This research is concerned with the transformation Mould and Die (MD) manufacturing industry from the traditional manufacturing paradigm into service-oriented manufacturing (SOM) in collaboration with leading manufacturers in the sector. It investigates how the new concept of Production Service System (PnSS) can be used and extended to integrate distributed manufacturing-oriented services (MOSs) so that all participants could efficiently and effectively collaborate in response to market opportunities. In the PnSS model, MD manufacturers become more specialized in providing certain types of MD products and components while outsourcing other components or related services as MOSs from MOS providers (MOSPs). The main objective of this research is to develop an information and collaboration platform for PnSS (iPnSS) to utilize MOSs and support the implementation of PnSS strategy for MD industry. The proposed iPnSS is developed based on the SOA (Service-oriented Architecture) paradigm, which aims to encapsulate MOSs as Software as a Service so that MOSs can be advertised, searched, and utilized by stakeholders in PnSS. Several core MOSs have been developed as the core components of iPnSS to meet the urgent requirements of participants in new business model, including Ontology-based Dynamic Alliance Service (ODAS) for forming PnSS alliance, Real-time Order Progress Kanban Service (RT-OPKS) for collaborative project tracking and coordinating, and Hybrid Flow Shop Assembly Scheduling Service (HFS-ASS) for production planning and scheduling which is specified for MD production. The research makes several key contributions. First, this research investigates the characteristics and challenges of MD industry, and develops the PnSS business model to transform the traditional manufacturing into service-oriented manufacturing for MD industry. An information and collaboration platform called iPnSS is developed to provide related IT solutions for integrating distributed MOSs to facilitate the practical usage of PnSS. Second, Ontology-based Dynamic Alliance Service is developed to enable participants to form alliance and take advantage of SOM. This service provides a systematic and integrated supplier selection approach in PnSS, being responsible for the major stages in the life cycle of a service-enabled manufacturing process, including service provision and consumption as well as service evaluation and organization respectively. Third, Real-time Order Progress Kanban Service with the support of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is developed to support the efficient knowledge feedback for shop floor visibility and traceability. This service provides a set of mechanisms to monitor, evaluate and coordinate the manufacturing execution during the process of collaborative manufacturing after the formation of alliance. Finally, Hybrid Flow Shop Assembly Scheduling Service is developed to deal with scheduling problem for manufacturing one-of-a-kind products, which is based on real-life study with MD industrial collaborators. For each order in MD manufacturing is assembled after the required components have been produced, the service firstly considers the production simultaneity of components of the same product for final assembly. The service automatically generates scheduling results for PnSS user. / published_or_final_version / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a health concern that is over-represented among First Nations peoples. Optimal prenatal nutrition plays a role in the severity of FASD. Prenatal nutrition as it relates to fetal brain development and fetal alcohol exposure is an under-researched area, especially among pregnant First Nations women. Finding current dietary intake patterns of pregnant women who drink alcohol could lead to developing a nutrition provision strategy. However, there is no appropriate dietary assessment research tool that is specific to this population. This study aims to develop an effective, culturally appropriate and interactive dietary assessment research tool using participatory methods to engage with women and communities in the process. We used community health priorities forums, information sessions, volunteering, collaboration with programs, and a trauma-informed approach as methods to engage with pregnant women. To develop the research tool, top sources of fetal brain development nutrients were determined for the food frequency component, several prenatal health workers reviewed the tool, and a pre-test with 20 pregnant women of the target population was completed. Pre-test results show the tool is being well-received. All of this ground work will help pave a path for further prenatal nutrition research with First Nations women. This research will inform programs and policies which strive to improve food and nutrition security and reduce the severity of FASD. / October 2015

