Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'DSR (Design Science Research)'

Since its beginnings in 1974, the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network has grown into one of the largest, safest, and most efficient payment systems in the world. An ACH transaction is an electronic funds transfer between bank accounts using a batch processing system. Currently, the ACH Network moves almost $43 trillion and 25 billion electronic financial transactions each year. With the increasing movement toward an electronic, interconnected and mobile infrastructure, it is critical that electronic payments work safely and efficiently for all users. ACH transactions carry sensitive data, such as a consumer's name, account number, tax identification number, account holder name, address, or social security number. ACH fraud consists of the theft of funds through the Automated Clearing House financial transaction network (Accounts Receivable & Order-to-Cash Network, 2012). If the transactions are intercepted by fraudulent activities, either during transit or during rest, the sensitive customer data can be used to steal the transferred funds, which can cause financial and reputational damage to ACH network participants and consumers. Even though the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) requires ACH participants to use commercially reasonable encryption and authentication procedures, the risks associated with employee error or negligence, physical theft, and insider theft of data remain substantial. The ACH network that handles 40 billion transactions annually has consumer and corporate financial information. As the ACH network emerges as a prominent payment channel, proactive steps must be taken to guarantee consumer safety. The primary research question “How can opportunities to commit ACH fraud by insiders be inhibited by masking sensitive data in the ACH transactions life cycle?” is addressed employing design science research methodology with special focus on this specific question: Will use of Multi-step tokens in life cycle of ACH transactions lower the risk of sensitive data exposure? To demonstrate the extent to which the Multi-step tokens in the life cycle of ACH transactions lower the risk of sensitive data exposure, the following two sub-questions will be answered: • How to model and simulate sensitive data exposure risk in current ACH transaction life cycle? • How to model and simulate sensitive data exposure risk in the multi-step tokenized ACH transaction life cycle? The research findings through proof of concept simulations confirm that sensitive consumer personal identifiable information shared in ACH network can be made more secure from insider threat opportunities by multi-step tokenization of ACH data. In the to-be system, the real account number will not be used to post the actual financial transaction. Only tokenized account number will be used by RDFI (Receiving Depository Financial Institution) to post the financial transaction. Even if the ODFI (Originating Depository Financial Institution) initiate the financial transaction using real account number, RDFI will reject the transaction back to the originator to resend the transaction using the token value. For the same account number, RDFI will have different token values based on SEC (Standard Entry Class) code, origin, ODFI, transaction type etc. The account token value will be generated only if ODFI sends a token request separately to RDFI in a multi-step manner. The research findings suggest that multi-step tokenization can be used to generate and validate unique transaction path as a function of the transaction origin number, originating depository financial institution, Standard Entry class, Receiving depository financial institution and account number. Even if the account or token value gets misplaced, the data will be of no use to the person having the information. The cipher can be further strengthened by including additional unique ACH data elements. The findings stem from proof of concept development and testing of conceptual, empirical and simulated models of current ACH network, insider breach scenarios, and multi-step tokenized systems. The study findings were augmented by running different model scenarios and comparing the outputs for breaches, network traffic and costs. The study findings conclude with an implementation proposal of the findings in the ACH network and opportunities for further research on the topic.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-08-25T11:59:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo Soares Lelis Gori_.pdf: 3233868 bytes, checksum: 85348cf4692a41fcec31474ebaaed132 (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-25T11:59:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo Soares Lelis Gori_.pdf: 3233868 bytes, checksum: 85348cf4692a41fcec31474ebaaed132 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-15<br>Nenhuma<br>As Instituições Federais de Ensino buscam, constantemente, implementar avanços em um de seus principais instrumentos de planejamento e controle, o orçamento público anual. Em vista da natureza e das características especiais destas instituições, o seu processo orçamentário se reveste de especificidades e exige estudos e análise para melhor compreensão desse fenômeno. Surge, então, como um instrumento de auxílio na gestão orçamentária a avaliação de desempenho através de indicadores. A pesquisa avança para a proposição de um modelo que melhor trate o objeto deste estudo. Logo, para a realização deste trabalho, foi utilizada a DSR como método de pesquisa, apoiada pelo método AHP. Assim, o presente estudo se propôs a desenvolver um modelo de distribuição de recursos orçamentários, baseado em indicadores de desempenho para as unidades de ensino que compõem um Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia. A instituição escolhida localiza-se na região Norte. O modelo proposto foi aplicado no processo de distribuição de orçamento para oito unidades que compõem a referida instituição, adotando dois critérios, número de discentes regularmente matriculados e a avaliação de indicadores de desempenho. Três etapas integradas entre si, mas com finalidades diferentes estruturam o modelo proposto. A primeira etapa do modelo consiste na avaliação dos indicadores de desempenho, por meio do método AHP, indicadores estes selecionados por um grupo de nove especialistas. A segunda etapa consiste na obtenção de uma pontuação para cada unidade de ensino da instituição pesquisada, de acordo com a avaliação dos indicadores de desempenho. A terceira e última etapa consiste na definição de um peso para cada unidade de ensino para aplicação no orçamento de 2016 da instituição. Como principal resultado, verificou-se que o modelo proposto, quando comparado com o modelo atual, imprime uma nova postura no processo orçamentário da instituição, implementando mecanismos que permitem valorizar o esforço acadêmico de suas unidades através do uso dos indicadores de desempenho, proporcionando uma equalização entre as unidades que compõem a instituição.<br>Federal Education Institutions constantly seek to implement advances in one of their main planning and control tools, which is the annual public budget. Due to their nature and special features the institutions’ budget process is very specific, so it demands studies and analysis in order to better understand this phenomenon. As a result of this, and like an aid in budget management, arises the performance evaluation through indicators. The research goes forward for the proposition of a model that better addresses the subject of this study. So, to accomplish this work, it was used the DSR (Design Science Research) as the research method which was supported by AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process). Thus, the present study had as its proposal to develop a distribution model of budget resources, based on performance indicators for the teaching units that comprise a Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology. The chosen institution is located in the North of Brazil. The proposed model was applied on the budget allocation process in eight units that are part of the institution mentioned above. Two criteria were adopted: the number of enrolled students and the performance indicators evaluation. Three integrated steps, but with different purposes, have structured the proposed model. The first step consists in the performance indicators evaluation, through the AHP method; such indicators were selected by a group of nine experts. The second step consists in obtaining a score for each teaching unit of the researched institution, according to the assessment of performance indicators. The third and final step consists in defining a weight for each teaching unit for using in the 2016 budget of the institution. As the main result, it was found out that the proposed model, when compared to the current one, presents a new approach in the institution budget process, implementing tools that enhance the academic effort of its units by using the performance indicators, providing equalization between the units that comprise the institution.

Der Zuwachs an Textile Waste ist eine zentrale Herausforderung der Textilbranche. Der Bedarf nach Textilien steigt und Textilien werden in Ausgestaltung und Funktionalität zunehmend komplexer. Oft werden dabei unterschiedliche Eigenschaften verschiedener Materialien genutzt. Dies führt zu einem Materialmix, der das Textil-Recycling vor zusätzliche Herausforderungen stellt. Das Projekt verbindet die Herausforderung steigender Mengen an Textile Waste mit dem Anspruch, komplexe textile Produkte zu schaffen.

