Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Perceptron formulation'

Objectives: Team formulation is expected to support multidisciplinary team members to work effectively with their clients, meet their clients’ needs and broaden their psychological knowledge. There remains a lack of research evidence regarding the perceptions of team formulation among Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) members. This study addressed the following research questions; (1) what are considered helpful or unhelpful aspects of team formulation? (2) what are the processes or mechanisms that lead to unhelpful or helpful aspects of team formulation? (3) what is the impact of team formulation on professionals’ clinical practice? and (4) what are the factors that may influence these outcomes? Design: An inductive qualitative design was used, utilising a contextualist, critical-realist paradigm. Methods: 12 CMHT members who attended team formulation were recruited from three sites within the British National Health Service. In each site, an individual interview with a clinical psychologist and a focus group with three professionals were conducted. An inductive thematic analysis was used. RESULTS Attendees across the three teams reported that although team formulation was optional, a low priority and outside of their usual way of working, this was engaged by those who perceived a value in it. Participants reported that this process required a safe environment which would not threaten attendees’ job securities; and identified factors that enable this. Although attendees predominately reported helpful aspects of engaging in team formulation, these could also be perceived as unhelpful (apart from validation). The helpful aspects of team formulation involved other professionals’ contributions. Attendees reported that team formulation impacted on their clinical practice by (1) Page 3 of 273 providing alternative ways of working with clients and meeting their clients’ needs and (2) justifying discontinuation of clinical work. Across all teams, participants reported that ideas derived from team formulation, integrated into care plans (CPs) were integral and that these CPs were valued outcomes/products of team formulation. Participants reported that CPs were helpful in justifying attendees’ engagement in team formulation, prioritising ideas and making these achievable, and providing a rationale for professionals to flexibly test ideas. Participants did not report unhelpful aspects of CPs as products of team formulation. There were conflicting perceptions across the teams regarding the factors that influenced the use of CPs e.g., psychologists expected CPs to be used but also reported that this was not required as attendees adopted alternative perspectives. Conclusions: This study found that attendees reported that other professionals’ contributions enabled them to work effectively with their clients and meet their clients’ needs. Attendees did not outline broadening their psychological knowledge as suggested by the professional document published by the Division of Clinical Psychology (2011). This study’s findings suggests that each CMHT may benefit from discussing (1) clear expectations of team formulation, as this process can be perceived as different for attendees, (2) what aspects enable team formulation to be safe and ascertain how this could be achieved, (3) the unhelpful aspects of engaging in team formulation and ways of managing these, and (4) agreeing on their expectations of the outcomes or use of the products of team formulation i.e., are professionals expected to use CPs, adopt alternative perspectives, or both. If CPs are expected to be utilised then CMHTs may require support from their managers.

<p>This paper looks at the perceptions of people within and outside of Jönköping, regard-ing the main attractions/attributes within the Jönköping region and how they are being branded by the municipality. A model was formed to explain how consumer expecta-tions affect demand, and based on that a survey was handed out to find out consumers travelling habits, general perceptions about Jönköping and its branding. The results show that promotion has not been as successful as hoped and that Jönköping is still seen as a religious city among the respondents. A Las Vegas Entertainment Concept was formed to find out whether people would be willing to visit Jönköping more often if something „new‟ was presented. In conclusion, for consumers to visit more often new experiences have to be provided. It is all about the way Jönköping city is marketed in the future and what it will be able to offer to the different consumer segments visiting.</p>

Cette etude presente la demarche et les resultats de l'optimisation de la formulation sensorielle d'une nouvelle boisson dans un contexte industriel. Elle inclut l'exploration de 3 espaces de composition, de perceptions, de preferences et leurs inter-relations. 81 melanges sont definis par variations de 4 ingredients a 3 niveaux de concentration. L'exploration des perceptions sensorielles relatives a ces melanges est effectuee par elaboration d'un profil sensoriel par un jury de sujets entraines a l'analyse descriptive. 6 produits typiques de l'espace sensoriel sont alors selectionnes et degustes par un panel de consommateurs. Les perceptions sensorielles ainsi que les preferences des consommateurs pour les 6 melanges sont evaluees. Une typologie des consommateurs permet d'identifier un groupe de 30 sujets aux preferences homogenes. Ces sujets participent a une etape d'optimisation permettant de rechercher en temps reel une formulation ideale pour le consommateur sur le plan sensoriel. Cette optimisation met en uvre des techniques d'automatique, d'intelligence artificielle et d'analyses multidimensionnelles de donnees. Elle est basee sur une phase d'amelioration du produit en ligne a partir d'un vocabulaire relatif a l'espace des perceptions ainsi que sur l'elaboration d'un modele entre espace hedonique et espace de composition

