TECNALIA Research & Innovation is the first privately funded applied research centre in Spain and one of the leading such centres in Europe. A renowned technological agent in the development of innovative and sustainable solutions for the energy and environmental challenges of industry and society, TECNALIA addresses the complex challenges of energy supply chain and energy systems. Contributing to these efforts, the project builds a model of the energy system in Basque Country, which is characterized by (1) high representation of industry; the most energy intensive sector (about 45% in the energy demand ) (2) the high consumption of fossil fuels (about 83% of Basque energy use in 2010). These challenges (and others) along with the compliance with EU targets to reduce GHGs emissions, to promote renewables and implement measures for energy savings and efficient use of energy, are key drivers to simulate different policy-based scenarios to study and analyze the impact of these measures over different time frames. The aim of this thesis is prepare energy scenarios for the Basque Country for 2050, taking into account different low-carbon pathways and integrating a life-cycle perspective which includes not only the impact during the use and operation phase of energy systems, but also the impacts during the other life cycle phases (manufacturing, installation, end of life).

The rise of soft robots poses a promising revolution across a variety of fields, such as invasive surgical procedures or aquatic animal monitoring and sampling, by providing a softer solution to delicate problems. However, with their youth comes a need for growth, particularly in regard to increasing mobility in aquatic environments seeing as motion is often slow and belabored. Additionally, exit strategies in breaking the air-water interface are not thoroughly explored to date. To address these challenges, this study looks to bioinspiration for the answer in the form of Emperor Penguins. By utilizing microbubbles in their plumage to decrease drag forces on their bodies, Emperor Penguins are able to propel themselves out of the water to heights not theoretically achievable through buoyancy alone. Not only is the strategy highly effective, it lends well to the soft robotic field as pneumatic actuation is a commonly used mechanism of locomotion. To explore this behavior and simulate its effects, this study tests a hollow silicone ellipsoid with hole punctures applied to its surface for microbubble release. Bubble characteristics such as separation point, bubble diameter, and downstream bubble expansion were monitored when subjected to a fluid flow to determine ideal air pressure through the ellipsoid body. Drag reduction is tested by measuring the robot’s leap height out of the water.

LEAP and TEACCH represent two comprehensive treatment models (CTMs) that have been widely used across several decades to educate young children with autism spectrum disorders. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to compare high fidelity LEAP (n = 22) and TEACCH (n = 25) classrooms to each other and a control condition (n = 28), in which teachers in high quality special education programs used non-model-specific practices. A total of 198 children were included in data analysis. Across conditions, children's performances improved over time. This study raises issues of the replication of effects for CTMs, and whether having access to a high quality special education program is as beneficial as access to a specific CTM.

Today’s global business environment requires organisation to adapt to increasingly complex technological, economic, political and cultural changes. Environmental turbulences are characterized by perceived dynamism, hostility and complexity. Organisations respond to this turbulence in many different ways. The popular ones involve outsourcing, leasing and renting, shorter product life cycles, downsizing and cost-cutting. Others enter into joint ventures, alliances, mergers and acquisitions. Popular responses often result in more problems than profits; and an average the success rate of alliances and mergers is a meagre 53%. To go beyond improving an organisation’s performance incrementally or entering into contractual alliances, activities need to be directed at the basic character of an organisation. Such changes are referred to as organisational transformations and imply fundamental changes to the way people perceive think and behave at work. Transformational change involves changing the different features of an organisation such as processes, structure, information systems, human resource practices and culture in a co-ordinated way. It is a transition from a control-based to a commitment-based organisation. The outcome is often the emergence of new organisational forms. These forms are mostly distinguishable by an emphasis on bottom-up entrepreneurship and a reliance on a co-operative network to allow for competencies to be shared. The aim of this research is to conceptualise a transformational process and model for changing a traditional, functional organisation to a high performance, entrepreneurial unit in a corporate environment. To achieve the aim a qualitative research study was conducted, which consisted of a survey of relevant literature and a case study. The literature review was performed to understand changes in today’s business environment, the characteristics of an entrepreneurial organisation and the dynamics of organisational change. The case study portrays the organisational transformation which occurred at Schumann-Sasol (Pty) Ltd over the period 1997 to 2003. The case study is a holistic picture of the transformation within it’s specific context and was guided by four research questions: <ul> <li>Why was a transformation necessary?