Academic literature on the topic 'Design - General'

Syfte - Att undersöka hur en kundsegmenteringsprocess kan utformas samt vilka variabler man bör iaktta för att kunna erbjuda en lämplig kundservicenivå. För att uppnå detta syfte skall följande frågeställningar besvaras: 1. Vilka variabler bör ingå i en kundsegmentering? 2. Hur kan en kundsegmenteringsprocess utformas? Metod - En generell kundsegmenteringsprocess utformades. Processen har utvecklats genom kvalitativ forskning baserad på litteraturstudier samt intervjuer i en fallstudie. Under litteraturstudien granskades teorier i ämnet för att besvara frågeställningarna. Detta jämfördes senare med empirin som samlats under fallstudien. Resultat - Den utformade processen innehåller sju dimensioner med tillhörande variabler. Under studien har variablerna utvärderats för att ta reda på hur de påverkar situationen. Endast de variabler som hade ett stort inflytande på situationen togs med i processen. Studien visade att det finns olika strategier för att utföra en kundsegmentering. Vid utformning av en kundsegmenteringsprocess är det viktigt att veta vilka variabler som passar organisationens bransch samt hur de påverkar resultatet. Omfång och Avgränsningar - Rapporten är begränsad till att utforma ett förslag på en kundsegmenteringsprocess. Processen kommer därför inte att tillämpas på fallföretaget under fallstudien. Processen kan fortfarande generaliseras och användas av företag med liknade egenskaper. Ytterligare forskning skulle kunna sträva efter att inkludera andra variabler som passar in på fler branscher. Implikationer - Den utformade processen hjälper till vid beslutssituationer avseende kundsegmentering. Genom att balansera de variabler som föreslagits möjliggör dem en grund för olika kundserviceerbjudanden. Dessa variabler beaktar den eftersträvade generaliseringen. Bidrag och Rekommendationer - Kundsegmenteringsprocessen som presenteras i denna rapport är, såvitt författarna vet, den första i sitt slag med sin layout. Variablerna kan även användas i andra segmenteringsprocesser vilket visar en hög grad av generalisering. Vad som är unikt med den designade processen i denna rapport är att den innehåller en mix av två väl beprövade teorier inom kundsegmentering nämligen, Kotler’s (2009) Bottom-Up-Approach och Weinstein’s (2004) B2B Market Segmentation.<br>Purpose – To examine how the process of customer segmentation can be designed, and which variables to consider to offer an appropriate customer service. To achieve this purpose the following questions will be answered: 1. Which variables should be included in customer segmentation? 2. How can a customer segmentation process be designed? Method – A general process was designed. The process has been developed through qualitative research based on literature review and interviews conducted in a case study. During the literature review the authors sought for theories on the subject in order to answer the research questions. This was later compared to the empirical evidence collected from the case study. Findings – The designed process contains seven dimensions with related variables. During the study the variables were evaluated concerning their impact on the situation. Only variables that had a high influence on the situation were implemented in the process. The study showed that that there are various approaches towards performing customer segmentation. When designing a customer segmentation process, it is of high importance to know which variables suit the organizations line of business and how they affect the outcome. Research limitations – The thesis is restricted into designing a customer segmentation process, the process will therefore not be applied on the case company during the case study. The process can still be generalized and usable for companies with similar distribution setup. Further research could strive to include other variables. Implications – The designed process assists in the decision-making situation regarding customer segmentation. By balancing the variables it enables a basis for customer service offering. These variables take the requested generalization in consideration. Originality/value – The customer segmentation process presented in this thesis is, as far as the authors know, the first in its kind with its layout. The variables could be used in other segmentation processes as well which show a high grade of generalization. What is unique with the designed process in this thesis is that it contains a mixture of two well proven customer segmentation theories namely, Kotler’s (2009) Bottom-Up-Approach and Weinstein’s (2004) B2B Market Segmentation.

The goal of the project was to design a two story general office building on a five acre parcel in Oro Valley, Arizona. As per the request of the client, the office building was to have an effective floor area of 30,000 square feet and a 900 square foot atrium. A preliminary geotechnical investigation of the site was conducted to determine soil properties of the location and decide which areas of the parcel would be adequate to support the support the weight of the building. Oro Valley zoning code was then used to determine allowable height clearances for the building and suggested parking lot arrangements. A hydrologic analysis was performed on the site to ensure that major flooding would not impact the productivity of the building when completed. Traffic analysis was conducted on the intersection of Linda Vista Boulevard and Oracle Road to estimate the impact of additional traffic at the intersection. The complete steel frame structure of the building was also designed and foundations were designed based off of the projected column loads. All structural and geotechnical design work was done using an adequate factor of safety. Finally, environmental and sustainability considerations were looked into and a LEED score was given to our project.

