• Refine Query
  • Source
  • Publication year
  • to
  • Language
  • 63
  • 5
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • Tagged with
  • 96
  • 96
  • 28
  • 16
  • 16
  • 15
  • 15
  • 15
  • 14
  • 13
  • 12
  • 12
  • 12
  • 11
  • 10
  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
21

Conceptual Design Optimization Of A Nano-satellite Launcher

Arslantas, Yunus Emre 01 April 2012 (has links) (PDF)
Recent developments in technology are changing the trend both in satellite design and application of that technology. As the number of small satellites built by experts from academia and private companies increases, more effective ways of inserting those satellites into orbit is needed. Among the various studies that focus on the launch of such small satellites, research on design of Launch Vehicle tailored for nano-satellites attracts special attention. In this thesis, Multiple Cooling Multi Objective Simulated Annealing algorithm is applied for the conceptual design of Launch vehicle for nano-satellites. A set of fitness functions are cooled individually, and acceptance is based on the maximum value of the acceptance probabilities calculated. Angle of attack and propulsion characteristics are employed as optimization parameters. Algorithm finds the optimum trajectory as well as the design parameters that satisfies user defined constraints. In this study burnout velocity, and payload mass are defined as objectives. The methodolgy is applied for different design scenarios including multistage, air and ground launch vehicles.
22

Heating use in UK homes

Morton, Ashley January 2017 (has links)
Within the UK, space heating accounts for 66% of the total domestic energy used. New heating controls may offer a means to reduce this figure and help meet the UK s target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However these technologies will only save energy if occupants are able to use them effectively. Currently, little is known about how occupants interact with their heating systems, in particular how they use the heating within their home and the reasons behind why it is used a specific way. To investigate further, this thesis presents research which used both qualitative and quantitative methods over two separate studies to uncover why and how households heat their homes and how people use their heating system following the installation of new heating controls. The results identify key drivers which impact how people heat their homes and highlight numerous issues preventing them from using their heating how they wish to. A taxonomy of heating use is presented based on the factors influencing heating use in homes and how those factors impact the use and control of the heating system. Occupants use of new heating controls over a ten month period is presented. Manual interaction with controls is separated from programmed heating schedules showing increased manual use over winter and a reliance on heating schedules during shoulder months. The analysis of measured heating use showed similar findings to larger scale studies, however the demanded set-point temperatures were varied and occupants regularly changed heating schedules throughout winter, indicating some of this complexity may be lost by studies inferring heating use patterns from internal temperature measurements alone. The research presented within this thesis is novel, in developing heating characters based on the factors which influence occupants heating behaviours, by presenting measured heating use, which included measured set-point temperatures, heating schedules and heating use duration. The thesis also presented the complexity of heating use within homes uncovered through use of mixed methods.
23

Clinical psychologists' narratives of relatedness within a multi-disciplinary team context

Nutt, Katherine Marie January 2016 (has links)
The focus of this study was to explore how Clinical Psychologists narrate their experience of relatedness within a multi-disciplinary team. Mental health services in the UK are facing increased financial pressure and a necessity for all professionals to justify their role. In this context value often appears to be placed on the cheapest way of providing individual, independent care for clients rather than on the relational value of job satisfaction, joint working and therapeutic relationships. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of Clinical Psychologists and through this contribute to thinking around collaborative and interdisciplinary working. This study was guided by eight individual semi-structured interviews which were conducted with Clinical Psychologists who work in Multi-Disciplinary working age adult Community Mental Health Teams and explored using Narrative Analysis. The participants consisted of seven females and one male who had been qualified between three and fifteen years and were working at various pay bands between 7 and 8c. Four relational narratives were found. These were connections to the self of the psychologist, connections to clients, connections with colleagues and connections with the system. The first relational aspect was how the Clinical Psychologists in this study storied their ability to remain connected to their own humanity and their personal values within the context of their Multi-Disciplinary Teams. The second level involved the stories about relationships and connections with clients, particularly thinking about the perceived impact and consequences of the other relational levels for the clients and their safety. The third relational aspect was the stories that Clinical Psychologists told about their sense of relatedness to their colleagues within their teams and the importance of having time available for this. Finally, the fourth level, which was evident within all the other relationships, was of the impact of the wider system and context. These stories emerged from the analysis process with the understanding that the interviews were co-constructed and represented multiple voices. This study confirmed that despite a history of both research and legislation highlighting the benefits and values of inter-professional working and compassion the reality remains elusive. To achieve these aims there needs to be a shift in focus from short-term planning evaluating efficiency in relation only to perceived financial value, to thinking more widely and long-term about relational value. There is a need for investment and recognition of the aspects of team working that are less easy to quantify financially. Further research could explore the experience of other professional groups within CMHTs, and other MDTs, and of clients. This would give a voice to individuals who did not have an explicit voice in this research.
24

