Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Smart intervention'

Various studies have taken different approaches to persuade users into adopting a healthy sitting posture. In addition to the sedentary lifestyles we have come to adopt, the importance and reasoning of these studies stem from the adverse effects of poor posture on our health and mood. However, studies approaching this area with real-time visual modality integrated into clothing are rather sparse. Utilizing this integration might potentially fulfill the requirements of the ubiquitous computing era and inform the users in a calmer way. To evaluate various aspects of this concept, a mid-fidelity prototype was developed and tested with users. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted to obtain their thoughts and opinions on such an approach. In addition to the approval of the concept, further concerns, advantages and disadvantages were disclosed, and used to inform a design space for similar concepts. Although requiring more research, the results of this study outline a primary design space consisting of essential characteristics one needs to be aware of when designing a similar concept.

Approximately 40% of the total energy consumption within the EU is due to buildings, and similar numbers can be found in the US. If the principal inefficiencies in buildings were easily identifiable, then a facility manager could focus their resources to make the buildings more efficient, which would lead to both cost savings for the facility owners and decrease the building’s ecological footprint. In building automation systems today, data is already being collected every second, but due to the lack of standardization for describing this data, having access to data is not the same as being able to make use of it. The existing heterogeneity makes it very costly to gather data from multiple buildings, thus making it difficult to understand the big picture. Facility managers cannot fix what they cannot see; thus it is important to facilitate the visualization of the data collected from all of the different building automation systems. This potentially offers great benefits with regards to both sustainability and economy. In this thesis, the author’s goal is to propose a sustainable, cost and time effective data integration strategy for real estate owners who wish to gain greater insight into their buildings’ efficiency. The study begins with a literature study to find previous and on-going attempts to solve this problem. Some initiatives for standardization of semantic models were found. Two of these models, Brick and Haystack, were chosen. One building automation system (BAS) was tested in a pilot case study, to test the appropriateness of a solution. The key results from this thesis project show that data from building automation systems, can be integrated into an analysis platform, and an extract, transform, and load (ETL) process for this is presented. How time efficiently data can be tagged and transformed into a common format is very dependent upon the current control system’s data storage format and whether information about its structure is adequate. It is also noted that there is no guarantee that facility managers have access to the control system’s database or information about how that is structured, in such cases other techniques can be used such as BACnet/IP, or Open Platform Communications (OPC) Unified Architecture.
Ungefär 40 % av den totala energikonsumtionen i E.U. och U.S.A. förbrukas av fastigheter. Om de delar av fastigheten som är ineffektiva enkelt kunde identifieras, skulle det underlätta fastighetsförvaltarnas arbete i att göra byggnader mer energisnåla. Detta har i sin tur potential att minska kostnader och byggnaders ekologiska fotavtryck. I dagens fastighetsautomationssystem samlas data in varje sekund, men på grund av att det saknas ett standardiserat sätt att beskriva den på, är det skillnad på att ha tillgång till data och att faktiskt kunna använda sig av den. Heterogeniteten gör att det blir både kostsamt och tidskrävande för fastighetsförvaltare att samla in data från sina fastigheter. Fastighetsförvaltare kan inte åtgärda något det inte kan se. Därför är det viktigt att underlätta möjligheten för visualisering av data från olika typer av fastighetsautomationssystem. Att lyckas med detta har potential att ge positiva effekter både när det gäller hållbarhet och ekonomi. I den här uppsatsen är författarens mål att komma fram till en hållbar, kostnads- och tidseffektiv integrationsstrategi för fastighetsförvaltare som vill få bättre insikter hur effektiv deras byggnad faktiskt är. Forskningsarbetet inleds med en litteraturstudie för att finna tidigare och pågående försök att lösa detta problem. Några initiativ för standardisering av semantiska modeller för att beskriva data inom fastighetsautomation hittades. Två av dessa, Brick och Project Haystack, valdes ut. En byggnad, och ett fastighetsautomationssystem testades i en pilotstudie. Resultaten från studien pekar på att data från fastighetautomationssystem kan integreras med en analysplattform, och en så kallad ETL-process, efter de engelska orden: extract, transform, load; presenteras för att uppnå det målet. Hur tidseffektivt data kan taggas och transformeras beror på det nuvarande kontrollsystemets datalagringsformat och om information om dess struktur är adekvat. Det noteras att det inte finns någon garanti till att få åtkomst till kontrollsystemets databas, eller information om dess struktur, därför presenteras även alternativa tekniker, däribland BACnet/IP och Open Platform Communications (OPC) Unified Architecture.

