance data on two inlet manifolds developed using the ESAsoftware. Performance data and pressure traces in the inlet manifold of the Nissan Z24/NA20 were recorded for comparison with the ESA software. Good correspondence was found between tested and modelled data and the differences varied between ±5% on engine performance data and pressure wave frequency predictions, and ± 10% on pressure pulse amplitudes. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis handeloor bestendige, eendimensionele vloei, wat die gasvloei in spruitstukke van binnebrandenjins naboots. Die nodige vergelykings wat hierdie tipe probleme beskryf asook van die belangrikste konsepte, word bespreek. Hierdie vergelykings en konsepte is met behulp van gepubliseerde data geverifieer. Die Metode van Karakteristieke (MVK) vir bestendige, eendimensionle vloei met wrywing en warmte oordrag, is gebruik om die gasvloei deur inlaat en uitlaat sisteme van 'n enjin te analiseer. Die teoretiese afleiding van bestendige gasdinamiese randvoorwaardes asook hul integrasie met die bestendige pypvloei, word verduidelik. 'n Simulasie vloeimodel is ontwikkelom die vloei met behulp van die metode van karakteristieke te analiseer. Hierdie vloeimodel is deel van 'n omvattende enjinsimulasie program, ESA. Dit word gebruik om binnebrandenjins te simuleer en enjinwerkverrigting te voorspel. 'n Nokprofielmodel en 'n termodinamiese ontbrandingsmodel word gebruik om die enjinsimulasie program af te rond. Eksperimentele toetse op 'n gemodifiseerde Nissan Z24/NA20 enjin is gebruik om die simulasie model te evalueer. Die spruitstukke van die Nissan Z24/NA20 is aangepas om een van die silinders te isoleer om so 'n geskikte enkelsilindermodel te skep. Verdere eksperimentele toetse is gedoen op Volkswagen 1.6£8- klep en 1.6£ 20-klep enjins. Werkverrigtingsdata is verkry op twee nuwe inlaatspruitstukke wat met behulp van die ESAsagteware ontwerp is. Werkverrigtingsdata en drukverdelingsdata in die inlaatspruitstuk van die Nissan Z24/NA20is aangeteken om te vergelyk met die resultate van die ESAsagteware. Goeie ooreenstemming is verkry tussen toets- en gemoduleerde data. Die verskille varieer tussen ±5% op enjin werkverrigtingsdata en drukpulsfrekwensie voorspellings, en ± 10%op drukpuls-amplitudes.

For large organizations, updating instructional programs presents a challenge to keep abreast of constantly changing business processes and policies. Each time a process or policy changes, significant resources are required to locate and modify the training materials that convey the new content. Moreover, without the ability to track learning objects to processes and policies, training managers cannot conduct an effective training gap analysis in these areas. As a result, the corporate training picture is unclear and instructional needs cannot be accurately determined. The research addressed these problems by recognizing the need for linkages between an organization's business processes, its policies, and the learning objects that package the corresponding training content and deliver it to the workforce. The overall investigation was completed in three parts. In the first study, a thorough examination of the literature was conducted to determine the extent of the research problem and to provide a theoretical foundation for a solution. In the second study an expert panel was used to elicit user needs for a knowledge management system that addresses training management shortcomings in a large law enforcement agency. Another expert panel from that agency validated and prioritized the user needs during the third study. Through a combination of research-based elicitation and validation techniques, an accurate list of natural language software requirements emerged to represent the collective needs of the law enforcement training experts. The software requirements may now serve to analyze the capabilities of existing information technology systems or to form the basis for a request for proposal (RFP) to build the envisioned knowledge management system.