Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Dead air'

The skin on her arms was like leather, wrinkly, so thin you could see the blood flow underneath thesurface. Ruption´s that reminded me of small universes or spider-like flowers leapt up and downher arms. She liked listening to the radio, or so I think. She was lying on the bed in the middle ofthe little house surrounded by trees. The massive furn wood dining table was tilted up against thewall, a defeeted gigant.Empty, empty, empty. Silent, silent, silent. The room was a shell, singing of what wasbefore time; a vase stood in the heart of the house, alabaster, smooth, cold holding thestill, distilled essence of emptiness, silence.-Virginia WoolfThe history of materiality can be expected because we have seen it. We can understand how it candisappear or slowly decay because we have at one point in time understood its presence. In mywork I have investigated how material and sound can help to define each other. My thoughts arethat the vase in this aspect is corpus, a recorder of its environment. The vase i.e. corpus stands forintimacy, connecting people in a home where everyday life occurs through communication. The oldvase has a presence, that presence vibrates of life that you can hint but not fully understand.Sound talks about the proportions between things in a different way by travelling between statesand time. How can we understand and access history that is invisible to the eye? GuglielmoMarconi (a pioneer in long-distance radio transmitting) believed that acoustic phenomena continuedto hang in the air. He thought of sounds as bodies of vibration whos decay extended to infinity.Marconi used a concept he called dead air, to describe silence. All sound that ever existed isaccessible to us if we know how to tune into it. What would the silence of the alabaster vase soundlike? In my examination work I have focused on sound to try and understand how it is connected tothe traces of life that are not written in history books.

This thesis consists of two research problems in the air conditioning (A/C) area. For the first problem, the aim is to model and simulate a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air conditioning system. The coefficient of performance (COP) for refrigeration or heat pump system is one of the critical parameters for designing an air conditioning system. The modeling of the system components for a VRF cycle under different cooling conditions using R-134a and R-22 as refrigerants was carried out. Calculations were performed by varying different parameters such as condenser and evaporator temperatures, and refrigerant type. The R-134a refrigerant shows a better performance when multiple evaporators are present. Part load performance evaluation was also done for both refrigerants. The simulation results compared reasonably well with available experimental data. In the second problem, the objective is to develop a mathematical model that covers the mass, energy, entropy, and exergy balances of a typical air conditioning system. The model examines how the exergy efficiency of an air conditioning system can be used to measure its performance, bypass configuration, and additional significant environmental factors that affect an A/C system's design. The effects of outside air parameters, room parameters, room sensible and latent heat loads, and dead state properties on exergy efficiency were investigated. The range of parameters covered included outside air temperature (To= 25-60oC) and relative humidity (RHo = 50-85%), sensible heat load (Qsen = 11.50-13.25 kW), latent heat load (Qlat = 3.00-4.75 kW), room air temperature (Tr= 18-25oC), and relative humidity (RHr= 30-44%), and outside-mixture air flow rate ratio (qo/qm = 0.21-0.71). Two novel dead state conditions were selected to further analyze their effects on the system. Present exergy results indicate that an A/C system is quite sensitive to air properties, sensible and latent cooling loads, and dead state conditions.