The purpose of this study was to address gaps in the trauma treatment literature related to the expense and inaccessibility of evidence-based interventions for children with disabilities who have experienced trauma. Another aim of this study was to provide additional support for a newly piloted intervention for children with disabilities who have experienced trauma. This intervention is known as Smart Start: Parenting Tools for Children with Developmental Delay, Social-Emotional Concerns, and Trauma. A non-concurrent multiple baseline method was used to determine whether there was a functional relationship between the intervention and children’s challenging behaviors for five caregiver-child dyads. In addition, three of five caregiver-child dyads were assessed for improvements in child PTSD symptomatology, positive parenting practices, parenting stress, and treatment acceptability. Results from visual analysis, masked visual analysis, and hierarchical linear modeling were mixed, but generally supported a statistically and clinically significant relationship between participation in Smart Start and improved caregiver ratings of children’s challenging behaviors. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test did not show statistically significant changes in interventionists’ ratings of challenging behavior, but descriptively, four of five children were rated as improved. Reliable change index scores revealed statistically significant changes in trauma symptoms and parenting stress for two participants. Positive parenting practices improved significantly for all participants according to the reliable change index. The intervention was implemented with good fidelity. All caregivers found Smart Start highly acceptable. Future research with larger samples is warranted based on the extremely promising results of the present study.

Intresset som ligger till grund för denna rapport är att få moderna och attraktiva tunnelbanestationer i den närmaste framtiden. Formgivningen av framtida tunnelbanestationer i Stockholm kräver att man tar hänsyn till ett antal faktorer. Vissa av dessa faktorer studeras redan i dokumentet Gestaltningsprogrammet för tunnelbanan till Nacka – vilket är utgångspunkt för den föreliggande slutrapporten – medan andra successivt måste introduceras för att åstadkomma smartare lösningar i kommande tider.   Hur upplever en grupp av yrkesverksamma experter Stockholms tunnelbanestationer idag? Vilka är, enligt dessa experter, de rådande förhållandena som begränsar stationernas attraktivitet och, i så fall, vilka åtgärder kan främja denna attraktivitet i framtiden? Hur kan IKT-lösningar integreras i gestaltningen av moderna och attraktiva tunnelbanestationer för Stockholm i den närmaste framtiden?  Dessa är de centrala frågor som leder undersökning i föreliggande rapport, genom en litteraturstudie och elva semistrukturerade intervjuer.   Insamlingen av det studerade materialet tillsammans med analysresultaten ledde till följande påstående: för att uppnå attraktiva och moderna tunnelbanestationer bör ett presumtivt gestaltningsprogram inkludera alla begrepp som har undersökts i rapporten – dvs. attraktivitet, hållbarhet, tidstålighet, trygghet och tillgänglighet – med tillägg av konceptet "smarta anläggningar". Däremot bör dessa värdeord inte ses som fristående delar, utan som sammanbundna delar i ett helhetsperspektiv.   Tunnelbanesystemet i Stockholm bör säkerställa en rad åtgärder på kort och medellång sikt. Dessa åtgärder ska i sin tur vara grunden till kvalitetsprånget som krävs för att staden kan dra nytta av attraktivare tunnelbanestationer i det långa loppet. De föreslagna åtgärderna bör tillföra både konkreta men även potentiella lösningar för arkitekter och planerare; öka uppfattningen av framtida tunnelbanestationer som attraktiva och moderna samt gynna en hög grad av upplevelsevärde i tunnelbanestationsmiljön.   Däremot kvarstår mycket arbete, framfor allt vad det gäller tillämplighet att de föreslagna insatser samt andra lösningar som kan dyka upp under framtida studier, vilket i sin tur kommer att kräva en mer detaljerad analys framöver. Föreliggande rapport ska således fungera som ett underlag och en inspirationskälla för detta fortlöpande arbete.
The aim for this report is to propose potential strategies in order to develop more modern and attractive subway stations in the near future. The design of future subway stations in Stockholm requires a number of factors to be taken into account. Some of these factors are already under study in the Design program for the metro line to Nacka – which is the starting point for the present final report – while others must be gradually introduced when aiming for smarter solutions in the future.   How does a group of professional experts experience Stockholm's subway stations today? What, according to these experts, are the prevailing conditions that limit the attractiveness of these stations and, if so, what measures can promote this attractiveness in the future? How can ICT solutions be integrated into the design of modern and attractive subway stations for Stockholm in the near future? These are the essential questions to be answered by this report, using a literature survey and eleven semi-structured interviews.   The collection of studied material along with the analysis of the results led to the following statement: in order to achieve attractive and modern subway, a presumptive design program should include all the concepts studied in the report – i.e. attractiveness, durability, sustainability, security, and accessibility –, but not as standalone elements, but as interconnected components of a holistic perspective.   The underground system in Stockholm should ensure a range of measures in the short and medium term. These measures will in turn be the basis of the quality leap required for the city to take advantage of attractive metro stations in the long run. The proposed should bring forth both practical suggestions, but also potential solutions for architects and planners; increase the perception of future subway stations as attractive and modern as well as benefit a high level of experience value in the metro station environment.   However, there is much work that remains and that will require a more detailed analysis in the future, especially as regards the applicability of the proposed actions as well as other solutions that may emerge during the course of future studies. The current report should therefore serve as background material and inspiration for this ongoing work.

