Teses / dissertações sobre o tema "Control centre"

Drawing upon case studies of three organisations operating six call centres in Australia, this thesis explores the manifestations and interplay of employee resistance and accommodation in response to five facets of employer control: electronic monitoring; repetitious work; emotional control; the built environment; and workplace flexibility. Accommodation refers to the ways workers protect themselves from and adapt to the pressures that make up their day-to-day experiences of work. Accommodation, unlike resistance, which implies opposition to control, may superficially resemble consent to control. I argue that resistance and accommodation are not polar opposites; rather they are both reflections of the conflict and tensions that lie at the heart of the employment relationship. At the study sites, employees utilised resistance and accommodation both separately and concurrently. An explanation of these seemingly contradictory responses and of the links among accommodation individual resistance and collective resistance lies in the concept of ???self???. In this thesis, ???self??? refers to workers??? perceptions of fairness, dignity and autonomy. I examine how these notions frame worker discontent and promote employee solidarity. ???Everyday resistance???, a concept first developed by Scott (1985) in relation to peasant struggles, is employed to highlight the existence of subterranean struggles in workplaces that otherwise appear to be harmonious. At the study sites, everyday resistance was a multi-faceted, widely employed strategy whose strength lay primarily in its immediate impact. There was, however, no necessary sequential development from accommodation, through everyday resistance to overt, formal forms of conflict. What was evident was that multiple responses to employer control could co-exist and inhibit or promote one another. But it was through organised collective resistance that more formalised gains were made and widely held grievances addressed. I suggest that, although everyday resistance may lay the groundwork for more formal struggles, one should not conclude that traditional collective resistance is ???genuine??? resistance and everyday resistance is simply a second-best prelude to it. Although conflict is always present, its intensity differs. If we are to understand the complexity of worker responses to managerial control, we need to expand the theoretical frameworks within which we analyse and interpret conflict.

This thesis is concerned with the role of 'central command' in cardiorespiratory control during exercise and the peripheral autonomic modulation of cardiac excitability. Chapter One reviews the background to the work in the thesis. The cardiorespiratory and autonomic changes occurring during exercise and the ways in which they are brought about are discussed. This is followed by a review of some pathological changes in autonomic activity and the ways in which they might be arrhythmogenic. Chapter Two details the experimental techniques used in the thesis and discusses their theoretical background. Chapter Three studies the cardiorespiratory responses to imagination of exercise under hypnosis. This results in hyperventilation, hypocapnia and an increase in heart rate. In contrast, no cardiorespiratory changes are seen when the same protocol is repeated in the awake state. The response to imagined exercise under hypnosis is not affected by maintaining isocapnia. A powerful drive to breathe arising from higher centres, that is independent of peripheral muscular feedback, is elicited when 'exercise' is imagined under hypnosis. Chapter Four investigates the neural correlates of imagined exercise under hypnosis using positron emission tomography to see if they are the same as those classically implicated in 'central command' during exercise. Activation of 'motor' areas occurs, including the supplementary motor area, primary motor cortex for breathing, premotor area, thalamus, basal ganglia and cerebellum. The insular cortex, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortices are also activated. These activations are similar to those previously reported during actual exercise, but occur in the absence of peripheral feedback that accompanies actual exercise and may therefore reflect 'central command'. Chapter Five studies the responses to altered perception of work rate during actual exercise using hypnotic suggestions. If exercising hypnotised subjects are told that the work rate has increased (when it hasn't), they hyperventilate, become hypocapnic and heart rate increases, suggesting a partial uncoupling of 'central command' from peripheral feedback. Chapter Six investigates the cardiovascular effects of electrical stimulation of the thalamus and midbrain in awake man to determine the role of subcortical areas in cardiovascular control. High-frequency stimulation of the thalamus, subthalamic nucleus and substantia nigra results in increases in heart rate and blood pressure, whereas stimulation of the globus pallidus has no effect. In patients with implanted stimulating electrodes, chronic high-frequency electrical stimulation does not affect baroreflex sensitivity, heart rate variability or blood pressure variability. Chapter Seven characterises the cardiac electrophysiological consequences of sympathetic imbalance using multi-electrode array mapping techniques in the pig heart in vivo. A novel potential arrythmogenic mechanism of noradrenaline is also investigated in two in vitro preparations. Chapter Eight presents a brief summary of the findings in the thesis and discusses future research directions.

Purpose: The purpose of the research for this thesis is to respond to the following research questions and to test the hypotheses which stem from the second research question. The research questions are: 1. What are the nature, relevance and extent of the application of the concepts and constructs of control, alienation, commitment and satisfaction within the call centre workplace? 2. What is the nature of the association between the concepts and constructs of control, alienation, commitment and satisfaction within the call centre workplace? Methodology and Research Design: A mixed method research design was devised, based upon piloted exploratory research. The main survey instrument was the questionnaire. The questionnaire responses were analysed and subject to confirmatory factor analysis. Findings: Ten hypotheses were tested and largely supported. The results demonstrate strong associations between the main constructs of control, alienation, commitment and satisfaction and also with their subsidiary constructs. Limitations and Implications: The main theoretical limitation of this research concerns both alienation and control. The exclusive focus upon control within the formalised workplace context of the call centre taken by the research is without reference to wider societal control relationships and structures, and as such could pose limitations in terms of generalising the research results. With regard to alienation, this research attempts to measure some alienation components in the tradition of Blauner (1964) and Seeman (1959), and hence poses the problem of whether reducing the alienation concept to measurable components is valid within the context of the wider discussion of alienation as an inherent societal condition, thereby leaving this research open to the charge of methodological reductivism. Originality and Value: The primary contribution to knowledge of this research lies in the consideration, empirical application, consolidation and relevance of the four central concepts of control, alienation, commitment and satisfaction as applied to call centre work and the call centre workplace, and to the attitudes and behaviour of CSRs.

Certains besoins de santé spécifiques ont contribué au développement du travail présenté ici, en particulier dans le domaine de la kinésithérapie dans lequel l’étude de l’équilibre postural est étudiée. Les solutions qui existent aujourd'hui sur le marché sont coûteuses, disponibles uniquement dans les grands hôpitaux ou dans des salles dédiées, avec un faible taux de fréquentation de la population, principalement dans des endroits plus éloignés des grands centres urbains. Ce travail a été développé en collaboration avec une équipe constituée de kinésithérapeutes, de chercheurs en génie électrique et en génie mécanique du laboratoire G-SCOP, Grenoble INP, Institut d’Ingénierie, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, France. Cette équipe cherche des solutions à faible coût qui répondent aux besoins de la société en général, en mettant l'accent sur la santé, mais également sur la vulgarisation scientifique, en diffusant ses travaux lors de manifestations de type fête de la Sciences dans la région et pour la communauté. Les travaux ont débuté avec une plateforme de force développée en 2016, conjointement par des chercheurs de l'UNESP (une Université de l'état Sao Paulo au Brésil) et du laboratoire G-SCOP. A cette solution a été ajoutée une nouvelle interface électronique, développée dans le but de fournir des informations sur le déplacement du centre de pression du patient. Un mécanisme a également été mis en place pour assurer la synchronisation entre les informations capturées par les capteurs installés sur la plate-forme et un capteur Microsoft Kinect. De nouveaux outils logiciels ont été proposés pour capturer et analyser les résultats. Le traitement des données permet de créer un modèle tridimensionnel détaillé contenant la cinématique de plusieurs articulations du corps humain et leur comportement respectif en fonction du temps. La mise en œuvre du capteur Kinect synchronisé avec la plate-forme de force permet de comparer le Centre de Pression avec le Centre de masse en vue de proposer un outil plus léger et moins cher à la communauté des praticiens hospitaliers
Some specific health needs contributed to the development of the work presented here, especially in Physical Therapy in which the Postural Equilibrium is studied. The solutions that exist today in the market are of expensive, available only in large hospitals or in dedicated rooms, with low index of attendance to the population, mainly in places more distant of the great urban centers. This work was developed in cooperation with a team constituted of Phisiotherpists, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from of the G-SCOP Laboratory, Grenoble INP, Institute of Engineering Univ. Grenoble Alpes, France. This team seeks low cost solutions that meet the needs of society in general, with a focus on health, but also with a focus on the popularization of science, disseminating its work in basic schools in the region and also in the community. The work began with a strength platform developed in 2016, jointly by researchers from UNESP, Sao Paulo, Brasil, and the G-SCOP Laboratory. To this solution was added a new electronic interface, developed with the purpose of providing information on the displacement of the patient pressure center. A mechanism was also implemented to ensure synchronization between information captured by sensors installed on the platform and a Microsoft Kinect sensor. New software tools were developed to capture and analyze the results. The data treatment allows the creation of a detailed three-dimensional model, containing the kinematics of several joints of the human body and their respective positional behavior, as a function of time. With the implementation of the Kinect sensor, synchronised with the force platform, it is also possible to evaluate the kinematic and positional biomechanical parameters

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina Veterinária
O crescente aumento do aparecimento de doenças de origem alimentar em todo o mundo tem levado à criação e implementação de ferramentas que têm conduzido à redução da introdução e/ou manutenção de perigos nos alimentos. A “Confecção” é definida como sendo um ponto crítico de controlo, através da aplicação da árvore de decisão do Codex Alimentarius, apresentando como limites críticos a medição da temperatura no centro térmico do alimento, superior a 75C, bem como a ausência de alimentos crus ou em sangue. Porém, a monitorização da temperatura no centro térmico dos alimentos é um procedimento que se apresenta pouco operacional. No período de 34 meses, foram analisados 525 pratos, 16% dos quais apresentavam não-conformidades, sendo apenas 2% das não-conformidades referentes à presença de agentes patogénicos (8 pratos), sendo os restantes (14%) correspondentes a contaminações por microrganismos indicadores de higiene. A avaliação de risco realizada, quanto à presença de agentes patogénicos, revelou que o risco é “não-significativo” para os agentes patogénicos em causa. Posto isto, e tendo em conta que se consomem alimentos pouco ou nada processados termicamente (sushi, rosbife ou bife tártaro), é questionável se a medição da temperatura no centro térmicos dos alimentos é imprescindível, para dar um alimento confeccionado como seguro para consumo.
ABSTRACT - Critical review of the HACCP system applied to a large catering company. Evaluation of the control methodology applied to “cooking” CCP and proposals of improvement. - The increased incidence of foodborne diseases worldwide has led to the creation and implementation of tools that have led to the reduction of the introduction and/or maintenance hazards in food. "Cooking" is defined as a critical control point, by applying the Codex Alimentarius’ decision tree, presenting as critical limits the measurement of the thermal centre temperature, higher than 75oC, as well as the absence of raw food or with blood. However, monitoring the temperature in the thermal centre of the food is not a very practical procedure. During 34 months, 525 dishes were analyzed, 16% of which presented non-conformities, and only 2% of them showed non-conformities related with the presence of pathogens (8 dishes), the remaining (14%) corresponding to contamination by hygiene indicator microorganisms. The risk assessment performed in what concerns the presence of pathogens, revealed that the risk is "not significant" for the pathogen in question. Having said that, and knowing that it is consumed little or no cooked food (sushi, roast beef or steak tartar), it is questionable whether the measurement of the thermal centre temperature of food is essential to guarantee that the food is safe for consumption.

This thesis reinvents the wheel to develop a locomotion system that exhibits high efficiency and exceptional obstacle clearing ability, the Posable Hub. This is achieved by using a rigid rim with an actively movable centre hub, through the use of linear actuators. The centre hub can be adjusted in a number of ways, exhibiting functionality that ultimately increases the wheel’s traversability.

