No / A new dual-log spiral geometry is proposed for microstrip resonators, offering substantial advantages in performance and size reduction at subgigahertz frequencies when realized in superconducting materials. The spiral is logarithmic in line spacing and width such that the width of the spiral line increases smoothly with the increase of the current density, reaching its maximum where the current density is maximum (in its center for ¿/2 resonators). Preliminary results of such a logarithmic ten-turn (2 × 5 turns) spiral, realized with double-sided YBCO thin film, showed a Q.-factor seven times higher than that of a single ten-turn uniform spiral made of YBCO thin film and 64 times higher than a copper counterpart. The insertion loss of the YBCO dual log-spiral has a high degree of independence of the input power in comparison with a uniform Archimedian spiral, increasing by only 2.5% for a 30-dBm increase of the input power, compared with nearly 31% for the uniform spiral. A simple approximate method, developed for prediction of the resonant frequency of the new resonators, shows a good agreement with the test results.

This study identifies a theological trajectory of first generation “believers” – those who allow the biblical text to speak authoritatively into their lives – within the Sindhi community of Pakistan. A passage from a contemporary translation of the New Testament in the Sindhi language – Luke 15:11-32, Jesus’ Parable of the Two Lost Sons – was presented in interview settings to discover how Sindhis express their faith as they consider the message of the parable. Culture texts generated by believers are compared to those generated by “traditional” Muslim Sindhis who do not accept the Bible as authoritative. Twenty–eight people identified as Sindhi believers were interviewed as well as twenty traditional Sindhi Muslims. Similarities and contrasts between the two groups are used to discover how the theological praxis of the believers is being impacted and how they are adjusting their view of God as they engage scripture. The description of theological trajectories that diverge from accepted traditional convictions is referred to as “mapping.” Six themes were identified from the interviews that are important for both groups while demonstrating distinct contrasts and similarities. The themes are (1) God is compassionate/kind/merciful/loving beyond our imagination, (2) God forgives his servants who repent, (3) Concepts of rewards, punishment and the fear of God, (4) The relationship of human beings with God (child versus servant), (5) Issues of justice, honor and status, and (6) The importance of obedience to God. An evaluation of the six themes revealed one overarching trajectory: a shift from a dominant master–servant view of the Divine–human relationship to a father–child paradigm. The research affirms that the shift to a biblically shaped view of God is not disconnected from previous beliefs, but is based on and shaped by a priori assumptions held by members of society. Commitment to the Bible as God’s word speaking authoritatively to believers creates a shift or trajectory of faith so that current perspectives, symbols and metaphors of God are being reformed and reconfirmed through the believers’ interaction with the Sindhi translation of scripture. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

Globalisation had a major impact on the way organisations operate. Access to information and innovative technology connote that organisational leaders need to make timely decisions while considering a range of rapidly changing variables. Leaders of global organisations need to make sense of complex information and anticipate the long-term outcomes of making different decisions. This requires highly developed cognitive skills. However, these are not the only factors influencing strategic decisions. Value systems also affect the choices organisational leaders make. Limited existing research has investigated the relationship between values and cognition within organisational leadership. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive complexity, cognitive processes and individual values at a senior management level in a multinational company. Cognition is explored in terms of cognitive processes and levels of work (as measured by the Cognitive Process Profile), and values are explored in terms of value systems (as measured by the Value Orientations questionnaire). The study is based on a quantitative research design, where a sample of 265 executives, senior managers and directors employed at a multinational organisation completed the assessments. The empirical study (N = 265) yielded some weak, yet statistically significant, relationships between cognition and value systems among organisational leaders in a multinational organisation. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The purpose of the research is to propose and evaluate a methodology for implementing EDI to assist organisations in reaping the anticipated benefits. The research involved the systematic analysis of the state of the art of EDI and paradigms of methodologies, to define a model for the EDI implementation methodology, and to define criteria for evaluating such a model. The methodology was developed and modelled utilising the software process model, as adopted by Boehm (1988) and later duPlessis and van der Walt (1992), as a framework. Next a synthesis of the assimilated knowledge and brainstorming of project teams involved in EDI pilot projects, was used to systematically develop an EDI implementation methodology. The methodology was evaluated by utilising it in the implementation of EDI between two organisations, Computer Equipment Brokers (PTY) and Marksec (PTY). It was concluded that the methodology was efficient for implementing EDI. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