Self-assembled nanostructures provide an exciting opportunity to generate new materials with molecular resolution, and in a massively parallel fashion. Nanomaterials often display unique properties relative to their bulk analogues, giving them attractive potential in fields like electronics, photonics, structural biology, and therapeutics. DNA, beyond its role in genetics, is also one of the best self-assembling molecules known. It uses specific base-pairing interactions to come together into a well-defined, rigid double helix. We can therefore predict exactly how two different strands of DNA will interact in solution with impressive accuracy. DNA nanotechnology applies this ability to the generation of complex nanostructures using DNA as a building material. One of the key challenges facing DNA nanotechnology is to find a practical balance between structural complexity and ease of synthesis. This thesis develops simplified methods to build and control DNA nanostructures, in an effort to make them more practical and viable for future applications. Conceptually, this research can be divided into three main parts. First, a method to build discrete 3D prisms from a minimal number of components is developed. These structures incorporate new strand connectivity and a balance of symmetric and unique sequence to generate a library of well-defined geometries from a minimal amount of DNA. Second, DNA nanotubes are generated using a long, continuous, enzymatically produced backbone strand, and from a simplified set of component strands. Together, these methods provide templated length, enhanced stability in biological settings, efficient cellular penetration, and the ability to generate long linear patterns of various cargo molecules using a DNA-minimal approach. Third, a method to produce monodisperse DNA strands with user-defined patterns of sequence domains is developed. Using temporal control and in situ ligation, complex patterns can be generated and amplified from a small number of building blocks, and used as template strands in the construction of DNA nanostructures. Together, the concepts developed in this work can be used to make functional DNA nanostructures in a practical manner, with an emphasis on reducing synthetic effort while retaining structural complexity.<br>Les structures auto-assemblées offrent une excellente occasion de créer de nouveaux matériaux disposant d'une résolution moléculaire et d'un procédé de fabrication massivement parallèle. Les nanomatériaux présentent souvent des propriétés uniques lorsque comparés à leur analogues de plus grande échelle ce qui leur confère un potentiel attrayant dans des domaines tels que l'électronique, la photonique, la biologie structurale et le développement de produits thérapeutiques. L'ADN, au-delà de son rôle en génétique, est aussi l'une des meilleures molécules auto-assemblantes connues. Les liaisons spécifiques entre les bases de l'ADN permettent la formation d'une double hélice rigide et bien définie. Nous pouvons donc prédire exactement la façon dont deux brins différents d'ADN vont interagir en solution et ce, avec une impressionnante exactitude. La nanotechnologie en ADN se sert cette propriété afin de générer des nanostructures complexes qui utilisent l'ADN en tant que matériau de construction. L'un des principaux défis auxquels la nanotechnologie en ADN doit faire face est de trouver une balance fonctionnelle entre la complexité structurale et la facilité de synthèse. Cette thèse présente des procédés simplifiés pour construire et contrôler des nanostructures en ADN dans le but de les rendre plus pratiques et viables en vue d'applications futures. Conceptuellement, cette recherche peut être divisée en trois parties principales. En premier lieu, une méthode pour construire des prismes tridimensionnels distincts à partir d'un nombre minimal de composantes est élaborée. Ces structures intègrent de nouvelles connectivités entre les brins, de même qu'une balance entre la symétrie et l'unicité des séquences utilisées, afin de créer un ensemble de géométries bien définies à partir d'une quantité minimale d'ADN. En second lieu, des nanotubes d'ADN sont générés en utilisant une longue séquence continue d'ADN produite de façon enzymatique en tant que squelette, ainsi qu'un ensemble simplifié de brins constitutifs. Collectivement, ces procédures assurent l'obtention de nanotubes possédant une longueur contrôlée au moyen de séquences utilisées en tant que gabarits, une stabilité accrue dans des milieux biologiques, une pénétration cellulaire efficace et permettent d'introduire de longs motifs linéaires lors de l'arrangement de molécules cargo, tout en profitant d'une approche minimale en ADN. En troisième lieu, un procédé produisant des séquences d'ADN monodisperses qui comprennent des domaines de séquences avec des motifs définis par l'utilisateur est décrit. En se servant d'un contrôle temporel et d'un protocole de ligation in situ, des motifs complexes peuvent être générés et amplifiés à partir d'un nombre minimal de composantes pour ensuite être utilisés en tant que brins-gabarit dans la construction de nanostructures d'ADN. Collectivement, les concepts développés dans cette thèse peuvent être exploités afin de fabriquer des nanostructures d'ADN fonctionnelles de manière pratique avec une emphase mise sur la réduction de l'effort synthétique et la conservation de la complexité structurale.

