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When working with a new group of people, it is common practice to create a Community Agreement in pursuit of quality outcomes. This tool uses dialogue to methodically outline the desired educational or creative environment, democratically articulating the commitments and expectations to remain in place throughout the duration of the group's existence and setting all participants in accord with the work to come. However, the Community Agreement can fail to support individual participants during moments of inevitable tension. In such moments, participants may experience unplanned emotional or physical reactions in response to triggering material or ideas. To navigate these reactions and ensure the Community Agreement is sustained throughout the entire process, it is necessary to introduce specific operational tools. One solution lies in Liz Lerman's Critical Response Process (CRP) and Theatrical Intimacy's boundary-establishing practice of "Button," which are tools commonly found within the theatrical setting that strategically work to guide participants through moments of heightened tension so they can return their focus to the overall objective. This thesis begins by demonstrating an instance where the Community Agreement fails to support participants when uncontrollable discourse arises in the graduate classroom. I present the addition of CRP and "Button" as appropriate and effective solutions to remedy this observed weakness and test them in the undergraduate classroom. Turning focus to my field of study, the last part of this thesis contextualizes these dialogical tools in the Theatre for Young Audiences field, offering suggestions regarding the application of these tools with Elementary, Middle, and High School students.

The developing stages of communication system for the physically disabled persons with speech and language impairments are presented in this master job. The system was developed in pursuance of international Eureka project E! 2707. The author tried to take notice of disables situation in society of 21’st century and tried to formulate the problems witch appearing then disables trying to use modern communication technologies (internet, e-mail, text typing). A review of compensation method for disables was done. Also the market of compensatory devices was reviewed. Only when analysis of users was done, compensatory methods for physically disabled person was review, and facilities was sum up, the model of communications system and the demo version of software for the physically disabled persons with speech and language impairments was created. The design software lets to type text, to use e-mail possibilities, to browse Internet. All these functions can be achieved using one or two ON-OFF buttons and virtual keyboard. The experiments shows that is possible to achieve text typing speed approximately 20 symbols per minute.

This MA thesis seeks to apply Henri Bergson’s theory of time to a reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and David Fincher’s film adaptation of the text, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. By applying Bergson’s notions of durée and simultaneity, timeless moments will be seen to emerge in the text and the film. I place Fitzgerald’s text in context with other seminal modernist works in order to provide a study of the importance of the story within its time period. Through Deleuze’s application of Bergson to cinema, I analyze the evolution of the time-image within Fincher’s film, and place it within the context of a cinema of time. Ultimately, this thesis begins a discussion of the importance of how F. Scott Fitzgerald and Fincher’s works contribute meditations on time in their respective time periods and media.

Gegenstand der Dissertation ist ein ehemals wichtiger Zweig der sächsischen Bekleidungs- und Textilwirtschaft - die Knopfherstellung. Dargestellt wird dabei aber nicht ausschließlich die kulturgeschichtliche Entwicklung des "Objektes Knopf", sondern vorrangig die Herausbildung der Knopfherstellung als eigenständiger Zweig der sächsischen Wirtschaft vom Zunfthandwerk über die Manufaktur bis hin zur Fabrikindustrie von nationaler und weltwirtschaftlicher Bedeutung. Die Herstellung von Knöpfen oblag nicht einem Handwerk allein. Entsprechend dem verwendeten Material gehörten die daraus gefertigten Knöpfe zum Produktionssortiment verschiedener Handwerker. Knöpfe aus Messing, Tombak, Zinn, Eisen oder Stahl gehörten hauptsächlich zum Arbeitsgebiet der Gürtler, Nadler und Zinnknopfmacher. Teilweise veredelten sie ihre Knöpfe durch vergolden oder versilbern. Knöpfe aus Holz, Bein, Elfenbein oder Perlmutt fertigten vorrangig die Drechsler. Gold- und Silberschmiede verarbeiteten die edlen Metalle Gold und Silber für ihre Knöpfe. Demgegenüber verwendeten Knopfmacher und Posamentierer zumeist Garn, Wolle, Seide oder Gold- und Silbergespinste für ihre Knöpfe. Die Innungen der Gürtler, Nadler, Knopfmacher, Posamentierer und Drechsler dominierten die Knopfherstellung in Sachsen bis ins 19. Jahrhundert. Angehörige dieser Innungen gründeten die ersten Manufakturen in der 2. Hälfte des 18. Jh. und richteten in der 1. Hälfte des 19. Jh. die ersten Knopffabriken ein. In der 2. Hälfte des 19. Jh. entwickelte sich die sächsische Knopfindustrie hinter der in Preußen zur zweitstärksten ihrer Art in Deutschland. Die Dissertation behandelt den Zeitraum von 1763 bis 1933 und berücksichtigt die jeweilige territoriale Ausdehnung Sachsens in der entsprechenden Zeit.