The future of aircraft lies in highly intelligent vehicles which are able to adapt themselves to different missions and take-off and land anywhere. Tailsitters, aircraft capable of controlled transitions between horizontal flight (like a fixed-wing aircraft) and vertical flight (like a rotary-wing aircraft), are one such form of vehicle. The focus of this research stems from a collaboration between the Surrey Space Centre and QinetiQ involving a new class of VTOL tailsitter - the QinetiQ Eye-On™ UAV - which offers uniqueness from all other known tailsitters in its use of twin helicopter rotors, elevons and a rudderless flying-wing design. A core objective of this research is to develop a control and navigation architecture capa.ble of handling the transitional flight regime in tailsitters and to understand the mechanism by which a transition can be controlled. Very little past research has addressed either of these in detail, often including only cursory modelling and simulation, no regard to how transitions can be 'shaped', and with no consideration of optimisation of transitions or whether their control laws are even robust. Another shortcoming of past literature is the minimal amount of experimental work undertaken which mostly uses only generic, simple single-propeller aircraft and does not consider transitional flight. Furthermore, examination of real-world applications where a tailsitter can be used has also been barely considered in literature. The limitations are addressed in three research divisions: I, II, III. {I} Development of a novel six degree of freedom (6-DOF) non-linear model with custom-designed numerical fluid dynamics, has allowed. high-fidelity simulation of all flight regimes to be performed. The developed control and navigation architecture is the first all-encompassing control architecture for the class of twin rotor tailsitters; it uses rudimentary low-level controllers and is capable of performing three different transitions: vertical to horizontal (V to H) , H to V (altitude elevation) and H to V (altitude invariant). The last of these is a ground-breaking discovery; transitions from H to V can be performed with virtually no increase in altitude. One improvement from past literature is that transitioning is undertaken in a closed-loop manner by commanding the vehicle to follow velocity and pitch setpoints. A carefully selected set of parameters has been devised to allow transitions to be shaped by transition time period, flight speed, sample size and smoothness of the control setpoint command. For the first time optimisation is applied to obtain ideal parameters for the transitions and robustness simulations stochastically consider environmental disturbances and variation of vehicle mass. [II] A comprehensive experimental framework has been developed tha.t uses various advanced testbed configurations to validate the control architecture, requiring the fusion of both aeroplane and helicopter technologies. Initially, an indoor motion capture testbed uses a series of precursory vehicles (including both quadrotor and Chinook) to pioneer taiisitter technology. A thrust testbed was also developed to explore thrust curve relationships and obtain optimal thrust zones for differing flight regimes. The outdoor testbed required the development of a complete self-contained autopilot system, including telemetry and ground station, which was tested in a progressive fl ight campaign spanning four flight locations across the UK. The experimentation forms the first demonstration of &-DOF untethered flight for the class of twin rotor tailsitters in VTOL, manual transitional and semi-autonomous transitiona.l modes. [III] In terms of systems analysis, two distinct civil and military scenarios are evaluated: linear asset monitoring, and perch and stare (which includes an innovative miniaturisation analysis) . The first thorough and realistic consideration is also given to the use of a reusable tailsitter v.'ith a docking station for staged exploration in extra-terrestrial environments. Industrially, the research programme extensively develops the technology necessary for autonomous flight of the UAV and extends from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2 to 6. Academically, significant contributions have been made to the field including: tailsitter modelling, transitioning methodology, control architecture, optimisation, testbed design, flight experimentation, systems design.

Den här rapporten är en utredning och analys av lämpliga arbetsuppgifter och deras nödvändiga verktyg och hjälpmedel för en skiftledare, Watch Supervisor, vid ett framtida center för fjärrstyrda flygledningstorn, Remote Tower. Ett center för fjärrstyrda flygledningstorn är en centraliserad enhet med uppgiften att flygleda och kontrollera flygsäkerheten på och nära en eller flera flygplatser. Utgångspunkten för datainsamlingen har varit intervjuer med verksamma flygledare och skiftledare på LFV, Sveriges statliga verk för flygtrafiktjänst. Studiebesök har även gjorts vid olika enheter, både flygledartorn och radarkontrollcentraler, däribland Sundsvall RTC som är världens första central för fjärrstyrd flygledning godkänd att sättas i drift. Insamlad data har kompilerats och analyserats och en rekommendation presenteras i slutet av denna rapport angående arbetsuppgifter och verktyg för ovan nämnda skiftledare i ett RTC. Resultatet visar att rollen kommer ha stora likheter med befintliga skiftledarpositioner i den svenska flygledningen.

Thesis (Maters Diploma(Electrical Engineering)--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 1987
A variable-energy separated sector cyclotron with a K value of 200 MeV as well as an 8 MeV solid pole injector cyclotron has been completed at the national Accelerator Centre complex at Faure. These accelerators will produce bith light-ion and heavy-ion beams for Nuclear Physics, Radiotherapy and Isotope production.

Includes abstract.
Includes bibliographical references.
This study aims to assess satisfaction with work life balance in call centre operators and the impact that this has on work engagement of these individuals. It looks at and measures the perceptions relating to control over actual work hours, job complexity and satisfaction with work-life balance.

While physics-based synthesis offers a wide range of benefits in the real-time generation of sound for interactive environments, it is difficult to incorporate nuanced and complex behaviour that enhances the sound in a narrative or aesthetic context. The work presented in this thesis explores real-time human performance as a means of stylistically augmenting computational sound models. Transdisciplinary in nature, this thesis builds upon previous work in sound synthesis, film sound theory and physical sound interaction. Two levels on which human performance can enhance the aesthetic value of computational models are investigated: first, in the real-time manipulation of an idiosyncratic parameter space to generate unique sound effects, and second, in the performance of physical source models in synchrony with moving images. In the former, various mapping techniques were evaluated to control a model of a creaking door based on a proposed extension of practical synthesis techniques. In the latter, audio post-production professionals with extensive experience in performing Foley were asked to perform the soundtrack to a physics-based animation using bespoke physical interfaces and synthesis engines. The generated dataset was used to gain insights into stylistic features afforded by performed sound synchronisation, and potential ways of integrating them into an interactive environment such as a game engine. Interacting with practical synthesis models that have extended to incorporate performability enables rapid generation of unique and expressive sound effects, while maintaining a believable source-sound relationship. Performatively authoring behaviours of sound models makes it possible to enhance the relationship between sound and image (both stylistically and perceptually) in ways precluded by one-to-one mappings between physics-based parameters. Mediation layers are required in order to facilitate performed behaviour: in the design of the model on one hand, and in the integration of such behaviours into interactive environments on the other. This thesis provides some examples of how such a system could be implemented. Furthermore, some interesting observations are made regarding the design of physical interfaces for performing environmental sound, and the creative exploitation of model constraints.

