Columns as part of frameworks, report no. 4. Analysis and design of columns in frames subject to translation.

Mode of access: Internet.

Single-subject research designs and data analyses for assessing elite athletes' conditioning

Research in conditioning (all the processes of preparation for competition) has used group research designs, where multiple athletes are observed at one or more points in time. However, empirical reports of large inter-individual differences in response to conditioning regimens suggest that applied conditioning research would greatly benefit from single-subject research designs. Single-subject research designs allow us to find out the extent to which a specific conditioning regimen works for a specific athlete, as opposed to the average athlete, who is the focal point of group research designs. The aim of the following review is to outline the strategies and procedures of single-subject research as they pertain to.. the assessment of conditioning for individual athletes. The four main experimental designs in single-subject research are: the AB design, reversal (withdrawal) designs and their extensions, multiple baseline designs and alternating treatment designs. Visual and statistical analyses commonly used to analyse single-subject data, and advantages and limitations are discussed. Modelling of multivariate single-subject data using techniques such as dynamic factor analysis and structural equation modelling may identify individualised models of conditioning leading to better prediction of performance. Despite problems associated with data analyses in single-subject research (e.g. serial dependency), sports scientists should use single-subject research designs in applied conditioning research to understand how well an intervention (e.g. a training method) works and to predict performance for a particular athlete.

Automatic measurement of vertebral rotation in idiopathic scoliosis

Study Design. Development of an automatic measurement algorithm and comparison with manual measurement methods. Objectives. To develop a new computer-based method for automatic measurement of vertebral rotation in idiopathic scoliosis from computed tomography images and to compare the automatic method with two manual measurement techniques. Summary of Background Data. Techniques have been developed for vertebral rotation measurement in idiopathic scoliosis using plain radiographs, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance images. All of these techniques require manual selection of landmark points and are therefore subject to interobserver and intraobserver error. Methods. We developed a new method for automatic measurement of vertebral rotation in idiopathic scoliosis using a symmetry ratio algorithm. The automatic method provided values comparable with Aaro and Ho's manual measurement methods for a set of 19 transverse computed tomography slices through apical vertebrae, and with Aaro's method for a set of 204 reformatted computed tomography images through vertebral endplates. Results. Confidence intervals (95%) for intraobserver and interobserver variability using manual methods were in the range 5.5 to 7.2. The mean (+/- SD) difference between automatic and manual rotation measurements for the 19 apical images was -0.5 degrees +/- 3.3 degrees for Aaro's method and 0.7 degrees +/- 3.4 degrees for Ho's method. The mean (+/- SD) difference between automatic and manual rotation measurements for the 204 endplate images was 0.25 degrees +/- 3.8 degrees. Conclusions. The symmetry ratio algorithm allows automatic measurement of vertebral rotation in idiopathic scoliosis without intraobserver or interobserver error due to landmark point selection.

A Ciência nos Telejornais Brasileiros (O papel educativo e a compreensão pública das matérias de CT&I)

Este trabalho investiga a cobertura de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (CT&I) nos telejornais brasileiros de canal aberto, no horário nobre (das 19h15 às 22h), para verificar a função educativa da mídia na abordagem de assuntos de CT&I. O corpus desta pesquisa compõe-se de um recorte dos seguintes telejornais: Jornal da Band, Jornal Nacional, Jornal da Record, Jornal da Cultura e SBT Brasil. A proposta foi avaliar, comparativamente, as matérias jornalísticas que tratam especificamente de CT&I, em relação ao formato, à linguagem e aos conteúdos de cada um dos programas estudados. Este trabalho empregou a metodologia de Análise de Discurso de linha Francesa (AD). Esta pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa, também englobou um Estudo de Recepção sobre as reportagens selecionadas. O procedimento utilizado para isso foi o de Grupos Focais. Dessa forma, buscou-se analisar o processo de Comunicação que envolve as matérias telejornalísticas de CT&I das mensagens à recepção. Este estudo verificou que CT&I é um assunto presente nos telejornais brasileiros mesmo quando ocorrem fatos imprevisíveis (de outras editorias) que influenciam significativamente a cobertura dos noticiários televisivos. Constatou também que não há, entre os telejornais selecionados, um padrão de aprofundamento e contextualização dos assuntos CT&I, mas que a abordagem varia até dentro de uma única edição. As emissoras, mesmo reconhecendo a importância de CT&I, ainda oscilam entre uma abordagem contextualizada e a simples descrição do fato principal. A linguagem empregada pelos telejornais para o tratamento de assuntos de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação é, predominantemente, clara e simples. No entanto, foi possível verificar algumas nuances, com o uso de termos específicos da linguagem científica sem que a matéria oferecesse qualquer explicação sobre tais conceitos. A experiência dos Grupos Focais revelou que os telespectadores não são passivos em relação aos conteúdos científicos dos programas telejornalísticos. De modo geral, o público se interessa por CT&I e sabe avaliar qualitativamente as matérias. Analisar como as matérias sobre CT&I produzem sentidos e qual a contribuição que estas podem dar à Compreensão Pública da Ciência possibilitou reflexões relevantes sobre as limitações e os potenciais da televisão e das mensagens veiculadas, assim como o interesse e a visão crítica a respeito dos assuntos de CT&I.(AU)

