Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Business processes for application development'

Les réseaux de capteurs-actuateurs sans fils (WSANs) sont une technologie émergente dans divers domaines d'application tels que la surveillance, le contrôle du trafic, la domotique, etc. La conception et le développement d'applications utilisant ces technologies restent, cependant, une tâche difficile. En effet, la découverte des capteurs et actuateurs pertinents, et leur combinaison de manière appropriée pour atteindre un objectif spécifique n'est pas une tâche facile et nécessite plusieurs compétences détenues par différents acteurs. De plus, les environnements de capteurs/actuateurs sont par nature très dynamiques. En outre, les applications actuelles sont en général étroitement couplées à l'infrastructure sous-jacente, ce qui entrave leur réutilisation et la flexibilité aux changements.Dans cette thèse, nous présentons une approche orientée processus métier et services afin de permettre le développement des applications adaptables. Notre approche découple la logique de l'application et sa mise en œuvre : Un modèle est d'abord spécifié dans la phase de conception, comme un flux d'activités, et est ensuite déployé dans un environnement particulier. Découpler la logique d'une application et sa mise en œuvre permet d'une part d'apporter la réutilisation au niveau d'application et d'autre part d'adapter la même application à différents environnements et situations. Pour aider les concepteurs à spécifier des nouvelles applications WSANs, nous proposons deux méthodes: 1) la réutilisation d'activité et d'orchestration par le biais des flux de données, et 2) la recommandation d'activité par le biais des flux de contrôle. En outre, la même technique de recommandation fournit la tolérance de panne permettant à une application WSAN de s'adapter aux changements dus aux défaillances des capteurs ou/et actuateurs ou à des violations des contraintes. Notre approche a été validée par des cas d'utilisation réalistes mis en œuvre dans le cadre de la plateforme européenne de VITRO et la plate-forme ZODIANET
Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks (WSANs) is an emergent technology for various application areas such as security and surveillance applications, traffic control, energy control, etc. Designing and developing applications using these technologies remain, however, a challenging task. Indeed, finding the relevant sensors and actuators, and combining them in a proper way in order to achieve a specific goal is not an easy task and requires several skills detained by different stakeholders. Moreover, sensor/actuator environments are inherently highly dynamic. Furthermore, current applications are in general tightly coupled to the underlying infrastructure which hampers their reuse and flexibility to changes.In this thesis, we present a process-oriented and service-based approach for supporting the development of adaptive WSAN applications. Our approach decouples between the application logic and its implementation. A design-time model is first specified, as a flow of activities, which is then deployed in a particular environment. Decoupling the application logic from its implementation enables on one hand to foster the reuse at the application level and on the other hand to adapt the same application to different environments and situations. To assist designers in specifying new WSAN applications, we propose two methods: 1)activity and orchestration reuse through data flows, and 2)activity recommendation through control flows. Moreover, the same recommendation technique enables providing fault-tolerant mechanism enabling a WSAN application to adapt to changes due to sensor failures or constraints violation. Our approach has been validated by realistic use cases that have been implemented in the context of the European project VITRO platform and the Zodianet platform

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how Virtual Reality can be applied in the product development in the fashion industry. Therefore, the research focuses on potential areas of application as well as opportunities and challenges the implementation of Virtual Reality implies. A narrative literature review is conducted, thoroughly investigating the topic of product development and presenting the four application areas, namely Virtual Training, Virtual Prototyping, Virtual Manufacturing, and Virtual Factory, as well as identified opportunities and challenges. For the empirical part, semi-structured interviews are executed with five product developers of the fashion industry who are chosen based on a snowball sampling approach. The gathered data is evaluated using a thematic analysis. The findings of this study indicate that the areas Virtual Prototyping and Virtual Training were perceived as relevant for the product development in the fashion industry. However, Virtual Prototyping was regarded as most important, for instance, due to the decreased need for physical prototypes resulting in time and cost reductions. Further, the research shows that there are several opportunities and challenges when implementing the Virtual Reality technology in the product development in the fashion industry. This thesis indicates the potential of Virtual Reality in the product development for the fashion industry by showing major opportunities at different stages for the product development process. Nevertheless, there are several challenges that have to be considered in the implementation and handling of Virtual Reality.

Abstract ------------- Background ---------------- Like other businesses, the failures and problems faced by the software development industry over the time have motivated experts to look for software process improvement to create quality software rapidly, repeatedly, and reliably. Objective ------------ The purpose of this study is to evaluate if and how Lean thinking and principles primarily associated with auto manufacturing industry can be applied to software development lifecycle for Software Process Improvement (SPI). The secondary aim is to analyze how BPR can be integrated with Lean software development for process improvement. Method ---------- A derived Lean-BPR adoption pattern model is used as a theoretical framework for this thesis. The seven Lean software development principles along with four-step BPR process are selected as process improvement patterns, which effects the KPIs of a software organization. This research study incorporates both Qualitative and Quantitative methods and data to analyze the objectives of this study. The methodological framework of Plan-Do-Check-Act is used in the case study to implement process re-engineering incorporating Lean and BPR principles. The impact of adopting the Lean and BPR principles is assessed in terms of cost, productivity, quality of products and resource management. Results ---------- Application of Lean and BPR principles for software process improvement in the organization under study resulted in 79% improvement in test coverage, 60% reduction in time for test execution and analysis and 44% reduction in cost for fixing defects that were being passed to customer in past. Conclusion ------------- Based on case study results, it can be concluded that Lean, a bottom up approach, characterized by empowerment of employees to analyze and improve their own working process can be effectively combined with IT centric traditionally top down BPR approach for improving KPI’s and software processes.
+45 40968458

Most organisations are working hard to improve their performance and to achieve competitive advantage over their rivals. They may accomplish these ambitions through carrying out their business processes more effectively. Hence it is important to consider such processes and look for ways in which they can be improved. Any organisational business process encompasses several elements that interact and collaborate with each other to achieve the required objectives. These elements can be classified into hard aspects, which deal with tangible issues related to the software system or the technology in general, and soft aspects, which deal with issues related to the human part of the business process. If the business process needs to be analysed and redesigned to improve its performance, it is important to use a suitable approach or intervention that takes into account all of these elements. This thesis proposes an approach to investigate organisational business processes by considering both soft and hard aspects. The approach, Soft Workflow Modelling (SWfM), is developed as a result of reviewing several workflow products and models using a developed workflow perspectives framework which involves several perspectives covering the soft and hard aspects of the workflow system. The SWfM approach models the organisational business process as a workflow system by handling the various perspectives of the workflow perspectives framework. This approach combines the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) with the Unified Modelling Language (UML), as a standard modelling language of the object-oriented paradigm. The basic framework adopted is that of SSM with the inclusion of UML diagrams and techniques to deal with the aspects that SSM cannot handle. The approach also supports SSM by providing a developed tool to assist in constructing a conceptual model which is considered as the basis to model the workflow system. A case study is developed for illustrative purposes.

Today budgeting occurs in all types of organizations, from authorities and municipalities, to private companies and non-profit associations. Depending on whether the organization is large or small it can look very different. In large organizations the budget can be such a comprehensive document that it is difficult to keep track of it. Furthermore, in large organizations, the budget work starts very early. Thus, an effective budget process could reduce resources, time and ultimately costs. This master’s thesis report describes a budget application built with the Business Intelligence software QlikView. With the application a budgeter can load desired budget data and through a QlikView Extension Object edit the loaded data and finally follow up the work of different budgets. The Extension Object has been implemented using JavaScript and HTML to create a GUI. The edited data is sent to a back-end interface built with one web server and one database server. To evaluate the usability of the Extension Object’s GUI and determine how the budget application works and to get feedback on the Extension Object and its functionality, a user study was performed. The result of the user study shows that the application simplifies budget processes and has great potential to help budgeters and controllers to increase their effectiveness.

The master’s thesis focuses on the prospects of the impact of global processes on on international business development. The main aim of this research is to study and scientifically argue the nature of globalization, the positive and negative aspects of its impact on the national economy. Thus, based on the purpose of the study, we can identify the objectives of this work, the solution of which is the basis of our study: 1. Find out the essence and nature of globalization. 2. Identify the positive side of the impact of globalization on the national economy. 3. Identify the negative content of globalization in terms of its relationship with the national economy. 4. To open a place for the prospects of Ukraine's economic development in the global economic environment. To achieve this goal, we observing novelty of this work is that we have analyzed the scientific achievements of a number of researchers, identified the advantages and disadvantages of globalization - a leading trend in the modern world.
Магістерська робота присвячена перспективам впливу глобальних процесів на розвиток міжнародного бізнесу. Основною метою даного дослідження є вивчення та науково обґрунтована природа глобалізації, позитивні та негативні сторони її впливу на національну економіку. Таким чином, виходячи з мети дослідження, можна визначити цілі даної роботи, вирішення яких є основою нашого дослідження: 1. З’ясувати сутність і природу глобалізації. 2. Визначити позитивну сторону впливу глобалізації на національну економіку. 3. Визначити негативний зміст глобалізації з точки зору її взаємозв’язку з національною економікою. 4. Відкрити місце для перспектив економічного розвитку України в глобальному економічному середовищі. Для досягнення цієї мети, на нашу думку, новизна даної роботи полягає в тому, що ми проаналізували наукові досягнення ряду дослідників, виявили переваги та недоліки глобалізації – провідної тенденції сучасного світу.