Perceptions of multi-disciplinary team members regarding psycho-social factors contributing to juvenile delinquency in Oshakati, Namibia

Shatona, Albertina Pombili January 2015 (has links)
Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Child crime (juvenile delinquency) has become a norm in many societies and the world at large. Crime is prevalent in all age groups and is said to be on the increase among children under the age of eighteen. Juvenile delinquency also increases in Namibia. The study was informed by Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory as the factors contributing to the phenomenon are the social relationships and individual's environment. The research question asked by the researcher was: What are the psycho-social factors contributing to juvenile delinquency in Oshakati, Namibia? The research goal, based on the research question, was to achieve an in –depth understanding of the psycho-social factors contributing to juvenile delinquency in Oshakati, Namibia, from the perspectives of the multi-disciplinary team working with the involved youth in this area. The research objectives to attain the goal were: to explore the social factors and psychological factors contributing to juvenile delinquents and, to provide recommendations that could be included in treatment and prevention of the phenomenon. The study adopted an explanatory, descriptive, qualitative approach using the case study strategy of inquiry, where multiple data collection methods and sources were used. The population was the multi-disciplinary team working with the juvenile delinquents in Oshakati, Namibia and eight participants were purposefully selected, including teachers, police officers, social workers and youth workers. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews and document analysis was done in order to involve multiple sources of data. Six themes were identified, which the influence of the internal family environment with reference to lack of parental guidance; lack of parental control and supervision due to parents being absent; the external family environment and delinquency in relation to the social environment with special reference to the effects of bars and social clubs in informal settlements; lack of community support; the school factors; lack of recreational and educational facilities and poverty; adolescence and peer pressure/ peer acceptance and the influence of the media.
25

On the study of surrogate-based optimization methods in aircraft conceptual design

Sohst, Martin 17 March 2022 (has links)
The goal of "greener" aviation is one of the main challenges in aircraft design. The target of Europeans "Flightpath 2050'' and IATA is to reduced the net aviation CO2 emission by 75% relative to 2000 and 50% relative to 2005, respectively. Novel unconventional aircraft claim to increase the efficiency and reduce the environmental impact. Designs differing from the conventional tube-low-wing concept are investigated regarding their performance benefit. The employment of a high aspect ratio wing is an effective way to increase the aerodynamic efficiency. However, the long and slender wing structure is more flexible and thus more prone to aeroelastic effects. Critical phenomena, such as flutter and limit-cycle oscillation are more likely to drive the design. Therefore it is important to assess the interdependence of aerodynamic and structural forces. The effects of the wings flexibility can affect the design and off-design performance, possibly jeopardizing the intended efficiency benefit. To evaluate the different disciplines involved in aircraft design, a multi-disciplinary design optimization environment offers the required tools. While computationally demanding, the obtained solution is more efficient if the disciplines are assessed simultaneously. Equipped with low- and high-fidelity assessments, aircraft performance can be predicted at the preliminary design stage, while mitigating some computational expenses. To further reduce the computational burden, adaptive surrogate modelling approaches can be employed, requiring less computational evaluations while efficiently guiding the optimization process towards improved designs. Considering surrogate models for expensive physics based objective and constraint functions bears the disadvantage of more uncertainty in the models. Thus, a new technique is proposed to utilizing the probability of feasibility for the constraints in combination with a transformed normalized objective function to address the uncertainty consideration. The approach is assessed via mathematical test functions and an engineering application and compared against established methods. The results suggests an applicability of the method, with further improvements to be examined. Limitations are revealed regarding local optima and convergence. Further, the degree of maturity does not yet suffice for industrial applications. In a multi-disciplinary design optimization of a high aspect ratio wing aircraft and a strut braced wing aircraft a more classical EGO approach was therefore the choice of approach. The configurations were optimized towards a multi-objective, blending manufacturing and operational costs. Towards cost efficient evaluations, investigations were performed to incorporate high-fidelity assessments, yet limiting their number by reducing active constraints. Driven by aero-structural and aeroelastic constraints, the novel designs could improve the performance satisfactory. / Graduate
26

