Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Mixed process'

Specialty chemicals industry relies on batch manufacturing, since it requires the frequent adaptation of production systems to market fluctuations. To be first in the market, batch industry requires decision-support systems for the rapid development and implementation of chemical processes. Moreover, the processes should be competitive to ensure their long-term viability. General-purpose and flexible plants and the consideration of physicochemical insights to define an efficient operation are also cornerstones for the success of specialty chemical industries. Precisely, this thesis tackles the systematic development of batch processes that are efficient, economically competitive, and environmentally friendly, to assist their agile introduction into production systems in grassroots and retrofit scenarios. Synthesis of conceptual processing schemes and plant allocation subproblems are solved simultaneously, taking into account the plant design. With this purpose, an optimization-based approach is proposed, where all structural alternatives are represented in a State-Equipment Network (SEN) superstructure, following formulated into a Mixed-Logic Dynamic Optimization (MLDO) problem which is later solved to minimize an objective function. Essentially, the strength of the proposed methodology lies in the modeling strategy which combines the different kinds of decisions of the integrated problem in a unique optimization model. Accordingly, it considers: (i) synthesis and allocation alternatives combination, (ii) dynamic process performance models and dynamic control variable profiles, (iii) discrete events associated to transitions of batch phases and operations, (iv) quantitative and qualitative information, (v) material transference synchronization to ensure batch integrity between unit procedures, and (vi) batch and semicontinuous processing elements. Different strategies can be used to solve the resulting MLDO problem. A deterministic direct-simultaneous approach is first proposed. The mixed-logic problem is reformulated into a mixed-integer one, which is fully-discretized to provide a Mixed-Integer Non-Linear Programming (MINLP) that is optimized using conventional solvers. Then, a Differential Genetic Algorithm (DGA) and a hybrid approach are presented. The purpose of these evolutionary strategies is to pose solution alternatives that keep solution goodness while seek for the improvement of computational efficiency to handle industrial-size problems. The optimization-based approach is applied in retrofit scenarios to solve the simultaneous process synthesis and plant allocation, taking into account the physical restrictions of existing plant elements. The production of specialty chemicals based on a competitive reactions system in an existing reactor network is first defined through process development and improvement according to different economic scenarios, decision criteria, and plant modifications. Additionally, a photo-Fenton process is optimized to eliminate an emergent wastewater pollutant in a given pilot plant, pursuing the minimization of processing time and cost. Batch process development in grassroots scenarios is also proven to be a problem of utmost importance to deal with uncertainty in future markets. Seeking for plant flexibility in several demand scenarios, the expected profit is maximized through a two-stage stochastic formulation that includes simultaneous plant design, process synthesis, and plant allocation decisions. A heuristic solution algorithm is used to handle the problem complexity. A grassroots plant design is defined to implement the previous competitive reaction system, where decisions like the feed-forward trajectories or operating modes allow the adaptation of master recipes to different demands. Finally, an acrylic fiber production example is presented to illustrate process development decisions like the selection of tasks, technological alternatives, chemicals, and solvent reuse.
La indústria de productes químics especials es basa en la fabricació discontinua, ja que permet adaptar de forma freqüent els sistemes de producció en funció de les fluctuacions de mercat. Per ser líder al sector, són necessàries eines de suport a la decisió que ajudin a l’àgil desenvolupament i implementació de nous processos. A més, aquests han de ser competitius per garantir la seva viabilitat a llarg termini. Altres peces clau per una operació eficient són l’ús de plantes flexibles així com l’estudi dels fenòmens fisicoquímics. Aquesta tesis aborda justament el desenvolupament sistemàtic de processos químics discontinus que siguin eficients, econòmicament competitius i ecològics, per contribuir a la seva ràpida introducció en els sistemes de producció, tant en escenaris de plantes existents com des de les bases. En concret, es planteja la resolució simultània de la síntesi conceptual d’esquemes de procés i l’assignació d’equips, tenint en compte el disseny de la planta. Amb aquest objectiu, es proposa una metodologia de solució basada en optimització, on les alternatives estructurals es representen en una Xarxa d’Estats i Equips (SEN per les sigles en anglès) que es formula mitjançant un problema d’Optimització Dinàmica Mixta-Lògica (MLDO per les sigles en anglès) que es resol minimitzant una funció objectiu. La solidesa de la metodologia proposada rau en la estratègia de modelat del problema MLDO, que integra els diferents tipus de decisions en un sol model d’optimització. En concret, es consideren: (i) la combinació d’alternatives de síntesi i assignació d’equips, (ii) models de procés i trajectòries de control dinàmics, (iii) esdeveniments discrets associats al canvi de fase i operació, (iv) informació quantitativa i qualitativa, (v) sincronització de transferències de material en tasques consecutives, i (vi) elements de processat discontinus i semi-continus. Existeixen diverses estratègies per resoldre el problema MLDO resultant. En aquesta tesi es proposa en primer lloc un mètode determinístic directe-simultani, on el model mixt-lògic es transforma en un mixt-enter. Aquest es discretitza al seu torn de forma completa per obtenir un problema de Programació No-Lineal Mixta-Entera (MINLP per les sigles en anglès) el qual es pot resoldre utilitzant algoritmes d’optimització convencionals. A més, es presenten un Algoritme Genètic Diferencial (DGA per les sigles en anglès) i un mètode híbrid. Totes dues estratègies esdevenen alternatives de cerca amb l’objectiu de mantenir la bondat de la solució i millorar l’eficàcia de computació per tractar problemes de dimensió industrial. La metodologia de solució proposada s’aplica al desenvolupament de processos discontinus en escenaris de plantes existents, tenint en compte les restriccions físiques dels equips. Un primer exemple aborda la manufactura de productes químics basada en un sistema de reaccions competitives. Concretament, es desenvolupa i millora el procés de producció implementat en una xarxa de reactors considerant diferents escenaris econòmics, criteris de decisió, i modificacions de planta. En un segon exemple, s’optimitza el procés foto-Fenton per ser executat en una planta pilot per eliminar contaminants emergents. Buscant integrar el desenvolupament de procés i el disseny de plantes flexibles en escenaris de base, es presenta una formulació estocàstica en dues etapes per a optimitzar el benefici esperat d’acord a diversos escenaris de demanda. Per gestionar la complexitat d’aquest problema es proposa la utilització d’una heurística. Com a exemple, es planteja el disseny d’una planta de base on implementar l’anterior sistema de reaccions competitives. Decisions com les trajectòries dinàmiques de control o la configuració d’equips permeten adaptar la recepta màster en funció de la demanda. Un darrer exemple defineix el procés de producció de fibra acrílica, il·lustrant decisions com la selecció de tasques, tecnologia, reactius o reutilització de dissolvents.
La industria productos químicos especiales se basa en la fabricación discontinua, la cual permite la adaptación frecuente de los sistemas de producción en función de las fluctuaciones de mercado. Para ser líder en el sector, son necesarias herramientas de soporte a la decisión que contribuyan al ágil desarrollo e implementación de nuevos procesos. Además, éstos deben ser competitivos para garantizar su viabilidad a largo plazo. Otras piezas clave para una operación eficiente son la utilización de plantas flexibles y el estudio de los fenómenos fisicoquímicos. Esta tesis aborda justamente el desarrollo sistemático de procesos químicos discontinuos que sean eficientes, económicamente competitivos y ecológicos, para contribuir a su rápida introducción en los sistemas de producción, ya sea en escenarios de plantas existentes o desde las bases. En particular, se plantea la resoluciónsimultánea de la síntesis conceptual de esquemas de proceso y la asignación de equipos, teniendo en cuenta además el diseño de planta.Con este fin, se propone una metodología de solución basada en optimización, donde todas las alternativas estructurales se representan en una Red de Estados y Equipos (SENpor sus siglas en inglés) que se formula mediante un problema de Optimización Dinámica Mixta-Lógica (MLDO por sus siglas en inglés) que se resuelve minimizando una función objetivo. La solidez de la metodología propuesta reside en la estrategia de modelado delproblema MLDO, que integra los diferentes tipos de decisiones en un solo modelo de optimización. En concreto, se consideran: (i) la combinación de alternativas de síntesis y asignación de equipos, (ii) modelos de proceso y trayectorias de control dinámicos, (iii)eventos discretos asociados al cambio de fase y operación, (iv) información cuantitativa y cualitativa, (v) sincronización de la transferencia de material en tareas consecutivas, y(vi) elementos de procesado discontinuos y semicontinuos.Existen diversas estrategias para resolver el problema MLDO resultante. En esta tesis se propone en primer lugar un método determinístico directo-simultáneo, donde el problema mixto-lógico se reformula en un mixto-entero. A su vez, éste se discretiza de formacompleta para obtener un problema de Programación No-Lineal Mixta-Entera (MINLP por sus siglas en inglés) el cual se puede resolver mediante algoritmos de optimización convencionales. Además, se presentan un Algoritmo Genético Diferencial (DGA por sussiglas en inglés) y un método híbrido. Ambas estrategias se plantean como alternativas de búsqueda con objeto de mantener la bondad de la solución y mejorar la eficacia de computación para tratar problemas de dimensión industrial.La metodología de solución propuesta se aplica al desarrollo de procesos discontinuos en escenarios con plantas existentes, teniendo en cuenta las restricciones físicas de los equipos. Un primer ejemplo aborda la fabricación de productos químicos basada en un sistema de reacciones competitivas. En concreto, se desarrolla y mejora el proceso de producción a implementar en una red de reactores considerando diferentes escenarios económicos, criterios de decisión, y modificaciones de planta. En un segundo ejemplo,se optimiza el proceso foto-Fenton a ser ejecutado en una planta piloto para eliminar contaminantes emergentes.Persiguiendo la integración del desarrollo de proceso con el diseño de plantas flexi-bles en escenarios base, se presenta asimismo una formulación estocástica en dos etapas para optimizar el beneficio esperado de acuerdo a varios escenarios de demanda. Paramanejar la complejidad de dicho problema se propone la utilización de una heurística.Como ejemplo, se plantea el diseño de una planta de base para implementar el anterior sistema de reacciones competitivas, donde decisiones como las trayectorias dinámicas de control o la configuración de equipos permiten adaptar la receta máster en función de lademandas. Por último, se presenta un ejemplo donde se define el proceso de producción de fibra acrílica, ilustrando decisiones como la selección de tareas, alternativas tecnológicas, reactivos químicos o la reutilización de disolventes.