Organizations are frequently expected to improve operational efficiency through effective decision making. Effective decision making, among other things, requires a configurable business process application platform that can be used to execute, monitor and manage processes involving people, teams, departments, organizational units and their multiple applications. This kind of platform facilitates data collection for performance management and analysis for measuring quality of service delivery and business process optimization. It also facilitates collaboration between process participants, regulatory compliance, configurability to fit to changing requirements and accelerates decision making by sensing actionable events. Healthcare is a significant area where such a platform can be of great use for monitoring patient care. Patient care monitoring applications are data intensive and require medical guidelines based collaboration between patients, individuals, care providers and organizational units. These applications should provide performance management information to measure the quality of healthcare service delivery processes. These types of applications must also be configurable to adapt to frequently changing types of business events and the process of collect event data. This thesis proposes a model driven application framework that can be used to create configurable process oriented applications that can be customized to the current needs of an organization. The proposed framework also provides the ability to monitor, manage and report on processes and collected event data. A healthcare scenario is used to illustrate and validate our approach by building a patient monitoring application.

Sustainability is becoming more of a strategic tool in many companies today and will become even more important in the future. Hemfrid is today looking at many new business areas and has realized the importance of including sustainability in its new businesses. However, the link between sustainability and business development has not been researched in a larger extent and therefore there are no good methods to use. Therefore, the aim of this report is to provide a method and tool for Hemfrid to integrate sustainability aspects into their business development processes. To fulfil this aim, an analysis of current scientific literature and models within the areas of sustainability and business development was done. Based on those models, with a foundation in the Sustainable Development Goals, a model was created. To be able to weigh different impact area against each other, an MCA was conducted. Finally, the model was assessed through external feedback and through a SWOT analysis. The model is based on 14 of the 17 SDGs with specific impact categories for all of them. A tool was created in Excel to easily assess the impact of the new business development projects. Lastly a seminar was held with Hemfrid’s management team facilitating the model.
Hållbarhet håller idag på att utvecklas från ett område som de senaste åren varit en operationellt fokuserad verksamhet till något som mer och mer närmar sig strategiarbete. Som en del av den här utvecklingen börjar många företag konstatera att integrationen av hållbarhet i deras affärsutvecklingsarbete blir en fråga som blir allt viktigare. Hemfrid har de senaste 20 åren växt fram till ett marknadsledande företag inom hushållsnära tjänster där hemstädning för privatpersoner är den dominerande tjänsten. Hemfrid har valt att fokusera på att ge sina anställda kollektivavtal och trygg anställning och fokusera på sina anställda och kunder och i dagsläget tittar man på många nya affärsutvecklingsmöjligheter för att fortsätta erbjuda sina kunder hjälp i sina hem. I och med Hemfrids fokus på hållbarhet med schyssta arbetsvillkor och miljövänliga produkter har de även insett vikten av att även på ett tidigt stadium få in hållbarhetstänk i sitt affärsutvecklingsarbete. Denna rapport syftar därför till att skapa en modell och verktyg för Hemfrid för att integrera hållbarhetsaspekter i deras affärsutvecklingsarbete. Hemfrid-modellen är framtagen med de globala hållbarhetsmålen som utgångspunkt där olika kriterier identifierades inom varje mål som Hemfrid sedan kan utvärdera sina affärsutvecklingsprojekt utifrån. En litteraturstudie är även gjord där det identifierats nio ytterligare modeller inom hållbarhet respektive affärsutveckling som på olika sätt varit användbara för att skapa kriterier och övergripande användning av Hemfrid-modellen. Varje mål är viktat utifrån Hemfrids nuvarande verksamhet och strategi för att spegla företagets hållbarhetsprioriteringar. Verktyget är framtaget i Excel, baseras på en Multikriterieanalys och ger Hemfrid ett enkelt sätt att på en 5-gradig skala, för varje mål, utvärdera om kriterierna förändras från en skala mycket sämre till mycket bättre jämfört med dagens produkter eller tjänster. Verktyget visualiserar sedan om projektet som helhet är bra eller dåligt hållbarhetsmässigt samt vilka mål man har väldigt positiv påverkan på och bör kommunicera mot sina kunder samt vilka man bör se över och förbättra. Vidare har verktyget testats på två olika affärsutvecklingsprojekt där representanter från hållbarhetsavdelningen och affärsutvecklingsenheten fått ge feedback på användning och modellen har även presenterats och diskuterats tillsammans med Hemfrids ledning för att förankra modellens användande inom bolaget. Slutligen gjordes även en SWOT-analys där modellen visade vara över lag positiv. De negativa delarna med modellen ligger i att den är en förenkling av verkligheten och inte kommer kunna ta upp alla hållbarhetsaspekter som finns samt att det i användandet av modellen finns risk att man gör subjektiva bedömningar och ger sig själv bättre poäng än vad man egentligen borde. Modellen kommer dock kraftigt förenkla integrationen av hållbarhet i affärsutvecklingsprocesserna på Hemfrid och kommer användas för att försäkra att Hemfrid fortsätter vara starka inom hållbarhet och att erbjuda sina kunder smarta lösningar.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007.
The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 6, 2008) Includes bibliographical references.

Care process monitoring is important in healthcare domains to provide precise and detailed analytics on patients, providers, and resources participating in a care process and their status. These analytics are used to keep track of whether the quality of care goals set by healthcare organizations are satisfied and ensure that legislative and organizational guidelines are followed. The complexity of care process monitoring can vary depending on whether the care process takes place in a hospital or out in the community, and it can vary depending on the complexity of the information technology infrastructure that is in place to support the care process. A Care Process Monitoring Application (CPMA) is a software application which collects and integrates data from various sources while a care process is being provided, in order to provide performance reporting of metrics that are used to measure how well the performance goals and guidelines for the care process are being met. In our research, we have studied how CPMAs are built in order to improve the quality of their engineering. The significant challenge in this context is how to engineer a CPMA so that the engineering process is repeatable, produces a CPMA of consistent high quality, and requires less time, less effort and less complexity. This thesis proposes an application framework for care process monitoring that collects and integrates events from event sources, maintains the individual and aggregate states of the care process and populates a metrics data mart to support performance reporting. Our contributions are the following: a state-based application meta-model of care process monitoring, a care process monitoring architectural pattern, and finally, a behavior driven development methodology for CPMAs based on our meta-model and architectural pattern. Our results are validated through three different case studies in which we collaborated with two different health care organizations to build and deploy CPMAs for two different care processes (one hospital-based, the other community-based) in collaboration with healthcare clinicians and researchers.

Actualmente, la World Wide Web se ha convertido en la plataforma más común para llevar a cabo el desarrollo de aplicaciones corporativas. Estas aplicaciones reciben el nombre de aplicaciones Web y entre otras funciones, deben de dar soporte a los Procesos de Negocio (PN) definidos por las corporaciones. Esta tesis presenta un método de Ingeniería Web que permite el modelado y la construcción sistemática de aplicaciones Web que soportan la ejecución de PN. En este trabajo se conciben los PN desde un punto de vista más amplio que el abordado por otros métodos de Ingeniería Web. El tipo de PN abordados incluye tanto procesos cortos como largos. A grosso modo, esta concepción más amplia permite considerar procesos que involucran diferentes participantes (personas y/o sistemas) los cuales cooperan para llevar a cabo un objetivo particular. Además, dependiendo del tipo de proceso que se esté ejecutando (corto o largo), la interacción del usuario con el sistema deberá adaptarse a cada caso. El método presentado en esta tesis ha sido desarrollado basándose en el Desarrollo de Software Dirigido por Modelos. De esta forma, el método propone un conjunto de modelos que permiten representar los diferentes aspectos que caracterizan las aplicaciones Web que soportan la ejecución de PN. Una vez el sistema ha sido representado en los modelos correspondientes, mediante la aplicación de transformación de modelos se obtiene otros modelos (transformaciones de modelo-a-modelo) e incluso el código que representa el sistema modelado en términos de un lenguaje de implementación (transformaciones de modelo-a-texto). El método propuesto en esta tesis está soportado por una herramienta llamada BIZZY. Esta herramienta ha sido desarrollada en el entorno de Eclipse y cubre el proceso de desarrollo desde la fase de modelado hasta la generación de código. En particular, el código generado corresponde con el framework Web Tapestry (framework que genera aplicaciones Web en Java) y con WS-BPEL,
Torres Bosch, MV. (2008). A web engineering approach for the development of business process-driven web applications [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/2933
Palancia

Light scattering by small particles is the physical phenomenon that produces the natural rainbow in the sky. The same phenomenon can be reproduced in laboratory with monochromatic light giving rise to non-intrusive laser based techniques for the measurement of size and refractive index of particles suspended in a medium possessing lower refractive index. These techniques are commonly called "Rainbow Thermometry" techniques and appear at the beginning of the nineties. The measurement of size and refractive index of the particles is obtained through the analysis of the interference fringe image generated in the far field by means of the interaction between the laser light and the particles themselves. The work presented in this thesis has as objective the improvement of the Rainbow Techniques both on the theoretical aspects and the application.

