Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'The nature of engineering'
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Zhou, Wei. "Field research on the nature of engineering work." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape17/PQDD_0006/NQ34863.pdf.
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Fredriksson, Martin. "Online engineering : On the nature of open computational systems." Doctoral thesis, Karlskrona : School of Engineering, 2004. http://www.bth.se/fou/forskinfo.nsf/01f1d3898cbbd490c12568160037fb62/6e264e47dd7fe26fc1256f160032e185!OpenDocument.
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Gopalakrishnan, Varsha. "Nature in Engineering: Modeling Ecosystems as Unit Operations for Sustainability Assessment and Design." The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500460468877501.
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Mohiuddin, Mohammed Aijaz. "Engineering Nature-Inspired Heuristics for the Open Shortest Path First Weight Setting Problem." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/65988.
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In the thesis of “Mohammed Aijaz Mohiuddin”, Engineering Nature-Inspired Heuristics for the Open Shortest Path First Weight Setting Problem, nature inspired heuristics were developed. Besides the existing two objectives, namely maximum utilization and the number of congested links, a third objective namely the number of unused links was used to formulate the fuzzy based objective function for the OSPFWS problem. The idea was to make use unused network links if any. Furthermore, a hybrid fuzzy based evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization (FEPSO) algorithm was designed that harnessed evolutionary intelligence along with swarm intelligence. The proposed FEPSO algorithm was tested on different size test cases and its performance was mutually compared with other algorithms namely Simulated Annealing, Simulated Evolution, Particle Swarm Optimization, Weighted Aggregation Particle Swarm Optimization, Pareto-dominance Particle Swarm Optimization and Non-dominating Sorting Genetic Algorithm. Obtained results suggested the better performance of FEPSO among other algorithms over majority of test cases.Thesis (PHD)--University of Pretoria, 2018.
Computer Science
PhD
Unrestricted
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Mohiuddin, Aijaz. "Engineering nature-inspired heuristics for the open shortest path first weight setting problem." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/67812.
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Very little guidance exists on the design of steel column base connections for biaxial flexure combined with axial
compression. This study aims to develop a design method for designing these connections for combined loading.
To this end, an extensive experimental programme that consisted of 32 tests to failure, was carried out. The
programme varied plate thickness, holding-down bolt diameter, axial force level and loading angle. Ancillary
tests were carried out to establish material strengths and to assess the importance of bond to the design of the
connection. The programme was augmented with detailed finite element analyses that were calibrated with the
experimental results.
It was found that the contribution of bond to the final anchorage strength of the connection is negligible and should
be ignored. Very little concrete damage was observed during the experimental phase and current design guidance
for concrete bearing strength is very conservative. Increases in plate thickness, holding-down bolt diameter and
axial force were found to increase the connection strength. Increases in loading angle, from strong-axis to weakaxis
bending were found to decrease connection strength. Furthermore, the plate thickness and holding-down bolt
parameters were found to be interdependent. Increases in axial compression were found to increase the initial
connection stiffness.
Finally, a new mechanical model is proposed for designing base connection. The model enables the construction
of thrust-moment interaction diagrams that can be used directly for design. A shortened listing of the source code
used to generate the interaction curve in this work is included in the Appendix.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018.
Computer Science
PhD
Unrestricted
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Wolmarans, Nicolette Sarah. "The nature of professional reasoning: An analysis of design in the engineering curriculum." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25654.
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Access to the practice of a profession is controlled by formal education structures. These structures are intended to induct future professionals into the specialised knowledge, skills and values that underpin that profession. Yet, despite meeting the academic requirements of a professional degree, many graduates struggle to 'apply' specialised knowledge when confronted with problems in professional practice. This is a study of the nature of knowledge as it is mobilised in professional reasoning. The case studied was located in engineering education, because knowledge relations tend to be more explicit in education than in practice. The data were collected from design projects located in two differently structured curricula in civil and mechanical engineering curricula. The research questions that directed the study were: 1. What is the nature of the reasoning involved when specialised disciplinary knowledge is recruited to develop specific, often concrete, artefacts? 2. What is the logic of progression in a trajectory of engineering design tasks in terms of the relation between knowledge and artefact? The study draws on two intellectual fields: models of professional reasoning and design thinking on one hand, and social realism in the sociology of education on the other. These traditions take different positions on professional reasoning. Design thinking is concerned with contextual detail and case precedent, while social realism in the sociology of education is concerned with conceptual coherence within knowledge specialisations and the power of generalisation. Both offer important insights into professional reasoning, but alone neither is adequate. The analysis was done using the semantics dimension of Legitimation Code Theory, LCT (Semantics), which required an adaptation in order to fully describe the significance of contextual detail evident in the data. The findings showed that specialised knowledge and contextual detail interact far more dialectically than previously assumed. This provides empirical insights for structuring curricula. Students can be more intentionally inducted into recontextualising academic knowledge for the purpose of solving contextually emergent problems. Theoretically the study contributes to the social realist school within the sociology of education by revealing its blindness to contextual detail and consequently offering a fuller understanding of the nature of regions. This has implications for other studies of professional knowledge and education.
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Al-Julaifi, Mohammed Zaid Nasser. "Production of the mycotoxin patulin in nature." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 1995. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/6048/.
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A study was made of the factors governing the production of the mycotoxin patulin in nature, including biological and physiological factors. The objective of the research described in this thesis was to study the ability of the indigenous fungi of fruits and the apple rot fungus, Penicillium expansum, to grow and to produce patulin in different substrates, both natural (apples, sugar beet, wheat straw) and laboratory media. The effect of carbon and nitrogen sources and the relationship between the production of the toxin and nitrification and its action with the natural isolated bacteria and fungi was also investigated. Common members of the genus Penicillium were found to represent a high percentage of the indigenous fungal flora isolated from both apples and sugar beet. Most of these isolates were able to produce patulin in Czapek Dox liquid medium. Although both apple fruit and sugar beet were naturally highly contaminated with moulds, only apples were contaminated with patulin (7598 gg kg"). Confirmatory tests showed patulin production of 8.3% and 50% (after 7 days) to 99.2% (after 30 days) by the indigenous fungi in apple and sugar beet, respectively. The indigenous fungal flora of wheat straw failed to produce patulin when growing naturally. Patulin was produced only by Penicillium expansum alone and not when growing in association with the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium. The accumulation of ammonium and nitrate during urea hydrolysis and ammonium nitrification by Penicillium sp (1), Penicillium sp (3) and Penicillim expansum was achieved with varying degree of efficiency. Urea hydrolysis, but not ammonium nitrification was associated with patulin production. Growth of P. expansum and Penicillium species (1 and 3) occurred under oligotrophic conditions. Both carbon and nitrogen are required for patulin production but it is the depletion of nitrogen which is important for production of the toxin.
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Doeringer, Joseph A. (Joseph Alfred). "An investigation into the discrete nature of human arm movements." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/9395.
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Redmill, Keith Alan. "Automated vehicles : the nature and implementation of autonomous multi-agent systems /." The Ohio State University, 1998. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu148795356777093.
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Smit, Reneé. "The nature of engineering and science knowledge in curriculum: a case study in thermodynamics." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25532.
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Abstract The study explores the nature of disciplinary knowledge differences and similarities between the sciences and the engineering sciences as these appear in curriculum texts. The work is presented as a case study of curriculum knowledge in thermodynamics, and the epistemic properties are investigated in four sub-cases in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, physics and chemistry. Data was collected from prescribed undergraduate textbooks in the four disciplinary fields. The work is theoretically informed by two fields of scholarly work: the sociology of educational knowledge (in particular the work of Basil Bernstein) and the applied philosophies of science and engineering science, in order to develop a theoretical framework for analysis of the data. The framework allows the study to move beyond the typical binary classification of the sciences as 'hard-pure' and engineering sciences as 'hard-applied' disciplines. Starting from broad teleological considerations, the philosophical concepts of specialisation, idealisation and normativity are explored and developed into modalities and modal continua of variance to allow investigation of the epistemic differences and similarities in the recontextualised disciplinary knowledge from these contiguous conceptual fields. The empirical study identifies important differences in thermodynamics curriculum knowledge in terms of specialisation, normativity and idealisation across the broad disciplinary fields, rendering more complex Bernstein's notions of singulars and regions. The epistemic modalities and modes provide a way to conceive in more detail how the professional engineering science knowledge is orientated towards its field of practice. Curriculum knowledge in the engineering sciences is shown to be remarkably different from the knowledge in the sciences: both mechanical and chemical engineering knowledge emphasise particulars, rather than universals, have stronger normative aspects, and employ a limited form of idealisation in their commitment to physical realisability. By contrast, knowledge in the sciences is more universal, normativity is incidental, and idealisation is used expansively. In addition, the research findings suggest a negative correlation between idealisation and normativity as epistemic modalities: a commitment to normative concerns in the engineering sciences constrains the extent to which knowledge idealisation is pursued, compared to what is observed in the bodies of science curriculum knowledge. Furthermore, over and above differences in curriculum knowledge between the broad fields of science and engineering science, discernible variation exists between the engineering sciences investigated, raising cautions against a monolithic view of curricular epistemic properties across broad disciplinary areas.
