Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'MFA support'

The purpose of this phenomenographical case study is to explore the ways in which a group of MFA students conceive of their learning as they are enmeshed within an MFA community. The research follows along two guiding research questions: 1) What does artistic learning involve for graduate students in an MFA community? 2) How is one's artistic practice shaped by one's active participation in an MFA community? The findings of this study have been presented as lines of artistic learning and help to show the various conceptions that MFA students have of their learning as artists while in an MFA program of study. Ultimately, it is in better understanding one's lines of artistic learning that MFA students can be better supported in their journeying to become professional, practicing artists.

Many UK MBA programmes adopt a collaborative approach to the Harvard style of experiential case based learning. Within such programmes there is widespread use of computers but it is not clear how this improves student learning. Research on computer support of collaborative learning in other disciplines is of limited applicability because of the dual role of student as learner and as expert. In management education such research has mainly focused on technology. Within this context this exploratory research seeks to establish how the actual use of computers in the collaborative study of cases within MBA programmes affects the efficiency and effectiveness of the learning process. Three core courses from well-respected MBA programmes are studied in detail. Student attitudes are investigated using an established instrument and an open-ended questionnaire. In each course student behaviour is observed by studying one aspect of the course in which computers are being used. Data is collected through videos, participant observation and the capture of online conferences. The three MBA programmes have comparable core curricula and computer rich environments. Delivery modes are full-time, part-time and distance so they cover a wide spectrum of the MBA student population in the UK. Six propositions arise from the investigations of which four are established by this research. These show that UK MBA students are enthusiastic about computers and believe in their ability to use them competently. Most students do use computers extensively at all stages of collaborative case based learning. However there is a marked dissonance between their attitude and actual use. If this dissonance is addressed students can improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of their learning through using computers.

Thesis (M. Sc. (Chemistry)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016<br>In this study, the use of synthetic hierarchical MFI zeolites as supports for palladium hydrocracking catalysts was investigated. Hierarchical zeolites were synthesised through two different routes, viz., (i) the indirect and (ii) direct routes. In (i) pristine ZSM-5 zeolites with different SiO2/Al2O3 ratios (SARs) were synthesised hydrothermally using tetrapropylammonium bromide as structure-directing agent (SDA), followed by a brief desilication of its calcined form in 0.2 M NaOH solution at 65 °C for 0.5 h. Procedure (ii) involved prior synthesis of three polyquaternary ammonium surfactants (containing 2 - 4 ammonium centres), followed by their use as SDAs in the hydrothermal synthesis of hierarchical MFI zeolites. The resulting materials were characterised by XRD, FT-IR, SEM and N2 adsorption isotherms (including BET surface area measurements). Successful synthesis of different classes of the hierarchical MFI zeolites was confirmed by XRD patterns, while successful synthesis of polyquaternary ammonium surfactants was confirmed by both their 1H NMR spectra and their ability to direct the MFI structure. On the basis of IR, peak intensities in the OH region between 3500 and 3800 cm-1, the surfactant-templated zeolites were inferred to be more acidic than zeolites prepared through the desilication route. Significant changes in crystal morphology were observed upon desilication of ZSM-5(50), while the ZSM-5(77) and ZSM-5(100) retained their agglomerated morphology upon a similar treatment. The micrograph pristine of ZSM-5(50) showed a predominant morphology of large and small spheroids, together with some ill-defined cubic shapes. After desilication, the zeolite did not retain the original morphology entirely, showing hexagonal prismatic crystals with twinning occurring in other areas and large spheroids “hatching” to reveal their contents upon treatment. Desilicated zeolites exhibited improved textural properties (i.e., increased SBET, pore volumes and pore diameters) and minor structural readjustments compared to their pristine counterparts. Textural properties of surfactant-templated zeolites were superior to those of desilicated zeolites, and improved with increasing number of quaternary ammonium centres in the surfactant template. These materials were generally more crystalline than the conventional zeolites. Hydrocracking catalysts containing 0.9 wt.% Pd loading on different MFI supports were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method. The n- v hexadecane hydrocracking conditions used were typical of LTFT process (i.e., Temperature = 215 - 310 °C, WHSV = 1 h-1, Pressure = 20 bar, in addition to the H2 /n-C16 ratio of 10). The catalytic activity in all catalyst systems increased with increasing reactor temperature and displayed C4/C12 ratios ≠ 1, evidence of the occurrence of secondary cracking (i.e., a non-ideal hydrocracking behaviour). This was also supported by the shapes of their product distribution profiles, which showed dominant C3 - C7 n-paraffins. Co-feeding H2O with n-C16 into the reactor was found to be detrimental to n-C16 conversion, but promoted the selectivity to iso-paraffins in the product spectrum. Simultaneous introduction of CO and H2O aggravated secondary cracking. Amongst the pristine ZSM-5 zeolite-based catalysts, Pd/P-ZSM-5(77) showed the best catalytic performance. Upon desilication, the performance order changed to favour Pd/D-ZSM-5(50*). For the surfactant-templated supports, Pd/HSZ(N4) showed the most superior hydrocracking performance. Comparison of catalytic activities of the best performing catalyst systems derived from the conventional and surfactant-templated zeolites in the hydrocracking of n-hexadecane, follow the order Pd/D-ZSM-5(50*) > Pd/P-ZSM-5(77) > Pd/HSZ(N4). That is, the pristine and desilicated zeolite-based catalysts performed better than their surfactant-templated zeolite-based counterparts. Therefore, the post-synthesis generation of mesoporosity through desilicating ZSM-5 with a SAR of 50 has proven beneficial for the resulting catalyst system. One of the possible reasons for the relatively inferior hydrocracking performance of the Pd/HSZ(N4) catalyst may be the aluminium-richness of the support (SAR = 40) compared to the conventional ZSM-5-based supports. In summary, catalysts Pd/D-ZSM-5(50*), Pd/P-ZSM-5(77) and Pd/HSZ(N4) are promising for diesel-selective catalysis and need further refinements and exploration.