Nel corso degli ultimi tempi il progresso tecnologico e il fenomeno dei Big Data hanno permesso di accedere ad una grandissima mole di dati, favorendo la creazione di servizi per migliorare i bisogni delle persone. Come afferma Tobler nella prima legge della geografia “Ogni cosa è correlata a qualsiasi altra, ma le cose vicine sono più relazionate di quelle lontane”; in tale contesto i dati geografici acquisiscono un’importanza quanto mai grande grazie alla possibilità di riuscire ad associare ogni informazione ad un punto sulla terra e capire le relazioni che vi intercorrono. Questo è estremamente vero nell’ambito smart city e urban planning dove i dati forniti da smartphone, dispositivi indossabili e sensoristica permettono di avere in tempo reale una panoramica di quello che succede all’interno di una città, e di poter pianificare offerte e servizi conseguentemente tenendo in conto le esigenze dei cittadini. La tesi presentata nel documento si colloca in uno scenario di questo tipo, inserendosi all’interno di un progetto più ampio chiamato Interactive Planning Platform fOr city District Adaptive Manteinance Operations (IPPODAMO), mirato alla costruzione di un sistema di pianificazione dinamico-adattivo dei lavori urbani da effettuare nell’area di Bologna. Lo scopo è duplice: (i) la creazione di un architettura che possa, in tempi rapidi, elaborare un numero elevato di dati geografici provenienti da sorgenti diverse, capendo come questi siano integrabili per creare il sistema descritto e (ii) lo sviluppo di un prototipo di un algoritmo di pianificazione che, sulla base dell’andamento del traffico in una certa zona, sia in grado di fornire gli istanti di tempo migliori per posizionare un lavoro. Durante il lavoro verrà posta enfasi sia sulle operazioni che è possibile fare con dataset geografici per estrarre informazioni, ma anche sulle configurazioni che un’architettura complessa come questa deve possedere per soddisfare requisiti di affidabilità e velocità.

Overweight and obesity in Oman have increased dramatically in recent years and are associated with increases in cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This project explored the food choices, dietary intake and physical activity of Omani adults. The effectiveness of smartphone apps on physical activity behaviours in Omani adults was also investigated. In study 1, a survey was conducted on 500 healthy adults living in Oman during the period from December 2013 to April 2014. Eligible participants completed questionnaires, specifically designed for this study and administrated by trained health educators in all governorates in Oman. 55% of the population studied were either overweight or obese (particularly those over 30y of age). BMI was significantly (p < 0.05) affected by gender and age group but not by residential area (urban vs rural). Dietary analysis indicated a high consumption of ‘fast food’ but total energy intakes failed to explain the high incidence of obesity. However, the questionnaire indicated a high level of physical inactivity within the population. Study 2, implemented in two phases, aimed to investigate the efficacy of three smartphones apps (MapMyFitness, Lose it, and Pacer) on improving physical activity in Omani male and female adults. Phase1 studied male and female Omani citizens living in the UK while phase 2 specifically investigated females living in Oman. Both phases showed significant increases in physical activity amongst the participants though, due to the short period of intervention (4 weeks), this was associated with only modest changes in BMI. The prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst adults highlights the need for intervention strategies, targeting unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, to curb the prevalence of NCDs in Oman. Smartphone apps, represent potential tool to facilitate changes in lifestyle factors associated with the high prevalence obesity in Omani adults. Key words: Obesity, physical activity, energy intake, MapMyFitness, Lose it, Pacer, Oman.