Aujourd’hui, le marché de la peinture automobile est gouverné par une demande pour des couleurs profondes et vives avec effets. Dans le domaine de la peinture automobile, l’exigence est très haute car la couleur est associée à un signe de qualité. Dans une collision classique, différentes parties du véhicule peuvent être endommagées avec généralement une partie de la carrosserie qui est touchée. La partie endommagée doit être réparée, poncée et préparée avant d’être repeinte. Pour réduire les coûts, le carrossier doit préparer une peinture avec un bon contretypage de teinte, et ce aussi vite que possible. Il s’agit donc pour la formulation de la peinture de réparation de reproduire les effets, aussi bien colorés que texturés, à partir de pigments absorbants ou à effets (particules d’aluminium, de nacre …). Il est relativement simple de qualifier les effets colorés à partir des courbes de réflectance puis des coordonnées CIELab. Cependant, la définition de la texture engendrée par les particules à effets est assez complexe et n’est encore qu’à ses prémices, avec des paramètres qui souvent ne correspondant pas aux phénomènes réellement perçus par l’œil humain. Dans le cadre de ce travail de thèse, la mobilisation de connaissances expertes à travers différentes sessions de tri libre et de brainstorming a permis la mise en évidence de descripteurs de texture réellement perceptifs. De plus, la mise en place de métriques de texture conçues à partir de préconisations réellement perceptives, a rendu possible l’obtention de valeurs correspondant à un observateur moyen pour chacun de ces paramètres descripteurs. Ces paramètres ayant été élaborés à partir des observations d‘évaluateurs expérimentés. La transposition de ces vérités terrain en descripteurs physiques de texture a permis l’obtention d’une corrélation entre le perceptible et le mesurable. Dans la procédure développée, l’œil humain a été remplacé par un appareil photo numérique agissant en qualité d’intégrateur tristimulaire d’informations radiométriques. En essayant de reproduire les conditions d’observation lors de la phase d’acquisition d’images, il a été ainsi possible de caractériser les phénomènes de texture par analyse d’image et de les corréler aux valeurs de l’observateur moyen préalablement défini<br>Nowadays, the automotive coating market is governed by a demand for deep and vibrant colors with effects. In this field, the requirement is very high because the color is associated with a sign of quality. In a typical collision, different parts of the vehicle may be damaged. The damaged part must be repaired, sanded and prepared before being painted. To reduce costs, the body shop must then prepare a paint with a good color matching, and thus as fast as possible. It is therefore necessary for the formulation of the repair coating to reproduce the effects, both colored and textured, from absorbent or effect pigments (aluminum particles, pearlescent materials …) from a characterization of the concerned vehicle coating. It is relatively simple to qualify the colored effects from the reflectance curves and then the CIELab coordinates. However, the description of the texturing effect generated by the distribution of effect particles at the microstructure scale is quite complex. The metrological approach of the perceptive properties is still at its beginnings. The parameters used do not necessarily correspond directly to the phenomena actually perceived by the human eye. As part of this thesis work, the mobilization of expert knowledge through various sessions of free sorting and brainstorming on coated samples made it possible to highlight really perceptive texture descriptors. These descriptors have been the subject of "objective" evaluations by experienced observers. They thus made it possible to associate a quantitative evaluation scale with each descriptor. This stage of the present thesis work allowed the establishment of ground truth data materialized by a set of reference samples representing different ordered levels of a descriptor. These ground truth data were then used to design a set of measurable physical texture descriptors that were directly correlated to perceptual scales constructed in the previous step. In the procedure developed, the human eye has been replaced by a digital camera acting as a tristimulus integrator of radiometric information. The image acquisition phase was a decisive step in the process: it was necessary to reproduce the conditions of evaluation of the properties perceived, recognized and retained during the various stages using expert human observers. It was then possible to characterize the texture phenomena by image analysis and to correlate them with the values of the previously defined mean observer

Masters in Public Administration - MPA<br>This study focuses on the contradictory ways officials frame the problem of providing water services in Kampala with specific emphasis on the debates about framing of key factors that constrain delivery. Perceptions about and framing of policy issues implicitly suggest the causes of problems. Policy scholars acknowledge that formulating policy is “messy” and that it is about values, and not as “evidence-based” as is often assumed. Using a social constructionist perspective that stresses that perceptions tell one how people define situations, this study demonstrates the often contradictory ways that state officials see public problems. Drawing on debates about rational and muddling-through approaches, the study uses thirty structured questionnaires and several semi-structured in-depth interviews to explore the narratives of government officials regarding policy formulation in water delivery. The thesis found that almost all officials see rapid growth in population density in informal areas coupled with unplanned settlements as the single biggest combined issue inhibiting progress. Officials favoured market-related solutions even though their diagnosis of the problem suggested more concerted and comprehensive public planning of urban development.