Wastewater reduction and treatment is one of the challenges faced by our consume society. As an example, in the EU, 5400 tons/year wastewater containing aromatic compounds is released having both toxic and bactericide effect. Several technologies have shown their potential for treating this kind of industrial wastewater. Nearly all of them are based on the oxidation of the organic pollutants, which are converted into carbon dioxide and water or into harmless intermediate products, more suitable for a biological treatment. Therefore, Catalytic and non-catalytic Wet Air Oxidation (CWAO and WAO) have become attractive techniques to efficiently treat organic wastewater that is either too concentrated or toxic to be biologically restored. As complete mineralisation of pollutants is extremely costly, the coupling of an initial oxidative step with a biological treatment can solve these pollution problems in a rational and less expensive way.
Hence, the main goal of this study was to demonstrate the technical feasibility of coupling an initial CWAO step with a municipal Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) to deal with phenolic industrial wastewater. Therefore, it was necessary to find suitable pressure and temperature conditions in the oxidation step, so that the effluent can be treated in a municipal WWTP afterwards. The main challenge in the coupling is to achieve the right balance between the oxidation deepness (economic cost) and the effluent biodegradability (distribution of oxidation products) after the oxidation step, which ensures the success of a subsequent biological treatment.
To this end, several WAO and CWAO tests were completed (140ºC-160ºC in CWAO, 215-265ºC in WAO and 2-9 bar of oxygen partial pressure) for several model compounds typically appearing in industrial wastewater such as phenol, o-cresol, 2-chlorophenol and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate at concentrations higher than 8000 mg l-1of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). All the CWAO experiments were done in a fixed bed reactor, operating in trickle flow regime, and using activated carbon (AC) as catalyst. The WAO experiments were done in batch reactor without catalyst. The results show that model compound disappearance, COD removal and total organic carbon (TOC) abatement were very sensible to temperature change but almost independent of oxygen partial pressure. For instance, in CWAO of o-cresol at 2 bar of oxygen partial pressure, as temperature increases from 140 to 160ºC, o-cresol conversion increases from 30% to 85%, COD removal from 15 to 50% and TOC abatement from 18% and 47%. Similar behaviour was found for the other model compounds tested.
To measure biological parameters, respirometric tests were completed before and after WAO and CWAO tests and independently, for each one of the identified oxidation intermediates. In the case of WAO and CWAO effluents, these tests have enabled the determination of the biodegradability enhancement. For the oxidation intermediates, these respirometric tests have allowed obtaining the biomass yield coefficient for biodegradable carboxylic acids and to detect some co-metabolic effects, which serve to explain the biodegradability results obtained for WAO and CWAO effluents. Taking into account these results, it was possible to establish whether or not the WAO or CWAO effluents were suitable for a following treatment with non previously adapted sludge. Later, it was possible to perform a suitable procedure to couple the CWAO step with a biological lab-scale plant. The integrated treatment of wastewater with o-cresol as model pollutant achieved more than 99% of COD removal and more than 92% of CWAO intermediates removal without undesirable effects over the biomass of the biological step.
Keywords: activated carbon, activated sludge, catalytic wet air oxidation, phenolic industrial wastewater, respirometry.
La reducción del agua residual y su tratamiento es uno de los retos a los que se enfrenta nuestra sociedad de consumo. Por ejemplo, en la UE se vierten 5400 toneladas al año de efluentes industriales de compuestos aromáticos, los cuales presentan efectos tóxicos y bactericidas. Hoy en día, existen varias tecnologías que han demostrado su potencial para tratar este tipo de efluentes industriales. La mayoría de ellas están basadas en la oxidación del contaminante orgánico, el cual es transformado en dióxido de carbono y agua o en intermedios de reacción menos nocivos, más adecuados para un tratamiento biológico. Así pues, la oxidación húmeda catalítica con aire (del inglés, CWAO) usando carbón activo como catalizador y la oxidación húmeda con aire (del inglés WAO) sin catalizador se han convertido en técnicas muy atractivas para el pretratamiento efectivo de este tipo de agua residual industrial que o bien está muy concentrada o bien es muy tóxica como para ser tratada directamente en una Estación Depuradora de Aguas Residuales (EDAR) convencional. Ya que la mineralización completa del contaminante es sumamente costosa, el acoplamiento de una etapa inicial de oxidación química con un posterior tratamiento biológico puede resolver este problema de contaminación en una forma más barata y racional.
Siguiendo esta premisa, el objetivo global de este trabajo fue demostrar la viabilidad técnica del acoplamiento de una etapa inicial de CWAO con una EDAR municipal para tratar aguas residuales industriales fenólicas. Para esto fue necesario hallar las condiciones apropiadas en la etapa de oxidación, en términos de: a)
destrucción del contaminante modelo, b) preservación del catalizador en el caso de la oxidación húmeda catalítica con aire, c) distribución de intermedios y d) aumento de la biodegradabilidad. Dichos parámetros permitieron evaluar la adecuación del pretratamiento por oxidación de los efluentes industriales fenólicos para su posterior depuración en una EDAR convencional como parte de la entrada a la misma.
Para cumplir este objetivo, se realizaron varias pruebas de WAO y CWAO (140ºC-160ºC en CWAO, 215- 265ºC en WAO y de 2-9 bar presión parcial de oxígeno-PO2-) para varios contaminantes modelo típicamente presentes en aguas residuales industriales, tales como fenol, o-cresol, 2-clorofenol y dodecilbenceno sulfato de sodio (DBS) a concentraciones por encima de 8000 mg l-1 en demanda química de oxígeno (DQO). Los ensayos de CWAO fueron realizados en continuo en un reactor de lecho fijo de goteo por un tiempo total de 72 h. Se utilizó un carbón activo comercial como catalizador. El caudal de aire fue ajustado para garantizar oxígeno en exceso, mientras que el caudal de líquido fue fijado de acuerdo al peso del lecho catalítico para proporcionar un tiempo espacial del líquido de 0.12 h. Los experimentos de WAO fueron realizados en un sistema discontinuo y con tiempos de reacción de 30, 60, 90 y 120 minutos. Las temperaturas utilizadas en los experimentos WAO fueron 215, 240 y 265ºC manteniendo la presión parcial de oxígeno (PO2) en 2 bar y 9 bar. En el caso del DBS, los experimentos de WAO fuero realizados con temperaturas de 180, 200 y 220ºC y 15 bar de PO2.
