The effect of microadjustment on low back comfort in the context of automobile seating.

The micro-adjuster control system, which was built directly into the lumbar support part of an automobile seat, was provided by Schukra of North America. For this thesis, three factors at two levels were studied. They were: cycle (2 min and 5 min), wait (15 sec and 30 sec), and pulse (0.8 sec and 1.1 sec). Based on this arrangement, a 2\sp3 full factorial, repeated measures design was employed. In each condition, subjects were required to sit on the experimental automobile seat for two hours. Ten relatively healthy subjects (five males and five females), ranging in age from 19 to 27 years, agreed to participate in this study. Data were obtained using electromyography (EMG). The response variable was the change in root mean squared ($\Delta$RMS) values. As a supplement, two questionnaires were developed specifically for this study. The purpose of this thesis was to determine the most optimal combination of cycle, wait, and pulse. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)Dept. of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1996 .K64. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 37-01, page: 0336. Adviser: S. M. Taboun. Thesis (M.A.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1996

TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASH VARIETIES RESISTANT TO EMERALD ASH BORER

The emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is a destructive invasive beetle from Asia which has killed millions of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) throughout North America. This phloem-feeding borer is capable of killing otherwise healthy trees and colonizes trees as small as saplings - most affected trees die within four years of colonization. Asian ash species (i.e., Manchurian and Chinese) appear to be more resistant to EAB than those native to North America (e.g., green, white, and black ash). In this project we use reciprocal and conspecific grafts of these five ash species to determine the extent to which resistance to EAB can be conferred to a scion when grafted onto resistant rootstock. Specifically, I addressed this question through the analysis of leaf associated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of each grafted tree to determine the extent to which: 1) rootstocks influence the composition of VOCs of a grafted scion; and 2) herbivory by adult female beetles induces changes in the VOCs released by the reciprocal grafts. Volatile profiles of the ash species differed quantitatively and adult EAB feeding induced systemic changes in VOC profiles of grafted ash. This work may pave the way toward developing systems for propagating Fraxinus scions that are resistant to EAB and exploit potential phytochemical connectivity between roots and shoots

Risk and Emergency Communications: How to Be Heard When the Message Counts Most

To cope with disasters and emergencies, agricultural producers need specific information addressing livestock care, disease containment, secure storage of volatile chemicals, and other unique concerns. Effective risk and emergency communications result from a time- and resource-intensive process that begins well before emergencies occur. To influence our agricultural clients to engage in risk-mitigation and emergency-preparedness behaviors, Extension agents must build trust with the community, provide information through a variety of channels, and convey an image of professional emergency response competency

Cyber Security Audit of Industrial Control Systems in Organization

Tato práce se zabývá analýzou zabezpečení řídících systémů. Zaměřuje se na audit kybernetické bezpečnosti řídících systémů organizace působící v průmyslovém odvětví. Bakalářská práce je rozdělena na část teoretickou a praktickou. V teoretické části se zaobírá popisem řídících systémů, architekturou zabezpečení, hrozbami, auditem a auditem kybernetické bezpečnosti. V praktické části pojednává o fungování organizace, na kterou je audit zaměřen, je proveden výčet zabezpečení systémů v organizaci a popsány požadavky na zdokonalení zabezpečení. Závěrečná sekce se věnuje vyhodnocení hrozeb kybernetické bezpečnosti a návrhem zabezpečení proti nejčastějším hrozbám.This thesis deals with analysis of the security of Industrial Control Systems. It is focused on auditing cyber security of Industrial Control System inside organisation which operates in industrial production. Bachelor’s thesis is divided into two parts, theoretical and practical parts. The theoretical part focuses on description of Industrial Control Systems, architecture of security, threats, audit, and cyber security audit. Practical part of the bachelor’s thesis describes functioning of the company, list of security measures existing in the organisation is composed and requirements for improving of cybersecurity are set. Final section focuses on evaluation of threats and design of security measures against the most common threats.155 - Katedra aplikované informatikyvýborn

DATA MINING METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING THE OPTIMAL MODEL OF COST PREDICTION IN SHIP INTERIM PRODUCT ASSEMBLY

