This thesis topic is focused on the experience of entering and revealing architecture. An entrance is not solely about the physical form of a door, rather it is the beginning of a building; a conversation between public and private, light and dark, safety and danger. The entrance is also a threshold for smell, texture, sound, light, and color. It is the preface of a poem that will lead you to fall in love with the rhythm of the building. It is where beauty begins and never ends. / Master of Architecture

Abstract The unstable policies of both pubic health and payment by National Health Insurance¡]NHI¡^in Taiwan cause great difficulties in the management of clinics since the separation of dispensing practice from medical practice since 1997.In order to survival from the tough circumstance, the managers of clinics must adapt different strategies to increasing income, enlarging size of organization, or gaining the competition advantage. One of the most important strategies is the institution of clinic pharmacies by themselves or cooperating with another pharmacist. Right now the theses about the clinic pharmacies was few. But the name, so called ¡¨ doorway drugstore ¡§, which was considered to against the spirit of the policies of separation of dispensing practice from medical practice and global budget is called by some scholars and the NHI. In order to reducing the payment for the clinic pharmacies, the NIH is planning to set up 3 criteria for further management of the ¡§doorway drugstores¡¨. And if the new rules come true in the future, the managers of clinic pharmacies and the owners of clinics will meet more challenges. In this study, main focus would be the 6 clinic pharmacies at Kaohsiung city and by the means of face to face interview with the managers of these drugstores in order to gathering the primary data about the motivation for selling OTC merchandise, and the situations of merchandise profile, pricing strategy, promotion activity and the situations of human resource etc. The study result revealed that there are two clinic pharmacies have no selling of OTC merchandise because of small space, lack of salesman, or worry about the conflict between the doctor and the pharmacist. The percentage of the OTC income at another four clinic pharmacies is below the level of 20%, and the reasons of difficulties for selling these products were too expensive, not famous, and lack of in job training for salesmen. Further analysis of the needs of the main consumers , whom were the patients of the clinics, of these drugstores were the treatments for their disease and the maintenance of their health. So the health food or function food will play the import roles of OTC merchandise profile. The reasons of success of selling OTC products in the clinic pharmacies were choosing proper merchandies, which were good for these patients` health or some help for control their disease, and were recommoned by the doctor, and with reasonable price. The weakness of the management of clinic pharmacies were lack of salesmen and few investment of I.T. equipments, lack of promotion activity and in job training. According the primary data from the interview with the managers of clinical pharmacies and biotech functional food suppliers, there are some important conclusions from this study¡G¡]1¡^clinical pharmacies now are selling some OTC merchandise and functional food¡]2¡^clinical pharmacies provide the service for the patients whom came from not only one clinic¡]3¡^the owners of the clinical pharmacies would be the physician of clinic or the pharmacist and the ownership status could be sole or partnership¡]4¡^the percentage of income from selling OTC merchandise is still low in these pharmacies¡]5¡^the managers of clinical pharmacies wish to joint chain pharmacy in the future ,but right now they are not urgent ¡]6¡^the major reason of joint chain pharmacy is cost down and the clinical pharmacies managers will share the management data and use the logo of chain pharmacy, but there are tremendous disagreements between them about the franchising fee¡]7¡^clinical pharmacies had the potential of transforming to become retail channels of biotech functional food because of patients may need them to keep their health and they trust their physician and pharmacist, and the successful selling for biotech functional foods need professional explain ,which can provided by the doctor and pharmacist both are available in clinical pharmacies.

The study of the products of combustion continues to have real-world relevance since the primary cause of death in building fires is smoke inhalation, with the majority of deaths from carbon monoxide, CO, poisoning. An experimental study was conducted to examine upper-layer structure plus provide an initial characterization of a new compartment with a doorway. An additional study of the relationship between heat flux from external burning in a hallway and levels of carbon monoxide is also reported. Tests were conducted in a new ½ scale ISO compartment with a fully scaled doorway, using n-hexane pool fires within the center of the compartment. Upper-layer sampling at eight locations in the compartment has shown that the compartment upper-layer is relatively uniform in species mole fractions, yields, and temperature. Sampling in the front upper-layer of the compartment was performed for a series of experiments where the equivalence ratio was varied. Temperatures, species mole fractions, species yields, and doorway flows were found to have definite trends, which agreed with previous studies. The heat flux study utilized a reduced scale compartment with a separate inlet and an exit vent, which connected into the side of an attached hallway, forming an L-shape. For two cases of a deep and shallow hallway upper-layer a direct relationship between flames in the upper-layer and total heat flux was measured. High heat flux was found to only denote those areas were flames are present and is not related to the levels of CO present or oxidized in the hallway. / Master of Science

This interior design practicum is the design of three floating houses located on Granville Island, Vancouver, British Columbia. They are spatially efficient and aid in human-nature connections through the manipulation of thresholds. The adaptation of small spaces is best accomplished through the use of multifunctional space, efficient storage, and manipulation of views. Linking of spaces and the blurring of thresholds is best accomplished through the use of implied axial linkage to the exterior and through the addition of ornament. The human-nature connection, or biophilic design, is best accomplished through the integration of direct, indirect, and symbolic experiences with the natural environment. This is accomplished through the variation of ceiling heights, linking internal and external views, integration of natural light, and use of natural materials that vary in texture and reflectance value.

