Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Barrier capacity'

In the last twenty years, the design requirements of bridge barriers have changed with the aim of improving the safety of commuters on the bridge. A majority of precast concrete bridge barriers (PCBB) on highway bridges in British Columbia were designed and installed in accordance with the 1988 Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code (CHBDC). To ensure that these barriers comply with the current code requirements, research and testing were deemed obligatory. In particular, the anchorage capacity of the parapet under the CHBDC design load warrants verification. A finite element model of the barrier was developed in ANSYS to study its structural response. Static testing of a set of barriers was carried out at the University of British Columbia to better understand the behaviour of the barrier. The experimental results were used to calibrate and verify the finite element model. Through the finite element model and experimental results, a simpler model has been developed in a formatted spreadsheet environment to allow better estimates of the anchorage capacity of different barrier designs. The model was scaled to a wider use for practicing engineers so to ease and improve the design of anchorages of precast concrete bridge barrier under Performance Level 2 loading in accordance with the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code.

En la presente Tesis Doctoral se han usado diferentes estrategias para incorporar compuestos activos no volátiles y volátiles en películas biodegradables a base de almidón (S) procedente de diferentes fuentes, quitosano (CH) y mezclas CH:S. Se evaluaron las propiedades funcionales de las películas y las cinéticas de liberación del compuesto activo debido a la incorporación de los polifenoles del tomillo (TE) y del ácido tánico (TA). Además, las propiedades funcionales y cinéticas de liberación de películas de almidón obtenidos por casting o por termoconformado también fueron evaluados en función de la adición de eugenol (E) en forma libre o previamente encapsulado con diferentes materiales (proteína de suero de leche (WP) o lecitinas (LE) junto con maltodextrinas como agente coadyuvante). Los productos microencapsulados en polvo fueron obtenidos por atomización. El efecto de la incorporación de ácido oleico (OA) en los encapsulados, como soporte para el E, y CH, como estabilizador potencial de las capsulas también fue estudiado. Las diferentes formulaciones fueron caracterizadas antes y después del secado en términos de eficiencia de encapsulación (EE), estabilidad térmica, cinéticas de liberación y capacidad antioxidante y antimicrobiana. Los resultados mostraron que TE confirió a las películas de S y CH actividad antioxidante. Los polifenoles (TE y TA) interaccionaron con las cadenas de CH y actuaron como agentes de entrecruzamiento, mejorando el comportamiento mecánico de las películas y reduciendo la velocidad de liberación y la cantidad de polifenol liberado de las películas en agua y en disoluciones acuosas de etanol. El efecto opuesto fue observado cuando el TE fue incorporado en la matriz de S pura. Todas las películas con TE fueron más oscuras, más rojizas y menos transparentes, especialmente las matrices de S:TE, lo que sugiere que los compuestos de TE fueron escasamente encapsulados. Éstas películas mostraron la liberación más rápida y la mayor proporción de TE liberado. Se observó una buena EE en los polvos sin CH (87-98%). Sin embargo, el empleo de CH provocó una disminución de la EE en los polvos formulados con WP y con LE (22% y 46%, respectivamente). Las formulaciones mostraron un comportamiento similar en cuanto a la liberación de E en simulantes alimentarios de diferente polaridad, donde prácticamente el contenido de E fue liberado a una velocidad similar. El efecto antibacteriano de polvos sin CH contra E. coli fue coherente con su contenido de eugenol. Un efecto adicional positivo de OA se detectó en la actividad antilisteria de este polvo. El proceso de moldeo por termocompresión de las películas provocó importantes pérdidas de E (80-65%), minimizadas cuando se utilizó OA en las microcápsulas. En las películas con E no encapsulado, se promovió la retención de E debido a la formación de complejos S-E. La presencia de E microencapsulado aumentó las discontinuidades en la matriz polimérica, produciendo películas menos resistentes y elásticas. Las propiedades barrera se mejoraron al agregar microencapsulados a las películas, a excepción de las microcápsulas con OA. La liberación de E de las películas se vio afectada por la microcápsula, su composición y el simulante alimentario. En la película de S obtenida por casting, la adición de polvo E microencapsulado en las dispersiones formadoras de película modificó la microestructura de las películas, que fueron menos resistentes y menos elásticas con un contenido reducido de humedad, y una menor transparencia y permeabilidad al oxígeno en comparación con las películas formuladas con E no encapsulado. La adición de E microencapsulado con OA promovió la actividad antioxidante de las películas, especialmente en los simulantes alimenticios menos polares. Las películas S-EOA-LE fueron efectivas para prevenir la oxidación del aceite de girasol durante 53 días de almacenamiento a 30°C.
In the present Doctoral Thesis, different strategies have been used to incorporate non-volatile (polyphenols from thyme extract) and a volatile active compound (eugenol) into biodegradable films prepared with starch (S) of different sources or chitosan (CH) or with mixtures of CH:S. The functional properties and release kinetics of casted films prepared with pea starch or CH or CH:S blends were evaluated as affected by the incorporation of polyphenols from an aqueous thyme extract (TE) and tannic acid (TA), a polyphenol which was used as a cross-linking agent. Moreover, the functional properties and release kinetics of corn starch films, obtained by casting or by thermo-compression moulding, were evaluated as a function of the addition of eugenol (E) in free form or pre-encapsulated with different wall materials. In order to encapsulate E, whey protein isolate (WP) or soy lecithin (LE), as wall material, and maltodextrin (MD), as drying coadjuvant, were selected. Microencapsulate powders were obtained by spray-drying. The effect of the addition of oleic acid (OA), as eugenol carrier, and CH, as a potential capsule stabilizer, was also analysed. The different formulations were characterized before and after drying, in terms of encapsulation efficiency, thermal stability, release kinetics and antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity. Results showed that TE provided pea starch and chitosan films with antioxidant activity. Polyphenols (TE and TA) interacted with CH chains and acted as cross-linkers, thus improving the tensile behaviour of films and reducing the release rate and the amount of polyphenol released from the films in water and ethanol aqueous solutions. The opposite effect was observed when TE was incorporated into the pure S matrix. All the films became darker, more reddish and less transparent when TE was incorporated, and this effect was more marked in pure S matrices, which suggests that the TE compounds were poorly encapsulated. Thus, S:TE films showed the fastest delivery rate and the highest delivery ratio of TE. A good encapsulation efficiency (EE) of E was observed in the CH-free powders (87-98%). However, the use of CH provoked a marked EE decrease in both WP and LE powders (22% and 46%, respectively). The formulations exhibited similar E release behaviour in food simulants of different polarity, where practically the total E content was delivered at a similar rate. The antibacterial effect of CH-free powders against E. coli was also coherent with their eugenol content. An additional positive effect of OA was detected in terms of the antilisterial action of this powder. The process of thermo-compression moulding of the films led to important E losses (80-65%), which were minimised when using OA in the microcapsules (EOA-WP or EOA-LE). In the films containing non-encapsulated E, the retention of E was promoted due to the formation of E-starch complexes. The presence of microencapsulated eugenol increased the presence of discontinuities in the polymeric matrix, thus yielding films that were mechanically less resistant and stretchable, except for E-LE-S films, which became more resistant to break. The barrier properties were improved when adding microencapsulates to the films, except for OA-based microcapsules. Eugenol release from the films was affected by microcapsule, their composition and the food simulant. In starch film obtained by casting, the addition of microencapsulated eugenol powder in starch film-forming dispersions modified film microstructure, yielding less resistant and less elastic films with reduced moisture content, transparency and oxygen permeability as compared to casted films formulated with non-encapsulated eugenol. The addition of eugenol microencapsulated with OA promoted the preservation of the antioxidant activity of the films, especially in less polar food simulants. S-EOA-LE films were effective in preventing sunflower oil oxidation during 53 days of storage at 30¿C.
En la present Tesi Doctoral s'han usat diferents estratègies per a incorporar compostos actius no volàtils i volàtils en pel·lícules biodegradables a base de midó (S) procedent de diferents fonts, quitosano (CH) i mescles CH:S. Es van avaluar les propietats funcionals de les pel·lícules i les cinètiques d'alliberament del compost actiu a causa de la incorporació dels polifenoles del timó (TE) i de l'àcid tànnic (TA). A més, les propietats funcionals i cinètiques d'alliberament de pel·lícules de midó obtinguts per càsting o per termoconformat també van ser avaluats en funció de l'addició d'eugenol (E) en forma lliure o prèviament encapsulat amb diversos materials (proteïna de sèrum de llet (WP) o lecitines (LE) junt amb maltodextrines com a agent coadjuvant). Els productes microencapsulats en pols van ser obtinguts per atomització. L'efecte de la incorporació d'àcid oleic (OA) en els encapsulats, com a suport per al E, i CH, com estabilitzador potencial de les càpsules també va ser estudiat. Les diferents formulacions van ser caracteritzades abans i després de l'assecat en termes d'eficiència d'encapsulació (EE), estabilitat tèrmica, cinètiques d'alliberament i capacitat antioxidant i antimicrobiana. Els resultats van mostrar que es va conferir a les pel·lícules de S i CH activitat antioxidant. Els polifenols (TE i TA) van interaccionar amb les cadenes de CH i van actuar com a agents d'entrecreuament, millorant el comportament mecànic de les pel·lícules i reduint la velocitat d'alliberament i la quantitat de polifenol alliberat de les pel·lícules en aigua i en dissolucions aquoses d'etanol. L'efecte oposat va ser observat quan el TE va ser incorporat en la matriu de S pura. Totes les pel·lícules amb TE van ser més fosques, més rogenques i menys transparents, especialment les matrius de S:TE, la qual cosa suggerix que els compostos de TE van ser escassament encapsulats. Estes pel·lícules van mostrar l'alliberament més ràpid i la major proporció de TE alliberat. Es va observar una bona EE en les pols sense CH (87-98%). No obstant, la incorporació de CH va provocar una disminució de l'EE en les pols formulats amb WP i amb LE (22% i 46%, respectivament). Les formulacions van mostrar un comportament semblant quant a l'alliberament de E en simulants alimentaris de diferent polaritat, on pràcticament el contingut de E va ser alliberat a una velocitat semblant. L'efecte antibacterià de pols sense CH contra E. coli va ser coherent amb el seu contingut d'eugenol. Un efecte addicional positiu d'OA es va detectar en l'activitat antilisteria d'esta pols. El procés de modelat per termocompresió de les pel·lícules va provocar importants pèrdues de E (80-65%) , minimitzades quan es va utilitzar OA en les microcàpsules. En les pel·lícules amb E no encapsulat, es va promoure la retenció de E a causa de la formació de complexos S-E. La presència de E microencapsulat va augmentar les discontinuïtats en la matriu polimérica, produint pel·lícules menys resistents i elàstiques. Les propietats barrera es van millorar a l'agregar microencapsulats a les pel·lícules, a excepció de les microcàpsules amb OA. L'alliberament de E de les pel·lícules es va veure afectada per la microcàpsula, la seua composició i el simulant alimentari. En la pel·lícula de S obtinguda per càsting, l'addició de pols E microencapsulat en les dispersions formadores de pel·lícula va modificar la microestructura de les pel·lícules, que van ser menys resistents i menys elàstiques amb un contingut reduït d'humitat, i una menor transparència i permeabilitat a l'oxigen en comparació amb les pel·lícules formulades amb E no encapsulat. L'addició de E microencapsulat amb OA va promoure l'activitat antioxidant de les pel·lícules, especialment en els simulants alimentaris menys polars. Les pel·lícules S-EOA-LE van ser efectives per a previndre l'oxidació de l'oli de gira-sol durant 53 dies d'em
Talón Argente, E. (2018). INCORPORATION OF ACTIVE COMPONENTS IN BIOPOLYMER-BASED FILMS FOR FOOD USE [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/101283
TESIS