<p>Purpose: Although under the last decade there has been increased interest in management of project-based teams and numerous examples of such relationships exist, relatively little is known about “the dynamics of shorter relationships”. Management of communication between partners involved in short-term project-based relationships and the ways, in which multiparty value is created as a result, form a task for important and necessary research in marketing theory and practice. This study aims to define whether there exists a positive relationship between management activities that can influence the communication environment within project-based groups and effectiveness of collaboration between participants.</p><p>Research question: In what role management incentives can positively influence communication and collaboration within a network of the external parties involved in a project?</p><p>Approach: The research design for this study includes a literature review and a longitudinal observational case study. The aim was drawing on and extending important ideas of research on organizational management of project-based teams. On the basis of literature review aspects that have the most influential impact on communication within project-based networks are organized in a integrative framework that gives an image of factors influencing relationships in project-based teams. The theoretical model is proved through a qualitative study of project-based teams performance. Data was collected through the use of meetings observations, email interviewing of participants and informal interviews.</p><p>Findings: Although sensemaking and relational exchanges are distinct concepts in the extant literature, this study illustrates the ways in which the two are interconnected: the social processes of relational exchanges between project participants engaging in the proceses of sensemaking and the ways of approaching relational exchanges that would facilitate the process of sensemaking. On the basis of the theoretical discussion how projects are operated while being embedded in a context of networks of external participants we elaborated that for successful project performance management of project-based networks should play facilitating and supportive role of creating a framework enabling mindful behaviour and collaborative processes of problem-solving.</p><p>Research limitations/implications: Even this study highlights previously overlooked connections between literatures on relational exchanges and organizational sensemaking by giving attention to a diverse range of issues concerning project-based business networks, further research in this direction may be useful for deeper understanding of the processes. Firstly, the generalizability of the findings presented here remains to be tested. Secondly, the aspects influencing relational exchanges in short-term project setting identified here may not be exhaustive: they could be supplemented by the discovery of other aspects, perhaps through data collected from project setting of different type. Thirdly, although relational exchanges can vary in sense of communication and collaboration intensity, it was outside the scope of this study to address the issue at this level of analysis. Despite these limitations, this study has made an attempt to draw up the findings that may have some implications for both research and practice.</p><p>Value of research: As revealed in our study, a set of management incentives may help in creating a positive environment for efficient communication and collaboration within a project. It suggests that management incentives should try to organize a trust like environment that will provide much of incentive for partners to work together non-opportunistically during their relational exchanges and much of the assurance necessary for exchange partners to feel comfortable with this arrangement. The results of the study clearly shows that applying management methods will help shortcut the process necessary to establish the working norms necessary for functional communication and collaboration between participants.</p>