Submitted by William Justo Figueiro (williamjf) on 2015-06-29T19:45:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 51.pdf: 3383250 bytes, checksum: e454f028d4d3ae7e8c56d5b0ad1440fd (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-29T19:45:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 51.pdf: 3383250 bytes, checksum: e454f028d4d3ae7e8c56d5b0ad1440fd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013<br>CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior<br>Para garantir que uma pesquisa seja reconhecida como sólida e potencialmente relevante, tanto pelo campo acadêmico quanto pela sociedade em geral, ela deve demonstrar que foi desenvolvida com rigor e que é passível de debate e verificação. É neste âmbito que um método de pesquisa robusto se torna imprescindível para o sucesso na condução de um estudo. Este estudo busca contribuir para a comunidade de Engenharia de Produção argumentando pela necessidade de adotar-se um método de pesquisa centrado na evolução de uma “Ciência do Projeto” (Design Science), evidenciando seu sentido e suas formas de operacionalização. Para desenvolvimento deste estudo utilizou-se uma abordagem metodológica teórico-conceitual fundamentada em ampla revisão da literatura. A partir da revisão da literatura, foi possível verificar que os conceitos da proposta metodológica associada à pesquisa em Design Science, são pertinentes e aplicáveis à Engenharia de Produção. O trabalho apresenta um histórico conceitual a respeito da Design Science e da Design Science Research, a importância da definição das Classes de Problemas e dos Artefatos gerados no âmbito da pesquisa, e os principais passos para operacionalizar a Design Science Research. Para aprofundar o entendimento da pauta em questão, o trabalho também propõe comparações e análises sobre a Design Science e a sua relação com as ciências tradicionais. Ao final, o estudo busca apresentar alguns cuidados para a utilização e validação da Design Science Research.<br>To ensure that research is recognized as potentially relevant and solid, by both academic field and society in general, it must demonstrate that it was developed with rigor and is liable to debate and verification. It is in this context that a robust research method becomes essential to successfully conduct a study. This study seeks to contribute with the Production Engineering community debating the need to adopt a method of research focused on the evolution of Design Science, showing its meaning and its ways of operation. For this study was used an approach based on theoretical and conceptual extensive literature review. From the literature review, was possible to assert that the concepts associated with the proposed methodological research on Design Science are relevant and applicable to Production Engineering. This dissertation presents a conceptual history about the Design Science and Design Science Research, the importance of defining the Classes of Problems and Artifacts generated from a research, and key steps to operationalize the Design Science Research. To deepen the understanding of the staff concerned, this study also proposes comparisons and analyzes on the Design Science and its relationship with the traditional sciences. Finally, the study discusses some attenttion points for the use and validation of Design Science Research.

<p> This dissertation presents a case study of collaborative research through design with Floracaching, a gamified mobile application for citizen science biodiversity data collection. One contribution of this study is the articulation of collaborative research through design (CRtD), an approach that blends cooperative design approaches with the research through design methodology (RtD). Collaborative research through design is thus defined as an iterative process of cooperative design, where the collaborative vision of an ideal state is embedded in a design. Applying collaborative research through design with Floracaching illustrates how a number of cooperative techniques&mdash;especially contextual inquiry, prototyping, and focus groups&mdash;may be applied in a research through design setting. Four suggestions for collaborative research through design (recruit from a range of relevant backgrounds; take flexibility as a goal; enable independence and agency; and, choose techniques that support agreement or consensus) are offered to help others who wish to experiment with this new approach. Applying collaborative research through design to Floracaching yielded a new prototype of the application, accompanied by design annotations in the form of framing constructs for designing to support mobile, place-based citizen science activities. The prototype and framing constructs, which may inform other designers of similar citizen science technologies, are a second contribution of this research.</p>

Thesis (S.B. and M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2000.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 54-57, first group).<br>by William Chuang.<br>S.B.and M.Eng.

Evaluation of Experimental Design Options in Environmental Nano-Science Research As an experimental research design plays a pivotal role in executing a research problem, it is imperative of a researcher to develop a suitable and sound research design. Utilizing robust statistical methods can further enhance the study power and thus allow drawing a logical conclusion. The same holds true for basic environmental science research, including research related to the effects of engineered nanomaterials in the environment.

Digital analytics kallas den samling teknologier som med olika teknikeranalyserar digitala kanaler (webbsidor, email och även offline data) för attsöka förståelse för kunders beteenden och intentioner. Digital Analytics harblivit en mycket viktig komponent till en stor del webbaserade systemmiljöer,där den stödjer och underlättar affärer och beslutsfattande för organisationer.Men hur väl tillämpas dessa teknologier och hur ser den digitalatransformationen ut som utspelar sig inom organisationer, och hur kan manmäta denna digitala mognadsprocess?Denna studie tillämpar en Design Science Research-approach för att uppfyllamålet om att utveckla en Digital Analytics Maturity Model (DAMM) lämpligför små till medelstora företag, varav en expertpanel bestående av 6 st ledandeforskare inom mognadsforskning och Digital Analytic är tillsatt i formen av enDelphi-undersökning. Resultaten från studien visar bl.a att organisatoriskaaspekter spelar en viktig roll för Digital Analytics samt att utvecklingen av enfunktionsduglig DAMM som är redo att tas i burk är möjligt.

Computers have been used for natural language translation sincethe 1940s. The role for computers to support translation work has expandedsince the commercialisation of the Internet in the early 1990s.As an implication of ’crowd sourcing’, translation is now supportedby users through community translation, meaning that people - usersof web sites - actively translate web sites into different languages. Inthis thesis we will present Babbler - a novel concept for communitytranslation. Following a design science research approach, a softwarewas designed and implemented in an information systems developmentproject. We present our conceptual design and its software implementation,and evaluate it using different techniques, including log analysis,interviews with translators, and an informed argument contrastingour design to other community translation approaches. The evaluationaddresses various qualities of the design, including effectiveness, efficiency,reliability, workflow, implementability and performance. Basedon our results, we reflect about translations to different target groups(based on demographics such as gender, age and culture), informedby an explorative analysis of translation results in the empirical context.We also show further implications for future design of communitytranslation artefacts, and future research in the area.

Der vorliegend Band 14 der Reihe Technisches Design schlägt nach Tagungsbänden und Dissertationsschriften – dem Charakter nach eher abgeschlossene Werke – eine Brücke in die Zukunft der Forschung im Technischen Design, indem es die Textfassungen von acht Beiträgen des ersten öffentlichen Kolloquiums Technisches Design vom September 2020 beinhaltet, die allesamt aus dem Prozess laufender Promotionsvorhaben verfasst wurden. Diese acht Arbeiten stehen damit auch stellvertretend für ganz individuelle Forschungsperspektiven und Schwerpunktsetzungen innerhalb des weiten Möglichkeitsraums aktueller Designforschung. Die Design-Promovierenden stellen ihre jeweiligen aktuellen Stände und besonderen Aspekte ihrer Forschungsarbeiten zur Diskussion und erlauben damit einen Einblick in verschiedenste Phasen ebenso wie sichere und noch offene Passagen ihrer Auseinandersetzung. Die Bandbreite reicht von ausgearbeiteten Exposees der Promotionsvorhaben über die Ergebnisse systematischer Literaturanalysen bis hin zur Darstellung konkreter Untersuchungsplanungen. Alle Beiträge eint die Auseinandersetzung mit dem menschlichen Erleben und Interagieren mit gestalteten Artefakten. Innerhalb dieses Felds decken die Artefakte ein sehr breites Spektrum von nachhaltigen Materialien oder Fertigungsverfahren über vorwettbewerbliche Technologiedemonstratoren bis hin zu kollaborativen Arbeitsplätzen ab. Innerhalb der Arbeiten werden Bezüge und Fragestellungen zu Menschen und Umgebungen in interdisziplinären Entwicklungsprozessen sowie zur Beurteilung und Kommunikation von Neuem durch Expert:innen und Laien entwickelt. Mit der Bandbreite dieser acht Beiträge wird das thematische Spektrum von Promotionsvorhaben an der Professur für Technisches Design gut ausgeleuchtet und entsprechend stolz sind wir auf diesen ersten Band, der ausschließlich Arbeiten unserer Promovend:innen zeigt. Band 14 der Reihe Technisches Design gibt einen aktuellen Einblick in die Forschung an einer der größeren Designforschungseinrichtungen im deutschsprachigen Raum und lässt Sie teilhaben an empirischer Forschung zur erlebenszentrierten Entwicklung vielfältiger Mensch-Technik-Interaktion.