Enabling deterministic dynamic process relocation in electronic systems creates opportunities for dynamic computational load balancing, fault tolerance, power consumption management, which can be positively correlated with improvements in longevity, safety and energy-efficiency. Additionally, dynamic process relocation can be leveraged to enhance the adaptability of mixed-critical systems operating in open and changeable environments, which is a current market driver for safety-concerned industries like avionics, automotive and railways. Future electronic systems in such industries are envisioned to comprise networked heterogeneous multiprocessor chips that execute applications with different criticality levels. With such setting, it is not clear from the literature how dynamic process relocation (DPR) can be implemented in a way that does not compromise predictability concerns of safety-critical functionalities in such mixed-critical system. In this work, a design and implementation framework is demonstrated that takes a list of inputs that satisfy DPR design constraints and exploits DPR design primitives, protocol and design flow to produce the required implementation. The design inputs include application communication graph, application to platform mapping, process criticality levels and DPR scenarios. The implementation is demonstrated on a system of two printed circuit boards, each containing monolithic heterogeneous dual-core ARM cortex A9 processor networked with Microblaze soft-processors via a mesh-topology time-triggered Nostrum network-on-chip (NoC). The work shows promising predictable adaptability suitable for mixed-critical systems and could lead to improved service efficiency and availability.
Deterministisk dynamisk processflyttning (eng. Dynamic Process RelocationDPR) i elektroniska system skapar möjligheter för dynamisk beräkning av belastningsbalans, feltolerans, och strömförbrukningshantering, vilket kan ha en positiv korreleration med förbättringar i livslängd, säkerhet och energieffektivitet. Dessutom kan dynamisk processflyttning utnyttjas föratt förbättra anpassningsförmågan av mixed-critical system i öppna ochföränderliga miljöer, vilket är en nuvarande marknadskrav inom säkerhetsrelaterade teknikområden såsom flygelektronik, fordonsindustrin och järnvägar. Framtida elektroniska system i sådana industrier förväntas bestå av nätverk av heterogena multiprocessorchips som kör program med olika säkerhetskritiska nivåer. Det framgår det inte av litteraturen hur dynamisk processflyttning (DPR) i ett sådant scenario kan genomföras på ett säkert sätt och inte samtidigt inte äventyrar förutsägbarheten av säkerhetskritiska funktionaliteter. Denna rapport demonstrerar upp ett fungerande designflöde, vilket utgår från en lista av input som uppfyller DPR-design begränsningar och utnyttjar DPR design primitiv, protokoll och designflöde för implementeringen. Dessa design inputs inkluderar applikations och kommunikationsgrafer, applikation till plattformsmappning, processkritiska nivåer och DPRscenarier. Implementeringen demonstreras på ett system bestående av två kretskort /PCB:er, som vardera innehåller en FPGA med en heterogen design bestående av en ARM-cortex dual-core A9-processor, vilken är ansluten till 3 st mjuka processorer av Microblaze typ, via ett tids-triggad Network-on-chip (NoC) av Nostrum Mesh topologi typ. Arbetet visar lovande förutsägbarhet för DPR av mixed-kritiska system, vilket kan leda till förbättrad effektivitet och ökad tillgänglighet av service.

Multivariate mixed Poisson processes are special multivariate counting processes whose coordinates are, in general, dependent. The first part of this thesis is devoted to properties which multivariate counting processes may possess. Such properties are, for example, the Markov property, the multinomial property and regularity. With regard to regularity we study the properties of transition probabilities and intensities. The second part of this thesis restricts the class of all multivariate counting processes by additional assumptions leading to different types of multivariate mixed Poisson processes which, however, are connected with each other. Using a multivariate version of the Bernstein-Widder theorem, it is shown that multivariate mixed Poisson processes are characterized by the multinomial property. Furthermore, regularity of multivariate mixed Poisson processes and properties of their moments are studied in detail. Throughout this thesis, two types of stability of properties of multivariate counting processes are studied: It is shown that most properties of a multivariate counting process are stable under certain linear transformations including the selection of single coordinates and summation of all coordinates. It is also shown that the different types of multivariate mixed Poisson processes under consideration are in a certain sense stable in time.

This research has primarily been concerned with the study of the kinetics, design and operation of completely mixed aerated lagoons. Throughout the experimental research laboratory-size completely mixed aerated lagoons, composite synthetic substrate and mixed biological culture were used.