Los resultados obtenidos demostraron que la destrucción del contaminante modelo y la reducción tanto de DQO como de carbono orgánico total (COT) son dependientes de los cambios de temperatura pero prácticamente independientes de los cambios en la PO2. Así pues, en la CWAO de o-cresol a 2 bar de PO2, un cambio en la temperatura de 140ºC a 160ºC implica un aumento en la destrucción de o-cresol de 30 a 85%, en la eliminación de DQO de 15 a 50% y en la eliminación de COT de 18 al 47%. Un comportamiento similar fue hallado para el resto de contaminantes modelo.
La biodegradabilidad de los efluentes procedentes de los distintos ensayos de oxidación y de los intermedios de oxidación fue determinada mediante pruebas respirométricas. Para los efluentes de WAO y CWAO estas pruebas permitieron obtener el grado de aumento de la biodegradabilidad producido por cada una de las condiciones de oxidación empleadas. Para el caso de los intermedios de reacción, estas pruebas respirométricas permitieron determinar el coeficiente de rendimiento biomasa/sustrato para los ácidos carboxílicos biodegradables y detectar algunos comportamientos co-metabólicos; los cuales a su vez, sirvieron para explicar los resultados obtenidos en cuanto a la biodegradabilidad de los efluentes procedentes de WAO y CWAO.
Teniendo en cuenta estos resultados, fue posible establecer si los efluentes de WAO o CWAO eran adecuados para su posterior tratamiento con un lodo activo no aclimatado. De esta manera se estableció un protocolo de acoplamiento apropiado de la etapa de CWAO con una planta biológica a escala laboratorio. El tratamiento integrado de las aguas residuales de o-cresol alcanzó una eliminación de DQO de más del 99% y una destrucción de los intermedios de CWAO de más del 92%, sin causar efectos adversos sobre la biomasa de la etapa biológica.
Palabras clave: aguas residuales industriales fenólicas, carbón activo, lodos activos, oxidación húmeda catalítica con aire, respirometría.
La reducció de l'aigua residual i el seu tractament és un dels reptes als quals s'enfronta la nostra societat de consum. Com a exemple, a la UE s'aboquen 5400 tones a l'any d'efluents industrials que contenen compostos aromàtics, els quals presenten efectes tòxics i bactericides. Avui, existeixen diverses tecnologies que han demostrat el seu potencial per a tractar aquest tipus d'efluents industrials. La majoria d'elles estan basades en l'oxidació dels contaminants orgànics, el qual és transformat en diòxid de carboni i aigua o en intermedis de reacció menys nocius, més adequats per a un tractament biològic. Així doncs, l'oxidació humida catalítica amb aire amb carbó actiu com catalitzador (de l'anglès, CWAO) i l'oxidació humida amb aire (de l'anglès, WAO) sense catalitzador s'han convertit en tècniques molt atractives pel pretractament efectiu d'aquest tipus d'aigua residual industrial que o bé està molt concentrada o bé és molt tòxica com per a ser tractada directament a una Estació Depuradora d'Aigües Residuals (EDAR) convencional. Com que la mineralització complerta del contaminant és summament costosa, l'acoblament d'una etapa inicial d'oxidació amb un tractament biològic pot resoldre aquest problema de contaminació d'una forma més barata i racional.
Seguint aquesta premissa, l'objectiu global d'aquest treball va ser demostrar la viabilitat tècnica de l'acoblament d'una etapa inicial de CWAO amb una EDAR municipal per a tractar aigües residuals industrials fenóliques. Per això, va ser necessari trobar les condicions apropiades a l'etapa d'oxidació, en termes de: a) destrucció del contaminant model, b) preservació del catalitzador en el cas de l'oxidació humida catalítica amb aire, c)
distribució d'intermedis i d) augment de la biodegradabilidad. Aquests paràmetres van permetre avaluar l'adequació del pretractament per oxidació dels efluents industrials fenólics per a la seva posterior depuració a una EDAR convencional, com partde l'entrada a la mateixa.
Per a assolir aquest objectiu, es van realitzar diverses proves de WAO i CWAO (140ºC-160ºC en CWAO, 215-265ºC en WAO i de 2-9 bar de pressió parcial d'oxigen-PO2-) per a diversos contaminants model típicament presents a les aigües residuals industrials, com poden ser el fenol, o-cresol, 2-clorofenol i dodecilbenzè sulfat de sodi (DBS) a concentracions per sobre de 8000 mg l-1 de Demanda Química d'Oxigen (DQO). Els experiments de CWAO van ser realitzats en continu en un reactor de llit fix de goteig per un temps total de 72 h. Es va utilitzar un carbó actiu comercial com catalitzador. El cabal d'aire va ser ajustat per a garantir oxigen en excés i el cabal de líquid va ser fixat en funció del pes del llit catalític per a proporcionar un temps espacial del líquid de 0.12 h. Els experiments de WAO van ser realitzats a un sistema discontinu i amb un temps de reacció de 30, 60, 90 i 120 minuts. Les temperatures utilitzades als experiments WAO van ser 215, 240 i 265ºC, mantenint la PO2 a 2 bar i 9 bar. Pel cas del DBS, els experiments de WAO van ser realitzats a temperatures de 180, 200 i 220ºC i 15 bar de PO2.
Els resultats obtinguts van demostrar que la destrucció del contaminant model i la reducció tant de l'DQO com de Carboni Orgànic Total (COT) són dependents dels canvis de temperatura però pràcticament independents dels canvis a la PO2. A mode d'exemple, per a la CWAO d'o-cresol a 2 bar de PO2, un canvi a la temperatura de 140ºC a 160ºC implica un augment de la destrucció d'o-cresol de 30 a 85%, de l'eliminació de DQO de 15 a 50% i de l'eliminació de COT de 18 al 47%. Un comportament similar va ser trobat per a la resta de contaminants model.
La biodegradabilidad dels efluents procedents dels diferents assaigs d'oxidació i dels intermedis d'oxidació va ser determinada mitjançant proves respirométriques. Pels efluents de WAO i CWAO aquestes proves van permetre obtenir el grau d'augment de la biodegradabilidad produït per cadascuna de les condicions d'oxidació emprades. Pel cas dels intermedis de reacció, aquestes proves respirométriques van permetre determinar el coeficient de rendiment biomassa/substrat per als àcids carboxílics biodegradables i detectar alguns comportaments co-metabòlics; els quals, van servir per a explicar els resultats obtinguts pel que fa a la biodegradabilidad dels efluents procedents de WAO i CWAO. Tenint en compte aquests resultats, va ser possible establir si els efluents de WAO o CWAO eren adequats per al seu posterior tractament amb un llot actiu no aclimatat. D'aquesta manera es va establir un protocol d'acoblament apropiat de l'etapa de CWAO amb una planta biològica a escala de laboratori. El tractament integrat de les aigües residuals d'o-cresol va assolir una eliminació de DQO de més del 99% i una destrucció dels intermedis de CWAO de més del 92%, sense causar efectes nocius sobre la biomassa de l'etapa biològica.
Paraules clau: aigües residuals industrials fenólicas, carbó actiu, llots actius, oxidació humida catalítica amb aire, respirometria.