Despite broad agreement on the utility of design rationale use and capture, a review of the relevant literature shows that industrial usage remains limited, especially during geometry design. An initial field study confirmed low design rationale capture during the geometry design stage. The lack of linking between design rationale and geometry models is identified as a factor holding back design rationale capture. A toolset is presented to link entities in geometry models to design rationale, allowing the creation of design rationale referring to a specific geometry design decision. Using the design rationale links it is possible to create graphs of the structure of geometry models and attached rationale. Furthermore the presence and quantity of design rationale can be displayed as a coloured overlay on the geometry. The toolset has been tested by 7 groups of student-designers, and although the uptake of the design rationale linking tool by the users was low, results show that groups using the tool captured relatively more design rationale during geometry design, although reservations have to be made regarding to self-selection bias. The study shows that the availability of design rationale linking tools is not by itself enough to improve design rationale capture during geometry design.

It is felt the position of the Scheffé polynomials as the primary, or sometimes sole recourse for practitioners of mixture experiments leads to a lack of enquiry regarding the type of blending behaviour that is used to describe the response and that this could be detrimental to achieving experimental objectives. Consequently, a new class of models and new experimental designs are proposed allowing a more thorough exploration of the experimental region with respect to different blending behaviours, especially those not associated with established models for mixtures, in particular the Scheffé polynomials. The proposed General Blending Models for Mixtures (GBMM) are a powerful tool allowing a broad range of blending behaviour to be described. These include those of the Scheffé polynomials (and its reparameterisations) and Becker's models. The potential benefits to be gained from their application include greater model parsimony and increased interpretability. Through this class of models it is possible for a practitioner to reject the assumptions inherent in choosing to model with the Scheffé polynomials and instead adopt a more open approach, flexible to many different types of behaviour. These models are presented alongside a fitting procedure, implementing a stepwise regression approach to the estimation of partially linear models with multiple nonlinear terms. The new class of models has been used to develop designs which allow the response surface to be explored fully with respect to the range of blending behaviours the GBMM may describe. These designs may additionally be targeted at exploring deviation from the behaviour described by the established models. As such, these designs may be thought to possess an enhanced optimality with respect to these models. They both possess good properties with respect to optimality criterion, but are also designed to be robust against model uncertainty.