Inflow and infiltration (I/I) water in the sewer network originates from groundwater, precipitation, seawater as well as over-leakage from drinking water pipes. It is the proportion of water in the sewer system that is not wastewater and causes problems both at the treatment plant as well as in the sewer network. Through overflows, floods and bypassing at the treatment plant I/I causes discharges of wastewater to recipients and nature and thus have negative environmental effects. I/I also stand for an overload in the system which, in addition to environmental consequences, also has social, economic and technical consequences. Despite efforts to reduce and mitigate the effects of I/I water for a long time, the problem remains and a large proportion of all the wastewater in the network and the treatment plan still is I/I.  Historically, and for many cases at present, there is little to no methodology for how the work with I/I water takes place and is prioritized in the municipalities and responsible water and sewerage organizations. Measures have instead been implemented with a reaction based approach, in other words when something has broken down or there is a failure in the system. A new discussion about I/I water has arisen in recent years due to new requirements from supervisory authorities. As there is not much follow-up or methodology around the work with I/I water, the process of developing a strategy to meet these new requirements for municipalities has shown to be difficult. In cases where analysis of measures against I/I water has been carried out, cost and effects in the treatment plant (i.e. the proportion of I/I water) have most often been used and dimensions other than economic have been left out of the analysis. As I/I water affects social and environmental factors to a great extent, this should be taken into greater account.  In this work, a multi-criterion analysis has been performed in a case study where similar measures to reduce I/I water and its effects in two different areas have been analysed. The included measures were separation, lining, pipe bursting and installation of a stormwater cassette. The results of the case study show that measure A2 has the greatest positive effect. However, there are major uncertainties in the case study conducted and the results are not considered to be robust enough to be used. However, what has been important to include from the work is that by defining and using criteria from all sustainability dimensions, a comprehensive action choice analysis is created and that it is a structured approach to apply. Here, the importance of opening up for discussion within the municipality/organization is emphasized to achieve a coherent view of the prioritization of I/I water and to achieve efficient management. Problems and amounts of I/I water are complex issues and vary from place to place, and are strongly linked to local geohydrological and climate conditions and design of local sewage systems. Therefore, it is important to coordinate the planning of I/I water to use a workflow that is general and can be used, regardless of conditions, in a simple way where adjustments in accordance with local conditions are possible. This work has shown that multi-criteria analysis is a clear and adaptable tool for meeting the difficulties that exist.<br>Tillskottsvatten härstammar från grundvatten, nederbörd samt havsvatten genom felaktiga anslutningar eller läckage i ledningsnätet samt från överläckage från dricksvattenledningar. Det är andelen av vatten i avloppsnätet som inte är spillvatten och orsakar, genom bräddning, översvämningar och förbiledning i reningsverket, utsläpp av avloppsvatten till recipienter och natur samt står för en överbelastning i systemet. Trots att man arbetat med att minska och lindra effekterna av tillskottsvatten under lång tid så kvarstår problemet och en stor andel av allt samlat vatten i ledningsnätet och som kommer till reningsverket är just tillskottsvatten.  Historiskt, samt för många fall i nuläget, så existerar det lite till ingen metodik kring hur arbetet med tillskottsvatten sker i kommunerna och ansvariga VA-organisationer utan åtgärder har implementerats på måfå eller när något har gått sönder. En ny diskussion kring tillskottsvatten har uppstått de senaste åren på grund av uppkomna nya kravställningar från tillsynsmyndigheter. I och med att det inte finns mycket uppföljning eller metodik kring arbetet med tillskottsvatten så har processen med att ta fram en strategi för att möta dessa nya krav för kommuner ofta varit svår. I de fall som analys av åtgärder mot tillskottsvatten har utförts så har kostnad och effekter i reningsverket (det vill säga andel mängd tillskottsvatten) oftast används och andra dimensioner än ekonomiska har lämnats utanför analysen. Då tillskottsvatten påverkar sociala samt miljömässiga faktorer i hög grad bör detta tas större hänsyn till.  I det här arbetet så har en multikriterieanalys utförts i en fallstudie där liknande åtgärder för att minska tillskottsvatten och dess effekter i olika områden har analyserats. De ingående åtgärderna var separering, infodring, rörspräckning samt anläggning av en dagvattenkassett. Resultatet av fallstudien visar att åtgärdsalternativ 2 har störst positiv effekt. Det finns dock stora osäkerheter i den fallstudie som utförts och resultatet anses inte vara tillräckligt robust för att användas. Det som dock har varit viktigt att ta med från arbetet är att genom att definiera och använda kriterier från alla hållbarhetsdimensioner skapas en heltäckande åtgärdsvalsanalys och att det är ett strukturerat arbetssätt att applicera. Här understryks vikten av att öppna upp för diskussion inom kommunen/organisationen för att nå en sammanhållen syn på prioriteringen av tillskottsvatten samt för att nå en effektiv hantering. Problem och mängder tillskottsvatten i olika ställen är komplext och starkt kopplat till lokala klimat och geohydrologiska förhållanden samt lokala avloppssystem. Därför är det viktigt för att samordna planeringen av tillskottsvatten att använda en arbetsgång som är generell och kan användas, oavsett förutsättningar, på ett enkelt sätt där justeringar i enlighet med lokala förutsättningar är möjligt. Det här arbetet har visat att multikriterieanalys är ett tydligt och anpassningsbart verktyg för att möta de svårigheter som finns.

Cette étude se situe dans le cadre des recherches menées par le CEAEA sur la production massive d'hydrogène, sans émission de gaz à effet de serre, via un cycle thermo-chimique de décomposition de l'eau couplé à une source de chaleur à haute température d'origine nucléaire. Dans le cas particulier du cycle dit« Iode-Soufre», on doit extraire H2 à partir d'un mélange H2/HI/H20 très corrosif, opération pour laquelle des procédés membranaires ont été proposés. L'objectif de ce travail est le développement de membranes zéolithiques de type MFI susceptibles d'être utilisées dans ce contexte. Nous présentons les différents matériaux utilisés, la méthodologie de synthèse de couches minces de Silicalite-1 et de ZSM-5 synthétisée sans structurant organique, les techniques de caractérisation des membranes. Une étude cinétique nous a permis d'optimiser et de contrôler les conditions d'obtention de ces couches minces déposées sur des substrats tubulaires en Ti02 et plans en Al2O3-α. De nombreuses expériences de perméation ont été réalisées, pour des gaz simples (H2, He, Ar, N 2, C02, SF6) et des mélanges gazeux (H2/H20/Ar) et (H2/H20/HI/Ar). Les effets de la température, de la pression amont, de l'épaisseur et de la longueur de la couche mince ainsi que du gaz vecteur ont été étudiés en détail. Il apparaît que la présence de molécules d'H20 dans le système joue un rôle prépondérant sur la perméation des autres molécules<br>In the general context of massive and "carbon free" hydrogen production studies, the aim of this work was the development of zeolitic MFI membranes for hydrogen extraction and separation. The methodology of synthesis, the membranes characterization techniques as well as the permeation experimental setup are presented. Optimization and control of the elaboration of Ti02 supported Silicalite-1 and template free ZSM-5 membranes have been reached. Details of the full kinetic study that we performed are given. Numerous permeation experiments, involving pure gas (H2, He, Ar, N2, C02, SF6) and mixtures (H2/H20/Ar) and (H2/H 20/HI/Ar) have been carried on. The effects of temperature, feed pressure, thickness and length of the membranes, as well as the role of the sweeping gas have been emphasized. In the case of gas mixtures, the presence of H20 molecules appears to be a predominant factor

Thesis (M.A.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2008.<br>"A dissertation undertaken in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the M.A. in Public Policy & Management, City University of Hong Kong." Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Sept. 24, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-60)