Music Therapy in Tshwane, South Africa : music therapists’ experiences and other professionals’ perceptions

Fourie, Lise January 2009 (has links)
In South Africa music therapy as a profession is still in its infancy and not yet firmly established, hence music therapists have struggled in the past to secure full-time employment. It is important to ascertain the current state of music therapy in Tshwane as this will offer suggestions about what needs to be addressed in the future. In this project two research questions were explored: 1. What are the experiences of music therapists, as well as the perceptions of other professionals working in the health and education sectors in Tshwane, regarding music therapy as a profession? 2. What do these experiences and perceptions suggest about the current state of the music therapy profession in Tshwane? This research project used questionnaires to generate data pertaining to the experiences of music therapists and perceptions of allied professionals about the music therapy profession in Tshwane. The experiences of music therapists currently practising in Tshwane shed light on the present situation of music therapy in Tshwane. The allied professionals’ perceptions of music therapy had implications regarding the recognition of the profession which impacts directly on the availability of jobs, funding and resources available to music therapists. Questionnaires generated both quantitative and qualitative data through the use of closed questions that were analysed using descriptive statistics that were generalised and openended questions analysed through the process of coding and categorising for emerging themes that were discussed. Results obtained from the questionnaires indicated that not enough is being done to promote the field as music therapist respondents (n=4) do not create or set up new music therapy employment. This accounts for the fact that at present other professionals working in the health and education sectors (n=27) have a varied understanding of what music therapy comprises. Because of this varied understanding music therapy is not always valued by these professionals. Collaboration with allied professionals was an important theme which recurred throughout the data and seems to have been the most successful way of furthering the profession so far in Tshwane. By promoting music therapy, especially through collaboration with others, awareness of music therapy should be enhanced, others’ knowledge and understanding of music therapy may be expanded and music therapy may ultimately find its valued place among other therapeutic interventions. / Mini Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / gm2014 / Music / Unrestricted
27

Women and men's perception of the effect of unemployment of the male partner on gender role perception, family communication and relational power within the family

Nicolaai, Celeste January 1998 (has links)
Magister Artium (Human Ecology) - MA(HE) / The research focused on 60 coloured, Afrikaans-speaking men and women residing in Bellville South who completed a structured questionnaire and open-ended interview questions. Their perceptions held on the influence of male unemployment on family relations with specific reference to gender role perception, relational satisfaction, communication, decision making, finances and labour within the family were investigated. Unemployment of the male partner was found to have no statistically significant differences for the manner in which males and females perceive their gender roles, finances and labour distribution within the family. Statistically significant differences were found for the manner in which males and females perceive decision-making and communication within the family when the male partner is unemployed. The results revealed that unemployment does not have an influence on role perception and that the respondents uphold a traditional role perception. Decision making was not male dominated, as more egalitarian decision were taken. The respondents expressed combination gender roles with regard to management of finances and appeared to be satisfied with family and partner relations. The minority of respondents who experienced problems with communication attributed this to the consequences of being unemployed. The survival of families during these challenging periods. A Social agencies need to offer services to empower families to deal with the affects of unemployment on family life to ensure multi-disciplinary approach, provided by a team of professionals is the basis for recommendations for proposed support I programme development, access and further research.
28

Surface-strip coal mine rehabilitation risk assessment : the development of an integrated rehabilitation risk assessment model for use in South Africa and Australia