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Wu, Xinyang. "Nature of Solid Organic Matters in Shale." Marietta College Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=marhonors1335652417.
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Fermor, Philip M. "Establishment of a reedbed within a created surface water fed wetland nature reserve." Thesis, Aston University, 1997. http://publications.aston.ac.uk/13280/.
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In the early 1990's, outline designs for two wetland nature reserves were being prepared: the Teeside International Nature Reserve (TINR) and the Cardiff Bay Barrage Environmental Compensation Measures at Redwick, Gwent. The initial design for both proposals identified reedbed as a desirable habitat for establishment. The initial design works identified the importance of reedbed evapotranspiration [ET(Reed)] within the water budget, however, literature searches identified a paucity of information on this parameter. Field experiments for the measurement of ET(Reed) from Phragmites australis are described for three sites distributed across England and Wales. Reference Crop Evapotranspiration (ETo) was calculated using techniques recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organisation. A technique for the calculation of a reedbed crop coefficient [Kc(Reed)[, from ET(Reed) and ETo data is discussed. Kc(Reed) values produced in the project were found to be similar to those developed previously in continental Europe. Mean monthly and crop development stage Kc(Reed) values are presented which are applicable in the UK and possibly worldwide. A conceptual hydrological model of surface water fed reedbed systems is developed, and used to calculate the hydrological sustainability of reedbed creation areas in the UK. Finally, the water budget model is verified using data from a small clay catchment located on the TINR. In addition, a methodology is developed for the hydrological design of surface water fed reedbed systems, and recommendations required for the feasibility, design and establishment stage of reedbed creation sites. Further research needs are also identified.
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Venter, Jaco. "The nature of conflict within an engineering company in the North West Province / Jaco Venter." Thesis, North-West University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/1236.
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Reichert, Steffen H. (Steffen Heinz). "Reverse engineering nature : design principles for flexible protection inspired by ancient fish armor of Polypteridae." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/64564.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 98-101).
This thesis is about designing structures that combine the dual functions of mechanical protection and flexibility of motion. The structures are inspired by principles observed in the ganoid squamation (scale assembly) of an ancient fish species called Polypteridae, which first appeared 96 million years ago. Prior work on Polypteridae has focused on understanding the role of the inherent material properties (e.g., stiffness, strength, etc.) of the individual bony scales to provide penetration resistance. Here, geometric design is explored at increasingly larger length scales including 1) morphometric features within individual scales, 2) morphometry of the individual scales as a whole, 3) scale-to-scale interconnections and anisotropic ranges of motion, and, lastly, 4) the entire assembled scale squamation and anisotropic ranges of motion of the entire fish body. Experimental, computational, and mathematical methods employed were micro-computed tomography, microscopy, morphometric analysis, and three-dimensional printing of prototypes. The geometrical design principles discovered were related to biomechanical mobility and protection and then implemented into a generalized, functional design system which possesses similar anisotropic distinctive degrees of freedom and ranges of motion as Polypteridae. The design system offers potential for applications in fields of transportation, military, and architecture.
by Steffen H. Reichert.
S.M.
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Markcrow, Katelin. "Engineering Nature under Climate Change – Implications of Assisted Migration on Sustainable Development in Mountain Ranges." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-324297.
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The Planet has entered a new epoch - the Anthropocene; where human activities, such as mining for and burning of fossil fuels, land-use change, and industrialization are actively disrupting the planet’s state. The rate at which climate change is occurring as a result of human activity is unprecedented in recent millennia and poses many threats through drastic changes in rain fall patterns, rising sea level, retreating glaciers, and an increase in extreme weather events. Mountain ranges and the plant and animal species that thrive in specific ‘life zones’ on the mountain slope are particularly vulnerable to the threats posed by climate change. As temperatures increase, these ‘life zones’ will essentially shift upwards - and flora and fauna either adapt to warmer conditions, or migrate to avoid extinction. This begs the questions, where will species retreat to when there is nowhere further up the mountain to migrate? Assisted migration has been proposed as a potential solution for species unable to adapt to climate change or unable to migrate, and involves the deliberate interference of humans in relocating species to habitats, outside their historic range, in hopes of preventing the species from going extinct. I examined key patterns within assisted migration research from peer-reviewed literature, to highlight the current state of assisted migration research and debate. My aim is to identify whether research favored certain species or geographic locations, to highlight the ethical dilemmas associated with engineering nature, and the potential assisted migration has for sustainable development in mountain ranges. I conducted a literature review and content analysis of 68 journal articles. The results suggest that assisted migration research is heavily debated from scientific, ethical, political and economic perspectives; with a largely theoretical debate and with limited transfer into field experiments. Furthermore, there is an element of bias in research focusing on plant species of economic value as opposed to other species. Moreover, many ethical dilemmas in assisted migration research exist, but no consensus as to whether assisted migration is ethically justifiable. Lastly, I suggest there could be potential for assisted migration for sustainable development in mountain ranges, however there is a need for inter/transdisciplinary research to collaborate in implementing assisted migration.
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Alekseeva, Iuliia. "Alternative healing in Berlin : nature, arts and science for human recharge." Thesis, KTH, Arkitektur, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-254531.
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Nakanishi, Bradley Rex. "On the electrolytic nature of molten aluminum and rare earth oxides." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115607.
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Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2018.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references.
The electrolytic cell method and its application for Gibbs energy measurement in high temperature, concentrated ionic melts was investigated. Previous challenges related primarily to signal interpretation during decomposition voltage measurement have hindered determination of Gibbs energy. An electrolytic cell method is proposed herein utilizing the sensitivity of large amplitude alternating current voltammetry, which enabled precise measurement of chemical potential during electrolytic decomposition. A novel, containerless approach for electrochemical study of high temperature, reactive electrolytes in a molten pendant droplet is described. For the first time, melts of pure alumina, lanthana and yttria were electrolytically decomposed to metal alloy and oxygen gas using iridium electrodes. The method was validated in molten alumina. Systematic investigation of the half-cell reactions corresponding to oxygen evolution and aluminum deposition revealed their electrochemical nature. Measurements of the chemical potential and partial molar entropy of aluminum in an iridium-rich, binary alloy liquid were obtained in close agreement with previous predictions. The method was extended to the pseudo-binary system molten lanthana-yttria. The results revealed selective extraction of lanthanum and indicated that molten lanthana-yttria does not exhibit ideal mixing behavior, contradicting previous predictions. However, data interpretation in multicomponent electrolyte compositions were challenged primarily by a lack of thermodynamic data for the attendant alloy system and influence of dissolved oxygen on the observed alloy composition. This work represents a pioneering effort for electrochemical operation in molten refractory oxides at temperatures above 2000 K.
by Bradley Rex Nakanishi.
Ph. D.
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Luckyanova, Maria N. (Maria Nickolayevna). "Observation and manipulation of the wave nature of phonon thermal transport through superlattices." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101535.
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Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2015.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 101-130).
As the scale of electronic, photonic, and energy harvesting devices has shrunk, the importance of understanding nanoscale thermal transport has grown. In this thesis, we investigate thermal transport through superlattices (SLs), periodic layers of thin films, to better understand thermal conduction at these small scales. The classical picture of nanoscale thermal transport invokes a picture of diffusive scattering of phonons, or lattice vibrations, at the interfaces and boundaries in structures. This picture has been used to explain experimental thermal transport results for a wide variety of nanostructures. Despite the omnipresence of this particle-transport picture of phonon heat conduction, the community has continuously sought an experimental demonstration of the wave regime of thermal transport in nanostructures. In this thesis, we report the first experimental observations of the regimes of coherent phonon transport and phonon localization in thermal conduction through nanostructures. First, in order to better understand thermal transport through SLs, we present measurements of anisotropic thermal conductivity in the same GaAs/AlAs SLs using two different optical techniques, time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) for cross-plane measurements, and transient thermal grating (TTG) for in-plane measurements. The results of this study lend insight into the role of interface scattering, previously understood to be the dominant scattering mechanism in these structures, in SLs. The experimentally measured thermal conductivities are compared to results from first principles simulations, and the agreement between the two helps to validate atomistic simulation techniques of transport through SLs. The role of coherent phonon transport is explored by using the TDTR technique to measure the thermal conductivities of SLs with the same period thicknesses but varying numbers of periods. This experimental approach is a departure from traditional studies of SLs where period thicknesses are varied while the SL is grown to be thermally thick. This shift in the experimental paradigm allows us to explore previously elusive phenomena in nanoscale thermal transport. Combined with first principles and Green's functions simulations, the results of these experiments are the first experimental observation of coherent phonon transport through SLs. Finally, experiments on GaAs/AlAs SLs with varying concentrations of ErAs nanodots at the interfaces show the ability to destroy this phonon coherence. The thermal conductivities of such SLs with constant period thicknesses and varying numbers of periods show an overall reduction in thermal conductivity with increasing ErAs concentration. In addition, at low temperatures samples with ErAs at the interfaces show a maximum in thermal conductivity with shorter sample length and then a drop-off for longer samples. These results are signatures of phonon localization, a previously unobserved thermal transport phenomenon.
by Maria N. Luckyanova.
Ph. D.