Ice cream is a fatty, low satiating food which may increase obesity levels. This thesis aims to understand if it is possible to develop a more satiating product by manipulating formulation and/or processing. First, the effect of two emulsifiers (mono and diglycerides, MDGs and Tween 80) on the thermal behaviour of a bulk fat matrix was investigated. MDGs were shown to possibly enhance ice cream fat destabilisation more than tween 80. This research continued on an ice cream matrix, investigating the effect of different HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) number emulsifiers (MDGs based). Low and high HLB number emulsifiers (compared with intermediate HLB numbers) led to the formation of a more structured fat network. Moreover, the investigation of different solid fat content (SFC) blends and the aging step showed that 1) the fat network became more structured as the SFC increased (unless this was too high); 2) aging step could be avoided; 3) it is feasible to considerably decrease the SFC without affecting consumers’ response; and 4) SFC had a predominant effect on palatability. Finally, an appetite study allowed answering the research question of this work, demonstrating that formulation manipulation could be a promising way to reduce food intake (i.e. obesity levels).

Le premier objectif de cette thèse était de qualifier et quantifier les différences de caractérisation sensorielle de l'apparence visuelle et de la texture de gels entre des sujets appartenant à deux cultures très différentes (française et vietnamienne). Trois méthodologies sensorielles présentant différents niveaux de verbalisation ont été appliquées dans les deux cultures (tri libre, profil flash et profil conventionnel) et ont permis d'identifier certaines particularités dans le comportement de réponse dans les deux cultures. Globalement, les trois méthodes ont également montré qu'il existait une forte similarité entre les configurations des produits dans les deux cultures. Le deuxième objectif était de savoir s'il était possible de traduire puis de transférer les descripteurs sensoriels issus des panels de profil conventionnel français et vietnamien vers respectivement un nouveau panel vietnamien et un nouveau panel français. Un protocole de transfert de descripteurs d'une culture à une autre a été défini. L'application de ce protocole dans le sens FRANCE-->VIETNAM et dans le sens VIETNAM-->FRANCE a permis d'assurer un transfert de descripteurs très satisfaisant entre les deux cultures. Le troisième objectif était de prédire les profils sensoriels issus des panels ayant généré leurs propres descripteurs, en France et au Vietnam, par des mesures instrumentales variées. Globalement, il a été possible de prédire les descripteurs des deux panels de manière assez satisfaisante en utilisant une variable de synérèse, deux variables de spectrocolorimétrie, quatre variables de pénétration et quatre variables de back extrusion.