Human capital is the only resource within an organisation that can learn. Developing high levels of competence in employees is one of the most challenging issues in organisations. Off–the–Job training programs either miss the mark or are too far away from the performance setting to have the desired impact on employee competence. Studies have shown that unstructured On–the–Job Training (OJT) leads to increased error rate, lower productivity and decreased training efficiency, compared to structured On–the–Job Training(S–OJT). The proven efficiency and effectiveness of S–OJT make it especially suitable to meet this challenge. Though S–OJT has been around for a while there has not been a proper integration of technology into the process. Every training approach, including S–OJT, is merely a means to an end, not an end in itself. The use of S–OJT helps to develop consistent appropriate levels of employee competence. When employees have these competencies e.g. better knowledge of the production processes, they can increase productivity, complete projects on time, lower defect rates, or achieve other outcomes of importance. These are the outcomes that matter to the organisation and the effectiveness of S–OJT should be judged from this perspective. Researchers have consistently found that one way to improve learners' success is to increase the frequency of exams. Classes meet for a set number of times. An instructor's decision to give more exams typically means that students have less time for learning activities during class meetings. How then can one have the best of both worlds, increasing the number of assessments and at the same time having enough time for learning activities? This can only be accomplished by integrating computer–based assessment into S–OJT programs. Computer–based testing and training can provide flexibility, instant feedback, an individualised assessment and eventually lower costs than traditional written examinations. Computerised results create opportunities for teaching and assessment to be integrated more than ever before and allow for retesting students, measuring growth and linking assessment to instruction. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating computer–based testing and training into S–OJT programs using the Air Separation unit of Sasol Synfuels as a case study. The null hypothesis is used to investigate the draw backs of OJT and S–OJT programs. A framework is also developed for the effective integration of CBT into S–OJT programs.<br>Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

La dynamique de l’offre et de la demande des produits manufacturiers ainsi que leraccourcissement de leurs cycles de vie obligent les entreprises industrielles à se doter de processus dedéveloppement produit dynamiques et agiles. Nos travaux se positionnement sur le supportinformatisé de ces processus de développement qui sont actuellement gérés par les systèmes PLM.L’objectif d’un support informatisé est d’accélérer le processus en automatisant la notification et ladiffusion des informations. Il permet également de garder trace des opérations et décisions effectuéeset d’accroître la standardisation des processus. Face à la rigidité des solutions actuellement proposéespour gérer les processus vis-à-vis des modifications survenant dans le processus, notre objectif est deproposer une approche permettant de modifier un processus en cours d’exécution sans devoir leredéfinir et le relancer dans son ensemble. Pour y parvenir, nous avons proposé, une approche quidécline une orientation services inspirée des architectures orientées services (SOA). Ces architecturespermettent de définir des applications modulaires, en utilisant des services faiblement couplés. Notreobjectif est de décliner une telle architecture exploitée essentiellement pour les systèmes logiciels et leWeb, au niveau métier de l’entreprise afin de modéliser et d’exécuter de manière flexible desprocessus de conception de produits par composition de services réutilisables. Nous proposons unedémarche d'identification des services du domaine métier des processus de conception produit et dudomaine fonctionnel du PLM. Ces services sont organisés dans deux catalogues de services métiers etfonctionnels. Notre approche s'inscrit dans le cadre de l'Ingénierie Dirigée par les Modèles (IDM) avecune architecture de réference à trois niveaux et des mécanismes d’alignement entre les niveaux métier,fonctionnel et logiciel. Ces mécanismes d'alignement entre les niveaux permettent d’intégrerl’évolution et d'automatiser le déploiement d’un processus de conception du niveau métier auxniveaux fonctionnel et logiciel<br>To cope with market dynamic and shortened time to market, industrial companies need toimplement an effective management of their design processes (DPs) and product information.Unfortunately, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems which are dedicated to support designactivities are not efficient as it might be expected. Indeed, DPs are changing, emergent and nondeterministic, due to the business environment under which they are carried out. The aim of this workis to propose an alternative approach for flexible process support within PLM systems to facilitate thecoupling with the environment reality. The purpose of a support system is to accelerate the process byautomating the notification and dispatching of information and activities between actors. It also allowsto keep track of transactions and decisions made and to increase processes standardization. Our goal isto propose a solution which allows process change at run-time without having to redefine and restartthe whole of process activities. To achieve this, we proposed an approach based on service-orientedarchitectures (SOA). These architectures allow defining modular applications, using loosly coopledservices. They are mainly exploited for software systems and Web development. Our goal is to declinesuch architectures at the business level of a company in order to perform flexible DPs deploymentbased on services reuse and composition. We propose an identification approach for business levelservices (product design services) and functional PLM services. These services are organized in twocatalogs of business and functional services. Our approach is based on Model Driven Approach withthree levels which propose alignment mechanisms between business, functional and technical levels.These alignment mechanisms between levels allow integrating change and automating design processdeployment