<p> Theory has been an object of interest for HCI researchers working on questions related to disciplinary identity and maturity. And recently there have been empirical studies of theory use in HCI research publications. These recent studies are crucial for enriching our understanding of how HCI researchers use theoretical knowledge objects like Activity Theory or the Trajectories Conceptual Framework. Moreover, they establish precedent for conducting textual-analytic empirical studies of theory use. However, there are limitations to these recent empirical studies.</p><p> In this dissertation, I discuss several formative studies conducted during my doctoral career. These formative studies contribute material to the conceptual and theoretical frameworks that I apply in a summative study of theory use in five years of CHI best paper winners (n=90). These studies motivate three primary contributions. First, I provide an empirically grounded description of the richness and diversity of theory use in HCI scholarship. Second, I show that there is a growing collection of nascent HCI theories being proposed and developed. Finally, I suggest an alternative way of framing the HCI research community &ndash; one that embraces the diversity and richness of theory use evidenced in its scholarly publications.</p><p>

Considering the environmental problems that happen globally, environmental education was perceived in this study as an important key to deal with the problems. This study was carried out to support environmental education by exploring persuasive games to raise environmental awareness. Through a design science research (DSR) approach, EcoScout Game was designed as a mobile persuasive game for conveying some existing environmental issues to children. During the DSR, a playtest phase was conducted to evaluate the first level of EcoScout Game that contains persuasion goals to keep the environment clean and to dispose waste correctly. The playtest involved 10 participants age 4 to 6 years that provided various responses. Majority of the participants showed their interests to play the game. When the participants were playing the game, all of them understood that they must keep the environment clean. More than a half of the participants (60%) understood and motivated to follow the waste disposal rules. Several improvements for the game are proposed, especially to help children who are still not able to read textual labels and descriptions in the game. Further development and research are required to advance the game and to confirm its effectiveness in persuading children. However, this study showed a possibility to use persuasive games for raising environmental awareness among children in the context of environmental education. Finally, this study demonstrated a potential to apply DSR in persuasive game design.

This doctoral study explores the use of playful collaborative learning in computer science. The researcher undertook a pilot and an iterative main study, using a design-based research method, through which to investigate a fresh approach for teaching computer science to secondary age students (11-16). The design was realised through collaboration with school-based colleagues, resulting in a responsive sequence of lessons, each evaluated and adapted. An explorative picture was drawn of the students’ experience through live observation, and through analysis of audio data. It was expected that the approach would capitalise on the benefits of play and collaboration as described by the influential theorists Bruner (1976) and Mercer (2007). The initial framework for the analysis was based on Mercer’s ‘sociocultural discourse analysis’ to evaluate collaboration, and on a qualitative analysis of the presence of ‘play’ as defined by Bruner (1976). Close analysis of the recorded transcripts of the students’ paired discussions, however, revealed little exploratory talk and the type of ‘play’ present did not often conform to Bruner’s specific characteristics. It was instead frequently humorous or ‘ludic’. This suggested a need for further elaboration of types of play, beyond Bruner’s categories. Moreover, thematic analysis of the collaboration between the teachers engaged in the design and ongoing evaluation of the sessions suggested a tension between the teachers’ personal pedagogy of play and their professional performance in the classroom. This tension influenced the extent to which playful and collaborative learning could be designed for. The tension is particularly marked in a phenomenon here newly named as ‘play-stops’, which occur when a student embarking on a playful episode is diverted back to the ‘task’ in hand by a fellow student or a teacher. A number of approaches for further developing and nurturing knowledge of computer science are articulated in the latter phase of the thesis. These recommendations respect the restrictions of contemporary computer science education while also valuing a contemporary playful pedagogy that understands the need for time, space and personal motivation to be developed and shared with the students.

In this thesis, we report the findings of designing data export functionality in Uppsala University Psychosocial Care Program (U-CARE) at Uppsala University. The aim of this thesis was to explore the design space for generic data export functionality in data centric clinical research applications for data analysis. This was attained by the construction and evaluation of a prototype for a data-centric clinical research application. For this purpose Action Design Research (ADR) was conducted, situated in the domain of clinical research. The results consist of a set of design principles expressing key aspects needed to address when designing data export functionality. The artifacts derived from the development and evaluation process each one constitutes an example of how to design for data export functionality of this kind.

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2011.<br>Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-120).<br>Neurostimulators today provide high frequency Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for therapeutic modulation of diseased neural circuits. These devices are approved for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease, Essential Tremor and Dystonia, and are in clinical evaluations for Epilepsy and Depression. Despite the success of DBS therapy, the current systems are open-loop, where the clinician is the sensor and control algorithm, and hence these are programmed with stimulation parameter settings based on acute clinical observations. The need to move towards an effective closed-loop system drives the research for understanding the dynamics of the neural circuits. This work assessed the feasibility of use of a unique implantable research tool, which has sensing and algorithm technology added to an existing DBS device, for a chronic, in-vivo study of the brain state dynamics in an ovine model and presented preliminary validation of the neural interface. In addition, the sensing technology of this bi-directional neural interface was also validated using data from Brain Machine Interface studies. Finally, the work also involved development of a software tool which is a platform for analyzing neural activity datasets from different studies using machine learning techniques.<br>by Afsah Shafquat.<br>M.Eng.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2011.<br>Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. "June 2011."<br>Includes bibliographical references.<br>In response to increasing demands for the services of research reactors, a 5 MW LEU-fueled research reactor core is developed and optimized to provide high thermal flux within specified limits upon thermal hydraulic performance, cycle length, irradiation utilization, and manufacturability. A novel fuel assembly concept which makes use of integral flux traps is postulated to meet these requirements. Each assembly can be rotated into one of three different configurations to produce flux traps of different size, shape, and neutron energy spectrum within the core. A method for predicting and guiding the search for the optimum geometry was sought. Kriging has been chosen to predict the values of eigenvalue and thermal flux at untested geometric parameters. Because kriging treats all measurements as the sum of a global deterministic function and a stochastic departure from that function, predictions come with a measurement of uncertainty. As a result, the analyst can search the design space for likely improvement, or probe areas of high uncertainty for improvements that might have been missed using other methods. The technique is used in an algorithm for constrained optimization of the design, and a set of best practices for use of this are described. The optimized design produces a peak thermal flux of 1.56 x 10¹⁴ n/cm²s. Safety is demonstrated by presentation of reactivity feedback coefficients and the results of loss of flow and reactivity insertion transient analysis. A single fission target can be used to produce 96 6-day Ci of ⁹⁹Mo per week. When the reactor is oriented to take advantage of high fast flux, steels can be subjected to damage rates of 5.76 dpa per year. Silicon carbide can be damaged at a rate of 2.79 dpa/y. The concept is a safe, versatile, proliferation-resistant means of supplying current and future irradiation needs.<br>by Stephanie Anne Kempf.<br>Ph.D.