Tactile perception is considered an important contributor to the overall consumer experience of a product. However, what physical properties that create the specifics of tactile perception, are still not completely understood. This thesis has researched how many dimensions that are required to differentiate the surfaces perceptually, and then tried to explain these dimensions in terms of physical properties, by interconnecting human perception measurements with various physical measurements. The tactile perception was assessed by multidimensional scaling or magnitude estimation, in which methods human participants assign numbers to how similar pairs of surfaces are perceived or to the relative quantity of a specified perceptual attribute, such as softness, smoothness, coarseness and coolness. The role of friction and surface texture in tactile perception was investigated in particular detail, because typically tactile exploration involves moving (at least) one finger over a textured surface. A tactile approach for measuring friction was developed by means of moving a finger over the surfaces, mounted on a force sensor. The contribution of finger friction to tactile perception was investigated for surfaces of printing papers and tissue papers, as well as for model surfaces with controlled topography. The overarching research goal of this thesis was to study, systematically, the role of texture in tactile perception of surfaces. The model surfaces displayed a sinusoidal texture with a characteristic wavelength and amplitude, fabricated by surface wrinkling and replica molding techniques. A library of surfaces was manufactured, ranging in wavelengths from 270 nm up to 100 µm and in amplitudes from 7 nm up to 6 µm. These surfaces were rigid and cleanable and could therefore be reused among the participants. To my knowledge, this is the first time in a psychophysical experiment, that the surface texture has been controlled over several orders of magnitude in length scale, without simultaneously changing other material properties of the stimuli. The finger friction coefficient was found to decrease with increasing aspect ratio (amplitude/wavelength) of the model surfaces and also with increasing average surface roughness of the printing papers. Analytical modeling of the finger’s interaction with the model surfaces shows how the friction coefficient increases with the real contact area, and that the friction mechanism is the same on both the nanoscale and microscale. The same interaction mechanism also explains the friction characteristics of tissue paper. Furthermore, it was found that the perceptions of smoothness, coarseness, coolness and dryness are satisfactorily related to the real contact area at the finger-surface interface.  It is shown that it is possible to discern perceptually among both printing papers and tissue papers, and this differentiation is based on either two or three underlying dimensions. Rough/smooth and thin/thick were the two main dimensions of surface feel found for the printing papers, whereas friction and wavelength were strongly related to the perceptual cues employed in scaling the model surfaces. These experimental results support the duplex theory of texture perception, which holds that both a “spatial sense”; used to discriminate the roughest textures from the others, and a “vibration sense”; used to discriminate among the smoother textures, are involved. The perception of what is considered rough and smooth depends on the experimental stimulus context. It is concluded that friction is important for human differentiation of surface textures below about 10 µm in surface roughness, and for larger surface textures, friction is less important or can even be neglected. The finger friction experiments also allowed the following conclusions to be drawn: (i) The interindividual variation in friction coefficients is too large to allow direct comparison; however, the trends in relative friction coefficients for a group of participants are the same. (ii) Lipids are transferred to the test surface of study, and this lowers the friction. (iii) Many of the studies point to a characteristic frequency during sliding of about 30 Hz, which is both characteristic of the resonance frequency of skin and the expected frequency associated with the fingerprints. (iv) The applied load in surface interrogation is in fact regulated in response to the friction force. The limits in tactile perception were indirectly researched by similarity scaling experiments on the model surfaces. Wrinkle wavelengths of 760 nm and 870 nm could be discriminated from untextured reference surfaces, whereas 270 nm could not. The amplitude of the wrinkles so discriminated was approximately 10 nm, suggesting that nanotechnology may well have a role to play in haptics and tactile perception.