This thesis marks a point where the priorities determining my occupation with architecture might shift. In part it is a reflection of an approach to architecture, which generates an awareness that can be extended to an environment of practice. This awareness should provide direction towards the making of architecture, regardless to the number of constraints or limitations which reality might impose. This project is the documenting vehicle for the examination of a design process. The proposal is the evidence of this design process. Its documentation should prove and expose qualities which derived from my approach to architecture.
Master of Architecture

The initial portion of this research focuses on appropriate parameter estimators within a general context of multivariate quality control. The goal of Phase I analysis of multivariate quality control data is to identify multivariate outliers and step changes so that the estimated control limits are sufficiently accurate for Phase II monitoring. High breakdown estimation methods based on the minimum volume ellipsoid (MVE) or the minimum covariance determinant (MCD) are well suited to detecting multivariate outliers in data. Because of the inherent difficulties in computation many algorithms have been proposed to obtain them. We consider the subsampling algorithm to obtain the MVE estimators and the FAST-MCD algorithm to obtain the MCD estimators. Previous studies have not clearly determined which of these two estimation methods is best for control chart applications. The comprehensive simulation study here gives guidance for when to use which estimator. Control limits are provided. High breakdown estimation methods such as MCD and MVE can be applied to a wide variety of multivariate quality control data. The final, lengthier portion of this research considers profile monitoring. Profile monitoring is a relatively new technique in quality control used when the product or process quality is best represented by a profile (or a curve) at each time period. The essential idea is often to model the profile via some parametric method and then monitor the estimated parameters over time to determine if there have been changes in the profiles. Because the estimated parameters may be correlated, it is convenient to monitor them using a multivariate control method such as the T-squared statistic. Previous modeling methods have not incorporated the correlation structure within the profiles. We propose the use of mixed models (both linear and nonlinear) to monitor linear and nonlinear profiles in order to account for the correlation structure within a profile. We consider various data scenarios and show using simulation when the mixed model approach is preferable to an approach that ignores the correlation structure. Our focus is on Phase I control chart applications.
Ph. D.

This thesis studies how conceptual process models - that is, graphical documentations of an organisation's business processes - can enable and constrain the actions of their users. The results from case study and experiment indicate that model design decisions and people's characteristics influence how these opportunities for action are perceived and acted upon in practice.

This mixed-methods study investigated the transformative learning that occurred in the alumni of the 22-lesson Christian discipleship process called the Immersion Experience by Aphesis Group Ministries. Quantitative data was collected from a survey sent out to the 850 alumni. Deep interviews were conducted with 16 participants who had the additional prerequisite of being raised in a religiously confused home of origin. The transformative learning was examined through the theoretical framework of Mezirow's transformative learning theory. An additional lens was resistance to change. Argyris and Schon's theory of action developed the concept of double-loop learning. Their theory was extended by Kegan and Lahey's immunity-to-change perspective. The final lens was a synthesis of Brown's development of wholehearted living, Bowlby's Attachment Theory, positive psychology, and virtue ethics. This has been summarized as living wholeheartedly with virtue. The Immersion Experience seeks to help professing Christians evaluate their inner lives and discern the discrepancies between their espoused Christian beliefs (what they say they believe) and their theories-in-use (what they actually live out) in the attempt to bring them into alignment. The intent is to help believers be able to practically live out their Christian commitment each day of their lives.

Metrology is integral to all manufacturing operations and component generation, as it is used to prove conformance to design specifications. An inspection process that is not designed or executed properly can lead to delayed deliveries and costly repairs. The combination of Mixed Reality (MR) and metrology could lead to immersive metrology (IM), which has the potential to radically change how part inspection is undertaken. By doing so, it may enhance the value adding capability of being able to dynamically inspect a part, in situ. The aim of this research is to explore the application of MR in metrology-enabled assembly for increasing the availability of knowledge at the time of assembly and inspection. This research presents a case for IM within the context of assembly inspection. A system termed Immersive System for Large Volume Metrology (ISLVM) is proposed to enable the integration of the critical elements of MR and metrology for dimensional inspection of large volume assemblies. ISLVM was tested with a participant based study in which 72 volunteers with no previous experience with metrology hardware and software were guided through an inspection process with 3 different media. These were a paper manual, a digital manual accessed through a laptop, and a MR headset. The guides explained how to use metrology instruments and software to complete an inspection process on an assembly. The results obtained were analysed, showing that there is a statistically significant difference between all three interfaces. The interface in which the participants committed the least amount of errors with was the MR interface. The tests performed in this research demonstrated that MR technology can be integrated with current metrology hardware and software. This integration enables the creation of an ISLVM that has the capability of guiding inexperienced users through complex inspection tasks, while committing fewer errors than the current state-of-the-art tools and methods used in industry. Furthermore, this research produced a generic methodology that enables an immersive system to be used in different applications and industries such as manufacturing and assembly processes.

Entrepreneurial opportunities are frequently noted and addressed in the literature of immigrant entrepreneurship; however, little is known about how these entrepreneurial opportunities come into existence and how immigrant entrepreneurs create such opportunities. The purpose of this thesis is to examine why and how immigrant entrepreneurs create entrepreneurial opportunities through embedding processes in the home country and the host country. Sweden was chosen as the country of residence of immigrant entrepreneurs from Lebanon, Syria, Cameroon and Mexico. Four cases were selected in this study. Each case illustrates an opportunity creation process in a different industry, between a different home country and Sweden as the host country and by immigrant entrepreneurs with different backgrounds. By using the mixed embeddedness perspective as the theoretical lens in combination with the literature on entrepreneurial opportunity and immigrant entrepreneurship, this thesis develops a model of entrepreneurial opportunity creation as an integration process. The findings suggest that entrepreneurial opportunity creation can be considered as a process of local integration by immigrant entrepreneurs into the host country and a re-integration of these entrepreneurs into the home country. At the beginning of the opportunity creation process, immigrant entrepreneurs feel socially excluded in the host country. Throughout the opportunity creation process, immigrant entrepreneurs interact with different actors in the host country and gradually move from being socially excluded to socially included, which illustrates a local integration process. In this process, immigrant entrepreneurs become localized through different activities that embed them in the local context. The process of entrepreneurial idea and business concept development and the refinement of the business concept in this thesis illustrates an ongoing and non-linear process of: being locally integrated through creating trust in the local people, acculturating and creating a sense of belonging; and being re-integrated to the home country through maintaining and establishing new links to the home country. The study contributes to the mainstream entrepreneurship and immigrant entrepreneurship in several ways. First, it contributes to studies on immigrant entrepreneurship by investigating why immigrants embark on a journey to be entrepreneurs and how immigrant entrepreneurs create entrepreneurial opportunities through embedding processes in the home and the host country. The study demonstrates how an entrepreneurial opportunity is created as a social integration process. Second, the study contributes to literature on entrepreneurship and immigrant entrepreneurship by incorporating the entrepreneurial opportunity creation process with acculturation strategies. It illustrates how the entrepreneurial opportunity creation process intertwines with the four strategies of acculturation. Third, the study contributes to the mixed embeddedness perspective by adopting the process approach and proposing mixed embedding as a new concept which centers on the interplay between the home and the host country’s influences on immigrants’ business activities; by extending mixed embeddedness from the national level of the home country or the host country to the transnational level between the home country and the host country; and by proposing an alternative way to view an entrepreneurial opportunity as a creation process instead of being discovered. Fourth, the study contributes to the immigrant entrepreneurship literature in Sweden by furthering the understanding of entrepreneurial opportunity creation by immigrant entrepreneurs in Sweden. Furthermore, the study suggests some implications for practice. The study proposes some embedding mechanisms which can be implemented in business support programs for immigrant entrepreneurs and in integration programs for immigrants in general. The design of the business support programs can aim to help immigrant entrepreneurs to: create credibility through contacts and experiences that they establish and gain in the local community; create familiarity to the local community through associating business concepts with well-known values; engage in the local life to understand customers’ mindsets, master the local language to understand local customers’ needs; and establish new/strengthen connections to the home country. The design of integration programs can aim to undertake activities that help immigrants increase the interaction between the local people and themselves. This type of interaction could be increased by organizing meetings and activities in which immigrants are introduced to different local sports clubs and hobby clubs. An approach in which the host country’s language is practiced and mastered anywhere and anytime should be adopted in the integration programs.