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have received wide publicity and many institutions have invested considerable effort in developing, promoting and delivering such courses. However, there are still many unresolved questions relating to MOOCs and their effectiveness. One of the major recurring issues raised in both academic literature and the popular press is the consistently high dropout rate of MOOC learners. Despite the impressive levels of enrolment MOOCs attract, many participants do not complete these courses resulting in completion rates of below 15% for most MOOCs. Although there are many reasons for attrition, a lack of understanding of how diverse learners can be supported to study effectively within this format has been identified as an important contributing issue. The current research addresses two factors which relate to how MOOC participants learn and their ability to make effective progress. Firstly, MOOCs require a high degree of self-regulated learning (SRL) skills but most do not appear to offer adequate support for the development of such skills. To determine the implications of this and develop appropriate support strategies it is necessary to understand more about the concept of SRL in the context of MOOCs and MOOC participants. Related to the issue of self-regulation is the inflexibility and passivity of many current MOOC formats, preventing individuals from setting their own learning objectives and directing their own learning. MOOCs have so far been used mainly to provide stand-alone distance learning opportunities for independent learners. However, there is an increasing focus on their benefits when incorporated into a blended-learning approach. This study investigates the issues of self-regulation and learner autonomy within MOOCs. To better understand the contextual differences between the two very different learning modes, the research considers two separate MOOC applications: one stand-alone, the other blended. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods were used to explore learners' SRL skills, autonomous choices and ways of working. An existing conceptualisation of SRL incorporating six separate contributing dimensions was adopted as the theoretical framework for the investigation. Overall, a design science methodology was adopted. Central to this was the development of a novel MOOC platform (eLDa) which was designed to support learners' individual choices relating to goal-setting and the selection of learning path. Elements of established good-practice for MOOC platforms were incorporated into the design together with additional functionality to support the novel features of optional self-direction. In order to study the two contexts noted above, two separate courses were implemented and delivered using this platform. The first was an open online course for independent learners regardless of location; the second was incorporated as part of a blended-learning approach within a traditional campus university module. Data gathered from these courses provide insights into learners' self-regulation within the two contexts individually and also allow a comparative analysis of the different dimensions of SRL between differing teaching modalities. Qualitative data from students also contribute to an understanding of their experience of MOOC study and of how they regulate their learning in practice. The first major contribution of this work is an architecture for and the development of a novel MOOC platform which can be used to provide the necessary functionalities to a greater degree of supporting learners' self-direction. Analysis of the data obtained from the two case studies shows different patterns of SRL. The online course results indicate that there is a high demand for more flexible, self-directed learning but that MOOC learners exhibit deficiencies in specific SRL dimensions. Help seeking and deploying task strategies were indicated as being problematic for the fully online learners. Participants in the blended-learning course generally had lower scores on time management and self-evaluation. Although there were considerable differences between individual students, even learners with a strong formal educational background and an existing track-record of successful learning mostly did not obtain high SRL scores. A high level of social interaction and support-seeking from peers was reported, indicating the increasing importance of social online learning even within a campus university. Analysis of the qualitative data reveals study practices which are obviously highly effective for the learners who employ them but which do not necessarily fall within existing conceptualisations of SRL. This study demonstrates that the novel approach taken to supporting self-direction within MOOCs is one which users evaluate as being both desirable and useful. Further, it points to areas of SRL for which MOOCs should in general develop better support, while at the same time indicating strategies for SRL which are not accommodated within current definitions. This work lends support to the view that SRL is highly context-dependent and suggests that further investigation is needed to capture more appropriate conceptualisations of SRL for online and blended-learning with MOOCs.

P.L.U.G. is a prototypical solution to a highly specialized design problem that emerged in support of remote biological field research in the Mahale mountains of Western Tanzania. In collaboration with researchers from the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine's (VMRCVM) Bush to Base Bioinformatics(B2B) group a team of students and faculty from the Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design designed, constructed, tested, and deployed the mobile field laboratory which houses up to four researchers and includes clean laboratory space, living accommodation, autonomous electricity generation, and a satellite-based communications network. P.L.U.G. consists of two primary elements, a rigid enclosed laboratory and fabric super structure that are constructed using a series of functionally-complex building components that are designed to be carried and assembled by two researchers, in one day, without the use of tools. (Kaur etal. 2007) The resulting system can be mass produced and utilized in the establishment of infrastructure in remote, environmentally sensitive, and unstable environments and has implication in disaster relief housing, human heath stations, remote research, mobile educational facilities, and any other environment or event that requires rapidly deployable, self-sufficient infrastructure. The prototype laboratory was successfully deployed during the summer of 2007 and has been field tested by the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) Bush-2-Base Bioinformatics (B2B) research group. Currently the laboratory program exists as part of a newly developed long-term research initiative surrounding Deployable Infrastructure in Support of Science and Education (DISSed Lab) initiated by the author in response to perceived demand for such accommodation.<br>Master of Science

Despite the perceived importance of IT, a majority of IT projects fail to deliver what was actually ordered (!). One main reason for failure is IT project management’s inability to adapt and react to a dynamic and changing project environment, instead, projects are run as if it is possible to predict all project variables before project start. In reality, IT project workers live in a dynamic, political and commercial environment where it is difficult to predict and control the future. IT projects needs to be continually aligned with their environment to stay relevant and deliver utility. Through a design science and action research approach, a model supporting IT project managers with IT project alignment is created and tested. The model is called DELTA and is designed to be easy to understand and use for IT project managers; it builds on a simplification of commonly available approaches in order to facilitate communication the different domains of expertise in IT projects. DELTA builds on four main constituents: Enterprise images, Stakeholders, Goals and Project. Guidelines for using the model is also presented. Experiences from using the model indicates that the model is perceived as a useful complement to regular project management methods, specifically by merging different conceptual perceptions into a common view. Furthermore, results highlight the conflict between IT project alignment and the traditional project model. Finally, the results show the difference between IT project issues and underlying causes for these issues.

This thesis proposes a methodology for factory layout synthesis that combines the symbolic and numerical approaches. The layout model is represented as a loosely packed arrangement of rectangles with sides parallel to two orthogonal directions. Solutions must satisfy a set of qualitative and quantitative constraints and must optimize material handling costs. Qualitative constraints are specified using a rule based approach. Quantitative constraints and material handling costs are incorporated into a numerical, non linear-optimization problem. Optimal solutions are generated by inserting one device at the time in all admissible locations on the floorplan. The resulting partial layouts are optimized with respect to material handling costs. Then, the best partial solution obtained so far is the starting point for the next object insertion. The process stops when all devices have been placed. To illustrate the methodology, three case studies are presented.

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Artes, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Design, 2017.<br>Submitted by Raquel Viana (raquelviana@bce.unb.br) on 2018-06-25T18:22:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_MarcoAkiraMiura.pdf: 2349581 bytes, checksum: 30d3309b4c52e3716b6ea3b24d2b80c5 (MD5)<br>Approved for entry into archive by Raquel Viana (raquelviana@bce.unb.br) on 2018-06-29T16:36:20Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_MarcoAkiraMiura.pdf: 2349581 bytes, checksum: 30d3309b4c52e3716b6ea3b24d2b80c5 (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-29T16:36:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_MarcoAkiraMiura.pdf: 2349581 bytes, checksum: 30d3309b4c52e3716b6ea3b24d2b80c5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-06-25<br>A indústria dos videogames cresceu gradativamente desde a década de 1970 para constituir hoje uma das principais mídias digitais voltadas para o entretenimento. Embora o design de jogos esteja relativamente consolidado como campo de atuação, o foco dos estudos em ludologia tem se concentrado no estudo crítico dos jogos (game studies), cujas premissas nem sempre convergem com as necessidades práticas dos desenvolvedores de jogos. Nesse sentido, este trabalho propõe uma discussão acerca da emergência de uma ciência do design de jogos, bem como um método de pesquisa coerente com o processo de design. O Design Science, proposto por Herbert Simon, se baseia no objetivo do design de criação de artefatos para solucionar problemas práticos. Essa abordagem visa relacionar o processo de produção de conhecimento com o de design, alimentando um conhecimento diretamente aplicável às soluções projetadas e generalizável à classe de problemas ao qual a solução se refere. Até o momento, a proposta de aplicar essa abordagem ao design de jogos não foi formalizada, embora vários pesquisadores adotem procedimentos similares ao do Design Science Research (DSR) em seus estudos. Neste trabalho, serão descritos os principais conceitos do método do DSR – classes de problemas, artefatos, heurísticas de construção e heurísticas contingenciais – aplicados ao campo do design de jogos. Um método de condução do DSR é, então, adaptado para o estudo de problemas em design de jogos. O modelo é evidenciado e discutido a partir de um estudo de caso, no qual são analisadas as heurísticas de construção e de avaliação do artefato. A análise do protótipo foi orientada pelos modelos heurísticos de jogabilidade encontradas na literatura. Quanto ao processo de desenvolvimento do jogo, a definição de um tema inicial guiou o projeto dos quatro elementos que compõem o jogo – estética, narrativa, mecânica e tecnologia –, enquanto o playtest e as heurísticas de jogabilidade permitiram avaliar a adequação da interação com a representação inicial do artefato. Por meio dessa pesquisa, foi possível explorar a possibilidade do estudo sistemático do design do jogo, todavia, o delineamento não permitiu avaliar a utilidade da informação para o redesign efetivo do jogo. Por isso, são necessários estudos complementares para integrar efetivamente o playtest no processo de desenvolvimento de jogos.<br>The video game industry has grown steadily since the 1970s to become one of today's top digital entertainment media. Although game design is now recognized as playing a relevant role in game development, the field of ludology has focused on the critical study of games (game studies), whose premises do not always converge with the practical needs of the game developers. In this sense, this thesis proposes a discussion about the emergence of a game design science, as well as a research method consistent with the game design process. Design Science, as proposed by Herbert Simon, aims to generate knowledge to help professionals to design better artifacts in order to solve problems in their respective fields. In this sense, this approach links the process of scientific research to that of design in order to feed designers back with information relevant to a class of problems. The Design Science Research (DSR) approach has not been formally proposed to the game design field, although several researchers adopt similar methods in their studies. In this work, the main concepts of the DSR method - classes of problems, artifacts, construction heuristics and contingency heuristics – are adapted to the field of game design. A DSR method is then adapted for the study of game design problems. The model is discussed in a case study, in which the heuristics involved in the synthesis and evaluation of the artifact are analyzed. The analysis of the prototype was based on the gameplay heuristic models found in the literature. The game development process was guided by an initial theme from which the four main game components (aesthetics, narrative, mechanics and technology) were designed. The suitability between the initial concept and the gameplay was assessed through playtest and intrinsic evaluation. This research succeeded to explore the possibility of systematic study on game design, however, the case study did not allow us to evaluate the usefulness of the information for the effective redesign of the game. Therefore, complementary studies are suggested in order to integrate the playtest into the game development process.