In this thesis the Airy theory, which is used as theoretical model for the Standard Rainbow Thermometry, has been improved to minimize the discrepancies it was presenting respect to more complex and complete theories and it has been generalized to spherical particles presenting a spherically symmetric refractive index gradient. This generalized model has been used to evaluate the size and temperature of a n-octane burning droplet in standard atmosphere with good results. The generalization of the Standard Rainbow Thermometry to multiple particles, Global Rainbow Thermometry, is presented both theoretically and experimentally and the role of the particle asphericity in the light scattered intensity is evaluated.

Two experimental application of the Global Rainbow Thermometry are reported. The first one concerns the measurement of size and refractive index of silicon oil droplets suspended in an aqueous bulk. This experiment allows the Global Rainbow Thermometry validation through the comparison with measurements simultaneously obtained with well known experimental techniques as Back-Light scattering and thermocouple measurement with satisfactory results.

The second experiment concerns Global Rainbow Thermometry measurement performed on an evaporating flat-fan water spray. The results obtained, both for temperature and for size, are in satisfactory agreement with predictions already done by other authors and with numerical simulations performed by the engineering code CASIMIRE.

Doctorat en sciences appliquées
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The issue of development in emerging markets has moved on from the polarized debates along ideological lines about the state vs. markets, to focusing mainly on economic indicators. Increasingly, as knowledge becomes the main focus of development, it is acknowledged that the state can play a positive role in promoting its growth. To try and analyse these developments, it is imperative that we appreciate the role of differing business systems that impose constraints on development, especially in influencing capital allocation in the system. The emergence of cybercities in impoverished developing countries like India need to be analysed to appreciate the factors that will influence the trends in development - the success of such cities can be attributed to the positive role played by the state and the clustering of software industries around centres of knowledge. We develop frameworks to analyse to compare the existing forms of corporate governance, and a third system for emerging economies such as Asia or Europe. We also develop frameworks to analyse market exchange and alternative frameworks from modern and pre-modern societies, in order to understand the nature of exchange in intangible and inalienable assets such as knowledge. We apply these frameworks to Indian software industry to give us an insight into how India has managed to emerge as a significant player in the software industry. We conclude that the political embeddedness of the various institutions and organisations are playing a critical role in shaping its business systems which is at the crossroads between a pluralist shareholder and corporatist stakeholder system. Also, these factors are forcing the Indian software industry to focus on the lower end of the value chain.

Date: 06/10/2008

Level: Master Thesis in International Business and Entrepreneurship

Title: Organizational innovation processes and network relationship development-“The case study of Athera Biotechnologies and AstraZeneca R&D”

Authors: Marina Tasheva and Patchara Thaisrivichai

Advisor: Bengt Olsson

Research Problem: It has been known that developing a novel drug in pharmaceutical companies is a complex and expensive process. A company within these industries is forced to increase its innovativeness in order to compete with others. In this case study we will examine Athera Biotechnologies AB and AstraZeneca R&D respectively and how both companies promote, develop, sustain and enhance organizational innovation. At the same time we will also examine what is the two companies’ business strategy when it comes to networks relationship development.

Aim of thesis: The main purpose of our thesis is to compare two Swedish pharmaceutical companies and to see what are the differences and similarities in the way they foster organizational innovation processes.

Method: The method used for analyzing the collected data and information in our research is qualitative. We decided to use this method to examine the two companies’ organizational innovation processes and networks development. Further on we have collected both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through two semi-structured interviews with open questions. Secondary data was gathered from companies’ official web sites, annual reports and different publications and articles.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that organizational innovation is crucial for pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies to sustain their competitive advantage in the rapid changing environment within this industry. Further more, entrepreneurial culture, corporate culture and networks and partnerships are the main factors that help AstraZeneca R&D and Athera to develop, maintain and enhance their organizational innovation. This in turn leads to the ability of the firms to successfully propose, adopt, develop and implement any new idea in relation to certain product or process.

Key words: Organizational Innovation, Entrepreneurial Culture, Corporate Culture, Networks and Partnership, Entrepreneurship

This thesis examines management educational and development processes and critically analyses the quantitative and qualitative effectiveness of the results of those processes in the workplace context. The collated data, which forms the primary research in this dissertation, was gathered through direct contact with students, (i.e. interviews/questionnaires/field visits) who were involved in management educational and development processes, with particular focus on those studying at Master's level. The student research base and sample frame, initially was concentrated in the UK. This sample frame was extended to include an international dimension; thereby facilitating measured findings through students/graduates in the United States of America, the Middle East and the Far East. The results of overseas inquiry provided the basis for a comparative analysis. In addition, corresponding employing organisations were researched, in order to quantify to what extent learning transformation was taking place within the student's theatre of activities. Such transformation was assessed in terms of increased effectiveness, both from a personal and organisational perspective. A detailed formulation of research findings is presented in support of the hypothesis, which clearly demonstrates that a disparity exists between definition and doing, a disparity between what (and how) is currently being taught in management educational -establishments and the managerial needs of public, private and voluntary organisations. Student and employer issues raised during the study are also examined and analysed. In particular, the points of generated frustration as a result of transferring management educational and development learning into the workplace and in many cases the lack of recognition of student/graduate academic achievement. Hypothesis – ‘That a disparity exists between what (and how) is currently being taught in U.K. management educational establishments and the needs of public, private and voluntary organisations.’

Thesis (MTech (Mechanical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010
Many companies are currently focusing on how to stay innovative, how to innovate and how to create an innovation climate in their companies. Why is innovation vital to companies? New Product Development (NPD) can be a key factor in this regard. Companies believe that NPD is their life blood; it can be the better way to survive firmly and be more competitive. In addition, the strategy of how to manage NPD process effectively and efficiently is becoming a powerful way of achieving a competitive edge. As Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a significant role in South African economic development, it is critical for companies especially (SMEs) to seek an ideal way to manage innovation productively. However, to be innovative is not easy for any organization and it should be managed effectively. The effective management of innovation and NPD in SMEs is investigated in this study. Innovation and NPD has already become the key drivers of sustainability and competitiveness for many companies especially SMEs. Innovation and NPD as the main subjects that are carefully studied, discussed and understood in larger corporations and multinational enterprises. It would appear that the same cannot always be said when it comes to SMEs.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemistry, 2005.
Vita.
Includes bibliographical references.
Chapter 1. Copper-Catalyzed Arylation of Stabilized Carbanions A mild, general catalytic system for the synthesis of [alpha]-aryl malonates has been developed. Aryl iodides bearing a variety of functional groups can be effectively coupled to diethyl malonate in high yields using inexpensive and widely available reagents, making this a superior method to those previously described that employ copper reagents or catalysts. The functional group tolerance of the process developed makes it complementary to analogous palladium-catalyzed couplings. Importantly, a set of mild reaction conditions has been developed that minimize product decomposition, a problem that had not been addressed previously in the literature. In addition, the utilization of aryl bromides as coupling partners has been investigated, as well as the use of other classes of nucleophilic stabilized carbanions. Chapter 2. Synthesis of Oxindoles from a-Haloacetanilides via Palladium-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization We have discovered a palladium-catalyzed reaction that efficiently produces oxindoles from a-haloacetanilides through a net functionalization of an arene C-H bond. The high levels of regioselectivity observed in this cyclization obviate the need for highly functionalized aromatic substrates to effect desired ring closure. Moreover, the breadth of functional groups compatible with the reaction conditions is vastly greater than that of analogous Lewis acid-mediated processes. Extensive mechanistic work has been conducted, including kinetic isotope effect and linear free energy relationship studies.
(cont.) A number of plausible pathways are consistent with our data and with previously published examples of palladium-catalyzed C-H functionalization processes. Chapter 3. Synthesis of DAPHAnalogs via Palladium-Catalyzed Amination DAPH (4,5-dianilinophthalimide) has previously been shown to reverse the formation of neurotoxic fibrils associated with Alzheimer's disease. We have developed a synthetic route to DAPH and structurally-related analogs that employs palladium- catalyzed amination as the key bond-forming step. The requisite substrates are easily obtained, and their coupling with substituted anilines proceeds in generally high yields. Thus, a variety of DAPH analogs can be quickly accessed in a modular fashion. In addition, the route described herein should also be amenable to the incorporation of other classes of nucleophiles into the molecular framework. The results of biological assays conducted thus far will serve as a guide for further lead optimization
by Edward J. Hennessy
Ph.D.