The purpose of this study was to explore the aspects of therapy as proposed by "common factors" literature (e.g., extratherapeutic change, hope and expectancy, therapy technique, and therapeutic relationship) by surveying the clients of a university based family therapy clinic. Data were used to provide information about what factors are therapeutically helpful according to the client's perspective. Surveys provided a quantitative and qualitative description of the client's therapeutic experience and were compared with those aspects of therapy found in the research. Quantitative results indicate that therapeutic relationship, client motivation, factors outside of therapy, and hope and expectancy accounted for around 49% of the variance of clients' perception of change and about 73% of the variance of clients' perceptions of therapy helpfulness. Findings further suggest that the clients' level of hopefulness and expectancy for positive change is the most significant predictor for both client change and therapy helpfulness. Qualitative results indicate that the therapeutic relationship is considered by clients to be the most helpful aspect of their therapeutic experience.
Master of Science

Separation methods involving a mixture of metals typically include upfront processing that leads to one final product. To lower the waste and ultimately environmental burden, the potential to synthesize multiple functional products from a mixed metal precursor solution is explored. The initial precursor solutions contained varying ratios of gold and copper, gold and nickel, and finally a ternary solution of gold, copper, and nickel. The amount of gold was kept constant, while the amount of copper and/or nickel was sequentially increased. Two separate synthesis processes were tested, the traditional Turkevich method involving trisodium citrate and another chemical reduction method involving sodium borohydride. The particle size and chemical composition of the synthesized particles were characterized using TEM, DLS and ICP-OES. It was determined that gold nanoparticles still formed at a ratio of 1 to 2 gold to copper while using trisodium citrate or sodium borohydride as the reducing agent. The same limiting ratio was observed for the gold to nickel reactions in the presence of either trisodium citrate or sodium borohydride. The ternary mixture limit for gold nanoparticle formation was a molar ratio of 1 to 1 to 1 gold to copper to nickel. The repeatability and stability results for the optimized binary reaction conditions indicate that using sodium borohydride as the reducing agent consistently produces more stable particle suspensions. Quantifying the environmental impact using green chemistry metrics indicate the Turkevich reactions for the optimized reactions have the lower environmental factors.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 1998.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 136 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-132).

The efficient scheduling of mixed-batch/continuous plants in the process industry has the potential for high economic returns. This study examines such a scheduling problem, with batch cycle times modelled as independent decision variables. Various mathematical models are developed, incorporating realistic system objectives and physical constraints. Results are applied to a case study in the sugar milling industry. The presence of both batch and continuous processes and the independence of the batch cycle times complicate this problem. Systems incorporating both batch and continuous processes lead to a more difficult scheduling problem. The traditional solution approach is to divide the solution horizon into time units of fixed specified length. The solution consists of a value for each decision variable at each unit of time. The size of each time interval and hence the number of time intervals is determined by characteristics of the continuous processes. The domain of each decision variable is much larger than purely batch systems where only batch starts/finishes need to be considered. Permitting batches to process for a variable length of time results in a large number of binary variables and boolean constraint-relationships in the model. This results in a substantial increase in the complexity of the resultant mixed integer linear programming problem. Thus the traditional model is unsuitable when batch processes are modelled with variable batch cycle times within the mixed-batch/continuous construct. The critical issues considered when developing alternative models are as follows: • Representation of time in the model. Time may be represented in alternate ways to the traditional uniform discretisation. However, the quality of the solution produced may be degraded. • Optimisation of batch cycle times. The traditional model witlT variable batch cycle times produces a superior quality solution. However the solution algorithm complexity is also increased. Alternative models optimise the cycle time by nontraditional means. For example, optimising the cycle times as an outer objective to the remainder of the model. • Representation of the batch components of the schedule. At the centre of the traditional model is the way in which the batch schedules are represented. At each discrete time point the batch schedule is determined by one of four choices: start a batch, continue a batch, finish a batch or a period of idleness. Alternate models involve more efficient representations of the batch scheduling decisions • Solving the mixed integer linear programming problem. The solution path to the optimum can be carefully controlled. Additional resources are required to prove a solution is optimal, when often a “good" solution may be acceptable. Two methods that are the most successful in reducing the solution complexity for a particular class of mixed-batch continuous problems both involve representing batch schedules by nontraditional means. The first, a sets method which is based on generating feasible batch sub-schedules prior to the mixed-integer linear programming model. The batch scheduling decision is then to select which sub-schedules, where each sub-schedule represents the processing of a single batch, will constitute the overall solution. This model reduces the time required to solve the problem by 99.2%. The second method is a multi-stage method based on optimal control theory. This method solves a relaxed form of the traditional model where the batch operations are represented as if they were continuous operations. This determines a reference trajectory for the ‘production’ through each ‘batch’ unit. The complete model is then used to ‘track’ this batch production curve. This method results in close to 99.9% reduction in the time required to solve the examined class of mixed-batch/continuous process scheduling problems. When applying these two methods to the sugar milling case study, the sets method maintains its excellent performance. However, the optimal control method performance is only comparable to the traditional scheduling approach. The differences between the test problem and the actual sugar mill scheduling problem have been shown to be accountable for these performance differences. This thesis has developed alternate models for mixed-batch/continuous systems and these have shown to have considerable impact on the solution algorithm performance. A very large reduction (more than 99%) in the resources required to solve problems has been achieved by alterate representations of the batch schedule within the model.

To meet more strict standards than before for wastewater discharge and reuse criteria, a post-treatment for the secondarily treated effluent needs to be followed. This means not only additional cost, but a more complicated design and operation for a tertiary treatment is involved. Therefore, an evaluation of the characteristics, such as concentration, molecular weight distribution (MWD) and composition of residual soluble COD from a secondary treatment process is required. In this work, a conventional activated sludge process (ASP) and entrapped-mixed-microbial cell (EMMC) process (fluidized-bed and packed) were investigated. The investigation of the system performance shows: at the operation of 1 hr aeration/1 hr non-aeration with HRT 16.5 hr, all of the reactors had> 95% of COD removal and > 66% of nitrogen removal for treating high-strength synthetic wastewater (COD ~ 700 mg/l); at the operation of 1 hr aeration/1 hr non-aeration with HRT 6 hr, the EMMC reactors had> 93% COD removal and > 45% nitrogen removal for low strength synthetic wastewater (COD ~ 200 mg/l), while the ASP reactor had > 93% COD removal and 26.6% nitrogen removal at continuous aeration with HRT 6hr. Due to the longer SRT (solid retention time) for EMMC process, the MWD patterns and composition of the residual soluble COD (RSCOD) for the treated effluent of the EMMC are different from those of ASP when operated under the same HRT and aeration time. The study on the MWD shows the change of HRT, aeration and OLR cause different patterns for the RSCOD of the treated effluents from the same reactor. The experiment indicates that the effluent of the EMMC is more suitable to be treated physical-chemically than biologically in tertiary treatment, because it has more biologically stabilized components produced than that of the ASP process. Further biological oxygen demand for this stabilized effluent is apparently not required. The accomplishment of this work will provide a guideline for the requirement and design of a unit process for tertiary treatment.
xiv, 98 leaves