Parque Científico y Tecnológico (PACYT, Science and Technology Park) is a large-scale R+D project that seems to be framed in a Smart City plan for Concepción, Chile, which the media has presented as “the Chilean Silicon Valley” (Araus, 2015; Tele13, 2019) and promises to bring not only research and development opportunities for the city but also thousands of direct and indirect jobs (Estudio Interdiseño, 2018; la Tercera, 2015) carried out by PACYT Corporation. Nonetheless, voices have raised to question the construction of the 91 hectares initiative, and some of them have even organized in citizen groups targeting the creation of the urban complex, which actively share information contesting the PACYT through social media, and coordinate activities to protest and spread the word. This is the study case to be analyzed in the present research, which aims to explore and understand, on the one hand, the reasons that have led to the organization of citizens contesting the PACYT project, and on the other hand, the way the project has been advertised and developed in relationship to the city's inhabitants. It intends to make a novel contribution to the field of Urban Studies, both in the areas of Critical Smart Urbanism and Postcolonial Studies, which in this case collide in Latin America, part of the Global South, while opening a discussion around the topic of citizens contesting urban developments with a Smart City background, where few incursions have been made and more specifically in the Latin American context, where the Smart City seems to have a particular interpretation. With that in mind, the current research tries to dig into an under-studied territory, and in doing so, it plans to bring to the table the relevance of studying the approach and way of developing Smart Cities’ ideas in Latin American, and to put focus on what city’s inhabitants have to say about those developments and what their interests are, using the lenses of the right to the city and the understandings coming from urban social movements and conflicts. In that sense, the research outputs are to question the form in which Smart City projects are being implemented in Latin America and to find possible guidelines to incorporate the city’s inhabitants in the development of them elsewhere, with that in mind, future research can be supported by this investigation, which encourages further studies both in the described fields and territory. To do so, the current investigation explores and unwrap theories regarding the mentioned fields and focuses on analyzing the case making use of mixed methods research, by executing qualitative and quantitative methodological tools to reach relevant data that helps to answer the research inquiries. In that sense, the results show that it can be confirmed that the nature of the PACYT, i.e. its R+D purposes and origins linked to a Smart City plan to transform the city into smartness, does not play a relevant role in the development of the conflict that has emerged between the PACYT management, and the people opposed to its construction, but several aspects explain the urban social conflict and that will be explored in the present work.

Acknowledgment.

First of all, I would like to thank all the interviewees that decided to share their thoughts in the present study, as well as to all the people that participated in the survey; without your contribution, it would have not been possible for me to reach my research goals and to count on with the rich material I have. On the other hand, I want to thank people from academia, such as my peers, who have given me advice and stamina, to my tutor, who has contributed with his wisdom, and to my mentor at university, who has kept me on track and provided me with valuable insights. I am grateful to these people for helping me with my willpower and effectiveness. Finally, I need to thank those surrounding me, like my family for supporting me from the distance, my partner for being here to contain and take care of me, and my dog for always being around me and spreading his love and joy.

In this research we present a model for medication adherence from information systems and technologies (IS/IT) perspective. Information technology applications for healthcare have the potential to improve cost-effectiveness, quality and accessibility of healthcare. To date, measurement of patient medication adherence and use of interventions to improve adherence are rare in routine clinical practice. IS/IT perspective helps in leveraging the technology advancements to develop a health IT system for effectively measuring medication adherence and administering interventions. Majority of medication adherence studies have focused on average medication adherence. Average medication adherence is the ratio of the number of doses consumed and the number of doses prescribed. It does not matter in which order or pattern patients consume the dose. Patients with enormously diverse dosing behavior can achieve the same average levels of medication adher­ence. The same outcomes with different levels of ad­herence raise the possibility that patterns of adherence affect the effectiveness of medication adherence. We propose that medication adherence research should utilize effective medication adherence (EMA), derived by including both the pattern and average medication adherence for a patient. Using design science research (DSR) approach we have developed a model as an artifact for smart interventions. We have leveraged behavior change techniques (BCTs) based on the behavior change theories to design smart intervention. Because of the need for real time requirements for the system, we are also focusing on hierarchical control system theory and reference model architecture (RMA). The benefit of using this design is to enable an intervention to be administered dynamically on a need basis. A key distinction from existing systems is that the developed model leverages probabilistic measure instead of static schedule. We have evaluated and validated the model using formal proofs and by domain experts. The research adds to the IS knowledge base by providing the theory based smart interventions leveraging BCTs and RMA for improving the medication adherence. It introduces EMA as a measurement of medication adherence to healthcare systems. Smart interventions based on EMA will further lead to reducing the healthcare cost by improving prescription outcomes.