Weyer, Vanessa Derryn January 2020 (has links)
Surface-strip coal mine rehabilitation planning in South Africa and Australia is immature. Rehabilitation risk assessment, despite being advocated by leading practice guidelines and in some instances by legislation, is conducted with minimum requirements often met by rehabilitation professionals. Specialist data is gathered during mine approval and for the environmental impact assessment process. However, the focus of this is toward assessing mining impacts and not for rehabilitation risk assessment. Quantitative, integrated, multi-disciplinary rehabilitation risk assessment is seldom undertaken. This thesis provides a methodology towards the development of a quantitative, integrative, multi-disciplinary rehabilitation risk assessment model. Its purpose being to 'profile' surface-strip coal mine sites, in terms of their rehabilitation risk and potential for rehabilitation failure, from the outset of mine operations, with adjustments possible progressively during mine operations. The methodology was developed by first reviewing techniques suitable for the development of the model, as well as techniques developed by others. Bayesian networks (BN) were found to be the most suited. A R2AIN framework was then provided as a process towards developing several BN risk event models that can amalgamate to form a synthesis rehabilitation risk assessment model. A case study soil compaction BN model was used to demonstrate the framework in South Africa and Australia. The case study showed that it is possible to integrate and quantify rehabilitation risk, and most importantly to segregate risk into discrete contributing multidisciplines for analysis. Risk percentages can be calculated per multi-discipline, per mine phase, per site, to aid site risk ‘profiling’. It is recommended that further risk event BN models be prioritised for development and that a rehabilitation risk assessment model be developed to synthesise these into one model. This will require continuous improvements in the method, to build confidence, including extensive risk event and synthesis BN model evaluation and testing; improved BN input node states and values; and simplification of the conditional probability table construction method. Adaptation to other mining types, development activities and other regions should be investigated, as well as spatial linkages to geographic information systems. This research contribution improves upfront mine rehabilitation planning and decision making, providing improved tools and techniques than what currently exist. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / PhD / Unrestricted
29

What do you mean? : The consequences of different stakeholders’ logics in machine learning and how disciplinary differences should be managed within an organization

Eliasson, Nina January 2022 (has links)
This research paper identifies the disciplinary differences of stakeholders and its effects on working cross-functional in the context of machine learning. This study specifically focused on 1) how stakeholders with disciplinary differences interpret a search system, and 2) how the multi-disciplines should be managed in an organization. This was studied through 12 interviews with stakeholders from design disciplines, product management, data science and machine learning engineering, followed by a focus group with a participant from each of the different disciplines. The findings were analyzed through a thematic analysis and institutional logics and concluded that the different logics had a high impact on the stakeholders’ understanding of the search system. The research also concluded that bridging the gap between the multi-disciplinary stakeholders are of high importance in context of machine learning.
30

Coupling Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Solvers for Multi-Disciplinary Simulations

Liu, Qingyun 13 December 2003 (has links)
The purpose of this study is to build, test, validate, and implement two heat transfer models, and couple them to an existing fluid flow solver, which can then be used for simulating multi-disciplinary problems. The first model is for heat conduction computations, the other one is a quasi-one-dimensional cooling channel model for water-cooled jacket structural analysis. The first model employs the integral, conservative form of the thermal energy equation, which is discretized by means of a finite-volume numerical scheme. A special algorithm is developed at the interface between the solid and fluid regions, in order to keep the heat flux consistent. The properties of the solid region materials can be temperature dependent, and different materials can be used in different parts of the domains, thanks to a multi-block gridding strategy. The cooling channel flow model is developed by using uasi-one-dimensional conservation laws of mass, momentum, and energy, taking into account the effects of heat transfer and friction. It is possible to have phase changes in the channel, and a mixture model is applied, which allows two phases to be present, as long as they move at the same bulk velocity and vapor quality does not exceed relatively small values. The coupling process of both models (with the fluid solver and with each other) is handled within the Loci system, and is detailed in this study. A hot-air nozzle wall problem is simulated, and the computed results are validated with available experimental data. Finally, a more complex case involving the water-cooled nozzle of a Rocket Based Combined Cycle(RBCC) gaseous oxygen/gaseous hydrogen thruster is simulated, which involves all three models, fully coupled. The calculated temperatures in the nozzle wall and at the cooling channel outlet compare favorably with experimental data.

Page generated in 0.0499 seconds