Un aspect clé permettant de surmonter les défis énergétiques et environnementaux est d'améliorer l'efficacité des nouveaux procédés. La plupart des produits chimiques majeurs se faisant par des procédés catalytiques, une meilleure compréhension des cinétiques de réaction est nécessaire. Dans le domaine du traitement des eaux usées, l'ozonation catalytique est en un exemple typique. Dans cette thèse, des microréacteurs catalytiques sont utilisés en tant qu’outils analytiques innovants afin de déterminer la cinétique de l'ozonation catalytique. Ceux-ci ont pu être élaborés à l'aide de procédés plasma en déposant et en activant un catalyseur à base d’oxyde de fer et de cobalt. L’efficacité de ces catalyseurs a été mesurée en utilisant de l'acide pyruvique en tant que polluant modèle. Pour Fe2O3, les mesures HPLC ont montré l'inactivité de celui-ci par rapport à Co3O4 (20%). Cet effet a été doublé après post-traitement par un plasma d'Ar, démontrant ainsi le rôle du plasma. Une simulation numérique portant sur les réactions à la surface du catalyseur a été réalisée en utilisant le logiciel Comsol Multiphysics. Le modèle utilisé s’est partiellement approché des données expérimentales en raison du manque de données concernant les constantes de réactions des espèces intermédiaires. Ces constantes cinétiques pourront être déterminées grâce à l'utilisation de la technique de spectroscopie Raman Anti-Stokes Cohérente (technique CARS) en tant qu’outil d'analyse en temps réel. En perspectives, l’utilisation de cette dernière conduira à l’élaboration d’un outil efficace qui pourrait prédire la pertinence et les futures stratégies d'amélioration sur des réactions chimiques catalysées
A key aspect in overcoming the energy and environmental challenges is to improve the efficiency of existing and new processes. Nowadays, almost all major chemicals are produced by catalytic processes. However, a better understanding of the reaction pathways and kinetics is needed. In the field of wastewater treatment, catalytic ozonation is a typical example of this problem. In this study, catalytic microreactors were used as innovative analytical tools for the determination of kinetics of catalytic ozonation and were elaborated by using low pressure plasma processes for the deposition and activation of iron and oxide-based catalysts on polymer-based materials. Catalytic ozonation with pyruvic acid as a refractory probe compound was performed with both catalysts. HPLC measurements showed the inactivity of the iron oxide layer compared to the cobalt oxide one which led to 20 % of degradation. The effect was doubled when the latter was post-treated by an argon plasma, demonstrating the role and importance of the plasma post-treatment step. A numerical study dealing with the reactions taking place on the surface of the catalyst was carried out using the Comsol Multiphysics software and showed that the model partially fitted the experimental data due to the lack of information. However, access to the reactions rate constants of the intermediate species generated during the catalytic ozonation step could be achieved through the use of the Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy technique and would lead to an efficient tool to predict the relevance and the direction of future improvement strategies regarding catalyzed chemical reactions

Thesis (MTech (Business Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018.
Institutions of higher learning are operating in an environment that is continuously informed by the markets and government regulations, hence the need for continuous improvement initiatives in order to remain relevant to the dynamic changes in higher education. The improvements are done by reviewing the course content, operations, and business processes, which includes an application and admission process. This study analyses the residence application and admission process (RAAP). The business processes and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system support the realisation of the application and admission process of the university. The review of the current application and admission process will be based on business processes, business process reengineering, and the business process modelling theory. Therefore, the problem statement for the study is that the impact of information flow during the application and admission of students for residency at the university involves business processes that are inefficient and ineffective. This results in mistakes being made by administrators, and students who are dissatisfied. The study is based on two research questions: Firstly, what strategies can be used to improve the application and admission process of the role players at the selected tertiary institution, and secondly, how does the application and admission process affect service delivery to the students and residence administrators at the selected tertiary institution? The aim of the study is to explore how the participating students and administrators in the residence application and admission process perceive the efficiency of university business processes. A further aim is to explore how the processes can be reengineered to fulfil the requirements of the students and administrators. The research methodology employed to resolve the problem logically is qualitative in nature. A research paradigm guides the actions of the researcher with regard to the generation and interpretation data, which results in knowledge production. The inductive research approach is well suited for the research strategy. For the purpose of this study, a case study strategy is deemed suitable because of its qualitative nature, and comprehensive knowledge of the university processes is required to understand and address the research problem. The unit of analysis of the study is the university’s administrative department business processes. The purposive, non-randomly selected students who applied for residency and the employees of the applicable departments within the university form the unit of observation, which is also a source of data. The data are collected by means of interviews using semi-structured questionnaires, with the samples being non-random and purposively selected. The data collected in the case study are then be summarised and categorised into themes. The themes are uses to present the “As-Is” and the “To-Be” application and admission process.

The aim of this thesis is to compare the International Sales Accelerator with the entry mode of Luxottica Group S.p.A. in Germany, France, China and India. The work analysed the French, Chinese and Indian spectacles market, and its changes, especially on the distribution side. The analysis points out that Luxottica adopted very similar strategies within two different groups of countries, one formed by Germany and France and the other one formed by China and India. However, Luxottica followed very different strategies in these two different groups. In entering France, Luxottica followed a systemically process similar to the one adopted for Germany, and almost fully suitable with steps of International Sales Accelerator, with the exception of the seventh step. The path of development followed the aim to increase partnerships with distributors. This has led today to strong relationships and agreements with its clients, and the introduction of the STARS platform. The findings of the work underlined how partnerships with distributors are an essential key point in order to penetrate in particular the German and French spectacle market. In entering China, Luxottica acquired three optical retailer chains in three of the most important Chinese markets, namely Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong. These three acquisitions allowed Luxottica to enter directly the retail distribution. As a result, Luxottica started to operate through its optical retail chain LensCrafters since the beginning. In entering India, Luxottica took advantage of the acquisition of Ray-Ban International and its subsidiary in the Indian market, and thus entered the Indian spectacles market. Luxottica operates indirectly its Sunglass Hut stores through a franchising agreement. In both countries, China and India, Luxottica relies on the Distributor Channel for the distribution of spectacles on rural areas. Overall, it has been possible to highlight how Luxottica entered the German, French, Indian and Chinese spectacles market, how Luxottica developed in the past years and how Luxottica has planned to develop in the following years. As a result, it is possible to state that the International Sales Accelerator is a valid tool for the explanation of Luxottica strategy in these four countries. However, further researches are necessary to study the future steps of suppliers and the next stage of development of Luxottica in Germany, France, China and India.

The application of Statistical Process Control (SPC) to software processes has been a challenging issue for software engineers and researchers. Although SPC is suggested for providing process control and achieving higher process maturity levels, there are very few resources that describe success stories, implementation details, and implemented guidelines for applying SPC to specific metrics. In this thesis the findings of a case study that is performed for investigating the applicability of SPC to software metrics in an emergent CMM Level 3 software organization are presented. As being one of the basic and most sophisticated tools of SPC, control charts are used for the analysis. The difficulties in application of Statistical Process Control to a CMM Level 3 organization are observed by using the existing data of defect density, rework percentage, productivity and review performance metrics and relevant suggestions are provided for dealing with them. Finally the analysis results are summarized and a guideline is prepared for software companies who want to utilize control charts by using their existing metric data.