The dissertation addresses the issue of death education. It represents the concept of this education as it was created and is realized in the United States (Levinton, 1977; Wass, 2003; Doka 2015). The aim of qualitative research is to map the experiences of teachers with the theme of school death. It follows experiences of interventions in cases of death in the closest family of pupils or the death of a member of the school community, experience with topics related to death in teaching, as well as conditions for education related to death. The data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with ten teachers. Part of the work on based on teacher intervention in 11 cases, six of which were concerned with deaths in the pupil's family, in three a pupil died. In two cases, deaths were related to teachers. In the interviews, teachers paid much attention to the situation regarding the classroom reporting, usually choosing a factual announcement after which the pupils were recommended how to behave to the mournful classmate. In this recommendation, there was an emphasis on empathy or on the preservation of common behavior. If the event was communicated by a pupil or the teacher perceived their interest, a discussion in which the pupils communicated their reflections, experiences followed. No teacher noticed a strong emotional response from pupils. To the grieving pupil, teachers usually expressed their participation outside the classroom. In their further negotiations with him, they either sought to maintain the order or considered different options. These included both the demands on the pupil and the choice of topics in the classroom respecting the sensitivity to family issues or devoting attention to death issues (often through reading). Part of the work on the subject of death in teaching presents school subjects where teachers can deal with death related topics. It is the Czech language, Elementary studies, Natural sciences, History or Ethical and Dramatic Education. Although the themes of death in the curriculum appear, only some teachers are giving them attention. Most often it is then the case for a wide range of discussions or essay writing of pupils, which usually follows common reading. Teachers perceive pupils' interest in these topics. In some cases, teachers have sought to counterbalance the numbing impact of contemporary death mediation by making pupils feel through reading or film watching. The theme of death has sometimes been raised by the pupils themselves. Teachers perceived support from their personal experience (for five their parents died in childhood or adolescence). In their professional training, they perceived courses such as Critical Thinking or Philosophy for Children superior providing them with tools for work with demanding themes. Many teachers apply a personal approach to their pupils which naturally forms an appropriate framework for interventions as well as teaching on the theme of death.

89 Abstract The theme focused on the work of social workers, who work with people whose loved one has died, is very topical. Focusing on working with this topic is not so common, but it is very important to show that even social workers can work with such clients. The theoretical part defines social work, a social worker and their specialization specificity using the concept of PIE, further it deals with the method of crisis intervention, defines the terms related to death and possible reactions to it. The aim of the thesis was to answer the main research question: "How do social workers of crisis centers in Prague, with regard to the field specificity of social work, use the method of crisis intervention in situations of acute reaction to death?" To find the answear to the research question the method of grounded theory was used, but not in full, only its partial sections. The research was carried out with social workers of crisis centers in Prague. The research revealed how social workers at first get to know a client with an acute reaction to death and, subsequently, how they proceed. Within working with this type of client, they choose the method of crisis intervention, from which they use certain elements to stabilize the client from the emotional and physiological point of view. They use work with...

The death of a loved one is currently a very common topic, and it is important for a social worker to keep it in mind. This thesis is called "The Phenomena of Death in a Social Worker's Job". The theoretical part was made by using analysed relevant literature, chosen by snowballing sampling. This thesis is divided into three chapters. The first two chapters focus on the theory and definition of death, anticipation and sudden death, suicide, mourning and options to help the survivors. The third chapter contains the practical part, with research data, including charts and graphical interpretation. The goal of this empiric research is to use semi-structured online surveys to answer the main research question: "How do students of the second year of postgraduate study of major SACH at HTF UK feel about their readiness to handle death of their clients and confrontation with survivors during their work?" I was trying to find out whether students at our faculty are considering this topic and how they feel about it. The research shows that students do not feel prepared to encounter these topics during their work. The most important part of the thesis I consider a subchapter, which contains interviews with social workers who have already encountered deaths and survivors during their work. I am using these...