In our fast-paced, hectic time, which is stamped by an ever-increasing degree of nervousness, unrest, and unsteadiness it has become customary for mankind to relax for a shorter or longer period of time from the habits of everyday life and recreation. To search for strength somewhere on earth that is away from the place of business, that invites you to rest from everyday worries and toils. So lures the Black Forest. With these words, the Sommerberg-Hotel was advertised already over 100 years ago. Nowadays stress has become a fashionable term in our modern and digital world. For many, it is almost a status symbol - because those who are stressed have a lot on their plate and are therefore important. This attitude is leading to increasing health issues and to a society that is not able to breathe anymore because they have to be in working order. After decades of being empty and unused, the Sommerberg-Hotel occupies a unique location on top of the mountain in the Black Forest. Following its rich past and responding to society's needs it becomes once more a refuge to escape the rush. In close dialogue with the existing, this project investigates a possible transformation and a repurposing of the old structures of the Sommerberg-Hotel. Making it to The Mental Wellbeing Place.

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) often presents as intermittent claudication, which may be caused by impaired vasodilation. Impairment of resistance vessels may contribute to the pathogenesis of PAOD, and explain the poor correlation between resting blood flow and limb function. Collateral function following arterial occlusion is not well defined, however collaterals and arterialized collateral capillaries (ACCs) in male and female animal models exhibit impaired vasodilation following arterial occlusion, which can potentially be improved with exercise training. Furthermore, resistance vessels in the ischemic tree and stem are likely involved in the pathogenesis of PAOD, however the relative importance of each is unknown. Therefore, we measured functional vasodilation in pre-existing collaterals, ACCs, the ischemic tree, and the stem region, 7 and 21-days following spinotrapezius feed artery ligation in male and female BALB/c mice, and with exercise therapy. Vasodilation in ACCs was more impaired in female mice than in males. Generally, vasodilation was impaired at day-7, likely due to impaired endothelium-dependent and smooth muscle-dependent vasodilation in maturing collaterals, and recovered by day-21. Exercise training appears to enhance collateral reactivity, more in ACCs in males than in females, suggesting that its therapeutic benefits are linked not only to structural adaptation but also to vessel functionality. Therefore, future research is required to determine the cause of sex differences in exercise therapy to treat peripheral arterial occlusive disease.

No description available.