Thesis (MSc) Stllenbosch University, 2001.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A prospective study was conducted in 1999 to establish the incidence and nature of acute poisonings in the Cape Town / Western Cape region. This study was based on an analysis of Poison Centre queries and acute poisoning admissions to Tygerberg Hospital over a period of 1 year (1999). Summary of findings for Hospital admissions (1010 cases): Acute poisonings were more common in adults (83%) than in children (17%) and drug overdose was by far the most common clinical entity in adult Hospital admissions (89% of cases). Most overdoses in adults were intentional (97%). Seventy five percent of these cases were female, predominantly in the 20-40 year age group. The incidence of non-drug chemical exposures in adults was relatively low (11%). In children, on the other hand, there was much less of a discrepancy between drug and non-drug chemical exposures (41% and 59% respectively). Paracetamol was the drug most commonly used in overdose in both adults and children. In adults ethanol featured in 17% of cases. Ingestion of paraffin and related volatile hydrocarbons were the most important cause of acute poisoning in children. Acute poisoning admissions due to drugs of abuse, excluding ethanol, were minimal in both age groups (1%). Toxic exposures to non-drug chemicals in the agricultural and industrial settings were low (3%). The number of exposures to biological toxins was also minimal (2%). Summary of findings for Poison Centre inqueries (3744 consultations): In 1999 the Tygerberg Poison Information Centre received 3744 calls, of which 2690 were related to acute human exposures to poisonous substances. The remainder of the calls (1054) was either about drug therapy, or general non-patient related toxicological matters. There were more calls regarding poisoning in adults (61%) than in children (39%). Most of the paediatric poisonings were accidental (97%), whereas in adults 55% were deliberate and 45% accidental. Forty four percent of the children and 52% of adults were female. In children, inqueries about exposures to potentially harmful non-drug household chemical products comprised 56% of poison calls, while drug overdose was 28% and exposures to biological toxins 16%. In adults 44% of inqueries were with regard to household products, 40% about drugs and 16% biological toxins. A comparison of Hospital admissions versus Poison Centre consultations: In order to make a valid comparison between Hospital admissions and Poison Centre consultations, acute poisoning cases originating from the same area were compared. Eight hundred and thirty four (90%) of patients admitted to Tygerberg Hospital and 592 (25%) of Poison Centre consultations originated from the same region, the Tygerberg catchment area. Several differences were noted when comparing poisoning cases reported to the Poison Centre and Hospital admissions. Six hundred and eighty eight (83%) adults and 145 (17%) children were admitted to Hospital in contrast to Poison Centre inqueries, where 322 (54%) were adults and 270 (46%) children. In adults, 99% of Hospital admissions versus 59% of Poison Centre consultations were regarded as self-inflicted. Ninety three percent of adults admitted to Hospital were drug overdoses, whereas only 48% of adult Poison Centre consultations involved ingestion of medicines. In adult overdoses with paracetamol and other analgesics, tricyclic antidepressants, antiepileptics, theophylline and ethanol were significantly higher in Hospital admissions than in Poison Centre consultations. In contrast, exposures to pesticides e.g. pyrethroids, misuse of recreational drugs e.g. cannabis and biological toxin exposures e.g. spider bites, were significantly higher in Poison Centre consultations than in Hospital admissions. In children, poisoning exposures to volatile hydrocarbons, especially paraffin, were significantly higher in Hospital admissions compared to Poison Centre enqueries. As is evident from the disparity in the results above, inqueries to the Tygerberg Poison Information Centre cannot be regarded as a reflection of the true incidence of acute poisonings in the community. Poison Information Centre statistics are distorted because of two factors: 1. Under-reporting to the Poison Information Centre. Healthcare providers are familiar with how to manage drugs commonly used in overdose (e.g. paracetamol) and certain household non-drug chemicals (e.g. paraffin), and often do not consult the Poison Centre for poison cases involving these substances. The number of inqueries received by the Poison Information Centre regarding these substances is, therefore, an under representation of actual incidence. 2. Over-reporting to the Poison Information Centre. The Tygerberg Poison Information Centre is well known for its expertise in biological toxins (e.g. spider and snake bites, scorpion stings, plant and mushroom ingestions, and marine toxins). Therefore, the number of inqueries received by the Centre with regard to these exposures is far higher than actual incidence of exposures. It is clear from this study that one cannot use data derived from a poison centre alone as an indicator of true incidence of poisoning in the community. A more accurate estimate of incidence of acute poisoning could be obtained by including data from hospital admissions, as well as those from primary health care facilities. Another prominent finding in this study was the high incidence of self-inflicted drug overdose in adult females, with paracetamol being the drug of choice. Poison prevention should therefore not be limited to children. Adult prevention programs need urgent attention.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ‘n Prospektiewe studie om die insidensie en aard van akute vergigtigings in die Wes-Kaap vas te stel, is gedurende 1999 in Tygerberg Hospitaal uitgevoer. Die studie is gebaseer op ‘n analise van oproepe wat deur die Tygerbergse Vergifinligtingsentrum ontvang is en pasiente wat gedurende dieselfde tydperk met ‘n diagnose van akute vergiftiging by die Hospitaal toegelaat is. Qpsomming van Hospitaal toelatinqs (1010 qevalle): Toelatings van akute vergiftigings was meer algemeen by volwassenes (83%) as by kinders (17%). Die meeste hospitaal toelatings (83%) by volwassenes is a.g.v. geneesmiddeloordoseing. By 97% van volwassenes was gifstowwe doelbewus ingeneem, met vroue in die meerderheid (75%). Die insidensie van vergiftigings met nie-geneesmiddel verwante gifstowwe by volwassenes was laag (11%). By kinders was daar egter ‘n meer eweredige verspreiding tussen geneesmiddel (41%) en nie-geneesmiddel verwante (59%) gifstowwe. By beide volwassenes en kinders, was parasetamol die middel wat by die meeste oordoserings betrokke was. Alkohol was by 17% van vergiftigings by volwassenes betrokke. Paraffien en verwante vlugtige substanse was die belangrikste gifstowwe betrokke by akute vergiftigings by kinders. Akute vergiftigings as gevolg van die gebruik van dwelmmiddels was laag in alle ouderdomsgroepe (1%). Vergiftigings in die landbou en industriele sektore was laag (3%). Dit was ook die geval ten opsigte van blootstelling aan biologiese toksienes (2%). Opsomminq van Tyqerberq Verqifinliqtinqsentrum konsultasies (3744 qevalle): Gedurende 1999 het die Tygerberg Vergifinligtingsentrum 3744 oproepe ontvang waarvan 2690 as gevolg van akute vergiftigings was. Die ander 1054 oproepe het gehandel oor geneesmiddel terapie of algemene, nie-pasient verwante navrae. Daar is aangetoon dat oproepe ten opsigte van akute vergiftigings by volwassenes meer algemeen was as by kinders (61% en 39% respektiewelik). By kinders was die meeste vergiftigings per ongeluk (97%), terwyl by volwassenes die meeste doelbewus (55%) was. By kinders was 44% van die vroulike geslag teenoor 52% by volwassenes. By kinders was nie-geneesmiddel gifstowwe by 56% van akute vergiftigings betrokke en geneesmiddels by 44%. By volwassenes was dit 60% en 40%, respektiewelik. ‘n Verqelvkinq ten opsigte van Hospitaal toelatinqs en Verqifsentrum konsultasies: Om ‘n geldige vergelyking tussen Hospitaal toelatings en Vergifinligtingsentrum konsultasies te maak is gevalle van akute vergiftigings afkomstig uit dieselfde geografiese gebied.vergelyk. Toelatings tot Tygerberg Hospitaal 834 (90%) en 592 (25%) oproepe wat deur die Tygerbergse Vergifsentrum ontvang is, kom uit dieselfde opvangsgebied, naamlik die Tygerbergse substruktuur. Verskeie verskille tussen die twee instansies ten opsigte van die tipe vergiftigings is aangetoon. Volwassenes 688 (83%) en 145 (17%) kinders is met ‘n diagnose van akute vergiftiging by Tygerberg Hospitaal toegelaat in teenstelling met die Inligtingsentrum konsultasies waar 322 (54%) volwassenes en 270 (46%) kinders by betrokke was. By volwassenes was 99% van die toelatings die gevolg van doelbewuste vergiftiging (paraselfmoord), terwyl dit 59% van die Inligtingsentrum se navrae was. Drie en negentig persent van die volwassenes was in die Hospital toegelaat met geneesmiddel oordosering. Heelwat minder geneesmiddel oordosering (48%) was deur die Inligtingsentrum hanteer. Parasetamol en ander analgetika, trisikliese antidepressante, anti-epilepsie middels, alkohol en teofillien oordoserings by volwassenes was beduidend hoer by Hospitaal toelatings as by Vergifsentrum konsultasies. Akute vergiftiging deur paraffien en verwante vlugtige substanse by kinders was beduidend hoer by Hospitaal toelatings as wat gevind is by Inligtingsentrum navrae. Navrae ten opsigte van pestisied vergiftiging, gebruik van dwelmmiddels en blootstelling aan biologiese toksiene was beduidend hoer as by Hospitaal toelatings. Hierdie duidelike kontrasterende data dui daarop dat die tipe navrae wat deur die Tygerberg Vergifinligtingsentrum hanteer word nie noodwendig ‘n weerspieeling van die ware insidensie van akute vergiftiging in die gemeenskap is nie. Daar is 2 hoofredes hiervoor. 1. Onderrapportering by die Inligtingsentrum. Gesondheidverskaffers (dokters, verpleegsters, aptekers ens.) is vertroud met die behandeling van sekere algemene vergiftigings soos byvoorbeeld parasetamol oordosering en paraffien inname. Hulle ag dit derhalwe onnodig om die Sentrum hieroor te konsulteer. Dit lei dus tot onderrapportering. 2. Oorrapportering by die Inligtingsentrum. Die Tygerbergse Vergifinligtingsentrum is bekend vir sy vakkundigheid ten opsigte van blootstelling aan biologiese toksiene (spinnekopbyte, slangbyte, skerpioensteke, plante-en sampioen vergiftigings, ens). Dit is om hierdie rede dat vergiftigings deur biologiese agense, geraporteer aan die Sentrum, ‘n hoer syfer verteenwoordig as wat die werklike insidensie ten opsigte van die vergiftigings is. Hierdie studie toon dat vergifinligtingsentrum data nie noodwendig ‘n indikator van die ware insidensie van akute vergiftigings in die gemeenskap is nie. Dit is dus belangrik dat hospitaaltoelatingsdata asook data van primere gesondheidsklinieke ingesluit word om sodoende ‘n beter beeld te verkry van die ware insidensie van akute vergiftigings. ‘n Opmerklike bevinding tydens die studie was die hoe insidensie van doelbewuste geneesmiddel oordosering by volwasse vroue, met veral parasetamol as die middel van keuse. Programme wat fokus op die voorkoming van akute vergiftigings in volwassenes het dringende aandag nodig.

Magister Public Health - MPH (Public Health)
Diabetes is a serious public health problem accounting for the second highest cause of death in South Africa in 2015. Poor diabetic control causes various micro- and macro-vascular conditions of which management is expensive and ultimately results in a poor quality of life and death. Globally, less than one third of the population attains diabetes control of an HbA1c of less than 7%. However, little is known about the extent of control in South Africa.

In current turbulent times, sustainable relationships hinge on the mutual understanding created by a clear communication strategy between a business unit and its stakeholders. The purpose of this research was to develop a corporate communication strategy model for the University of Pretoria Centre for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP CSMC). Purposive sample testing was conducted to determine the stakeholder perceptions of the main variables of this study, being: communication management, social media, stakeholder relationships and the corporate communication strategy. Objectives were achieved, the hypotheses stated duly tested and the results applied towards the development of a conceptual framework for a more formal and sustainable corporate communication strategy with a specific focus on communication about science related matters. This study contributes to effective stakeholder communication between the organisation and its stakeholders through the introduction of communication mediums like social media and traditional media. This research proposes a corporate communication strategy with integrated social media platforms, which helps organisations manage the relationships with their stakeholders. It suggests that when communicating about science, the UP CSMC should aim to communicate through different forms of interpersonal communication such as one-on-one engagements, events, seminars, exhibitions and other presentations. The Centre's corporate communication strategy should also include objectives to improve communication about science through interpersonal communication with stakeholders. The new model proposes concepts that focus on an analysis of the environment, identification of strategic issues, development of communication hierarchy, communicating an effective communication strategy, developing a strategic communication plan and monitoring complete embedment. The new proposed model is founded on an empirical study that comprises a descriptive study based on 45 developed questionnaires developed specifically for this study and answered by stakeholders of the UP CSMC. The standard corporate communication model presented by Steyn and Puth (2000) was analysed, evaluated and tailored to fit the organisation's requirements. The proposed model developed in this study includes critical components relevant to the establishment and maintenance of sustainable relationships and can be adopted by any organisation with similar communication challenges as covered in this study.
Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2016.
Communication Management
MCom
Unrestricted

Certain natural phenomena have been identified as having fractal properties in their patterns. That is, their seemingly random patterns contain a level of order and deterministic properties that are more complex than previously thought. Centre of Pressure (COP) traces are one of these phenomena. By using a fractal dimension analysis of COP, it is possible that we can gain more information about control during quiet stance than traditional analyses have previously allowed. This Thesis considered a group of young healthy participants and a group of elderly healthy participants to compare traditional measures of COP (range and velocity of sway, and total excursion area) against a fractal dimension analysis of COP. Results indicated that both types of analyses are able to distinguish between eyes open and eyes closed in the elderly group. However, the fractal dimension analysis more accurately detects differences between the participant groups when standing with their eyes closed. Based on these results it is suggested that a fractal dimension analysis is more informative about posture control than traditional measures. Recommendations for future research include the development of model that incorporates non-linear properties of control and for further work investigating gait and balance from a dynamical systems perspective.
School of Physical Education

Introduction: Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) is a time-sensitive emergency which requires prompt identification and emergency care in order to reduce morbidity and mortality. The first step in recognising OHCA is rapid identification by the emergency dispatch centre. Identification of such patients remains challenging in South Africa due to multiple languages and widely differing levels of education. This study aimed to identify the key descriptors (words and phrases) of OHCA used by callers speaking Afrikaans when contacting the emergency dispatch centre of the Western Cape Provincial Emergency Medical Services (WC-EMS). Methodology: Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) data with a corresponding “patient unresponsive” incident type were drawn for a 12 month period (January – December 2018). Corresponding patient care records were extracted to verify OHCA. The original voice recordings between the caller and emergency call taker at the time of the emergency were extracted and transcribed verbatim. Transcriptions were subjected to inductive, qualitative content analysis to the manifest level. Descriptors of OHCA in Afrikaans calls were coded, categorised and quantified. Results: A total of 729 confirmed OHCA cases were identified, of which 36 (5%) were in Afrikaans and eligible for analysis. Following content analysis, 83 distinct codes in six categories were identified. The most prevalent categories were descriptors related to Respiratory Effort (apnoea and difficulty in breathing; 30.1%) (30.1%), Clinical Features (related to the eyes, mouth and body temperature; 20.4%) and Cardiac Activity (pulselessness; 16.8%). Conclusion Afrikaans Callers within the Western Cape province of South Africa use consistent descriptors when requesting and ambulance for OHCA. Future studies should focus on describing descriptors for other languages commonly spoken in the province, and to develop and validate telephonic OHCA recognition algorithms.