Large scale landuse changes have been making the news throughout the world. However, the assessment of landuse change impacts on the hydrological cycle is still a challenging task. Complex hydrological models cannot be applied to watersheds without detailed climate, vegetation, soil, and runoff data. Simple models do not provide sufficient support for spatially distributed landuse management decisions. Therefore, this study presents parsimonious, process-based, spatially-distributed hydrologic models to assess effects of landuse changes on runoff in ungauged basins. The introduced models were based upon the assumption that storm runoff is predominantly generated on certain areas of a watershed. The most commonly used method to predict the runoff generation areas is the concept of dominant runoff generation processes (DRP), which are channel interception, subsurface storm flow, Hortonian and saturation excess overland flow. In particular, forecasts of saturation overland flow generating areas have been controversial in previous research. Therefore, traditional and new soil saturation prediction concepts were evaluated with field data in the first part of this study. Best predictions were found for combinations of topographical indices and groundwater table depths. For three out of four assessed watersheds, optimized model parameters depended on climate. In the second part of the study, DRP model structures were developed. Established DRP area delineation was extended with dynamic process and connectivity modules. The latter were found to improve model fit and parameter feasibility, particularly in process-based DRP models. Temporal connectivity distributions demonstrated that Hortonian overland flow was more affected by connectivity than subsurface flow. Third, the DRP models were used to predict stream flow and effects of landuse changes on peak flow. Stream flow predictions improved if DRP concepts were added to topographical data; however, the additional DRP-based prediction improvement was marginal if climate data were available. DRP-based snowmelt and peak flow predictions agreed well with observed data. The model was used to predict effects of the mountain pine beetle infestation in British Columbia on peak flow in 290 watersheds. Peak flow increases up to 70% were forecasted, and a strong relationship between peak flow increase and landuse change affected area proportion of a watershed was found.

This thesis is concerned with the construction of new electrochemical scanning probe microscopes. Designed to support a wide variety of existing techniques as well as to develop new techniques. This exibility was achieved by basing the equipment around a field programmable gate array card (FPGA), which allows for a software program to be configured on the physical FPGA card as hardware. This technology provides the efficiency and high speed of bespoke hardware and can be reprogrammed like software. The instrumentation was programmed in-house using the graphical programming language, LabVIEW, which allowed for changes and upgrades to be made when necessary. Two branches of projects were studied with the FPGA instrumentation, crystal dissolution and surface charge mapping. For the crystal dissolution studies, dual-barrel conductance micropipettes were used to investigate the dissolution of NaCl and calcite, with microscale spacial resolution. This technique had many advantages over traditional methods. For instance, high temporal resolution in the order of sub-milliseconds was achieved through the employment of in-house built current followers. In addition, fast mass transport inside the pipette allowed the study of surface kinetic processes. The implementation of finite element method simulations complemented the experimental findings, by enabling the quantitative analysis of the data to extract intrinsic dissolution rate constants. The technique is also complemented by atomic force microscopy, which provides an alternative method for analysing the etch pits. The same equipment is used as a scanning ion conductance microscope (SICM) to investigate the surface charge of both conductive and non-conductive surfaces. A double electric layer forms at the solid-liquid interface of a sample that is immersed in electrolyte solution, at low ionic strength the thickness of the double layer increases, which enables its detection via the SICM pipette. The formation of the double layer at the pipette walls induces ion current rectification, at the same time a surface induced rectification arises as the nanopipette approaches the substrate surface. The combination of these results in the creation of an ion perm-selective region, which results in an increase or decrease in current that is proportional to surface charge. Point measurements, maps and CVs of dynamically changing surfaces have been recorded.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemistry, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references.
Cell migration is a dynamic process essential for many fundamental physiological functions, including wound repair and the immune response. Migration relies on precisely orchestrated events that are regulated in a spatially and temporally controlled manner. Most traditional approaches for studying migration, such as genetic methods or the use of chemical inhibitors, do not offer insight into these important components of protein function. However, chemical tools, which function on a more rapid timescale and in localized regions of the cell, are capable of providing real-time information about protein activity. Herein, the development and application of chemical approaches to investigate proteins central to cell migration are presented. Myosin II, an ATPase motor protein required for cell motility, is activated by phosphorylation of the associated myosin regulatory light chain (mRLC) protein at Serl9. To generate a photoactivated mRLC variant that offers control over the timing and localization of myosin activity, the mRLC has been prepared by expressed protein ligation for the site-specific incorporation of 1-(2-nitrophenyl)ethyl (NPE)-caged phosphoserine at position 19. The NPE caging group masks the phosphate functionality and inhibits protein function until irradiation at 365 nm releases the native phospho-mRLC to restore myosin activity. Introduction of the caged mRLC into cells enables interrogation of the role of myosin in coordinating cell contractility. To expand the scope of the caging approaches, the NPE caging group has been applied in concert with the [7-(diethylamino)coumarin-4-yl]methyl (DEACM) group, which is released by irradiation at 420 nm, to enable two different phosphopeptides to be sequentially released within one system. Preparation of DEACM-caged phosphoamino acid building blocks for solid phase peptide synthesis enables convenient incorporation of these residues into peptides and proteins. This sequential uncaging approach has been exploited to initiate and subsequently inhibit a biochemical reaction in an enzyme-independent fashion using two wavelengths of light. Finally, a fluorogenic sensor to monitor the real-time activity of the GTPase Cdc42, an essential regulator of migratory processes, has been developed. The solvatochromic fluorophore 4-N,N-dimethylamino-1,8-naphthalimide has been incorporated into a protein fragment that binds only the activated conformation of Cdc42. This sensor reports Cdc42 activation through significant increases in fluorescence and has been applied in a cellular context to monitor endogenous Cdc42 activity. This fluorogenic sensor and the caging approaches together demonstrate the power of chemical tools for interrogating diverse aspects of cell migration.
by Brenda Nicole Goguen.
Ph.D.