<br>Taktil perception bidrar starkt till den sammantagna upplevelsen av en produkt, men hur materials olika ytegenskaper påverkar och styr perceptionen är ännu inte helt klart. Den här avhandlingen undersöker hur många och vilka egenskaper som är viktiga när känslan mellan två ytor jämförs. Tillvägagångssättet är tvärvetenskapligt där fysikaliska mätningar kopplas ihop med perceptions mätningar där människor används som instrument. Två typer av perceptionsförsök har utförts, multidimensionell skalning där försökspersoner sätter siffror på hur lika två ytor känns, samt magnitud estimation där i stället intensiteten på specifika perceptuella storheter som t.ex. upplevt lenhet, upplevd mjukhet och upplevd strävhet bedömdes. Eftersom taktil perception innebär kontakt samt relativ rörelse mellan hud och ytor, har fokus i avhandlingen varit att undersöka hur friktion och ytans struktur (ytråhet) påverkar och bidrar till den taktila perceptionen. Förutom fysikaliska mätningar på friktion och ytstruktur har värmekonduktivitet, mjukhet samt olika standard mätningar inom pappersindustrin mätts. En metod för att mäta friktion mellan ett finger och olika ytor har utvecklats för att i möjligaste mån återspegla friktionskomponenten i upplevt taktil perception. Friktionskoefficienter beräknades och jämfördes mellan alla ytor. De stimuli som har studerats är tryckpapper och mjukpapper samt modellytor, gjorda för att systematiskt undersöka hur ytstruktur påverkar perceptionen. Tillverkningsmetoden för modellytorna valdes så att ytorna var tåliga och kunde tvättas och därmed återanvändas. Strukturen på ytorna bestod av ett vågformat mönster där våglängden varierade mellan 270 nm och 100 µm och amplituden mellan 7 nm och 6 µm. Enligt vår vetskap är det första gången som strukturer i de här skalorna har gjorts utan att samtidigt ändra andra material egenskaper. Friktionskoefficienten minskade med ökad kvot mellan amplituden och våglängden på modellytorna samt med ytråheten på tryckpappren. En analytisk modell tillämpades på kontakten mellan ett finger och ytorna som visade att friktionskoefficienten beror av den verkliga kontaktarean. För de mycket grövre mjukpappren uppmättes inga stora skillnader i friktion förmodligen för att kontakarean mellan de olika mjukpapprena var lika. Den faktiska kontakarean visade sig också vara viktig för perceptionen av lenhet, strävhet, torrhet och svalhet. Det visade sig vara en stor perceptuell skillnad mellan olika typer av tryckpapper och mjukpapper utifrån hur stimuli placerade sig på en taktil karta. För de tre materialen användes enbart två alternativt tre egenskaper hos materialet för att särskilja mellan alla olika par. För tryckpapper verkade en viktig dimension kunna beskrivas av alla de perceptuella och fysikaliska egenskaper som har med kontaktarean att göra, d.v.s. lenhet, svalhet, torrhet, ytråhet, värmekonduktivitet samt friktion. För att taktilt särskilja mellan olika ytor där bara strukturen är varierade, kunde friktion och våglängden relateras till spridningen i kartan. Båda studierna stödjer duplex theory of texture perception, där ett spatialt sinne används för att särskilja en av de grövre ytorna från en slät, och ett vibrationssinne för att särskilja mellan olika släta strukturer. Friktionen visade sig alltså vara en viktig fysikalisk egenskap för strukturer under åtminstone 10 µm i ytråhet. Från fingerfriktions mätningar kunde även följande slutsatser dras: (i) Stora skillnader i friktionskoefficient mellan olika personer uppmättes, men trenderna mellan olika individer var samma, vilket gör att relativa skillnader i friktion från en individ är representativa. (ii) Lipider (fingerfett) som överförs från fingret till ytan vid kontakt sänker friktionen. (iii) Frekvensinnehållet i friktionskraften varierar mellan olika ytor och den frekvenstopp som ses vid 30 Hz kan möjligtvis bero på fingrets struktur eller resonansfrekvensen på huden. (iv) Den pålagda kraften under en friktionsmätning visar sig omedvetet regleras av den friktionskraft som fingret möter under rörelse.  Hur små strukturer som kan diskrimineras har indirekt undersökts genom likhetsförsöket på modellytorna där försökspersoner skulle bedöma hur lika alla par av ytor kändes. Resultaten visade att ytorna med våglängder på 760 nm och 870 nm upplevdes olika jämfört med referens ytor utan något systematiskt mönster, medan ytan med 270 nm i våglängd inte kunde särskiljas. Amplituden på ytan som kunde diskrimineras var endast ca 10 nm, vilket indikerar att nanoteknologi mycket väl kan bidra inom haptiken och för att i framtiden kontrollera den taktila perceptionen.<br><p>QC 20121026</p>