Thesis (M.S. in Computer Science--Naval Postgraduate School, Sept. 2001.
Thesis advisor(s): Riehle, Richard D. ; Luqi. "September 2001." Includes bibliographical references (p. 195). Also Available online.

The U.S. Navy currently bases the majority of our contact management decisions around a time and manning intensive paper-based Maneuvering Board process. Additional manning requirements are involved on many Naval Ships in order to accurately convey the information to the OOD and/or the Commanding Officer. When given situations where there exist multiple contacts, the current system is quickly overwhelmed and may not provide Decision-Makers a complete and accurate picture in a timely manner. The purpose of this research is to implement a stand-alone system that will provide timely and accurate contact information for Decision-Makers. By creating a reliable, automated system in a format that is familiar to all Surface Warfare Officers we will provide the Navy with a valuable decision-making tool, while increasing ease of data exchange and reducing current redundancies and manning inefficient practices. Our software design is based upon the Unified Modeling Language (UML). UML allows us to construct a software model that is supported by the Ada programming language. Our design is based upon these fundamental tenants: Non- Operating System dependent, Non-Hardware System dependent, Extensible and Modular design. Ada provides a certified compiler, making our code robust and assuring the βbuyerγ that the program does what we advertise it to do.
US Navy (USN) authors

MBA Professional Report
The purpose of this paper is to explore the methods the Air Force uses to procure renewable energy. To comply with Executive Order 13423, agencies must ensure that at least half of all renewable energy required under Energy Policy Act of 2005 comes from new renewable sources (developed after January 1, 1999) (Department of Energy, n.d.b). The Air Force is currently on track to meet the requirements of this legislation and is also the Department of Defense (DoD) leader in total renewable energy procured. The contracting tools used to procure renewable energy are Power Purchase Agreements and Enhanced Use Leases. The processes involved with Power Purchase Agreements and Enhanced Use Leases are unique and challenging. Additionally, renewable energy procurement includes many other participants or interested parties, which is contrary to the standard contracting process. Working within this renewableenergy arena requires the use of public-private partnerships in order for these deals to be successful. This paper will describe and evaluate the entire process used to procure renewable energy including parties involved, tools to execute, examples of successful projects, and it will explain how the Air Force can better support the procurement of renewable energy.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc
Many South African Deaf people use their mobile phones for communication with SMSs yet they would prefer to converse in South African Sign Language. Deaf people with a capital `D' are different from deaf or hard of hearing as they primarily use sign language to communicate. This study explores how to design and evaluate a prototype that will allow a Deaf person using SASL to tell a hearing doctor how s/he is feeling and provide a way for the doctor to respond. A computer{based prototype was designed and evaluated with the Deaf people in a previous study. Results from the user trial of the computer{based mock{up indicated that Deaf users would like to see the prototype on a cell phone. Those user trial results, combined with our own user survey results conducted with Deaf people, are used as requirements. We built a prototype for a mobile phone browser by embedding SASL videos inside XHTML pages using Adobe Flash. The prototype asks medical questions using SASL videos. These questions are arranged in an organized way that helps in identifying a medical problem. The answers to the questions are then displayed in English and shown to the doctor on the phone. A content authoring tool was also designed and implemented. The content authoring tool is used for populating the prototype in a context free manner allowing for plug and play scenarios such as a doctor's office, Department of Home A airs or police station. A focus group consisting of Deaf people was conducted to help in the design and pilot trial of the system. A final user trial was conducted with more than thirty Deaf people and the results are presented and analyzed. Data is collected with questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and video recordings. The results indicate that most of the Deaf people found the system easy to learn, easy to navigate through, did not get lost and understood the sign language in the videos on the mobile phone. The hand gestures and facial expressions on the sign language videos were clear. Most of them indicated they would like to use the system for free, and that the system did not ask too many questions. Most of them were happy with the quality of the sign language videos on the mobile phone and would consider using the system in real life. Finally they felt their private information was safe while using the system. Many South African Deaf people use their mobile phones for communication with SMSs yet they would prefer to converse in South African Sign Language. Deaf people with a capital `D' are different from deaf or hard of hearing as they primarily use sign language to communicate. This study explores how to design and evaluate a prototype that will allow a Deaf person using SASL to tell a hearing doctor how s/he is feeling and provide a way for the doctor to respond. A computer{based prototype was designed and evaluated with the Deaf people in a previous study. Results from the user trial of the computer{based mock{up indicated that Deaf users would like to see the prototype on a cell phone. Those user trial results, combined with our own user survey results conducted with Deaf people, are used as requirements. We built a prototype for a mobile phone browser by embedding SASL videos inside XHTML pages using Adobe Flash. The prototype asks medical questions using SASL videos. These questions are arranged in an organized way that helps in identifying a medical problem. The answers to the questions are then displayed in English and shown to the doctor on the phone. A content authoring tool was also designed and implemented. The content authoring tool is used for populating the prototype in a context free manner allowing for plug and play scenarios such as a doctor's office, Department of Home A airs or police station. A focus group consisting of Deaf people was conducted to help in the design and pilot trial of the system. A final user trial was conducted with more than thirty Deaf people and the results are presented and analyzed. Data is collected with questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and video recordings. The results indicate that most of the Deaf people found the system easy to learn, easy to navigate through, did not get lost and understood the sign language in the videos on the mobile phone. The hand gestures and facial expressions on the sign language videos were clear. Most of them indicated they would like to use the system for free, and that the system did not ask too many questions. Most of them were happy with the quality of the sign language videos on the mobile phone and would consider using the system in real life. Finally they felt their private information was safe while using the system.
South Africa

Visual translation of speech as an aid for the deaf has long been a subject of electronic research and development. This thesis is concerned with a technique of sound visualisation based upon the theory of the primacy of dynamic, rather than static, information in the perception of speech sounds. The goal is design and evaluation of a system to display the perceptually important features of an input sound in a dynamic format as similar as possible to the auditory representation of that sound. The human auditory system, as the most effective system of sound representation, is first studied. Then, based on the latest theories of hearing and techniques of auditory modelling, a simplified model of the human ear is developed. In this model, the outer and middle ears together are simulated by a high-pass filter, and the inner ear is modelled by a bank of band-pass filters the outputs of which, after rectification and compression, are applied to a visualiser block. To design an appropriate visualiser block, theories of sound and speech perception are reviewed. Then the perceptually important properties of sound, and their relations to the physical attributes of the sound pressure wave, are considered to map the outputs from the auditory model onto an informative and recognisable running image-like the one known as cochleagram. This conveyor-like image is then sampled by a window of 20 milliseconds duration at a rate of 50 samples per second, so that a sequence of phase-locked, rectangular images is produced. Animation of these images results in a novel method of spectrography displaying both the time-varying and the time-independent information of the underlying sound with a high resolution in real time. The resulting system translates a spoken word into a visual gesture, and displays a still picture when the input is a steady state sound. Finally the implementation of this visualiser system is evaluated through several experiments undertaken by normal-hearing subjects. In these experiments, recognition of the gestures of a number of spoken words, is examined through a set of two-word and multi-word forced-choice tests. The results of these preliminary experiments show a high recognition score (40-90 percent, where zero represents chance expectation) after only 10 learning trials. General conclusions from the results suggest: a potential quick learning of the gestures, language independence of the system, fidelity of the system in translating the auditory information, and persistence of the learned gestures in the long-term memory. The results are very promising and motivate further investigations.