Dans le cadre de nos travaux, nous avons développé une méthode extrêmement douce et particulièrement efficace d’accès à des γ-butyrolactones possédant un centre stéréogène quaternaire en α à partir d’énols carbonates d’allyle cycliques et exocycliques en utilisant la réaction d’alkylation allylique asymétrique décarboxylante pallado-catalysée (Pd-DAAA). Remarquablement, cette méthode a permis d’étendre l’utilisation de l’allylation asymétrique décarboxylante à des substrats sans précèdent dans la littérature, tels que les énols carbonates allyliques exocycliques. Cette réaction a été utilisée comme étape clé dans la synthèse des spirolactones chirales qui ont été obtenues avec de bons rendements et d’excellentes énantiosélectivités. Une nouvelle méthode catalytique robuste et hautement énantiosélective permettant d’accéder à des isoxazolidinones possédant un centre stéréogène quaternaire en α a été développée. Ce protocole repose sur une alkylation allylique asymétrique catalysée par des complexes de palladium chiraux (Pd-AAA) et amène aux produits désirés avec de bons rendements et d’excellents excès énantiomériques. Par ailleurs, nous avons également mis au point des conditions permettant de convertir ces isoxazolidinones α,α-disubstituées en acides β2,2 aminés et en β-lactames
The development of a palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative allylic alkylation protocol (Pd DAAA) applied to cyclic and exocyclic allyl enol carbonates has allowed a highly enantioselective access to a range of γ butyrolactones bearing an all-carbon α quaternary stereogenic center. Remarkably, this approach allowed the extension of this reaction to substrates with no precedent in the literature, such as the exocyclic allyl enol carbonates. The Pd-DAAA process was eventually used for the synthesis of chiral spirolactones, which were readily obtained in high yields and in high optical purity. The synthesis of different isoxazolidin-5-ones bearing highly stereodefined all carbon α quaternary center was accomplished by palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation (Pd-AAA) of 4 substituted isoxazolidin-5-ones with an array of 2 substituted allyl acetates. The reaction proceeded in both excellent enantioselectivity and yield with isoxazolidin-5-ones containing an α-aryl substituents or an α heteroaryl moieties. This robust and highly enantioselective method allowed the access to valuable β2,2-amino acids and β lactams

Today, many small aerodromes have a hard time surviving economically, and amongst the largest cost is air traffic control. Airlines are cutting costs where they can, and many times this affects the aerodromes as well, e.g. when airlines decide to park remotely instead of at the gate. The project called Remotely Operated Towers, initiated by SESAR and run by Saab and LFV, is aiming to address this problem. The project revolves around remotely providing ATS to aerodromes where it is deemed suitable. A big challenge in this project is how to assign aerodromes to remote tower modules in the remote control centre. There are many ways to do this, but there is only a few ways to do it to achieve the least amount of modules. This thesis aims to find an optimal solution to the challenge mentioned above. The thesis resulted in a model where the user can provide the input of choice, i.e. aerodromes with associated ATS operating hours and movements, for a specific period – and receive the assignment schedule for the modules, saying exactly which aerodrome are to be controlled by which module at what time.

Automated quality control procedures are critical for efficiently obtaining precise quantitative brain imaging-based metrics of in vivo brain pathology. This is especially important for multi-centre clinical trials of therapeutics for multiple sclerosis, in which MRI-derived brain pathology metrics may be used to quantify therapeutic efficacy. Currently, a large number of QC procedures have been developed for scanner maintenance with the idea that optimal scanner performance should produce MRIs with acceptable image quality and, thus, limit the effect of brain pathology measurement errors on quantitative analyses like therapeutic efficacy. Unfortunately these procedures may not be applicable to real subject MRI scans where non-ideal conditions like subject motion during an acquisition exist. The goal of this thesis is to provide an automated QC procedure for brain MRIs acquired in multi-centre clinical trials for multiple sclerosis where image quality is evaluated directly from the acquired MRI itself.
Les procédures automatisées de contrôle de qualité (CQ) sont essentielles afin d'obtenir de manière efficace des mesures précises d'imagerie cérébrale fondées sur la pathologie du cerveau in vivo. Ceci est particulièrement important pour les essais cliniques multicentriques de produits thérapeutiques destinés aux maladies neurologiques, dont les mesures de pathologie cérébrale dérivées des IRMs peuvent être utilisées pour quantifier l'efficacité thérapeutique. Présentement, la littérature met l'accent sur les procédures de CQ pour l'entretien des scanners, en supposant que ce bon entretien du scanner d'IRM produirait une qualité d'image acceptable et, par conséquent, limiterait les erreurs de mesures sur les analyses quantitatives, comme l'efficacité thérapeutique. Malheureusement, ces procédures peuvent ne pas être applicables sur des scans de sujets réels où des conditions non-idéals seraient présents, comme le mouvement du sujet lors d'une prise. L'objectif de cette thèse est de fournir une procédure automatisée de CQ pour les IRM cérébrales acquises lors de plusieurs essais cliniques sur la sclérose en plaques, où la qualité de l'image est évaluée directement à partir de l'IRM elle-même. Cette procédure a été testée, validée et appliquée dans l'industrie.

In recent decades Britain’s economic landscape has shifted from a Fordist manufacturing economy, to a labour market based on intangible forms of service work. Despite initial optimism regarding this shift, many of the replacement service jobs which workers now rely upon reflect instable, intensive and low-paying work realities. This thesis explores how low-end service work is actually experienced, as seen through the eyes of call centre workers based in Glasgow. Glasgow represents a particularly interesting case in this respect, as service work is arguably ill-suited to the traditional skill sets and worker cultures within this old industrial labour market. Despite this apparent mismatch, the thesis contends that workers possess and perform a range of coping strategies and practices that help limit the negative experience of telephone call centre work. Via interviews with workers, and non-participant observation of the call centre labour process across three different call centre settings, the thesis argues that workers can and do foster ‘lives worth living’ through a seemingly mundane, coercive, and low paying form of work. The opening of the thesis positions the research in the expanding sub-discipline of labour geography. While traditional understandings of labour and capital have tended to ignore labour’s ability to think and act, labour geography has emphasised the potential for workers to negotiate with capital through collective forms of (often union-based) ‘resistance’. In addition to resisting capital, the research argues that workers also (and more commonly) demonstrate agency whilst complying with existing structural constraints. This argument is advanced with recourse to studies from the labour process theory (LPT) tradition, in addition to the work of James C. Scott and Cindi Katz. Three main arguments are advanced throughout the thesis. Firstly, and despite the call centre typecast as that of an authoritarian and deskilled setting, it is argued that call centre capital remains responsive to the social and unpredictable nature of workers. In order to realise production, each centre is shown to draw upon the social division of labour in different ways, as well as relying upon ‘soft’ measures of control over and above forms of coercion. This is necessary in order to attain the consent of a productive call centre workforce. Secondly, and inside the labour process itself, call centre workers are shown to exhibit a range of passive and informal coping mechanisms – i.e. forms of agency – which help to improve the experience of call centre work. Crucially, these forms of coping do little to challenge managerial control in a direct sense: and this, in part, explains their effectiveness as a means of getting by. The final point relates to worker rationales behind call centre employment. Here it is argued that the subjective socio-spatial backgrounds of workers impact motivation behind call centre employment. Furthermore, worker backgrounds are shown to ‘carry over’ inside the workplace, further impacting the experience of call centre work. Ultimately pre-existing non-work subjectivities (in particular class, gender, and nationality) are shown to influence the identities that workers forge through call centre employment. By way of conclusion, the thesis attempts to feed these theoretical findings – with particular reference to findings on worker agency – back into the labour geography project.

A question which has arisen clinically is the inability to generate adequate vertical force during the second half of the stance phase in cerebral palsy gait. Neither the mechanism nor the consequences of this inability are understood. It implies that the centre of mass (CoM) is inadequately supported with the potential for collapse of the limb in single support. Normal walking is achieved by the sophisticated control of the neuromuscular and skeletal systems with the purpose of advancing the body with minimum energy expenditure. These control systems are affected by damage to the brain in children with cerebral palsy and result in a multitude of problems which affect their gait making it difficult to determine cause and effect. This study aimed to improve the understanding of the ground reaction forces and motion of the CoM. Objectives The principle objectives were to analyse the supporting forces of the CoM during gait in normal adults, children, and children with diplegic cerebral palsy, by examining the inter-relationships of the vertical and horizontal components of the ground reaction force with the vertical component of motion and temporal parameters of the CoM. Design The study of adults and children’s data was both prospective and retrospective. The study of cerebral palsy data was retrospective. A new software programme was developed to extract specific gait parameters from both normal and cerebral palsy gait patterns. A novel approach to analyse the interaction of motion and force data in normal walking was subsequently developed. Background In normal gait, the vertical component of the ground reaction force forms a double hump where both humps are equal in magnitude and greater than body weight. It is widely accepted that the first hump (FZ1) is associated with deceleration of the downward motion of the CoM as the foot “impacts” the ground and the second hump (FZ2) is the action of “push off” as the body is propelled upwards and forwards. Walking requires force contributions from both legs but traditionally computed three-dimensional (3D) gait analysis packages presents the force data with both legs superimposed, rather than sequentially in time. This gives the impression that there is no period of overlap of the forces and thus ignores the critically important period where the CoM is transferred from one leg to the other during double support. By changing the presentation to view it sequentially in time, plus superimposing the CoM kinematics onto the same scale allowed their interactions to be observed and objectively measured. Methods The kinematic and kinetic data of 53 normal adults, 33 normal children, and 57 diplegic cerebral palsy children were acquired for the study. A new gait cycle, based on CoM motion, was defined to allow analysis of the forces in relation to CoM motion. Software was developed to extract specified parameters from the gait data. Impulse calculations over specific periods (based on the vertical motion of the CoM) allowed analysis of the vertical force contribution of each leg to the vertical support of the CoM. Results The results showed that inadequate generation of vertical force in children with diplegic cerebral palsy was widespread. In approximately 40% of such children there was a reduced ability to generate an adequate FZ2, which resulted in a reduced ability to control of the descent velocity of the CoM. The mean reduction in descent velocity in cerebral palsy was only 54% compared to 86% in adults. Integration of the vertical force and motion of the CoM showed that FZ2 was associated with controlling the descent velocity of the CoM. This reverses the traditionally accepted concept of “impact” and is contrary to the belief that FZ2 is associated with ‘push off’. Conclusions and Relevance This study emphasises the importance of the role of the supporting leg in the second half of stance. Failure to generate an adequate FZ2, which is currently ignored in clinical practice, should be given priority in patient management. This new knowledge has significant implications from a clinical perspective, not only in diplegic cerebral palsy, but in pathologies such as amputees, spina-bifida, and other neuro-muscular conditions.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in Thailand with around 10% of these women experiencing persistent pain. One third of those are under treated and it is claimed that programmes of self-management may contribute to better managing this pain. However, self-management is a Western concept and it is not clear whether this concept is helpful to Thai people or how it might be conceptualised or how Thai people self-manage their pain. The aim of this study to explore the way in which Thai women with cervical cancer manage their pain with specific reference to the potential for self-management in hospital and at home and how they might be supported in this activity by their family and health professionals. A single embedded case study design was adopted over six months in a regional cancer centre located in the North-East of Thailand. The participants were purposively sampled for the phenomenon under investigation. Six patients with cervical cancer experiencing moderate to severe pain, six identified family caregivers and seven health care providers were 0interviewed and observed. Framework analysis was used to analyse the observational and interview data. The finding revealed six main themes of self-management including problem solving, decision making, information finding and utilisation, forming patient/health care professionals partnership, taking action and, especially, perception. These themes are influenced by Thai family and culture resulting in a revision self-management model for Thais is developed. The model explains relationship between two main aspects, thinking and behaving that people behave self-management. Thinking and behaving influence each other and can be changeable due to the real situation. Factors influence these two aspects including backgrounds of experience, knowledge, and social context of Thailand. Conclusion, the patients developed their ability to self-manage their pain in their everyday life. To improve self-management in Thai patients, the individual circumstance of family and Thai culture are important factors to be aware.

La déformation de torsion que subit un profil aérodynamique a une importance capitale car elle a une influence directe sur la valeur des incidences locales et donc sur la valeur locale des densités de portance et de traînée. L'amélioration des performances aérodynamiques passe donc par la connaissance et la maîtrise de ce vrillage. Cette thèse se propose d'y contribuer. Une des méthodes développées actuellement par de nombreux auteurs consiste à munir le profil d'actionneurs permettant de le déformer en torsion de manière à compenser tout ou partie, voire même contrer, la déformation " naturelle " de la structure. Cette méthode, dite de contrôle actif, est certes très efficace, mais elle présente des limitations car elle nécessite l'introduction d'une quantité d'énergie qui peut être importante. La méthode que nous proposons ici pour maîtriser le vrillage du profil consiste à modifier ses conditions d'équilibre interne. En solidarisant ou en désolidarisant des cloisons à l'intérieur du profil, il est possible de déplacer le centre de torsion des sections du profil sans modifier sa forme extérieure. Ces modifications internes induisent donc une modulation du moment de torsion et donc une modulation du vrillage. Ce processus ne demande que très peu d'énergie. A partir d'un profil simple, des simulations ont permis de montrer le potentiel théorique du système proposé. Trois démonstrateurs, de complexité croissante, ont également été réalisés pour évaluer les capacités du contrôle " réactif " de la torsion. La technique a été validée par la deuxième démonstration. Malheureusement, le troisième démonstrateur, beaucoup plus complexe, n'a pas permis, à l'heure actuelle, d'obtenir la validation finale.