Collaboration between Designers and Scientists in the Context of Scientific Research This thesis presents the results of a research project that examines collaboration between product designers and scientific researchers. For this purpose, it initially illustrates the objectives and scope of the research and examines current relevant literature on the subject, highlighting its reach and limitations. The core research question is then introduced: How can product designers and scientists collaborate and, as a result, how might designers contribute towards scientific research activity? This question is subsequently answered in several stages. First, the relevant literature is reviewed in order to produce an analytical framework. It examines the disciplinary characteristics of designers and scientists, the characteristics of both design work and scientific research, and the nature of interdisciplinary collaboration. This analytical framework is then used as the basis for a collaboration matrix to record and examine the collaboration between designers and scientists. Secondly, the analytical framework is also employed to help explore findings from five case studies (three exploratory and two development cases) in which designers worked alongside scientists. Finally, results from the case studies are compared with current theoretical work on the subject, highlighting differences and commonalities. As a result of this analysis, the thesis answers the research question posed and presents as a main contribution: -The main ways in which designers collaborate with scientists. -The roles that designers might have while collaborating with scientists. -The contribution that designers can offer to scientific research. -The barriers to and enablers of collaboration between designers and scientists. -The areas of scientific research in which design intervention can make an impact.

The importance of a general public being informed about science and technology has never been greater. Research institutions add to informal science communication with face-to-face events, during which the public interacts with scientific prototypes, functioning as science exhibits, in order to learn about science. The relevance of these out-of-the-lab science exhibits, for enabling the visitor to actively learn through experiences, has neither been explored nor recognised. This article illuminates this relevance, context and background, concluding with a research procedure.

This dissertation investigates methods of real-time adaptive traffic signal control in the context of single isolated intersection and coordinated urban network applications. A primary goal in this dissertation is to identify and address scenarios where real-time optimized controllers do not maintain competitive performance with off-line calibrated, vehicle-actuated control techniques. An extensive literature review is supplemented by subsequent simulation experiments. Several strategies were implemented and evaluated, including OPAC, PRODYN, COP, ALLONS-D, Webster's optimized fixed-time control, and vehicle-actuated control. In particular, evaluation is based on simulation of a single, isolated intersection, where all algorithms are required to adopt the exact, deterministic traffic model used by the simulation. This approach eliminates confounding factors in comparison of algorithms, such as detector placement and disparate traffic models, focusing evaluation on the efficiency of the algorithms and their ultimate performance in terms of vehicle delay. A new algorithm is developed, employing neuro-dynamic programming techniques, also known as reinforcement learning techniques. Several very effective pruning strategies are also constructed. The final product is a very efficient algorithm capable of solving problems up to 2000 times faster than the most efficient previously published algorithm tested, with an 8% decrease in delay. This algorithm is then extended to a generalized, multi-ring control formulation. Simulation results with a standard dual-ring, eight-phase controller demonstrate that efficient, real-time solutions are achieved with a corresponding 12--22% reduction in delay relative to dual-ring, vehicle-actuated control. The real-time optimized, multi-ring controller is finally extended for urban network applications, expanding the objective function to consider downstream performance measures, and adopt standard, vehicle-actuated type coordination constraints. Control on an 8-intersection arterial is evaluated using a CORSIM simulation over a range of traffic conditions. Results are compared with TRANSYT optimized fixed-time control, coordinated vehicle-actuated control, and RHODES. Two regimes of control are revealed, where cyclic coordination constraints provide a significant benefit, and where they prevent more effective control. An adaptive coordination layer is prescribed as a unifying architecture with the potential of obtaining effective control under both regimes. The adaptive control layer specification is explicitly distinguished from existing algorithms, such as SCOOT, SCATS, and VFC-OPAC.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, February 2009.<br>Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-117).<br>Worldwide, there is limited test reactor capacity to perform the required irradiation experiments on advanced fast reactor materials and fuel designs. This is particularly true in the U.S., which no longer has an operating fast reactor but depends upon two aging thermal reactors for testing the behavior of various materials in an irradiation environment. The MIT research reactor is planning for a new core to end the need for highly enriched uranium and operate the reactor with uranium enrichments under 20%. This study explores the use of the central region in the newly proposed MIT reactor core to boost the production of fast neutrons, thus making the new core more beneficial for materials testing. The Fast Flux Trap introduces a region of fissile material surrounding a central irradiation facility which is cooled by liquid lead-bismuth eutectic. This arrangement maximizes the fast neutron production by avoiding neutron moderation in the center. The fissile material, arranged in a tight hexagonal pin array, can be uranium enriched in either 235U or 233U, to the limit allowable for non-proliferation. Insertion of the Fast Flux Trap in the proposed low enriched uranium core operated at a 10 MW power level, can provide a 252%-271% higher fast neutron flux than the previously proposed designs with low enriched fuel for the MIT research reactor and a 235%-253% higher fast neutron flux than the existing highly enriched uranium MITR-II core at 5 MW.<br>(cont.) This new core fast flux capability is within a factor of 2 to 4 of the much larger national test reactors, the Advanced Test Reactor and the High Flux Isotope Reactor, and hence can allow the MIT research reactor to be more useful for fast irradiation. The work covered both steady state and transient events involving the Fast Flux Trap, using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) transport code. It was shown that the power distribution within the Fast Flux Trap pins as well as the plates in the rest of the core will be satisfactory; or in other words, no excessive power peaking will develop. The limits of the Fast Flux Trap lifetime were found to exceed the expected licensing time of the new core. Furthermore, the reactivity implications of metallic coolant leaks, water flooding of the Fast Flux Trap and various possible test materials were all found to be acceptable. The loss of flow following a pump trip event was analyzed using the RELAP5-3D code, and found not to result in excessive temperatures with regards to materials strength and corrosion resistance. While the specific design developed in this dissertation is particular to the MIT research reactor core, the Fast Flux Trap design concept can potentially be applied in other reactor cores so that other thermal spectrum research and test reactor facilities can benefit from this enhanced capability.<br>by Tyler Shawn Ellis.<br>Ph.D.

