85 research outputs found
Copyright is held by the author/owner(s). AVIVA: A Health and Fitness Monitor
No full textIn this paper we describe AVIVA, a prototype health and fitness monitor for young women. The device helps and encourages the user to balance the many aspects of attaining good health, including nutrition, exercise, and the social aspects of health. We describe the process used in developing the AVIVA monitor as well as our final design
Speleothem-Based Hydroclimate Reconstruction of Northeastern Mexico Across the Last Deglaciation
No full textAs anthropogenic global warming intensifies, climate models predict more frequent drought conditions across Northeastern Mexico, but regional paleoclimate data is necessary to inform the spatial extent and severity of these droughts. In this thesis, we present a centennial-scale resolution record of Northeastern Mexico hydroclimate spanning 21.77 to 11.56 ka using a speleothem from Rioverde, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. We use trace element ratio data to reconstruct local water balance (P - ET) and compare our results to neighboring proxies and climate models to investigate regional coherency and climate forcings. Our record captures wet conditions during the Last Glacial Maximum, dry conditions during Heinrich Stadial 1, and wet conditions during the Bolling-Allerod Warming, with implications for defining glacial climate and assessing the Mesoamerican North-South precipitation dipole on millennial to orbital timescales. Our results also demonstrate a dynamic control on precipitation via changes in the Atlantic-Pacific SST gradient. Furthermore, our results help fill a crucial gap in our knowledge of the climatic background of the First Peopling of the Americas and offer a potential route for the Peopling of Mexico between 15.5 and 13 ka. Ultimately, this work provides a precisely dated and high-resolution record in an understudied region to better predict future climate and reconstruct human history.S.B
Temporal effect of interpretation in CJEU judgments in C-326/15 DNB Banka and C-605/15 Aviva: implications on cost-sharing in Latvian financial and insurance services sectors
No full textThe main objective of the paper is to analyse the temporal effect of the interpretation of Article 132(1)(f) of the VAT Directive given by CJEU in Latvian case C-326/15 DNB Banka and Polish case C-605/15 Aviva with regard more specifically to Latvian financial and insurance services sector. In doing so, the author aims to determine at which moment Latvian financial institutions and insurance companies are legally obliged to cease the application of the cost-sharing exemption to services provided within the cost-sharing group pursuant to CJEU’s judgments in C-326/15 DNB Banka and C-605/15 Aviva cases
Aviva Stadium - the use of parametric modelling in structural design
No full textThe new 51 700 seat Aviva Stadium build at Lansdowne Road and completed in early 2010 provides a world class sporting facility for the city of Dublin, Ireland. Due to the nature of the site and its surroundings a responsive architectural form was required which could be manipulated to optimise the design for a wide variety of design variables and constraints by accommodating these design changes quickly and easily. This naturally led project architects, Populous, to adopt a parametric approach to generate the form of the building envelope, whereby CAD models were defined using rules and relationships between objects rather than absolute coordinates in space. This architectural parametric model was then passed directly to the structural engineers, Buro Happold, which extended it to include the geometry of the structural members. This paper adds to the body of scientific knowledge by documenting the details of the parametric model created by the author for the structural engineers, including not only the generation of geometry, which incorporates design constraints and embraces structural engineering logic, but is also linked to structural analysis software to provide rapid feedback on the effects of design decisions on structural performance. Furthermore, since this is the first example of a project being designed and built using a single parametric model from architectural design right through to structural analysis, the advantages and challenges of adopting such an approach are discussed. Suggestions are made, based on the lessons learned, to assist those using parametric methods on live projects in the future
Aviva Stadium - the use of parametric modelling in structural design
No full textThe new 51 700 seat Aviva Stadium build at Lansdowne Road and completed in early 2010 provides a world class sporting facility for the city of Dublin, Ireland. Due to the nature of the site and its surroundings a responsive architectural form was required which could be manipulated to optimise the design for a wide variety of design variables and constraints by accommodating these design changes quickly and easily. This naturally led project architects, Populous, to adopt a parametric approach to generate the form of the building envelope, whereby CAD models were defined using rules and relationships between objects rather than absolute coordinates in space. This architectural parametric model was then passed directly to the structural engineers, Buro Happold, which extended it to include the geometry of the structural members. This paper adds to the body of scientific knowledge by documenting the details of the parametric model created by the author for the structural engineers, including not only the generation of geometry, which incorporates design constraints and embraces structural engineering logic, but is also linked to structural analysis software to provide rapid feedback on the effects of design decisions on structural performance. Furthermore, since this is the first example of a project being designed and built using a single parametric model from architectural design right through to structural analysis, the advantages and challenges of adopting such an approach are discussed. Suggestions are made, based on the lessons learned, to assist those using parametric methods on live projects in the future