</li> <li>How was the transformation managed?</li> <li>What role did the project team and the consultant play in championing the transformation?</li> <li>What role did leadership play in championing the transformation?</li> </ul> The transformational model which emerged from the research is composed of nine explicit phases, spread over two distinct periods of the transformation: the period when the consultant-project team alliance championed the change, and the period when the new MD as entrepreneurial leader, championed the change. The research generated sufficient evidence to conclude that Schümann-Sasol, redefined itself as an entrepreneurial unit in the Sasol Corporate environment. Distiguishing characteristics were it’s strategy, structure, new products and markets, management processes, systems, human resources practices, culture and leadership. During the period of the transformation performance in EBIT terms increased from the R3.09m to R187.70m. Several key success factors characterized the transformational process: the transformation was strategy-driven; it was mainly a people process; the right measure of entrepreneurial leadership was involved; organisational learning formed an integral part; values were successfully entrenched, ownership and risk were shared and high energy levels were sustained. Many of these learnings could find application in other transformations. Some of these are of particular importance to the South African context, and the way organisational change is being managed. In the broader context the study proves that transformational change can unlock the potential synergies hidden in a merger, even where different national cultures are involved. The research is particularly valuable because of the meticulous way in which the process of transformational change was mapped, variables were identified and dynamics observed and interpreted. It also highlights the strategic role of the Human Resources function and the practices of Organisational psychology in a transformation. Though these practices people’s perceptions, thinking and behaviour can change fundamentally to become a key factor in the attainment of a quantum leap in performance / Thesis (PhD (Human Resources Management))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

Host defense peptides (HDPs) are a large group of small positively charged peptides that play an important role in innate immunity. Their role is more critical at early ages when other components of the immune system have not fully developed. There are three classes of avian HDPs: avian beta defensins (AvBDs), cathelicidins (Cath) and liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP-2). The objective was to compare expression of HDPs in male turkey poults at day of hatch (D0), D7, D14, D21 and D28 from the thymus, spleen, bursa, duodenum, jejunum and ileum. The expression of AvBD1, AvBD2, AvBD8, AvBD9, AvBD10, AvBD13, Cath2, Cath3 and LEAP-2 was measured using qPCR (n=6 birds/tissue/age). Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test, and significance considered at P ≤ 0.05. AvBDs and Caths exhibited greater expression in immune organs than intestinal tissues, with the greatest expression of AvBDs observed in the spleen. The intestinal tissues showed very low expression of AvBDs except for AvBD10 at D0. Similar to AvBDs, Caths expression in the immune organs was greater than the intestinal tissues with the spleen having the greatest expression among immune organs. Conversely, LEAP-2 showed greater expression in the intestinal tissues than in the immune tissues, which showed very low LEAP-2 expression unlike other HDPs. Understanding the differential expression of HDPs could reveal the innate immune status of poults, and may subsequently allow improvement of their health through appropriate mitigation strategies. / Master of Science

Recent research in experimental and computational biology has revealed the necessity of using stochastic modeling and simulation to investigate the functionality and dynamics of gene networks. However, there is no sophisticated stochastic modeling techniques and efficient stochastic simulation algorithms (SSA) for analyzing and simulating gene networks. Therefore, the objective of this research is to design highly efficient and accurate SSAs, to develop stochastic models for certain real gene networks and to apply stochastic simulation to investigate such gene networks. To achieve this objective, we developed several novel efficient and accurate SSAs. We also proposed two stochastic models for the circadian system of Drosophila and simulated the dynamics of the system. The K-leap method constrains the total number of reactions in one leap to a properly chosen number thereby improving simulation accuracy. Since the exact SSA is a special case of the K-leap method when K=1, the K-leap method can naturally change from the exact SSA to an approximate leap method during simulation if necessary. The hybrid tau/K-leap and the modified K-leap methods are particularly suitable for simulating gene networks where certain reactant molecular species have a small number of molecules. Although the existing tau-leap methods can