Lors du développement et de l'introduction d'un nouvel aliment, la compréhension des croyances, attitudes et préférences sensorielles des consommateurs est très importante. Cette thèse présente une série d'études cross-culturelles, France vs. Vietnam, sur la représentation des consommateurs vis-à-vis de produits à base soja et sur la perception et la préférence des yaourts à base de soja, un produit dérivé du soja récemment développé pour le marché français et n'existant pas sur le marché vietnamien. Malgré une image favorable du soja sur le plan nutritionnel et sur la santé, les participants français ont rapporté ne pas consommer ce type de produit, la barrière à sa consommation étant son goût de soja. Ce résultat a été confirmé par un test de consommateurs au cours duquel les participants français ont donné une très faible évaluation hédonique pour les yaourts de soja. Les consommateurs vietnamiens, consommateurs traditionnels du soja, n'ont également pas apprécié ces produits. Une série de yaourts mixtes dans lesquels le lait de vache a été partiellement remplacé par celui de soja a été fabriquée. Les tests consommateurs ont montré que pour les deux pays, le yaourt fabriqué avec une proportion de lait de soja inférieure à 50% a reçu une note moyenne supérieure à 5 sur une échelle de 1 à 9. Le rôle de la familiarité sur les préférences alimentaires ainsi que l'impact de l'exposition culturelle sur les changements des croyances et attitudes à l'âge adulte ont été confirmés. La présente étude contribue à la caractérisation des deux cultures sur leur acceptabilité d'un nouvel aliment

Many people may have become increasingly concerned about the risks associated with vaccines. At the same time, there is a lack of qualitative research on the impact of various vaccinations schedules on individuals' physio-psychological health. In addition, "mandatory" versus "nonmandatory, but recommended" vaccines are still under debate in some Western countries. The purpose of this ethnographic study was to provide an in-depth understanding of the beliefs, experiences, and perceptions of adolescents, parents, and health care providers regarding different vaccination schedules. The health belief model was used as the theoretical framework. The sample consisted of adolescents and parents from different vaccination backgrounds, as well as of healthcare providers who were involved with vaccination schedules (N=72). Purposeful sampling strategy was applied and individual interviews were conducted. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the obtained data were analyzed thematically. According to the results of the study, participants' perceptions on vaccination were generally positive, and a mandatory vaccination schedule was mostly recommended. Adolescents who received mandatory vaccination reported that this scheme was appropriate against several diseases. Further, health care members indicated that vaccination side effects were mainly emotional, and they suggested that public health agencies should disseminate more scientifically-sound information on the benefits and risks of vaccination. The findings of this study may be used as the basis for the formulation of an effective public health policy to adopt a nationally-and internationally-accepted vaccination schedule.

This study is an investigation into water management policies in South Africa, their effect on water users and the perceptions users have of these policies. The investigation begins with an exposition of concepts such as water demand management (WDM), as well as integrated water resource management (IWRM). A sub-discourse of the main theme is the societal tendency to neglect its common property. Garret Hardin's groundbreaking observations on the "tragedy of the commons" (1968) are explored in an effort to locate issues of relevance in effective water management strategies. In contemplating the commons, it is evident that aspects of morality and ethics are involved. The morality of a society be it in a global or national context, seems to manifest itself in legislation and policies, and in the way these are implemented. The relevance of good governance, hydropolitics and sustainable development is also discussed to provide the necessary theoretical background to an understanding of the relationship between consumers and the water commons. Access to safe drinking water is protected in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act, 108 of 1996. Flowing from the government's obligation to take reasonable legislative and other measures to achieve the progressive realisation of fundamental human rights stipulated in section 27(2) of the Constitution, the challenge since 1994 has been to provide access to water for all inhabitants and to manage the available water resources effectively. Furthermore, the objective of subsequent water legislation such as the National Water Act, 36 of 1998 and regulatory plans, like the National Water Resource Strategy has been to incorporate international trends in water governance. The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs (DWEA) divided South Africa into 19 regions, called water management areas (WMA). In this study, attention is focused on what constitutes a catchment and how a catchment management agency (CMA) governs its water resources. A description is provided of the functions of water user associations (WUAs) and how ththe Lower Orange Catchment Management Area is, for example, the blueprint from which stakeholders develop their goals. In this study, the water situation in the Lower Orange Water Management Area is under scrutiny. The focus is on the three main institutional components of water management (the Lower Orange catchment management, the Upington Islands Water User