Thesis (B.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2003.
"A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Speech and Hearing Sciences), The University of Hong Kong, April 30, 2003." Includes bibliographical references (p. 28-29) Also available in print.

This thesis examines how Naval Air Station (NAS) Sanford impacted the nearby city economically, demographically, and socially during World War II. City commission minutes, newspapers, and census data highlight the efforts of city leaders and their cooperation with the federal government to get a naval base established at Sanford. Thereafter, it assesses the ways in which a naval base garnered economic and demographic development, and organizing among African Americans in a southern city.
M.A.
Department of History
Arts and Humanities
History MA

Out of a total of 2,976 double tax agreements (DTAs), some 60% are signed between a developing and a developed economy. As DTAs shift taxing rights from capital importing to capital exporting countries, the prior would incur a loss. We demonstrate in a theoretical model that in a deal one country does not trump the other, but that the deal must be mutually beneficial. In the case of an asymmetric DTA, this requires compensation from the capital exporting country to the capital importing country. We provide empirical evidence that such compensation is indeed paid, for instance in the form of bilateral official development assistance, which increases on average by six million US$ in the year of the signature of a DTA.
Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

Doctor Pharmaceuticae - DPharm
South Africa's White Paper for the transformation of the health care system in South Africa (DOH, 2007) acknowledges major disparities and inequalities as a result of an imprint by apartheid policies. In its transition to democracy, health promotion strategies have been initiated to address these disparities. However, such strategies have been narrowed and "favoured target audiences that are literate, urban-based and who have easy access to print and audio-visual media" (DOH, 1997). This implies that many vulnerable and marginalised groupings in South Africa, including the Deaf community are excluded from health promotion endeavours. Deaf people in South Africa communicate using South African Sign Language (SASL) and majority of the Deaf community exhibit poor literacy levels. Deafness is a significant communication barrier which limits a Deaf person's prospect to attain the best possible health care (Barnett, et al 2011). Various means of communication including spoken language, written instructions and the use of pictograms are used by healthcare workers to communicate health-related information. For many members of the Deaf community who communicate primarily in sign language, these methods are a sub-standard and prevent the attainment of optimum therapeutic outcomes. With regard to pharmaco-therapeutic services, Deaf people cannot hear the spoken language used by pharmacists during patient counselling, and their compromised functional literacy hinders the ability to read instructions on medicine labels. With both the spoken and written means of communication compromised, the Deaf patient's ability to comprehend instruction by pharmacists on how to use their medicines is inadequate and as a result, a Deaf patient may leave the pharmacy with medicine, but a poor understanding of how to use the medicine safely and effectively. Previous researchers have worked on building a technology base, including industrial design and computer science expertise to conceptualize the groundwork of a mobile phone application called SignSupport to facilitate communication between medical doctors and Deaf individuals. The particulars of the pharmacy scenario however, require a pharmacy-specific device to be of use in the dispensing of medicines to a Deaf patient in a pharmacy. The over-arching goal of this thesis is to design and evaluate a mobile phone application to facilitate the communication of medicine instructions between a Deaf patient and a pharmacist. Qualitative, participatory action research and community-based co-design strategies were directed toward Deaf participants, senior pharmacy students and pharmacists to create a prototype of the afore-mentioned mobile phone application. Preliminary results indicated that the application was suitable to pharmacists and Deaf community. Furthermore, both sets of users approved the overall design and were receptive to and keen on the practical uses of the application. Inadequacies pointed out by the Deaf community and pharmacists were addressed as an iterative modification to the prototype and culminated in version 2 which was deployed in an actual hospital pharmacy in 2015. Hospital usability studies generated largely positive results from both Deaf users and pharmacists, indicating that SignSupport is able to facilitate communication between pharmacists and Deaf patients. Next steps include advancing the application to a market–ready version that is downloadable and available as an application on the play stores of commercially available smart phones.
National Research Foundation

