The internal dynamics of powder systems under compression are as of yet not fully understood, and thus there is a necessity for approaches that can help in further clarifying and enhancing the level of understanding on this subject. To this end, the internal dynamics of powder systems under compression were probed by means of force distributions and a novel compaction equation. The determination of force distributions hinged on the use of carbon paper as a force sensor, where the imprints transferred from it onto white paper where converted through calibration into forces. Through analysis of these imprints, it was found that the absence of friction and bonding capacity between the particles composing the powder bed had no effect on how the applied load was transferred through the system. Additionally, it was found that pellet strength had a role to play in the homogeneity of force distributions, where, upon the occurrence of fracture, force distributions became less homogenous. A novel compaction equation was derived and tested on a series of systems composed of pellets with differing mechanical properties. The main value of the equation lay in its ability to predict compression behavior from single particle properties, and the agreement was especially good when a compact of zero porosity was formed. The utility of the equation was tested in two further studies, using a series of pharmaceutically relevant powder materials. It was established that the A parameter of the equation was a measure of the deformability of the powder material, much like the Heckel 1/K parameter, and can be used as a means to rank powders according to deformability, i.e. to establish plasticity scale. The equation also provided insights into the dominating compression mechanisms through an invariance that could be exploited to determine the point, at which the powder system became constrained, i.e. the end of rearrangement. Additionally, the robustness of the equation was demonstrated through fruitful analysis of a set of diverse materials. In summary, this thesis has provided insights and tools that can be translated into more efficient development and manufacturing of medicines in the form of tablets.

In this thesis, the strength-enhancing mechanisms of dry binders in direct compression were studied. The systems investigated were binary mixtures containing various compounds and binders. Among the binders used were a series of different molecular weights of polyethylene glycol. The proposed simplified tablet model describing the fracture path in a tablet during strength testing offers an explanation for the increase in tablet strength caused by the binder. The model and results in this thesis indicate that fractures will usually propagate around the tablet particles and through the interparticulate voids during tablet strength testing. One important characteristic of the binder is its ability to be effectively and evenly distributed through the interparticulate voids in a compound tablet. Characteristics such as high plasticity, low elasticity and a small particle size were associated with a more even distribution and a consequent pronounced effect on pore structure and marked improvement in tablet strength. The strength of tablets containing less plastic binders was governed more by the compactibility of the binder. The tablet porosity, bonding mechanisms and volume reduction mechanisms of the compound also influenced the effect of the binder. For example, the plasticity and particle size of the binder had the most significant effects on tablet strength when the tablet porosity of the com-pound was relatively low. A combination of the plasticity and the compactibility of the binder determined the strength of tablets when the tablet of a compound was more porous. The positive effect of a binder on pore structure and tablet strength resulted in an increase in the disintegration time. Although addition of a superdisintegrant generally improved the disintegration time, the effect was decreased when the formulation included more deformable binders. The choice of a suitable binder for a tablet formulation requires extensive knowledge of the relative importance of binder properties for enhancing the strength of the tablet and also of the interactions between the various materials constituting a tablet. Thus, the increased knowledge of the functionality of a binder obtained in this thesis enables a more rational approach to tablet formulation.

A prototype multimodal tablet application for learning the physics of motion has been developed tested and evaluated. By moving their finger across the screen the application enables the user to map its position and velocity in real-time in terms of graphs. The learning outcome of those test subjects using the application was compared to a group that had the same procedure shown to them, as well as getting an explanation of all the physics involved. There was a small but not significant difference in performance between these groups on a post-test. However, a larger (arguably significant) difference was seen between the male and female test subjects for the sub-set of questions of a more analytical nature.

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The title of this thesis is "iPad and Computer devices in Preschool: A tool for literacy development among teachers and children in preschool." The study was an exploration of how teachers and their pupils put iPad and other computer devices into use in early childhood education. This study was a qualitative research study, based on the observation of the pupils and the interviews of the teachers. In this study, observation of the children and interviewing of the teachers over a period of five weeks produced significant results. The children participants in the observation were approximately 60 and they were between the ages of 3 to 6,5 years. Four preschool teachers and one preschool teaching assistant were interviewed in an attempt to substantiate the use of ICT in early childhood education. The overall result of the study was that the teachers’ positive attitude towards iPad helped to enhance and facilitate the development of literacy skills in the children. This study provided evidence of how children created their own learning environment by actively practising their reading, writing, and comprehension skills. It also showed how ICT enhanced social interaction and developed intra-action activities among the children, to a situation that eventually led to the development in their learning.