The subject of this diploma thesis is to analyse solar cells, demonstrate linearized model of PN junction and show basic techniques of measurement of this model. Solar cells measurement and acquired results are also presented.

This work deals with method for characterization of photovoltaic solar cells based on evaluation of solar cell response to fast transients. The voltage of the cell in both forward and reverse polarisation was controlled by current pulse exciting. Real reverse breakdown voltage and exact value of serial resistance of the cell can be obtained easily by evaluation of the transient curves recorded by digital osciloscope. By negotiation of the time constants of the cell response to excitation in forward polarisation the lifetime of minority carriers in semiconductor bulk can be estimated.

The UK fresh produce industry faces a number of challenges, including new pests and diseases, foreign competition and the cost of and access to seasonal labour. ‘Innovation’ has been promoted to meet these challenges, but the sources of innovation, and what holds it back, have not been explored. This thesis aims to: 1) identify the sources of innovation in the fresh produce industry, 2) determine the barriers to innovation in the industry and 3) seek ways to improve the overall innovative capacity of the sector. It does so by using the Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) approach as an underpinning framework within a case study design. 32 industry practitioners, including growers, technologists, researchers and retailers took part in semi-structured interviews, which were analysed using Framework Analysis. The study finds an increasingly consolidated and competitive industry, influenced heavily by retail groups and the need for constant innovation. It describes ‘types’ of innovation and their interlinked nature, as well as the inherent uncertainty around innovation and the difficulties in ‘measuring’ change. It finds that innovation often originates overseas and through experimentation or interaction with a given product or process. It describes both positive and negative communication in the industry and explores other blocking mechanisms to innovation including horizontal and vertical fragmentation, diverging innovation agendas and a “defensive” innovation culture. It also identifies a number of enabling factors for change. Interactivity and network formation are recognised as vital components of the innovation system. However, considerable emphasis is placed on non-systemic factors, such as entrepreneurialism. These findings are combined with existing literature in a functional-structural analysis to offer recommendations to bolster innovative capacity in the industry. The study makes several original contributions to knowledge, particularly with respect to the AIS approach: that innovation systems routinely extend beyond national borders, facilitated in part by another understudied issue – producer organisations – is an area for further research.

Climate change is experienced most through the medium of water. The ability of water institutions and the factors that enable or hinder them to purposefully adapt to the new and additional challenges brought by climate change require better understanding. Factors that influence their perception of climate change impacts and initiatives being taken for adaptation are shaped by various enabling factors and barriers through the interaction with both governmental and non-governmental institutions across administrative scales. Better understanding of these adaptation enablers and barriers is essential for devising adaptation strategies. This research aims to identify and expound the characteristics that enable or hinder institutions to adapt for water management, and hence, it evaluates the involvement of key governmental and non-governmental institutions in India and the inter-institutional networks between them. It surveyed webpages and online documents of sixty Union Government institutions and interviewed representatives from twenty-six governmental, non-governmental, research and academic institutions operating at the national level and another twenty-six institutions operating within the State of Himachal Pradesh in India to assess the characteristics that enable or hinder adaptation. While the online projection of institutional involvement and interaction among key Union Government institutions on climate change and water indicate a more centralized network pointing to Planning Commission and Ministry of Environment and Forest, the interview responses indicated a more distributed network with both Ministries of Water Resources and Environment and Forest recognized as key institutions thereby indicating a potential variation in perception of who is in-charge. Moreover, online documents show institutions that are involved in water have less mention of climate change compared to Union Government ministries involved in less climate-sensitive sectors indicating that impacts of climate change on water are potentially ignored. While it is evident that research and consulting institutions engaging with both national and state level institutions play a key role in enabling adaptation, various barriers pertaining to data and information accessibility, inadequacy of resources and implementation gaps exist particularly due to inter-institutional network fragmentations. Although barriers identified in this study bear resemblance to barriers identified by other researchers in other contexts, this research shows similar barriers can emerge from different underlying causes and are highly interconnected; thereby indicating the need for addressing adaptation barriers collectively as a wider governance issue. Since many of the adaptation barriers emerge from wider governance challenges and are related to larger developmental issues, the findings have important policy implications. Among the various issues that the government needs to address is improving the inter-institutional networks between water institutions so that information dissemination, sharing of learning experiences and data accessibility is improved and prescriptive legislations are seen to be inadequate in this regard. Restructuring the way officials in government water institutions are recruited and deployed is suggested as a potential solution for improving the inter-institutional networks. The research elucidates that inter-institutional networks and transboundary institutions are two pillars that supports adaptation and also bridges the gap between adaptive capacity and adaptation manifestation that enable water institutions to cross the chasm of adaptation barriers. Thus the thesis presents an important analysis of key characteristics that enable or hinder water management institutions to adapt to climate change which have been so far under acknowledged by other studies through the analysis of the state of climate change adaptation in India. Therefore, this study provides valuable insights for developing countries, particularly, facing similar challenges of adapting water management for climate change.

Background: Physically active lifestyles are important for health and quality of life across all stages of development. Exercise interventions have recently been incorporated as an effective strategy for adult cardiomyopathy patients, but have yet to be examined in children with cardiomyopathy. The overall goal of this pilot study was to provide preliminary data on whether there is a need to develop exercise interventions among children with cardiomyopathy. This study sought to characterize the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) level, submaximal exercise capacity and physical activity barriers among children with cardiomyopathy. Methods: This study employed a mixed-methods approach. Children were eligible if they were between the ages of 5 to 17 years, had a medical diagnosis of cardiomyopathy (i.e. hypertrophic, dilated, or cancer induced), atrial septal defect, or had been identified as carrying a genetic risk for cardiomyopathy. Participants were excluded if they had physical activity contraindications, had a non-cardiac medical condition or disability known to influence physical activity, or if they underwent cardiac surgery within the preceding 6 months. MVPA was assessed using 7-day omnidirectional accelerometry. Submaximal exercise capacity was determined by intermittent treadmill protocol targeting 40% to 80% of predicted maximum heart rate. Physical activity barriers were identified through semi-structured interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for thematic analysis using Braun & Clark’s approach. Results: Pediatric cardiomyopathy patients (n=5) were compared to children who are genotypepositive but phenotype-negative for cardiomyopathy (n=5), children with simple congenital heart defects (CHD, n=8) and published data for Canadian children (n=1,300). Daily MVPA (48.2 ± 19.0 minutes) was variable but did not differ significantly between groups (η2=0.025, p=0.82) or from published data on Canadian children (t(17) = -1.52 p=0.15). Submaximal exercise testing revealed that children with cardiomyopathy may be able to participate in activities at moderate intensities (i.e. 4.5 ± 3.1 METs) at 150 beats per minute (bpm). Children with cardiomyopathy reported primarily disease-centred barriers to participation, including physical activity restriction and physical influences from the disease which were not reported by children who carry a genetic risk for cardiomyopathy. Conclusion: These novel data within this population group suggest that pediatric cardiomyopathy patients may have sufficient submaximal exercise capacity to participate in moderate physical activity, despite reporting disease centered barriers to physical activity. A diagnosis of cardiomyopathy may not preclude these children from achieving and healthy, active lifestyle, but their current level of participation is less than recommended for optimal health and cardiac function.

The research examines the implementation of the Targeted Mental Health in Schools [TaMHS] pathfinder (2008-2011) into 16 primary schools in a county in the UK. TaMHS was introduced as a national pathfinder in 2008 inviting local authorities and health care trusts to work together to devise school based approaches to support children and young people with emerging mental health concerns. The local authority in the research devised an approach which included two innovative features; a collaborative service delivery involving a dedicated Primary Mental Health Worker, and the creation of a school based change champion role appointed from within the staff (the Mental Health lead - MHl) who led the implementation in school. The main objective was to investigate the pathfinder in terms of three main research questions; what constituted the main barriers and facilitators to implementation, the efficacy of the collaborative approach, and the implications of adopting a champion role based in schools. The research is located within organisational change theory and implementation literature and adopted a critical realist ontology which focused on revealing mechanisms of change in terms of structure and agency. Empirically it is based on 16 semi structured interviews with MHls analysed through thematic analysis and attribution coding. Findings reveal a set of six themes which represented mechanisms underpinning the barriers and facilitators to implementation; mental health in a school context, the training and support model, embedding new practices in established school systems, the implications of adopting a whole school approach, the change champion role, and the collaborative delivery model. The thesis concludes with implications for practice relevant to a range of professional groups related to the planning and delivery of school based intervention design, the adoption of a champion role, and the practical importance of a property integrated whole school approach. It supports the adoption of a critical realist approach to project design and the evaluation of initiative based implementation in schools and equivalent settings.

