Engineering Commons^™

Technology Adoption By California Central Coast Contractors, Nicholas A. English

Construction Management

Technology is trending in Construction, but it is unclear if smaller contractors have kept up with these trends like larger national companies have. This survey of San Luis Obispo County specialty and general contractors queried technology adoption, specific software use, estimator age, and opinions of various estimating attributes. It found that the majority of contractors use traditional estimating and quantity takeoff methods, the majority of contractors are 31 years old or older, and that local estimators value experience and knowledge as opposed to computer expertise. Local contractors recognize the value technology can provide, but have not adopted it in a …

Studying The Effects Of Serpentine Soil On Adapted And Non-Adapted Species Using Arduino Technology, Kiana Saniee, Edward Himelblau, Brian Paavo

STAR Program Research Presentations

Abstract: Serpentine soils are formed from ultramafic rocks and are represent an extreme environment for plants. Serpentine soils are unique in that they carry high concentrations of heavy metals, are nutrient deficient, particularly in calcium, and have poor water retention capabilities. Although these soils constitute harsh conditions for plant growth, there are a number of species that are adapted and even endemic to serpentine soil. Water retention by commercial potting mix was compared with serpentine soil. Also, serpentine adapted and non-adapted species were grown in both soil treatments and physiological data were collected. We used the Arduino electronic platform to …

From Mechanic To Designer: Evolving Perceptions Of Elementary Students Over Three Years Of Engineering Instruction, Anastasia M. Rynearson

Open Access Dissertations

Due in part to increasing state standards that require engineering in K-12 curricula and the Next Generation Science Standards’ incorporation of engineering outcomes, inclusion of engineering into elementary classrooms is on the rise. Teacher development and experiences in learning about and implementing engineering have been studied, but elementary students’ experiences when learning about engineering have not been explored.

The purpose of this study is to address the question: How do elementary students’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, and overall conceptions of engineering evolve over three years of engineering instruction?

This study follows seven elementary school students through three years of engineering …

Fugitive Emissions, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about fugitive emissions, their causes, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods of detection and regulation.

Recognition Of Smoking Gesture Using Smart Watch Technology, Casey A. Cole, Bethany Janos, Dien Anshari, James Thrasher, Scott Strayer, Homayoun Valafar

Faculty Publications

Diseases resulting from prolonged smoking are the most common preventable causes of death in the world today. In this report we investigate the success of utilizing accelerometer sensors in smart watches to identify smoking gestures. Early identification of smoking gestures can help to initiate the appropriate intervention method and prevent relapses in smoking. Our experiments indicate 85%-95% success rates in identification of smoking gesture among other similar gestures using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). Our investigations concluded that information obtained from the x-dimension of accelerometers is the best means of identifying the smoking gesture, while y and z dimensions are helpful …

Infographic: Stem Workforce And Careers, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

School educators are being encouraged to give students more information about STEM-related careers. So, what are the top occupations of STEM graduates? Find out in this Teacher infographic.

An Investigation Of The Impact A Rov Competition Curriculum Has On Student Interest In Stem, Specifically Technology And Engineering, Daniel Gordon Bates

Student Works

This research investigates the impact a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) program has on student interest in, and perception of, technology and engineering (sTEm). ROV programs embed areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) into their curriculum; however, emphasis for this study is placed on interest and perception of the "T" and "E" of STEM. Although there are many articles detailing the benefits of ROV programs, there is little empirical data documenting the impact on student interest and perception of sTEm. This study outlines the background of a few major ROV programs in the U.S.; specifically Utah Underwater Robotics (UUR), …

An Investigation Of The Impact A Rov Competition Curriculum Has On Student Interest In Stem, Specifically Technology And Engineering, Daniel Gordon Bates

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the impact a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) program has on student interest in, and perception of, technology and engineering (sTEm). ROV programs embed areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) into their curriculum; however, emphasis for this study is placed on interest and perception of the "T" and "E" of STEM. Although there are many articles detailing the benefits of ROV programs, there is little empirical data documenting the impact on student interest and perception of sTEm. This study outlines the background of a few major ROV programs in the U.S.; specifically Utah Underwater Robotics (UUR), …

Civil Engineering And Construction News, Georgia Southern University

Civil Engineering & Construction News (2011-2022)

• Georgia Southern hosts Symposium in Construction Technology & Management – Friday, May 20

Gold Nanoparticle Colorimetric Sensing Technology, Eve Borden

Nanoscale Science & Engineering (discontinued with class year 2014)

No abstract provided.

Intelligent Voice Activated Home Automation (Iva), Mrunal Dipakkumar Bhatt

ETD Archive

This thesis presents the design of an original Intelligent Home Automation Architecture. My work was divided in two phases. The first portion was dedicated to acquiring a thorough understanding of the most successful and diffused Home-Automation commercial architectures. During this phase, I intended to gain a deep appreciation for the variety of organizations, capabilities, limitations, and potential areas of growth of the existing Home-Automation leading systems. In order to acquire this knowledge, I had to use a reverse engineering approach. The reason for using this methodology arises from the fact that all the products considered in this study are commercially …

Implementation Of Health Technology Assessment Work In A Hospital In Kazakhstan, Lyazzat Kosherbayeva, David M. Hailey, Kural Kurakbaev, Aleksey Tsoy, Ormanbek Zhuzzhanov, Abilay Donbay, Ainur Kumar, Kamalzhan Nadyrov

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Objectives: The aim of this study was to implement health technology assessment (HA) in the First General City Hospital in Astana, Kazakhstan. Methods: We organized trainings to familiarize hospital staff with the purpose and details of HTA. An HTA committee was established, with representation from hospital physicians and managers, and criteria for prioritization of health technologies determined. Clinical departments of the hospital were asked to prepare applications for new technologies for their services. Results: The HTA committee reviewed five applications and selected a technology from one of these, on single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS), for assessment. A short HTA report …