In order to accurately predict costs of the thousands of interim products that are assembled in shipyards, it is necessary to use skilled engineers to develop detailed Gantt charts for each interim product separately which takes many hours. It is helpful to develop a prediction tool to estimate the cost of interim products accurately and quickly without the need for skilled engineers. This will drive down shipyard costs and improve competitiveness. Data mining is used extensively for developing prediction models in other industries. Since ships consist of thousands of interim products, it is logical to develop a data mining methodology for a shipyard or any other manufacturing industry where interim products are produced. The methodology involves analysis of existing interim products and data collection. Pre-processing and principal component analysis is done to make the data “user-friendly” for later prediction processing and the development of both accurate and robust models. The support vector machine is demonstrated as the better model when there are a lower number of tuples. However as the number of tuples is increased to over 10000, then the artificial neural network model is recommended

Ergonomic modeling and evaluation of automobile seat comfort.

This research work is geared toward proving that automobile seat comfort, which is a subjective construct, can be predicted from objective measures. This type of forecasting ability would effectively improve the efficiency with which seats are designed. Presently, seats are developed in an iterative manner because subjective feedback drives the design. Iteration requires time and costly prototypes. This could be justified if the process guaranteed a comfortable seat. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Even with numerous technologies available, the automotive seating industry has had limited success quantifying comfort. The problem stems from the lack of a scientific method. This deficiency was addressed through the creation of a repeatable data collection protocol for seat interface pressure measurement. Seat comfort cannot be quantified without an understanding of the consumers\u27 likes and dislikes. The best way to obtain this information is to gauge perceptions of comfort through a survey. This research is significant in that it (1) provides a survey with acceptable levels of reliability and validity and (2) defines an overall comfort index. The overall comfort index was used as the dependent variable in a prediction model. This would not be a viable undertaking without a reliable and valid survey. Using a stepwise regression procedure, the link between objective measures and subjective perceptions was established and validated. From the model, human criteria for seat interface pressure parameters were established. The model also demonstrated that appearance was related to comfort. Due to the lack of emphasis on the educational side of automobile seat usage, drivers are not fully realizing the comfort-enhancing benefits of seat adjusters. This study, in addition to providing direction on how to adjust the seat for maximum comfort, presents and validates a model to predict driver selected track position as a function of occupant demographics and anthropometry. If this research is to affect design practices, direction on how to impact the objective measures of comfort is required. To this end, seat geometry and contour design guidelines were derived. These guidelines represent an important advancement in the body of knowledge dealing with automobile seat comfort.Dept. of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2000 .K65. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 62-10, Section: B, page: 4718. Adviser: S. M. Taboun. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2000

La fidelización de clientes y su influencia en el rendimiento de la Escuela de Taekwon-Do ITF Sam-IL

Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. Facultad de Economía y Planificación. Departamento Académico de Gestión EmpresarialLa Escuela de Taekwon-Do ITF Sam-Il, se ubica en el distrito de La Molina y brinda el servicio de enseñanza de artes marciales a niños y adultos. A pesar del prestigio notable de la escuela y de los logros deportivos de la plana docente, la empresa no ha logrado la fidelización y retención de los clientes. Estos suelen recibir clases solo algunos meses y la demanda de los servicios es, usualmente, por temporadas. Considerando esta problemática, la gestión 2021 de la Escuela decidió implementar un plan de fidelización de clientes. En el presente estudio se tuvo como objetivo determinar el efecto de un programa de fidelización sobre el rendimiento basado en las perspectivas del Balanced Scorecard (BSC) de la Escuela de Taekwon-Do ITF Sam-Il en Lima, Perú 2021-2022. Para tal fin, se diseñó una investigación aplicada cuasiexperimental prospectiva con diseño pre-prueba post-prueba. Se valoró el rendimiento del plan de fidelización de clientes sobre la base del BSC: perspectiva financiera, de los clientes, del aprendizaje y crecimiento, y de los procesos internos. A la vez se realizó una comparación de los puntajes de percepción de fidelización antes y después de la intervención. Se encontró que existe un efecto a favor del programa de fidelización sobre el rendimiento basado en las perspectivas del Balanced Scorecard. Ello fue evidente en la perspectiva financiera excepto para el rendimiento sobre el patrimonio (ROE) y el rendimiento de los activos (ROA). Todos los indicadores de la perspectiva del cliente, del aprendizaje y crecimiento, y de los procesos internos fueron favorables para la empresa luego del plan de fidelización. Se concluye que el plan de fidelización tiene un efecto a favor sobre el rendimiento de la Escuela de Taekwon-Do ITF Sam-Il en Lima, Perú.The ITF Sam-Il Taekwon-Do School is located in the district of La Molina and offers the service of teaching martial arts to children and adults. Despite the notable prestige of the school and the sports achievements of the teaching staff, the company has not achieved customer loyalty and retention. These usually receive classes only a few months and the demand for services is usually seasonal. Considering this problem, the 2021 management of the School decided to implement a customer loyalty plan. The present study aimed to determine the effect of a loyalty program on performance based on the perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard of the ITF Sam-Il Taekwon-Do School in Lima, Peru 2021-2022. For this purpose, a prospective quasi-experimental applied research with pre-test post-test design was designed. The performance of the customer loyalty plan was assessed based on the BSC: financial perspective, customers, learning and growth, and internal processes. At the same time, a comparison of the loyalty perception scores was made before and after the intervention. It was found that there is a favorable effect of the loyalty program on performance based on the perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard. This was evident in the financial perspective except for return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA). All indicators of customer perspective, learning and growth, and internal processes were favorable for the company after the loyalty plan. It is concluded that the loyalty plan has a favorable effect on the performance of the ITF Sam-Il Taekwon-Do School in Lima, Peru

Plan estratégico de McDonald's 2008-2010

En el presente trabajo se han utilizado las herramientas de evaluación del entorno interno y externo, y se han identificado los objetivos, las estrategias y los planes funcionales correspondientes. Muy importante de destacar es el análisis VRIO que se ha realizado, cuyo resultado concluye que McDonald’s tiene como ventajas competitivas sostenibles el reconocimiento de la marca, franquiciadores con experiencia local, empleados bien entrenados y una cadena de suministros sostenible. En ese sentido, se puede afirmar que la ventaja competitiva de McDonald’s es de tipo diferenciación amplia (para el nicho de mercado de fast food- hamburguesas). Se han identificado como objetivos más importantes de crecimiento: incrementar el número de restaurantes operados por la empresa propia y en franquicias/afiliados en EE.UU., Europa y APMEA/China y reducir el número de restaurantes en otros países, para consolidar su participación en el mercado; y sostener el crecimiento de las ventas a nivel mundial, según promedio de ventas de tres años, en 9,89% anual. El objetivo más importante de sostenibilidad es que, ya que el 90% de los proveedores cumple con estándares de sostenibilidad, incrementar en 10% por año el uso de empaques de papel reciclado. Se propone como estrategia global que McDonald’s debe mantener su posición competitiva en Estados Unidos y Europa; en China, su estrategia debe ser la de penetración de mercado y desarrollo de nuevos mercados, como el de horario 24 horas, McCafé y opciones saludables. Como estrategia corporativa, se debe continuar implementando una estrategia genérica de liderazgo en costos de tipo 2, es decir, liderazgo en costos con mejor valor, penetrando en mercados de potencial crecimiento, y manteniendo la ventaja competitiva, especialmente en el desarrollo de franquiciadores y de una cadena de suministro sostenible

Implementing the 40 Gallon Challenge to Increase Water Conservation

The 40 Gallon Challenge is an easy-to-use, comprehensive indoor and outdoor water conservation educational tool. It can be used nationwide and easily incorporated into existing educational programs. Promotional materials and pledge cards are available on the 40 Gallon Challenge website and can be modified by educators. The website displays data related to the impacts of the educational tool nationwide, statewide, and countywide. As of the writing of this article, 10,395 people had read the indoor and outdoor water conservation practices and pledged to save approximately 1.8 million gal of water per day (645 million gal per year)