The Vanillin project was undertaken by AECI as it was believed that with the raw materials available from SASOL i.e. cresols, it would be possible to develop a process that would be globally competitive. A process for preparing both vanillin and ethyl vanillin was developed by AECI’s Research and Development Department using a mixed m- and p-cresol stream as feed. The displacement of bromide by methoxide is very successful when using a dimethyl formamide (DMF)/alcohol solvent system and excellent conversions (>95%) and selectivities (>95%) may be obtained. However, the use of DMF, which poses a serious chronic health risk, is unacceptable in this process since the products are intended for use as food and flavouring chemicals. In view of the above the main objectives of this study were: · To find a suitable alternative solvent system, which could produce comparable results while still being economically viable; · To develop an appropriate experimental protocol in the laboratory based on the alternative solvent system; · To determine the important reaction variables by conducting statistically designed experiments; · To optimise the reaction to produce a reproducible and robust experimental protocol; and · To test the reaction thoroughly at bench-scale level and to obtain experimental data for scale-up to pilot plant The most promising alternative solvent system was a methanol/methyl acetate mixture, which produced satisfactory results in the preliminary assessment (conversion of 98.3% and selectivity of 92.0%). DMA and acetonitrile also produced promising results but were not considered for further investigation because of toxicity and cost issues. A set of statistically designed experiments was carried out on the methanol/methyl acetate solvent system where four variables were tested i.e., substrate concentration, temperature, catalyst loading, and methanol to methyl acetate volume ratio. The experimentally determined response surface model showed that the most important variable was catalyst loading (63.2%) for conversion. With respect to selectivity, the most important variables were catalyst loading (31.9%) and methanol to methyl acetate ratio (33.1%). The optimum reaction conditions were as follows: · Temperature: 120°C · Methanol:methyl acetate: 15:1 vol/vol · Catalyst loading: 8 mol % to substrate · Substrate concentration: 22 %m/m on solvent · Catalyst: Copper(I) bromide · Sodium Equivalents: 2.7 wrt substrate · Time: 3 hours The optimum conditions were tested for reproducibility in a 1 Labmax pressure reactor. Replicated reactions, two at a 10% and two at a 20% substrate concentration gave conversions and selectivities all greater than 90%. Although the reaction mixture was a slurry at these concentrations, the reactions were very fast and virtually complete within the first hour (~95% conversion). Initial scale-up studies were conducted in an 8 Parr reactor where five reactions were carried out using the optimum conditions described above. The conversion of substrate and vanillin selectivity was consistently high and compared favourably to the Labmax reactions. The average conversion was 97.3% (96.3 to 98.5%) at an average selectivity of 98.2% (97.4 to 99.1%). A study of the reaction kinetics confirmed that the reaction was first order with respect to the substrate as a plot of substrate concentration versus reaction rate gave a straight line. The rate constant was calculated as 1.1096 k(h-1). The reaction mechanism proposed for the copper assisted nucleophilic aromatic substitution involves the formation of an adduct between sodium methoxide, methyl acetate and copper(I) bromide. The formation of a transient intermediate with the substrate allows intramolecular delivery of the methoxide ion to the aryl moiety through a CuI – CuIII type cycle.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the effect of the writing prompt on test takers in terms of their test taking processes and the final written product in a second language writing assessment context. The study employs a mixed methods approach, with a quantitative and a qualitative strand. The quantitative study focuses on an analysis of the responses to six different writing prompts, with the responses being analyzed for significant differences in a range of key textual features, such as syntactic complexity, lexical sophistication, fluency and cohesion. The qualitative study incorporates stimulated recall interviews with test takers to learn about the aspects of the writing prompt that can have an effect on test taking processes, such as selecting a prompt, planning a response, and composing a response. The results of the quantitative study indicate that characteristics of the writing prompt (domain, response mode, focus, number of rhetorical cues) have an effect on numerous textual features of the response; for example, fluency, syntactic complexity, lexical sophistication, and cohesion. The qualitative results indicate that similar characteristics of the writing prompt can have an effect on how test takers select a prompt, and that the test time constraint interacts with the prompt characteristics to affect how test takers plan and compose their responses. The topic and the number of rhetorical cues are the prompt characteristics that have the greatest effect on test taking processes. The main conclusion drawn from the study findings are that several prompt characteristics should be controlled if prompts are to be considered equivalent. Without controlling certain prompt characteristics, both test taking processes and the written product will vary as a result of the prompt. The findings raise some serious questions regarding the inferences that may legitimately be drawn from writing scores. The findings provide clear guidance on prompt characteristics that should be controlled to help ensure that prompts present an equivalent challenge and opportunity to test takers to demonstrate their writing proficiency. This thesis makes an original contribution to the second language writing assessment literature in the detailed understanding of the relationships between specific prompt characteristics and textual features of the response.

In many schools hours of energy and effort are dedicated to making decisions and developing policy. At the school level issues of curriculum, faculty groupings and structure, strategy for staff allocations and resourcing of faculties, often results in debate before being decided upon. So often valuable time and resources are wasted in argument, disagreement and political activity. This study has been designed to determine what actually happens in the decision process, with the subject of the study a single committee. The aim of the study is to determine the style of policy development that took place and what influences affected the decisions made. The study is in two parts. The first section develops a Conceptual Framework and research questions to categorise, summarise and organise data collected from policy development processes. The Conceptual framework was designed to permit analysis of the major components of the stages of Problem Structuring, Generation of Alternatives and Recommending Policy Actions. The second section in includes further Research Questions to determine whether the process applied to developing policy was Rational, Nonrational (Incremental/Political) or a Mixed Model type. The research method used was naturalistic and qualitative in nature and in the context of a case study. The main findings were that a Mixed Model of policy development was used by the Committee with elements of both Rational and Nonrational process evident from the research data.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are biodegradable polyesters with comparable properties to some petroleum-based polyolefins. Within the context of the B-PLAS process, the PHA production is integrated with a wastewater treatment process aimed at recovering energy and C through platform molecules such as volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Eventually, selected mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) are provided with a fermentation broth under an aerobic dynamic feeding regime to produce PHA-enriched biomass. In this study, an anoxic/aerobic selection and accumulation process has been explored and compared on a bench scale with the standard and most studied full aerobic alternative. A final setup for both the bench-scale experiments and the B-PLAS pilot plant has also been proposed, allowing to achieve, on-demand, a higher dried biomass PHA content (>50%) compared to the analogous aerobic setup. In addition, the selected population has been proven to respond positively to reduced oxygenation conditions, opening new possibilities to maximise the production of the pilot plant while reducing the oxygenation-related costs and streamlining the process scheme.

The removal of multiple substrates in a defined mixed culture process was investigated in the treatment of brewery wastewater. The study was conducted using both batch and a semi-continuous reactor system called self-cycling fermentation. Batch experiments were conducted using a synthetic brewery wastewater containing glucose, ethanol and maltose. Activated sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant was acclimatized in the synthetic brewery wastewater. The microbes capable of degrading this wastewater were analyzed by a combination of microscopy, spread plating, and Polymerase Chain Reaction-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and identified as Acinetobacter sp., Enterobacter sp. and Candida sp. From the pure culture batch experiments, it was determined that Enterobacter could degrade glucose and maltose but no ethanol, while Acinetobacter and Candida could degrade all three carbon sources. In mixed culture batch experiments, Enterobacter was dominant in degrading the sugar concentrations to levels permissible for Acinetobacter to degrade ethanol. PCR-DGGE was found to be effective in identifying the dominant species but selective carbon source plating was required to determine viability and track the population dynamics. Kinetic experiments were carried out in a semi-continuous, self-cycling fermentation process using the defined mixed culture in media containing glucose and various initial concentrations of ethanol and maltose. The overall rate of substrate removal was attributable to both the suspended culture and the biofilm formed during the process. A rate expression was developed for this system for the range of substrate concentrations tested. The data indicated that substrate removal by the suspended culture was a function of only the biomass concentration. However, substrate removal by the biofilm was found to be limited to the surface cells and determined to be a function of substrate concentration only.

Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
Robert Schaeffer
The sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) was once referred to as a No Holds Barred (NHB) fighting contest, but is now known as cage, extreme, or ultimate fighting. Showcasing athletes from a variety of martial arts backgrounds, a referee stoppage, knockout, or submission is the only way to win. Pushing their minds and bodies to the limits, fighters often engage in hand-to-hand combat inside of a ring or cage in front of a crowd, for anywhere from three to twenty-five minutes. How does one become an MMA fighter? Through a rigorous and complex process of socialization that will be referred to in this work as the ‘spartanization’ process. A mixed methodological approach, primarily qualitative in nature, was used to reveal the rigorous and complex nature of this process. This study’s data collection began with six site visits taking place over the course of six months. Utilizing a convenience sampling method, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 male and 14 female fighters. The interview schedule addressed fighters’ involvement in the spartanization process, their experiences in the gym as well as the cage, and their perceptions as fighters. Male and female participants described the spartanization process and ascribed meaning to it in similar ways. Their motivations for becoming MMA fighters are explained using theories of identity and alienation. Findings demonstrate that the sport of MMA and process of becoming a fighter are both highly gendered. One was neither found to be more nor less gendered than the other, but according to this study’s findings women are more likely to feel the effects of gender at the organizational level than they are a the level of training. Not sure what MMA is? Never heard of the UFC before? Do not worry, the histories of both are provided. By reading this work you will also learn more about the athletes participating in this sport, and discover whether or not you have what it takes to be the next ‘ultimate fighter.’