Det här är ett examensarbete för högskoleingenjörsexamen i innovationsteknik och design. Fokus på projektet är att validera det fortsatta arbetet inom ett pågående produktutvecklingsprojekt av ett taktilt hörhjälpmedel. Projektets syfte är att undersöka forskning och teknik kopplat till taktil stimulering för att uppfatta ljud, och använda det som grund för beslutsfattning gällande den fortsatta inriktningen på utvecklingsprojektet. Målen för projektet är att leverera en sammanställning av aktuell forskning; en funktionsprototyp för testning av det senaste konceptet; samt resultat och analys av genomförda tester av det senaste konceptet gjorda med prototypen. Relevant och aktuell forskning och teknik kring sensorisk substitution för ljud-till-känsel-system har sammanställts. Forskningssammanställningen visar att sensorisk substitution för överföring av ljudinformation via hudens känselsinne är möjligt om tekniken fungerar och anpassas för ändamålet. Utifrån sammanställningen togs beslutet att fortsätta arbetet med att testa det senast framtagna konceptet inom utvecklingsprojektet. Detta koncept består av elektromagnetiska aktuatorer där spolarna fungerar som rörlig del, och aktuatorerna är satta i matrisformation. En funktionsprotototyp tillverkades för att testa hur spel mellan aktuatorerna påverkas av att ha spolen som rörlig del, och om aktuatorerna kan röra sig utan att påverkas av närliggande aktuatorer. Resultaten från testerna visar att den rörliga spolen löser tidigare problem med spel mellan aktuatorerna. Analysen av testresultaten har sammanställts i en FMEA och visar att även om grundpremissen för konceptet fungerar, finns det många risker som behöver hanteras i det framtida arbetet av produktutvecklingen.
This is a bachelor thesis in innovation and design engineering. The focus of this thesis is to validate the continuing work of an ongoing product development project developing a tactile hearing aid.  The purpose is to investigate research and technical solutions regarding tactile stimulation for sound perception and to use this as a basis for decision making for the continuing work of the product development project. The goal of this thesis is to deliver a compilation of state-of-the-art research; a works-like prototype for testing of the latest concept; and the results and analysis of tests performed with the prototype. A compilation was made of relevant research and technical solutions regarding sensory substitution for sound-to-touch systems. The compilation shows that sensory substitution for sound information transfer via the sense of touch is possible if the technical aspects work and are adapted for this purpose. Based on the results from the compilation a decision was made to continue the work by testing the development project’s latest actuator concept. The concept is based on solenoid actuators where the coils work as moving parts, and the actuators are set in a matrix formation. A works-like prototype of the actuators was made to test how play between the actuators is affected by having the coil as the moving part and whether the actuators can move without being affected by the actuators around them. The test results show that the moving coil solves the earlier problems regarding play between the actuators. The analysis of the test results has been compiled in a FMEA and shows that even though the basic premise of the concept works, there are a lot of risks which must be addressed during the continuing work on the product development.

Os profissionais da área de saúde deparam-se constantemente com situações que envolvem risco de vida para os clientes, uma delas é a parada cardiorrespiratória (PCR) e necessita que sejam instituídas mais rapidamente as manobras de ressuscitação cardiopulmonar (RCP) que compreende o Suporte Básico de Vida (SBV) e o uso de Desfibrilador Externo Automático (DEA). Trata-se de um estudo exploratório descritivo com o objetivo de identificar a HABILIDADE (prática) e o CONHECIMENTO (teórico) dos alunos dos cursos de graduação da área da saúde, de uma universidade privada no interior do Estado de São Paulo, antes e após serem submetidos ao curso/ treinamento. A coleta dos dados foi dividida em duas etapas sendo: 1ª. Etapa - avaliação do conhecimento teórico e prático prévio antes de um curso teórico com demonstração prática das manobras de RCP com uso do DEA e treinamento utilizando o laboratório de práticas com o manequim de RCP e o DEA; 2ª. Etapa avaliação teórica e prática individual. Foram incluídos 173 alunos com faixa etária de 17 a 23 anos, 151 (87,3%) do sexo feminino; na Avaliação da HABILIDADE na 1ª. Etapa, a pontuação máxima foi de 91 pontos 69 (39,9%) alunos e 104 (60,1%) alunos não pontuaram, na 2ª. Etapa a pontuação máxima obtida foi de 260 pontos por 101(58,4%) alunos. Na Avaliação do CONHECIMENTO, a pontuação máxima foi de 5,75 pontos e a pontuação mínima de 1,0 ponto na 1ª. Etapa. Na 2ª. Etapa, a pontuação máxima foi de 10,0 pontos por sete (4,0%) alunos, nenhum aluno obteve pontuação inferior a 7,5 pontos. Para 19 itens a diferença foi significativa na Avaliação da HABILIDADE da 1ª para a 2ª. Etapa em todos os grupos de conteúdos sendo: Avaliação inicial e responsividade 2 itens; Abertura das vias aéreas e manobras de respiração - 6 itens; Avaliação do pulso carotídeo e compressões torácicas - 3 itens e Manuseio do DEA 8 itens. Para 9 questões a diferença foi significativa na Avaliação do CONHECIMENTO da 1ª para a 2ª. Etapa em dois grupos de conteúdos: Abertura das vias aéreas e manobras de respiração - 3 questões e Manuseio do DEA 6 questões. As 13 questões que não apresentaram bom desempenho na 2ª. Etapa do estudo, no Conhecimento, estão agrupadas nos conteúdos: Avaliação inicial e responsividade; Abertura das vias aéreas e manobras de respiração e Manuseio do DEA. Quanto comparados a HABILIDADE e o CONHECIMENTO verifica-se que houve melhora no desempenho da primeira para a segunda etapa em todos os itens e questões (p=0,0001). Quanto ao treinamento a média do tempo de observação foi de 78,3 minutos e o tempo de treino foi de 117,1 minutos. Em relação à HABILIDADE os itens que não atingiram bom desempenho na 2ª. Etapa estão nos conteúdos Avaliação inicial e responsividade e Manuseio do DEA e em relação ao CONHECIMENTO as questões que não atingiram bom desempenho estão nos conteúdos Avaliação inicial e responsividade; Abertura das vias aéreas e manobras de respiração e Manuseio do DEA. Conclui-se que tanto na HABILIDADE quanto no CONHECIMENTO houve melhora no desempenho dos alunos.
The health professionals faced with situations involving risk of life for patients, one of them is cardiopulmonary arrest (CA) and needs to be established more quickly cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) involving the Basic Life Support (BLS) and use of Automated External Defibrillator (AED) This is a exploratory study aiming to identify the skill (practice) and knowledge (theoretical) of the students in health undergraduate students in a private university in the state of São Paulo, before and after their submitted to the course / training. Data collection was divided into two stages as follows: 1st. Step - Evaluation of knowledge practical and theoretical and course with prior practical demonstration of CPR maneuvers using the AED, 2nd. Step - training and theory/practice evaluation individual, using laboratory practices with the manikin CPR and AED. 173 students were included aged 17 to 23 years, 151 (87.3%) were female; the skill evaluation in the 1st. Step, the maximum score of 91 points was 69 (39.9%) and 104 students (60.1%) were not scored in the 2nd. Step a maximum score of 260 points was obtained for 101 (58.4%) students. The Knowledge evaluation, the maximum score was 5.75 points in the 1st. Stage and a minimum score of 1.0 in the 2nd. Step, the maximum score was 10.0 points in seven (4.0%) students, no students scored less than 7.5 points. For 19 items the difference was significant in the skill evaluation the 1st to 2nd. Step in all groups of content being: \"Initial evaluation and responsiveness\" - 2 items, \"Opening the airway and breathing maneuvers\" - 6 items, \"Evaluation of the carotid pulse and chest compressions - items 3 and \" Handling the DEA \"- 8 items. In nine questions for the difference was significant in the Knowledge evaluation from the 1st to 2nd. Step into two groups of content: \"Opening the airway and breathing maneuvers\" - three questions and \"Handling the DEA\" - 6 issues. The 13 questions that did not show good performance in the 2nd. Stage of the study on Knowledge, are grouped by content: \"Initial evaluation and responsiveness,\" \"Opening the airway and breathing maneuvers\" and \"Handling the DEA.\" As compared with the skill and knowledge there is a significant improvement in performance from first to second step on all the items and issues (p = 0.0001). As for training the average observation time was 78.3 minutes and the workout time was 117.1 minutes. Regarding skill items that did not achieve good performance in the 2nd. Step in the contents are Initial evaluation and responsiveness and Handling the DEA and about the knowledge the questions that are not achieved a good performance in the contents Initial evaluation and responsiveness, Opening the airway and breathing maneuvers and Handling the DEA. We conclude that both the skill and knowledge in significant improvement in student performance.