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Wakeman, Christopher Edward. "The nature of assessment, its validity and its relationship with learning on BTEC (NC) courses in engineering principles." Thesis, n.p, 2002. http://oro.open.ac.uk/18837.
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Harris, Geoffrey S. "Adverse effects in civil engineering contracts in Hong Kong arising from the confidential nature of arbitration." access abstract and table of contents access full-text, 2006. http://libweb.cityu.edu.hk/cgi-bin/ezdb/dissert.pl?ma-slw-b2184317xa.pdf.
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Thesis (M.A.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2006."Master of Arts in arbitration and dispute resolution, LW6409 Research project" Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on May 22, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.
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Kulkarni, Amit S. "Nature of Branching in Disordered Materials." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1190655419.
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Hentz, Olivia Dolores. "The uncommon nature of point defects in organic-inorganic Perovskite solar cells." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/117781.
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Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2018.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 133-148).
Organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have shown enormous success in the past decade, increasing in power conversion efficiency from ~4% in 2009 to >22%. One of the critical properties that contributed to this success is "defect tolerance": in organic-inorganic perovskites, the majority of point defects with low formation energy are shallow, with energies within or near the conduction or valence band. Defects with deep states, which act as electronic traps, are expected to be much less common due to their high formation energies. In this thesis, we demonstrate that, despite the preference for shallow defects, point defects play an integral role in materials properties and PSC device performance. We first study the role of point defects on nanoscale luminescence properties of inorganic-organic perovskites by using cathodoluminescence in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). By correlating local luminescence properties with compositional variations using STEM, we demonstrate that iodide segregation induced by the electron beam is correlated with a spatially-localized high-energy emission. Similar high-energy emission has been observed in photoluminescence (PL) measurements for films made in the presence of excess methyl ammonium iodide, demonstrating that the observed defect segregation is relevant to practical device design. Next, we study the effects of directional point defect segregation under an applied electric field on current extraction from PSCs. Specifically, we use electron beam-induced current measurements in a scanning electron microscope to measure the inhomogeneity in current extraction before and after forward biasing the device. These measurements point to preferential defect migration at extended defects and allow us identify low frequency capacitive elements related to compensation of charged defect segregation under applied biasing. Finally, we directly track the migration of deep defects in PSCs through photoluminescence mapping of laterally biased perovskite films. Removal of defect states by mild voltage biasing results in over an order of magnitude increase in luminescence. Using Monte Carlo simulations of defect drift and diffusion to model these time dependent luminescence maps, we extract the mobility of these point defects and provide evidence of demonstrates the ways in which deep and shallow defects play a critical role in PSCs and suggests that, despite their "defect tolerance," the ultimate stability and performance of PSCs will be dependent on either minimizing the presence of point defects in these materials or inhibiting defect migration.
National Science Foundation (U.S.) under award number DMR-141-9807
by Olivia Dolores Hentz.
Ph. D.
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Schutte, C. S. L. "Executing innovation projects using the collaborative nature of integrated knowledge networks." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/1284.
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Thesis (PhD (Industrial Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Innovation is important for competitiveness. It thrives on the availability of novel public and private domain knowledge. Thus the ability to access, analyze, synthesize, share, and re-use knowledge is paramount to enabling innovation within the different partners of the supply chain. These activities grow the available pool of knowledge. It also facilitates learning from mistakes, as well as capturing and enhancing opportunities for future innovation. Proactively networking resources within a formal and informal structure improve the ability of any participating enterprise to use/re-use knowledge, in a concurrently growing knowledge base. Such a "Knowledge Network” (KN) enhances knowledge sharing between and among individuals, groups and organizations in informal and formal ways. This network is also scalable in the sense that more individuals and enterprise may join the network as success cases are reported on. It is clear that knowing how to design, deploy and operate a Knowledge Network could be highly beneficial. How to successfully design and deploy a KN is a challenge and has been widely researched to a limited extent within in the past decade. The design, deploy and operate functions require understanding of social processes and how people learn and share knowledge. KN management requires a proactive, systematic approach to the planning and deployment of a formalized network for knowledge creation and transfer. It addresses promoting and improving conditions to cultivate informal and formal networking within a larger collaborative network of enterprises. This dissertation presents a refined methodology for initiating, deploying, managing and operating an Innovation Project based on the available research reported in this domain. It incorporates concepts of generic, partial and specific roadmaps, best practices, templates and examples and allows individual teams to capture knowledge about specific projects and expertise in context for later re-use.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Om mededingend te kan wees, is innovasie belangrik. Laasgenoemde floreer op die beskikbaarheid van nuwe publieke, sowel as private domein kennis. Dus is die kundigheid om kennis te assesseer, te analiseer, saam te vat, uit te ruil met ander en dan weer te gebruik van die uiterste belang om innovasie moontlik te maak vir die onderskeie vennote in die voorsieningsketting. Hierdie genoemde aktiwiteite vergroot die beskikbare poel van kennis. Daarbenewens fasiliteer dit ook leer uit foute, sowel as die vasvang en versterking van geleenthede vir toekomstige innovasie. Deur pro-aktief en vindingryk van netwerk bronne gebruik te maak, binne ʼn formele sowel as informele struktuur, word die moontlikheid van enige deelnemende onderneming om kennis te gebruik of te hergebruik, vergroot in ʼn gelyktydig groeiende kennisbasis. So ʼn “Kennis Netwerk” (KN) versterk die uitruil van kennis tussen individue, groepe en organisasies op informele sowel as formele maniere. Hierdie netwerk is ook meetbaar in die sin dat hoe meer suksesse aangekondig word, deur individue en organisasies wat aansluit, hoe meer ondernemings wil aansluit. Dit is duidelik dat kennis ten opsigte van die ontwerp, ontplooiing en bestuur van ʼn Kennis Netwerk uiters voordelig kan wees. Dit is ʼn uitdaging om ʼn Kennis Netwerk suksesvol te ontwerp en te ontplooi en daar is die afgelope dekade op ʼn wye front beperkte navorsing op hierdie terrein gedoen. Die ontwerp, ontplooiing en bestuursfunksies vereis ʼn goeie begrip van sosiale prosesse met beklemtoning van hoe mense leer en kennis uitruil. Die bestuur van ʼn Kennis Netwerk moet pro-aktief en sistematies benader word, ten opsigte van die beplanning en ontplooiing van ʼn geformaliseerde netwerk vir die skep en oordrag van kennis. Die bevordering en verbetering van omstandighede kan formele sowel as informele netwerkbeoefening binne ʼn groter samewerkende netwerk van ondernemings vestig. Hierdie proefskrif bied ʼn verfynde metodologie vir die inisiëring, ontplooiing en bestuur van ʼn Innovasie Projek wat gebaseer is op die beskikbare navorsing wat in hierdie domein gerapporteer is. Dit behels konsepte van generiese, gedeeltelike en spesifieke padkaarte, asook die beste praktyke, patrone en voorbeelde en gee geleentheid vir individuele spanne om kennis ten opsigte van spesifieke projekte en kundigheid in konteks te bekom vir latere hergebruik.
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Hauri, Erik Harold. "Geochemical and fluid dynamic investigations into the nature of chemical heterogeneity in the Earth's mantle." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/54358.
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Banks, Alec. "A nature inspired guidance system for unmanned autonomous vehicles employed in a search role." Thesis, Bournemouth University, 2009. http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/15906/.
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Since the very earliest days of the human race, people have been studying animal behaviours. In those early times, being able to predict animal behaviour gave hunters the advantages required for success. Then, as societies began to develop this gave way, to an extent, to agriculture and early studies, much of it trial and error, enabled farmers to successfully breed and raise livestock to feed an ever growing population. Following the advent of scientific endeavour, more rigorous academic research has taken human understanding of the natural world to much greater depth. In recent years, some of this understanding has been applied to the field of computing, creating the more specialised field of natural computing. In this arena, a considerable amount of research has been undertaken to exploit the analogy between, say, searching a given problem space for an optimal solution and the natural process of foraging for food. Such analogies have led to useful solutions in areas such as numerical optimisation and communication network management, prominent examples being ant colony systems and particle swarm optimisation; however, these solutions often rely on well-defined fitness landscapes that may not always be available. One practical application of natural computing may be to create behaviours for the control of autonomous vehicles that would utilise the findings of ethological research, identifying the natural world behaviours that have evolved over millennia to surmount many of the problems that autonomous vehicles find difficult; for example, long range underwater navigation or obstacle avoidance in fast moving environments. This thesis provides an exploratory investigation into the use of natural search strategies for improving the performance of autonomous vehicles operating in a search role. It begins with a survey of related work, including recent developments in autonomous vehicles and a ground breaking study of behaviours observed within the natural world that highlights general cooperative group behaviours, search strategies and communication methods that might be useful within a wider computing context beyond optimisation, where the information may be sparse but new paradigms could be developed that capitalise on research into biological systems that have developed over millennia within the natural world. Following this, using a 2-dimensional model, novel research is reported that explores whether autonomous vehicle search can be enhanced by applying natural search behaviours for a variety of search targets. Having identified useful search behaviours for detecting targets, it then considers scenarios where detection is lost and whether natural strategies for re-detection can improve overall systemic performance in search applications. Analysis of empirical results indicate that search strategies exploiting behaviours found in nature can improve performance over random search and commonly applied systematic searches, such as grids and spirals, across a variety of relative target speeds, from static targets to twice the speed of the searching vehicles, and against various target movement types such as deterministic movement, random walks and other nature inspired movement. It was found that strategies were most successful under similar target-vehicle relationships as were identified in nature. Experiments with target occlusion also reveal that natural reacquisition strategies could improve the probability oftarget redetection.