This thesis asks the question: how do organisational activities become valuable? This is one of the most central questions in organisational life. Members and students of organisations devote a great deal of time pondering what activities and strategies organisations should pursue. They tackle practical questions such as what performance measures and standards to use in the evaluation of people and activities, which products to bring to market, and how to define a valuable balance sheet. The thesis investigates how organisations deal with such questions, and how organisational activities become valuable in practice. The question of how organisational activities become valuable is addressed using a three-part longitudinal case study in a listed multinational manufacturing company. In particular, the study traces the multiple and changing valuations of three central organisational activities: corporate strategy, product development and production. Drawing on recent work within the technological turn in economic sociology, the analysis uses the concept of framing to explain how calculative agencies emerge and valuations change. It is argued that this conceptualisation of how organisational activities become valuable has implications for established theoretical understandings of the relationship between accounting, control and value in the social studies of accounting. The thesis argues for an alternative understanding of how economic calculations are performed and control is exercised in practice. In particular, it proposes an approach for how to make questions of value the focus of analysis in accounting research, without taking the vantage point of any implied centre.

Diss. Stockholm :  Stockholm School of Economics, 2015

Background: Women not using contraception despite risk of unintended pregnancy make up a significant proportion of those who have terminations of pregnancy. This group is also described as contraceptive risk-takers. Prevalence of contraceptive risk-taking in Australia is not known but studies in other countries have found prevalence to be between 5 and 14%. Previous studies in other countries have found young age, belonging to a minority population, being parous, having a previous unintended pregnancy and not engaging in health promoting behaviours to be significant risk factors. Aim: This study aims to assess the prevalence of and to identify characteristics predicting contraceptive risk—taking in women attending Sydney Sexual Health Centre (SSHC), allowing clinicians to opportunistically address the contraceptive requirements of these women. Method: This is a case control study using data from the Sydney Sexual Health Centre database collected between March 1991 and December 1998. 584 contraceptive risk-takers were compared with 584 controls for 19 variables. Initially 29 variables were considered for possible analysis. Ten per cent of case notes were randomly selected to test data entry accuracy. Ten variables were excluded from analysis after case note review, including those related to parity and previous termination. Of the 19 remaining variables, six were excluded after univariate analysis, and a further seven after multivariate analysis using logistic regression. Results: Prevalence of contraceptive risk-taking among women attending SSHC between 1991 and 1998 was 4%. This is marginally lower than reported in other populations, probably due to a stringent definition of contraceptive risk-taking. Female first attenders at Sydney Sexual Health Centre between March 1991 and December 1998 were more likely to be using no contraception despite risk of unintended pregnancy if they were 35 years or older, spoke a language other than English at home, had never had a Pap smear, were intravenous drug users, had not always used condoms for anal or vaginal sex for the last three months, or were currently pregnant or unsure if they were pregnant. Conclusion: The internal validity of this study is compromised by the exclusion of important variables due to inadequate data, and the inclusion of two possibly confounding variables. However, the results are consistent with previous studies, and at least one new group (intravenous drug users) was identified as at risk. These results can be generalised to'young populations similar to those attending Sexual Health Clinics (SHCs), where women 35 years or older are at particularly increased risk. SHCs should opportunistically address the contraceptive needs of contraceptive risk-takers who may be attending for other reasons. Various methods can be used to reduce the “costs” of contraception for contraceptive risk-takers, including provision of drop—in appointments, free services and contraceptive supplies, including emergency contraception, staff skilled in contraceptive prescription and good follow up arrangements. Sexual Health Clinics could use outreach services to address contraceptive requirements of IV drug users and women who speak a language other than English at home.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis presents the development of an adaptive longitudinal control system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The project forms part of a research effort at Stellenbosch University into different fault-tolerant control techniques for UAVs. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of fault-tolerant adaptive control, the control system was designed to handle damage-induced longitudinal shifts in the centre of gravity (CG) of the aircraft, which are known to have a dramatic effect on the stability of a fixed-wing aircraft. Using a simplified force and moment model, equations were derived which model the effect of longitudinal CG shifts on the behaviour of the aircraft. A linear analysis of the longitudinal dynamics using these equations showed that the short period mode can become unstable for backward CG shifts. An adaptive pitch rate controller with the model reference adaptive control structure was designed to re-stabilise the short period mode when the CG shifts backwards. The adaptive law was designed using Lyapunov stability theory. Airspeed, climb rate and altitude controllers were designed around the pitch rate controller to allow full autonomous control of the longitudinal dynamics of the UAV. These outer loops were designed with constant parameters, since they would be unaffected by CG shifts if the adaptive pitch rate controller performed as desired. Pure software simulations as well as hardware-in-the-loop simulations showed that the adaptive control system is able to handle instantaneous shifts in the centre of gravity which would destabilise a fixed-gain control system. These simulation results were validated in flight tests, where the aircraft was destabilised using positive feedback and re-stabilised by the adaptive control system. Thus the simulation and flight test results showed that an adaptive control can re-stabilise an unstable aircraft without explicit knowledge of the change in the aircraft dynamics, and therefore could be effective as part of an integrated fault-tolerant control system.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis bied die ontwikkeling aan van ’n aanpassende longitudinale beheerstelsel vir ’n onbemande vliegtuig. Die projek is deel van navorsing by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch oor verskillende fout-tolerante beheertegnieke vir onbemande vliegtuie. Om die doeltreffendheid van aanpassende beheer te demonstreer, is die beheerstelsel ontwerp om situasies te kan hanteer waar die vliegtuig só beskadig word dat sy massamiddelpunt agtertoe skuif, wat ’n groot invloed op die stabiliteit van ’n vastevlerk-vliegtuig kan hê. ’n Vereenvoudigde model van die kragte en momente wat op die vliegtuig inwerk is gebruik om vergelykings af te lei wat beskryf hoe die gedrag van die vliegtuig verander as die massamiddelpunt agtertoe verskuif. Hierdie vergelykings is gebruik in ’n lineêre analise van die longitudinale dinamika van die vliegtuig, wat getoon het dat die kortperiode-modus onstabiel kan raak as die massamiddelpunt agtertoe verskuif. ’n Aanpassende heitempobeheerder met die modelverwysings-aanpassende beheerstruktuur is ontwerp om die kortperiode-modus weer te stabiliseer wanneer die massamiddelpunt agtertoe verskuif. Die aanpassingswet is ontwerp deur die gebruik van Lyapunov se stabiliteitsteorie. Lugspoed-, klimtempo- en hoogtebeheerders is rondom die aanpassende heitempobeheerder ontwerp sodat die longitudinale dinamika van die vliegtuig heeltemal outonoom beheer kan word. Hierdie buitelusse is ontwerp met vaste parameters, aangesien hulle nie geraak sal word deur verskuiwings in die massamiddelpunt as die aanpassende heitempobeheerder na wense werk nie. Suiwer sagteware-simulasies, sowel as hardeware-in-die-lus-simulasies, het getoon dat die aanpassende beheerstelsel oombliklike verskuiwings in die massamiddelpunt goed kan hanteer, waar sulke verskuiwings ’n beheerstelsel met vaste parameters onstabiel sou maak. Hierdie simulasie-resultate is bevestig deur vlugtoetse te doen, waar die vliegtuig onstabiel gemaak is deur positiewe terugvoer, en weer deur die aanpassende beheerstelsel stabiel gemaak is. Die simulasie- en vlugtoetsresultate wys dus dat aanpassende beheer ’n onstabiele vliegtuig weer kan stabiliseer sonder eksplisiete kennis van die veranderinge in die dinamika van die vliegtuig. Aanpassende beheer kan dus doeltreffend wees as deel van ’n geïntegreerde fout-tolerante beheerstelsel.

Le suivi longitudinal individuel, dont l'objectif est de suivre l'évolution de l'état d'un individu au cours du temps, est au cœur de nombreuses problématiques de santé publique, particulièrement dans le domaine de la prévention médicale. L'accès croissant à des capteurs non invasifs permettant de mesurer divers bio-signaux (glycémie, fréquence cardiaque, mouvements des yeux, etc.) a encouragé la quantification de la physiologie, de la sensorimotricité ou du comportement humain dans le but de construire des marqueurs pour le suivi individuel. Cet objectif soulève toutefois plusieurs difficultés liées à la modélisation des signaux. Ce type particulier de données est en effet complexe à interpréter tel quel, et, a fortiori, à comparer au cours du temps. Dans cette thèse nous étudions la question de la représentation interprétable des bio-signaux pour le suivi longitudinal à travers la problématique du suivi de l'équilibre en consultation médicale. Cette problématique a des implications déterminantes dans la prévention des chutes et de la fragilité chez les personnes âgées. Nous nous focalisons en particulier sur l'utilisation des plateformes de force, qui sont communément utilisées pour enregistrer des mesures de posturographie, et peuvent être facilement déployées dans le contexte clinique grâce au développement de plateformes peu onéreuses comme la Wii Balance Board. Pour cette application particulière, nous étudions les avantages et les inconvénients de l'utilisation de méthodes d'extraction de caractéristiques ou de la recherche d'un modèle génératif des trajectoires. Nos contributions incluent premièrement la revue et l'étude d'un large ensemble de variables qui sont utilisées pour évaluer le risque de chute chez les personnes âgées, dérivées de la trajectoire du centre de pression (CoP). Ce signal est couramment analysé dans la littérature clinique pour inférer des informations sur le contrôle de l'équilibre. Ensuite, nous développons un nouveau modèle génératif, "Total Recall", basé sur un précédent modèle stochastique du CoP, qui s'est avéré reproduire plusieurs caractéristiques des trajectoires mais n'intègre pas la dynamique entre le CoP et le centre de masse (CoM) -- une dynamique considérée centrale dans le contrôle moteur de la posture. Par ailleurs, la comparaison des méthodes fréquemment utilisées pour l'estimation du CoM en équilibre statique debout permet de conclure qu'il est possible d'obtenir une estimation précise avec la Wii Balance Board. Les résultats montrent la pertinence potentielle du modèle Total Recall pour le suivi longitudinal du contrôle postural dans un contexte clinique. Dans l'ensemble, nous soulignons l'avantage d'utiliser des modèles génératifs, tout en mettant en évidence la complémentarité des deux approches, extraction de caractéristiques et modèles génératifs. En outre, cette thèse s'intéresse à l'apprentissage de représentations sur des données labellisées et adaptées à un objectif particulier de suivi. Nous introduisons de nouveaux algorithmes de classification qui tirent avantage des connaissances a priori pour améliorer les performances tout en conservant une interprétabilité complète. Notre approche s'appuie sur des algorithmes intrinsèquement interprétables et une régularisation sur l'espace des modèles basée sur des heuristiques médicales. Cette méthode est appliquée à la quantification du risque de chute et de la fragilité. Cette thèse défend l'importance de la recherche de méthodes interprétables, conçues pour des applications spécifiques et intégrant des a-priori fondés sur des connaissances expertes. Ces approches montrent des résultats positifs pour l'intégration des bio-signaux sélectionnés et de méthodes d'apprentissage statistique dans le cadre du suivi longitudinal du contrôle postural
Individual longitudinal follow-up, which aims at following the evolution of an individual state in time, is at the heart of numerous public health issues, particularly in the field of medical prevention. The increasing availability of non-invasive sensors that record various biosignals (e.g., blood glucose, heart rate, eye movements), has encouraged the quantification of human physiology, sensorimotricity, or behavior with the purpose of deriving markers for individual follow-up. This objective raises however several challenges related to signal modelling. Indeed, this particular type of data is complex to interpret, and, a fortiori, to compare across time. This thesis studies the issue of extracting interpretable representations from biosignals through the problematic of balance control follow-up in medical consultation, which has crucial implications for the prevention of falls and frailty in older adults. We focus in particular on the use of force platforms, which are commonly used to record posturography measures, and can be easily deployed in the clinical setting thanks to the development of low cost platforms such as the Wii Balance Board. For this particular application, we investigate the pros and cons of using feature extraction methods or alternatively searching for a generative model of the trajectories. Our contributions include first the review and study of a wide range of state-of-the-art variables that are used to assess fall risk in older adults, derived from the center of pressure (CoP) trajectory. This signal is commonly analyzed in the clinical literature to infer information about balance control. Secondly, we develop a new generative model, ``Total Recall'', based on a previous stochastic model of the CoP, which has shown to reproduce several characteristics of the trajectories but does not integrate the dynamic between the CoP and the center of mass (CoM) -- a dynamic which is considered to be central in postural control. We also review and compare the main methods of estimation of the CoM in quiet standing and conclude that it is possible to obtain an accurate estimation using the Wii Balance Board. The results show the potential relevance of the Total Recall model for the longitudinal follow-up of postural control in a clinical setting. Overall, we highlight the benefit of using generative models, while pointing out the complementarity of features-based and generative-based approachs. Furthermore, this thesis is interested in introducing representations learned on labeled data and tailored for a particular objective of follow-up. We propose new classification algorithms that take advantage of a priori knowledge to improve performances while maintaining complete interpretability. Our approach relies on bagging-based algorithms that are intrinsically interpretable, and a model-space regularization based on medical heuristics. The method is applied to the quantification of fall risk and frailty. This dissertation argues for the importance of researching interpretable methods, designed for specific applications, and incorporating a-priori based on expert knowledge. This approach shows positive results for the integration of the selected biosignals and statistical learning methods in the longitudinal follow-up of postural control. The results encourage the continuation of this work, the further development of the methods, especially in the context of other types of follow-up such as continuous monitoring, and the extension to the study of new biosignals

