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I'm arguing for an approach to generating graphic form based on slapstick. Slapstick is a genre of physical comedy involving humorous portrayals of clumsiness, mistakes, and nonsense. I investigate it as an approach to form, content, process, and communication. These methods were used to construct an immersive installation loosely based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Graphic design is expected to function. It does this by conditioning users to its particular patterns or by skillfully implementing familiar patterns. A slapstick approach to graphic design is valuable as a critical tool for disrupting conditioned experiences for promoting empathy by relating to people through imperfection and failure.

When a malfunction occurs in a traffic signal controller cabinet, the signal is automatically placed into malfunction flash mode as a safety precaution. During this event, drivers are presented with one of two possible scenarios: flashing yellow on the major street and flashing red on the minor street, or flashing red on all the approaches. Volumes and percentages of car stopping were collected at fifty-one study intersections in the Atlanta regions. By means of the VISSIM microsimulation software a sample of intersections was simulated under the two malfunction scenarios and the signalized one. Based on output data such as delay and queue, the performances of each simulated intersection is compared and recommendations on which mode of flash must be used in case of malfunction are provided.

Solder joints are the most fragile parts in electronic package. The properties of joints made of lead-free material are harder and crisper than those of lead-contained material. They tend to break due to dynamic loading by absorbing the impact energy and result in malfunction. Thus, how to improve the reliability of contact joints made of lead-free material in dynamic loading has become an important topic for research. This work is based on JEDEC Standard JESD22 - B111 ¡§Board Level Drop Test Method of Components for Handheld Electronic Products,¡¨ and JESD22 ¡V B110 ¡§Subassembly Mechanical Shock¡¨. The setup of drop test apparatuses was used to conduct dropping tests with the impact of acceleration 1500 G, in order to acquire the reliability of SnAgCu, SnCu, and SnAg alloy, which would be compared with 63Sn37Pb. The specimens would be red-dyed for an analysis under SEM to examine the distribution of the breakage. The results were analyzed by Weibull distribution to predict Mean Time to Failure (MTTF), it is revealed that MTTF of solder joints made of Sn0.7Cu, Sn2.6Ag0.5Cu, and Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu (MTTF=355.32, 295.82, 289.54 cycles respectively) are longer than that made of 63Sn37Pb (MTTF=152.52 cycles). Notably, MTTF of alloy Sn0.7Cu is 2.3 times of solder joints of SnPb. Alloy Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu has the shortest MTTF among the three, which is also 1.89 times of alloy SnPb. That is to say, under impact of 1500G, solder joints made of Sn0.7Cu, Sn2.6Ag0.5Cu, and Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu possess greater resistance to shock than alloy 63Sn37Pb, which is in common by used at present. In addition, the breakage of solder joints mainly generated on Intermetallic Compound (IMC) and around the four corners, distributed from the periphery to the central area. Especially, those on the corners receive greater stresses due to edge effect.

My dissertation studies three problems that threaten our functional explanatory practices. The first study, The Normativity Problem and Theories of Biological Function, attempts to explain how it is that biological tokens can perform their functions better or worse, and can retain their functions even when not currently performing them. Etiological theories can try to account for the normativity of functions by cumulative selection or by their contributions to fitness. I argue that neither strategy succeeds. Systemic theories hold that functions are the causal contributions of systemic components to the overall capacities of their containing systems. At first glance, systemic theories do not explain the normativity of functions either. I argue that adding a feedback condition to systemic theories can account for the normativity of functions. The second study, The Malfunction Problem and the Functional Individuation of Biological Traits, attempts to dissolve an apparent paradox about how, if biological traits are functionally individuated, it is possible for an organism to possess a biological trait that malfunctions. The malfunction problem articulates the apparent paradox: A ‘malfunctioning’ trait token seems to no longer belong to its functional type and hence cannot malfunction. I show that distinguishing between the functional type that a token instantiates and the current performance of its function dissolves the paradox. The third study, The Necessitation Problem and the Causal Relevance of Functional Properties, attempts to address a vacuity worry about causal explanation that seems to arise when a property referred to by a causal explanation is individuated by its very effects. Since functional properties are individuated by their functions, and functions are effects, it is hard to see how the ascription of functional properties can play an explanatory role. For the relevant explanations seem to be vacuous: the property that purportedly explains the effect is just the property of having that very effect. I argue that causally relevant functional properties are individuated by historical effects, whereas the effects that they causally explain are current. Since the effects individuating causally relevant properties are distinct from the effects that are causally explained, the vacuity worry does not arise. / Philosophy