Earlier studies of persons with deafness (D) and/or deafblindness (DB) have primarily focused on the mobility and communication problems. The purpose of the present study was to develop technology for monitoring aids to improve the ability of persons with D and/or DB to detect, identify, and perceive direction of events that produce sounds in their surroundings. The purpose was achieved stepwise in four studies. In Study I, the focus was on hearing aids for persons with residual low frequency hearing. In Study II-IV, the focus was on vibratory aids for persons with total D. In Study I, six signal processing algorithms (calculation methods) based on two principles, transposition and modulation, were developed and evaluated regarding auditory identification of environmental sounds. Twenty persons with normal hearing listened to 45 environmental sounds processed with the six different algorithms and identified them in three experiments. In Exp. 1, the sounds were unknown and the subjects had to identify them freely. In Exp. 2 and 3, the sounds were known and the subjects had to identify them by choosing one of 45 sounds. The transposing algorithms showed better results (median value in Exp. 3, 64%-69%) than the modulating algorithms (40%-52%) did, and they were good candidates for implementing in a hearing aid for persons with residual low frequency hearing. In Study II, eight algorithms were developed based on three principles, transposition, modulation, and filtration – in addition to No Processing as reference, and evaluated for vibratory identification of environmental sounds. The transposing algorithms and the modulating algorithms were also adapted to the vibratory thresholds of the skin. Nineteen persons with profound D tested the algorithms using a stationary, wideband vibrator and identified them by choosing one of 10 randomly selected from the list of 45 sounds. One transposing algorithm and two modulating algorithms showed better (p<0.05) scores than did the No Processing method. Two transposing and three modulating algorithms showed better (p<0.05) scores than did the filtering algorithm. Adaptation to the vibratory thresholds of the skin did not improve the vibratory identification results. In Study III, the two transposing algorithms and the three modulating algorithms with the best identification scores in Study II, plus their adapted alternative, were evaluated in a laboratory study. Five persons from Study II with profound D tested the algorithms using a portable narrowband vibrator and identified the sounds by choosing one of 45 sounds in three experiments (Exp. 1, 2, and 3). In Exp. 1, the sounds were pre-processed and directly fed to the vibrator. In Exp. 2 and 3, the sounds were presented in an acoustic test room, without or with background noise (SNR=+5 dB), and processed in real time. Five of the algorithms had acceptable results (27%-41%) in the three experiments and constitute candidates for a miniaturized vibratory aid (VA). The algorithms had the same rank order in both tests in the acoustic room (Exp. 2, and 3), and the noise did not worsen the identification results. In Study IV, the portable vibrotactile monitoring aid (with stationary processor) for detection, identification and directional perception of environmental sounds was evaluated in a field study. The same five persons with profound D as in Study III tested the aid using a randomly chosen algorithm, drawn from the five with the best results in Study III, in a home and in a traffic environment. The persons identified 12 events at home and five events in a traffic environment when they were inexperienced (the events were unknown) and later when they were experienced (the events were known). The VA consistently improved the ability with regard to detection, identification and directional perception of environmental sounds for all five persons. It is concluded that the selected algorithms improve the ability to detect, and identify sound emitting events. In future, the algorithms will be implemented in a low frequency hearing aid for persons with low frequency residual hearing or in a fully portable vibratory monitoring aid, for persons with profound D or DB to improve their ability to sense the environment.

碩士
國防大學
資源管理及決策研究所
106
The aim of this paper is primarily to discuss the operational performance of R.O.C. Air Force Wings. First of all, this study develops a model of two-stage Network Data Envelopment Analysis based on the practical operating situation of Air Force Wings. In this piece of study, operational performances of fleets of Air Force wings are divided into maintenance efficiency and dispatch efficiency. Empirical analysis is conducted using 12-month quantitative data of seven selected wings from May 2016 to April 2017, and the flight wings are classified into four types of efficiency groups via strategy matrix. The result of the study indicates that the average of the maintenance efficiency in Wing C is up to 75%, while the rest of the wings, whose average is less than 75%, need to escalate maintenance performance. Wing A, D, E, and F, whose average of maintenance efficiency and whose average of dispatch efficiency are less than 75%, need to improve maintenance and dispatch efficiency. In addition, in order to compare operational performances of overall Air Force Wings operating various types of aircraft, this study applies metafrontier to calculate metafrontier technical efficiency and the technical gap rate, analyzing catch-up on efficiency of DMUs in hope of providing Air Force Wings managers with suggestions to improve operational efficiency of fleets.