New circuit design techniques that accommodate lower supply voltages necessary for portable systems need to be integrated into the semiconductor intellectual property (IP) core. Systems that once worked at 3.3 V or 2.5 V now need to work at 1.8 V or lower, without causing any performance degradation. Also, the fluctuation of device characteristics caused by process variation in nanometer technologies is seen as design yield loss. The numerous parasitic effects induced by layouts, especially for high-performance and high-speed circuits, pose a problem for IC design. Lack of exact layout information during circuit sizing leads to long design iterations involving time-consuming runs of complex tools. There is a strong need for low-power, high-performance, parasitic-aware and process-variation-tolerant circuit design. This dissertation proposes methodologies and techniques to achieve variability, power, performance, and parasitic-aware circuit designs. Three approaches are proposed: the single iteration automatic approach, the hybrid Monte Carlo and design of experiments (DOE) approach, and the corner-based approach. Widely used mixed-signal circuits such as analog-to-digital converter (ADC), voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), voltage level converter and active pixel sensor (APS) have been designed at nanoscale complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) and subjected to the proposed methodologies. The effectiveness of the proposed methodologies has been demonstrated through exhaustive simulations. Apart from these methodologies, the application of dual-oxide and dual-threshold techniques at circuit level in order to minimize power and leakage is also explored.

Aquesta memòria s'ha escrit amb l'ànim d'exposar els punts de vista i els resultats nous que l'autor ha pogut obtenir. No s'hi troba, per tant, una descripció detallada de tots els temes que conformen la teoria dels operadors de T-indistingibilitat, el Raonament Aproximat ni, per descomptat, la Lògica Difusa. S'ha glossat només els aspectes necessaris per fer la memòria autocontinguda, i s'ha reforçat l'exposició amb un conjunt ampli de referències bibliogràfiques. L'excel·lència de moltes d'elles fa absolutament innecesari i pretenciós l'intent de l'autor de reescriure sobre els mateixos temes amb l'ànim de fer-los entenedors.

La memòria està dividida en dues parts:
1) Operadors de T-indistingibilitat (Capítols 1, 2 i 3)
2) Aplicacions al Raonament Aproximat (Capítols 4 i 5)

En la primera part s'estudia qüestions relatives a l'estructura dels operadors de T-indistingibilitat.

El Capítol 1 tracta dels aspectes previs: les t-normes i, sobre tot, les seves quasi-inverses. Són les operacions bàsiques sobre les que es construeixen els operadors de T-indistingibilitat.
En el Capítol 2 s'estudia l'estructura del conjunt HE dels generadors d'una T-indistingibilitat E, des del punt de vista reticular i dimensional.
Finalment, el Capítol 3 està dedicat als morfismes entre operadors de T-indistingibilitat i a l'estructura dual.

A la segona part es proposa un principi general de Raonament Aproximat que es basa en els operadors de T-indistingibilitat.

En el Capítol 4, s'analitza les diferents formes de CRI a través d'aquest principi, i es proposa nous mecanismes d'inferència diferents de CRI (Operador Natural d'Inferència), mentre que en el Capítol 5 s'estudia l'estructura dels nous mecanismes introduïts i el seu comportament en interpolació, en presència de múltiples regles.

Cada capítol s'encapçala amb una introducció en forma de sumari i amb un llistat de les aportacions de la memòria (resultats nous).

Aquesta memòria s'ha escrit amb l'ànim d'exposar els punts de vista i els resultats nous que l'autor ha pogut obtenir. No s'hi troba, per tant, una descripció detallada de tots els temes que conformen la teoria dels operadors de T-indistingibilitat, el Raonament Aproximat ni, per descomptat, la Lògica Difusa. S'ha glossat només els aspectes necessaris per fer la memòria autocontinguda, i s'ha reforçat l'exposició amb un conjunt ampli de referències bibliogràfiques. L'excel·lència de moltes d'elles fa absolutament innecesari i pretenciós l'intent de l'autor de reescriure sobre els mateixos temes amb l'ànim de fer-los entenedors.La memòria està dividida en dues parts: 1) Operadors de T-indistingibilitat (Capítols 1, 2 i 3)2) Aplicacions al Raonament Aproximat (Capítols 4 i 5)En la primera part s'estudia qüestions relatives a l'estructura dels operadors de T-indistingibilitat.El Capítol 1 tracta dels aspectes previs: les t-normes i, sobre tot, les seves quasi-inverses. Són les operacions bàsiques sobre les que es construeixen els operadors de T-indistingibilitat.En el Capítol 2 s'estudia l'estructura del conjunt HE dels generadors d'una T-indistingibilitat E, des del punt de vista reticular i dimensional. Finalment, el Capítol 3 està dedicat als morfismes entre operadors de T-indistingibilitat i a l'estructura dual.A la segona part es proposa un principi general de Raonament Aproximat que es basa en els operadors de T-indistingibilitat. En el Capítol 4, s'analitza les diferents formes de CRI a través d'aquest principi, i es proposa nous mecanismes d'inferència diferents de CRI (Operador Natural d'Inferència), mentre que en el Capítol 5 s'estudia l'estructura dels nous mecanismes introduïts i el seu comportament en interpolació, en presència de múltiples regles.Cada capítol s'encapçala amb una introducció en forma de sumari i amb un llistat de les aportacions de la memòria (resultats nous).

De nos jours, afin de réduire le frottement et l'usure dans les moteurs thermiques et par voie de conséquence les émissions polluantes ainsi que la consommation énergétique, des revêtements APS (Atmospheric Plasma Spray) sont appliqués sur les chemises des cylindres. Le MoDTC (Di-ThioCarbamate de Molybdène), est un additif organométallique largement utilisé dans la lubrification automobile pour réduire le frottement grâce à la formation sur les surfaces frottantes de feuillets de MoS2. Ce travail de thèse porte sur l’étude de la réaction tribochimique du MoDTC avec le revêtement TiO2 APS dans des conditions de lubrification mixte / limite. Des poudres de TiO2 de taille micrométrique ont été utilisées pour obtenir un revêtement APS de TiO2 de 70 µm d'épaisseur. Différents tribomètres ont été utilisés pour effectuer des essais de frottement en présence d’une huile de base contenant du MoDTC. Les résultats obtenus pour un contact acier / TiO2 APS lubrifié avec du MoDTC présente une réduction significative du frottement par rapport au contact acier / acier (contact de référence). Les analyses de surface montrent que le tribofilm formé sur le plan de TiO2 APS est composé de MoS2 et de MoO3 tandis qu’il est constitué d’oxysulfure de molybdène, de MoS2 et de MoO3 sur le plan de référence en acier. De plus, les résultats indiquent que des phases Magneli résistantes à l'usure sont formées sur la surface du plan de TiO2 réduisant ainsi l'usure du contact lorsque celui-ci est uniquement lubrifié avec l'huile de base. L'impact de divers paramètres tels que la rugosité, la température d'essai, la pression de contact, la concentration en MoDTC et le remplacement des billes en acier par des billes en céramique sur le comportement tribologique du TiO2 APS a également été étudié. Les résultats ont été comparés avec ceux obtenus dans les mêmes conditions avec un contact acier / acier de référence et révèlent que le coefficient de frottement est toujours plus faible dans le cas des contacts impliquant un revêtement de TiO2 APS. Des résultats similaires à ceux obtenus avec le TiO2 APS (en termes de comportement tribologique et de composition chimique du tribofilm) ont été obtenus avec des nanoparticules de TiO2 mélangées dans l’huile de base avec du MoDTC dans le cas d'un contact acier / acier de référence. Dans les deux cas, une décomposition complète de MoDTC conduisant à la formation de MoS2 a été observée. Un phénomène de tribocatalyse a été suggéré comme pouvant être le mécanisme responsable de la décomposition du MoDTC en présence de matériaux à base de TiO2 comme le revêtement TiO2 APS et les nanoparticules de TiO2
Nowadays to reduce friction and wear as well as gas emission and oil consumption of the passenger car engines, Atmospheric Plasma Spray (APS) coatings are used on cylinder liner. MoDTC (Molybdenum Di-Thiocarbamate), organometallic friction modifier has been previously used to reduce friction by formation of layered molybdenum disulphide flakes. This study focuses on tribochemical interaction of MoDTC with TiO2 APS coating under mixed / boundary lubrication conditions. Fused and crushed micron sized powders were used to obtain a 70 µm thick TiO2 coating. Various tribometers were used to carry out tribotests in presence of lubricant containing MoDTC. Steel / TiO2 APS contact showed significant friction reduction than steel / reference steel contact. It was shown that the tribofilm is composed of MoS2 and MoO3 on TiO2 APS flats while it is composed of Mo-oxysulphide, MoS2 and MoO3 on reference steel flats. It was shown that wear resistant Magneli phases are formed on the surface of TiO2 APS disc, decreasing wear when the contact was lubricated only with base oil. Impact of various parameters like roughness, test temperature, contact pressure, concentration of MoDTC and change of counterpart materials from steel balls to ceramic balls, on the tribological behavior of TiO2 APS was also studied. Results obtained were compared with contacts involving reference steel and it was confirmed that friction coefficient was always lower in case of contacts involving TiO2 APS coating. Similar tribological results and chemistry were obtained for TiO2 nanoparticles blended with MoDTC in case of steel / reference steel contact. Both the cases, TiO2 APS and TiO2 nanoparticles showed complete decomposition of MoDTC to form MoS2. Tribocatalysis was suggested as the mechanism responsible for complete decomposition of MoDTC in case of TiO2 based materials like TiO2 APS coating and TiO2 nanoparticles