This diploma thesis is thematically oriented towards early theories of public opinion of the late 19th century. Concretely, it deals with the theories of Alexis de Tocqueville, John Stuart Mill and James Bryce. The thesis presents an analysis, interpretation and a comparison of these three thinkers and concentrates on the following topics: the definition of the term "public opinion"; the formation of public opinion; the influence individuals, groups and society as a whole have on public opinion; and the role the media play in public opinion. Further, it shows how these authors' thoughts are continued in selected 20th century theories of public opinion, namely in Walter Lippmann's concept of public opinion, the Two-step flow model developed by Elihu Katz and Paul Lazarsfeld, Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's Spiral of Silence, Irving Crespi's theory of the Public Opinion Process and Giovanni Sartori's "cascade model" of public opinion. Key words: public opinion, media, Two-step flow model, Spiral of Silence, Public Opinion Process, cascade model of public opinion, Alexis de Tocqeuville, John Stuart Mill, James Bryce, W. Lippmann, E. Katz, P. Lazarsfeld, E. Noelle-Neumann, I. Crespi, G. Sartori

Globalisation had a major impact on the way organisations operate. Access to information and innovative technology connote that organisational leaders need to make timely decisions while considering a range of rapidly changing variables. Leaders of global organisations need to make sense of complex information and anticipate the long-term outcomes of making different decisions. This requires highly developed cognitive skills. However, these are not the only factors influencing strategic decisions. Value systems also affect the choices organisational leaders make. Limited existing research has investigated the relationship between values and cognition within organisational leadership. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive complexity, cognitive processes and individual values at a senior management level in a multinational company. Cognition is explored in terms of cognitive processes and levels of work (as measured by the Cognitive Process Profile), and values are explored in terms of value systems (as measured by the Value Orientations questionnaire). The study is based on a quantitative research design, where a sample of 265 executives, senior managers and directors employed at a multinational organisation completed the assessments. The empirical study (N = 265) yielded some weak, yet statistically significant, relationships between cognition and value systems among organisational leaders in a multinational organisation. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Submitted by Jadson Francisco de Jesus SILVA (jadson@uefs.br) on 2018-07-31T22:19:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_LuisGustavoAraujo.pdf: 8660411 bytes, checksum: cba36d7b6e819bd2743bd4343cccbccf (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-31T22:19:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_LuisGustavoAraujo.pdf: 8660411 bytes, checksum: cba36d7b6e819bd2743bd4343cccbccf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-06 / Teaching programming is a great challenge in every educational stage and in several institutions of the world, being a general problem in the area of computing education. In the Brazilian Informatics vocational high school programs, historical issues of the Professional Education System in Brazil make this problem even harder. With these issues in mind, we proposed and evaluated a teaching approach based on spiral learning associated with programming environments for novices and contexts relevant to students, aiming to improve motivation and learning in programming courses. Three case studies were carried out: one in Midlle School, and two in vocational high school programs in Informatics in Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. The case studies were split into three contextualized blocks, where programming content was learned through a context, using appropriate tools. Contexts such as games, geometric figures and images were used, as well as Scratch, JES and PPlay tools. Given the qualitative and quantitative nature of this research, we used sur- veys, interviews, observations, evaluations and logbooks to obtain the data. Results on motivation are described in terms of the ARCS model (Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction), and the results on learning are described from student exams and qualitative data. Results point to high levels of motivation during the whole approach and to the influence in student motivation of either maintaining or changing context and tools used in each block. Regarding learning, results demonstrate that the approach has enhanced learning of some concepts. One noti- ces that Scratch helped in understanding Functions, Select and Repeart Structures, and that the use of the Python language led to better understanding of Variables and Relational Operators. About object-oriented programming concepts, students showed ease with Classes, Constructors, Objects and Variables. This study also reveals the mutual influence between student motivation and learning. The results, materials, research design and the courses presented in this work may contribute to the design of other vocational courses and to the research on teaching and learning programming. / O ensino de programa??o ? um grande desafio em todas as modalidades de ensino e em v?rias institui??es de diversos pa?ses, configurando-se como um problema geral na ?rea de Computa??o. Nos cursos t?cnicos em inform?tica brasileiros, somam-se os problemas hist?ricos da Educa??o Profissional no Brasil. Diante destes problemas, buscou-se a motiva??o e o aprendizado em disciplinas de programa??o, atrav?s de uma abordagem se ensino em espiral e contextualizada. Foram realizados tr?s estudos de caso: um, no ensino Fundamental, e dois, em cursos t?cnicos de Inform?tica, no munic?pio de Feira de Santana, Bahia. Os estudos de caso foram divididos em tr?s blocos contextualizados, onde estudavam-se conte?dos de programa??o atrav?s de um contexto, usando ferramentas apropriadas. Foram utilizados contextos como Jogos, Figuras geom?tricas e Imagens, assim como as ferramentas Scratch, JES e PPlay. Tendo em vista o car?ter qualitativo e quantitativo da pesquisa, utilizamos question?rios, entrevistas, observa??es, avalia??es e di?rios de bordo para obten??o dos dados. Os resultados sobre motiva??o s?o descritos em termos do modelo ARCS (Aten??o, Relev?ncia, Confian?a e Satisfa??o), enquanto que os resultados sobre aprendizagem s?o descritos a partir das avalia??es e dos dados qualitativos. Os resultados apontam para altos ?ndices de motiva??o, durante toda a abordagem e para a influ?ncia direta da manuten??o ou mudan?a do contexto e das ferramentas, utilizadas nos blocos, na motiva??o dos estudantes. Quanto `a aprendizagem, os resultados demonstram que a abordagem potencializou a aprendizagem de alguns conceitos. Percebe-se que o Scratch auxiliou na compreens?o de Fun??o, Estruturas de Repeti??o e Sele??o e que o uso da linguagem Python possibilitou uma maior compreens?o sobre Vari?veis e sobre Operadores Relacionais. Quanto ? orienta??o a objetos, os estudantes apresentaram facilidades em Classes, Construtores e Objetos. Este estudo revela ainda, rela??es de influ?ncia entre a motiva??o dos estudantes e a aprendizagem. Espera-se que os resultados, os materiais e o design da pesquisa e das disciplinas, aqui apresentados, possam contribuir para a concep??o de disciplinas de programa??o em outros cursos t?cnicos e para a investiga??o sobre o ensino-aprendizagem de programa??o.