Facebook is in the forefront when it comes to technical development and allowing new and faster communication opportunities. In this study, one of the latest technical additions on Facebook is being researched; namely the reaction-button. The aim of this paper is to understand the usage of the reaction-button as well as its impact on interpersonal communications, immediacy and speed in society. The research focuses on six different themes; Culture of Speed, Social acceleration, Space and time, Media richness, Immediacy as well as Telemediation. Empirical material have been collected through qualitative Think-aloud interviews and quantitative content analysis. The research is, among other things, questioning the actual need of a reaction-button and whether it is used the way it is intended. Furthermore, it presents the problematics within a potential harm on social relationships, a loss in communicative value and an inactive behavior caused by the obsession about speeding up online social interactions.

Molten Carbonate Fuel cells are high temperature fuel cells suitable for distributed generation and combined heat and power, and are today being installed on commercial basis in sizes from 100kW to several MW. Novel applications for MCFC which have attracted interest lately are MCFC used for CO2 separation from combustion flue gas, and high temperature electrolysis with reversible fuel cells. In the first application, the intrinsic capability of the MCFC to concentrate CO2 from the cathode to the anode side through the cell reaction is utilized. In the second application, the high operating temperature and relatively simple design of the MCFC is utilized in electrolysis, with the aim to produce a syngas mix which can be further processed into hydrogen of synthetic fuels. In this thesis, the effect on fuel cell performance of operating a small lab-scale molten carbonate fuel cell in conditions which simulate those that would apply if the fuel cell was used for CO2 separation in combustion flue gas was studied. Such operating conditions are characterized especially by a low CO2 concentration at the cathode compared to normal operating conditions. Sulfur contaminants in fuel gas, especially H2S, are known poisoning agents which cause premature degradation of the MCFC. Furthermore, combustion flue gas often contains sulfur dioxide which, if entering the cathode, causes performance degradation by corrosion and by poisoning of the fuel cell. This makes poisoning by sulfur contaminants of great concern for MCFC development. In this thesis, the effect of sulfur contaminants at both anode and cathode on fuel cell degradation was evaluated in both normal and in low CO2 simulated flue gas conditions.      The results suggested that the poisoning effect of SO2 at the cathode is similar to that of H2S at the anode, and that it is possibly due to a transfer of sulfur from cathode to anode. Furthermore, in combination with low CO2 conditions at the cathode, SO2 contaminants cause fuel cell poisoning and electrolyte degradation, causing high internal resistance. By using a small lab-scale MCFC with commercial materials and standard fuel cell operating conditions, the reversible MCFC was demonstrated to be feasible. The electrochemical performance was investigated in both fuel cell (MCFC) and electrolysis cell (MCEC) modes. The separate electrodes were studied in fuel cell and electrolysis modes under different operating conditions. It was shown that the fuel cell exhibited lower polarization in MCEC mode than in MCFC mode, and a high CO2 concentration at the fuel cell anode reduced the polarization in electrolysis mode, which suggested that CO2 is reduced to produce CO or carbonate. / Smältkarbonatbränsleceller (MCFC) är en typ av högtemperaturbränsleceller som är anpassade för kombinerad el- och värmeproduktion i mellan-till stor skala. Idag installeras MCFC på kommersiell basis i storlekar mellan 100kW och flera MW. En ny typ av tillämpning för MCFC som har väckt intresse på senare tid är användandet av MCFC för CO2-avskiljning i kombination med konventionell elproduktion genom förbränning. En annan ny tillämpning är högtemperaturelektrolys genom användandet av reversibla bränsleceller. I det första fallet utnyttjas att CO2 kan koncentreras från katod- till anodsidan, vilket sker genom cellreaktionen för MCFC. I det andra fallet utnyttjas den höga arbetstemperaturen och den relativt enkla cell-designen för att använda reversibla MCFC till elektrolys, med syfte att producera en syngas-blandning som kan förädlas till vätgas eller till syntetiskt bränsle. I denna avhandling studeras effekten på bränslecellens