significantly speed up stochastic simulation of certain gene networks, the mean of the number of firings of each reaction channel is not equal to the true mean. Therefore, all existing tau-leap methods produce biased results, which limit simulation accuracy and speed. Our unbiased tau-leap methods remove the bias in simulation results that exist in all current leap SSAs and therefore significantly improve simulation accuracy without sacrificing speed. In order to efficiently estimate the probability of rare events in gene networks, we applied the importance sampling technique to the next reaction method (NRM) of the SSA and developed a weighted NRM (wNRM). We further developed a systematic method for selecting the values of importance sampling parameters. Applying our parameter selection method to the wSSA and the wNRM, we get an improved wSSA (iwSSA) and an improved wNRM (iwNRM), which can provide substantial improvement over the wSSA in terms of simulation efficiency and accuracy. We also develop a detailed and a reduced stochastic model for circadian rhythm in Drosophila and employ our SSA to simulate circadian oscillations. Our simulations showed that both models could produce sustained oscillations and that the oscillation is robust to noise in the sense that there is very little variability in oscillation period although there are significant random fluctuations in oscillation peeks. Moreover, although average time delays are essential to simulation of oscillation, random changes in time delays within certain range around fixed average time delay cause little variability in the oscillation period. Our simulation results also showed that both models are robust to parameter variations and that oscillation can be entrained by light/dark circles.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-03-15T13:17:52Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertacao_AlainRosemberg_Mestrado.pdf: 2190332 bytes, checksum: 646eab9f3f8199a8f7b003398354b6ea (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T13:17:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertacao_AlainRosemberg_Mestrado.pdf: 2190332 bytes, checksum: 646eab9f3f8199a8f7b003398354b6ea (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-06 / A interação com computadores através de gestos há algum tempo vem sendo explorada pelos pesquisadores. Os gestos, no que se refere ao processo de compreensão, não sofre interferência de ruído ocasionado por um determinado ambiente e faz uso de um canal distinto do utilizado na comunicação verbal. Porém, as principais desvantagens se resumem na dificuldade em manipular e interpretar as informações referentes ao processamento e mapeamento de gestos. Além disso, as várias soluções existentes, voltadas para a língua de sinais, ou são de cunho proprietário ou de nível acadêmico. E ainda são limitadas a um pequeno e restrito conjunto de gestos. Os gestos presentes nestas soluções, ora são apenas estáticos ou ora apenas dinâmicos, o que poderá afetar diretamente no nível de dificuldade de uso por parte dos usuários. O aperfeiçoamento acelerado das tecnologias vem melhorando o acesso a dispositivos de captura e processamento de imagens, mais robustos. Os avanços permitiram o uso livre das mãos, sem que haja a necessidade de equipamentos diretamente interligados aos usuários. Com o intuito de contribuir no estreitamento da barreira comunicacional através do uso da tecnologia, este trabalho tem por principal objetivo identificar e estudar a viabilidade de uma tecnologia específica de reconhecimento de gestos, o Leap Motion. Que a partir do desenvolvimento de uma solução desenvolvida especificamente para essa tecnologia, seja possível propor uma abordagem que possibilite implementar, mapear e testar gestos. Com isso possibilitar a validação e interação com a solução comercial denominada ProDeaf. Isto voltado para as pessoas surdas, especificamente no contexto da Língua Brasileira de Sinais (Libras). / The interaction with computers through gestures has been explored by researchers for some time. The gestures, as in regards of the process to understanding, do not suffer noise interference caused by a given environment, and use a different channel from verbal communication. However, the main disadvantages are summarized in the difficulty of manipulating and interpreting the information regarding processing and mapping of the gestures. In addition, various existing solutions are in the owner level or academic level, and are still limited to a small and restricted set of gestures. The gestures presented by these solutions, sometimes are just static or sometimes are just dynamic, which may directly affect the level of difficulty of use. The technology evolution improves the access to more robust capture devices and image processors. The advances allowed free use of hands, without requiring an equipment directly connected to users. In order to contribute to the narrowing of the communication barrier through the use of technology, this work has the main objective to identify and study the feasibility of a specific technology of gesture recognition, the Leap Motion. And from the development of a solution specific for that technology show that it could be possible to propose an approach that allows coding, testing and mapping gestures. With this, allow the validation and interaction with the commercial solution called ProDeaf. Specially to the deaf people, specifically in the context of Brazilian Sign Language (Libras).