Transfer between community colleges and four-year institutions has become more common as student mobility increases. Accordingly, the higher education system has coped with the fluidity by establishing articulation agreements that facilitate pathways from one institution to another. The forward-facing policies and guides to inform students on those pathways are known to be complicated, leading to the development of web-based tools like Transferology to help students navigate the system. Still, credit loss is common, whether through misunderstandings, lack of awareness, or changing degree plans. A proliferation of literature examines the experiences of transfer students and other agents in the process like community college advisors, but few pieces interrogate the underlying website structures that facilitate those experiences as the unit of analysis. Information related to facilitating transfer from one institution to another is often fragmented across multiple webpages or policies and uses language not optimal for communicating with students – creating what are called "information asymmetries" between the students and institutions. The premise of an exchange having information asymmetries is that one or more parties in the exchange have more or better information than the others, leading to an imbalance in power. In the case of higher education, transfer students – and their advisors by extension – can be subjected to manipulation by the invisible hands of the four-year institutions through language gaps and scattered sources of information. Accordingly, this dissertation explored four-year university websites, a major point of contact students have with information on transfer, to address the following main research question: "How are information asymmetries in curricular policies/procedures apparent for engineering students on institutional webpages in terms of language and fragmentation?" The subsequent research question synthesized the results of the first question: "Looking across information asymmetry measures, what are the different narratives of information asymmetry that integrate themes of language and fragmentation across institutions?" A fully integrated mixed methods design using all existing data was employed to address the two research questions. A stratified random sample was taken with respect to institution size based on their Carnegie classifications (n = 38). The collection of relevant public webpages based on a set of keywords from the sampled institutions was transformed into three network measures - hierarchy, centrality, and nonlinear – that were used in cluster analyses to group the institutions based on their information structures. Sequential mixed methods sampling was used to choose institutions purposefully from each cluster based on notable features recorded during the first stage of data collection. Two-cycle coding followed the cluster analysis by elaborating on the networks formed during data collection. I used joint displays to organize the networks and In-Vivo codes in the same picture and develop themes related to fragmentation and language simultaneously. K-means and K-medoids cluster methods both produced the same four cluster solution illustrating one aspect of information asymmetries through fragmentation. The clustering solution highlighted four major network patterns, plus one cluster mixing two of the patterns: 1) linear browsing, 2) centralized expansive browsing, 3) branched browsing, and 4) mixed browsing. Further qualitative analysis of the sampled institutions revealed several types of missteps where information is obscured through language or dispersed in the network. I explored a subset of 16 institutions and identified four themes related to fragmentation (unlinked divergence, progressive disclosure, lack of uniformity, and neighborhood linking) and six themes related to language (hedging transferability and applicability, legalese handwaving, building rapport, exclusivity, deviance from common practice, and defining terms). The missteps were contextualized further using six narratives with institutional examples. This work characterized the information design for transfer students as a messy web of loosely connected structures with language that complicates understanding. Integrated narratives illustrate a landscape of loosely coupled information structures that become more expansive as state initiatives interact with already existing local agreements. Moreover, institutional websites describing transfer processes use communication strategies similar to private companies writing online privacy policies. In light of the themes of information asymmetries, opportunities for supporting transfer were highlighted. For example, institutions are encouraged to create visual representations of the transfer credit process, ensure terms are defined upfront while minimizing jargon, and avoid linking to information that is easily summarizable on the current page. This research would be of interest to institutions looking to improve the presentation of their transfer information by critically examining their designs for the missteps described here. In addition, engineering education practitioners and researchers studying transfer student pathways and experiences will find the results of interest – especially in considering how to support the students despite the large information gaps. Finally, those looking to implement a fully integrated mixed methods design or use existing/archival data in their own context will find the use of mixing strategies of interest. / Doctor of Philosophy / Transfer between community colleges and four-year institutions has become more common as student mobility increases, especially for engineering. Institutions have coped with this inter-institutional movement by establishing agreements with each other that facilitate pathways between programs. The forward-facing policies and guides to inform students on such pathways are known to be complicated, leading to the development of web-based tools like Transferology to help students navigate the system. Despite these advances, transfer students continue to struggle in their information search. The purpose of this dissertation was to describe the extent to which information for engineering transfer students is scattered across multiple web-based sources and written in a manner not conducive to understanding. I used a fully integrated mixed methods design to create narratives capturing the interactions between the more quantitative idea of scatter using network analysis and the more qualitative aspect of language-use using visually based two-cycle coding across 38 U.S. four-year institutions. All data was readily available online, which were transformed and combined using several mixing strategies to form integrated stories of information asymmetries. The resulting narratives characterized the information design for transfer students as a messy web of loosely connected structures with language that complicates understanding. Moreover, institutional websites describing transfer processes use communication strategies similar to private companies writing online privacy policies. In light of the themes of information asymmetries, opportunities for supporting transfer were highlighted. This work will be of interest to those interested in engineering transfer student experiences and pathways. Also, those looking to implement fully integrated mixed methods approaches or make extensive use of existing data, especially mixing during analysis, will see strategies applicable in their own work.

This diploma thesis deals with the building survey and diagnosis of the station building of a railway station in Vítkovice. It describes process of survey and evaluation of existing reinforced concrete structures and used diagnostic methods. The survey of the object is described in the practical part of the thesis, which involves location of testing spots, taking the samples for testing from the structure, laboratory testing and evaluation of the results – determination of compressive strength of concrete with classification of concrete and elastic modulus. The last part includes static calculation of selected part of the structure.

The general aim of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between organisational culture and organisational commitment in a consulting firm in South Africa. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was used on a non-probability sample (n=68) from an identified consulting firm in South Africa, utilising the Organisational Culture Questionnaire (Harrison & Stokes, 1992) and Organisational Commitment Scale (Meyer & Allen, 1997). The results were analysed using Pearson’s correlation analysis and indicated that there is no relationship between organisational culture and organisational commitment in the consulting firm / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Understanding the mechanisms that govern hydraulic fracturing applications in unconventional formations, such as gas-bearing shales, is of increasing interest to the petroleum upstream industry. Among such mechanisms, the geomechanical interactions between hydraulic fractures and pre-existing fractures on one hand, and simultaneous multiple hydraulic fractures on the other hand are seen of high importance. Although the petroleum engineering and related literature contains a number of studies that discusses such topics of hydraulic fracture interactions, there still remain some aspects that require answers, validations, or further supporting data. Particularly, experimental evidence is fairly scarce and keenly needed to solidify the understanding of such complex applications. In this work, the investigation methodology uses a series of hydraulic fracturing laboratory tests performed on synthetic rocks made of gypsum-based cements such as hydrostone and plaster in various experimental set ups. Those laboratory tests aim to closely investigate hydraulic fracture intersection with pre-existing fractures by assessing some factors that govern its outcomes. Specifically, the roles of the pre-existing fracture cementation, aperture, and relative height on the intersection mode are examined. The results show dominant effect of the cement-fill type relative to the host-rock matrix in determining whether hydraulic fracture crossing the pre-existing interface may occur. Similarly, hydraulic fracture height relative to the height of the pre-existing fracture may dictate the intersection results. However, the intersection mode seems to be insensitive of the pre-existing fracture aperture. Moreover, simultaneous multi-fracture propagation is examined and found to be impacted by the interference of the stresses induced from each fracturing source on neighboring fracturing sources. Such stress interference increases as the number of the propagating hydraulic fractures increase. While hydraulic fractures initiating from fracturing sources located in the middle of the fracturing stage seem to have inhibited propagation, outer hydraulic fractures may continue propagating with outward curvatures. Overall, the experimental results and analyses offer more insights for understanding hydraulic fracture complexity in unconventional formations. / text