The concept of participation seems to reflect in most development programmes that involve people at the grassroots level. In Ghana, the introduction of the decentralization programme in the late 1980s that aimed at promoting effective, comprehensive and rapid development, more especially in the rural areas also adopted participatory approach. The approach led to the introductory of district assembly system which was to enhance the involvement of people at the grassroots in participatory activities. However, since the introduction of the decentralisation system to promote grassroots level participation, the people are still inactive and the level of involvement in development decision-making still remains weak. To clearly understand these problems, the thesis has aimed at answering the following research questions; how are rural people involved in participatory practice in the development activities in their area; what barriers affect and hinder the active participation of rural people and how could these be addressed? Answers to those questions helped to examine the nature of participation at the grassroots level; understand how the district assembly adopt participatory practice and to ascertain the nature of barriers that hinder effective participatory practice. Using a case study approach for the investigation, an interpretivists and constructivists were the philosophical underpinnings of the investigation. The data was gathered through the use of focus group discussions and one-to-one informal interviews. It was observed that, participation continues to reflect in most rural development programmes, but there are key barriers that still continue to hamper the effectiveness of participatory practice. Power relations, threats, intimidations and more especially the use of juju and witchcraft which never featured in most development literature are among the major barriers that continue to weaken local people readiness to actively participate. Most rural people feel threaten to participate for the fear of being bewitched or killed through the use of juju, witchcraft or black magical powers. Without critically and effectively addressing those bottlenecks and barriers, and put community members at the pivot of decision-making, the use of outsiders' knowledge and ideas alone to address the problems of participation with the hope of improving the lives of the rural people will not yield any significant result.

Dans la problématique du changement climatique, la mise en place de nouvelles stratégies d’adaptation apparaît comme un des grands challenges de nos sociétés actuelles. C’est au début des années 2000, que la communauté scientifique a proposé une option de gestion de la biodiversité afin de limiter les impacts dus à la vitesse du changement climatique, cette option étant connue sous le nom de migration assistée (MA). Cependant, malgré une justification théorique intéressante, l’application de cette pratique a soulevé de nombreuses questions autant éthiques, écologiques, économiques que politiques. Tout au long de cette thèse, je me suis intéressée à la capacité d’adaptation des acteurs face au changement climatique, via la mise en place de nouvelles pratiques de gestion, en s’intéressant tout particulièrement au cas de la MA. Compte tenu du rythme de migration lent des espèces forestières, les forêts représentent un écosystème pertinent pour la mise en place de la MA, et plus spécifiquement pour la France, qui compte plus de 29% de son territoire en surface boisée avec une forte problématique de fragmentation. Dans la première partie de cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés au débat que la MA a suscité et j’ai analysé les blocages qui existent actuellement dans sa conception et sa mise en place. Sur la base d’une analyse comparative entre la France et le Canada, j’ai pu mettre en évidence que les différentes conceptions d’adaptation et de MA entre les acteurs politiques et les scientifiques représentaient des barrières à l’application de programmes de MA. Ainsi, j’ai proposé une nouvelle conception de la MA, avec un volet écosystémique, permettant de limiter les approches économico-centrée de ces programmes. De plus, j’ai démontré que l’action de MA ne s’inscrit pas seulement dans une démarche de précaution mais également de prévention, dénouant ainsi le blocage présent sur la question du « quand doit-on agir ? ». Après une analyse théorique et empirique de la MA et de son contexte, dans la seconde partie, nous nous sommes posés la question de sa réelle application sur le terrain. J’ai donc analysé la capacité des acteurs forestiers locaux à mettre en œuvre des stratégies d’adaptation grâce à une méthode originale d’estimation des capitaux locaux. Malheureusement, cette analyse a montré qu’à l’heure actuelle, les forestiers mettent plus facilement en place des stratégies favorisant la robustesse que des stratégies plus complexes de résilience globale ou de transformabilité, telle que la MA, augmentant ainsi la fragilisation des socio-écosystèmes et risquant des transitions brutales
In a climate change context, the implementation of adaptive strategies appears as one of the greatest challenges for our societies. At the beginning of the 21st century, the scientific community proposed an adaptation option to limit climate change impacts on biodiversity, the assisted migration (AM). Despite a good theoretical justification, the AM application raises several questions about ecological, economical, ethical and political issues. Along this thesis, I was interested in the adaptive capacity of society actors concerning the changing climate, through the implementation of new practices as AM. Given the slow migration capacity of tree species, forests represent a relevant ecosystem for AM application, especially in France which has more than 29% of its surface as forest areas that are highly fragmented. In the first part of this thesis, I concentrated on the AM debate and I analyzed the actual barriers in its conception and its implementation. On the basis of a comparative analysis between France and Canada, I highlighted that different acceptations of adaptation and AM between policy and scientific actors represent a barrier for the implementation of adaptive strategies, as AM. Hence, I proposed a new concept of AM at the ecosystem scale, allowing limiting the focus on economic issues of AM programs. Moreover, I demonstrated that the AM actions are not constrained in a precautionary approach but could be applied in a prevention context. These results unties the deadlock about the “when to act?” question. After an empirical and theoretical analysis of AM and its context, in the second part of this thesis, I was interested on the real application of AM in the field. Therefore, I evaluated the capacity of forest actors to change their practices in a climate change context, with an original method based on the estimation of local capitals. Sadly, this analysis showed that for the moment, foresters implement more easily strategies for increasing robustness than resilient or transformative strategies, increasing the fragility of socio-ecosystems and risking a violent collapse of them

The HIV/AIDS pandemic permeates all aspects of southern African civil society including the ability of organizations to practice conservation. The purpose of this research is to understand how management perceives HIV/AIDS influencing southern African conservation agencies workforce capacity to meet their missions. Research goals include: (1) identifying perceptions of the impacts of HIV/AIDS on workforce capacity; (2) elucidating barriers to addressing these impacts; and (3) exploring mitigation strategies. Data collection involved two stages: (1) semi-structured interviews of managers and scientists (n=23) to better understand impacts and barriers; and (2) a panel of key experts (n=30) within southern African conservation agencies ranked impacts according to their perceived severity, using an iterative, Delphi approach. Impacts identified include loss of experience-based knowledge, difficulty in planning for the future, and increases in human resource costs. Barriers to addressing these impacts include gender issues, lack of awareness, staff housing and stigma associated with the disease. Mitigation strategies must address impacts and barriers within a southern Africa context. This research provides perspectives from current conservation management and human resources to direct and catalyze mitigation strategies.

Many Low and Middle Income Countries (LAMICs) still lack sufficient health research capacity to build a local evidence-base with which to inform policy and improve population health. Recognising this, The 2013 World Health Report called for all nations to be producers of health research. To achieve this, new strategies that can develop sustainable locally-led capacity are required. Among the health research capacities needed, ability to conduct clinical trials is important. However, there is no evidence-informed guidance on the best ways to develop locally-led trial capacity. This thesis aims to fill this gap. Three cases-studies using qualitative methods to explore the barriers and enablers to locally-led trial conduct were conducted in Ethiopia, Cameroon and Sri Lanka. Current and potential local trial researchers and health research system stakeholders were recruited. A synthesis of the health research capacity development literature was conducted to compare the case-studies’ findings with wider published perspectives. These data permit an examination of the key issues facing the development of locally-led trial capacity in LAMICs. Barriers and enablers to locally-led trial conduct were found at macro, institutional and individual levels. Although different country research systems, and institutions and individuals within them, were variably successful at conducting trials, the key issues and mechanisms influencing successful trial undertaking were largely similar. Agreement among the case-studies and with the diverse literature suggests that many of the findings will be transferable to other LAMICs, and are also of relevance to other health research methods. A conceptual framework explaining the antecedents and consequences of locally-led trial undertaking in LAMICS is presented. This identifies the following factors as important for supporting locally-led trial undertaking: awareness and appreciation for health research and clinical trials; motivation to conduct clinical trials; availability of human resources with trial knowledge and technical skills; research leadership capabilities; ability to form collaborations, effective teams and acquire resources; trial management dedicated to sustainable capacity development and producing useful research; and system-wide prioritisation of health research. The theories of change presented within this framework are used to develop practical recommendations for development of locally-led trial capacity in LAMICs. These recommendations have four inter-related goals: fostering pro-research cultures in stakeholder institutions; developing trial leaders and staff; providing a facilitative operational environment for trials; and ensuring trial research has an impact. However, to create the will to enact change, advocacy from research champions and conducting trials in a way that benefits local institutions and population health is needed.