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Berglund, Anneli. "Val av område och områdesskydd för Natura 2000 med skogshabitat : En jämförande studie av fyra län i Sverige." Thesis, Södertörn University College, School of Life Sciences, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-1733.
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The Natura 2000 Network is one of the European Unions many tools concerning nature conservation, and is without comparison the premier contribution when it comes to halting the loss of biodiversity. This essay is a case study on how the regional work with the Natura 2000-network has been carried out in four different counties. These counties are Södermanland, Västernorrland, Jämtland and Örebro. They have been compared based on the theoretical concept of sustainable development. This essay describes how the officials in the County Administrations view the regional implementation of Natura 2000 when it comes to the selection of Natura 2000-sites with forest habitats and the creation of an additional protective measure. This study takes its basis in a bottom-up approach which focuses on value conflicts that have emerged regionally and how different fundamental attitudes brings forward different aspects of sustainable development. Interviews with County Administration officials show that there are differences in the approach and different key factors that have affected the selection of sites and the work with area protection. One approach starts from an ecological point of view while the other takes the socio-economic aspect more into consideration during the selection process. Two main factors that have emerged are also the importance of the regional landowner-structure and the evident time- and staff shortage that has been experienced in all four counties. The results also show that the nature reserve form is the most common area protection for Natura 2000-sites with forest habitats in the four examined counties.
Natura 2000-nätverket är ett av EU:s många verktyg och i särklass det främsta bidraget till att hejda förlusten av den biologiska mångfalden. Denna uppsats är en fallstudie för att se hur det regionala arbetet med Natura 2000-nätverket sett ut i fyra olika län. Dessa län är Södermanland, Västernorrland, Jämtland och Örebro län. De har jämförts utifrån det teoretiska begreppet hållbar utveckling. Uppsatsen beskriver hur tjänstemän på länsstyrelserna ser på den regionala implementering av Natura 2000-nätverket när det gäller urval av Natura 2000-område med skogshabitat och tillblivelsen av ett ytterliggare områdesskydd.
Studien utgår från ett underifrånperspektiv som fokuserar på de värdekonflikter som uppstått regionalt och hur olika grundinställningar lyfter fram olika aspekter av hållbar utveckling. Intervjuer med länsstyrelsens aktörer visar att det finns skillnader i tillvägagångssättet och olika nyckelfaktorer som påverkat urvalet av område och arbetet med områdesskyddet. Det ena tillvägagångssättet tar sin grund i ett mer ekologiskt synsätt medan det andra tar större hänsyn till de socioekonomiska aspekterna i urvalsprocessen. Två huvudfaktorer som framkommit är även betydelsen av den regionala markägarstrukturen och den upplevda personal - och tidsbrist som tydligt framgår i alla de fyra undersökta länen. Resultatet visar även att naturreservatsformen är det vanligaste områdesskyddet för Natura 2000-områden med skogshabitat i de fyra studerade länen
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Nowlin, Robert Nathaniel 1966. "The electrostatic nature of contaminative particles in a semiconductor processing plasma." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/277802.
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Two models are presented to describe the immediate environment surrounding negatively charged contaminants in an idealized plasma. The first model uses Poisson's equation to determine the contaminant charge and voltage. This model predicts a critical radius of 40 microns or less below which Poisson's equation is no longer valid. For contaminant radii less than 40 microns, the Coulomb potential is used to find the contaminant charge and voltage. Both models predict negative charges on the order of 10-14 Coulombs, and voltages on the same order of magnitude as the electron energy.
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Sappok, Alexander G. (Alexander Georg). "The nature of lubricant-derived ash-related emissions and their impact on diesel aftertreatment system performance." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/50586.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2009.Includes bibliographical references (p. 287-292).
Diesel particulate filters (DPF) have seen widespread use in on- and off-road applications as an effective means for meeting increasingly stringent particle emissions regulations. Over time, incombustible material or ash, primarily derived from metallic additives in the engine lubricant, accumulates in the DPF. Ash accumulation leads to increased flow restriction and an associated increase in pressure drop across the particulate filter, negatively impacting engine performance and fuel economy, and eventually requiring filter removal for ash cleaning. While the adverse effects of ash accumulation on DPF performance are well known, the fundamental underlying mechanisms controlling these effects are not. This work explores the parameters influencing key ash properties such as porosity and permeability, and factors controlling the soot deposition - ash formation/accumulation process, which ultimately determines the magnitude of the ash effect on DPF pressure drop. In addition to the ash properties, the location of ash deposit accumulation inside the DPF channels, whether in a cake layer along the filter walls or packed in a plug at the rear of the channels, also plays a major role in influencing DPF pressure drop. Through a combined approach employing targeted experiments and theoretical models, explanations for the key factors and processes controlling ash properties and their effects on DPF pressure drop were developed.
(cont.) These results, among few fundamental data of this kind, correlate changes in diesel particulate filter performance with lubricant chemistry, exhaust conditions, and ash morphological characteristics. Results are useful in optimizing the design of the combined engine-aftertreatment-lubricant system for future diesel engines, balancing the requirements of additives for adequate engine protection with the requirements for robust aftertreatment systems.
by Alexander Sappok.
Ph.D.
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Gurera, Dev. "Lessons from Nature and Bioinspired Fabrication: Mosquito Bite and Lotus Leaf Inspired Superliquiphobic Leather." The Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1511962660965442.
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Adamek, Anna. "Incorporating power and assimilating nature: Electric power generation and distribution in Ottawa, 1882--1905." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/26435.
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The history of electric power generation and distribution in Ottawa reflects the city's political, economic, and environmental conditions. The process of electrification of the Canadian capital was shaped by strong personalities, by municipal, provincial and federal politics, and by the city's location on the Ottawa River, an interprovincial border. The idea of electrification was introduced by municipal politicians in 1880s as a way of redefining Ottawa as a 'power capital of the Dominion' rather than as the locus of the federal bureaucracy. Yet the process was soon dominated by three powerful Liberals---Thomas Ahearn, Erskine H. Bronson and Warren Y. Soper---who gained influence among the three social groups who constituted the majority of Ottawa residents, Irish Catholics English Protestants, and Methodists. Their strong political influence in the Canadian capital allowed the three industrialists to form alliances within the provincial and federal government to permit them to build an electric empire. By 1894, the year in which they created the Ottawa Electric Company and the Ottawa Electric Railway Company, Ahearn, Bronson and Soper held a monopoly over the city's power generation and distribution. Yet as the three entrepreneurs shaped the electric market and urban development of the city, their endeavours were influenced by the politics, location, and natural resources of the Ottawa area. The same factors that fashioned a strong monopoly, also obstructed it, leading to establishment of a municipal plant in 1905 and consequently creating an electric duopoly in Ottawa.
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Beneitez, Miguel, and Johan Sundin. "Turbulent flow control via nature inspired surface modifications." Thesis, KTH, Mekanik, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-206189.