In 2015, a gravitational wave (GW) signal from a binary black hole merger passed through the arms of the US-based Advanced LIGO (aLIGO) interferometers, resulting in the first direct detection of gravitational waves. This long-awaited observation made worldwide news one hundred years after Einstein first predicted the existence of GWs in 1916. Since the first detection, four more binary black hole inspiral events have been detected, as well as the ground-breaking GW observation of a binary neutron star inspiral. To detect these signals, ground-based GW detectors like aLIGO and the French-Italian detector, Advanced Virgo, need to be sensitive to changes in separation of close to 10^-19m between freely suspended test masses spaced up to 4km apart. This has always been a challenge to achieve, thus 50 years of technological developments were needed to make these first detections possible. Following the first observations of coalescing black holes and neutron stars, it is essential to pursue technological advancements that improve the sensitivities of ground-based detectors. Doing so will increase the signal-to-noise ratio of future detectors, which will allow for the better extraction of astrophysical source parameters. Observing more types of astrophysical sources, and at greater distances from the Earth will further the field of GW astronomy. One such area of advancement is to pair the operation of detectors at cryogenic temperatures with improvements in mirror and suspension design, with the aim of improving sensitivities by lessening the effects of thermal noise. Fused silica, currently used for the mirror substrates and suspension fibre elements in all detectors that operate at room temperature, cannot be used in detectors that operate at cryogenic temperatures due to its unfavourable thermo-mechanical properties. Thus a change of mirror substrate and suspension material is necessary for the construction of cryogenic detectors. There are two promising candidates for cryogenic mirrors and suspension elements, sapphire and silicon. Currently one cryogenic detector, the Japan-based KAGRA observatory, is under construction using sapphire as a material for its mirrors and some suspension elements. Other future detectors currently in the design phase, such as the Einstein Telescope (ET) in Europe and Voyager, in the USA may use silicon or sapphire material in their mirror suspensions. In all ground-based detectors the test masses are supported in multi-stage pendulum suspensions, where the last stages are quasi-monolithic. In the quasi-monolithic stage, the test masses are suspended from penultimate masses via fibres, welded to an interface piece, or "ear". Currently these ears are connected to the test masses using a method called hydroxide catalysis bonding, which creates a strong, low noise joint. This bonding technique has been used successfully in room temperature detectors for 17 years. This thesis details research into hydroxide catalysis bonding, with a focus on its use to create cryogenic crystalline suspensions for future ground-based detectors. The use of indium as an alternative bonding technology for joints in low temperature crystalline suspensions is also investigated. The aim of this study is to research possible ways to implement indium bonding into suspension design along with hydroxide catalysis bonds to create a more versatile and easily repairable system. This work was completed with the aim of investigating novel ways of implementing bond techniques into GW detectors, and studying their material properties. The breaking stress and stability of different bond technologies were investigated, as well as their thermal noise levels and impact on overall detector sensitivity. The majority of substrate materials used in this thesis were sapphire and silicon, as these are the two materials of choice for use in future cryogenic detectors. Measurements of the Young's modulus of hydroxide catalysis bonds between fused silica were also completed and used to model the thermal noise contribution of bonds in a prototype test mass for the possible room temperature upgrade to aLIGO, A+. In Chapter 1 an overview of the field of gravitational wave research is given. An explanation of GW sources and a history of the different types of ground-based GW detectors are summarised here, with a focus on Michelson-type interferometric detectors, used to make the first direct GW detections. The noise sources that affect the sensitivity of interferometric detectors are also reviewed. In Chapter 2 there is a summary of several different bonding techniques that could be considered for making joints between the test masses and suspension elements of GW detectors. The mechanisms of bond formation as well as the advantages and disadvantages to each approach are covered, especially in the context of the requirements for use in a GW detector. Finally hydroxide catalysis and indium bonding are introduced as possible techniques to join the suspension and mirror elements in GW detectors. In Chapter 3 the breaking stresses of hydroxide catalysis bonds between c-plane sapphire substrates as a function of time is studied. The aim of this experiment is twofold. The breaking stress of bonds that have been allowed to cure for shorter lengths of time is investigated to gain insight into the chemical processes of the bonds as they develop. Additionally, it is crucial to know the breaking stress over longer periods of curing time to be assured that they will not fail in the long term. In fact, this study found that hydroxide catalysis bonded sapphire shows an initial drop in breaking stress, which then levelled off at 15-16MPa. These results agree with similar trends found in shorter curing time tests on sapphire and fused silica completed in the past. In Chapter 4 the effect of crystal orientation on the tensile strength of hydroxide catalysis bonded sapphire is investigated. Specifically, the breaking stress of bonds between a-a and m-m planes of sapphire jointed with hydroxide catalysis bonds is studied, using samples of the same geometry and jointed using the same bonding procedures as those presented in Chapter 3. These samples were allowed to cure at room temperature for 4 weeks, then the samples were strength tested. The breaking stresses were recorded and compared with the breaking stress results of c-c plane sapphire, also cured for 4 weeks at room temperature, reported in the previous chapter. In Chapter 5 a non-destructive technique of measuring the Young's modulus of hydroxide catalysis bonds between silica and between sapphire is developed. This approach uses acoustic pulses from an ultrasonic transducer transmitted through the bonded samples, and the portion of the acoustic wave that is reflected back from the embedded bond layer is recorded and studied. The bond Young's modulus was extracted from the data by analysis of the amplitudes of the acoustic pulses reflected from the bonds. A Young's modulus value of 15.3+/-5.2GPa for \hcbed sapphire and 21.5+/-6.6GPa for bonded fused silica was found with this approach. A Bayesian analysis model of the reflected acoustic signal and the underlying noise background was developed to analyse the low SNR signals of bonds between fused silica. A value of 18.5+/-2GPa, with a 90% confidence range was found with this approach, agreeing well with the results from the pulse amplitude analysis. In Chapter 6 the new Young's modulus value found in Chapter 5 is used to assess the mechanical loss and thermal noise budgets of hydroxide catalysis bonds in different mirror suspension geometries. Two room temperature test masses were modelled; a bonded aLIGO mass and a bonded prototype test mass, of a design suitable for use in A+. Three different cryogenic masses were also modelled; first a sapphire KAGRA mass, followed by a prototype sapphire ET mass, and a prototype silicon ET mass.<br>The thermal noise budgets of the bonds in all of these cases were found to be below the anticipated technical noise requirement for bonds, which is based on each detector's current design sensitivity curves. This indicates that hydroxide catalysis bonds are suitable for use in current detectors and for the design of future ones. In Chapter 7 different approaches to creating indium bonding procedures for use in cryogenic ground-based detectors are studied. Hybrid suspension designs that utilize both indium and hydroxide catalysis bonding are being considered in cryogenic detector designs such as KAGRA or ET. It is proposed that the \hydroxide catalysis bonds would be used to fix the test masses to the suspension elements. This takes advantage of their high breaking stress under shear and peeling, as has been successfully demonstrated in the past for room temperature detectors such as Virgo, aLIGO, or the Germany-based detector GEO600. Indium's low tensile strength means it cannot be used as a joint under tensile or shear load. However it is being considered for use in compressive joints, such as between the fibres and ears or between the fibres and blade springs. This would be done for contingency reasons, since indium can be de-bonded and re-bonded relatively easily, whereas hydroxide catalysis bonds cannot. In the event of a fibre break or a test mass upgrade, the whole bonded test mass assembly could be removed by de-bonding the indium bond interface. It could then be replaced by re-bonding it, making it a good option for future cryogenic mirror suspensions. Two indium bonding approaches are investigated, diffusion bonding and induction bonding. In both cases the substrates used were polished silicon, and the indium layers between them were made with different combinations of thin thermally deposited films and foils. The tensile strength and a post-break visual inspection of the indium bonds were used as a standard by which to judge bond quality and repeatability.

Dependency problems for developers are like sneezing for people with pollen allergies during the spring, an everyday problem. This is especially true when working in multi-repositories. The dependency problems that occur do so as a byproduct of enabling developers to work on different components of a project in smaller teams, where everything is version controlled.Nearly all developers use version control systems, such as Git, Mercurial, or Subversion. While version control systems have helped developers for nearly 40 years and are constantly getting updated, there are still functionalities that do not exist. One example of that is having a good way of managing dependencies and allowing developers to download projects without having to handle dependency problems manually. The solutions that version control systems offer to help manage dependencies (e.g., Git’s submodules or Mercurial’s subrepositories), do not enable developers a fail-safe download or build the project if it contains dependency problems.In this study, a case study was conducted at Saab Training and Simulation to explore methods for dependency management as well as discuss and highlight some of the problems that emerge when working with dependencies in multi-repositories.An argument can be made that the functionality of dependency management systems, both package managers and version control systems’ solutions are not up to date on how dependencies are used in the development, during this time.In this paper, a novel approach to dependency management is introduced with the possibility to describe the dependencies dynamically by providing the utility to describes usages of a repository (such as simulation of hardware or the main project). As well as discussing the necessary functionalities that are required to handle such a system.By re-opening the dialog about dependency management as well as describing problems that arise in such environments, the goal is to inspire further research within these areas.