prestanda genom att operera en MCFC i lab-skala med driftförhållanden som simulerar de som förväntas uppkomma om bränslecellen användes för CO2-avskiljning ur rökgaser från förbränning. Dessa driftförhållanden karaktäriseras av låg CO2-koncentration på katodsidan jämfört med normal drift. Svavelföroreningar i bränsle, speciellt H2S, är kända för att orsaka förgiftning av anoden, vilket i sin tur försämrar bränslecellens prestanda. Dessutom innehåller rökgaser ofta SO2, vilket antas orsaka korrosion och förgiftning av katoden. Detta gör effekten av svavelföroreningar till ett prioriterat ämne för utvecklingen av MCFC. I denna avhandling undersöks effekten av svavelföroreningar på både anod- och katodsidan, i normala driftförhållanden och i förhållanden med låg CO2 som simulerar användandet av rökgaser för CO2-avskiljning. Resultaten tyder på att effekten av förgiftning med SO2 på katoden liknar den med H2S på anoden, och att detta kan vara orsakat av en transport av svavel från katod till anod. Vidare, i kombination med låg CO2 koncentration på katoden så orsakar SO2-föroreningar elektrolytdegradering, vilket orsakar hög inre resistans. Genom att använda en liten MCFC i lab-skala med kommersiella material och standardförhållanden för MCFC påvisades att reversibla smältkarbonatbränsleceller kan vara ett lovande koncept. Den elektrokemiska prestandan av både cell och separata elektroder undersöktes både som bränslecell (MCFC)och vid elektrolys (MCEC). Resultaten visade att cellen uppvisade lägre polarisation vid elektrolys än som bränslecell, och att ten hög CO2-koncentration på det som är bränslecellens anodsida gav upphov till en minskad elektrodpolarisation, vilket indikerar att CO2 reduceras för att producera CO eller karbonat. / <p>QC 20141028</p>

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells are fuel cells that operate at high temperatures usually in the range of 600oC to 1000oC and employ solid ceramics as the electrolyte. In Solid Oxide Fuel Cells oxygen ions (O2- ) are the ionic charge carriers. Solid Oxide Fuel Cells are known for their higher electrical efficiency of about 50-60% [1] compared to other types of fuel cells and are considered very suitable in stationary power generation applications. It is very important to study the effects of different parameters on the performance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and for this purpose the experimental or numerical simulation method can be adopted as the research method of choice. Numerical simulation involves constructing a mathematical model of the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and use of specifically designed software programs that allows the user to manipulate the model to evaluate the system performance under various configurations and in real time. A model is only usable when it is validated with experimental results. Once it is validated, numerical simulation can give accurate, consistent and efficient results. Modeling allows testing and development of new materials, fuels, geometries, operating conditions without disrupting the existing system configuration. In addition, it is possible to measure internal variables which are experimentally difficult or impossible to measure and study the effects of different operating parameters on power generated, efficiency, current density, maximum temperatures reached, stresses caused by temperature gradients and effects of thermal expansion for electrolytes, electrodes and interconnects. iv Since Solid Oxide Fuel Cell simulation involves a large number of parameters and complicated equations, mostly Partial Differential Equations, the situation calls for a sophisticated simulation technique and hence a Finite Element Method (FEM) multiphysics approach will be employed. This can provide three-dimensional localized information inside the fuel cell. For this thesis, COMSOL Multiphysics® version 4.2a will be used for simulation purposes because it has a Batteries & Fuel Cells module, the ability to incorporate custom Partial Differential Equations and the ability to integrate with and utilize the capabilities of other tools like MATLAB ® , Pro/Engineer® , SolidWorks® . Fuel Cells can be modeled at the system or stack or cell or the electrode level. This thesis will study Solid Oxide Fuel Cell modeling at the cell level. Once the model can be validated against experimental data for the cell level, then modeling at higher levels can be accomplished in the future. Here the research focus is on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells that use hydrogen as the fuel. The study focuses on solid oxide fuel cells that use 3-layered, 4-layered and 6-layered electrolytes using pure YSZ or pure SCSZ or a combination of layers of YSZ and SCSZ. A major part of this research will be to compare SOFC performance of the different configurations of these electrolytes. The cathode and anode material used are (La0.6Sr0.4)0.95-0.99Co0.2Fe0.8O3 and Ni-YSZ respectively