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Many of the flows in nature are turbulent. To modify turbulent flows, nature serves itself with different types of coatings. Sharks have riblets-like structures on their skin, fishes have slime with polymers and the surface of the lotus flower has superhydrophobic properties. However many times these naturally occurring coatings also serve other purposes. Due to millions of years of adaption, there are anyway many reasons to be inspired by these. The present work is an investigation of nature inspired coatings with the aim of passive flow manipulations. The goal of the investigation has not been to achieve drag reduction, but to achieve a better understanding of the effect of these coatings on turbulent flows. Simulations have been performed in a channel flow configuration, where the boundary condition on one wall has been modified. A macroscopic description has been used to simulate superhydrophobic and porous-like surfaces and a microscopic description has been used to simulate suspended fibers, both rigid and flexible, attached to the channel wall. For the macroscopic description, a pseudo-spectral method was used and for the microscopic description a lattice-Boltzmann method was used. The superhydrophobic modification was implemented using a general slip tensor formulation. In agreement with earlier results, drag reduction was achieved with slip in the streamwise direction and slip in the spanwise direction resulted in drag increase. Non-zero off-diagonal terms in the slip tensor resulted in a slight drag increase, but with rather similar flow behaviour. Transpiration, imitating a porous media, gave rise to drag increase and severely modified the turbulent structures, forming two-dimensional structures elongated in the spanwise direction. For the short fibers, neither rigid nor flexible fibers modified the velocity field to a large extent. The fibers gave rise to recirculation regions and these were seen to be stronger below high-speed streaks. Flexible fibers showed similarities to porous media through a coupling of wallnormal velocity and pressure fluctuations, and this was not seen for the rigid fibers. The fiber deflections were seen to correlate well with the pressure fluctuations.Många naturligt förekommande flöden är turbulenta. Naturen har också gett upphov till flera typer av ytskikt som kan påverka dessa. Hajars skinn har räfflor, fiskar har slem som innehåller polymerer och lotusblommans yta har superhydrofobiska egenskaper, men ofta har dessa naturliga ytskikt också andra egenskaper. På grund av miljoner år av anpassning så finns det ändå många skäl att studera dessa. Detta arbete är en studie av naturinspirerade ytskikt, där målet har varit passiva flödesmanipulationer. Målet har inte varit att åstadkomma en ytfriktionsminskning, utan att få en bättre förståelse om hur dessa ytskikt påverkar turbulenta flöden. Simuleringar har utförts i en kanalliknande geometri, där en kanalväggs randvillkor har modifierats. En makroskopisk beskrivning har använts för att simulera superhydrofobiska och porösa ytor och en mikroskopisk beskriving har använts för att simulera fibrer, både stela och böjbara, fastsatta på en kanalvägg. För flödet med det makroskopiskt beskrivna randvillkoret har en pseudospektral metod använts och för flödet med det mikroskopiskt beskrivna randvillkoret har en lattice-Boltzmannmetod använts. Den superhydrofobiska ytan implementerades genom en generell tensorformulering. Ett randvillkor med nollskild hastighet i kanalens riktning gav upphov till en ytfriktionsminskning och ett randvillkor med nollskild hastighet vinkelrät mot kanalens riktning gav upphov till en ökad ytfriktion, i överensstämmelse med tidigare resultat. Nollskilda icke-diagonala tensorelement gav upphov till en smärre ökning av ytfriktionen, utan att nämnvärt förändra flödet. De porösa ytorna gav upphov till en ytfriktionsökning och hade stor inverkan på de turbulenta strukturerna. Dessa ytor bildade tvådimensionella struturer vinkelrät mot kanalens riktning. Varken de stela eller de böjbara fibrerna gav upphov till stora ändringar i hastighetsfältet. Däremot uppstor cirkulationszoner och dessa var starkare under stråkstrukturer med hög hastighet. De böjbara fibrerna uppvisade likheter med porösa material genom en interaktion mellan det vertikala hastighetsfältet och de turbulenta tryckfluktuationerna. Denna interaktion uppstod inte för de stela fibrerna. Fibrernas böjning korrelerade också i stor utsträckning till tryckfluktuationerna.
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Andersson, Harald. "The role of peri-urban nature in outdoor sports and outdoor recreation : Insights from Rudan nature reserve in Stockholm." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-298312.
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Nature based sports and outdoor recreation activities are much appreciated, but continued densification in urban and peri-urban areas may reduce future opportunities to take part in such activities in a desirable way. To be able to consider the needs of these activities, in relation to other competing land use interests, it is essential to understand why people engage in the activities and how the nature landscape contributes and is used. The aim of this degree project is, therefore, to investigate motives and preferences among participants in various nature based activities, and to describe the role of nature and the participants’ relation to the nature landscape. While many previous studies have targeted recreational activities, where participation traditionally is non-competitive and focused on wellbeing, this study mainly targets nature based sports, where activities, in general, are more physical and result-oriented. The study has a descriptive approach where Rudan, a nature reserve in southern Stockholm, is used as a case study. There, data was primarily collected through a questionnaire (N=64), distributed among members of sport clubs in Rudan as well as among visitors on site. Responses were then analysed through cross-tabulations. The results indicate that people have varying, and often several, motives for taking part in their activities and for performing their activities in a particular setting. The results also show that the nature landscape, and the characteristics it holds, has an important role to play in many aspects; it can be a driver of motivation, a stage for the activity, and a generator of human benefits. The relatively small sample size does, however, affect the accuracy of the study, and more research is needed to get a comprehensive understanding. Nevertheless, the findings can be used to raise awareness and communicate the value of nature in nature based sports and outdoor recreation activities. Recognising nature’s multiple roles and values for participants in such activities will be necessary when analysing potential effects of future development plans or interventions in the peri-urban nature landscape.Utomhusidrott och friluftsliv utgör uppskattade inslag i många människors vardag, men med fortsatt förtätning i städer och i stadsnära grönområden riskerar de framtida möjligheterna att delta i sådana aktiviteter att försämras. För att möta dessa aktiviteters behov, framförallt då de utsätts för konkurrens av andra samhällsintressen, är det nödvändigt att förstå grunderna för deltagande i sådana utomhusaktiviteter, samt hur naturlandskapet används och bidrar till upplevelsen. Syftet med detta examensarbete är därför att undersöka motiv och preferenser bland deltagare i olika naturrelaterade idrotts- och friluftsaktiviteter, och att därutöver beskriva naturens roll och deltagarnas relation till naturlandskapet. Då många tidigare studier har fokuserat på friluftsliv, där deltagande traditionellt sett är inriktat på rekreation och välmående, vänder sig denna studie främst mot idrottsaktiviteter, där deltagande i allmänhet är mer fysiskt och resultatinriktat. Studien har ett beskrivande tillvägagångssätt där Rudan, ett naturreservat i södra Stockholm, används som fallstudie. Flera metoder har använts, men data har främst inhämtats genom en enkätundersökning (N = 64) som besvarades av medlemmar i idrottsföreningar i Rudan samt av besökare på plats. Svaren analyserades sedan med hjälp av pivottabeller. Resultaten visar att det finns olika, och ofta flera, motiv för att delta i aktiviteterna och för att utföra aktiviteterna i ett visst område. Resultaten visar även att naturlandskapet har en viktig roll, sett ur många aspekter. Det kan vara en motiverande faktor, en arena för aktiviteten och bidra till många övriga mervärden. Då antalet respondenter i studien var relativt lågt är studiens resultat dock något osäkert, och mer omfattande undersökningar behövs för att skapa tydligare förståelse. Trots det kan resultaten i studien användas för att öka medvetenheten och tydliggöra naturens värde inom utomhusidrott och friluftsliv. Naturens många olika värden och roller för idrotts- och friluftslivsutövare bör sedan beaktas inom samhällsplaneringen i stort och vid framtida utveckling av stadsnära natur- och rekreationsområden.
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Kassabian, Paul E. (Paul Edward) 1974. "On the design of a kinetic adaptive structural surface with reference to nature, form and simplicity." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/29568.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-90).
The central thrust of this thesis is that there is much to learn from Nature. What surrounds us, and has been with us from the beginning of time, still has many insights to offer, if we are only willing to look. In Nature, shape is cheaper than material. Forces and form are continuously linked and the concept of adaptability is central to survival. Many of our designs, in contrast, have been over-designed, unresponsive and unchangeable. This thesis covers how well thought through form can yield impressive benefits which, in combination with adaptability, can create structures that are efficient as well as beautiful. Specific forms in Nature are discussed as well relevant historical examples from the built environment; including new work in deployable structures. As an example of these concepts, a kinetic adaptive structural surface was designed and built. This responded to applied loads by actively changing its shape. The thesis concludes with a discussion on emergence as one of the ways ahead for structural design that involves distributed sensing and control.
Paul E. Kassabian.
S.M.
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Smith, Joseph Martin. "The stochastic nature of cardiac electrical instability : theory and experiment." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/14339.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 1986.Vita.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-206).
by Joseph Martin Smith.
Ph.D.
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Edström, Kristina. "Exploring the dual nature of engineering education : Opportunities and challenges in integrating the academic and professional aspects in the curriculum." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Lärande, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-217315.
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Engineering education is both academic, emphasising theory in a range of subjects, and professional, preparing students for engineering practice. Ideally, these aspects are also in a meaningful relationship in the curriculum, but the dual nature ideal is simultaneously a source of tensions. This theme is explored in the context of engineering education development, represented by the CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) approach. Cases on programme and course level illustrate how the dual nature ideal is pursued in the integrated curriculum. CDIO is also compared with PBL (problem/project-based learning), and opportunities to further emphasise research in the CDIO community are explored. Two critical accounts suggest widening the perspective from curriculum development per se, to the organisational conditions. First, the views of Carl Richard Söderberg (1895-1979) are compared with CDIO, showing considerable similarities in ideals, arguments, and strategies. This leads to a critique of the swinging pendulum metaphor. Then, experiences of unsustainable change leads to a model called organisational gravity, explaining the stability of programmes and implying two change strategies, with different availability, risks, resource demands, and sustainability of results. Refuting a rationalist view on organisation, an institutional logics perspective is used to analyse the tensions within engineering education. It is suggested that the logics of the academic profession dominates over the logics of the engineering profession, hence favouring “teaching theory” over “teaching professionals”. The integrated curriculum strategy is contingent on educators’ ability to unite theoretical and professional aspects in courses, and on the collegial capacity for coordination. Finally, the CDIO initiative is conceptualised as a field-level driver of institutional innovation, identifying some strategies for legitimacy.QC 20171108
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Tiberg, Linnéa. "Addera mervärde till plan- och byggprocessen med Nature-based solutions." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för företagande, innovation och hållbarhet, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-45524.
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With a growing density in the cities, we are building more and more compact with fewer space for green areas. At the same time, the biodiversity has been going through extensive changes due to humans’ impact on the planet. Nature-based solutions (NbS) is one of the important tools to cope with climate change and other important challenges of the community. The aim of this study is to create a deeper understanding of what possibilities and limitations there is for Nature-based solution for the Swedish circumstances. This is a qualitative study based upon a literature study and interviews, that unravels what NbS implies, what the project process looks like and how it overlaps with the plan and building law in Sweden. The study shows how to implement NbS to the plan and building process, there are many possibilities to implement but few means to control the outcome through the process. Today the sustainability work is mostly built on minimum requirements, society impacts and on good will. To better implement NbS the study shows that though the environmental impact assessment the work is the most equivalent compared to NbS project process and also has the authority to regulate different protection measures.