Association [UIWUA] and the //Khara Hais Local Municipality). The progress of the establishment of the Lower Orange Catchment Management Agency is outlined over a period of five years. Meanwhile, the Upington Islands Water User Association was developed and this has grown in stature. The work being done by these institutions is investigated by looking at grassroots effects, especially in respect of irrigation activities. The unique water management circumstances of the //Khara Hais Local Municipality are then investigated along with the plans outlined in their Integrated Development Plan {lOP) and their Water Services Development Plane Internal Strategic Perspective (ISP) of(WSDP). Because local irrigation operations consume most of the available surface water in the Lower Orange Water Management Area, irrigation farmers and their activities warrant closer attention. A historical overview is given of the development of irrigation in the region followed by an assessment of the role of two of the most prominent historical figures in Upington, Reverend Adriaan Schroder and Abraham "Holbors" September. Ultimately, however, the focus falls on the current state of irrigation in the area. It is possible to distinguish between the approach of large commercial farming operations and that of smaller irrigation farming units to irrigation. Specific attention is given to the perceptions of irrigation farmers as far as the policies and legislation pertaining to water issues is concerned. This study will hopefully provide the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs(DWEA), //Khara Hais Local Municipality and organised agriculture with some recommendations on efficient integrated water management strategies. It might well be of value to other municipalities who are experiencing similar problems. The aim has been to identify typical problems and potential disputes between water management institutions and relevant role-players.<br>Thesis (Ph.D. (Public Management and Administration))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

碩士<br>國立臺灣大學<br>資訊工程學研究所<br>94<br>There are many objects which are composed of several primitive parts. It’s always beneficial to find the inherent structure of objects when dealing with the recognition, searching or indexing issues of the objects. This thesis aims to recover the intuitive and natural parts from the 2D shapes of objects. This thesis is different from the previous approaches via characterizing the traditional shape decomposition problem as an optimization problem. Building on the foundation of visual salience, our work shows that, the optimal solution of shape decomposition can be solved efficiently by dynamic programming when a set of pre-defined constraints is satisfied.

A thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.<br>The purpose of this thesis was to construct a comprehensive battery of standardised tests that was robust in terms of its psychometric characteristics to evaluate visual-perceptual-motor (V-P-M) function in the adult who had suffered a Cerebro-Vascular- Accident (C.V.A.). This was to meet the need for the occupational therapist to target specific deficits and thereby to provide an effective treatment to patients. Work done by the candidate with patients, the literature as well as a review of existing tests demonstrated the need for such a test battery. Up to this time, tests available do not meet all the requirements for a reliable and valid assessment tool for adult V-P-M function. This demanded that the tests compiled for this thesis be based on a sound theoretical model, supplied information on age related changes in function and had undergone rigorous psychometric testing. It was also nescessary that normative data based on information collected from a random sarnote of the population for whom the test was intended and which would include a wide range of age groups, be collected. in order to fulfil these requirements the construction of this test battery followed the eleven steps necessary to produce tests ready for the final stage (step twelve) l.e. the collection of the normative data. ( Abbreviation abstract )<br>AC2017

Depuis l’adoption de la Loi 90 en 2002, la Loi sur les infirmières et infirmiers (LII, article 36) confère une autonomie élargie aux infirmières en reconnaissant, notamment, leur compétence et leur responsabilité à l’égard de l’évaluation clinique qui est représentée dans cette loi comme l’assise de l’exercice infirmier (Pellerin, 2009; OIIQ, 2010). La collecte des données constitue une étape fondamentale du processus d’évaluation clinique (Dillon, 2007; Doyon, Brûlé & Cloutier, 2002; Pellerin, 2009; Weber & Kelley, 2007). L’infirmière d’urgence a une responsabilité majeure à l’égard de la collecte des données. En effet, elle œuvre auprès de clientèles de tous âges qui présentent des problèmes de santé variés, aigus et parfois urgents et doit souvent intervenir, sur la base de son évaluation clinique, avant qu’un diagnostic n’ait été établi ou que le patient n’ait été vu par le médecin (Newberry & Criddle, 