The present Thesis is focused on the development of ceramic membranes for the production of O2, as well as their use in several industrial applications (e.g. power generation, chemical industry). Different materials such as perovskites (BSCF and LSCF), fluorites (CGO) and composites, different membrane architectures have been considered. Catalytic activation was considered for the optimization of permeation, and for improving the selectivity/yield of chemical reactions. In the chapter dedicated to BSCF, the influence of thickness and the use of porous supports in the permeation was studied. An improvement in the permeation was observed for the thinner membranes. With respect to the porous supports, it was found that they contribute with an additional resistance within the permeation process, reducing the potential improvement when reducing thickness. The conducted tests also allowed to study more in deep the different processes affecting oxygen membranes, as well as defining a permeation model for monolithic and asymmetric membranes. Aiming to improve the surface reactions involved in the oxygen permeation the use of catalytic layers was considered, by means the addition of porous BSCF backbones. The best results were obtained when coating both sides of membranes with catalytic layers. The concept of BSCF activated membranes was also considered for the production of C2H4 by means of the oxidative de-hydrogenation of C2H6, obtaining high C2H4 yields. BSCF membranes presenting tubular geometry were characterized for application such as production of O2 and production of C2H4 by means of oxidative coupling of CH4. LSCF was considered for conducting studies under CO2-containing atmospheres. For both systems it was conducted a complete permeation study with a focus on permeation performance under CO2 environments. Furthermore a study focused on the different substrates was carried out for determining the structure presenting the lower gas diffusion resistance. Despite very good results were obtained for both membrane types, even under CO2 conditions, freeze casted membranes reached higher oxygen fluxes, being optimized with the catalytic activation of membranes. Materials presenting fluorite structure stand out for their stability under reaction conditions or when exposed to CO2 environments. Nevertheless, delivered oxygen fluxes are typically low. Hence, a thin 40 micron-thick CGO-Co membrane activated with Pd nanoparticles was considered for conducting a study on O2 permeation performance, and its behaviour when exposed to CO2 and CH4-containing atmospheres. A good stability was demonstrated, as well as a significant improvement in oxygen permeation when exposed to CH4 environments. Thus, CGO membranes present promising properties for their application in oxyfuel and for the conduction of chemical reactions. Composite materials based on NFO-CTO was carried out. An evaluation of the CTO content and its relation with permeation was conducted, determining that a higher ionic phase ratio in the membrane results in a higher permeation. A composite consisting of 50NFO-50CTO was considered for performing a permeation study under harsh application conditions, with presence of SO2. Despite the significant loss in permeation, the composite material resulted to be stable after a long exposure to SO2. A broad study about the effect of CO2 and SO2 on the oxygen surface reactions was conducted by means of EIS measurements on 60NFO-40CTO electrodes. It was observed a significant effect of SO2 on the surface exchange reactions by promoting the deactivation of the O2 active sites, due to a SO2 adsorption on them. This effect was minimized by activating 60NFO-40CTO backbones with different catalysts, being characterized by EIS under CO2&SO2 conditions. This improvement was later confirmed when performing permeation tests. Permeation was improved notably by reducing membrane thickness, depositing composite membranes on LSCF porous substrates.
La presente tesis trata sobre el desarrollo de membranas cerámicas para la producción de O2, así como de su uso en distintas aplicaciones industriales (producción de energía, industria química). Se han considerado distintos tipos de materiales tales como perovskitas (BSCF y LSCF), fluoritas (CGO) y materiales composites, así como distintas arquitecturas de membrana. y activación catalítica para optimizar la permeación y la selectividad/rendimiento en reacciones químicas. Para el BSCF se estudió la influencia del espesor y el uso de soportes porosos en la permeación de O2, con una mejora para las membranas más finas, y también el papel de los soportes porosos, contribuyendo con una resistencia adicional en el proceso de permeación. El estudio permitió también conocer más en profundidad los procesos que afectan a los distintos tipos de membranas, y establecer un modelo de permeación para membranas. Se recurrió a la activación catalítica mediante la adición de capas porosas de BSCF, obteniendo así mejores resultados para las membranas con capas en ambos lados. El concepto de membranas de BSCF activadas superficialmente se consideró también para la producción de C2H4 a partir de la deshidrogenación oxidativa de etano (ODHE), obteniendo rendimientos de C2H4 muy elevados. Membranas de BSCF con geometría tubular fueron caracterizadas para aplicaciones de producción de O2 y C2H4 mediante acoplamiento oxidativo de metano (OCM). Se consideró al LSCF para su uso en aplicaciones con atmósferas conteniendo CO2. Se desarrollaron membranas soportadas en soportes porosos de LSCF mediante tape casting y freeze-casting, realizando completos estudios de permeación, además de estudiar el tipo de soporte poroso ofreciendo menos resistencia a la difusión de los gases. Pese que para ambos tipos de membranas se obtuvieron muy buenos flujos de oxígeno, incluso bajo condiciones de CO2, para el caso de membranas con soporte fabricado mediante freeze-casting se consiguieron mayores valores de permeación, optimizándolos incluso con la activación catalítica. Los materiales con estructura fluorita poseen alta estabilidad bajo condiciones de reacción (atmósferas reductoras) o cuando son expuestos a CO2 (aplicaciones de producción de energía). Sin embargo, los valores de permeación suelen ser muy bajos. Se consideró una membrana de CGO-Co de 40 micras de espesor activada con nanopartículas de Pd para llevar a cabo un estudio de sus propiedades para la producción de O2, su comportamiento en contacto con CO2 y con atmósferas conteniendo CH4. La buena estabilidad demostrada y la mejora sustancial de los flujos de O2 bajo ambientes reductores, hacen que este tipo de materiales posean propiedades prometedoras para aplicaciones de oxicombustión y reacciones químicas. Se realizó un estudio con materiales composites formados por NFO-CTO. Una evaluación del contenido en CTO y su relación con la permeación de O2, resultó en mayores valores para composiciones con mayor contenido en CTO. Un composite consistente en 50NFO-50CTO se consideró para la realización de tests bajo condiciones de oxicombustión, con presencia de SO2. Pese al notable descenso en los flujos de O2, el material resultó ser completamente estable tras una exposición continuada al SO2. Un amplio estudio del efecto del CO2 y del SO2 sobre las reacciones superficiales se realizó mediantes medidas de EIS en electrodos de 60NFO-40CTO, demostrando que el SO2 afecta significativamente a las reacciones superficiales mediante procesos de adsorción competitiva en los centros activos. Se minimizó el efecto del SO2 sobre las reacciones de intercambio superficial al activar las membranas con capas catalíticas porosas de 60NFO-40CTO con distintos catalizadores, confirmando posteriormente esta mejora en tests de permeación en las mismas condiciones. Así mismo, se optimizó notablemente la permeación de las membranas de 60NFO-40CTO reduciendo el espes
La present tesi tracta sobre el desenvolupament de membranes ceràmiques per a la producció d'O2, així com del seu ús en diverses aplicacions industrials (producció d'energia, indústria química). S'han considerat diversos materials tals com perovskites (BSCF i LSCF), fluorites (CGO) i materials composites, així com diferents arquitectures de membrana i l'activació catalítica per a millorar la permeació i la sel·lectivitat/rendiment de les reaccions químiques. Per al BSCF s'estudià la influència de l'espessor i l'ús de suports porosos en la permeació d'O2, amb una millora dels fluxos d'O2 per al cas de les membranes més fines, i també el paper dels suports porosos, els quals contribueixen afegint una resistència al procés de permeació. L'estudi també va permetre conèixer més en profunditat els processos que afecten als diferents tipus de membranes, i establir un model de permeació per a membranes. Es va recórrer a l'activació catalítica mitjançant l'adició de capes poroses de BSCF, obtenint així millors resultats per a les membranes activades a ambdós costats. El concepte de membranes de BSCF activades superficialment es va considerar també per a la producció d'etilè a mitjançant la deshidrogenació oxidativa d'età (ODHE), obtenint rendiments de C2H4 molt elevats. Membranes de BSCF amb geometria tubular van ser caracteritzades per a aplicacions de producció d'O2 i C2H4 mitjançant l'acoplament oxidatiu de metà (OCM). Es va considerar al LSCF per al seu ús en aplicacions amb atmosferes contenint CO2. Així doncs, es van desenvolupar membranes suportades sobre suports porosos de LSCF fabricats per tape càsting i freeze càsting. Es van realitzar estudis complets de permeació per a ambdós casos, a més d'estudiar el tipus de suport porós que ofereix una menor resistència a la difusió dels gasos. Malgrat que es van obtindré molts bons fluxos d'O2 per als dos tipus de membranes, inclús sota condicions amb CO2, per al cas de les membranes amb suport fabricat per freeze càsting es van aconseguir majors valors de permeació, sent inclús optimitzats amb l'activació catalítica. Els materials amb estructura fluorita destaquen per l'alta estabilitat sota condicions de reacció (atmosferes reductores) o quan són exposats a CO2 (aplicacions per a la producció d'energia). Malgrat això, els valors de permeació solen ser molt baixos. Es va considerar una membrana de CGO-Co de 40 micras d'espessor activada amb partícules de Pd per a realitzar un estudi sobre les seues propietats en quant a la producció d'O2, el seu comportament amb el contacte amb CO2 i atmosferes reductores contenint CH4. La bona estabilitat demostrada i una millora substancial dels fluxos d'O2 sota ambients reductors fan que aquest tipus de material presente propietats prometedores per a aplicacions d'oxicombustió i reaccions químiques. Es va realitzar un estudi sobre materials composites formats per NFO-CTO. Es va realitzar una avaluació del contingut en CTO i la relació amb la permeació, observant una millora de la permeació amb un major contingut de CTO. Un composite consistent en 50NFO-40CTO es va considerar per a la realització de tests de permeació en condicions d'oxicombustió amb presència de SO2. Malgrat el notable descens en els fluxos d'O2, el material resultà ser estable després d'una exposició continuada al SO2. Es mesurà l'efecte del CO2 i del SO2 sobre les reaccions superficials fent ús de la tècnica d'EIS en elèctrodes de 60NFO-40CTO. Demostrant que el SO2 afecta significativament a les reaccions superficials degut a una adsorció competitiva O2-SO2 als centres actius. Es minimitzà l'efecte del SO2 sobre les reaccions superficials al activar les membranes amb capes poroses de 60NFO-40CTO amb diferents catalitzadors. Aquestes capes van ser caracteritzades per EIS sota condicions de SO2, confirmant posteriorment la millora al realitzar tests de permeació. S'optimitzà notablement la perme
García Fayos, J. (2017). DEVELOPMENT OF CERAMIC MIEC MEMBRANES FOR OXYGEN SEPARATION: APPLICATION IN CATALYTIC INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/86189
TESIS
Premiado