Les zéolithes représentent une importante classe de catalyseurs hétérogènes largement utilisées dans l’industrie. En effet, ce sont des catalyseurs de choix pour de multiples réactions grâce à leurs propriétés uniques largement modulables, à savoir leur forte acidité de Brønsted, leur grande surface spécifique, leur stabilité hydrothermique et leur sélectivité de forme. Cependant, la taille de leur micropores engendre des difficultés en terme de diffusion, réduisant ainsi leur potentiel catalytique. Ainsi, la conception sur mesure, en fonction de l’application finale, semble être une méthode très intéressante pour le développement de nouveaux catalyseurs zéolithiques.Les travaux réalisés au cours de cette Thèse ont pour objectif la conception de zéolithes à trois échelles : (i) au niveau du site actif en jouant sur la force acide et sur leur accessibilité, (ii) au niveau macroscopique par la taille des cristaux et (iii) au niveau du réacteur en les déposant sur divers supports. Ces différentes zéolithes ont été évaluées dans deux réactions acides : la chloration d’aromatiques et la conversion du méthanol en oléfines légères (MTO).Des zéolithes hiérarchisées ont été synthétisées selon diverses méthodes pré- ou post-Synthétiques et testées dans la chloration du nitrobenzène et du chlorobenzène. De plus, des cristaux « géant » de ZSM-5, préparés par voie fluorure, ont été évalués dans le MTO.La corrélation directe entre l’activité catalytique et les propriétés intrinsèques des zéolithes a permis de souligner les propriétés indispensables à chaque réactions<br>Zeolites are aluminosilicate catalysts of great importance for the chemical industries. Their unique properties, i.e., strong Brønsted acidity, high surface area, high hydrothermal stability, and shape selectivity, combined with an extensive tunability, render them the candidate of choice in various reactions. Nevertheless, often only a fraction of their potential is exploited, due to access and diffusion limitation to/in their micropores. In this field, the rational design appears as a valuable method to design new zeolite catalysts, according to their targeted application.The work described in this Thesis aims in the design of zeolites at three levels: (i) acid site by playing on the acid strength and on the accessibility, (ii) microscopic scale by adapting the crystal size and (iii) reactor level by coating zeolite crystals on different supports. These as-Prepared zeolites were evaluated in two acid-Catalyzed reactions: the aromatics chlorination and the conversion of methanol in light olefins (MTO).Hierarchical zeolites were synthesized according to several pre- or post-Synthetic modifications and evaluated in nitro- and chlorobenzene chlorinations. Besides, “giant” ZSM-5 zeolites, prepared according to fluoride-Mediated route, as well as zeolite coatings on β-SiC, were tested in the MTO reaction.Thanks to a direct correlation between catalytic activities and intrinsic properties, optimal catalyst properties were highlighted in both reactions

I denna studie har ett internetbaserat stödforum för utmattningssyndrom analyserats i syfte att bidra med ny kunskap om identitetsskapande i interaktion, mellan individer med egen erfarenhet av utmatningssyndrom. Studien har utgått från en diskurspsykologisk inramning och sökt svar på frågeställningarna; I) vilka föreställningar om sjukdomsidentiteter förhandlas fram på ett internetbaserat stödforum för utmattningssyndrom? och II) hur konstrueras normalitet inom ramen för de sjukdomsidentiteter som produceras? Analys av medlemskategoriseringar har använts som huvudsakligt analytiskt verktyg vilket syftat till att synliggöra vilka kategorier som gjorts relevanta av forumdeltagarna. Analysen visar fem identitetspositioner vilka uttryckts som att vara: sjuk, utmattad, kunnig, inte ensam och snart bättre. På forumet görs försäkringskassan till en utanför- grupp vilket stärker gemenskapen av sjukdom bland forumdeltagarna. Denna gemenskap legitimerar att dela med sig av egna erfarenheter av utmattningssyndrom och att positionera sig som kunniga gentemot vårdapparaten. Samtidigt synliggör analysen hur forumdeltagarna konstruerar samsyn kring normalitet i utmattningen och vad som anses som normal sjukskrivningsperiod med anledning av utmattningssyndrom. I sin tur möjliggörs också identitetspositionen av att vara på bättringsvägen.

Un des enjeux majeurs des procédés membranaires concerne le développement de nouveaux matériaux de filtration stables dont les propriétés texturales et structurales permettent d'orienter la sélectivité des membranes de nanofiltration. En particulier, l'utilisation de matériaux zéoliihiques comme couche filtrante a montré qu'après un traitement chimique adéquat, ces matériaux pouvaient acquérir des propriétés de sélectivité très particulières. Ce travail de thèse propose la synthèse, la caractérisation et l'optimisation de membranes de nanofiltration tubulaires en utilisant une zéolithe de type MFI. Plus particulièrement, des films mono et bicouches de zéolithes de type MFI ont été préparés sur un support tubulaire macroporeux asymétrique en alumine. La diffraction de rayons X et la microscopie électronique à balayage ont permis de déterminer la cristallinité, l'homogénéité et l'épaisseur des filins déposés (7 à 15 i_trn). La manométrie d'adsorption d'azote a été utilisée pour vérifier si la porosité après mise en forme restait accessible, ainsi qu'à déterminer la niasse de zéolithe déposée sur le support tubulaire en alumine. La perméabilité hydraulique, qui caractérise l'hydrodynamique d'une membrane, a été déterminée par filtration d'eau déminéralisée. Cette étape dite « de conditionnement » est nécessaire pour parvenir à un état de performance stable de la membrane (état d'équilibre), La perméabilité hydraulique de la membrane mono et bicouche MFI diminue rapidement au début de la phase de conditionnement, et finit par se stabiliser au bout de 15 heures de filtration pour atteindre une valeur minimale de 1,08 x tem-2 et 1,02 x 10-15 m3.ni-2 respectivement. La sélectivité et les performances de filtration de ces membranes vis-à-vis de différents types de solutés (ioniques, molécules organiques, mélanges) ont été analysées à l'issue de la phase de conditionnement. Les résultats obtenus sont très encourageants, ils ont fait l'objet de plusieurs articles de recherche<br>Zeolites are very well-known materials especially for their controlled porosity, their crystalline structures, but also for the different applications where they can be used (catalysis, air treatment,...) . During the past ten years, a lot of developments have been done on the preparation of zeolite membranes for pervaporation applications. The present work explores new developments in the preparation zeolite membranes dedicated to the filtration of salty water. More particularly, we prepared MFI films on specific macroporous alumina tubular supports used for nanofiltration applications. There are different key steps which influence the formation of the MFI films: the cleaning procedure of the substrats, the hydrothermal synthesis conditions, the use of a secondary growth method for when preparing a bi-layered membrane. A complete characterization of the mono and the bi-layered membranes was carried out using various techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, mercury porosimetry and nitrogen sorption measurements. Results show that a dense, continuous and highly crystallized thin film of MFI bas been obtained on the u-alumina support after the secondary growth experiment. The weight of zeolite deposited on the support was also estimated by nitrogen sorption measurement using the method of mass assessment. The MFI membrane was stabilized by pure water filtration tests until the hydraulic permeability reached a plateau. This conditioning step was necessary to reach an equilibrium state of the hydraulic membrane performances. Particularly, hydration of the MFI layer was a crucial step of the conditioning process, which leads to the modification of the MFI surface properties. The hydraulic permeability of the mono and bi-layer MFI membrane decreased rapidly at the beginning of the conditioning process, and stabilized alter 15 hours to reach 1.08 x 10.141113.m.2 and 1.02 x 10-15 m3.m-2 respectively. Filtration tests were then carried out with a neutral molecule (VB 12) in order to evaluate the mean pore radius of the mono and the bi-layered membranes. A rejection rate of 5% was obtained with the monolayer MFI membrane, while it reaches a value of 50% with the bi-layered one. These results lead to mean pore radius corresponding to 6.4 and 1.7 mn respectively. It menus that even alter the synthesis of the second MFI layer, the membrane porosity remains higher than the porous diameter of the zeolite. Filtration may occur at the interface of the MFI crystals