This interior design practicum is the design of three floating houses located on Granville Island, Vancouver, British Columbia. They are spatially efficient and aid in human-nature connections through the manipulation of thresholds. The adaptation of small spaces is best accomplished through the use of multifunctional space, efficient storage, and manipulation of views. Linking of spaces and the blurring of thresholds is best accomplished through the use of implied axial linkage to the exterior and through the addition of ornament. The human-nature connection, or biophilic design, is best accomplished through the integration of direct, indirect, and symbolic experiences with the natural environment. This is accomplished through the variation of ceiling heights, linking internal and external views, integration of natural light, and use of natural materials that vary in texture and reflectance value.

During late Nordic iron age there were two main cultures in Scandinavia; the Norse and the Sami.  This essay seeks to do two things. Firstly, to determine differences and similarities in how said cultures viewed liminality, that is the border line, or threshold, between two 'areas'. Secondly, to in one text gather and discuss all these areas where liminality played an important role. If not exactly the same a clear similarity is found in how liminality in the landscape was viewed, but the Norse seems to have found more meaning in the liminality of architecture. Both cultures also found one sex preferable before the other concerning magic, but while the Sami favored men, the Norse thought it women's work. Men taking on a woman's role was, among the Norse, found to be both shameful and dangerous, while the Sami of the age seems to have had no such view.  The Norse and Sami saw power in liminality, in various ways, making use of it in burial, religious ritual and magic.

The Digital Doorway (DD) is a non-standard computer system deployed to promote computer literacy amongst the underpriviledged communities in South Africa. Since its inception there has been no usability evaluation of the software installed on the DD. This study investigate the applicability of standard involved two cycles of design research phases to develop a set of multi-category heuristics for evaluating a selection of interfaces and applications installed on the DD. The heuristic evaluation method was found to be an appropriate method for the evaluating the usability of the software as well as the direct accessibility support provided on the DD. As a triangulation exercise the heuristic evaluation was complementary role of using a combination of evaluation methods. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

The Digital Doorway (DD) is a non-standard computer system deployed to promote computer literacy amongst the underpriviledged communities in South Africa. Since its inception there has been no usability evaluation of the software installed on the DD. This study investigate the applicability of standard involved two cycles of design research phases to develop a set of multi-category heuristics for evaluating a selection of interfaces and applications installed on the DD. The heuristic evaluation method was found to be an appropriate method for the evaluating the usability of the software as well as the direct accessibility support provided on the DD. As a triangulation exercise the heuristic evaluation was complementary role of using a combination of evaluation methods. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

Advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have brought many opportunities to South Africa and also challenges, such as narrowing the gap, known as the digital divide, between those who have (the “haves”) and those who do not have (the “have-nots”) access to ICTs. The majority of South Africans living in developing areas throughout South Africa do not have access to computers and are mostly computer illiterate. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) launched their Digital Doorway project across South Africa to evaluate the feasibility of an alternative computer training method following a minimally invasive educational approach. Within the scope of the CSIR’s project, this research study endeavoured to explore to what extent and how the children had obtained computer skills, without the guidance of a facilitator, during the Digital Doorway project launched in Atteridgeville, Pretoria. A qualitative research methodology was adopted for the study. During the course of this research project, it was not possible to determine whether the children obtained any initial or additional computer skills, since the children were mostly unable to use the computers due to the malfunctioning thereof. The findings of this study coincide with authoritative literature on the topic which points out that real ICT access entails more than merely installing hardware and software. / Dissertation (MEd (Computer Assisted Education))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

The Digital Doorway (DD) project provides computing infrastructure in impoverished communities in South Africa. DD terminals offer opportunities for unassisted- and peerassisted learning of basic computer skills, and varying computing activities ranging from entertainment, to independent research. This study addresses software application usage, and how it relates to user demographics (age and gender) and location, in order to better understand both the user base, and the nature and extent of DD interactions. A mixed-methods approach is employed, involving log-files, interviews, questionnaires, and naturalistic observation; to build up a holistic picture of application usage and user behaviour at selected sites. Important issues with respect to ICT for Education and Development in the DD context, are addressed. Analysis of the data indicates notable trends, and relationships between age, gender, location, and application usage. User behaviour and environmental effects on usage are discussed, and recommendations provided for future DDs and similar initiatives. / Computing / M. Tech. (Information Technology)