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Wagner, Ross. "Binocular coordination : providing stable tracking and rapid reorientation using a bilateral controller inspired by nature." Thesis, McGill University, 1997. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=35645.
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The goal of this thesis is to develop a binocular controller for artificial vision systems, based on principles used in biological binocular control. The controller is a symmetrical, two-sided system utilizing feedback across the midline. In spite of its simple topology, the controller allows for the integration of various aspects of eye movements, which are often modelled as independent systems. In addition, the controller topology naturally lends itself to sensory-fusion.The controller was applied to an artificial vision system and its 3-D tracking performance was evaluated. Eye (camera) movements consist of an appropriate mix of slow (tracking) and rapid (reorienting) motions. This is the first implementation of an artificial vision control system which: (1) Controls two eyes independently, in 2-D, for target motion in one plane. (2) Provides integrated conjugate and vergence coordination. (3) Provides integrated slow and fast operating modalities. (4) Has the intrinsic ability to hold gaze in the absence of a target.
The controller is also well suited for extensions to coordinate multiple platforms (e.g. eyes on mobile head) using a conceptually simple motor-error control scheme. Its sensory-fusion properties make the controller receptive to the inclusion of a VOR system, essential in mobile robots.
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Sánchez, Ferrero Aitor. "Biomimetic hydrogels for in situ bone tissue engineering : nature-inspired crosslinking methods as a tool to tune scaffold physical properties." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/373909.
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The global incidence of bone fractures, and subsequently that of non-healing ones, is expected to rise in the coming decades, mostly due to an increased risk of age-related conditions. Currently, the biomaterials field is moving towards the design of scaffolds mimicking the cell microenvironment to guide stem cells differentiation and recapitulate the development of target tissues. Biomimicry is a wide concept and several approaches have been adopted to produce cellinstructive scaffolds. Herein, we have explored the use of citric acid and lysyl oxidase, both of them related to bone nanostructure and mechanical performance, to develop scaffolds resembling the extracellular matrix of developing bone.
First, elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs) hydrogels were achieved through a one-step chemical crosslinking reaction with citric acid, a molecule currently considered to be essential for the proper performance of bone tissue. By systematically studying the crosslinking reaction and its contribution to hydrogel properties, we were able to control the architecture and stiffness of citric acid-crosslinked hydrogels while preserving the integrity of adhesion sequences in ELRs.
Interestingly, the use of citric acid conferred so-produced hydrogels the ability to nucleate calcium phosphate. Mechanically-tailored citric acid-crosslinked hydrogels were shown to be able to support the growth of human mesenchymal stem cells and to lead to seemingly biocompatible degradation products. Despite in vitro differentiation studies weren¿t conclusive as to their osteogenic potential, both mechanically-tailored and non-tailored citric acid-crosslinked hydrogels were shown to integrate into bone and to be partially degraded upon implantation in critical size defects in mouse calvaria. Despite cell invasion in mechanically-tailored scaffolds was seemingly lower than in non-tailored counterparts, both types of matrices allowed the formation of bone tissue, by intramembranous ossification, to a similar extent by the end of the study. At the time points selected for the in vivo study, both tailored and non-tailored hydrogels were found to be osteoconductive; osteoinduction was not observed in any of the cases. Mechanically-tailored hydrogels not being seemingly superior to control matrices at selected time points could to be due to (i) a high surface polymer density hindering cell invasion and thus delaying osteoinduction, or to (ii) a non-osteoinductive combination of properties (chemical + physical) despite hydrogels possessing theoretically osteoinductive stiffness.
These results point out that scaffolds must be seen as a whole given the high complexity of the in vivo cell niche, whose signals act synergistically to define cell behavior. Thus, more complex designs are required if recapitulation of bone development is to be targeted.
Additionally, recombinant lysyl oxidase (LOX) from human aorta was successfully produced in Escherichia coli to high purity. Despite achieving LOX with copper cofactor amounts and activity higher than those found in the literature, overall activity was low and the insolubilization of ELRs was not achieved, suggesting that novel expression and purification systems not compromising enzymatic activity are required if LOX is to be used to produce scaffolds.S'espera que la incidència global de fractures òssies, i per extensió la d'aquelles que no són capaces de consolidar per si soles, augmenti en les pròximes dècades, principalment degut a l'increment del risc de patologies associades a l'envelliment. Actualment, el camp dels biomaterials es mou cap al disseny de bastides que mimetitzen el microambient cel·lular per tal de guiar la diferenciació de cèl·lules mare i recapitular el desenvolupament de teixits diana. El biomimetisme és un concepte ampli i diverses aproximacions han sigut dutes a terme per tal de produir bastides capaces de guiar el comportament cel·lular. En aquesta tesi hem explorat l'ús d'àcid cítric i l'enzim lisil oxidasa, ambdós relacionats amb la nanoestructura i propietats mecàniques del teixit ossi, per desenvolupar bastides que mimetitzin la matriu extracel·lular de l'os en desenvolupament. En primer lloc, es va produir hidrogels basats en polímers recombinants de tipus elastina (Elastin-like recombinamers; ELRs) mitjançant una reacció d'entrecreuament en un pas amb àcid cítric, una molècula actualment considerada una peça essencial per l'adequat funcionament mecànic del teixit ossi. Havent fet un estudi sistemàtic de la reacció d'entrecreuament i de la seva contribució a les propietats dels hidrogels, vam ser capaços de controlar l'arquitectura i la rigidesa de les bastides entrecreuades amb àcid cítric, tot preservant la integritat de les seqüències d'adhesió cel·lular contingudes als ELRs. És interessant remarcar que l'ús d'àcid cítric com agent entrecreuant conferí als hidrogels capacitat de nucleació de fosfats de calci. Es va demostrar que els hidrogels entrecreuats amb àcid cítric i amb propietats mecàniques diana permeten el creixement de cèl·lules mare mesenquimals humanes i donen lloc a productes de degradació aparentment biocompatibles. Tot i que els estudis de diferenciació in vitro no van ser concloents pel que fa al potencial osteogènic d'aquestes bastides, tant les matrius amb propietats mecàniques diana com aquelles control van ser capaces d'integrar-se amb l'os natiu i van ser parcialment degradades un cop implantades en defectes de mida crítica en calotes de ratolí. Tot i que la invasió cel·lular en hidrogels amb propietats mecàniques diana va ser inferior en comparació amb l'observada en bastides control, ambdós tipus de matrius van permetre la formació d'os nou, mitjançant ossificació intramembranosa, en quantitats similars al final de l'estudi. Als punts temporals seleccionats, ambdós tipus de bastides van demostrar ser osteoconductives, però no es va observar evidències d'osteoconducció en cap cas. El fet que les bastides amb propietats mecàniques diana no fossin superiors a les matrius control pel que fa a formació òssia, podria ser degut a (i) a una elevada densitat superficial que hauria dificultat la invasió cel·lular i retrassat l'osteoinducció, o (ii) a una combinació de propietats (químiques + físiques) no osteoinductiva tot i que les bastides posseïen una rigidesa teòricament osteoinductiva. Aquests resultats demostren que les bastides han de ser vistes com un tot donada l'elevada complexitat del nínxol de cèl·lules mare in vivo, les senyals del qual actuen de forma sinèrgica per definir el comportament cel·lular. Així, és necessari assolir bastides amb un nivell de complexitat més elevat per tal de recapitular el desenvolupament ossi. Addicionalment, es va produir lisil oxidasa (LOX) d'aorta humana en forma recombinant a elevada puresa a partir de cultius d'Escherichia coli. Tot i que es va aconseguir produir LOX amb un contingut del cofactor coure i una activitat superiors a aquells trobats en la literatura, l'activitat de l'enzim va ser generalment baixa i no es va assolir la insolubilització d'ELRs. Això evidencia la necessitat de desenvolupar nous sistemes d'expressió i purificació de l'enzim per tal que aquest pugui ser aplicat a la producció de bastides.
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Spradlin, Joshua K. "A Study on the Nature of Anomalous Current Conduction in Gallium Nitride." VCU Scholars Compass, 2005. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/709.
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Current leakage in GaN thin films limits reliable device fabrication. A variety of Ga and N rich MBE GaN thin films grown by Rf, NH3, and Rf+ NH3, are examined with electrical measurements on NiIAu Schottky diodes and CAFM. Current-voltage (IV) mechanisms will identify conduction mechanisms on diodes, and CAFM measurements will investigate the microstructure of conduction in GaN thin films. With CAFM, enhanced conduction has been shown to decorate some extended defects and surface features, while CAFM spectroscopy on a MODFET structure indicates a correlation between extended defects and field conduction behavior at room temperature. A remedy for poor conduction characteristics is presented in molten KOH etching, as evidenced by CAFM measurements, Schottky diodes, and MODFET's. The aim of this study is to identify anomalous conduction mechanisms, the likely cause of anomalous conduction, and a method for improving the conduction characteristics. Keywords: 111-Nitride, 111-V, Gallium Nitride, GaN, Electrical Properties, Conduction, Conductivity, Mobility, Hall Measurements, Resistivity, Schottky Diode, Modulation Doped Field Effect Transistor (MODFET), Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Defects, Molten Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) etching, Silvaco, Atlas, and Illumination.