Access to information is one of the key ways of assisting farmers to improve their agricultural output, gain access to markets and generate income. Governments, NGOs, Universities and other institutions have volumes of information that can benefit farmers, but lack the means to timeously and easily share this information with the farmers. There exists a large gulf between those that need information and the entities that possess information, and bridging this gap is crucial. The advancement of mobile phones and their high adoption levels by developing countries makes them one of the most ideal means of disseminating information amongst farmers. The use of mobile phones by farmers not only benefits farmers, but also the organizations supporting them by improving the means of communication. This research looks at the effects mobile phone communications has on farmers and the organisations supporting farmers. The use of mobile phones enhances means of communications, improves internal processes within organisations and also ameliorates means of engagement with farmers. This study follows the Design Science Research approach to develop a communications module for a project working with smallholder farmers in Eswatini. The developed artefact is designed to benefit both parties, the farmers receiving the information and the organisations supporting them, the content creators.

Despite the progress that has been made with regard to construction cost management, many drawbacks including the unpredictability of construction costs continue to raise concerns. This research study aimed to contribute to improving construction cost management by identifying the key issues which contribute to such drawbacks, and developing conceptual solutions to mitigate them. The design science approach has been selected as the overall research method. Design science approach has been augmented through an analysis to the root cause of each identified key issue, an inference of countermeasure to the each root cause (conceptual solution), and synthesis of the (practical) solutions. This research has identified failure to forecast, failure to support improvement opportunities, costs being considered as resulting from action, neglect of value consideration, poor support for inter-organizational cost management, negative influence on behaviour, and constraints created by budgeting, as key issues contributing to the current drawback of construction cost management. This study proposes the recognition of waste through flow theory, integrating costs to design, value generation theory, seeing construction as production, incentives aligned to improvement, separating the different functions of budgeting and the dynamic approach to managing costs as solutions to the identified drawbacks. The outcomes of this study contribute to developing practical solutions for constriction cost management, and also represent conceptual gains in the field.

While IS research into on-line Inter-Personal (IP) Social Networks (SN) is highly visible, there has been surprisingly little focus on the use of on-line social networks for Inter-Organizational (IO) communications, interactions, and goal achievement. We explore the issues and challenges facing organizations in their design and use of inter-organizational social network information systems (IO SNIS). Artifact design principles are drawn from a new and insightful model that contrasts the advantages of existing innovative inter-personal (IP) SNIS artifacts with Social Network Theory on differences between IP and IO Social Networks. This research extends the existing streams of IS social networking research into the inter-organizational domain and encourages additional IS research into the analysis, design, and build of artifacts that animate the social behavior of organizations. We develop a key design concept for IO SNIS and establish the design principles underlying the general artifact design and the specific design features that apply the design constructs to an exemplar IO social domain. This dissertation uses Action Design Research (ADR) approach within the Design Science Research (DSR) paradigm to formulate the research opportunity and anticipate a practice-inspired and theory-ingrained artifact. The researcher works with a practitioner team in the domain of mid-market private equity (MMPE) to explore the model and evaluate existing on-line inter-organizational artifacts to establish specific design features for an IO SNIS artifact. We find that the design principles can generalize from the IO SNIS Design Concept Model to other IO Social domains and that the design features can be used to build an instantiation of IO SNIS in the Private Equity domain.

Thesis (Master of Sciences)--Case Western Reserve University, 2010<br>Department of EECS - Computer and Information Sciences Title from PDF (viewed on 2010-05-25) Includes abstract Includes bibliographical references and appendices Available online via the OhioLINK ETD Center

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2010.<br>Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 78-79).<br>The closed-loop Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) has long been a dream for clinicians and neuroscience researchers alike - that is, the ability to extract meaningful information from the brain, perform computation on this information, and selectively perturb neural dynamics in the brain for therapeutic benefit to the patient. Such systems have immediate application to treatment of paralysis, epilepsy and the amputated, and the potential for treatment of higher order cognitive dysfunction. Despite the promise of the BMI concept, the technology for bidirectional communication with the brain at sufficiently large scale to be truly therapeutically useful is lacking. Current state-of-the-art neuromodulation systems deliver open loop, 16-channel patterned electrical stimulation incapable of precisely targeting small numbers of neurons. Large-scale neural recording systems are limited to 16-128 electrodes, at the cost of several thousand dollars per channel. The ability to record from the awake behaving animal - let alone precisely modulate neural network dynamics in closed-loop fashion- presents a substantial challenge today.<br>In this thesis, I present decoupled design solutions for three critical subcomponents of the closed-loop BMI - (i) a highly miniature, wirelessly powered and wirelessly controlled implantable optogenetic neuromodulation system capable of selective neural network control with single neural subtype- and millisecond-timescale precision, (ii) a prototype, highly parallel and scalable bio-potential recording system for simultaneous monitoring of many thousands of electrodes, and (iii) a space- and energy-efficient battery charger for biomedical applications. In aggregate, these systems overcome many of the fundamental architectural problems seen in the research and clinical environment today, potentially enabling a new class of neuromodulation system capable of treatment of higher-order cognitive dysfunction. In the research setting, these systems may be scaled to enable whole-brain recording, potentially yielding insights into large-scale neural network dynamics underlying disease and cognition.<br>by Christian T. Wentz.<br>M.Eng.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2004.<br>Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xiv, 145 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 138-145).

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2018-04-13T13:45:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana Claudia Torre.pdf: 4017373 bytes, checksum: 07d0e2bce6621bdd3aa4cdec6b777f11 (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-13T13:45:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana Claudia Torre.pdf: 4017373 bytes, checksum: 07d0e2bce6621bdd3aa4cdec6b777f11 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-23<br>The building of a project portfolio and their prioritization depend on a series of decision-making from people with different perceptions, judgments and interests. When a consensus is not reached, individual judgments can be weighed using decision support tools that can solve decision-making difficulties in multi-choice environments. However, for the application of a multicriteria method, the criteria need to be defined, and the lack of guidelines for establishing criteria for project selection is the main challenge faced by organizations in portfolio management. The main purpose of this work is the proposition of a method for the definition of criteria for the selection and prioritization of projects, and it was developed to solve a need of the Military Police of the State of São Paulo - PMESP. To achieve this goal, the research method Design Science Research was used in which the knowledge that involves understanding and solving the problem is obtained during the construction of an solution for a specific problem context. The method for defining criteria is able to contribute to the practice of project portfolio management, defining criteria for project selection and prioritization, recording the meanings of each criterion and formalizing the criteria definition process. Therefore, the criteria and their definitions are stored and can be accessed whenever necessary. In addition, the application time of the method can be adjusted according to the complexity of the organization and both public and private companies can benefit from the application of this method.<br>A formação de um portfólio de projetos e sua priorização dependem de uma série de tomadas de decisões de pessoas com percepções, julgamentos e interesses diferentes. Quando um consenso não é alcançado, os julgamentos individuais podem ser pesados usando ferramentas de apoio à decisão, capazes de resolver dificuldades de tomada de decisão em ambientes de múltiplas escolhas. Porém, para a aplicação de um método multicritério, há a necessidade da definição dos critérios, e a falta de diretrizes para o estabelecimento de critérios para a seleção de projetos é o principal desafio enfrentado pelas organizações no gerenciamento de portfólio. Este trabalho possui como principal finalidade a proposição de um método para a definição de critérios para a seleção e priorização de projetos, e foi elaborado a fim de solucionar uma necessidade da Polícia Militar do Estado de São Paulo - PMESP. Para o alcance de tal objetivo, por meio de uma abordagem de pesquisa qualitativa, foi utilizado o método de pesquisa Design Science Research, no qual o conhecimento que envolve a compreensão e a resolução do problema é obtido durante a construção de uma solução para um contexto de problema específico. O método para a definição de critérios aqui desenvolvido é um conjunto de passos capaz de contribuir para a prática de gestão de portfólio de projetos, definindo critérios para seleção e priorização de projetos, registrando os significados de cada critério e formalizando o processo de definição de critérios. Dessa forma, os critérios e suas definições ficam armazenados, podendo ser acessados sempre que necessário. Além disso, o tempo de aplicação do método pode ser ajustado conforme a complexidade da organização e tanto empresas públicas e privadas podem usufruir da aplicação deste método.