This thesis consists of three parts. Part I (chapters 1-4) gives a review and description of the basis for the numerical modelling of tension structures. The discussion in Part I leads to the conclusion of a need for an interactive design procedure for tension structures which is the subject under consideration in Part II (chapters 5-7). In the design of tension structures, an area which requires special attention is the dynamic response often initiated by the action of a natural wind. In Part III (chapters 8 and 9), this area is examined in detail and a strategy is proposed to give an improved modelling of dynamic response. The numerical procedure developed is assessed by comparison with previously reported test results for a pneumatic dome. Chapter 1 gives a general introduction to tension structures, and their main characteristics and behaviour are briefly described. From both the structural and architectural points of view, tension structures (classified as either prestressed cable nets or doubly curved membranes) do offer a number of benefits which arise from their characteristics and behaviour. The different types of cable nets which can be contructed are outlined, and various possible types of membrane structures and membrane materials which can be used are described. In addition, the form-finding and load analysis stages in the design process of tension structures are briefly discussed. An overview of Parts I, II and III of this thesis is also included. As a result of the flexible nature of a tension structure, large deformations often occur under loads acting normal to the surface. In addition, the coated woven fabrics exhibit material non-linearities, ie. the material properties vary under loads. In other words, a full non-linear structural analysis accounting for both material and geometric non-linearities is required in order to give a realistic modelling of the behaviour of a tension structure. Chapter 2 reviews numerical methods which have been widely reported for dealing with nonlinear structural analysis. From the review, it will be noted that the dynamic relaxation (DR) method is well suited to solving the highly non-linear problems which occur particularly in the case of tension structures. The dynamic relaxation method with a finite element idealisation of the structure is chosen as the solution scheme for all the analysis work in this thesis, and a detailed description of the method is given in chapter 3. Features of the method which are particularly useful for the design of tension structures are: (a) the effective decoupling of the equations of compatibility and equilibrium which allows complex material properties modelling and the use of slip cables, etc., and (b) the use of a 'kinetic' damping procedure which permits gross changes in support geometries to be made during interactive form-finding without the possibility of numerical instability. Although the main surface spanning elements may be purely tensile, many tension structures will employ compression and bending elements for their support. For example, as a means of providing support to a large span tension structure, a compression boundary is considered to be an efficient alternative to tension anchorages. In a sense, a compression boundary is complimentary to the tension elements in the structure as these elements also act as supports to the compression boundary. This gives the advantage of a compression boundary comprising of slender sections. The compression boundary is modelled as a series of beam elements. The moment-curvature equations of a beam element expressed in the form of natural stiffness relations, are developed in chapter 4. In addition, the non-linearities, both geometric and material, and boundary conditions which can be dealt with by the beam elements are considered. An outline is given of the implementation of the beam elements using the dynamic relaxation method. Included in chapter 4 are also the results to test problems which have been set up in order to validate the underlying theory and implementation of the beam elements. As tension structures often exhibit complex surface curvatures, a study of surfaces, their properties and behaviour is appropriate, and useful in the understanding of concepts applied in the design process. This study is the subject of chapter 5 which focusses on the relevant topics of differential geometry. A few useful ideas from differential geometry form the basis of certain procedures implemented into the form-finding and patterning stages being considered in chapter 6. The derivation of the equilibrium equations for a surface when acted on by applied loads is also given in chapter 5. The discussion in chapter 6 is about the stages of form-finding and static load analysis in the design process. A review of the available solution methods for the form-finding problem are given in this chapter. In these methods, the solution can be for either the unknown geometry or unknown stresses, or both. The adopted approach in this thesis is to solve for the unknown equilibrium geometry given the stress distributions, and initial and boundary conditions. The controls which can be used during form-finding to achieve the desired geometries of cable nets and membrane structures are discussed. The equilibrium geometry derived from the form-finding stage has to be subsequently evaluated for its performance under loads at the load analysis stage. After an equilibrium geometry which behaves satisfactorily under loads has been achieved, the corresponding cutting patterns are developed in the case of membrane structures. Recent advances in interactive computer graphics technology have made it possible to develop a fully interactive CAD system for tension structures. The development of such a CAD system is the subject of discussion in chapter 7. The CAD system integrates together the form-finding, load analysis and fabrication patterning stages, resulting in a continuous design process. It demonstrates how the various concepts discussed in Part I of this thesis fit together within an interactive environment implemented with an effective and functional user interface. It is illustrated in chapter 7 how such a user interface has been achieved. The CAD system fully exploits the capabilities offered by the available computer hardware such that the computations involved during analysis of the structure, in generation of surface shaded graphic images and so on, can be executed at very high speeds. As a result, the CAD system can respond quickly to the user and is thus consistent with the interactive nature of the design process. The discussion in chapter 7 also provides an insight into the various procedures involved throughout the design process. The CAD system has produced a number of benefits of which the main one is the saving in design time which has been achieved. As the CAD system is highly user friendly, only a short learning period is required, thus enabling it to be used more widely among designers. The CAD system also serves as a useful tool for the communication of ideas between the engineer and the architect. In the design of a tension structure unlike that of a conventional building, there is often close cooperation between the engineer and the architect right from the early stages of conceptual development. In chapter 8, the possible loads which may act on a tension structure during its service life are considered. These loads are applied to the structure at the load analysis stage in the design process. In most cases, the design loads are those due to snow and wind. An accurate assessment of the loads is essential in order to achieve a structurally sound and economic design. In addition, it should be possible to represent the loads in a form which can be easily applied in the structural analysis. The considerations which are involved in the assessments of the snow and wind loads are outlined.