A Process Of Prioritizing Topics For Health Technology Assessment In Kazakhstan, Lyazzat Kosherbayeva, David M. Hailey, Kural Kurakbaev, Adlet Tabarov, Ainur Kumar, Gulnara Gutzskaya, Elena Stepkina

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop criteria for the prioritization of topics for health technology assessment (HTA) in the healthcare system of Kazakhstan. Methods: Initial proposals for criteria were suggested through consultation with Ministry of Health (MoH) policy areas. These were refined through a workshop attended by HTA department staff, persons from medical universities and research institutes, and MoH policy makers. The workshop included discussion on methods used in international HTA practice. Opinions of participants on selection of criteria from those specified in a review of prioritization processes were used to define a list for inclusion in …

Commentary On "The Influence Of Hospital-Based Hta On Technology Acquisition Decision", David M. Hailey

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

The article by Dupouy and Gagnon presents a case study on the structure and operation of an HB-HTA unit with reference to an assessment of a diagnostic technology. It gives interesting details on the organization of an HB-HTA program, and of the approaches that were taken in the assessment. It also notes the demands on a small unit and some limits to its activities. Semi-structured interviews were held with informants from three groups in the hospital. Excerpts from the interviews provide further insight. Projects of the HTA Unit are assisted by a stakeholders working group; information is included on its …

Persuasive Technology In Mobile Applications Promoting Physical Activity: A Systematic Review, John Matthews, Khin Than Win, Harri Oinas-Kukkonen, Mark Freeman

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Persuasive technology in mobile applications can be used to influence the behaviour of users. A framework known as the Persuasive Systems Design model has been developed for designing and evaluating systems that influence the attitudes or behaviours of users. This paper reviews the current state of mobile applications for health behavioural change with an emphasis on applications that promote physical activity. The inbuilt persuasive features of mobile applications were evaluated using the Persuasive Systems Design model. A database search was conducted to identify relevant articles. Articles were then reviewed using the Persuasive Systems Design model as a framework for analysis. …

Development Of Intermediate Cooling Technology And Its Control For Two-Stand Plate Rolling, Fei Zhang, Wei Yu, Tao Liu

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

In a plate rolling production line, thermomechanically controlled processing is critical for plate quality. In this paper, a set of intermediate cooling equipment of a two-stand plate mill with super density nozzles, medium pressure, and small flow is developed. Based on a simplified dynamic model, a cooling control scheme with combined feedforward, feedback, and adaptive algorithms is put forward. The new controlled rolling process and the highly efficient control system improve the controlled rolling efficiency by an average of 17.66%. The proposed intermediate cooling system can also effectively inhibit the growth of austenite grain, improve the impact toughness and yield …

Modeling Social, Economic, Technical & Environmental Components In An Energy System, Ange-Lionel Toba, Mamadou Seck

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Energy system models have become the main supporting tool for energy policy. Modern challenges in energy policy require energy systems models that integrate technical, environmental and societal aspects of the energy systems. In this paper, we introduce a conceptual model for an energy system model that specifies the relationships between social, technical, environmental, and economic aspects of an energy system. This conceptual model presented in the IDEF0 language will serve as a basis for a computational energy systems model. © 2016 The Authors.

Comparative Analysis Of Locally Available Materials For Treadle Pump Seals In Senegal, West Africa, Brennan Tymrak

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

For rural farmers in Senegal, West Africa, pulling water for irrigation can be a laborious but necessary task during the dry season to earn income from vegetable gardening. Traditional water pulling methods are inexpensive but require great physical effort, while modern machines decrease the labor burden but at a high financial cost. This study looked at an intermediate water pulling technology, the treadle pump, and how it could be improved to become more desirable for use in agricultural irrigation. A treadle pump was built and tested during field work in a rural Senegalese village. Observations from field testing prompted a …

Table Of Contents

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Table of Contents for Volume 25 Number 4

Fibre Bragg Grating Sensing Technology For The Evaluation Of Physical Properties Of Dental Resin Composites, Ginu Rajan, Paul Shouha, Ayman Ellakwa, Jiangtao Xi, Gangadhara B. Prusty

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

The characterization of the physical properties of dental resin composites is fraught with difficulties relating to significant intra and inter test parameter variabilities and is relatively time consuming and expensive. The main aim of this study was to evaluate whether optical fibre Brag grating (FBG) sensing system may become a viable tool to study dental material characteristics. Of particular focus was the potential for the system to demonstrate a multi parameter all-in-one feature. A miniature FBG was embedded in six different dental resin composites and employed as a sensor to evaluate linear polymerization shrinkage, thermal expansion and water sorption. This …

Influence Of Health Technology Assessment And Its Measurement, David M. Hailey, Sophie Werko, Mans Rosen, Karen Macpherson, Susan Myles, Veronica Gallegos Rivera, Cecilia Hipolito-Olivares, Sinnika Sihvo, Jasmine Pwu, Wen-Wen Yang, Yong-Chen Chen, Ana Perez Galan, Alicia Aleman, Elena Villamil

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to obtain information on methods used to measure health technology assessment (HTA) influence, decisions that were influenced, and outcomes linked to HTA. METHODS: Electronic databases were used to locate studies in which HTA influence had been demonstrated. Inclusion criteria were studies that reliably reported consideration by decision makers of HTA findings; comparative studies of technology use before and after HTA; and details of changes in policy, health outcomes, or research that could be credibly linked to an HTA. RESULTS: Fifty-one studies were selected for review. Settings were national (24), regional (12), both national …