Denna C-uppsats undersöker ifall gestbaserad interaktion med Leap Motion leder till trötthet i armen. Den undersöker även potentiella utvecklingsmöjligheter för produkten. Syftet med studien är att undersöka specifika handgester med Leap Motion och framtagande av riktlinjer för interaktionsdesigners. Med hjälp av två intervjuer med personer utbildade inom ergonomi, har vi kunnat få information om datoranvändning ur ett ergonomiskt perspektiv. Det har även genomförts användartester med åtta deltagare för att få svar på upplevelsen av de olika handgesterna som används vid interaktionen med Leap Motion. Alla användartester observerades för att samla ytterligare information kring deltagarnas användarupplevelse. Resultaten visar att handgester inte är den enda aspekten som kan leda till trötthet i armen. Användarupplevelsen påverkas även av hur användaren sitter, om tekniken fungerar korrekt, och ifall handgesterna är förstådda. Resultaten kan användas som riktlinjer för framtida utveckling av applikationerna för Leap Motion. / This essay examines if gesture based interaction with Leap Motion leads to arm fatigue. It also examines the potential for development of the product. The purpose of the study is to examine specific hand gestures with Leap Motion and the development of guidelines for interaction designers. Using two interviews with people educated in ergonomics, we have been able to get information about computer use from an ergonomic perspective. User tests with eight participants have been conducted to examine the experience of the different hand gestures used when interacting with Leap Motion. All user testing was observed to gather additional information regarding the participants' user experience. The results show that hand gestures are not the only aspect which can lead to arm fatigue. The user experience is also affected by how the user is sitting, if the technology works properly, and if the hand gestures are understood. The results can be used as guidelines in future development of the applications for Leap Motion.

Auch die analoge Schriftgutverwaltung ist im digitalen Zeitalter nicht obsolet. Eine geordnete Schriftgutverwaltung ist Grundvoraussetzung für effektives Verwaltungshandeln und die Einführung von elektronischen Systemen. Dazu sind einheitliche und schriftlich fixierte Festlegungen notwendig sowie die Klärung von Zuständigkeiten. Die Ablage und Ordnung der Dokumente sollte nach einem einheitlichen Aktenplan erfolgen. Das Archiv ist zwar nicht zuständig für die Schriftgutverwaltung, sollte aber jederzeit als Ansprech- und Kooperationspartner bei der ordnungsgemäßen Umsetzung zur Verfügung stehen. / Even analog records management is not obsolete in the digital age. Orderly records management is a basic requirement for effective administrative action and the introduction of electronic systems. This requires uniform, written specifications and clarification of responsibilities. Documents should be filed and organized according to a uniform file plan. Although the archive is not responsible for records management, it should be available at all times as a contact and cooperation partner for proper implementation.

Burkina Faso like many other Least Developed Countries (LDC) in their quest for sustainable development has realized that for there to be meaningful economic and social progress, prioritizing resilience to impacts of climate change is critical. In its National Adaptation Plan, a decrease in average rainfall is forecasted in the order of 150 mm by 2025, in comparison to an average annual value of 798mm for the period 1991 to 2016, and an increase in average temperatures between 1° C - 2.5°C. Though a weak emitter, Burkina Faso ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2005 and through its Intended National Determined Contributions it is committed to unconditionally reduce 6.6% of its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 in keeping with the Paris Agreement.  The electricity sector is identified as one of the most vulnerable to climate change. The demand is expected to exponentially grow due to increased cooling degree days and on the supply side, both renewable (hydropower and solar photovoltaic) and fossil fuel-based thermal power, will experience reduced production.  This study adopts a bottom-up approach scenario-based analysis using the Low Emission Analysis Platform (LEAP) tool to conduct a comprehensive analysis of Burkina Faso electricity system for the period 2014-2030 on the current and future consumption, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in light of the potential impacts of climate change. A literature review on the renewable energy resource potential and the effect of climate change on future generation electricity infrastructure was conducted. Modelling simulations based on national, regional and global policies were conducted using the LEAP model developed by considering four scenarios: Business As Usual (BAU) scenario, Ideal Case Scenario (ICS), ECOWAS - WAPP Scenario (EWS) and Climate Smart Scenario (CSS).  