In the past forty years advancements in fluorescence-based methods including imaging (e.g. confocal and multi-photon) and quantitative spectroscopies (e.g. Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy) have been applied to systems ranging from solutions to in vivo models: such methods possess the ability to monitor fluorescence intensity fluctuations and offer the potential to unravel biophysical and biochemical phenomena. A major disadvantage associated with these methods is their ever-increasing cost resulting in the development of image analysis tools that offer the potential to exploit hidden information contained in confocal images.The hypothesis pertaining to this thesis is that image analysis tools developed in recent years exemplified by Raster Image Correlation Spectroscopy (RICS), Spatial Intensity Distribution Analysis (SpIDA) and Fluorescence Intensity Gaussian Mixture Model Analysis (FIGMMA) will provide a new insight into current pharmaceutical problems. The application of these methods to the quantification of protein aggregation, monomer/dimer equilibria, p-glycoprotein efflux activity and transcytosis are presented in this thesis.Protein aggregation poses a major challenge to the biotechnology industry which currently lacks analytical capabilities to profile broad particle size ranges. An in-house RICS (ManICS) software was validated against Dynamic Light Scattering and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) to determine Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) aggregate population distributions under accelerated stability conditions. Initial stages implicated in the growth of aggregates are vital to the mechanistic assessment of protein aggregation. Hence, real-time in situ examination of monomer loss and aggregation of BSA was performed at 50 °C to enable continuous assessment with imaging and subsequent SpIDA analysis. Results obtained from this study suggested reversible fluctuation between monomers and dimers for up to four hours.To correlate membrane receptor and transporter expression with activity and enable the comparison of expression in multiple cell lines, population densities of p-glycoprotein transporters and transferrin receptors were determined using SpIDA in samples subjected to immunofluorescence labelling.The Calcein retention assay is a routine approach to determining multidrug resistance associated with p-glcoprotein efflux and the traditional plate reader approach omits microscopic aspects of p-glycoprotein Calcein-AM uptake and efflux. Confocal microscopy and data obtained from image analyses supported the subcellular and intercellular assessment of Calcein accumulation in MDR1-transfected and control cell lines as a function of time and verapamil concentration. Finally, live cell imaging of transferrin vesicular transport and Cell TraceTM Calcein red-orange AM internalisation in combination with traditional Transwell® assays were assessed to compare their transcellular transport and intracellular concentrations in multiple cell lines. Images obtained enabled visualisation of internalisation and following analysis using SpIDA, RICS and FIGMMA the number of intracellular vesicles and dynamic parameters of Cell TraceTM Calcein red-orange diffusion and intracellular concentration were determined.In conclusion, image analysis tools were applied to providing new parametric insights into a number of pharmaceutically-relevant processes and in some instances this is the first example of such studies. Despite current phenomenal advances in image acquisition capabilities, there remains a broad scope for the validation of image analysis tools and their application to a multitude of areas of interest to pharmaceutical and biomolecular research.

Aim: The aim of this research has been to answer the question of how and based on what combination of grand strategies, Oracle as a high-tech company, developed and improved its business and affected its competitors and other industries. Method: Analytical study of published literature and Oracle internal annual reports combined with personal experience of working with Oracle products and observing its strategies for more than a decade have been the essential part of this study. The main method of data collection was gathering information from those websites which include information and news around Oracle strategic movements. This research has applied that information to deliver an analysis of not only the Oracle current strategy, but its strategy for the future and tendency to expand its market and direct the information industry, moving forward. Result & Conclusion: Being around for three decades, Oracle has had a great history of successful strategies with introducing innovation, leading software industry, and directing the future of information technology. It has been survived from many uncertainties as the nature of its business. Knowing its competitors, spending billions of dollars on research and development, filling the gaps of having the best products through acquisition, and creating valuable products and services for many industries, has brought Oracle on the top in its area. Its vision of sharing information and giving the world wide access to a comprehensive knowledge of using its products and services has increased loyalty in its customers and business partners. Oracle is a crucial company in this information age, and its products and solutions have been critically useful for a wide range of businesses. These are the facts which have been concluded in this study. Contribution of the study: Understanding of Oracle strategy is important for millions of managers, developers, and users of database systems and enterprise applications throughout the world. Being successful in their career and professional positions, they have to know where the information technology is moving and they have no choice of using those software products which a major part of it, is created or at least directed by Oracle. It can guarantee the future of information management in a company.

In enterprises we find many complex processes consisting of several sub-processes and actors, each of them contributing to the end outcome. Teaching on complex processes is not easy if the aim is deep knowledge regarding the processes and how different activities and choices will affect the final outcomes. An example of a complex process is the Enterprise Recourse Planning (ERP) systems procurement. A lot of different business representatives are involved in the procurement project, each with their opinion on how the optimal solution looks like. These opinions are often conflicting and the demands too many to be included in the formal requirements specification. Sometimes the requirements are the same, but expressed in different terms. Definition and selection of requirements is one of many potential pitfalls of Information Technology (IT) procurement which is dealt with during a half day exercise in ERP procurement in the course “Integrated Business Solutions”. Through role playing the students experience the transformation of theories into practice by identifying, arguing for or against and thereafter agree upon a limited list of requirements. Another complex activity is the evaluation of alternatives, where the students first need to find suitable candidate systems and thereafter assess how well these satisfy the formulated requirements. The vendor web pages and an online search function provided by a consultant are used. This gives a good basis for discussions regarding assessment of information sources and how decision making is affected by available information. This article describes the purpose and implementation of the above mentioned exercise. The exercise serves as an exemplification of how to create active learning situations that provide hands-on experiences and puts the problem solving and analysis abilities in a real context. Different skills trained during the exercise are highlighted using the Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO) syllabus. The article also identifies pitfalls to be avoided when creating this kind of learning situations.

Investment in transport infrastructure can be highly sensitive to uncertainty. The scale and lead time of strategic transport programmes are such that they require continuing policy support and accurate forecasting. Delay, cost escalation and abandonment of projects often result if these conditions are not present. In Part One the physical characteristics of infrastructure are identified as a major constraint on planning processes. The extent to which strategies and techniques acknowledge these constraints is examined. A simple simulation model is developed to evaluate the effects on system development of variations in the scale and lead time of investments. In Part Two, two case studies of strategic infrastructure investment are analysed. The absence of a policy consensus for airport location was an important factor in the delayed resolution of the Third London Airport issue. In London itself, the traffic and environmental effects of major highway investment ultimately resulted in the abandonment of plans to construct urban motorways. In both cases, the infrastructure implications of alternative strategies are reviewed with reference to the problems of uncertainty. In conclusion, the scale of infrastructure investment is considered the most important of the constraints on the processes of transport planning. Adequate appraisal of such constraints may best be achieved by evaluation more closely aligned to policy objectives.

Since evolution of &ldquo
global cities&rdquo
is based on private financial actors forming the global economic network, these cities are confronting not only lifestyle changes, but also architectural and urban transformations. An important urban element produced by cities in the global economic network is the new central business district, which house vertical building forms with high demographic density. As a complex urban element serving for national and international arena as service center of liberal economy and an urban prestige symbol of the city, design and planning process of new central business districts is gaining priority to solve complexity of its structure considering public use. The aim of this study is to explore the physical public space due to be created in the new central business district in Istanbul, which has been developing along the Bü
yü
kdere Avenue. Critically concentrating on its design and the planning process and future strategies in a comparative study with other global city examples of Paris, Berlin and Singapore, which have been giving specialized priority to the planning phase and future strategies for their new central business district developments, it is aimed to develop a substantial basis for the conceptualization of how the new central business district can be implemented in Istanbul.

Embedding screenprinted transfers is one of several processes that can be used by artists as a means of expression to decorate blown glass forms. When screenprinted transfers are embedded into layers of glass and inflated, the imagery can be affected by a number of factors that limit the process. These limitations can include stretching and distortion of imagery, loss of density resulting in faded imagery and loss of clarity and detail of the imagery. Compatibility issues can also result in the artwork cracking. These limitations can result in the artworks being deemed unfit for their purpose, particularly when created for exhibition. This research addressed these limitations through the development of seven print inspired glass processes that alleviated or improved the limitations and provided alternative decorative processes to the use of printed transfers. This was achieved using a multi-method practice led research methodology approached from the perspective of a professional glass artist. To substantiate the research, several bodies of artwork were produced that developed and demonstrated the practicality and creative potential of the creative print inspired glass processes and extended the repertoire of visual effects that can be achieved when decorating blown glass forms. Throughout the research the print inspired glass processes were assessed for decorative qualities as well as the practicality of each process. To contribute to the limited technical knowledge currently available on the process of combining glass and print for the decoration of blown glass forms, the contextual review consolidated existing information. Technical guides relating to the seven print inspired glassmaking processes were formulated as part of the research.