The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes and beliefs of art therapists towards Evidence-Based Practices (EBP). EBP is a rising trend in healthcare that refers to the process of using empirically validated research to make clinical decisions that best meet the needs of each client (Patterson, Miller, Carnes & Wilson, 2004).The investigators used a mixed methods approach to the research topic. Part A consists of a survey distributed to graduates of the Department of Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). In addition to answering questions, survey participants were asked to create an art response depicting their perspective on the relationship between art therapy and EBP. In the second phase (Part B), the researchers used an arts-based methodology to further explore the findings from Part A. Part B involved the creation of key idea cards pulled from the literature review and the findings, individual art responses by each investigator, and verbal and written analyses of the content and process. The idea that art therapists are already integrating EBP and art therapy in their practices emerged as the major finding of the research. This realization that clinicians are already at the intersection of EBP and art therapy was a contrast to the cautious divided attitudes that were discovered in the literature review. Further research could not only strengthen the evidence base of art therapy, but also illuminate how exactly therapists have managed to bridge the gap between EBP and art therapy.

en català:<br/><br/>Un camp de recerca important dins del paradigma del Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) és la importància en la gestió eficaç de la informació d'esdeveniments generada durant l'activitat de l'aprenentatge col·laboratiu virtual, per a proporcionar coneixement sobre el comportament dels membres del grup. Aquesta visió és especialment pertinent en l'escenari educatiu actual que passa d'un paradigma tradicional - centrat en la figura d'un instructor magistral - a un paradigma emergent que considera els estudiants com actors centrals en el seu procés d'aprenentatge. En aquest nou escenari, els estudiants aprenen, amb l'ajuda de professors, la tecnologia i els altres estudiants, el que potencialment necessitaran per a desenvolupar les seves activitats acadèmiques o professionals futures.<br/>Els principals aspectes a tenir en compte en aquest context són, primer de tot, com dissenyar una plataforma sota el paradigma del CSCL, que es pugui utilitzar en situacions reals d'aprenentatge col·laboratiu complexe i a llarg termini, basades en el model d'aprenentatge de resolució de problemes. I que permet al professor una anàlisi del grup més eficaç així com donar el suport adequat als estudiants quan sigui necessari. <br/>En segon lloc, com extreure coneixement pertinent de la col·laboració per donar consciència i retorn als estudiants a nivell individual i de rendiment del grup, així com per a propòsits d'avaluació. <br/>L'assoliment d'aquests objectius impliquen el disseny d'un model conceptual d'interacció durant l'aprenentatge col·laboratiu que estructuri i classifiqui la informació generada en una aplicació col·laborativa en diferents nivells de descripció. A partir d'aquesta aproximació conceptual, els models computacionals hi donen resposta per a proporcionar una extracció eficaç del coneixement produït per l'individu i per l'activitat del grup, així com la possibilitat d'explotar aquest coneixement com una eina metacognitiva pel suport en temps real i regulat del procés d'aprenentatge col·laboratiu.<br/>A més a més, les necessitats dels entorns CSCL han evolucionat en gran mesura durant els darrers anys d'acord amb uns requisits pedagògics i tecnològics cada cop més exigents. Els entorns d'aprenentatge col·laboratius virtuals ara ja no depenen de grups d'estudiants homogenis, continguts i recursos d'aprenentatge estàtics, ni pedagogies úniques, sinó que exigeixen una forta personalització i un alt grau de flexibilitat. En aquest nou escenari, les organitzacions educatives actuals necessiten estendre's i moure's cap a paradigmes d'ensenyament altament personalitzats, amb immediatesa i constantment, on cada paradigma incorpora el seu propi model pedagògic, el seu propi objectiu d'aprenentatge i incorpora els seus propis recursos educatius específics. <br/>Les demandes de les organitzacions actuals també inclouen la integració efectiva, en termes de cost i temps, de sistemes d'aprenentatge llegats i externs, que pertanyen a altres institucions, departaments i cursos. Aquests sistemes llegats es troben implementats en llenguatges diferents, suportats per plataformes heterogènies i distribuïdes arreu, per anomenar alguns dels problemes més habituals. Tots aquests problemes representen certament un gran repte per la comunitat de recerca actual i futura. Per tant, els propers esforços han d'anar encarats a ajudar a desenvolupadors, recercaires, tecnòlegs i pedagogs a superar aquests exigents requeriments que es troben actualment en el domini del CSCL, així com proporcionar a les organitzacions educatives solucions ràpides i flexibles per a potenciar i millorar el rendiment i resultats de l'aprenentatge col·laboratiu. Aquesta tesi proposa un primer pas per aconseguir aquests objectius.<br>An important research topic in Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is to explore the importance of efficient management of event information generated from group activity in collaborative learning practices for its further use in extracting and providing knowledge on interaction behavior. <br/>The essential issue here is first how to design a CSCL platform that can be used for real, long-term, complex collaborative problem solving situations and which enables the instructor to both analyze group interaction effectively and provide an adequate support when needed. Secondly, how to extract relevant knowledge from collaboration in order to provide learners with efficient awareness and feedback as regards individual and group performance and assessment. The achievement of these tasks involve the design of a conceptual framework of collaborative learning interaction that structures and classifies the information generated in a collaborative application at several levels of description. Computational models are then to realize this conceptual approach for an efficient management of the knowledge produced by the individual and group activity as well as the possibility of exploiting this knowledge further as a metacognitive tool for real-time coaching and regulating the collaborative learning process.