2005). Or, malgré toute l’importance que revêtent dorénavant l’évaluation clinique et la collecte des données au sens de la loi, ce rôle de l’infirmière semble tarder à s’actualiser dans la pratique clinique. Le but de cette étude qualitative descriptive consiste à explorer les perceptions d’infirmières, de gestionnaires en soins infirmiers et d’infirmières ressources cliniques d’urgence relativement à la réalisation de la collecte des données. La norme clinique « collecte des données » (assessment) de l’Emergency Nurses Association (1999) constitue le cadre de référence de l’étude. Cinq entrevues individuelles semi-dirigées de 60 minutes ainsi qu’un groupe de discussion de 90 minutes ont été réalisés auprès d’infirmières d’urgence. Un deuxième groupe de discussion a également réuni deux gestionnaires en soins infirmiers et deux infirmières ressources cliniques de l’urgence. Les données recueillies ont été analysées selon l’approche proposée par Miles et Huberman (2003). Les résultats obtenus démontrent que les infirmières considèrent la collecte des données comme un aspect fondamental de leur pratique à l’urgence, qui contribue à améliorer la qualité et la sécurité des soins dispensés. Or, les résultats révèlent également que leur compréhension de la collecte des données est variable, que leur pratique est aléatoire et largement influencée par le modèle biomédical. Plusieurs facteurs influencent la pratique des infirmières relativement à la collecte des données notamment : la conception individuelle de la collecte des données et du rôle infirmier, les relations et l’interaction avec les membres de l’équipe des soins infirmiers et les autres professionnels ainsi que le soutien de l’organisation et des gestionnaires en soins infirmiers. Ce dernier facteur semble prépondérant dans le contexte de l’urgence et démontre que le soutien des gestionnaires et des infirmières ressources cliniques influence de façon importante la pratique dans les milieux cliniques. Cette étude propose des pistes de réflexion sur la formation académique, la formation continue, l’administration des soins infirmiers et la collaboration interprofessionnelle qui pourraient faciliter l’actualisation du rôle des infirmières à l’égard de la collecte des données et de l’évaluation clinique afin d’améliorer la qualité des soins dispensés à l’urgence.<br>Since the enactment of Bill 90 in 2002, the Nurses Act (section 36) gives nurses greater autonomy by recognizing their competency and responsibility in clinical assessment, featured in this Act as the corner stone of the nursing profession (Pellerin, 2009; OIIQ, 2010). Assessment constitutes a fundamental step in the clinical assessment process (Dillon, 2007; Doyon, Brûlé & Cloutier, 2002; Pellerin, 2009; Weber & Kelley, 2007). The emergency nurses have a major responsibility with regard to patient assessment. In fact, they work with patients of all ages that have various health problems that can be acute and sometimes urgent, and they must intervene, according to their clinical assessment, before a diagnosis has been established or the patient has seen a doctor (Newberry & Criddle, 2005). Yet, despite the importance now conferred by law on clinical assessment, this role has yet to be accepted as an integral part of clinical nursing. The aim of this qualitative descriptive study is to explore the perceptions of nurses, nursing managers and clinical resource nurses with regard to assessment. The clinical standard of the Emergency Nurses Association for patient assessment (1999) is the frame of reference for this study. Five 60-minute individual semi-structured interviews and a 90-minute discussion group were conducted with emergency nurses. A second discussion group included two nursing managers and two emergency clinical resource nurses. The data collected were analysed using the approach proposed by Miles and Huberman (2003). The results obtained show that nurses view patient assessment as a fundamental part of their emergency responsibilities that influences the improvement of the quality and security of the care given. However, the results also revealed that their understanding of assessment varies, and that this practice is random and largely influenced by the biomedical model. Several factors influence nursing practice regarding patient assessment, in particular: individual notions of assessment and the role of nurses, the relations and interactions between members of the nursing team and other professionals, as well as the support of the organisation and the nursing managers. This last is a leading factor in the context of the emergency department and shows that the support of the nursing managers and clinical resource nurses has an important impact on practice in clinical settings. This study proposes further areas of study focused on academic training, continuing professional education, nursing management and inter-professional collaboration that could facilitate the actualisation of nurses’ roles concerning patient assessment to improve the quality of care provided in the emergency department.