La comparaison de différentes méthodes de mesures et d'analyse des niveaux profonds appliquées à des structures Au-InP était le but principal de ce travail de thèse. Après un bref rappel des principes physiques nécessaires à la compréhension de la spectroscopie des niveaux profonds (DTLS) et des techniques de mesure les plus utilisées (boxcar et détection synchrone), une présentation de méthodes numériques d'analyse de transitoires a été faite. Ces dernières sont classées dans deux grandes familles : les méthodes de corrélation et les méthodes isothermes. Les principaux critères utilisés pour différencier les fonctions de corrélation sont : la résolution spectrale et le rapport signal sur bruit. Afin d'améliorer la qualité des spectres obtenus, des opérations de lissage ont été utilisées. En outre, pour une analyse plus fine des spectres, une méthode appelée méthode à cinq vitesses d'émission a été mise au point. Les méthodes isothermes permettent de réduire les temps de mesure puisque seul un nombre restreint de transitoires de capacité sont nécessaires, par contre la précision des résultats est assez médiocre. On retiendra que plusieurs méthodes (surtout parmi les méthodes de corrélation) appliquées à l'étude de structures Au-InP, apportent davantage de précision que les méthodes classiques (boxcar et détection synchrone)
The topic of this thesis was to compare different measurement methods to analyse deep centers in Au-InP diodes. After a brief summary of the physical principles necessary to understand the deep level transient spectroscopy (DTLS) and the commonly used measurement modes (boxcar and lock-in systems), a presentation of numerical methods used for the transient analysis is done. Two kinds of methods are distinguished : the correlation and the isothermal methods. The two main factors used to estimate the results given by the correlation function are : the spectral resolution and the signal to noise ratio. In ordeer to improve the quality of the spectra, smoothing procedures have been used. In another way, to obtain a more precise analys of the spectra, a method named five emission rate method has been introduced. Isothermal methods reduce the measurement time owing to the limited number of capacitance transients used, on the other hand, the accuracy of the results is not so good. To summarize, we can say that several numerical methods (especially among the correlation methods) applied to Au-Inp diodes give us more precise results than conventional methods, like boxcar or lock-in systems

Health systems, like commercial enterprises, face wide-ranging challenges and need to develop an adaptive capacity in order to remain effective. There is increasing recognition in the health sector that the concept of the learning organisation, which has long been popular in the business management field, could be a key strategy to develop this adaptive capacity in health systems. Although examples exist of the application of learning organisation principles to health care facilities, there is little guidance for how units or groups responsible for health policy and strategies can apply them more widely. In order to provide some initial guidance to the Western Cape Department of Health, which has expressed an interest in developing into a learning organisation, this project sought to identify the enablers of, and barriers to learning organisation creation by conducting a systematic review of learning organisation interventions across multiple sectors. As multiple definitions and models of a learning organisation exist in the literature, this systematic review was complemented by an initial review of conceptual literature which synthesised the existing definitions and models of a learning organisation and identified a core set of learning organisation dimensions. Findings indicate that a foundation of good organisational software such as a shared understanding of, and commitment to a learning organisation vision, a culture which is conducive to learning organisation creation, and a secure, supportive and interpersonally non-threatening environment, is essential for learning organisation creation. Building on this foundation it is then important to invest in staff time (i.e. that staff are officially allowed, and incentivised, to spend time on learning during work hours), and the infrastructure and processes necessary to support knowledge transfer, such as physical meeting spaces, online learning databases, mentorship programmes, and feedback mechanisms.

La thèse se concentre sur la question des choix stratégiques dans les jeux d'entrée (choix de capacité de production par la firme en place ou l'entrant, et choix de structure financière par l'entrant). Le chapitre 1 est fondé sur l'analyse de Gelman-Salop (1983). Lorsque la firme en place anticipe l'entrée, on démontre qu'il n'y a pas de surcapacité à l'équilibre. Dans une première extension, après entrée, les firmes s'entendent sur leurs niveaux de production respectifs. Les firmes surinvestissent alors en capacité afin d'affaiblir la position de l'adversaire dans la négociation. Dans une seconde extension, en présence d'asymétrie d'information sur les coûts de production, un entrant efficace peut être conduit à surinvestir en capacité pour se signaler aux investisseurs. Le chapitre 2 caractérise la décision optimale en capacité d'une firme en place dans le cas d'une demande croissante. Stratégiquement, une surcapacité peut dans ce cas avoir un objectif double: d'une part de retarder (voire de barrer) l'entrée, et d'autre part d'induire une entrée moins agressive en capacité. Nous montrons que ces objectifs ne sont pas conciliables. Le chapitre 3 propose une théorie de l'endettement stratégique par l'entrant. La firme en place et l'entrant peuvent négocier la sortie de ce dernier, par exemple par le biais d'un rachat. En s'endettant, l'entrant s'engage crédiblement à une concurrence agressive (effet de la responsabilité limitée) en cas d'échec de la négociation, améliorant ainsi sa position durant celle-ci. Le chapitre 4 propose une solution au problème de concurrence à la Cournot sous contraintes de capacité, dans un cadre multi-firmes, multi-usines et multi-marchés.

Cette thèse se place dans le cadre du projet Diamonix, qui vise à établir une filière diamant en France. La thèse porte sur des travaux de dimensionnement de protection périphérique, structure nécessaire au bon fonctionnement des composants d'électronique de puissance. Le développement de protections périphériques applicables aux diodes Schottky sur diamant monocristallin nécessite plusieurs étapes. Après un premier chapitre détaillant l'état de l'art de l'utilisation de diamant en électronique de puissance, nous nous attardons sur la conception de protection périphérique basée sur une plaque de champ à l'aide de divers diélectriques et ensuite à l'aide d'un matériau semi-résistif dans le chapitre 2. Ces simulations sont réalisées à l'aide du logiciel SENTAURUS TCAD. Le troisième chapitre essaie de répondre aux problèmes technologiques posés par le chapitre 2. Nous avons ainsi développé une nouvelle technique de gravure basée sur une succession d'étapes utilisant Ar/O2 puis CF4/O2. Puis, dans un deuxième temps, nous avons réalisé des capacités Métal/Diélectrique/Diamant afin de qualifier le comportement des diélectriques sur le matériau diamant. Leur comportement est problématique mais il s'agit à notre connaissance de la première étude poussée de capacités sur diamant. Le chapitre 4 revient sur la fabrication et la caractérisation de diodes Schottky protégées à l'aide de plaques de champ sur divers diélectriques, les résultats obtenus étant mitigés. Enfin, la conclusion revient sur les résultats importants de simulation, de gravure, de caractérisation des capacités et des diodes Schottky pour ensuite s'élargir et donner des perspectives de travail.

The doctoral thesis deals with diagnostics of local defects in PN junctions and brings new information about microplasma noise behaviour and its usage for the temperature changes detection inside PN junctions. Defects in PN junctions are the source of microplasma noise. There were deviations observed in microplasma noise from the common known rectangle shape pulses during the measurements. These deviations were correlated with the temperature change directly in the defect area and in the defect area surroundings. Generation and recombination coefficients are commonly thought to be constant. However, these coefficients were observed to be not stable with time and this effect is explained in this work. The doctoral thesis then focuses on the PN junction parameters determination in the case when it is not possible to define unambiguously whether it is abrupt or linearly graded PN junction. The most significant parameters which are to be determined are barrier capacity, diffusion voltage and depleted area width in dependence on the voltage. The correlation between local avalanche discharge in PN junction and negative differential resistance appearance on VA characteristics of reverse-biased diode was qualitatively verified. The last important point in the work is computer modelling of temperature behaviour in the defect area and its surroundings during local avalanche breakdown. Thus the method of real diodes heating area parameters determination was introduced.

El objetivo del estudio fue explicar el estado del arte en sus diferentes posturas, las mismas que guardan relación con la implementación de la innovación abierta en las pymes. Numerosas investigaciones afirman que las prácticas de innovación abierta, ya es una tendencia, de modo que, es imperativo que las pymes no solo hagan uso esta implementación, sino que, por ser numerosas en el país, motiven al crecimiento empresarial. La presente investigación contempla las diversas posturas de innovación con estudios realizados desde el 2014 hacia el presente. Asimismo, la investigación muestra resultados beneficiosos en un cierto porcentaje de pymes, siendo estas contrarias para otros investigadores, donde muestran resultados no favorables y contrapuestos. Consecuentemente, ya que existe una controversia en la implementación de la innovación abierta para las pymes, no existe un protocolo establecido para implementar la innovación abierta en una organización, de modo que, da lugar a que otras empresas puedan imitar o improvisar procesos de adopción de empresas.
The objective of the study was to explain the state of the art in its different positions, which are related to the implementation of open innovation in SMEs. Numerous researches affirms that open innovation practices are already a trend, so it is imperative that SMEs not only make use of this implementation, but because they are numerous in the country, they motivate business growth. The present investigation contemplates the diverse positions of innovation with studies realized from the 2014 towards the present. Likewise, the research shows beneficial results in a certain percentage of SMEs, these being contrary to other researchers, where they show unfavorable and conflicting results. Consequently, since there is a controversy in the implementation of open innovation for SMEs, there is no established protocol to implement open innovation in an organization, so that it results in other companies being able to imitate or improvise processes of adoption of Business.