Objetivos: O objetivo desse estudo foi comparar a perviedade da artéria torácica interna esquerda (ATIE) dissecada por videotoracoscopia robótica para revascularização minimamente invasiva do ramo interventricular anterior (RIA) com a revascularização do miocárdio convencional. Métodos: De 2007 a 2010, 36 pacientes foram randomizados para revascularização do miocárdio minimamente invasiva (RMMI) ou revascularização do miocárdio convencional (RMC). Pacientes randomizados para o grupo RMMI foram submetidos à dissecção da ATIE por videotoracoscopia auxiliada pelo braço robótico AESOP seguida de uma minitoracotomia anterior esquerda no 4º espaço intercostal para anastomose com o RIA. Pacientes randomizados para o grupo RMC foram submetidos a revascularização do miocárdio convencional com esternotomia mediana completa, dissecção aberta da ATIE e anastomose ao RIA. Fluxometria por tempo de trânsito (FTT) foi utilizada para avaliação da perviedade da ATIE imediata. Após 24 meses uma tomografia multislice foi utilizada para avaliar a perviedade a médio prazo da ATIE. Resultados: O tempo médio de dissecção da ATIE no grupo RMMI foi de 50,1 ± 11,2 vs. 22,7 ± 3,3 min no grupo RMC. Não houve diferença significativa no fluxo médio da ATIE para o RIA entre os grupos estudados (46,17 ± 20,11 vs. 48,61 ± 23,42 mL/min, p=0,86) respectivamente. Não houve diferença significante na incidência de infecção de ferida profunda (0 vs. 2, p=0,48) e necessidade de reoperação por sangramento (0 vs. 1, p=1,00) nos grupos RMMI e RMC respectivamente. A angiotomografia mostrou perviedade da ATIE em 100% dos pacientes do grupo RMMI vs. 94,1% no grupo RMC (p=1,00). Não houve mortalidade nos grupos estudados. Conclusão: A revascularização do miocárdio minimamente invasiva do ramo interventricular anterior com dissecção da artéria torácica interna esquerda por videotoracoscopia robótica foi segura e factível. A perviedade da artéria torácica interna esquerda imediata e a médio prazo foi similar entre ambas as técnicas / Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the patency of left internal mammary artery (LIMA) robotically harvested for left anterior descendent (LAD) artery minimally invasive bypass with conventional LIMA to LAD off-pump bypass. Method: From 2007 to 2010, 36 patients were randomized to either LIMA robotically harvested to LAD artery minimally invasive bypass or standard LIMA to LAD off-pump bypass. Patients assigned to robotic group underwent robotic endoscopic harvesting of LIMA with the AESOP system followed by a small left thoracotomy in the 4th intercostal space for off-pump LAD bypass. Patients assigned to standard group underwent full median sternotomy, open LIMA harvesting followed by off-pump LAD bypass. Transit time flow measurement was used for intraoperative evaluation of LIMA to LAD patency. After a mean 24-month follow-up, Multislice Computed Tomography was used to evaluate LIMA to LAD midterm patency. Results: The mean LIMA harvesting time in robotic group was 50.1 ± 11.2 min vs. 22.7 ± 3.3 min in conventional group. There was no significant difference in intraoperative LIMA to LAD flow between robotic and conventional groups (46.17 ± 20.11 mL/min vs. 48.61 ± 23.42 mL/min, p=0.86). There were no significant differences in incidence of wound infection (0 vs. 2, p=0,48) and reoperation for bleeding (0 vs. 1, p=1.00) between robotic and conventional groups respectively. In robotic group, Multislice CT revealed patent LIMA graft in 100% patients vs. 94.1% patients in conventional group (p=1.00). There was no mortality in the study group. Conclusions: Minimally invasive LAD bypass using LIMA graft robotically harvested was safe and feasible. Early and mid-term LIMA patency was similar between both techniques