Introduction – Digital systems for lighting control are becoming increasingly common. One way to manually control these systems is through control panels with buttons. These panels can vary in both appearance (layout) and function (user interaction). These differences can create confusion and, in the worst case, result in the control equipment not being used. This study specifically focuses on panels with four buttons and aims to provide a basis for developing button panels that are as intuitive as possible for end-users. Method – To determine the preferred layout among users, a quantitative online survey with 60 respondents was conducted. Respondents were asked about their preferred button placement for controlling the dimming function on a 4-button panel. This question was repeated for three different button layouts: horizontal, vertical, and square. At the end of the survey, respondents were asked about their overall preferred layout. To determine the user's expected interaction with a button panel, an experiment was conducted. In the experiment, 36 participants tested identical panels with different types of interaction programming. They performed a task while the time was recorded, and in addition to the time, participants also provided a qualitative evaluation of which of the three panels they preferred and why. Results – The survey responses show that a vertical button layout is preferred by the majority of respondents. The top button received the most votes for the "dim-up” function, while the bottom button received the most votes for the "dim-down" function. The results from the experiment show that a panel with scene-based lighting was the fastest for performing the task. Scene-based lighting means that each button is linked to a specific lighting-scene without providing any fine-tuned manual control. A panel with continuous pressure to adjust the brightness took the longest time to complete the task. A panel with repeated "clicks" to dim the lighting fell between the other two panels in terms of time. The qualitative responses indicated that participants preferred the panel with continuous pressure, as it provided the highest degree of control. Analysis – Regarding button placement, women generally responded more uniformly than men, but the same option received a majority in both groups. Increased age of the respondents seemed to yield more ambiguous results for both button placement and layout. For the experiment's results, ANOVA tests showed that the differences in time among the different tested programming approaches were statistically significant. Discussion – Overall, the study shows that the most intuitive 4-button panel is a vertical panel with the dimming function placed at the top or bottom of the panel. The interaction with the panel should be through incremental "clicks," which represents the best compromise between the user's intuition and their own experience of control. However, the study has a significant issue with skewed participant demographics in both the survey and experiment. Therefore, this is something that could be revisited, and it would also be interesting to repeat the experiment using symbols on the buttons and compare the outcomes with this study. / Introduktion – Digitala system för belysningsstyrning blir allt vanligare, ett sätt att styra dessa system manuellt är med knappaneler som kan skilja sig åt både till utseende (layout) och funktion (hur brukare interagerar med panelen). Dessa skillnader kan skapa förvirring och leder i värsta fall till att styrutrustningen inte används. Denna studie fokuserar specifikt på paneler med fyra knappar och har som mål att ta fram underlag som kan användas för att utveckla knappaneler som är så intuitiva som möjligt för slutanvändaren. Metod – För att svara på vilken layout som föredras av brukare gjordes en kvantitativ online-enkät som skickades ut till 60 respondenter. I enkäten fick respondenterna svara på föredragen knapplacering för att styra dim-funktionen på en 4-knappspanel. Denna fråga repeterades för tre olika knapp-layouter: vågrät, lodrät, och kvadratisk layout. I slutet av enkäten frågades respondenterna vilken layout de föredrog överlag. För att svara på vilken interaktion med en knappanel som brukare förväntar sig gjordes ett experiment. I experimentet fick 36 