The first part of this study involve an evaluation of the performance of TiN and AlZ03 single layer coated cemented carbide tools when threading inclusion modified, 708M40T (En 19T) 817M40T (En 24T) and Jethete steels at high cutting conditions by monitoring tool wear, failure modes, post threading workpiece properties, micro and macro-surface alterations and subsurface microhardness variation of threaded surfaces. Test results show that flank wear was the dominant failure mode, increasing rapidly when machining at the top speed of 225 m min,l due to the high temperature generated which accelerates thermally related wear mechanisms. Tool life, surface finish, hardness variation and component forces during threading were influenced by the geometry of the cutting edge, shape of wear/length of wear along tool nose/cutting edge after threading. Formation of flake-like oxide debris on the worn inserts was found to increase with nickel content in the workpiece material. The Al20) coated carbide inserts with K05 - K20 substrate gave longer tool life, lower cutting forces, better surface finish! damages as well as minimum hardness variation after threading compared with the TiN coated VSX grade with P20-P30 substrates. This can be related to their superior hardness, density, transverse rupture strength as well as the unalloyed WC fine grained substrate (1/lm) in addition to the high hot hardness, excellent chemical stability and low thermal conductivity of the AlZ03 coating at elevated temperatures. A formula for tool rejection was also developed during this study based on the average flank wear (VBb) and growth in thread root (GTR) in order to establish a scientific basis for assessing wear of threading tools. The second part of this study involve single point turning of a nickel base, G263, alloy using rhomboid-shaped PVD coated (TiN/TiCN/TiN, TiAIN and TiZrN) carbide tools at high speed cutting conditions. The worn tool edges revealed adhesion of a compact fin-shaped structure of hardened burrs with saw-tooth edges. The compact structure also formed on the cut surface of the workpiece material. The use of coolant during machining tend to work harden the root of the burr thereby restricting tool entry at the cutting zone leading to the generation of excessive feed force which subjects the tool edge to premature fracture and consequently lower tool life. The serrated/saw-tooth like edges of the burr encourages abrasion wear on the tool flank face and the formation of shallow cavities/lateral cracks where fragments of hardened workpiece material are deposited causing deterioration of the machined surfaces. Tool life was generally influenced by the cutting conditions employed as well as the insert geometry. Increasing cutting conditions (speed, feed and depth of cut) led to chipping of the cutting edge and/or flaking of coating layers as well as notching and fracture of the cutting edge. These failure modes jointly contributed to lowering tool life during machining. The TiN/TiCN/TiN coated KC732 (Tool A) inserts with positive sharp edges gave overall performance at the optimum cutting conditions established under finishing operation. This is followed by the TiN/TiCN/TiN coated KC732 (Tool B), TiAlN coated KC313 (Tool C) and lastly the TiZrN coated KC313 (Tool D) inserts' with razor sharp edges. Under roughing operation, the ranking order of tool performance is the TiZrN coated KC313 (Tool D), TiN/TiCN/TiN coated KC732 (Tool A), TiAlN coated KC313 (Tool C) and lastly the TiN/TiCN/TiN coated KC732 {Tool B). The difference in tool geometry and coating materials contributed to the relative order of tool performance.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a statement recommending that primary care providers perform developmental screening with a standardized instrument for all 9-, 18-, 24-, or 30-month well-child visits. Despite evidence-based recommendations by the AAP, numerous pediatric practices do not currently use a standardized instrument for well-child visits. This quality improvement project aimed to determine the feasibility of implementing the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), a validated developmental screening tool, at a pediatric primary care practice. In order to accurately assess implementation barriers and benefits, this feasibility study would have determined if the ASQ was the right fit for this pediatric practice. The first phase of implementation would have begun with the 9-month well-child visits and using the same process, later expanded to include the 18- and 24-month visits. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) method would have provided the implementation framework for this project and the project would have been written utilizing the SQUIRE (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence) guidelines. However, due to unforeseen complications, this project was unable to be completed as planned. Instead, this project discusses outcomes of the DNP project without data, and provides guidance and points of consideration for future implementation in pediatric primary care settings.

Στην εργασία αυτή προτείνουμε την εφαρμογή τεχνικών εξόρυξης γνώσης για την πρόβλεψη της επίδοσης των μαθητών του Γυμνασίου στις γραπτές εξετάσεις του Ιουνίου στο μάθημα των μαθηματικών. Ο γρήγορος εντοπισμός των αδύναμων μαθητών ϑα έχει ως αποτέλεσμα την παροχή ενισχυτικής διδασκαλίας προς το μαθητή με σκοπό τη βελτίωση της επίδοσής τους. Επίσης, ο εκπαιδευτής ϑα μπορεί να αξιολογίσει καλύτερα το περιεχομένο και τη δομή του μαθήματός του, την αποτελεσματικότητα των προτεινόμενων δραστηριοτήτων καθώς και τον εντοπισμό των πιο συχνών λαθών των μαθητών. Προτείνουμε ένα εκπαιδευτικό λογισμικό με σκοπό να διαπιστώσουμε την αποτελεσματικότητά του στην εκπαιδευτική διαδικασία. Επίσης, αξιολογίσαμε το προτεινόμενο εκπαιδευτικό λογισμικό με τη βοήθεια εκπαιδευτικών της δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης, καταγράφοντας τα σχόλια και τις παρατηρήσεις τους, τα οποία παρατίθενται στην εργασία αυτή. / In this paper we propose the application of data mining techniques for predicting the performance of students of the Gymnasium in the written examination in June regarding the subject of mathematics. The early identification of weak students will result in the provision of remedial instruction for the student to improving his performance. Moreover, the instructor would be able to better evaluate the content and structure of the course, the effectiveness of the proposed activities and to identify the most common mistakes students make. An educational software is proposed in order to ascertain the effectiveness of the educational process. The proposed educational software is also reviewed by teachers of secondary education, posting comments and observations, which are presented in this paper.