Applying the SERVQUAL model to describe the satisfaction of the Aviva company’s employees in Dublin, Ireland, regarding to the canteen service quality in their workplace
No full textDoing business in today’s economy is going further than simply setting prices and quantities, in fact, in many products and services categories, service quality and customer satisfaction have become extremely important for organizations in order to be more competitive, to grow, and therefore to succeed. For this reason, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate throughout the SERVQUAL model how employees of the Aviva headquarter in Dublin, Ireland, perceive their workplace canteen service quality and how satisfy they are with this service. To achieve this, both primary and secondary research methods were applied. A variety of theories and concepts focusing on service, quality, customer satisfaction, the SERVQUAL model and the catering industry, needed to be examined to provide a proper background for the investigation. In order to collect the data, 100 questionnaires were handled personally by the researcher to the Aviva employees, but unfortunately only 95 were filled up correctly which determined the size of the sample. The analysis of the data was done using Microsoft Excel 2010. It was found out that in general, the service quality perceived by the employees of the Aviva headquarter, regarding to the canteen catering service in their workplace is seen as low, and therefore they are not satisfied with it. This is mainly caused because these consumers presented to have higher expectations of a canteen service quality in comparison to what they actually perceive. Additionally, the results could show to the catering management where failures are, and therefore to take the actions to amend them in order to improve and provide a better service. Author keywords: Service, service quality, SERVQUAL, catering industry, customer satisfactio
Trigger Point Theory as Aesthetic Activism
No full textTrigger Point Theory as Aesthetic Activism: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Environmental Restoration Aviva A. Rahmani This dissertation presents a new approach to addressing environmental degradation based on transdisciplinary ecological art. Transdisciplinarity is defined here as merging art and science to discover new insights. Ecological art is defined as an aesthetic practice that promotes environmental resilience. This writing will describe why those approaches are essential to restoring resilient bioregionalism. It introduces the author’s own heuristic perspectives and methodologies and demonstrates how they may be integrated with technology and science. The problems of accelerated loss of coastal (littoral) zone biodiversity, degraded water quality, and habitat fragmentation need critical attention. The author’s research goal was to present a replicable set of guidelines for identifying small points of restoration for wetland littoral zones (the coastal region between terrestrial and marine life) based on a case study called Ghost Nets, scaled to a second case study, Fish Story. Her novel approach included establishing relevant parallels from quantum physics and acupuncture to energetic systems. Additional specific analogies were explored from visual arts, theatre, music, dance, and performance art, to discover a holistic and integrated point of view. Parallels and analogies were drawn by interrogating the two case studies. An important aim of the study was to examine how certain restoration practices could be scaled up to the bioregional level and integrated with a special theory, Trigger Point Theory, to reinforce healthy ecosystems. This included an analysis of how restored upland ecotones and a different relationship to other species could contribute to restoration in the littoral zone. The analysis critiqued how anthropocentric considerations often fail to protect vulnerable water systems. The role of environmental justice for vulnerable human populations and ethical concerns for other animal species was included in that analysis. The author also claims that when artists work with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping, that may propel a new transdiscourse and eventually make heuristic information scientifically useful. Insight from the Ghost Nets case study informed data collections and GIS mapping for the Southern Gulf of Maine. Those insights and the mapping were used to analyze relationships between finfish abundance, eelgrass, and invasive, predatory green crabs. Conclusions were drawn that are relevant to coastal and fisheries management practices. The author used performative approaches to contribute expert witnessing to her conclusions. Questionnaires were used to determine how much community awareness was accomplished with the case studies, and assess effects on future behavior. By combining art and science methodologies, the author revealed insights that could help small restored sites act as trigger points towards restoration of healthy bioregional systems more efficiently than would be possible through restoration science alone. In scaling up (applying small models to larger systems) and applying these practices for landscape ecology, the author assembled a set of recommendations for other researchers to implement these ideas in the future. Those recommendations included the formal engagement of ecological artists as equal partners on environmental restoration teams
Paul Bach-y-Rita, neuroscience's forgotten genius
No full textThesis: S.M. in Science Writing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Humanities, Graduate Program in Science Writing, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Vita.Includes bibliographical references (pages 24-29).Dr. Paul Bach-y-Rita was a visionary neuroscientist and an early pioneer of the theory of neuroplasticity. He is the father of sensory substitution, a field which explores how one sensory modality can be transferred to another. This work culminated in the invention of the Brainport, a device that transmits information through electrodes on the tongue. Bach-y- Rita's company, Wicab, developed two versions of the Brainport. One uses visual information to reveal the sighted world to the blind; another uses body alignment information to help "wobblers" (individuals with vestibular conditions) navigate. The author received exclusive access to Bach-y-Rita's unpublished memoirs. These papers-supplemented by visits to Bach-y-Rita's home in Wisconsin and personal interviews with his family and colleagues-help tell the story of a revolutionary technology that failed to reach the public who needed it.by Aviva Hope Rutkin.S.M. in Science Writin