Abstract : Steel and fiber-reinforced-polymer (FRP) materials have different mechanical and physical characteristics. High corrosion resistance, high strength to weight ratio, non-conductivity, favorable fatigue enable the FRP to be considered as alternative reinforcement for structures in harsh environment. Meanwhile, FRP bars have low modulus of elasticity and linear-elastic stress-strain curve. These features raise concerns about the applicability of using such materials as reinforcement for structures prone to earthquakes. The main demand for the structural members in structures subjected to seismic loads is dissipating energy without strength loss which is known as ductility. In the rigid frames, columns are expected to be the primary elements of energy dissipation in structures subjected to seismic loads. The present study addresses the feasibility of reinforced-concrete columns totally reinforced with glass-fiber-reinforced-polymer (GFRP) bars achieving reasonable strength and the drift requirements specified in various codes. Eleven full-scale reinforced concrete columns—two reinforced with steel bars (as reference specimens) and nine totally reinforced with GFRP bars—were constructed and tested to failure. The columns were tested under quasi-static reversed cyclic lateral loading and simultaneously subjected to compression axial load. The columns are 400 mm square cross-section with a shear span 1650 mm. The specimen simulates a column with 3.7 m in height in a typical building with the point of contra-flexure located at the column mid-height. The tested parameters were the longitudinal reinforcement ratio (0.63, 0.95 and 2.14), the spacing of the transverse stirrups (80, 100, 150), tie configuration (C1, C2, C3 and C4), and axial load level (20%, 30% and 40%). The test results clearly show that properly designed and detailed GFRP-reinforced concrete columns could reach high deformation levels with no strength degradation. An acceptable level of energy dissipation compared with steel-reinforced concrete columns is provided by GFRP reinforced concrete columns. The dissipated energy of GFRP reinforced concrete columns was 75% and 70% of the counter steel columns at 2.5% and 4% drift ratio respectively. High drift capacity achieved by the columns up to 10% with no significant loss in strength. The high drift capacity and acceptable dissipated energy enable the GFRP columns to be part of the moment resisting frames in regions prone to seismic activities. The experimental ultimate drift ratios were compared with the estimated drift ratios using the confinement Equation in CSA S806-12. It was found from the comparison that the confinement Equation underestimates values of the drift ratios thus the experimental drift ratios were used to modify transverse FRP reinforcement area in CSA S806-12. The hysteretic behavior encouraged to propose a design procedure for the columns to be part of the moderate ductile and ductile moment resisting frames. The development of design guidelines, however, depends on determining the elastic and inelastic deformations and on assessing the force modification factor and equivalent plastic-hinge length for GFRP-reinforced concrete columns. The experimental results of the GFRP-reinforced columns were used to justify the design guideline, proving the accuracy of the proposed design equations.
L’acier et les matériaux à base de polymères renforcés de fibres (PRF) ont des caractéristiques physiques et mécaniques différentes. La résistance à la haute corrosion, le rapport résistance vs poids, la non-conductivité et la bonne résistance à la fatigue font des barres d’armature en PRF, un renforcement alternatif aux barres d’armature en acier, pour des structures dans des environnements agressifs. Cependant, les barres d’armature en PRF ont un bas module d’élasticité et une courbe contrainte-déformation sous forme linéaire. Ces caractéristiques soulèvent des problèmes d'applicabilité quant à l’utilisation de tels matériaux comme renforcement pour des structures situées en forte zone sismique. La principale exigence pour les éléments structuraux des structures soumises à des charges sismiques est la dissipation d'énergie sans perte de résistance connue sous le nom de ductilité. Dans les structures rigides de type cadre, on s'attend à ce que les colonnes soient les premiers éléments à dissiper l'énergie dans les structures soumises à ces charges. La présente étude traite de la faisabilité des colonnes en béton armé entièrement renforcées de barres d’armature en polymères renforcés de fibres de verre (PRFV), obtenant une résistance et un déplacement latéral raisonnable par rapport aux exigences spécifiées dans divers codes. Onze colonnes à grande échelle ont été fabriquées: deux colonnes renforcées de barres d'acier (comme spécimens de référence) et neuf colonnes renforcées entièrement de barres en PRFV. Les colonnes ont été testées jusqu’à la rupture sous une charge quasi-statique latérale cyclique inversée et soumises simultanément à une charge axiale de compression. Les colonnes ont une section carrée de 400 mm avec une portée de cisaillement de 1650 mm pour simuler une colonne de 3,7 m de hauteur dans un bâtiment typique avec le point d’inflexion situé à la mi-hauteur. Les paramètres testés sont : le taux d’armature longitudinal (0,63%, 0,95% et 2,14 %), l'espacement des étriers (80mm, 100mm, 150 mm), les différentes configurations (C1, C2, C3 et C4) et le niveau de charge axiale (20%, 30 % et 40%). Les résultats des essais montrent clairement que les colonnes en béton renforcées de PRFV et bien conçues peuvent atteindre des niveaux de déformation élevés sans réduction de résistance. Un niveau acceptable de dissipation d'énergie, par rapport aux colonnes en béton armé avec de l’armature en acier, est atteint par les colonnes en béton armé de PRFV. L'énergie dissipée des colonnes en béton armé de PRFV était respectivement de 75% et 70% des colonnes en acier à un rapport déplacement latéral de 2,5% et 4%. Un déplacement supérieur a été atteint par les colonnes en PRFV jusqu'à 10% sans perte significative de résistance. La capacité d’un déplacement supérieur et l’énergie dissipée acceptable permettent aux colonnes en PRFV de participer au moment résistant dans des régions sujettes à des activités sismiques. Les rapports des déplacements expérimentaux ultimes ont été comparés avec les rapports estimés en utilisant l’Équation de confinement du code CSA S806-12. À partir de la comparaison, il a été trouvé que l’Équation de confinement sous-estime les valeurs des rapports de déplacement, donc les rapports de déplacement expérimentaux étaient utilisés pour modifier la zone de renforcement transversal du code CSA S806-12. Le comportement hystérétique encourage à proposer une procédure de conception pour que les colonnes fassent partie des cadres rigides à ductilité modérée et résistant au moment. Cependant, l'élaboration de guides de conception dépend de la détermination des déformations élastiques et inélastiques et de l'évaluation du facteur de modification de la force sismique et de la longueur de la rotule plastique pour les colonnes en béton armé renforcées de PRFV. Les résultats expérimentaux des colonnes renforcées de PRFV étudiées ont été utilisés pour justifier la ligne directrice de conception, ce qui prouve l’efficacité des équations de conception proposées.

Abstract : The present study addressed the feasibility of reinforced-concrete squat walls totally reinforced with GFRP bars to attain reasonable strength and drift requirements as specified in different codes. Nine large-scale squat walls with aspect ratio (height to length ratio) of 1.33—one reinforced with steel bars (as reference specimen) and eight totally reinforced with GFRP bars—were constructed and tested to failure under quasi-static reversed cyclic lateral loading. The key studied parameters were: (1) use of bidiagonal web reinforcement; (2) use of bidiagonal sliding reinforcement; and (3) web reinforcement configuration (horizontal and/or vertical) and ratio. The reported test results clearly revealed that GFRP-reinforced concrete (RC) squat walls have a satisfactory strength and stable cyclic behavior as well as self-centering ability that assisted in avoiding sliding shear that occurred in the companion steel-reinforced wall following steel yielding. The results are promising regarding using GFRP-reinforced squat walls in areas prone to seismic risk where environmental conditions are adverse to steel reinforcement. Bidiagonal web reinforcement was shown to be more effective than conventional web reinforcement in controlling shear-cracks width. Using bidiagonal sliding reinforcement was demonstrated to be not necessary to prevent sliding shear. The horizontal web reinforcement ratio was found to have a significant effect in enhancing the ultimate strength and deformation capacity as long as the failure is dominant by diagonal tension. Existence of both horizontal and vertical web reinforcement was shown to be essential for cracks recovery. Assessment of the ultimate strengths using the available FRP-reinforced elements code and guidelines (CSA S806-12 and ACI 440.1R-15) was conducted and some recommendations were proposed to attain a reasonable estimation of ultimate strengths. Given their importance in estimating the walls’ later displacement, the effective flexural and shear stiffness of the investigated walls were evaluated. It was found that the cracked shear stiffness could be estimated based on the truss model; while the flexural stiffness can be estimated based on the available expressions in FRP-reinforced elements codes and guidelines. Based on a regression analysis, a simple model that directly correlates the flexural and shear stiffness degradation of the test walls to their top lateral drift was also proposed.
Résumé : La présente étude traite de la faisabilité de voiles courts en béton armé totalement renforcés avec des barres de polymères renforcés de fibres de verre (PRFV), obtenant une résistance et un déplacement latéral raisonnable par rapport aux exigences spécifiées dans divers codes. Neuf voiles à grande échelle ont été construits: un renforcé avec des barres d'acier (comme spécimen de référence) et huit renforcés totalement avec des barres de PRFV. Les voiles ont été testés jusqu’à la rupture sous une charge quasi-statique latérale cyclique inversée. Les voiles ont une hauteur de 2000 mm, une largeur de 1500 mm (élancement 2000 mm/1500 mm = 1,33) et une épaisseur de 200 mm. Les paramètres testés sont : 1) armature bi-diagonale dans l’âme; 2) armature bi-diagonale dans l’encastrement du mur à la fondation (zone de glissement); 3) configuration d’armature verticale et horizontale réparties dans l’âme et taux d’armature. Les résultats des essais ont clairement montré que les voiles courts en béton armé de PRFV ont une résistance satisfaisante et un comportement cyclique stable ainsi qu'une capacité d'auto-centrage qui ont aidé à éviter la rupture par glissement à l’encastrement (sliding shear). Ce mode de rupture (sliding shear) s’est produit pour le voile de référence armé d’acier après la plastification de l’armature. Les résultats sont prometteurs concernant l'utilisation de voiles en béton armé de PRFV dans les régions sismiques dans lesquelles les conditions environnementales sont défavorables à l’armature d’acier (corrosion). L’armature bi-diagonale en PRFV dans l’âme s’est avérée plus efficace pour le contrôle des largeurs de fissures de cisaillement comparativement à l’armature répartie dans l’âme. L'utilisation d'un renforcement de cisaillement bi-diagonal a été démontrée comme n'étant pas nécessaire dans les voiles courts en béton armé de PRFV pour prévenir la rupture par glissement à l’encastrement (shear sliding). Par ailleurs, les résultats d’essais ont montré que le taux d’armature horizontale répartie dans l’âme a un effet significatif sur l’augmentation de la résistance et la capacité en déformation des voiles dont la rupture par effort tranchant se fait par des fissures diagonales (tension failure). L'existence d’armature verticale et horizontale répartie dans l’âme du voile en béton armé de PRFV s'est révélée essentielle pour l’ouverture et la fermeture des fissures au cours des chargements cycliques. Les normes calcul CSA S806-12 et ACI 440.1R-15 ont été utilisées pour évaluer la résistance au cisaillement des voiles courts en béton armé de PRFV. Certaines recommandations ont été proposées pour obtenir une estimation raisonnable des forces ultimes. Compte tenu de leur importance dans l'estimation du déplacement latérale des voiles, la rigidité effective en flexion et en cisaillement des voiles étudiés a été évaluée. On a constaté que la raideur de cisaillement du béton fissuré pourrait être estimée en utilisant le modèle de treillis. La rigidité à la flexion peut être, quant à elle, estimée en fonction des expressions disponibles dans les normes et les guides de conception de membrures en béton armé avec des barres en PRFV. Sur la base d'une analyse de régression, un modèle simple qui corrèle directement la dégradation de la rigidité en flexion et en cisaillement des voiles courts en béton armé de PRFV testés avec le déplacement latérale dans la partie supérieure des voiles a également été proposé.