Cette thèse présente les résultats obtenus dans le cadre de mes recherches au CERN (Centre Européen pour le Recherche Nucléaire). Elle traite de l’intégration d’algorithmes de contrôles avancés pour les 21 installations à Gaz du nouvel accélérateur de particules, le LHC (Large Hadron Collider). La démarche s’inscrit dans le choix stratégique du projet appelé GCS (Gas Control System) : produire l’ensemble des systèmes de contrôle-commande par des déclinaisons récursives de production automatique des applications. Les équipements de contrôles prévus à cet effet sont des automates programmables industriels et des systèmes de supervisions industrielles. Dans ce contexte, certains algorithmes de contrôles avancés se démarquent par leur capacité à s’adapter à ces exigences : le prédicteur de Smith (compensation des retards), les méthodes prédictives (robustesses et réglages conviviaux), le contrôleur RST (structure ouverte et résolution polynomiale) et les identifications paramétriques en ligne (utilisation des modèles de comportements). Les travaux s’articulent en quatre points. Le premier traite de la synthèse des stratégies d’identification et de régulations avancées dans un automate programmable industriel. Le deuxième exprime la validité d’implémentation. Le troisième développe la systématisation d’utilisation d’algorithmes de régulation, dans un projet empreint de deux méthodologies de réalisations innovantes : un framework de développement et une réalisation dirigée par les modèles. Enfin le quatrième s’attache à fournir aux experts de processus à gaz, une interface standard permettant l’utilisation efficace des algorithmes de régulation avancée
This thesis highlights my final research results at CERN (European Nuclear Research Center). It deals with advanced control algorithms integrated for the 21 Gas System installations of the new particles accelerator named LHC (Large Hadron Collider). The process is enclosed into the strategic GCS project (Gas Control System): producing the overall control systems by recursive declinations via an automation production application. The controls equipments engage are industrials Programmable Logic Controllers combine with SCADA systems (System Control And Data Acquisition). In this context some advanced control algorithms are well adapted by its capability to comply with these typical needs: the Smith Predictor (dead time compensation), the predictive methods (robustness and convivial tuning), the RST controller (open structure and polynomial resolution) and the online parametric identification methods. The work presented is structured in four points. First, it deals with the synthesis of advanced control loop and identification methods for an industrial Programmable Logic Controller. Second, it exposes the implementation validity. Third, it develops the systemic use of advanced control loops in a large scale project build with two innovative methodologies: a framework of development and a model driven realization. Fourth, it concludes by providing to the Gas process experts a standard interface allowing an efficient use of advanced control algorithms

The primary goal of this work was to investigate an organisation’s readiness to adopt a new innovation. A framework was developed by combining two well-known frameworks, Diusion of Innovation (DOI) and Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE). The frameworks were chosen to give a holistic view of the factors determin- ing an organisation’s propensity to incorporate new technology. The innovation dis- cussed in this thesis is a Role-based Access control (RBAC) in the physical setting of a data centre. The research is designed as a case study and was carried out at the data centre group at the Swedish Police Authority. The empirical data was gathered through both unstructured and semi-structured interviews, as well as observations made at the site. The collected data was analysed using a developed composite framework. The findings corroborates previous research conclusions that TOE and DOI are compatible and complementary. The results indicate that while RBAC would not resolve certain challenges within a data centre, it could arguably simplify certain aspects related to access management.
Detta arbetes huvudsaklig mål var att undersöka hur en organisations förmåga att införliva innovation. Ett ramverk utvecklades genom att kombinera tvåvälkända ramverk, Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) och Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE). Ramverken valdes för att ge en holistisk bild av faktorerna som styr en organisations benägenhet att anta ny teknologi. Innovationen som studeras i detta arbete är rollbaserad åtkomstkontroll i miljön av ett datacenter. Studien är designad som en fältstudie och genomfördes hos datacentergruppen på Polismyndigheten. Den empiriska datan samlades in genom ostrukturerade och semistrukturerade intervjuer, samt observationer påplats. Datan analyserades med hjälp av ett utvecklat sammansatt ramverk. Resultatet underbygger tidigare forsknings slutsatser att TOE och DOI är kompatibla och komplementära. Resultatet visar att rollbaserad åtkomstkontroll inte adresserar vissa utmaningar inom ett datacenter, men att det förenklar en del aspekter gällande hantering av accesser.

La question principale de cette thèse peut être formulée ainsi : Comment les discours, normes et pratiques spatiales peuvent, dans le cadre d’une relation inter-organisationnelle, produire un bon comportement spatial des agents dans une relation de délégation ? Ancré en management stratégique, notre cadre théorique mobilise des approches issues de la géographie et le concept foucaldien de dispositif. La méthodologie de recherche déployée repose sur une étude de cas unique portant sur la gestion de la santé en région Centre-Val-de-Loire. L’analyse du matériau empirique fait ressortir la création d’une chaîne d’auto-régulation inter-organisationnelle permettant de propager ce dispositif reposant sur trois types d’espace, absolu, relatif et relationnel en donnant l’illusion à chacun des maillons qu’il est responsable de ses actions. Nous mettons aussi en évidence le caractère autonome du dispositif qui produit à la fois des marges de manœuvres pour les acteurs et des résultats parfois contre-productifs vis-à-vis de la politique initialement portée par le mandant
The main question of this thesis can be formulated as follows: How can discourses, norms and spatial practices, in the context of inter-organisational relations, produce good spatial conduct of agents in a relation of delegation? Rooted in strategic management, our theoretical framework mobilise approaches from the domain of geography and the Foucauldian notion of dispositif. The methodology we used is based on a unique case study: the health system in the region of Centre-Valde- Loire. The analysis of the empirical material shows the creation of an inter-organisational self-regulation chain, enabling the dissemination of this dispositif based on three types of space (absolute, relative and relational) by giving the illusion to each one of these links that he is responsible for his actions. We also highlight the independent nature of the dispositif that can create room for manoeuvre for actors as well as results that are sometimes counter-productive with regard to the original policies of the mandator

Despite their continuing importance to the UK economy and their employment of significant numbers of workers from a range of professions, the utilities have received scant attention from critical scholars of work. This neglect represents a missed opportunity to examine the impact of nearly twenty years of privatisation and marketisation on workers, their jobs and their unions. This thesis aims to make a contribution to knowledge here by investigating, contextualising and explaining changes in the labour processes of a privatised utility in the United Kingdom. The research is informed by oral history methods and techniques, rarely adopted in industrial sociology, and here used alongside labour process theory to reconstruct past experiences of work. Drawing on qualitative data sets, from in-depth interviews with a cohort of employees who worked continuously over three decades at the research site, British Gas’s Granton House, and on extensive company and trade union documentary evidence the research demonstrates how British Gas responded to restrictive regulation and the need to deliver shareholder value by transforming pre-existing forms of work organisation through introducing call centres. The call centre provided the opportunity for management to regain control over the labour process, intensify work and reduce costs. In doing so, the study identifies the principal drivers of organisational change, documents the process of change evaluates the impact on workers’ experience. Thus, as a corrective to much recent labour process theory the research offers both an ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’ account of change over an extended time. The contrast between workers’ experience of working in the clerical departments and in the call centre could not be starker. Almost every element of work from which workers derived satisfaction and purpose was abruptly dismantled. In their place workers had to endure the restrictive and controlling nature of call centre work. The relative absence of resistance to such a transformation is shown to be a consequence of failures in collective organisation, rather than the totalisation of managerial control, as the postmodernists and Foucauldians would have it.

Ces travaux de thèse ont consisté en la conception, la préparation et l’utilisation de nouvelles cages hémicyptophanes en tant que ligands supramoléculaires pour la coordination de métaux en milieu confiné. En particulier, nous nous sommes intéressés au développement de nouvelles méthodes pour l’obtention (i) de complexes énantiopures présentant une hélicité controllée et (ii) de nouveaux catalyseurs confinés plus efficaces et sélectifs. La première partie de ce travail consiste en une étude bibliographique sur (i) la synthèse et les applications des hémicryptophanes en reconnaissance et catalyse et (ii) les examples récents de transfert de chiralité au sein de cages tripodes. Ensuite nos résultats sur le transfert de chiralité au sein d’un nouvel hémicryptophane permettant de contrôler l’hélicité du ligand TPA (et des complexes de cuivre correspondant), seront décrits. Nous avons ensuite étudié un nouvel hémicryptophane basé sur le ligand TBTA pour la catalyse de réactions de cycloadditions catalysée au cuivre, en milieu confiné. Enfin, nous avons préparé une nouvelle cage présentant deux sites de coordination au sein d’une cavité unique dans le but de mimer la structure du site actif des enzymes methane monooxygenases
The main goal of this thesis was to design, prepare and applied new hemicryptophane cages as supramolecular ligand for metal coordination in confined space. In particular, this work aimed at developping new method for the obtention of (i) enantiopures complexes with controlled helicity and (ii) new confined catalyst with enhanced efficiency and selectivity. The first part consist in a comprehensive literrature review about (i) history of the development of such cage compounds, as well as their applications in recognition and catalysis and (ii) recent examples of control and transfer of chirality within tripodal cages. Then, results about how chirality transfer in a new hemicryptophane can controls the propeller arrangement of the tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine ligand and its corresponding copper-complex will be discussed. We then studied new TBTA-based hemicryptophane cages as new ligands for copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) in confined space. Finally, new hemicryptophane cages displaying two metal binding-sites in a single cavity have been developed aiming at reproducing the key structure of methane monooxygenases enzymes