We present the development of the adjoint of a physically based cirrus formation parameterization that computes the sensitivity of formed crystal number concentration to numerous model variables (e.g., updraft velocity, soluble aerosol geometric mean diameter and number concentration, insoluble aerosol geometric mean diameter and number concentration, and ice deposition coefficient). The adjoint is demonstrated in the CESM Community Atmosphere Model Version 5.1, where sensitivity information is computed and used to quantify which variables are most responsible for modeled variability in formed crystal number concentration. The sensitivity of formed crystal number concentration to updraft velocity is positive and largest over the tropics where regions of deep convection are collocated with large sulfate number concentrations. Sensitivity to sulfate number concentration is largest over the tropics where updraft cooling is sufficient and sulfate number concentration is low, pointing to a sulfate limited regime. Outside of the tropics, crystal production is dominated by heterogeneous freezing; unexpectedly, sensitivities to insoluble aerosol number concentration for accumulation and coarse mode dust, black carbon, and organic carbon are negative in sign here. This is a result of infrequent, anomalously high updraft velocity events causing shifts in the dominant modes of freezing which act to bias sensitivity information when annually averaged. Updraft velocity is responsible for ~95% of the variability in formed crystal number concentration in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. In the tropics, sulfate number concentration controls variability in formed crystal number concentration since crystal production here is sulfate limited. Insoluble aerosol species play a secondary role in influencing the variability of crystal concentrations; coarse mode dust is the largest contributor to crystal number variability at nearly 60%, although the spatial extent of this influence is small and concentrated over highly localized dust events. When globally averaged, nearly 90% of the variability in crystal number concentration can be described by only updraft velocity, sulfate number, temperature, and coarse mode dust number concentration. Although these results depend on parameter assumptions, the robustness of the underlying physics of the cirrus formation parameterization used throughout this work suggests that this approach can be a powerful method for efficiently identifying the origin of microphysical dependencies within large scale atmospheric simulations.

This thesis focuses on one key theme, which is to understand the construct of organizational networking behaviors in business-to-business markets. It is concerned with two main issues, which are built into the research program of three empirical studies. The first issue is concerned with a systematic understanding of organizational behaviors in response to the embeddedness and interconnectedness of the network of business relationships that every organization has to deal with. Study 1 of the research program explores the concept termed ‘organizational networking behaviors’. This study adopts an industrial network approach, the central tenet of which is that firms undertake a continuous process of interaction with their important partners in the embedding context of the business network. A multi-informant approach, using semi-structured interviews, was used to collect qualitative data from thirty-one executive managers (in fifteen manufacturing firms in the UK). This study identified information acquisition, opportunity enabling, strong-tie resource mobilization and weak-tie resource mobilization as four types of organizational networking behaviors, which are reflected by their respective sub-types. The resulting conceptualization of organizational networking forms the basis for the operationalization of the construct in Study 2. While Study 1 takes an exploratory qualitative approach, Study 2 deploys a confirmatory quantitative approach since it is necessary to confirm/refute the resulting conceptualization and its types from Study 1. A rigorous scale construction and validation process was followed in this study. The conceptualization of the measurement model was carefully considered based on its theoretical underpinning. A second-order formative measurement structure was conceptualized, which required the employment of a multiple indicators and multiple causes (MIMIC) model for the validation of such a measurement model. A dataset of 603 responses was collected and analyzed to confirm the structure of the four types of organizational networking behaviors, which is in line with the results of Study 1.The second issue that the thesis is concerned with is the influences of such organizational networking efforts, which are examined from a firm’s behavioral perspective. Study 3 examines how organizational networking behaviors serve as the driver of a firm’s customer-oriented, competitor-oriented and relationship-oriented behaviors due to the sensing and seizing aspects of networking. It was also hypothesized that a firm’s customer-oriented, competitor-oriented and relationship-oriented behaviors positively affect firm performance. The test of these hypotheses required survey data collection, which was done through an on-line questionnaire. A dataset of 354 responses was collected from UK managers, whose organizations operate in business-to-business markets in either the manufacturing or services sectors. The use of statistical modeling techniques is similar to that of Study 2. The research results indicate that a firm’s network-oriented behaviors positively impact on the development of customer-oriented and competitor-oriented behaviors. They also foster relationship coordination with its important business partners within the network. In addition, the effective management of the firm’s portfolio of relationships is found to mediate the positive impact of network-oriented behaviors on firm profitability.

Enterprise is often described as risk for reward, but it may be possible to reduce the risk while improving returns. According to SEDA, failure rates of SMMEs in South Africa range from 70 to 80 percent. The need for this study arose when it was found that most SMMEs did not have a formal system in place to mitigate their risks right from the outset in the feasibility study, the business plan design and the start–up of the business. This lack of mitigation controls could be a result of a lack of understanding of the enterprise risk management (ERM) methodology or an inappropriate ERM decision–making model to assist them in a way that would mitigate their risk and minimise financial losses. The ERM approach can anticipate unplanned occurrences and is a systematic way of foreseeing the future. Entrepreneurs and business owners take on risks to pursue new business objectives within their respective risk appetites. This study also evaluated several models of risk identification and the ERM methodology. In this study an ERM model, ISO 31000, was applied in a business case and a comparison was made between the risks identified in the business plan and the ERM approach.
Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The development and marketing of new products and services are amongst the most powerful weapons that organisations can'use in order to survive and prosper under turbulent global market conditions. The successful introduction of a new product or service can assist an organisation to remain competitive by being able to sufficiently address the continuously changing market requirements. Therefore, the process of New Product/Service Introduction (NP/SI) constitutes a crucial activity for every organisation. In an environment of ever shortening product life cycles, increased customer expectation, technology advancements and increased market competition, the only factor that remains constant within a modem manufacturing operation is change. Such changes are ultimately reflected in the products and the manufacturing processes. One particular type of change apparent within a manufacturing or assembly environment is engineering change (EC). The changes or modifications in forms, fits, materials, dimensions, functions, etc. of a product or component are usually referred to as ECs. The aims of this thesis were fulfilled by using the technique of System Dynamics (SD) in order to model and simulate the generic structure of the NP/SI process and to identify ways to improve it. The results of the simulation were also used for developing an Engineering Change Management System which was then modelled by using the same technique of SD. In this attempt, two Greek organisations collaborated by providing data and information in order to investigate the existence of a cost-time-quality relationship throughout the NP/SI process.

A large number of studies suggest that the content of strategy becomes more multifaceted and elaborate and characterised by progressive development over time. Recently, a growing number of researchers argue that strategy can become simple, stable and inert over time. This study investigates how changes of sociocognitive processes at individual, group and organisational levels influence organisational processes and strategic decisions. It adopts configurational approach to strategy development and its concepts (configurations, transformations, archetypes) as a framework. Thus, the purpose is to provide a characterisation of strategy development by analysing the integration of four key research dimensions (social, cognitive, organisational performance and contextual) into one coherent theoretical structure - the model of organisational archetypes. This four-dimensional model is developed from the analysis of fifty one Ukrainian organisations using quantitative and qualitative research methods (questionnaire, interview and group interview) according to the logical structure of configurational research (modelling the sociocognitive basis, modelling the "fit between research dimensions and modelling configurations and archetypes). Following on from this, the model of organisational archetypes is validated in four other organisations through the development of a test of organisational internal creative environment in order to identify their configurations (current conditions) and archetypes (strategic perspectives). The procedure of this test includes the following sequence of actions: identifying sociocognitive characteristics of organisational members and the organisational internal creative environment, identifying periods of transformation and configuration in the process of organisational development, researching characteristics of the business-environment, and identifying appropriate organisational archetypes. The model of organisational archetypes developed in this thesis allows the identification of current and prospective organisational conditions and making relevant strategic decisions that reflect and anticipate changes in organisational internal and external environments. Thus, changes in the organisational internal creative environment (sociocognitive characteristics of organisational members) reflect changes in the business-environment and organisational performance and transform the characteristics of strategic decisions from multifaceted and elaborate to simple and inert and vice versa.

In an era of significant regional economic disparities, attention is turning away from traditional accounts of regional disadvantage towards the insights offered by institutional and evolutionary economics. Such accounts have highlighted the institutional, social and cultural capabilities that drive regional economic success. One aspect of this literature relates to the theme of institutional learning. In particular, a distinction has been made between incremental and radical institutional learning capabilities. Whilst incremental learning facilitates institutional adaptation to changing economic circumstances through the application of established interpretations and solutions, radical learning requires the development of an 'adaptability' capacity that reflects upon the applicability of past actions and promotes institutional innovations that break with existing understandings. Yet despite the importance attached to radical institutional learning capabilities, the internal organisational factors influencing actual learning processes - especially within the context of public sector bodies - have received little attention. This thesis explores these features through a comparative investigation of the institutional learning processes occurring within public sector based economic development organisations in Teesside, England and Cracow, Poland. The research presents the key arguments made regarding the centrality of learning to the regional rediscovery debate and examines the significance attached to the themes of institutional learning and cognition. Through reference to empirical evidence the research discusses the place specific and historically dependent nature of institutional learning processes and considers the extent to which institutional cognition, organisational memories, management systems and techniques act as barriers or stimuli to radical learning.