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Thesis themed is about Successful Integration of Pupils with Special Educational Needs. It is divided into two parts, theoretical and practical. In the first chapter of theoretic part are mentioned and explained notions as integration, inclusion, handicap and special educational needs. The second chapter of theoretic parts is devoted to subsidiary cautions in education, possibility of schools and other educational establishments at work with pupils with special educational needs. Final two chapters are describing development of Czech education and school systems selective European countries. There is an effort embrace patterns, where inclusion is long term in action and conversely mention examples of countries, where the integration is only at the beginning. Practical section shows qualitative research that is divided into several parts. The questionnaire inquiry was conducted in two Elementary schools. The purpose is to find answers: Where pedagogical staff notices advantageousness of integration for pupils with special educational needs? What they see like the most important element for successful mastered integration? Teacher assistants responded on close-up questions regarding their work: Why is their work so important? How are they take in by parents or other pedagogical workers? How they can...

<p>In this thesis, I take up two important issues for understanding neurobiological systems: normative functions and information. After introducing the topic and my methodology in chapters 1 and 2, chapter 3 contains an extended critique of the most prominent theory of biological functions, the selected-effects theory of functions. My arguments center on the influential recent selected-effects theory arguing that it has trouble accounting for certain cases and does not seem to capture the sense of malfunction employed in the neurosciences. Chapter 4 defends an alternative theory of normative biological functions that I label the statistical fitness theory. Roughly, this theory holds that tokens of a trait type have the normative function to do something y if it is typical for tokens of that type of trait to y and their doing y contributes to the inclusive fitness of the organism that possesses the trait. In turn, this theory defines malfunctioning trait tokens as those whose effects that typically make positive contributions to fitness fall below the "normal" range in the population. Chapter 5 argues that several other recently popular theories of normative functions have significant flaws. </p><p>Chapter 6 takes up the issue of a certain kind of information, namely natural, propositional information. I provide a general framework that explains when signals carry this kind of information about their signifieds based upon stable, perfect correlations holding between the two. Hence, I label this the "stable correlation theory". I also argue that there are good reasons to think that neurons in our brains carry natural, propositional information and that their ability to do so is also grounded in stable correlations.</p> / Dissertation

When a traffic signals malfunction monitoring unit detects a problem with a traffic signal such as the simultaneous display of green indications to conflicting movements or loss of power to some signal heads, the signal is automatically placed into flash mode as a safety precaution. Signals can have either red/red malfunction flash mode or yellow/red malfunction flash mode, and the mode cannot change by time of day or day of week. This study analyzed traffic operation at 34 instances of yellow/red malfunction flash and 9 instances of red/red malfunction flash in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Many of these instances were during high volume periods. A high level of driver confusion exists at malfunction flash intersections. The rate at which through major street drivers (i.e. those facing a flashing yellow signal) stopped exceeded 75 percent at some yellow/red flash intersections. This creates a safety hazard for other major street drivers who are not expecting vehicles to stop, and for minor street drivers who cannot tell what type of control is being presented to cross traffic or do not understand that vehicles are not required to stop when approaching a flashing yellow indication. Furthermore, high stopping rates at a flashing yellow signal eliminate many of the operational benefits that yellow/red flash is assumed to have over red/red flash. Based on the findings of this study, the use of red/red flash should be the primary flash mode and possibly used exclusively. Requiring all vehicles to stop will improve safety conditions and not have large operational impacts at intersections where a majority of major street vehicles are already stopping at a flashing yellow signal. Yellow/red flash may be an acceptable malfunction flash mode at the intersection of a very large street and a very small street, but additional measures would be required at these intersections to address potential driver confusion.

Capturing what is going on and what may happen related to vehicle handling behaviour in cases of desired or non-desired actions and interventions has a crucial importance. Strategies implemented to improve vehicle stability or algorithms and control modules designed to compensate the non-desired effects on handling behavior may appear to be inadequate as the vehicle goes through uncountable experiences. The importance of understanding and introducing the possible sources of undesired effects which may be encountered throughout driving action cannot be underemphasized. One of the possibilities that may lead the driver face with unexpected results concerning vehicle&rsquo / s handling is suspension damper failure, which has not yet been dealt with adequately in the literature. The fast developing technology and consequently the expanding utilization of chassis electronics and electronic vehicle components make the investigation of damper failure phenomenon essential since reliability decreases by the continuously increasing introduction of electronic means. In this study, possible failure types of dampers including electrical failure are taken into account, their effects on vehicle stability under critical driving conditions are examined. Shortcomings and comments are made on criticality of failed damper and its failure point. This work as a result, constitutes a particular contribution to the literature in that it brings up a concrete knowledge to the stated research area.