Cette thèse étudie la période de transition associée à l’externalisation d’une activité d’une organisation vers une autre et a pour objectif de décrire la manière dont un dispositif de contrôle hybride entre marché et hiérarchie émerge au cours de cette période. Pour ce faire, nous nous sommes appuyé sur une étude in situ de quinze mois d’un projet mondial d’externalisation de l’activité IT d’un client auprès de trois centres de services mutualisés d’un prestataire. La description du terrain s’articule autour de deux voies de passage conceptuelles ancrées dans l’Actor Network Theory. La première propose de partir de la Théorie des Coûts de Transaction pour aller vers une « économie des coûts de traduction ». La seconde avance le concept d’accumulation de petits points de contrôle fondée sur l’étude d’un « contrôle en train de se faire » (Vosselman & Van der Meer-Kooistra, 2006). La description de la phase de transition émet l’idée que les coûts de traduction et l’accumulation de petits points de contrôle forment un « registre en double » permettant de tracer le mouvement de co-construction de la prestation de services et du dispositif de contrôle associé. Au cours de cette période, les faits locaux furent circonscrits par l’équipe projet pour les ramener au sein du centre de services mutualisés. Ce travail permit d’amorcer un cycle d’accumulation des connaissances. Ce mouvement rendit progressivement le projet et la prestation de services plus réels, mais au prix d’un éloignement irrémédiable avec ce qui avait été spécifié dans le contrat. Dorénavant, le coût pour agir à distance était réduit et le centre de services mutualisés pouvait a priori être considéré comme un dispositif « économe ». Cependant, le processus d’externalisation conduisit à une transformation profonde de l’activité externalisée et de l’identité des différents groupes d’acteurs associés. La comparaison entre les deux situations, avant et après l’externalisation, était rendue complexe du fait de l’existence des coûts de traduction inhérents au passage du contrat au dispositif sociotechnique nécessaire à la réalisation de la prestation de services
This dissertation is dedicated to the transition period related to the outsourcing of an activity from an organization to another one. Its objective is to describe the emergence of a hybrid control device between market and hierarchy. We studied during 15 months a global IT outsourcing project from a client to three customers’ shared service centers. The field analysis is based on two “conceptual ways” grounded in Actor Network Theory. The first moves from Transaction Cost Economics to “Translation Cost Economy”. The second one puts forward the concept of small points of control accumulation responding to Vosselman & Van der Meer-Kooistra’s call to investigate “control in the making” (2006). The transition phase shed light on the proposition that costs of translation and small points of control accumulation created a “double register” tracing the movement of services co-construction and the related control device emergence. The local facts were framed by the project team and brought into one of the shared IT service center. An accumulation cycle of knowledge was running. This movement made both the project and the service actual but at the cost of translating the initial service defined by the contract. The price to act at distance was reduced and the shared IT service center could be considered as “economic”. However, the outsourcing process led to a transformation of the IT activity and modified the identity of the groups of actors. The comparison between the two situations, before and after outsourcing, was made difficult because of translation costs inherent to the transformation of the contract into a socio-technical device implemented to deliver the service

Hem estructurat aquesta tesi seguint l'esquema clàssic que combina els aspectes descriptius, analítics, i prescriptius.
Inicialment doncs, tractem la naturalesa del concepte d'avantatge competitiu a través dels processos competitius que ens permeten assolir aquest avantatge. Aquest és el pas previ per entrar a descriure breument un dels conceptes clau d'aquesta tesi com és la innovació, entesa com l'element que ens permet detectar la generació de valor empresarial, a través de procés de generació de coneixement i aprenentatge col·lectiu.
Aquest procés d'innovació present en teories competitives basades en el territori com ara els districtes industrials, clusters, o sistemes d'innovació, entre altres, creiem que es veu recolzat a través de l'anàlisi de xarxes socials enteses com les relacions establertes entre dos o més elements.
Seguidament entrarem a analitzar des de l'òptica turística tots aquests aspectes, fent especial atenció a la incidència de la innovació i les xarxes relacionals en les destinacions turístiques, aquestes darreres enteses com la unitat d'anàlisi idònia degut a que engloba l'element relacional i territorial del turisme al igual que un cert grau d'homogeneïtzació entre els agents que les conformen.
És doncs el concepte de sistemes locals d'innovació turístics (SLIT), el que ens permet casar l'anàlisi del turisme, la innovació, les xarxes socials, i la destinació, i és aquest el model conceptual que aportem com a eina per a l'anàlisi de la capacitat d'innovació de les destinacions turístiques.
Finalment, i per tal d'il·lustrar el model i l'eina d'aplicació, observem i analitzem el cas de la Costa Brava Centre, a través dels aspectes relacionals mencionats per a posteriorment obtenir-ne els resultats que ens permetin realitzar les prescripcions pertinents per tal de ser utilitzades per els gestors i planificadors de la destinació, al igual que per als agents individuals de la mateixa.

Este estudo teve como principal objectivo caracterizar o perfil de controlo postural em idosos, através de métodos clássicos. Foi constituída uma amostra de 75 pessoas com idade média de 68 anos ±6 anos, 40 elementos são praticantes de exercício físico e 35 elementos são não praticantes de exercício físico. A avaliação do controlo postural foi realizada pela caracterização do comportamento corporal-oscilação, através de uma observação quantitativa recorrendo à posturografia estática numa plataforma de forças a partir do Centro de Pressão (CP). De acordo com o CP é possível estabelecer duas orientações (ap- anteroposterior e ml- médio lateral). Com os valores do CP, foi possível calcular medidas, observáveis em estabilograma, recorrendo a fórmulas no ambiente MATLAB. As medidas obtidas foram variáveis normalmente designadas como clássicas, são exemplo o Deslocamento da Oscilação total (DOT), Root Mean square (RMS), Amplitude do deslocamento (ACP), Velocidade Média (VM), Velocidade Média Total (VMT), Area, Frequência Média (FM) e análise de frequências espectral com Frequência de Pico, Fequência a 50% da potência do espectro e a 80% da potência do espectro. Após análise de dados conclui-se que existem diferenças significativas entre Olhos abertos/Olhos fechados, nas medidas de oscilação médio-lateral. Entre praticantes e não praticantes registaram-se diferenças significativas no deslocamento de oscilação total- DOT, na amplitude do deslocamento ACP ml, na área no plano ml, na VM OF, na VMT de OF na Freq Média OF na Fpico OF e na F80 OF. A prática de Tai-Chi , em pisos irregulares e nível de AF parecem influenciar o perfil de controlo postural em idosos; ABSTRACT:This study's main objective was to characterize the profile of postural control in elderly through traditional methods. A sample of 75 people aged 68 years mean ± 6 years, according to the WHO considered old youth. 40 elements in the sample are regular practitioners of a structured physical activity programs and 35 elements are not engaged in structured physical activity. Data were collected on a platform of forces, through the CoP, in accordance with guidance from the volunteer. Signs of the platform and formula CoP anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML), calculated and transformed the data into action, observable in stabilogram using formulas in MATLAB. The variables analyzed were the total displacement of the oscillation (DOT), root mean square (RMS) amplitude of displacement (ACP), Average Speed (VM), Total Average Speed (VMT), Area, Average Frequency (FM) and analysis of frequency spectral peak frequency, frequency at 50% of the power spectrum and 80% of the power spectrum. After data analysis it is concluded that significant differences exist between Eyes open / Eyes closed, in measures of medio lateral oscillation between practice and not structured in the practice of PA in total displacement of oscillation-DOT, the amplitude of the displacement ACP ml, in Area in the ml plane, the VM EC (Eyes Closed), VMT EC (Eyes Closed) at Frequency Average EC at FPico EC and F80 EC. The practice of Tai Chi on uneven surfaces and level of PA appear to influence the profile of postural control in the elderly.

Derzeit sind automatisierte Shuttlebusse beim Einsatz auf einen Operator an Bord angewiesen. Damit sich dies nicht erst beim vollständig autonomen Fahren ändert, bedarf es weiterer Lösungsansätze. Eine Möglichkeit ist die Überwachung der Busse aus einer Betriebsleitstelle. Allerdings können mit den Betriebsleitstellen von Verkehrsgesellschaften nach heutigem technologischem Stand keine Fahrfunktionen übernommen werden. Um diese Forschungslücke zu schließen, wurde im Rahmen dieses Beitrags ein Mockup für eine Betriebsleitstelle von automatisierten Shuttlebussen entwickelt. Das Hauptaugenmerk bei der Konzeption dieses Interfaces liegt in der Anforderungsanalyse. Zu diesem Zweck wurden Experten aus Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft eingebunden. Als Ergebnis ist ein Mockup mit einer interaktiven Karte, einer Ereignisliste und einer Ansicht zur Übernahme der Fahrfunktionen entstanden.

Pour les robots marcheurs, c'est à dire bipèdes, quadrupèdes, hexapodes, etc... la notion de stabilité est primordiale. En effet, ces robots possèdent une base flottante sous-actuée : il leur faut prendre appui sur l'environnement pour se mouvoir. Toutefois, cette caractéristique les rend vulnérables: ils peuvent tomber. Il est donc indispensable de pouvoir différencier un mouvement stable d'un mouvement non-stable. Dans cette thèse, la stabilité est considérée du point de vue d'un modèle réduit au Centre de Masse (ou Centre de Gravité). Nous montrons dans un premier temps comment calculer la zone de stabilité de ce modèle dans le cas statique. Bien que cette région soit un objet purement géométrique, nous montrons qu'elle dépend des forces de contact admissibles. Ensuite, nous montrons qu'introduire la notion de robustesse, c'est à dire une marge d'incertitude sur les accélérations (ou les forces de contacts) transforme la forme plane du cas statique en un volume tridimensionnel. Afin de calculer cette forme, nous présentons de nouveaux algorithmes récursifs. Nous appliquons ensuite des algorithmes provenant de l'infographie qui permettent de déformer continûment ces objets géométriques. Cette transformation nous permet d'approximer des changements dans les variables influençant ces formes. Calculer le volume de stabilité explicitement nous permet de découpler les accélérations des positions du CdM, ce qui nous permet de formuler un problème de contrôle prédictif linéaire. Nous proposons aussi une autre formulation linéaire qui, au prix de calculs plus coûteux, permet d'exploiter pleinement la dynamique du robot. Enfin, nous appliquons ces résultats dans une approche hiérarchique qui nous permet de générer des mouvements du corps complet du robot, aussi bien sur une véritable plateforme humanoïde qu'en simulation
In the context of legged robotics, stability (or equilibrium) is of the utmost importance. Indeed, as legged robots have a non-actuated floating base they can fall. To avoid falling, we must be able to tell apart stable from non-stable motion. This thesis approaches stability from a reduced model point-of-view: our main interest is the Center of Mass. We show how to compute stability regions for this reduced model, at first based on purely static stability. Although purely geometrical in nature, we show how they depend on the admissible contact forces. Then, we show that taking into account robustness, in the sense of acceleration (or contact forces) affordances transforms the usual two-dimensional stability region into a three dimensional one. To compute this shape, we introduce novel recursive algorithms. We show how we can apply computer graphics techniques for shape morphing in order to continuously deform the aforementioned regions. This allows us to approximate changes in the parameters of those shapes, but also to interpolate between shapes. Finally, we exploit the effective decoupling offered by the explicit computation of the stability polyhedron to formulate a linear, minimal jerk model-predictive control problem. We also propose another linear MPC problem that exploits more of the available dynamics, but at an increased computational cost. We then adopt a hierarchical approach, and use those CoM results as input to our whole-body controller. Results are demonstrated on real hardware and in simulation