Prince Shendi
No full textabstract: Prince Shendi is a novella set in the semi-fictional continent of Great Africa, specifically in a proud and prosperous region called Serengeti. Our story follows the thrilling adventure of Serengeti's king-to-be, the young and naive Shendi. When Kovalu, the mighty king of Serengeti and Shendi's father, passes away due to old age, Shendi is thrust into the gauntlet of responsibility in an early and unprepared state. After a short foray as the amateur king heavily assisted by the tenured members of Serengeti's Plain Council, Shendi encounters disaster that results in the death of an important council representative and the young king's temporary exile from Serengeti. The journey produced by his one hundred day exile takes Shendi through an arid wasteland, a teeming jungles, a mystic desert, and every terrain in between before his return. Along the way, Shendi unravels the details of a prophecy that means the end of the peaceful and prosperous life his lion kin and other Serengeti dwellers had known for centuries. This prophecy held him at the center of it as the catalyst and ultimately it would be up to Shendi and his actions to stop the ancient evil at work from killing all the lions of his pride and plunging all of Serengeti into a desolate and dismal state. Will Shendi overcome the primal evil looking to dominate the land of Great Africa forevermore? And if so, what will become of him afterwards? Prince Shendi was written over the course of 2015 and early 2016 by Lucas Revelle, a student at Arizona State University studying Exercise and Wellness as well as a student of Barrett, the Honors College. The story was directed, advised, and edited by Honors Fellow Dr. Aviva Dove-Viebahn along with help from the project's 2nd reader, Rebecca Viles
Exploring the Effects of Void Decks on Urban Ventilation in Singapore: A Computational Design & Simulation Approach for Wind Microclimate-Informed Urban Planning
No full textRising temperatures due to climate change and the increased Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect both have a major impact on Singapore’s outdoor comfort. Research has reported an average UHI in Singapore of 4°C, which can even exceed 7°C at some times of the day. (Acero & Ruefenacht, 2017) Increasing convective surface heat transfer from the human body by means of induced wind speeds is an important strategy to improve outdoor thermal comfort. However, the combination of its high urban density, leading to a considerable number of obstructions for urban wind flows, and the generally low wind speeds due to its geographical proximity to the equator makes urban ventilation in Singapore challenging. (Acero & Ruefenacht, 2017) Since the 1970s, void decks, open spaces at the ground floor of buildings, have become a typical characteristic of public housing flats in Singapore. These have been shown to potentially increase wind speeds by more than twofold. (Chew & Norford, 2019) However, the effect of void deck geometries on the imbalance between outdoor thermal and pedestrian wind comfort in a realistic urban setting has not been addressed before.Hence, the main research question of this thesis was formulated as follows: How can the geometry design of void decks be optimized to enhance urban ventilation for outdoor thermal comfort in Singapore while ensuring good pedestrian comfort? A strong mismatch between pedestrian wind comfort and outdoor thermal comfort was observed in the study area with the simulated monsoon wind conditions. This marks the importance to perform wind microclimate analyses in a tropical environment as Singapore, focusing on both aspects. This work demonstrates a design methodology that combines parametric design tools with CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulations with the aim to make better wind-informed design decisions for an urban context. Using a parametric building model, ten void deck geometry variants were generated and compared. The implications of the observed flow pattern in terms of urban planning were clarified. For example, while a horizontally converging void deck geometry was found to be effective at directing the urban ventilation towards a target location due to the funnel-shaped induced wind speed region downstream, horizontally diverging void decks led to a more evenly spread region of accelerated flow along the void length. The highest amplification factors inside the void deck were obtained for a vertically diverging geometry. This geometry was subsequently applied to all the buildings facing the prevailing wind directions in the study area, Clementi, using a parametric urban model. This model allows the user to apply various void deck geometries to different building groups independently from each other based on their orientation. A comparison of the wind speed and air temperature distributions after the urban-scale intervention to the current situation showed a wind speed increase and temperature decrease in almost all the void decks. While the amplified wind speed region extended downstream of some void decks, other areas in between the buildings showed a slowed down wind flow. The temperature effects were more extreme at the more closely-packed areas with a smaller distance in between the buildings. Overall, it was concluded that the void deck modifications did not only affect the local wind microclimate inside the void decks, but also altered the wind conditions in between the buildings. Ideally, these wind speed-amplifying void decks should be used in combination with other urban cooling strategies. The proposed workflow was demonstrated for the geometry design of void decks, but is also applicable in the optimization process of other building features which may affect the urban wind microclimate, such as canopies and building podia.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Building Technology | Sustainable Desig
- …