No description available.

Revised; Originally published: 12/2008 / Food labels are designed to help consumers to make healthy food choices. Yet the Nutrition Facts label is not always easy to understand, due to a lot of technical information. The step-by-step approach in this publication is easy to follow, and may help consumers to build skills how to read and use the information on a Nutrition Facts label more easily and effectively for their needs. This two page information sheet is useful, especially when a nutrition educator teaches a lay person those tricky foods labeling terms and recommends healthy alternative in his/her diet.

A software developer explores a software system by asking and answering a series of questions. To answer these questions, a developer may need to consult various sources providing information about the program, such as the static relationships expressed directly in the source code, the run-time behaviour of a program recorded in a dynamic trace, or evolution history as recorded in a source management system. Despite the support afforded by software exploration tools, developers often struggle to find the necessary information to answer their questions and may even become disoriented, where they feel mentally lost and are uncertain of what they were trying to accomplish. This dissertation advances a thesis that a developer's questions, which we refer to as conceptual queries, can be better supported through a model to represent and compose different sources of information about a program. The basis of this model is the sphere, which serves as a simple abstraction of a source of information about a program. Many of the software exploration tools used by a developer can be represented as a sphere. Spheres can be composed in a principled fashion such that information from a sphere may replace or supplement information from a different sphere. Using our sphere model, for example, a developer can use dynamic runtime information from an execution trace to replace information from the static source code to see what actually occurred. We have implemented this model in a configurable tool, called Ferret. We have used the facilities provided by the model to implement 36 conceptual queries identified from the literature, blogs, and our own experience, and to support the integration of four different sources of program information. Establishing correspondences between similar elements from different spheres allows a query to bridge across different spheres in addition to allowing a tool's user interface to drive queries from other sources of information. Through this effort we show that sphere model broadens the set of possible conceptual queries answerable by software exploration tools. Through a small diary study and a controlled experiment, both involving professional software developers, we found the developers used the conceptual queries that were available to them and reported finding Ferret useful.

Vis dažniau auditorinis mokymas užleidžia vietą virtualiam mokymuisi. Taip sudaromos geresnės sąlygos dalykinių žinių sklaidai. E. mokymui kurti yra siūlomos įvairios virtualios mokymo aplinkos. Tačiau e. mokymosi kūrimo srityje mažai akcentuojama apie pačių mokymo projektavimo metodų alternatyvų pasirinkimą. Darbo tikslas – išanalizuoti e.mokymosi projektavimo metodus ir e.mokymo turinio kūrimo įrankius. Darbe akcentuojama e. mokymosi projektavimo svarba ir sisteminis požiūris į galutinio produkto kūrimą. Pateikiamas bandomojo projektavimo Reload redaktoriumi aprašymas. Apjungus mokymosi projektavimo metodus su naujesniais integruojamais programiniais paketais – mokymo įrankiais, e. mokymas įgytų daugiau pranašumų realizuojant jį bet kokioje mokymo aplinkoje. / The design methods of e. learning supervised by lecture L. Tankeleviciene. Siauliai University. Siauliai, 2008. 32p. The auditory learning more often lets the place for virtual learning. Better conditions are created for dispersion of professional knowledge. Various virtual learning environments are suggested for e. learning, however there is little information about the alternative choosing design methods learning in e. learning creation sphere. The object of work is to analyze the methods of e. learning and e. learning content creation tools. The e. learning design importance and attitude to final creation of product are accentuated in the work. The description of experimental design by Reload editor is presented. Combining the learning design methods with newer integrated program packets-learning tools, e. learning will gain more advantages realizing it in any learning environment.

For young infants, knowledge of physical objects and animate agents seems highly rigid, with no information combined across domains. Adult cognition, however, is more flexible. In this thesis, I use a special category of object—a tool—that can only be reasoned about appropriately if information is combined across domains. Using this special case, I examine whether older infants are capable of integrating functional information about the tool while making inferences about the intent of the tool-user. Experiment 1 shows that infants can reason about complex means-end sequences involving tools; and Experiments 2 and 3 both show that under some circumstances, infants can take into account functional information about the tool when making these sorts of inferences. Together, these studies extend previous findings about how infants understand complex means-end sequences, and demonstrate that by 13 months, infants are already combining knowledge across domains. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2007-08-28 11:26:07.974