Denna rapport beskriver designprocessen och utvecklingen av en mobilapplikation kallad Gruppis. Rapporten syftar till att redogöra för hela processen från konceptualisering av idén till en slutgiltig interaktiv hi-fiprototyp. Syftet med applikationen är att underlätta kommunikation och informationsspridning mellan personal och vårdnadshavare i förskola, skola eller andra barngrupper. Arbetsprocessen innefattade förarbete i form av fokusgrupp och PACT-analys för att få en uppfattning om användarna och deras behov. Utifrån relevanta designprinciper och riktlinjer för interaktionsdesign har sedan två olika gränssnitt, anpassade för smartphone och surfplatta, skapats. Dessa har sedan testats och utvärderats vilket har lett till revideringar i design och navigation. För att optimera upplevelsen av applikationen har även en grafisk design skapats. Examensarbete resulterade i två interaktiva och verklighetstrogna hi- fiprototyper för både smartphone och surfplatta.

In recent years, students and educators alike have utilized new technologies such as tablet computers as a means of enhancing the learning process. While prior research suggests that these implementations within the classroom provide a new and beneficial method of relaying and learning information, scientists have begun to explore the possible side effects that these technologies have on the learning process. Although much of the current literature suggests that learning from an electronic screen does not affect efficacy compared to learning from printed text (Bayliss et al., 2012; Dundar & Akcayir, 2012), researchers continue to explore the possible consequences that using said technologies may have in academia. The current study aims to address how tablet computers affect the process of learning differently across levels of education. It is proposed that older generations, such as college students, who did not grow up with tablets in the classroom may suffer from the effects of proactive interference when compared to younger students who have been exposed to technologies much more profoundly in their education (e.g. elementary students). If this is so, the current study also proposes a possible intervention that would help students at any educational level overcome this interference in order to integrate tablets into their studies effectively.

abstract: As technology has advanced in recent years, tablet devices have started to make their way into all walks of life. Yet, many medical documentation processes still see the use of paper. Though the paper based documentation method has been shown to be effective for some purposes, the introduction of tablet devices has the potential to make the documentation processes a lot smoother. In this thesis, tablet based documentation systems are reviewed, and based on this, a new custom application is developed that medical staff can use with ease. This new application, developed for an iPad is one where users can fully customize their own forms for different uses in the intensive care unit for resuscitation scenarios. The thesis discusses the architecture behind this application along with designing different elements of the system. Through this thesis project, the application was evaluated to see if such a complex documentation process can be easily used and created on a tablet device. The medical staff surveyed, responded positively to the use of the application and agreed that the electronic documentation usage and creation is a powerful tool that could help improve resuscitation practice by making it more efficient. / Dissertation/Thesis / Survey Responses / Masters Thesis Engineering 2016

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-10-11Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:09:40Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 miller_dmp_me_ia.pdf: 2400964 bytes, checksum: 8de35bb268540242311dc2496439a13c (MD5) / Durante o desenvolvimento da civilização humana surgiram os mais variados estilos de representação visual e, de acordo com os registros de História da Arte, as primeiras imagens criadas pelo homem encontram-se gravadas em paredes e tetos de cavernas. A evolução da sociedade possibilitou o surgimento de diversas culturas cujos padrões de representação visual ainda influenciam as criações artísticas da atualidade. Movimentos com o Renascimento, o Impressionismo e o Cubismo, revolucionaram os conceitos relacionados à produção de obras de arte, bem como inseriram novas técnicas e materiais, amplamente explorados até os dias atuais. Durante a segunda metade do século XX, o computador eletrônico e a computação gráfica revolucionaram os conceitos e os processos artístico-criativos, bem como os paradigmas até então utilizados para a definição do que poderia ser considerada uma obra de arte. Através de uma descoberta pessoal, experimentei uma nova mídia com o objetivo de descobrir suas possibilidades técnicas e explorá-las na criação de uma obra artística digital. Paralelamente, busquei descobrir quais as modificações que se sucederam em relação à produção de imagens após o surgimento da computação gráfica e de maneira o artista plástico que utiliza uma mídia digital idealiza, percebe, interpreta e concretiza suas obras. / In the course of development of human civilization the most varieted styles of visual representation appeared and, according the records of the History of Art, the first images created by Man are to be found engraved on the walls and ceilings of caverns. Society's evolution made possible the appearance of various cultures whose standards of visual representations today still influence artistic creations. Movements such Renaissance, Impressionism and Cubism, revolutionized the concepts related to the production of works of art, as well as introducing new techniques and materials, amply explored up to the present days. During the second half of the 20th century, the eletronic computer and computer graphics revolutionized the concepts of artistically-creative process, as well as the paradigms used until then, to define what could be considered a work of art. Through a personal discovery, I tried a new media with the purpose of finding out its technical possibilities and explore them in the creation of an artistic digital piece of work. Simultaneously I endeavored discovering which modifications followed in the relation to the production of images, after the appearance of computer graphics and the ways a plastic artist, who uses a digital medium, idealizes, perceives and accomplishes his work.