The aim of this work is to identify the most common communication errors in terms of transactional analysis taken from selected levels of management of medical facility, which undermine the social interaction at work, and analyse their causes and impact on the behaviour and experience of parties involved. Part of the work is a set of recommendations for the prevention and elimination of these barriers. For these goals to be met, I have developed questionnaires, particularly for top management, and especially for middle management, where the respondents assess themselves on how often they face barriers in the workplace and the impact of these barriers on their behaviour and experience. Their responses are processed in charts by allocation criteria. Communication theories and the barriers related to the identified data give an idea of how the top management of this medical facility (and possibly at other medical facilities of similar size and structure) should communicate with senior consultants with care. The contribution of this work should be to improve communication and achieve not only greater satisfaction for all employees, but also increase productivity during business hours. For this to transpire, it is first necessary to increase communication, especially the knowledge of effective communication, then accept their mistakes and make a constant effort to eliminate them. Some important basic concepts in communication, transactional, barriers of communication and removing communication barriers are clarified in the theoretical part. The practical part is focused on the environment of unnamed hospital. The most commonly met crossed transactions in the workplace and their impact on the behaviour and experience are shown and described there.

Världen har de senaste åren upplevt flera terrorattentat där fordon har använts som vapen för att orsaka skador i folkmassor. Fotgängare kan vara i en utsatt miljö på gångstråk och skydd i form av betonghinder kan användas för att stoppa oönskad trafik på gågator. C3C Engineering AB tillverkar betongblock som antingen kan användas som enskilda element eller byggas ihop likt lego för att skapa murar och barriärer. Betongblocken kan således även användas som skyddsbarriärer vid pågående vägarbeten, för tillfälliga konstruktioner på exempelvis återvinningscentraler eller som stödmurar. C3C tillverkar i så stor utsträckning som möjligt betongblocken av restbetong som blivit över vid gjutning av andra typer av element. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka betongblocks lastkapacitet med avseende på påkörningslaster från personbilar, lastbilar och gaffeltruckar. Betongblocket var av typen C3Cblock® 1688 med dimensionerna 800 mm x 800 mm x 1600 mm och tillverkades i betongkvalité C20/25. Arbetet undersökte hur olika förstärkningar såsom ingjutna gängstänger samt kontreforer kunde öka blockens kapacitet. Även hur blockens underlag påverkar lastkapaciteten med avseende på glidning undersöktes. Påkörningslaster är dynamiska laster. I detta arbete behandlades samtliga dynamiska laster med hjälp av statiskt ekvivalenta laster. Lastkapaciteten hos blocken med avseende på stjälpning, glidning, dymlingsverkan, skjuvkapacitet i styrkonsoler och moment- och tvärkraftskapacitet jämfördes med rekommenderade värden för påkörningslaster från Eurokod 1 och EKS6. För exceptionella lastfall kan blocken tillåtas att gå sönder, glida eller stjälpa eftersom deras huvudsakliga syfte är att stoppa trafik och skydda människor på gator eller arbetsplatser utmed trafikerade vägar. Beräkningar utfördes med hjälp av MathCad och Excel för att ta fram ett beräkningsdokument samt en tabell med lastkapacitet för samtliga lastfall som undersökts. Resultat från beräkningar för stjälpning och glidning jämfördes med underlag som C3C tillhandahöll. Beräkningar gjordes för enskilda block samt för olika murar med olika utföranden där bland annat höjden på muren och vilken sida av blocken som lasten angrep var parametrar som varierade. Resultatet visade att lastens angreppshöjd hade stor inverkan på murens kapacitet. Lastbilar och gaffeltruckar har högre angreppshöjd än personbilar. För de höga angreppshöjderna kommer stjälpning av muren att bli dimensionerande, jämfört med låga angreppshöjder där glidning inträffar först. Blocken kan tillåtas att gå sönder och därmed är moment- och tvärkraftskapacitet av sekundär betydelse. Styrkonsolernas skjuvkapacitet var stor och kommer därför inte vara dimensionerande. På grund av avgränsningar studerades endast en typ av betongblock. Ingen hänsyn togs till andra laster såsom vind eller snö som även de kommer att påverka en murs kapacitet. Det krävs därför vidare studier för att undersöka hur dessa laster samt hur olika dimensioner påverkar lastkapaciteten hos enskilda block eller murar. Försök kan med fördel utföras för att validera de teoretiska lasterna som beräknats i detta arbete.
Due to an increasing number of acts of terror where vehicles are used as a form of weapon a need to protect pedestrians has arisen. In this study the load capacity of interlocking concrete blocks with a rectangular cross section was examined based on various deformations and collapses. The concrete blocks could be used as protection against collisions such as terrorist attacks with vehicles as well as a barrier between work zones and close by traffic. The purpose of the study was to determine the load capacity in the event of a collision with a car, truck or forklift for different types of walls as well as for single blocks. The concrete blocks in the walls have both been built as Lego as well as stacked parallel on top of each other. The work is based on calculations. The results have been checked against existing documents from C3C Engineering AB. Using MathCad and Excel a document for calculations has been designed. The result from the calculations shows that walls will slide when a load acts at a low height in relation to the ground. The wall will overturn when the load acts at a higher distance from the ground.

Nous avons attire l'attention sur le fait qu'une experience simple telle qu'une ligne microruban deposee sur substrat silicium et eclairee a son extremite se comporte comme un varactor photoinduit et permet de reveler des phenomenes physiques tres interessants. L'etude de la charge photoinduite s'est effectuee sur une ligne microruban qui d'une part peut etre polarisee par une tension statique et d'autre part analysee par des signaux microondes entre 0,045 a 20 ghz. Un modele electrique rc// d'interaction entre le faisceau laser et le silicium a ete utilise. Ce modele nous a permis de confirmer la non linearite de la charge photoinduite mesurable par une forte non linearite de la caracteristique c(v) de 0,045 a 1 ghz. On a pu constater que le facteur de qualite de la charge photoinduite augmente a hautes frequences, cela est du au fait que sous la zone eclairee se forme des zones depourvues de porteurs libres a fort champ electrique. Une experience de melange de frequences a montre que la variation de l'amplitude des harmoniques crees par le melange en fonction de la tension de polarisation de la ligne reproduit exactement les variations de c(v), ce qui prouve la validite physique de notre modele. Nous avons aussi etudie l'influence du contact a1/si sur la charge photoinduite. Le contact schottky s'est revele interessant du fait que les trous subissent une injection supplementaire par le contact bloquant d'ou les valeurs de la caracteristique c(v) plus importantes. Les potentialites d'application de ce dispositif sont nombreuses, que ce soit pour definir les parametres du materiau comme la duree de vie ou pour controler des dispositifs microondes tels que antennes, filtres et coupleurs ou pour effectuer du melange de frequences rf.