Inclusive public dialogue about issues of concern to science and society can democratise and widen the knowledge base for decision-making so scientific research and developments are made accountable to citizens’ priorities. This participatory model of science communication is not yet widely practiced. More research is needed into how to make such communication effective. Formative audience research can inform a communication strategy’s design to meet its objectives effectively and enhance its relevance to participants’ needs and communication preferences. However, audience research designs based on transmission models are inadequate for the participatory objectives of public dialogue. They must therefore be adapted. This dissertation proposes how audience research should be designed and conducted when the objective of communication is public dialogue about science, such as biotechnology. The methodology involves building an evaluation framework from the literature and applying this to a case of applied research. Four sub-questions are addressed. First, audience research and participatory development communication literature is reviewed to propose how audience research should be designed and conducted for public dialogue broadly. Second, literature on public engagement about science is analysed for the challenges in public dialogue about science and the implications for audience research. Third, a set of guidelines is presented for evaluating the appropriateness of audience research for public dialogue about science. Finally, these guidelines are used to evaluate a case of qualitative audience research commissioned by the Public Understanding of Biotechnology (PUB) programme, judging the appropriateness of its design to the communication objectives and extracting further lessons for audience research. The findings present a “double-dialogical” approach to audience research, where the research methods and the information elicited reflect dialogical objectives. This approach emphasises listening over telling, building relationships over interrogating targets, and optimising inclusivity and diversity in identifying participants, framing issues, and selecting channels and spaces for deliberative dialogue, wherein participation and information dissemination play complementary roles. Following these principles, audience research can build democratic foundations for public dialogue about science while recognizing the following challenges: the specialized and technical nature of science, the complexity of issues, the power of commercial interests, the need for social accountability, low motivation and interest amongst publics, and the resistance of technical experts and decision-makers towards dialogue. A framework of guidelines is offered for designing and evaluating audience research for public dialogue about science, structured around 5 interrelated elements: WHY – clarifying the objectives of communication and audience research; GENERAL – overall research design considerations; WHO – conceptualizing and investigating dialogue participants; WHAT – framing issues from multiple perspectives; and HOW – identifying spaces and channels for public dialogue. Applying the framework to the case study demonstrates the guidelines’ usefulness for evaluation purposes, grounds the study in an actual case of audience research and extracts lessons for future applications. The framework succeeds in judging the appropriateness of the study’s design for its purpose. The study contributes to the search for effective means of public engagement by proposing practical guidelines for the first steps of such a process, a methodological praxis for audience research that can be useful in scholarly and practitioner communities and can be refined and adapted for various contexts.<br>Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.<br>Information Science<br>unrestricted

Mes travaux de recherche concernent la méthodologie expérimentale pour la Recherche en Informatique Centrée Humain (RICH). Il s’agit des domaines de la recherche en informatique qui intègrent des utilisateurs pour construire de la connaissance scientifique et des outils supports à cette recherche. A titre d’exemple, nous pouvons citer les domaines concernés comme le domaine des Systèmes d’Information (SI), de l’Ingénierie des Interfaces Homme-Machine (IIHM) ou celui des Environnements Informatiques pour l'Apprentissage Humain (EIAH). Dans ces travaux de recherche se pose le problème du processus de conduite de la recherche et de la traçabilité des résultats et de la qualité des données. L’objectif de cette thèse est de proposer un processus de conduite de la recherche qui accompagne le chercheur tout au long de ce processus en lui fournissant des moyens pour intégrer des méthodes de production des données issues des sciences humaines et sociales et des outils pour garantir la traçabilité de ce processus. Cette méthode offre des outils conceptuels et techniques pour garantir la traçabilité du processus de conduite de la recherche. Elle porte le nom de THEDRE pour « Traceable Human Experiment Design Research ». Ce travail de formalisation d’un processus de conduite de la recherche a été une opportunité pour créer un langage de modélisation des processus de conduite de la recherche. La construction de ce langage et de cette méthode repose sur des expérimentations conduites depuis 2008 dans le domaine de la RICH<br>My research focuses on the experimental methodology for research in human centered computer science (RICH). It concerns areas of informatics research that integrate users to build scientific knowledge and supporting tools for this research. As example, we can mention the fields concerned, such as the field of Human Computer Interface (HCI) or the Technology for Enhance Learning (TEL). The objective of this thesis is to propose a method which accompanies researchers in the integration of the methods of data production from the humanities and social sciences. In this research the problem of the traceability of the results and the quality of the data arises. This method provides conceptual and technical tools to ensure the traceability of the research conduct process. It is called THEDRE for "Traceable Human Experiment Design Research". This work of formalizing a process of conducting research has been an opportunity to create a modeling language for conducting research processes. The construction of this language and method relies on experiments carried out since 2008 in the field of RICH

This research looks at using Inclusive Design as mean to bridge the age-based digital divide, by conducting Action research in a Local Council in the UK. Research on the digital divide looks at the inequality in technology access between different demographical characteristics. While this is very useful to highlight access inequality, it fails to address the steps required to bridge the gap. Some research even suggested that the digital divide is bridged and that research in this field is irrelevant. This is due to the narrow focus of some researchers about the digital divide. The focus should be not on whether older people possess Information and Communications Technology (ICT) products; it should be on how they use their products and what we can do to improve the person-technology fit. On the other hand, inclusive design has been a main driver to ensure that buildings and products do not prohibit people with disabilities from utilising the building or product. However, there is limited research about the extension of inclusive design practices in Information Systems (IS), particularly interface design and system design. Most of the current design guidelines and best practices do not provide a holistic view of the inclusive design process, thus leaving the designers on their own in terms of producing an easy interface for users, by just merely implementing the accessibility guidelines provided by the W3C to ensure inclusivity of the website or online service. Assuming that inclusivity is reached only by including screen readers and magnified modes to prospective users. The aim of the research is to provide a clear picture to discover the main challenges to Inclusive Design as well as provide a holistic and thorough inclusive design metric that allows designers to ensure that their proposed website or online service is inclusive of users from different age groups and capabilities. This design methodology can customisable according to the website or online service requirements, highlighting the important features to ensure inclusivity. Using Action research as methodology to investigate and improve design practices in a local council. The research employed a mixture of research methods to understand and intervene in the creation of an inclusive e-service during the implementation of the Care Act 2014 in the Local Council. First, semi structured interviews were conducted to provide insights of the changes that the Care Act 2014 which brought upon social care and the way that social care services are being provided in the county. Then, observations were performed during the design sessions of the online services in the Local Council to see how the design process is being carried out to ensure that the website is inclusive of all prospective users. Finally, when the website is fully developed it was tested on various users with from different age groups using the inclusivity index developed as part of the evaluation phase of the design methodology. In addition, interviews with older adults were conducted to understand the issues that make them using ICT difficult so the needs of these users were documented to help in the design process later on. The research indents to advance knowledge about inclusive design from practical and theoretical perspective. Practically, this research will help web designers and organisations looking to cater online services to as many people as possible and design methodology that fosters inclusivity. Moreover, this will help older adults to use online service by themselves, thus ensure that they can remain independent and exercise control over their needs from the government or otherwise. Theoretically, this research will help to shed the light on the digital divide and the ways to bridge this divide. By creating an inclusive design methodology that can fundamentally address the causes of the divide rather than just simply patch existing design methodologies.