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Mullenite, Joshua. "Engineering Colonialism: Race, Class, and the Social History of Flood Control in Guyana." FIU Digital Commons, 2018. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3800.
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Overabundance and scarcity of water are global concerns. Across the world’s low-lying coastal plains, flooding brought on by sea level rise acts as an existential threat for a multitude of people and cultures while in desert (and increasingly non-desert) regions intensifying drought cycles do the same. In the decades to come, how people manage these threats will have important implications not only for individual and cultural survival, but also for questions of justice. Recent research on flooding and flood management probes the histories of survival, and adaptation in flood threatened regions for insights into emergent flood-related crises. However, scholars have thus far overemphasized the technical aspects of how engineered flood control systems functioned, overlooking both the specific social, political, and economic contexts within which past practices emerged and the social worlds that they helped create. This dissertation examines the social, economic, and political histories of flood control projects in the South American country of Guyana in order to understand the long lasting social, political, and environmental impacts of colonial-era projects.
To do this, I utilized archival data collected from the National Archives in London, UK, historical newspaper articles collected through online newspaper databases, press release statements from Guyana’s major political parties, and unstructured and semi-structured interviews with residents from coastal Guyana. These data were imported and analyzed using qualitative data analysis software in order to make connections across spatial and temporal scales.
The key finding of the dissertation is that, in Guyana, flood control engineering has historically played multiple social, political, and economic roles beyond the functional explanations assumed in many present environmental management discourses. Colonial engineering projects served as a way to protect colonizers from economic crises and social upheaval and were not just a means for protecting the coast from flooding. Additionally, the dissertation found that these projects were key to creating the racial geographies that helped to protect colonialism in its final years and which continue to shape coastal life today. Finally, the dissertation found that, after the end of colonialism, flood engineering projects were incorporated into larger projects of racialized regime survival.
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Natali, Andrea. "Double Dyke System - Natural engineering solutions." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2020. http://amslaurea.unibo.it/21243/.
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According to various studies, the effects of climate change will be a danger to ecosystems and the population, especially in coastal areas, increasing the risk of floods. Authorities are taking action to prevent future disasters using traditional engineering solutions. These solutions can have high environmental and economic costs, fixing the coastline, increasing the salinization of aquifers, and can be subject to failure mechanisms.
For this reason, studies were made to use natural engineering solutions for coastal protection, instead of traditional solutions, to achieve the UN SDGs. Coastal ecosystems have the natural ability to repair and restore themselves, increasing soil elevation, and attenuating waves. One of these solutions is the Double Dyke System, consisting of creating a salt marsh between the first dyke and a second inland. The goal is to protect the coasts and to restore ecosystems.
The purpose of this study is to compare the costs of natural engineering solutions with traditional ones. It is assumed that these solutions may be more effective and less expensive in the long run. For this evaluation, a suitability analysis of the polders in the Dutch Zeeland region to assess the costs and benefits under different SLR scenarios was made. A saline intrusion model was also created to analyze the effects of a salt marsh on the aquifers. From the analyzes conducted, the implementation of the DDS turns out to be the cheapest coastal defense system in all SLR scenarios. The presence of a salt marsh could also have a positive impact on the prevention of saline intrusion in the various scenarios considered.
The DDS could have a positive economic and environmental impact in the long term, reducing the investment costs for coastal defense and bringing important benefits for the protection of man and nature.
Despite the results, more studies are needed on the efficiency of this defense system and on the economic evaluation of non-marketable ecosystem services.
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Fermor, Hazel Louise. "Engineering of natural cartilage substitution biomaterials." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2013. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/6328/.
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Cartilage lesions cause pain and a loss of joint motion, and if not repaired will further degenerate into an osteoarthritic state. Currently the only treatment options for end stage osteoarthritis are total joint replacements, which are not preferable for younger or more active patients. Early intervention therapies to repair initial cartilage damage and stem the progression of osteoarthritis are thought to be a more favourable treatment option in appropriate cases. It is hypothesised that an acellular xenogeneic osteochondral scaffold could be used in mosaicplasty-like operations to provide an immunocompatible, off-the-shelf biomaterial for osteochondral lesion repair, retaining the same natural composition, structure and function as native cartilage. Initial characterisation of cartilages from different species (pig, cow and sheep) and joint regions of the hip and knee revealed differences in cartilage biology, biochemistry and biomechanics. Osteochondral tissues from skeletally immature porcine medial condyles were selected along with mature bovine femoral groove tissues as source materials for decellularisation, primarily based on cartilage thickness and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content. Bovine osteochondral pins were subject to a number of decellularisation protocols and were shown to be successfully decellularised following use of a water pik to remove bone marrow, four cycles of freeze-thaw (two of which were in a hypotonic buffer with protease inhibitors), two cycles of hypotonic buffer followed by incubation in 0.1 % (w/v) SDS with protease inhibitors and treatment with nucleases and sterilisation with 0.1 % (v/v) peracetic acid. The process removed all whole cell nuclei, as visualised by histology and reduced cartilage DNA content per cartilage dry weight to 39 ng.mg-1. However, the process removed 99% of GAGs and resulted in reduced biomechanical properties. Porcine osteochondral pins were fully decellularised following use of the above process with one cycle of incubation in hypotonic buffer and 0.1 % (w/v) SDS in hypotonic buffer. Cartilage DNA content was reduced by 98% and the osteochondral tissues contained no visible cell nuclei. Cartilage GAG content was reduced by 60 %. Further alterations to the protocol to improve GAG retention revealed cartilage damage; histologically appearing highly porous and having greatly increased water content and almost complete GAG loss. A comprehensive investigation was conducted to identify the cause of the damage, however no protocol could be developed which completely eradicated cartilage damage. Further characterisation of acellular bovine osteochondral scaffolds showed that a low concentration of SDS remained in the bone, and that this had cytotoxic effects when incubated in contact with BHK cells. Further washes in PBS were added to the protocol to remove excess SDS, however this increased washing led to damage of the bovine cartilage, as seen previously in porcine osteochondral decellularisation. Finally, the decellularisation process was applied to whole porcine condyles in which the ratio of cut edge to cartilage area was minimised and minimal damage to the decellularised cartilage was seen. In summary, the complex microstructure of cartilage has been shown to be surprisingly fragile ex vivo and a novel approach to the development of clinically relevant acellular osteochondral grafts is required; however significant advances have been made in the current study.
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Costelloe, S. J. "Natural evolution and engineering of transketolase." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2006. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1446302/.
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Transketolase (TK) is an important metabolic enzyme in all organisms. The enantioselective carbon-carbon bond forming action of TK makes it significantly interesting for biocatalysis. TKs from different organisms exhibit varied substrate specificities mediated by a small number of differing residues, giving insight into a potential route for engineering new enzymes. TK uses Thiamine Pyrophosphate (TPP) as cofactor, as do many other evolutionarily related enzymes. In Chapter 3, a phylogenetic analysis of the catalytic domains of TPP-dependent enzymes enabled the assembly of the evolutionary history of this enzyme family. In Chapter 4, the evolution of the differing substrate specificities of Eschericia coli TK and Saccharomyces cerevisiae TK from their most recent common ancestor enzyme was analysed. A detailed phylogenetic analysis of TK was performed, yielding the amino acid sequences of the ancient TKs. TKs linking the common ancestor of E. coli and S.cerevisiae with extant E. coli TK were "resurrected" and assayed for the P-Hydroxypyruvate (P-HPA) + glycoaldehyde (GA) reaction. The common ancestor TK and E. coli TK were assayed for many reactions to define their substrate repertoires and to elucidate any evolutionary trends in substrate specificity. p-HPA is the ideal donor substrate for TK, since it yields CO2, making reactions irreversible. p-HPA is not readily available commercially and is very expensive. To be industrially viable, a cheaper donor is needed. Pyruvate is much cheaper than P-HPA yet TK has never been shown to use pyruvate as a donor. Chapter 5 describes a comparison of TK with the pyruvate utilising TPP-dependent enzymes DXPS and PDC, suggesting residues which may confer pyruvate usage. Mutants were generated and tested for activity with pyruvate. In Chapter 6, the non-catalytic C-terminal domain of TK (TKC domain) was examined. The function of the TKC domain is currently undefined. In this chapter the TKC domain is removed and it is shown that the TK enzyme activity is retained.
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Williams, James J. M. B. A. "Living with nature the Farnsworth House and the environmental successes and failures of Modernist architecture." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1445342413.
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Singer, Marc. "Study and Modeling of the Localized Nature of Top of the Line Corrosion." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1372426641.
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Bajwa, Sohaib-Shahid. "Investigating the Nature of Relationship between Software Size and Development Effort." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Avdelningen för för interaktion och systemdesign, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-6004.