A dual-mode second-order Multirate Multibit Sigma Delta (MM-SD) modulator is implemented in a 90nm digital CMOS process for application in the baseband path of RF receivers. Low power consumption is achieved through a new integrator structure and a dedicated timing scheme along with aggressive capacitor scaling in the second stage of the modulator loop. Fabricated prototype achieves 68.6dB peak Signal-to-Noise and Distortion ratio (SNDR) in the 200 kHz GSM band and requires 1.1mA of total current from a 1.5V supply. This dual-mode design also achieves 42.8dB SNDR in the 1.94 MHz WCDMA band with only 1.9mA of total current consumption.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an extremely prevalent and concerning social issue, with limited current intervention and prevention strategies. Batterer intervention programs (BIPs) have demonstrated some small effects of programs in reducing offender recidivism, however there is a growing understanding that not all offenders respond similarly to batterer intervention and the problem of IPV persists. Restorative justice programs including impact panels may be an important addition to BIPs, but research is extremely limited on impact panel effectiveness and whether panels are appropriate for IPV or pose additional safety risks to survivors. The current study consists of a naturalistic mixed-methods evaluation of the use of IPV impact panels in the context of batterer intervention. Data collection methods include an ethnographic inquiry of the program setting and participant experiences, archival data analysis of offender responses to the panel (N = 287), and focus groups (k = 4) with survivors, offenders, and BIP providers to investigate the panel's impact on survivors and offenders and generate potential indicators of panel outcomes for survivors and offenders. Findings suggest that panel impacts on survivors include reaching new understandings, healing, and empowerment; panel impacts on offenders include connection with survivor speakers, reaching new understandings, and healing. Implications, limitations, and future aims of this program of research are discussed.

In my artwork, I merge nature with typography. I use macro-level photography to capture details of nature, such as the pistils of a flower or the sensory hairs of an insect. I print enlargements and transfer these photos onto pages of poetic text about nature, or collage them onto canvas. Once transferred, I use multiple media to alter and enhance features of the photos. I intentionally obscure much of the text which allows me to place focus on the overall layout and design. The arrangement of lines of text and spacing of words is used to create a visual rhythm. The poetic script acts as a foundation or platform for presenting the often unnoticed elements of nature. In developing a piece, I use a wet transfer which allows me to obtain subtle textures and imperfections that occur from the process. To add visual interest and complexity, I continue to manipulate the surfaces with various media and marks. This approach helps to create a blending of text and image. Similar to reading a poem or observing nature, I want to engage the viewer in an experience of visual poetry.

Mestrado em Biotecnologia
Bioplastics have been the focus of interest as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics. Among those, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) can be highlighted, not only for their biocompatibility and biodegradability, but also because they can be produced by mixed microbial cultures (MMC) from agro-industrial wastes. This allows to substantially reduce the production costs and valorize alternative substrates. PHA have a wide range of characteristics according to their composition, which allows them to be used in many applications. The polymers characteristics can be manipulated through the control of several operational parameters during the production process. Production of PHA by MMC in this work was based in a three-stage process: acidification of a by-product of the paper industry, hardwood spent sulphite liquor (HSSL), selection of a PHA accumulating microbial culture and PHA production. The selection step occurred in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR), operated for 180 days, and whose conditions were changed in order to select for a PHA-accumulating culture and with good PHA volumetric production. Three pseudo-stationary states (PSS) were achieved after successive increases in the selective pressure, a clear indication that the MMC was able to adapt to the substrate and to the imposed conditions. In the last step of this work several accumulation assays were performed that allowed for the validation of the use of HSSL acidified under different conditions and Condensate (another byproduct of the paper industry) for PHA production. The best test performed achieved a maximum accumulation of 74.7% cdw and a volumetric productivity of 0.27 gPHA/L.h. This work allowed to show the potential of the use of PHA producing MMC as a way of valorization of agroindustrial byproducts and residues.
Os bioplásticos têm sido foco de interesse como alternativa sustentável aos plásticos convencionais. Entre os vários biopolímeros destacam-se os polihidroxialcanoatos (PHA), não só pela sua biocompatibilidade e biodegradabilidade, mas também porque podem ser produzidos por culturas microbianas mistas (MMC) a partir de resíduos agroindustriais. Desta forma é possível reduzir substancialmente o preço de produção destes polímeros e valorizar substratos alternativos. Os PHA apresentam características muito variadas de acordo com a sua composição, o que permite que sejam utilizados em diversas aplicações. As características do polímero podem ser manipuladas através do controlo de vários parâmetros operacionais durante o processo de produção. A produção de PHA por MMC neste trabalho foi feita com recurso a um processo em três fases: acidificação de um subproduto da indústria papeleira, o licor de cozimento ao sulfito ácido acidificado (HSSL), seleção de uma cultura microbiana acumuladora de PHA e produção de PHA. A seleção ocorreu num reator descontínuo sequencial (SBR), operado durante 180 dias, e cujas condições foram alteradas de forma a selecionar uma cultura acumuladora de PHA e com boa produtividade volumétrica de PHA. Três estados pseudo-estacionários (PSS) foram atingidos após sucessivos aumentos na pressão seletiva, uma indicação clara de que a MMC foi capaz de se adaptar ao substrato e às condições impostas. No último passo do trabalho foram realizados vários testes de acumulação que permitiram validar a utilização de HSSL acidificado em condições diferentes e Condensado (outro subproduto da índustria papeleira) como substratos para a produção de PHA. O melhor teste realizado apresentou uma acumulação máxima de 74.4% cdw e uma produtividade volumétrica de 0.27 gPHA/L.h. Este trabalho permitiu mostrar a potencialidade do uso de MMC produtoras de PHA como forma de valorização de subprodutos e resíduos agroindustriais.