Cette thèse traite de la résistance du VIH-1 aux antirétroviraux, en particulier de l'activité antivirale de plusieurs inhibiteurs non nucléosidiques de la transcriptase inverse (INNTI) ainsi que des inhibiteurs de protéase (IP). Nous avons exploré l’émergence et la spécificité des voies de mutations qui confèrent la résistance contre plusieurs nouveaux INNTI (étravirine (ETR) et rilpivirine (RPV)) (chapitres 2 et 3). En outre, le profil de résistance et le potentiel antirétroviral d'un nouvel IP, PL-100, est présenté dans les chapitres 4 et 5. Pour le premier projet, nous avons utilisé des sous-types B et non-B du VIH-1 pour sélectionner des virus résistants à ETR, et ainsi montré que ETR favorise l’émergence des mutations V90I, K101Q, E138K, V179D/E/F, Y181C, V189I, G190E, H221H/Y et M230L, et ce, en 18 semaines. Fait intéressant, E138K a été la première mutation à émerger dans la plupart des cas. Les clones viraux contenant E138K ont montré un faible niveau de résistance phénotypique à ETR (3,8 fois) et une diminution modeste de la capacité de réplication (2 fois) par rapport au virus de type sauvage. Nous avons également examiné les profils de résistance à ETR et RPV dans les virus contenant des mutations de résistance aux INNTI au début de la sélection. Dans le cas du virus de type sauvage et du virus contenant la mutation unique K103N, les premières mutations à apparaître en présence d’ETR ou de RPV ont été E138K ou E138G suivies d’autres mutations de résistance aux INNTI. À l’inverse, dans les mêmes conditions, le virus avec la mutation Y181C a évolué pour produire les mutations V179I/F ou A62V/A, mais pas E138K/G. L'ajout de mutations à la position 138 en présence de Y181C n'augmente pas les niveaux de résistance à ETR ou RPV. Nous avons également observé que la combinaison de Y181C et E138K peut conduire à un virus moins adapté par rapport au virus contenant uniquement Y181C. Sur la base de ces résultats, nous suggérons que les mutations Y181C et E138K peuvent être antagonistes. L’analyse de la résistance au PL-100 des virus de sous-type C et CRF01_AE dans les cellules en culture est décrite dans le chapitre 4. Le PL-100 sélectionne pour des mutations de résistance utilisant deux voies distinctes, l'une avec les mutations V82A et L90M et l'autre avec T80I, suivi de l’addition des mutations M46I/L, I54M, K55R, L76F, P81S et I85V. Une accumulation d'au moins trois mutations dans le rabat protéique et dans le site actif est requise dans chaque cas pour qu’un haut niveau de résistance soit atteint, ce qui démontre que le PL-100 dispose d'une barrière génétique élevée contre le développement de la résistance. Dans le chapitre 5, nous avons évalué le potentiel du PL-100 en tant qu’inhibiteur de protéase de deuxième génération. Les virus résistants au PL-100 émergent en 8-48 semaines alors qu’aucune mutation n’apparaît avec le darunavir (DRV) sur une période de 40 semaines. La modélisation moléculaire montre que la haute barrière génétique du DRV est due à de multiples interactions avec la protéase dont des liaison hydrogènes entre les groupes di-tétrahydrofuranne (THF) et les atomes d'oxygène des acides aminés A28, D29 et D30, tandis que la liaison de PL-100 est principalement basée sur des interactions polaires et hydrophobes délocalisées à travers ses groupes diphényle. Nos données suggèrent que les contacts de liaison hydrogène et le groupe di-THF dans le DRV, ainsi que le caractère hydrophobe du PL-100, contribuent à la liaison à la protéase ainsi qu’à la haute barrière génétique contre la résistance et que la refonte de la structure de PL-100 pour inclure un groupe di-THF pourrait améliorer l’activité antivirale et le profil de résistance.
This thesis focuses on HIV-1 drug resistance and on the antiviral activity of several non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) and protease inhibitors (PIs). We have explored the mutational pathways and resistance patterns of several new NNRTIs (etravirine (ETR) and rilpivirine (RPV)) (Chapters 2 and 3). In addition, the drug resistance profile and potential of a novel protease inhibitor (PI) PL-100 is presented in Chapters 4 and 5. In the first project, we used both B and non-B subtypes of HIV-1 to select for ETR resistance and showed that ETR selected for mutations at positions V90I, K101Q, E138K, V179D/E/F, Y181C, V189I, G190E, H221H/Y and M230L within 18 weeks of commencing drug pressure. Interestingly, E138K was the first mutation to emerge in most instances. Viral clones containing E138K displayed low-level phenotypic resistance to ETR (3.8-fold) and modestly impaired replication capacity (2-fold) compared to wild-type virus. We also examined resistance patterns to ETR and RPV in viruses containing NNRTI mutations at baseline. In wild-type (wt) viruses and viruses containing K103N alone, E138K or E138G mutations were observed in the presence of either ETR or RPV drug pressure followed by the appearance of other NNRTI resistance mutations. Alternatively, subtype B viruses containing Y181C generated V179I/F or A62V/A on exposure to ETR or RPV drug pressure, respectively, but not E138K. The addition of mutations at position 138 to Y181C did not significantly enhance levels of resistance to ETR or RPV. We also observed that the combination of Y181C and E138K may lead to a less fit virus compared to virus containing Y181C alone. Based on these findings, we suggest that Y181C may be antagonistic to E138K. The tissue culture drug resistance analysis of PL-100 in subtype C and CRF01_AE viruses is described in Chapter 4. PL-100 selected for PI resistance mutations along either of two distinct pathways, one of which involved resistance mutations at positions V82A and L90M while the other involved a mutation at position T80I, with other mutations being observed at positions M46I/L, I54M, K55R, L76F, P81S and I85V. An accumulation of at least three mutations in the protease flap and enzyme active sites were required in each case for high-level resistance to occur, demonstrating that PL-100 has a high genetic barrier against the development of drug resistance. In Chapter 5, we evaluated the potential of PL-100 as a second generation HIV-1 protease inhibitor. PL-100 resistant variants emerged within 8-48 weeks while darunavir (DRV) did not select for resistance mutations over a period of 40 weeks. Structural modeling demonstrated that the high genetic barrier of DRV is due to numerous interactions with protease that include hydrogen-bonding to PR backbone oxygens at amino acid positions A28, D29 and D30 via di-tetrahydrofuran (THF) groups, while binding of PL-100 was predominantly based on polar interactions and delocalized hydrophobic interactions through its diphenyl groups. Our data suggest that hydrogen bonding contacts and the di-THF group in DRV, as well as the hydrophobic nature of PL-100, contribute to PI binding and a high genetic barrier for resistance and that redesigning the structure of PL-100 to include a di-THF group might improve it antiviral potency and drug resistance profile.

Background – Every competent person in Ontario has the right to decide whether or not he or she will be admitted to long-term care. If your capacity to make such a decision is in doubt, then it is evaluated. The current evaluation process is inaccessible to people with aphasia or other communication barriers, and social work evaluators report significant problems in communicating with this population. Competent individuals have been found lacking in capacity because of communication barriers. Aims – To create a communicatively accessible capacity evaluation process with training in specialized communication techniques. Also, to test the validity and effectiveness of the Communication Aid to Capacity Evaluation (CACE) to reveal the inherent capacity of participants with aphasia using social work evaluators. Methods – 32 social workers were partnered with 32 competent participants with aphasia. They were randomly divided into an experimental and control group. Both groups administered the current ‘Capacity to Make Admissions Decisions’ questionnaire to establish a baseline measurement of capacity. The social workers in the experimental group were introduced to CACE and received communication training. Following a two-week interval they administered CACE and the control group re-administered the current capacity questionnaire. The 64 capacity evaluations were video recorded and 3 independent speech-language pathologists administered standardized assessment measures on the recordings. Finally, the participants completed surveys measuring confidence and communication abilities. Outcomes - Using the current capacity questionnaire, one social worker found a competent participant lacking in capacity and one third of social workers were unable to determine capacity. Following the introduction of CACE with communication training, analyses of the standardized measures and survey results showed a statistically significant difference between the participants in the experimental group and the control group. The social workers in the experimental group had significantly better communication skills, (‘Revealing Competence’ f (2, 29) = 12.03, p = 0.002), the participants with aphasia’ abilities to ‘Transfer Information’ increased, (f (2, 29) = 10.51, p < 0.003), and the evaluators’ confidence in their determinations of capacity improved (f (2, 29) = 13.511, p = .001). The use of CACE with communication training resulted in accurate determinations of capacity in competent participants with aphasia. Conclusions - CACE was an effective tool to evaluate the capacity to make a decision regarding admission to long-term care. It was communicatively accessible for this research population with aphasia, enhancing comprehension of the capacity process and enabling the person to communicate a response. Improved communication skills, transfer of information and confidence allowed the evaluators to accurately determine capacity.

碩士
國立交通大學
電子研究所
84
Copyright (c) 1990, Microsoft Corp 本論文以介電質劣化,電容-電 壓測量法及加溫偏壓法,來探討擴散阻礙層對銅閘極金氧半結構之熱穩定 性的影響. 首先,在鋁/二氧化矽/矽結構中我們設計了二氧化矽在高溫 氧化形成之後經氮氣退火處理與未經氮氣退火處理的兩樣樣本.我們測量 整個結構的介電質劣化情形,與介面能階密度,高頻曲線的變化,來觀察此 結構之熱穩定性.我們觀察到整個結構在金屬濺鍍沉積過程中與其結構中 的二氧化矽在高溫氧化形成之後若不經氮氣退火處理皆會破壞氧化層,因 而影響到其結構之熱穩定性. 我們又利用擴散阻礙層對銅閘極金氧半結 構經爐管熱處理後,觀察其高頻曲線在經加溫偏壓法前後的變化.了解得知 此結構於不加擴散阻礙層時經400 ℃ 30分爐管熱處理後,電性便生劣化, 其劣化程度隨熱處理溫度升高而加劇.劣化原因可能來自熱處理過程中,帶 正電的銅離子在二氧化矽層中的快速移動.置入一層50nm的氮化鈦或氮化 鉭可成功地阻礙銅在二氧化矽或二氧化矽/矽介面中的擴散,如氮化鉭擴散 阻礙層的樣本在最佳條件下在熱處理溫度中可提高到700 ℃, 仍然具備有 效的擴散阻止能力.另外,我們也作了一些氟玻璃矽化物的研究來探討氟玻 璃矽化物的一些基本特性. Copyright (c) 1990, Microsoft Corp Abstract This thesis studies the thermal stability of Cu/ SiO2/Si system with and without diffusion barrier. Ti-series and Ta-series nitrides were studied withrespect to their barrier capacity against Cu permeation and migration in the oxide layer. We used C-V measurements and the dielectric breakdown field (Ebd) to characterize the thermal stability of Metal/SiO2/Si system and use the technique of bias-temperature stress to characterize the thermal stability of the Cu/Barrier/SiO2/Si system with and without diffusion barrier. For the Cu/SiO2/Si MOS capacitors annealed at temperature below 400 ℃, theDit decreased, the Vfb shifted in the positive voltage direction, and the Ebd improved, all with the increase of annealing temperature. This is presumablybecause that with the increase of annealing temperature, the dangling bondsand sputter induced oxide damage were repaired. On the other hand, annealingof the capacitors at temperatures above 400 ℃ resulted in increase of theDit, negative shift of Vfb, and degradation of Ebd; this observation is obvious particularly for the Cu/SiO2/Si samples. Cu ion migration in the metal-gated MOS capacitor is presumably the major reason. Form BTS experiments, we can demonstrate that the barrier layer is useful against Cu ion. TaN (12:3)(500 ? barrier layer is the better one amoung those barriercadidates with various nitrogen contents. The structure with barrier layer TaN (12:3)(500 ? is still stable at heat treatment 700 ℃. The FSG film was found to have index of refraction lower than various oxides presently used in microelectronic processing. However, the index of FSG filmwith Cu gate will become larger at the elevated temperature. Without proper diffusion barrier, it seems difficult to combine the low dielectric FSG and low resistivity Cu together.