<br/>In addition, CSCL needs have been evolving over the last years accordingly with more and more demanding pedagogical and technological requirements. On-line collaborative learning environments no longer depend on homogeneous groups, static content and resources, and single pedagogies, but high customization and flexibility are a must in this context. As a result, current educational organizations' needs involve extending and moving to highly customized learning and teaching forms in timely fashion, each incorporating its own pedagogical approach, each targeting a specific learning goal, and each incorporating its specific resources. <br/>These entire issues certainly represent a great challenge for current and future research in this field. Therefore, further efforts need to be made that help developers, technologists and pedagogists overcome the demanding requirements currently found in the CSCL domain as well as provide modern educational organizations with fast, flexible and effective solutions for the enhancement and improvement of the collaborative learning performance and outcomes. This thesis proposes a first step toward these goals.<br/><br/>Índex foliat:<br/>The main contribution in this thesis is the exploration of the importance of an efficient management of information generated from group activity in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) practices for its further use in extracting and providing knowledge on interaction behavior. To this end, the first step is to investigate a conceptual model for data analysis and management so as to identify the many kinds of indicators that describe collaboration and learning and classify them into high-level potential categories of effective collaboration. Indeed, there are more evident key discourse elements and aspects than those shown by the literature, which play an important role both for promoting student participation and enhancing group and individual performance, such as, the impact and effectiveness of students' contributions, among others, that are explored in this work. By making these elements explicit, the discussion model proposed accomplishes high students' participation rates and contribution quality in a more natural and effective way. This approach goes beyond a mere interaction analysis of asynchronous discussion in the sense that it builds a multi-functional model that fosters knowledge sharing and construction, develops a strong sense of community among students, provides tutors with a powerful tool for students' monitoring, discussion regulation, while it allows for peer facilitation through self, peer and group awareness and assessment.<br/>The results of the research described so far motivates the development of a computational system as the translation from the conceptual model into a computer system that implements the management of the information and knowledge acquired from the group activity, so as to be efficiently fed back to the collaboration. The achievement of a generic, robust, flexible, interoperable, reusable computational model that meets the fundamental functional needs shared by any collaborative learning experience is largely investigated in this thesis. The systematic reuse of this computational model permits a fast adaptation to new learning and teaching requirements, such as learning by discussion, by relying on the most advanced software engineering processes and methodologies from the field of software reuse, and thus important benefits are expected in terms of productivity, quality, and cost.<br/>Therefore, another important contribution is to explore and extend suitable software reuse techniques, such as Generic Programming, so as to allow the computational model to be successfully particularized in as many as situations as possible without losing efficiency in the process. In particular, based on domain analysis techniques, a high-level computational description and formalization of the CSCL domain are identified and modeled. Then, different specific-platform developments that realize the conceptual description are provided. It is also explored a certain level of automation by means of advanced techniques based on Service-Oriented Architectures and Web-services while passing from the conceptual specification to the desired realization, which greatly facilitates the development of CSCL applications using this computational model.<br/>Based on the outcomes of these investigations, this thesis contributes with computational collaborative learning systems, which are capable of managing both qualitative and quantitative information and transforming it into useful knowledge for all the implicated parties in an efficient and clear way. This is achieved by both the specific assessment of each contribution by the tutor who supervises the discussion and by rich statistical information about student's participation. This statistical data is automatically provided by the system; for instance, statistical data sheds light on the students' engagement in the discussion forum or how much interest drew the student's intervention in the form of participation impact, level of passivity, proactivity, reactivity, and so on. The aim is to provide both a deeper understanding of the actual discussion process and a more objective assessment of individual and group activity.<br/>This information is then processed and analyzed by means of a multivariate statistical model in order to extract useful knowledge about the collaboration. The knowledge acquired is communicated back to the members of the learning group and their tutor in appropriate formats, thus providing valuable awareness and feedback of group interaction and performance as well as may help identify and assess the real skills and intentions of participants. The most important benefit expected from the conceptual model for interaction data analysis and management is a great improvement and enhancement of the learning and teaching collaborative experiences.<br/>Finally, the possibilities of using distributed and Grid technology to support real CSCL environments are also extensively explored in this thesis. The results of this investigation lead to conclude that the features provided by these technologies form an ideal context for supporting and meeting demanding requirements of collaborative learning applications. This approach is taken one step further for enhancing the possibilities of the computational model in the CSCL domain and it is successfully adopted on an empirical and application basis. From the results achieved, it is proved the feasibility of distributed technologies to considerably enhance and improve the collaborative learning experience. In particular, the use of Grid computing is successfully applied for the specific purpose of increasing the efficiency of processing a large amount of information from group activity log files.