Mestrado em Biotecnologia
Currently one of the greatest concerns worldwide focuses on the development of new sustainable materials that can be used to replace petroleum-based products. For this reason, the study of the production of bioplastics has been subjected to considerable research in order to achieve process optimization and production costs reduction. In this context, the study of the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) by mixed microbial cultures (MMC) is worthwhile. In this work, the three-step process was tested for PHA production. In a first step, a feedstock of the paper industry, hardwood sulphite spent liquor (HSSL) was submitted to acidogenic fermentation in order to produce a mixture rich in volatile fatty acids (VFAs), which was used as substrate in the next two steps. In the second step, a MMC collected from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was submitted to Aerobic Dynamic Feeding (ADF) conditions in a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) in order to select PHA-accumulating organisms. A pseudo-stationary state was reached after 60 days of SBR operation. In the third step, the ability of the selected MMC to accumulate PHA was tested. The selected MMC reached a maximum PHA content of 47.1%. The bacterial community was analysed through fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Bacteria belonging to the four main classes were identified: Beta- (44.7 ± 2.7%), Alpha- (13.6 ± 1.3%) and Gammaproteobacteria (2.40 ± 1.1%) and Bacteroidetes (9.20 ± 3.8%). Regarding the genus level, inside the Betaproteobacteria, a considerable amount of Acidovorax (25.9 ± 3.1%) was found and only small amounts of Thauera (0.72 ± 0.25%) and Azoarcus (0.62 ± 0.02%) were detected. Defluvicoccus related to Tetrad Forming Organisms (0.75 ± 0.53%) belonging to Alphaproteobacteria was detected in small amount. A clone library was prepared and several clones were identified as organisms already described as PHA-producers.
Atualmente uma das grandes preocupações a nível mundial centra-se no desenvolvimento de novos materiais sustentáveis que possam ser usados em substituição dos produtos derivados do petróleo. Por este motivo, o estudo dos processos de produção de bioplásticos tem sido alvo de pesquisa intensiva de forma a conseguir alcançar a otimização e redução dos custos de produção destes materiais. Neste contexto, o estudo da produção de polihidroxialcanoatos (PHAs) por culturas microbianas mistas (MMC) faz todo o sentido. Neste trabalho, o processo de três passos foi testado para a produção de PHA. Numa primeira etapa, um subproduto da indústria papeleira, o licor de cozimento ao sulfito ácido (HSSL) foi submetido a fermentação acidogénica para produzir uma mistura rica em ácidos gordos voláteis (VFAs), que foi usada como substrato nas duas etapas seguintes. Na segunda etapa, a MMC recolhida numa estação de tratamento de águas residuais (WWTP) foi submetida a condições de alimentação dinâmica aeróbia (ADF) num reator descontínuo sequencial (SBR), de forma a selecionar os organismos acumuladores de PHA. Um estado pseudo-estacionário foi atingido após 60 dias de operação do SBR. Num terceiro passo, a capacidade da MMC selecionada em acumular PHA foi testada. A MMC atingiu um máximo de acumulação de PHA de 47,1%. A comunidade bacteriana foi analisada por fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Foram identificadas bactérias pertencentes aos seguintes grupos: Beta- (44,7 ± 2,7%), Alfa- (13,6 ± 1,3%) e Gammaproteobacteria (2,40 ± 1,1%) e Bacteroidetes (9,20 ± 3,8%). A nível de género, dentro da classe Betaproteobacteria, uma quantidade considerável de Acidovorax (25,9 ± 3,1%) foi encontrada e foram detectadas em pequenas concentrações Thauera (0,72 ± 0,25%) e Azoarcus (0,62 ± 0,02%). Defluvicoccus relacionada com organismos formadores de tétradas (0,75 ± 0,53%), pertencendo à classe Alphaproteobacteria, foram detectadas em pequena quantidade. Uma biblioteca de clones foi preparada e vários clones foram identificados como organismos previamente descritos como produtores de PHA.

碩士
國立清華大學
化學工程學系
86
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has wide applications in growthing thin solid films and producing fine powders. The method is a basically synnthesis of thin solid film or fine particles from gaseous reactants. In my thesis, the precursors are TTIP and TEOS. Mixed powders of TiO2 and SiO2 are produced by the reduced pressure CVD process.In my research, the morphology of the coated particles is not effected by variation of the concentration of TTIP. The surface of the substrate is found to be the dorminant factor. The rougher the substrate surface is, the clear the particles phase is. The film formed near the entrance is cracked, and contains TiO2 only. At the peak region of the deposition flux curve, the layer formed by particles deposited is dense and compact, and contains mixed TiO2 and SiO2 particles. At the exit area, the deposite areThe X-ray diffraction patterns of the mixed powders collected at the exit area show that particles TiO2 are in anatase phase and SiO2 particles are likely in cristobalite phase. When annealed at 900℃ in atmosphere for 4 hours, the anatase phase becomes more evident, but the cristobalite phase relatively weakens. The rutile phase of TiO2 does not show up.Based on SEM/EDX and TEM/ EDX analysis results, we find that Ti/Si ratio in the product increases with increasing the TTIP/TEOS ratio. But this increase tends to saturate. At a lower reaction temperature, the Si content in the product drops sharply.

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Information Systems and Technologies Management
Driven by the digital transformation, Process Mining represents one of the biggest analytical trends in the Software-as-a-Service technology market, providing companies with transparency of their existing processes. As such, there has been little research about the factors that influence the decision of companies to adopt Process Mining in their organization. Hence, this study aims to develop a comprehensive research model that sheds light on the most decisive Process Mining adoption drivers among European firms. A Mixed-Method design was applied to ensure an exhaustive and tailored information technology (IT) adoption model for Process Mining. Based on a qualitative pre-study with expert interviews as well as a comprehensive literature review about various IT adoption theories, we derived the most essential antecedents of Process Mining adoption and proposed what is to our knowledge the first Process Mining adoption research model on firm-level.

碩士
國立成功大學
化學工程學系
86
When the surfactant synergism is used in Micelle- enhancedultrafiltration, the rejection ratio of goal solute is affected by micelle size and it*s mixed molecular interaction very much. In this work using batch ultrafiltration method to proceed experiment. The experiment selects cationic surfactant (CPC),anionic surfactant (SDS) , and nonionic surfactant (Triton X-100). The part in micelle size measurement uses ultrafiltration membranes with 3000, 5000, 10000, 30000, and 100000 MWCO to proceed. After concentration of solution and retentate solution through related theory model measure, getting the distribution of micelle size and average aggregation number . The result shows that batch ultrafiltration method appears clear concentration polarization effects making CPC in high concentration and 30000 MWCO membrane size have a presieving effect. Besides, when the CPC concentration(1mM~100mM) increases, CPC micelle aggregation number will grow and finally reach a constant number. However, SDS micelle aggregation number keeps in 60 and can not change with SDS concentration(10mM~100 mM). Triton X-100 micelle aggregation number can also grow with Triton X-100 concentration(1mM~10mM). The result which SDS/ Triton X-100 and CPC/ Triton X-100 mixed surfactant systems shows their behavior are dominated by Triton X-100. However, in the application of synergism of mixed surfactants in micellar- enhanced ultrafiltration, we can know rejection ratio of p- xylene will be better when mixed ratio of Triton X-100 is higher. In p-xylene rejective experiment results show that SDS/ CPC mixed surfactant systems have synergistic effect.

碩士
國立臺北科技大學
機電整合研究所
90
ABSTRACT On copper wire drawing process,lubricant and die design may have a significant effect on reduction of copper wire broken rate,improvement of process efficiency and copper wire quality,which is the main manufacture parameter of copper wire drawing process. Because papers regarding copper wire drawing are limited, the field of copper wire drawing used to set manufacture parameter of copper wire process provided by lubricant suppliers and die makers.The purpose of this thesis is on varying manufacture parameter of lubricant and die design to analyze the cause of copper wire breakage.The author would like to find the optimum manufacture parameter of lubricant and die design through theories,experiment,and many years of experience.