碩士
國立臺灣科技大學
營建工程系
102
Geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) structures are often used to carry vertical surcharges. Recently, GRS structures have been applied as barriers to resist lateral force from natural disasters such as flood, tsunami, rock fall, debris flow, and avalanche. In design guideline, the stability of such structures is often evaluated by conducting the conventional external stability analyses assuming the reinforced soil mass as a rigid body. However, the assumption of rigid body contradicts with the flexible nature of reinforced soil. In this study, finite element (FE) models of back-to-back GRS walls were developed to investigate the failure mode and lateral bearing capacity of GRS barriers subjected to lateral loadings. The FE result showed GRS barriers generated bending deformation when subjected to lateral force. As a result, the vertical stress at the side of wall subjected to lateral force decreased due to the bending deformation induced tension stress. On the other hand, the vertical stress at the opposite side increased because of the bending deformation induced compression stress. The failure mode depended on the aspect ratio of GRS barriers L/H (ratio of wall width to wall height). When 0.5 < L/H < 1, the GRS barriers subjected to lateral loading failed internally. Due to the development of bending stress, the GRS barriers failed due to the internal sliding along the soil-reinforcement interface at the side subjected to the lateral force and meanwhile the active failure of reinforced soil wedge at the opposite side. When 1.0 < L/H < 3.0, sliding failure at the bottom of GRS barriers occurred. When L/H > 3.0, the passive soil failure occurred within GRS barriers at the side subjected to the lateral force. The parametric study results indicated the major factor to affect the ultimate lateral bearing capacity was the aspect ratio of GRS barriers. As L/H increases, the lateral bearing capacity of GRS structures increased from approximately twice of active lateral earth pressure at L/H = 0.5 to the passive lateral earth pressure at L/H = 3.0.

This thesis identifies and analyzes the legal barriers faced by ethno-racial psychiatric consumer/survivors in Ontario, through an analysis of the Consent and Capacity Board (CCB). I employ interdisciplinary research to test the hypothesis that factors such as race, ethnicity, culture, poverty and social exclusion are not fully addressed by the CCB. To critique the CCB, I developed a theoretical framework using the grounded theory approach, in combination with tenets of disability theory, critical race theory and intersectionality. I used the theoretical framework to analyze qualitative research involving twenty interviews of stakeholders including lawyers, psychiatrists, CCB adjudicators, mental health service providers and ethno-racial psychiatric consumer/survivors. The analysis revealed the procedural, systemic/structural and discretionary barriers within the CCB’s pre-hearing, hearing and post-hearing process. Barriers were the result of cultural misunderstandings, misdiagnosis, complex familial relationships, culturally inappropriate care, institutional racism, poverty, discrimination and the CCB’s “color blind approach.” I conclude with prioritized recommendations.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
電子工程學研究所
95
In this work, we will introduce and discuss three important topics of advancement of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors technology which are Schottky-barrier germanium channel MOSFET, Nickel-germanide, and Strain induced effect. By using Si-cap/ε-Ge/Si substrate, we can get Germanium channel. And Platinum (Pt) is deposited as metal Schottky-barrier source/drain of p-type MOSFET. The devices are fabricated by three mask process and overcome some shortcomings from one mask process. Some useful concepts and adjustments are also provided to improve the performance of the process. Formation of electrical contacts in Ge-based MOSFETs have been studied, nickel monogermanide (NiGe) is certainly advantageous for its use as contact material in Ge-based devices. The variation of Ni/Ge structure on different orientation substrate as a function of annealing temperature will be shown and discussed. We built up a mechanical setup to apply external uniaxial and biaxial tensile strain. By measuring flat-band voltage shift of MOS capacitor on the (110) orientation Si under strain conditions, the reduction of conduction band and the upward shift of valence band edge were observed. Moreover, we done the same experiment on the (110) orientation Si and discuss flat-band voltage shift of MOS capacitor under biaxial strain.

碩士
長庚大學
化學工程研究所
90
The objectives of this research are to prepare barium strontium titanate (BST) thin films by RF magnetron sputtering using sol-gel derived BST targets and to investigate the effect of sputtering power on the crystallization behavior and the dielectric characteristics of the BST thin films. In addition, the influence of the titanium nitride diffusion barrier layers on the characteristics of BST thin film capacitors is also investigated. From the experimental results, powders of (Ba0.5Sr0.5)TiO3 calcined at 1000℃ exhibited highest crystallinity. Targets with relative densities of 95.2% were prepared by sintering the green bodies made of these powders at 1300℃. If the green bodies were cold-isostatic-pressed (CIP), the relative densities were as high as 98.2% after being sintered at same temperature. Thin films prepared under the process condition of 40 watts sputtering power and 120 minutes deposition time were 100 nm thick and possessed higher dielectric constant (206). And after being post-annealed by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process at 600℃ for 20 seconds, the leakage currents could be lowered to the level of 1E-9 amp/cm2. The addition of TiN diffusion barrier layers did not show any prominent impact on the leakage currents and the dielectric constants of the BST thin film capacitors. Both BST thin film capacitors (with and without TiN diffusion barrier layers) possessed similar leakage currents before post-annealing. After being post-annealed at 600℃ for 40 seconds to 60 seconds, the leakage currents of both types of thin film capacitors were lowered by an order of magnitude and approximately the same. These provided the proof that TiN diffusion barrier layers could not successfully block the inter-diffusion of metals between the substrates and the dielectric layers to reduce the leakage currents and to improve the dielectric constants.

A number of research studies have highlighted the importance of using empirically supported treatment (evidence-based practices (EBPs)) as the most effective means to reduce addiction. Even though significant federal funding has been committed to support implementation of EBPs in community-based treatment organizations (CBOs) (Glasner-Edwards & Rawson, 2010; NIDA, 2006; IOM, 2003) systematic study of the policy-components of EBP implementation is limited to date. This study examined whether the federal-funder-specific activities (measured as: recommending specific EBPs rather than promoting CBO selection of EBPs, activities associated with specific funding mechanisms, and providing training through ATTCs) were associated with staff perception of level of barriers to implementing federally-funded EBPs. Data sources included interviews with 510 clinical staff from CBOs nationwide who received SAMHSA funding (2003-2008) to implement EBPs. Bivariate analysis and regression modeling methods examined the relationship between federal-funder specific activities and three dependent variables: level of barriers experienced when implementing the EBP, level of modifications made to the EBP that was implemented, and a series of questions regarding attitudes about the usefulness of EBPs. In the regression models, the study controlled for staff, geographic and treatment unit characteristics. It also controlled for variables related to organizational capacity. Findings include: 1. whether or not federal-funders promoted the use of a specific EBP or whether the organization self-selected the EBP to implement was not significantly associated with the level of barriers experienced, the modifications made to the EBP or the attitudes about EBPs. 2. Staff receiving funding from different federal funding mechanisms was associated with reporting different levels of barriers, modifications and attitudes toward EBP implementation. 3. Finally, having received ATTC training was not significantly associated with having more positive attitudes about specific EBPs or the level of modifications or barriers to EBP implementation.

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia de Mecânica
A presente tese de mestrado expõe o estado da arte das barreiras de protecção rodoviária, com incidência mais profunda nas barreiras metálicas mais usuais, área de estudo deste trabalho. De modo a executar uma análise fidedigna, é descrita previamente a curva do material, obtida experimentalmente, que posteriormente é tratada de modo a obter a curva verdadeira do material para introdução no programa. As análises executadas são de cariz estático, estudando de forma individual estes dois elementos. Como se pretende verificar o comportamento plástico das mesmas, o estudo numérico recorre ao programa ANSYS que permite o estudo não-linear e plástico nas suas análises. Neste trabalho são executadas análises das ligações (prumo e espaçador) das barreiras de protecção rodoviária com vista ao entendimento do seu comportamento de deformação, comparando dois tipos de perfis, o UPN120 e o C125, retirando por fim as equações que descrevem o comportamento das diferentes estruturas, de modo a poder aplicar as análises numéricas a casos reais de colisão.
The present master degree dissertation exhibits the state of the art of the road safety barriers with special focus in the most usual metallic barriers, subject area of this work. In order to perform a realistic analysis, it is done an experimental test to obtain the stress-strain curve, which will be treated so the true stress-strain curve can be obtained in order to introduce it in the software. The analyses performed are static, and the two structures are independently analysed. In order to study the plastic behaviour in these structures, this work uses software that allows the non-linear and plastic behaviour in its analyses, the ANSYS. In this work are performed connection analyses (post and spacer) of the road safety barriers in order to understand their deformation behaviour, comparing the two post types, the UPN120 and the C125, achieving the final formulation that describes its behaviour, in order to able to apply that formulation in real crash cases.

Com o processo de envelhecimento ocorrem perdas físicas, sensoriais e cognitivas que irão influenciar a forma como o indivíduo se relaciona com o espaço. Há medida que a capacidade funcional do idoso vai diminuindo, este torna-se mais sensível ao ambiente em que vive. Neste sentido, o espaço físico deve atender a características recomendadas de forma a promover o máximo de autonomia e participação. O presente estudo pretendeu avaliar a influência das barreiras arquitetónicas na capacidade funcional da pessoa idosa institucionalizada. A amostra por conveniência foi composta por 47 participantes de ambos os sexos, a residir em lar de idosos da Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, com idades compreendidas entre os 60 e 95 anos. Para a recolha de dados foi aplicado o Índice de Barthel, Questionário de Saúde e a Lista de Verificação de Barreiras Arquitetónicas. Os resultados revelaram um grau de dependência nas Atividades da Vida Diária (AVD) maioritariamente moderado, um elevado sedentarismo e, que a maioria das características do espaço físico cumpre as recomendações exigidas. Revelaram também não haver associação entre as barreiras arquitetónicas e o grau de dependência nas AVD, e o tempo em movimento e na posição de sentado globalmente.
With the aging process takes place, physical, sensory and cognitive impairments will influence how the individual relates with space. As the elderly functional capacity decreases, they become more sensitive to the environment in which they live. Therefore, the physical space must meet the recommended characteristics in order to promote maximum autonomy and participation. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the architectural barriers in the functional capacity of aged people. For that purpose, was used a convenience sample comprising 47 participants of both sexes, living in the nursing home of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa and aged between 60 and 95 years. For data collection was used the Barthel Index, Health Questionnaire and Architectural Barriers Checklist. The results revealed a degree of dependence on the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) is mainly moderate, lifestyle is mostly sedentary and most of the physical space characteristics meet the required recommendations. The results also showed no association between the architectural barriers and the degree of dependence in ADL, and the global time in motion and in seated position.