Les applications des mesures dynamiques sur les bâtiments existants sont nombreuses : vérification de la vulnérabilité sismique des structures qui ont été construites avant l’apparition des règles parasismiques ; auscultation de la capacité des structures en situation post-sismique ou après des modifications au voisinage (creusement d’un tunnel à côté ou démolition des immeubles voisins par exemple). A l’heure actuelle, ce type de mesure permet le diagnostic d’une structure à l’échelle globale (toute la structure) alors que l’identification et la localisation des endommagements à l’échelle locale (chaque élément de la structure) restent encore à approfondir. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, le diagnostic à l’échelle locale des structures sera étudié. Cette thèse s’insère dans un contexte national de réévaluation des structures existantes du fait du nombre important de bâtiments à réhabiliter. Au sein du LOCIE, nous pensons que le comportement global des bâtiments est certes influencé par l’interaction sol-structure mais au moins autant par la qualité des connexions des éléments de structures entre eux. Il existe un besoin de qualification de ces connexions dont la variabilité du comportement peut provenir aussi bien de défauts de mise en œuvre (positionnement des armatures,…) que du vieillissement des structures. L’objectif principal de cette thèse est de proposer une méthode pouvant caractériser les liaisons entre les éléments de structure afin de pouvoir caler un modèle numérique. Ces caractérisations devaient être possibles à partir de mesures de sollicitations dynamiques. Une première étape de ce travail consistera à caractériser sur une partie de structure une liaison. Cela sera fait sur un portique en béton armé. Par la suite, cette méthode sera adaptée à une caractérisation au sein d’une structure de bâtiment. Pour cela nous ferons appel à la notion de sous-modèle. Un modèle numérique sera associé à cette méthode aussi bien sur la connexion simple que sur l’ensemble du bâtiment. Le travail de thèse s’appuiera sur l’utilisation et le développement de techniques concernant le traitement des données dynamiques ; la réduction de modèles ; l’expérimentation en laboratoire (échelle locale et échelle d’un élément de structure) et la modélisation numérique par éléments finis à plusieurs échelles / There are many of the examples of dynamics measurements applications in the existing building: verification of structural seismic vulnerability, which was constructed before the earthquake building code; auscultation of structural capacity in post-earthquake situation or after modification in surround environment (Excavation of tunnel or demolition the neighbour buildings for example). Currently, this measurement type enables the diagnosis a structure in global scale (a whole structure) while identification and localization of damage in local scale (each elements of the structure) remains to be explored. In this dissertation, diagnosis in locale scale will be studied. This study is significant for its contribution to the national reassessment of existing structures where there is the large number of buildings to be rehabilitated

The intent of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of the origin of fractures in rock. The man-made fracturing from engineering activities in crystalline rock as well as the fracturing induced by the natural process of meteorite impacts is studied by means of various characterization methods. In contrast to engineering induced rock fracturing, where the goal usually is to minimize rock damage, meteorite impacts cause abundant fracturing in the surrounding bedrock. In a rock mass the interactions of fractures on the microscopic scale (mm-cm scale) influence fractures on the mesoscopic scale (dm-m scale) as well as the interaction of the mesocopic fractures influencing fractures on the macroscopic scale (m-km scale). Thus, among several methods used on different scales, two characterization tools have been developed further. This investigation ranges from the investigation of micro-fracturing in ultra-brittle rock on laboratory scale to the remote sensing of fractures in large scale structures, such as meteorite impacts. On the microscopic scale, the role of fractures pre-existing to the laboratory testing is observed to affect the development of new fractures. On the mesoscopic scale, the evaluation of the geometric information from 3D-laser scanning has been further developed for the characterisation of fractures from tunnelling and to evaluate the efficiency of the tunnel blasting technique in crystalline rock. By combining information on: i) the overbreak and underbreak; ii) the orientation and visibility of blasting drillholes and; iii) the natural and blasting fractures in three dimensions; a analysis of the rock mass can be made. This analysis of the rock mass is much deeper than usually obtained in rock engineering for site characterization in relation to the blasting technique can be obtained based on the new data acquisition. Finally, the estimation of fracturing in and around two meteorite impact structures has been used to reach a deeper understanding of the relation between fracture, their water content and the electric properties of the rock mass. A correlation between electric resistivity and fracture frequency in highly fractured crystalline rock has been developed and applied to potential impact crater structures. The results presented in this thesis enables more accurate modelling of rock fractures, both supporting rock engineering design and interpretation of meteorite impact phenomena. / QC 20100709