Target-based screening projects for bioactive (orphan) compounds have been shown in many cases to be insufficiently predictive for in vivo efficacy, leading to attrition in clinical trials. Phenotypic screening has hence undergone a renaissance in both academia and in the pharmaceutical industry, partly due to this reason. One key shortcoming of this paradigm shift is that the protein targets modulated need to be elucidated subsequently, which is often a costly and time-consuming procedure. In this work, we have explored both improved methods and real-world case studies of how computational methods can help in target elucidation of phenotypic screens. One limitation of previous methods has been the ability to assess the applicability domain of the models, that is, when the assumptions made by a model are fulfilled and which input chemicals are reliably appropriate for the models. Hence, a major focus of this work was to explore methods for calibration of machine learning algorithms using Platt Scaling, Isotonic Regression Scaling and Venn-Abers Predictors, since the probabilities from well calibrated classifiers can be interpreted at a confidence level and predictions specified at an acceptable error rate. Additionally, many current protocols only offer probabilities for affinity, thus another key area for development was to expand the target prediction models with functional prediction (activation or inhibition). This extra level of annotation is important since the activation or inhibition of a target may positively or negatively impact the phenotypic response in a biological system. Furthermore, many existing methods do not utilize the wealth of bioactivity information held for orthologue species. We therefore also focused on an in-depth analysis of orthologue bioactivity data and its relevance and applicability towards expanding compound and target bioactivity space for predictive studies. The realized protocol was trained with 13,918,879 compound-target pairs and comprises 1,651 targets, which has been made available for public use at GitHub. Consequently, the methodology was applied to aid with the target deconvolution of AstraZeneca phenotypic readouts, in particular for the rationalization of cytotoxicity and cytostaticity in the High-Throughput Screening (HTS) collection. Results from this work highlighted which targets are frequently linked to the cytotoxicity and cytostaticity of chemical structures, and provided insight into which compounds to select or remove from the collection for future screening projects. Overall, this project has furthered the field of in silico target deconvolution, by improving the performance and applicability of current protocols and by rationalizing cytotoxicity, which has been shown to influence attrition in clinical trials.

The purpose of this research was to explore the domain of reflexive competence; how it is developed in business schools; what role the Council on Higher Education (CHE) plays in supporting its development and what organisation processes support its development. Further to this, the research then set out to establish if the individual needs that encourage the acquisition of reflexive competence and the methods and processes that develop and support the acquisition of reflexive competence, exist for MBA students. The study used a dominant – less dominant design. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used in the dominant qualitative phase to explore the views of the CHE, business schools in Gauteng, and various medium to large organisations in Gauteng as to what reflexive competence actually is, and what methods or processes support its development. The findings from this phase, was then used in the less dominant quantitative phase of the study to design a survey that was administered on final year MBA students. The findings from the dominant study showed that predominantly, reflexive competence is about making values-based judgements in varying contexts by systematically and holistically working through the issue or problem. Reflection and feedback were identified as key tools that enable an individual to develop reflexive competence that should permeate every context. Environmental factors such as open and honest communication, a safe environment and trust were found to be necessary to promote reflection and feedback. The qualitative study showed that business schools develop reflexive competence through: curriculum design, assignments and syndicate work, a case study approach, the use of lecturers with business experience and different styles of lectures, values, social responsibility and ethics education and the research project. Organisations support the development of reflexive competence though a commitment to ethics and values, the development of an organisation climate (questioning culture, empowerment and accountability, a diverse culture and work autonomy), career development and succession planning, mentoring and learning and development. The role of the CHE in supporting the acquisition of reflexive competence was found to be that of monitoring and reviewing. It was further found that the individual needs and self interests played a huge part in developing reflexive competence. The findings from the less dominant study showed that the individual needs that encourage the acquisition of reflexive competence and the methods and processes that develop and support the acquisition of reflexive competence exist for MBA students. Finally, a framework is proposed that supports the acquisition of reflexive competence in a MBA.<br>Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010.<br>Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)<br>unrestricted

<p> <p>&nbsp<br></p> </p> <p align="left">The underlying theme of this thesis is identification, classification, detection and prediction of cellular network faults using state of the art technologies, methods and algorithms.</p>

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD<br>The underlying theme of this thesis is identification, classification, detection and prediction of cellular network faults using state of the art technologies, methods and algorithms.

The central theme of the thesis is to study linear and non linear SVM formulations in the presence of uncertain observations. The main contribution of this thesis is to derive robust classfiers from partial knowledge of the underlying uncertainty. In the case of linear classification, a new bounding scheme based on Bernstein inequality has been proposed, which models interval-valued uncertainty in a less conservative fashion and hence is expected to generalize better than the existing methods. Next, potential of partial information such as bounds on second order moments along with support information has been explored. Bounds on second order moments make the resulting classifiers robust to moment estimation errors. Uncertainty in the dataset will lead to uncertainty in the kernel matrices. A novel distribution free large deviation inequality has been proposed which handles uncertainty in kernels through co-positive programming in a chance constraint setting. Although such formulations are NP hard, under several cases of interest the problem reduces to a convex program. However, the independence assumption mentioned above, is restrictive and may not always define a valid uncertain kernel. To alleviate this problem an affine set based alternative is proposed and using a robust optimization framework the resultant problem is posed as a minimax problem. In both the cases of Chance Constraint Program or Robust Optimization (for non-linear SVM), mirror descent algorithm (MDA) like procedures have been applied.