The annual electricity consumption is expected to grow to 4.6TWh by 2030 against 1.13TWh in the base year 2014 under a BAU scenario, with CSS and ICS having 43% and 93% increased demand compared to the BAU. Electricity generated from renewable energy sources was highest in CSS and 36.2% and lowest in BAU scenario at 28% for the whole period up to 2030. Universal electricity access is achieved under CSS through off-grid solar contributing to 8.3% of the total electricity system generation, while in EWS is achieved through extensive national grid connections. Electricity generation from decentralised systems under CSS is 300% higher when compared to the other three scenarios for the modelling period. Expected savings of about 10.5% in petroleum products importations can be achieved under the EWS scenario assumptions, compared to ICS. This is due to the incorporation of jatropha biodiesel blend of 20% for thermal generation. GHG emissions are projected to reduce by approximately 19% under CSS and increase by more than 65% in both EWS and ICS compared to BAU scenario in 2030.  From the analysis, the CSS emerged as a better alternative to a BAU future and also in respect to the other scenarios as it is shaped by the perspective of potential impact of climate change on the vulnerable electricity system. The CCS incorporated the highest share of decentralized electricity generation through renewable solar photovoltaic, least electricity imports compared to BAU, and allows for the highest reduction of GHG emissions. / Burkina Faso har i likhet med många andra Minst Utvecklade Länder (MUL) i sin strävan efter hållbar utveckling insett att för att det ska bli meningsfulla ekonomiska och sociala framsteg är det viktigt att prioritera motståndskraft mot klimatförändringens effekter. I sin nationella anpassningsplan förutses en minskning av genomsnittlig nederbörd i storleksordningen 150 mm fram till 2025, jämfört med ett genomsnittligt årligt värde på 798 mm för perioden 1991 till 2016 och en ökning av medeltemperaturen mellan 1 ° C och 2,5 ° C. Även om Burkina Fasos utsläpp var relativt små, ratificerades Kyotoprotokollet 2005 och genom sina avsedda nationellt bestämda bidrag förbinder de sig att villkorslöst minska sina utsläpp med 6,6% till 2030 i enlighet med Parisavtalet.  Elsektorn har identifierats som en av de mest sårbara för klimatförändringar. Efterfrågan förväntas växa exponentiellt på grund av ökade nedkylningsdagar medan utbudssidan, både förnyelsebar (vattenkraft och solceller) och fossilbränslebaserad termisk kraft, kommer att uppleva minskad produktion.  Denna studie tillämpar en scenariobaserad analys nedifrån och upp genom att använda verktyget LEAP (Low Emission Analysis Platform) för att genomföra en omfattande analys av Burkina Fasos elsystem för perioden 2014-2030. Analysen berör nuvarande och framtida konsumtion, produktion, transmission och distribution med hänsyn till klimatförändringarnas potentiella effekter. En litteraturgenomgång över potentialen för förnybar energi och klimatförändringarnas effekt på framtida elinfrastruktur genomfördes. Modelleringssimuleringar baserade på nationella, regionala och globala policyer genomfördes därefter med LEAP-modellen utvecklad genom att beakta fyra scenarier: Business As Usual (BAU) scenario, Ideal Case Scenario (ICS), ECOWAS - WAPP Scenario (EWS) och Climate Smart Scenario (CSS) ).  Den årliga elförbrukningen förväntas växa till 4,6TWh 2030 jämfört med 1,13TWh under basåret 2014 enligt ett BAU-scenario. Enligt CSS och ICS förväntas efterfrågan öka 43% respektive 93% jämfört med BAU. El genererad från förnyelsebara energikällor var högst i CSS med 36,2% och lägst i BAU-scenariot med 28% under hela perioden fram till 2030. Universell tillgång till el uppnås under CSS genom solenergi utanför elnätet som bidrar till 8,3% av den totala elproduktionen, medan det i EWS uppnås genom omfattande nationella elnätanslutningar. Elproduktion från decentraliserade system under CSS är 300% högre jämfört med de andra tre scenarierna för modelleringsperioden. Förväntade besparingar på cirka 10,5% från import av petroleumprodukter kan uppnås enligt antagandena i EWS-scenariot, jämfört med ICS. Detta beror på införlivandet av jatropha-biodieselblandning på 20% för värmegenerering. Utsläppen av växthusgaser beräknas minska med cirka 19% under CSS och öka med mer än 65% i både EWS och ICS jämfört med BAU-scenariot 2030.  Utifrån analysen framkom CSS som ett bättre alternativ till en BAU-framtid och även med hänsyn till de andra scenarierna, eftersom det formas av perspektivet av klimatförändringarnas potentiella inverkan på det sårbara elsystemet. CCS möjliggör den högsta andelen decentraliserad elproduktion genom förnyelsebara solceller, minst elimport jämfört med BAU, och möjliggör den största minskningen av växthusgasutsläpp.