碩士
佛光人文社會學院
經濟學系
94
The military Post Exchange play an important role that offer a cheap price of commodity and secure convenience to the military for shopping. It is believed “Defense Manufacturing and Service Operation Funds”. The military Post Exchange is a self-supporting unit, he have to promote force of production and create the higher beneficent. How to enforce competitive advantage is a main subject of the study. The main goal of this research is to provide a measuring method to determine a suitable strategy for The military Post Exchange to operate its business. DEA provides additional information and find performance measures. The results of this study can be used to improve the quality efficiency and can be employed to development the quality policy.

碩士
開南大學
空運管理學系
96
The key to successful management lies in the rational distribution of resources. The issue is ever important when facing a declining budget. The Jingjin Program (Armed Forces Streamlining Program) has hugely reduced the size of various organizations, equipment, personnel, and training airspace. The squadron responsible for the A fighter basic Lead-In Fighter Training program is also facing a down-scaling of manpower, training airspace, training schedule, equipment, supply, and appropriation. Under such difficulties, it is a challenge to maintain both flight security and training quality. In order to overcome the challenge, the squadron has to put more emphasis on boosting the cost-effectiveness of the Lead-In Fighter Training program, and, more fundamentally, the overall efficiency of the organization’s manpower and training programs. In this thesis, the organization’s efficiency is quantatized according to Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). DEA is applied to assist goal-setting, rational distribution of resources, and efficiency improvement. These measures are required to maximize the effectiveness of management and, as a result, enhance the overall competitiveness of the organization. The thesis has two purposes. Firstly, to provide the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) an objective and quantatized evaluation mechanism for making organizational adjustments in future Lead-In Fighter Training programs. Secondly, to evaluate the overall efficiencies of ROCAF’s Lead-In Fighter Training units and discover where and how improvements can be made. By improving the efficiencies of the organization, resources and performance can be translated into substantial and systematic results, and at the same time, balancing the subjective evaluation criteria with objective ones. Fifteen units were selected as evaluation targets in this thesis. Interviews with experts and two correlation analysis are conducted, and five inputs and two outputs were selected to measure the efficiencies of basic Fighter Lead-In program. The study showed that, based on input, the least manpower-efficient unit can cut a tremendous 74% in its manpower. On the other hand, based on cost and training efficiency, the least and most efficient units can reduce their costs up to 74% and 62% respectively. On overall efficiency, the number of trainees can be reduced by 9.01%, trainers’ working hours can be cut by 22%, simulator sorties can be reduced by 21.79%, actual sorties by 22.83%, and total training hours can be saved up to 22.55%. The above figures can serve as an important reference for future decision making. A survey on the managers’ response to DEA is conducted to understand the managers’ attitudes toward DEA. The results showed 83.33% are willing to make improvement to the current evaluation mechanism by balancing subjective and objective criteria, 66.66% are willing to adopt DEA as a support or balancing mechanism in various performance evaluations. These results suggest that DEA has the potential to be widely applied to the ROCAF, or even other services of ROC armed forces, as both compensation to the shortcomings of the current training efficiency evaluation and standardization of performance evaluations.

碩士
義守大學
資訊管理學系碩士在職專班
100
The completion of the enlistment has become an important goal to us. The Military Professional Volunteer Soldiers are the basic manpower and also the major part of our force, hence, they must be well-qualified, extremely loyal, highly magnanimous, and also have a great performance. To Establish a fair and impartial performance appraisal regime is contributed to the armed forces toward specialization, functions. In the research, this study will classify the “Personal Performance Evaluation” into three hierarchical levels by applying the hierarchical conception of the AHP and model of the DEA, with an objective and scientific Logic Model. In order to get the expert Weight Analysis, 10 experts were invited to fill in the questionnaire. Next, according to the experts score sheet, general “Variables” were calculated. With the aid of CCR-AR model of DEA, The three factors--“Basic qualifications”、“Eduucational experience” and “Competent assessment” had been figured out.Then,the sub-factor of the performance indicators -- “Efficiency Value” was added and normalized. Then, the result, “Common Weight,” has come up. Later, the there factors of experts and three factors were respectively compared, and then something in common between the two sides was figured out. In this study, different factors of consideration or performance evaluation method will cause and affect the results of performance evaluation, and personal rights. Therefore, the organization must establish a suitable and reasonable performance evaluation model for the purpose of achieving the real objective and fair according to the suggestion of this study.

This diploma thesis is dedicated to the overall view of the deaf people, starting from the issue of an ear and ending by the culture of this community. The main objective of this thesis is to describe the integration of the hearing individual into the deaf community and to explore attitudes and reactions of this community to the hearing and vice versa. The work also contains interviews with both integrated person as well as with deaf people who were involved within the integration. The thesis is divided into theoretical and practical part. The introduction of the theoretical part is engaged in the hearing itself, the construction of the ear, neurotransmission and hearing disorders. Following section is devoted to institutions and organizations that are focused on the issue of deaf people. Conclusion of the theoretical part is dedicated to the culture of deaf people and their communication. In the research section are described difficulties, feelings, attitudes and opinions of a hearing individual, who has entered into the deaf community. After a lapse of time, that the individual spent among deaf people, is apparent a shift and development in his opinion, growing interest and gradual transformation of reasons why he is trying to integrate into the community of deaf people. In the thesis is also described the attitude and approach of deaf people to the hearing individual, who penetrated to this community and had no knowledge how to communicate with deaf people and what are their characteristics and differences.