Optimal operation of plants is becoming more important due to increasing competition and small and changing profit margins for many products. One major reason has been the realization by industry that potentially large savings can be achieved by improving processes. Growth rates and profitability are much lower now, and international competition has increased greatly. The industry is faced with a need to manufacture quality products, while minimizing production costs and complying with a variety of safety and environmental regulations. As industry is confronted with the challenge of moving toward a clearer and more sustainable path of production, new technologies are needed to achieve industrial requirements. In this research, a new methodology is proposed to integrate so-called new technologies into existing processes. Research shows that the new technologies must be carefully selected and adopted to match the complex requirements of an existing process. The new proposed methodology is based on four major steps. If the improvement in the process is not sufficient to meet business needs, new technologies can be considered. Application of a new technology is always perceived as a potential threat; therefore, financial risk assessment and reliability risk analysis help alleviate risk of investment. An industrial case study from the literature was selected to implement and validate the new methodology. The case study is a planning problem to plan the layout or design of a fleet of generating stations owned and operated by the electric utility company, Ontario Power Generation (OPG). The impact of new technology integration on the performance of a power grid consisting of a variety of power generation plants was evaluated. The reduction in carbon emissions is projected to be accomplished through a combination of fuel switching, fuel balancing and switching to new technologies: carbon capture and sequestration. The fuel-balancing technique is used to decrease carbon emissions by adjusting the operation of the fleet of existing electricity-generating stations; the technique of fuel-switching involves switching from carbon-intensive fuels to less carbon-intensive fuels, for instance, switching from coal to natural gas; carbon capture and sequestration are applied to meet carbon emission reduction requirements. Existing power plants with existing technologies consist of fossil fuel stations, nuclear stations, hydroelectric stations, wind power stations, pulverized coal stations and a natural gas combined cycle, while hypothesized power plants with new technologies include solar stations, wind power stations, pulverized coal stations, a natural gas combined cycle and an integrated gasification combined cycle with and without capture and sequestration. The proposed methodology includes financial risk management in the framework of a two stage stochastic programme for energy planning under uncertainty: demands and fuel price. A deterministic mixed integer linear programming formulation is extended to a two-stage stochastic programming model in order to take into account random parameters, which have discrete and finite probabilistic distributions. Thus, the expected value of the total costs of power generation is minimized, while the objective of carbon emission reduction is achieved. Furthermore, conditional value at risk (CVaR), a most preferable risk measure in the financial risk management, is incorporated within the framework of two-stage mixed integer programming. The mathematical formulation, which is called mean-risk model, is applied for the purpose of minimizing expected value. The process is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming model, implemented in GAMS (General Algebraic Modeling System) and solved using the CPLEX algorithm, a commercial solver embedded in GAMS. The computational results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed new methodology. The optimization model is applied to an existing Ontario Power Generation (OPG) fleet. Four planning scenarios are considered: a base load demand, a 1.0% growth rate in demand, a 5.0% growth rate in demand, a 10% growth rate in demand and a 20% growth rate in demand. A sensitivity analysis study is accomplished in order to investigate the effect of parameter uncertainties, such as uncertain factors on coal price and natural gas price. The optimization results demonstrate how to achieve the carbon emission mitigation goal with and without new technologies, while minimizing costs affects the configuration of the OPG fleet in terms of generation mix, capacity mix and optimal configuration. The selected new technologies are assessed in order to determine the risks of investment. Electricity costs with new technologies are lower than with the existing technologies. 60% CO2 reduction can be achieved at 20% growth in base load demand with new technologies. The total cost of electricity increases as we increase CO2 reduction or increase electricity demand. However, there is no significant change in CO2 reduction cost when CO2 reduction increases with new technologies. Total cost of electricity increases when fuel price increases. The total cost of electricity increases with financial risk management in order to lower the risk. Therefore, more electricity is produced for the industry to be on the safe side.