Ce travail consiste à développer un système convertissant une partie de l’énergie mécanique du cœur en électricité pour alimenter les stimulateurs cardiaques de nouvelle génération, implants sans sonde ni batteries implantés directement dans la cavité cardiaque. Après études de différentes sources d’énergies et concept associés, l’option liée à la pression sanguine, appliquant sur une partie souple du boîtier de l’implant des efforts transmis à un transducteur interne les convertissant en électricité, s’est révélée la plus prometteuse. Cette solution présente les avantages principaux suivants par rapport aux systèmes inertiels usuels : grande densité de puissance, adaptabilité au rythme cardiaque et potentiel de miniaturisation. Un boîtier ultra-souple électro-déposé de 10 µm d’épaisseur en forme de soufflet a été modélisé, fabriqué et caractérisé, validant ainsi le concept de récupérateur proposé. Un transducteur électrostatique novateur (3D multicouche à peignes interdigités et à chevauchement hors-plan), étudié par des modélisations analytiques et numériques, est en cours de fabrication. Selon l’électronique associée, ce transducteur promet une grande densité d’énergie extraite. Un transducteur piézoélectrique micro-usiné en forme de spirale et à électrodes micro-structurées, est également présenté. Les défis spécifiques des spirales dontla flexibilité permet d’augmenter l’énergie mécanique d’entrée sont étudiés notamment par simulation numériques, et des prototypes ont été micro-fabriqués et caractérisés. Au final, une énergie de 3 µJ/cm3/cycle est obtenue et de nombreuses perspectives d’amélioration permettent d’envisager une puissance au moins 10 fois supérieure. / This work consists in the development and design of an energy harvesting device to supply power to the new generation pacemakers, miniaturized leadless implants without battery placed directly in heart chambers. After analyzing different mechanical energy sources in the cardiac environment and associated energy harvesting mechanisms, a concept based on regular blood pressure variation stood out: an implant with a flexible packaging that transmits blood forces to an internal transducer. Advantages compared to traditional inertial scavengers are mainly: greater power density, adaptability to heartbeat frequency changes and miniaturization potential. Ultra-flexible 10-µm thin metal bellows have been designed, fabricated and tested. These prototypes acting as implant packaging that deforms under blood pressure actuation have validated the proposed harvesting concept. A new type of electrostatic transducer (3D multi-layer out-of-plane overlap structure with interdigitated combs) has been introduced and fully analyzed. Promising numerical results and associated fabrication processes are presented. Also, large stroke optimized piezoelectric spiral transducers including their complex electrodes patterns have been studied through a design analysis, numerical simulations, prototype fabrication and experimental testing. Apower density of 3 µJ/cm3/cycle has been experimentally achieved. With further addressed developments, the proposed device should provide enough energy to power autonomously and virtually perpetually the next generation of pacemakers.

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