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Software effort estimation still remains a challenging and debatable research area. Most of the software effort estimation models take software size as the base input. Among the others, Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO II) is a widely known effort estimation model. It uses Source Lines of Code (SLOC) as the software size to estimate effort. However, many problems arise while using SLOC as a size measure due to its late availability in the software life cycle. Therefore, a lot of research has been going on to identify the nature of relationship between software functional size and effort since functional size can be measured very early when the functional user requirements are available. There are many other project related factors that were found to be affecting the effort estimation based on software size. Application Type, Programming Language, Development Type are some of them. This thesis aims to investigate the nature of relationship between software size and development effort. It explains known effort estimation models and gives an understanding about the Function Point and Functional Size Measurement (FSM) method. Factors, affecting relationship between software size and development effort, are also identified. In the end, an effort estimation model is developed after statistical analyses. We present the results of an empirical study which we conducted to investigate the significance of different project related factors on the relationship between functional size and effort. We used the projects data in the International Software Benchmarking Standards Group (ISBSG) dataset. We selected the projects which were measured by utilizing the Common Software Measurement International Consortium (COSMIC) Function Points. For statistical analyses, we performed step wise Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Analysis of Co-Variance (ANCOVA) techniques to build the multi variable models. We also performed Multiple Regression Analysis to formalize the relation.Software effort estimation still remains a challenging and debatable research area. Most of the software effort estimation models take software size as the base input. Among the others, Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO II) is a widely known effort estimation model. It uses Source Lines of Code (SLOC) as the software size to estimate effort. However, many problems arise while using SLOC as a size measure due to its late availability in the software life cycle. Therefore, a lot of research has been going on to identify the nature of relationship between software functional size and effort since functional size can be measured very early when the functional user requirements are available. There are many other project related factors that were found to be affecting the effort estimation based on software size. Application Type, Programming Language, Development Type are some of them. This thesis aims to investigate the nature of relationship between software size and development effort. It explains known effort estimation models and gives an understanding about the Function Point and Functional Size Measurement (FSM) method. Factors, affecting relationship between software size and development effort, are also identified. In the end, an effort estimation model is developed after statistical analyses. We present the results of an empirical study which we conducted to investigate the significance of different project related factors on the relationship between functional size and effort. We used the projects data in the International Software Benchmarking Standards Group (ISBSG) dataset. We selected the projects which were measured by utilizing the Common Software Measurement International Consortium (COSMIC) Function Points. For statistical analyses, we performed step wise Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Analysis of Co-Variance (ANCOVA) techniques to build the multi variable models. We also performed Multiple Regression Analysis to formalize the relation.
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Seidel, Gary Don. "Micromechanics modeling of the multifunctional nature of carbon nanotube-polymer nanocomposites." [College Station, Tex. : Texas A&M University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1881.
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Georgaki, Eleni. "The Changing Nature of Work and Worker in the Digital Era." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för informatik (IK), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-81018.
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This thesis aims to investigate the major consequences Information and Technology have caused to Work since the relationship among these factors remains poorly understood. Artificial Intelligence (AI), enabled by Machine Learning (ML) and Big Data have entered dynamically the workplaces. The digital transformation of modern organizations is of strategic importance and inevitably shapes the future of work as we know it impacting on various dimensions, such as deskilling, emergence of new skills, new forms of organizing and strategizing, such as crowdsourcing. The research involves the use of qualitative methods: the data collection includes interviews data, as well as document analysis. The data analysis explores the research question.
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Lindell, Linda. "Interface Engineering in Organic Electronics." Doctoral thesis, Linköpings universitet, Ytors Fysik och Kemi, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-72236.
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Organic electronics is a field covering all applications and devices where one or several of the active components are made of organic material, such as organic light emitting diodes, organic solar cells, organic thin film transistors, organic magnets for spintronics etc. In all of the applications mentioned above, transport of charges across both inorganic/organic and organic/organic interfaces play a key role for device performance. In order to achieve high efficiencies and longer life-times, proper matching of the electronic energy levels of the different materials is needed. The aim of the research presented in this thesis has been to explore different routes to optimize interface energetics and gain deeper knowledge of the mechanisms that govern charge transport over the interface. Photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) is a method well suited to study both interactions between different materials taking place at surfaces as well as interface energetics. One way to achieve proper matching of interfaces energy levels is by adding a dipole layer. In the three first papers presented in the thesis, the method of adding a monolayer of small organic molecules to change the work function of the surface is investigated. We start with a model system consisting of a nickel surface and PPDA molecules where we have strong interaction and mixing of orbitals between the molecule and the metal surface. The second system consists of a gold surface and TDAE molecules with weaker interaction with integer electron transfer and finally in the third paper an organic surface VPP-PEDOT-Tos is modified, with TDAE, to create a transparent low work function organic electrode. In the fourth paper, we focus on gaining deeper understanding of the Integer Charge Transfer (ICT) model and the mechanisms governing the alignment of energy levels at organic/(in)organic interfaces and in the fifth paper we continue to challenge this model by using it to predict the behavior of a bilayer device, in terms of energy level alignment.
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Vosloo, Robert Nicolaas. "The role of civil engineering professionals within the housing environment in South Africa." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/20146.
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Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The development of mass housing is an excellent example of multi-disciplinary projects. Several housing projects have been unsuccessful due to a misunderstanding of the necessary collaboration and buy-in that are required from all parties concerned. The focus of this study is to identify the required skill sets and responsibilities of the Housing Project Manager in the Housing environment, and in turn, will support the development of the foundation of the civil engineering postgraduate curricula. Civil engineers are educated with a strong focus on technical subjects, but not much attention is paid to many of the less technical aspects as found in housing projects. Furthermore, the multi-disciplinary aspects of large projects do not receive sufficient attention in either the undergraduate or postgraduate curricula. Considering that many civil engineers become actively involved as managers of housing projects, this paper will present an investigation into the requirements of the curricula of a postgraduate qualification for civil engineers towards becoming managers in housing projects. The investigation will include aspects of multi-disciplinary coordination, the less technical aspects of housing development, but will not exclude a comprehension of technical involvement. In order to identify these skill sets and responsibilities several approaches were adopted. The approaches adopted in this dissertation include: (i) a comprehensive literature study regarding the housing environment and the position of the housing project manager, (ii) a review of several housing case studies with project management related problems, (iii) consulting with several housing management professionals from different sectors in the housing industry, and (iv) a review of existing formulations of the role and responsibilities of the housing project manager. The findings from this study provide evidence that civil engineers operating in the housing environment as project managers require additional education, due to the multi-disciplinary nature of housing projects. The main conclusion drawn from this study is that educating civil engineers towards the management of housing projects would contribute significantly to the housing environment through increasing productivity and quality, and can contribute to meet the housing targets of the government.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ontwikkeling van massa behuising is 'n uitstekende voorbeeld van multidissiplinêre projekte. Verskeie behuisingsprojekte was al onsuksesvol as gevolg van 'n misverstand oor die nodige samewerking en bydraes wat vereis word van alle betrokke partye. Die fokus van hierdie studie is om die vaardighede en verantwoordelikhede van die behuisingsprojekbestuurder in die behuisingsomgewing te identifiseer. Hierdie kennis ondersteun die ontwikkeling van ʼn raamwerk vir ʼn nagraadse kurrikulum in behuisingsbestuur. Siviele ingenieurs is opgelei met 'n sterk fokus op tegniese vaardighede, maar relatief min aandag word geskenk aan minder tegniese aspekte soos gevind word in behuisingsprojekte. Verder, multidissiplinêre bestuursaspekte van groot projekte ontvang nie voldoende aandag in óf die voorgraadse óf nagraadse kurrikula nie. Wetende dat baie siviele ingenieurs aktief betrokke raak as bestuurders van behuisingsprojekte, ondersoek hierdie studie ʼn raamwerk vir ʼn nagraadse kwalifikasie vir siviele ingenieurs as bestuurders van behuisingsprojekte. Die ondersoek sluit in aspekte van die multidissiplinêre koördinasie asook minder tegniese aspekte van behuisingsontwikkeling, maar dit sluit nie 'n begrip van die tegniese betrokkenheid uit nie. Verskeie benaderings is toegepas om die vaardighede en verantwoordelikhede van behuisingsbestuurders te identifiseer. Die benaderings sluit in: (i) 'n omvattende literatuurstudie ten opsigte van behuising en die posisie van die behuisings-projekbestuurder, (ii) 'n oorsig van verskeie behuisings- gevallestudies met projekbestuur verwante probleme, (iii) raadpleging met verskeie professionele rolspelers van verskillende sektore in die behuisingbestuur omgewing, en (iv) 'n hersiening van bestaande beskrywings van die rol en verantwoordelikhede van die behuisings-projekbestuurder. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie verskaf bewyse dat siviele ingenieurs wat in die behuisingsbedryf as projekbestuurders optree, bykomende opleiding benodig as gevolg van die multidissiplinêre aard van projekte. Die belangrikste gevolgtrekking van hierdie studie is dat die opleiding van siviele ingenieurs in die bestuur van behuisingsprojekte ʼn aansienlike bydrae kan lewer tot behuising deur produktiwiteit en kwaliteit te verhoog. Dit kan bydra tot die bereiking van die regering se behuisingsdoelwitte.