Apodised fibre Bragg grating design subject to length constraints

We investigate apodisation profiles of fibre Bragg gratings to determine key factors in filter design, using a novel apodisation technique. This highlights some practical fabrication limitations and provides important information concerning trade-offs between sidelobe suppression and bandwidth

Aspects of the design and control of manufacturing systems subject to demand uncertainty

The recent explosive growth in advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) and continued development of sophisticated information technologies (IT) is expected to have a profound effect on the way we design and operate manufacturing businesses. Furthermore, the escalating capital requirements associated with these developments have significantly increased the level of risk associated with initial design, ongoing development and operation. This dissertation has examined the integration of two key sub-elements of the Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) system, namely the manufacturing facility and the production control system. This research has concentrated on the interactions between production control (MRP) and an AMT based production facility. The disappointing performance of such systems has been discussed in the context of a number of potential technological and performance incompatibilities between these two elements. It was argued that the design and selection of operating policies for both is the key to successful integration. Furthermore, policy decisions are shown to play an important role in matching the performance of the total system to the demands of the marketplace. It is demonstrated that a holistic approach to policy design must be adopted if successful integration is to be achieved. It is shown that the complexity of the issues resulting from such an approach required the formulation of a structured design methodology. Such a methodology was subsequently developed and discussed. This combined a first principles approach to the behaviour of system elements with the specification of a detailed holistic model for use in the policy design environment. The methodology aimed to make full use of the `low inertia' characteristics of AMT, whilst adopting a JIT configuration of MRP and re-coupling the total system to the market demands. This dissertation discussed the application of the methodology to an industrial case study and the subsequent design of operational policies. Consequently a novel approach to production control resulted. A central feature of which was a move toward reduced manual intervention in the MRP processing and scheduling logic with increased human involvement and motivation in the management of work-flow on the shopfloor. Experimental results indicated that significant performance advantages would result from the adoption of the recommended policy set.

Apodised fibre Bragg grating design subject to length constraints

We investigate apodisation profiles of fibre Bragg gratings to determine key factors in filter design, using a novel apodisation technique. This highlights some practical fabrication limitations and provides important information concerning trade-offs between sidelobe suppression and bandwidth

Design and designing:a critical introduction

Design and Designing provides a broad and critical understanding of what is essentially a practical subject. Designing today is less a craft and more a part of the knowledge economy. It's all about knowing how to acquire knowledge and how to apply it creatively. Design and Designing covers the design process, modelling and drawing, working with clients, production and consumption, sustainability, professional practice and design futures. Chapters are written by expert teachers and practitioners from around the globe, each presenting an accessible and engaging overview of their field of design. Every chapter is highly illustrated with a combination of images and information boxes, which extend or highlight key material. Each section concludes with a design project, a hands-on activity for the reader. Design and Designing covers the full spectrum of design types, from graphic communication to product design, from fashion to games design, setting every type in its aesthetic, ethical and social contexts. With this essential book, readers will learn from today's best practice and best thinking in design, they will develop a critical sense, and become the designers of tomorrow.

Knowledge transfer in website design:exploring the processes and benefits of design collaboration for non-creative Micros

This thesis explores the interaction between Micros (<10 employees) from non-creative sectors and website designers ("Creatives") that occurred when creating a website of a higher order than a basic template site. The research used Straussian Grounded Theory Method with a longitudinal design, in order to identify what knowledge transferred to the Micros during the collaboration, how it transferred, what factors affected the transfer and outcomes of the transfer including behavioural additionality. To identify whether the research could be extended beyond this, five other design areas were also examined, as well as five Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) engaged in website and branding projects. The findings were that, at the start of the design process, many Micros could not articulate their customer knowledge, and had poor marketing and visual language skills, knowledge core to web design, enabling targeted communication to customers through images. Despite these gaps, most Micros still tried to lead the process. To overcome this disjoint, the majority of the designers used a knowledge transfer strategy termed in this thesis as ‘Bi-Modal Knowledge Transfer’, where the Creative was aware of the transfer but the Micro was unaware, both for drawing out customer knowledge from the Micro and for transferring visual language skills to the Micro. Two models were developed to represent this process. Two models were also created to map changes in the knowledge landscapes of customer knowledge and visual language – the Knowledge Placement Model and the Visual Language Scale. The Knowledge Placement model was used to map the placement of customer knowledge within the consciousness, extending the known Automatic-Unconscious -Conscious model, adding two more locations – Peripheral Consciousness and Occasional Consciousness. Peripheral Consciousness is where potential knowledge is held, but not used. Occasional Consciousness is where potential knowledge is held but used only for specific tasks. The Visual Language Scale was created to measure visual language ability from visually responsive, where the participant only responds personally to visual symbols, to visually multi-lingual, where the participant can use visual symbols to communicate with multiple thought-worlds. With successful Bi-Modal Knowledge Transfer, the outcome included not only an effective website but also changes in the knowledge landscape for the Micros and ongoing behavioural changes, especially in marketing. These effects were not seen in the other design projects, and only in two of the SME projects. The key factors for this difference between SMEs and Micros appeared to be an expectation of knowledge by the Creatives and failure by the SMEs to transfer knowledge within the company.