La Topo IV est responsable de la résolution des caténanes formés lors de la réplication du chromosome et joue un rôle essentiel dans la ségrégation des chromosomes. Des études antérieures ont montrées que, les altérations de Topo IV (parEts mutant), entraînent une interaction prolongée entre les chromatides sœurs, entraînant une mauvaise ségrégation et une perte de viabilité. En utilisant la capture de conformation chromosomique (Hi-C) et de microscopie à fluorescence, nous avons montré que l'altération de Topo IV affecte l'organisation de l'ensemble du chromosome. Le phénotype le plus frappant est l'émergence de deux signaux spécifiques à 1,35 Mb et 1,75 Mb. Ces loci peuvent entrer en contact avec n'importe quel locus de la partie proximale de l’origine de réplication du chromosome (cela se manifeste par des motifs caractéristiques sur les cartes de Hi-C, que nous avons appelé « ailes de papillon »). De plus, les cellules mutantes ont montré une perte de contacts dans le macrodomaine Ter, par rapport aux cellules sauvages, suggérant un changement dans l'organisation de celui-ci. Nous avons également observé une augmentation générale des contacts à courte distance le long du génome. Ces observations suggèrent qu'en l'absence de Topo IV, il y a une accumulation de precatenanes dans tout le chromosome, permettant aux loci sur différentes chromatides d'interagir (contact inter-chromosomique). Cette hypothèse est étayée par l'étude de l'interaction entre la Topo IV et la Topo III, qui a montré que la Topo III agit sur les précaténanes à une très courte distance de la fourche de réplication et ne peut pas « atteindre » les précaténanes responsables des ailes de papillon. Nous avons, également montré que la position des ailes de papillon dépend de matS et MatP. Il est intéressant de noter, que le Hi-C du double mutant matP parEts ne présente pas les signaux caractéristiques du simple mutant parEts à la frontière du ter, mais révèle plutôt que le domaine Ter lui-même est capable d’interagir avec des loci distants du chromosome. Ceci suggère que les précaténanes n'ont pas pu passer le site dif probablement à cause du complexe MatP-matS. De plus, des expériences NorFlIP précédentes ont montrés deux sites de liaison à la Topo IV à 1,2 Mb et 1,8 Mb qui ne sont pas clivés et qui s’alignent avec le centre des ailes de papillon. Nous avons ainsi émis l'hypothèse que le complexe matS-MatP et les sites Topo IV définissent un centre de décaténation. Les précaténanes non résolues seraient « attirées » vers ce centre, pour être décaténées avant la division cellulaire. Dans cette hypothèse, la liaison entre le Ter et le divisome (« Ter linkage ») joue un rôle essentiel dans le centre de décaténation car elle empêche les précaténanes de passer par dif. L'absence de Topo IV fonctionnelle va donc perturber le centre de décaténation, se traduisant par une accumulation de précaténanes en bordure du signal du centre estropié et des ailes de papillon sur une matrice Hi-C. Au regard de cette hypothèse, nous avons étudié le rôle de MukB capable de condenser l'ADN, éventuellement par extrusion en boucle, et montré que MukB définit la longueur et la densité des ailes du papillon
Topoisomerase IV, is responsible for the untangling of catenanes that are formed during the replication of the chromosome and has been shown to play an essential role in nucleoid segregation. Previous studies have shown that alterations in Topo IV result in a prolonged interaction between sister chromosomes leading to poor chromosome segregation and a loss in cell viability. Using chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) and fluorescence microscopy, we have shown that the alteration of Topo IV affects the organisation of the entire chromosome. The most striking phenotype is the emergence of two distinct signals at 1.35Mb and 1.75Mb where loci in these regions are able to contact any loci of the origin-proximal part of the chromosome (butterfly wings). Furthermore, when compared to WT cells, the mutant cells showed a loss of contacts within the terminus domain, suggesting a change in the organisation of the ter domain. We also observed a general increase of short-range contacts along the diagonal. This phenotype was only observed in E. coli cells with a circular chromosome that was undergoing replication. Those observations suggest that in the absence of Topo IV, there is an accumulation of precatenanes throughout the chromosome, allowing loci on different siter chromosomes to interact (inter-chromosomal contacts). This hypothesis was further supported when we studied the interplay between Topo IV and Topo III, which showed that Topo III acts on precatenanes at a very short distances from the replication fork and cannot “reach” precatenanes responsible for the butterfly wing signals. We further showed that the butterfly wing positions are dependent on both matS and MatP. Interestingly, Hi-C of the matP parEts double mutant does not display the characteristic signals of the single parEts mutant at the border of the ter, but instead reveals that the ter domain itself is able to contact distant loci of the chromosome. This suggests that the precatenanes were unable to go passed the dif site probably because of the MatP-matS complex. In addition, previous NorFlIP experiments have showen that Topo IV is able to bind but not cleave at two sites positioned at 1.2Mb and 1.8Mb, which align with the centre of the butterfly wings. We thereby hypothesised that the matS-MatP complex and these Topo IV sites define a decatenation hub. Unresolved precatenanes would be “pulled” toward this hub, to be decatenated prior to cell division. In this hypothesis, the Ter linkage plays an essential role in the decatenation hub as it prevents precatenanes from passing through dif. The absence of a functional Topo IV will therefore disturb the decatenation hub, resulting in accumulation of precatenanes at the border of the crippled hub and this is turn would be represented as the butterfly wing signals seen on a Hi-C matrix. In regard to this hypothesis, we investigated the role of MukB that is able to condense the DNA, possibly by loop extrusion, and show that MukB defines the length and density of the butterfly wings

Bakgrund Callcenter- verksamhet har vuxit fram snabbt och utvecklats mycket under de senaste årtionden, både internationellt och i Sverige. Det är en verksamhet som innebär många utmaningar i en ofta komplex arbetsmiljö med höga krav på samverkan inom systemperspektivet Människa - Teknik - Organisation. Arbetsförmedlingen tillhandahåller handläggning per telefon via kundtjänster på sju olika orter i Sverige. Korttidssjukfrånvaron ansågs högre i denna verksamhet än i övriga organisationen och målet var att minska den.   Syfte Huvudsyftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka om det fanns arbetsmiljöfaktorer på Arbetsförmedlingen Kundtjänst som förklarade korttidssjukfrånvaron. Detta genom att tillämpa ett MTO- perspektiv (Människa - Teknik - Organisation).   Metod För att få svar på vår frågeställning tillämpades metodtriangulering genom kvalitativ och kvantitativ datainsamling. En halvdags observation och 16 semistrukturerade intervjuer utfördes på Arbetsförmedlingens kundtjänst i Södertälje och 76 enkäter utfördes på kundtjänsterna i Södertälje och Söderhamn.   Resultat Utifrån resultaten i vår studie gick det inte att se samband mellan fysisk arbetsmiljö, höga krav eller låg kontroll och korttidssjukfrånvaro på grund av arbetet. Det fanns dock en statistiskt signifikant skillnad beträffande vissa frågor om arbetsförhållanden och korttidssjukfrånvaro på grund av arbetet.   Slutsats På de flesta frågor kunde sambandet mellan korttidssjukfrånvaro och fysisk och psykosocial arbetsmiljö inte påvisas. Däremot fanns en statistisk signifikans i några frågor gällande arbetsförhållanden i denna studie. Det fanns således flera faktorer i arbetsmiljön som skulle kunna förbättras och därmed individens upplevelse av arbetsmiljön. Detta kanske kunde bidra till minskad korttidssjukfrånvaro. Trots att det fanns vissa frågor som påvisade en signifikant skillnad mellan arbetsförhållanden och korttidssjukfrånvaro var det svårt att dra slutsatser på grund av studiens design samt att underlaget var litet. Interventioner i systemkomponenterna Människa – Teknik - Organisation kan vara av värde för att minska korttidssjukfrånvaron.

The Postclassic (pre-conquest) Nahua often performed displays of religious devotion. Usually involving stripping victims of their skin, flesh and internal organs, these public, state-sanctioned rites have been understood as astonishing, even exceptional, for their brutality. As a consequence, scholars have focused on human sacrifice at the steps of the Templo Mayor; ritual away from the imperial capital Tenochtitlan has remained very poorly understood. Where attempts have been made to understand regional practices, scholars have generally assumed binary distinctions between central versus periphery or state versus local. Existing studies fail to appreciate Nahua ritual as fluid and dynamic, instead casting ceremonial behaviour across space as unrelated and fundamentally oppositional. Integrating the ethnohistorical and archaeological records, this thesis takes understandings of Nahua ritual in new directions by examining the relationship between the public arena, the sacred landscape and domestic spheres. Crucially, this thesis argues that rituals were sensitive to circumstantial pressures and personal imperatives, across hierarchies,space and time. In so doing, this study suggests a more fluid model for understanding Nahua ritual than binary distinctions can allow. A lack of appreciation for variation or agency in ritual performance has perpetuated the understanding that the Nahua were trapped in a cycle of ferocious ritualism which left little room for critical thought. Using alphabetic, pictorial and archaeological evidence for a rounded perspective, this thesis examines the intersection between official structures and personal agency to question the notion that all Nahuas unthinkingly repeated human sacrifice and other ritual bloodshed. This study argues that the household was a crucial arena for the normalisation of the blood debt which permitted the acceptance of mass public human sacrifice. This thesis finds that, within the Nahua's symbiotic worldview, activities of the temple, mountain and household rituals were mutually supporting. Moreover, it is shown that the Nahuas chose to adapt their rituals throughout the years, to suit individual preferences and environmental circumstances. Taken as a whole, my findings suggest that the Nahuas sought to control their daily existence by adapting rituals to assuage violent and impulsive supernatural forces.

Sammanfattning   Bakgrund Callcenter- verksamhet har vuxit fram snabbt och utvecklats mycket under de senaste årtionden, både internationellt och i Sverige. Det är en verksamhet som innebär många utmaningar i en ofta komplex arbetsmiljö med höga krav på samverkan inom systemperspektivet Människa - Teknik - Organisation. Arbetsförmedlingen tillhandahåller handläggning per telefon via kundtjänster på sju olika orter i Sverige. Korttidssjukfrånvaron ansågs högre i denna verksamhet än i övriga organisationen och målet var att minska den.   Syfte Huvudsyftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka om det fanns arbetsmiljöfaktorer på Arbetsförmedlingen Kundtjänst som förklarade korttidssjukfrånvaron. Detta genom att tillämpa ett MTO- perspektiv (Människa - Teknik - Organisation).   Metod För att få svar på vår frågeställning tillämpades metodtriangulering genom kvalitativ och kvantitativ datainsamling. En halvdags observation och 16 semistrukturerade intervjuer utfördes på Arbetsförmedlingens kundtjänst i Södertälje och 76 enkäter utfördes på kundtjänsterna i Södertälje och Söderhamn.   Resultat Utifrån resultaten i vår studie gick det inte att se samband mellan fysisk arbetsmiljö, höga krav eller låg kontroll och korttidssjukfrånvaro på grund av arbetet. Det fanns dock en statistiskt signifikant skillnad beträffande vissa frågor om arbetsförhållanden och korttidssjukfrånvaro på grund av arbetet.   Slutsats På de flesta frågor kunde sambandet mellan korttidssjukfrånvaro och fysisk och psykosocial arbetsmiljö inte påvisas. Däremot fanns en statistisk signifikans i några frågor gällande arbetsförhållanden i denna studie. Det fanns således flera faktorer i arbetsmiljön som skulle kunna förbättras och därmed individens upplevelse av arbetsmiljön. Detta kanske kunde bidra till minskad korttidssjukfrånvaro. Trots att det fanns vissa frågor som påvisade en signifikant skillnad mellan arbetsförhållanden och korttidssjukfrånvaro var det svårt att dra slutsatser på grund av studiens design samt att underlaget var litet. Interventioner i systemkomponenterna Människa – Teknik - Organisation kan vara av värde för att minska korttidssjukfrånvaron.