deltagare testa identiska paneler med olika typer av interaktionsprogrammering, de fick utföra en uppgift där tiden registrerades, utöver tiden fick deltagare även ge ett kvalitativt omdöme om vilken av de tre panelerna de föredrog och varför. Resultat – Enkätsvaren visar att en lodrät knapplayout föredras av flest respondenter, knappen högst upp fick flest röster för funktionen ”dim-upp” och knappen längst ner fick flest röster för funktionen ”dim-ner”. Resultaten från experimentet visar att en panel med scenbaserad belysning var snabbast för att utföra uppgiften, scenbaserad belysning innebär att varje knapp är kopplad till ett specifikt läge utan möjlighet till mer finjusterad manuell kontroll. En panel med kontinuerligt tryck för att justera belysningsnivån tog längst tid att utföra uppgiften. En panel med repeterade ”klick” för att dimra belysningen hamnade mellan de andra två panelerna tidsmässigt. De kvalitativa svaren visade att deltagarna föredrog panelen med kontinuerligt tryck, med motiveringen att denna panel gav den högsta graden av kontroll.  Analys – För knapplacering svarade kvinnor generellt mer enhälligt än män, men samma alternativ fick majoritet i båda. Ökad ålder på respondenter tycktes ge mer svårtolkade resultat, både för knapplacering och layout. För experimentets resultat visade ANOVA test att skillnaden i tid mellan de olika programmeringar som testats var statistiskt signifikanta. Diskussion – Sammantaget visar studien att den mest intuitiva 4-knappspanelen är en lodrät panel med dim-funktionen högst upp eller längst ner på panelen, interaktionen med panelen bör fungera genom stegvis ”klick”, detta är den bästa kompromissen mellan brukarens intuition och egna upplevelse av kontroll. Studien har dock ett stort problem med skev demografi hos deltagare i både enkät och experiment, därför är detta något som skulle kunna undersökas vidare, intressant vore också att göra om experimentet med symboler på knapparna och jämföra utfallet med denna studie.

Women have always been concerned about their safety when walking alone and have taken precautions to protect themselves from harm. With the current advances in technology, women’s safety techniques and devices have drastically changed within the past years, for instance, by introducing the use of safety buttons. This study aims to explore the interaction women living in Stockholm, Sweden would have when carrying such a smart device. Through research and design methodologies and applying Feminist HCI values, two workshops were held to better understand this interaction between women carrying a Flic Safety Button and their street safety. The main conclusion of the study is that when designing such interactions, one should consider various of the different influencing mechanisms the women have as well as personal sentiments regarding their personal safety to encourage usability of the button to any situation. The most essential influences are the availability of friends and family, social lifestyles, and existing safety behaviors. To inspire future developments and exemplify this ecology of safety mechanisms, this thesis introduces three archetypes of interactions, materialized as personas in scenarios depicting different perceptions on how women interact when their safety is being compromised. / Kvinnor har alltid varit oroade över sin säkerhet när de går ensamma och har vidtagit försiktighetsåtgärder för att skydda sig mot skador. Med de senaste årens tekniska framsteg har säkerhetsteknik och anordningar för kvinnor förändrats drastiskt, till exempel genom att man infört användning av säkerhetsknappar. Den här studien syftar till att undersöka vilken interaktion kvinnor som bor i Stockholm, Sverige, skulle ha när de bär en sådan smart enhet. Med hjälp av forsknings- och designmetoder och genom att tillämpa feministiska HCI-värden hölls två workshops för att bättre förstå interaktionen mellan kvinnor som bär en Flic-säkerhetsknapp och deras säkerhet på gatan. Den viktigaste slutsatsen av studien är att när man utformar sådana interaktioner bör man ta hänsyn till olika påverkansmekanismer som kvinnorna har samt personliga känslor om deras personliga säkerhet för att uppmuntra användbarheten av knappen i alla situationer. De viktigaste påverkansfaktorerna är tillgången till vänner och familj, sociala livsstil och befintliga säkerhetsbeteenden. För att inspirera framtida utveckling och exemplifiera denna ekologi av säkerhetsmekanismer introduceras i denna avhandling tre arketyper av interaktioner, som materialiseras som personas i scenarier som visar olika uppfattningar om hur kvinnor interagerar när deras säkerhet äventyras.