The Effect of Mobile Technology as an Active Student Response System on the Acquisition of U.S. History Content of Secondary Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) typically learn less history content than their peers without disabilities and show fewer learning gains. Even when they are provided with the same instructional strategies, many students with SLD struggle to grasp complex historical concepts and content area vocabulary. Many strategies involving technology have been used in the past to enhance learning for students with SLD in history classrooms. However, very few studies have explored the effectiveness of emerging mobile technology in K-12 history classrooms. This study investigated the effects of mobile devices (iPads) as an active student response (ASR) system on the acquisition of U.S. history content of middle school students with SLD. An alternating treatments single subject design was used to compare the effects of two interventions. There were two conditions and a series of pretest probesin this study. The conditions were: (a) direct instruction and studying from handwritten notes using the interactive notebook strategy and (b) direct instruction and studying using the Quizlet App on the iPad. There were three dependent variables in this study: (a) percent correct on tests, (b) rate of correct responses per minute, and (c) rate of errors per minute. A comparative analysis suggested that both interventions (studying from interactive notes and studying using Quizlet on the iPad) had varying degrees of effectiveness in increasing the learning gains of students with SLD. In most cases, both interventions were equally effective. During both interventions, all of the participants increased their percentage correct and increased their rate of correct responses. Most of the participants decreased their rate of errors. The results of this study suggest that teachers of students with SLD should consider a post lesson review in the form of mobile devices as an ASR system or studying from handwritten notes paired with existing evidence-based practices to facilitate students’ knowledge in U.S. history. Future research should focus on the use of other interactive applications on various mobile operating platforms, on other social studies subjects, and should explore various testing formats such as oral question-answer and multiple choice.

Tissue Equivalent Phantom Design for Optimization of a Coherent Scatter Imaging System

Scatter in medical imaging is typically cast off as image-related noise that detracts from meaningful diagnosis. It is therefore typically rejected or removed from medical images. However, it has been found that every material, including cancerous tissue, has a unique X-ray coherent scatter signature that can be used to identify the material or tissue. Such scatter-based tissue-identification provides the advantage of locating and identifying particular materials over conventional anatomical imaging through X-ray radiography. A coded aperture X-ray coherent scatter spectral imaging system has been developed in our group to classify different tissue types based on their unique scatter signatures. Previous experiments using our prototype have demonstrated that the depth-resolved coherent scatter spectral imaging system (CACSSI) can discriminate healthy and cancerous tissue present in the path of a non-destructive x-ray beam. A key to the successful optimization of CACSSI as a clinical imaging method is to obtain anatomically accurate phantoms of the human body. This thesis describes the development and fabrication of 3D printed anatomical scatter phantoms of the breast and lung.

The purpose of this work is to accurately model different breast geometries using a tissue equivalent phantom, and to classify these tissues in a coherent x-ray scatter imaging system. Tissue-equivalent anatomical phantoms were designed to assess the capability of the CACSSI system to classify different types of breast tissue (adipose, fibroglandular, malignant). These phantoms were 3D printed based on DICOM data obtained from CT scans of prone breasts. The phantoms were tested through comparison of measured scatter signatures with those of adipose and fibroglandular tissue from literature. Tumors in the phantom were modeled using a variety of biological tissue including actual surgically excised benign and malignant tissue specimens. Lung based phantoms have also been printed for future testing. Our imaging system has been able to define the location and composition of the various materials in the phantom. These phantoms were used to characterize the CACSSI system in terms of beam width and imaging technique. The result of this work showed accurate modeling and characterization of the phantoms through comparison of the tissue-equivalent form factors to those from literature. The physical construction of the phantoms, based on actual patient anatomy, was validated using mammography and computed tomography to visually compare the clinical images to those of actual patient anatomy.