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2024

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Articles 1201 - 1230 of 1793

Full-Text Articles in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Lateral Load Response Of Semi-Interlocking Mortarless Masonry-Infilled Frames, Sonam Dorji, Hossein Derakhshan, David P. Thambiratnam, Alireza Mohyeddin Mar 2024

Lateral Load Response Of Semi-Interlocking Mortarless Masonry-Infilled Frames, Sonam Dorji, Hossein Derakhshan, David P. Thambiratnam, Alireza Mohyeddin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Structural frames infilled with masonry material called masonry-infilled frames (MIFs) are common types of constructions around the world. These structures generally have mortared masonry as infill material which made the buildings stiff during past earthquakes and generated additional torsional forces. With a view to improve the seismic performance of MIFs this paper presents the results of a numerical simulation study on the behaviour of previously-tested MIFs with semi-interlocking masonry (SIM) material. In a simplified micro-modelling approach, the concrete and masonry materials are simulated using Concrete Damaged Plasticity technique and the joints are considered as zero-thickness cohesive interfaces modelled using traction-separation …

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Strengthening The Deployment Of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (Uas) At Kytc, Rachel Catchings, Suzanne Smith, Gayle Marks, Candice Wallace, Christopher Van Dyke Mar 2024

Strengthening The Deployment Of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (Uas) At Kytc, Rachel Catchings, Suzanne Smith, Gayle Marks, Candice Wallace, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and transportation agencies around the United States increasingly depends on uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS — also commonly known as drones) to collect data and accelerate project development and delivery. Drones let transportation practitioners safely and efficiently perform many activities, including bridge and highway inspection, construction monitoring, surveying, emergency response, and measuring stockpiles. KYTC’s implementation of UAS has expanded rapidly over the past 10 years, however, the agency lacks well-coordinated procedures for connecting pilots with end data users, scheduling and conducting flights, developing and documenting best practices, and processing and storing data. Based on a review …

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Best Practices For Recruitment And Retention Of Transportation Professionals, Chris Van Dyke, Bryan Gibson, Sarah Mccormack, Merl Hackbart, Doug Kreis Mar 2024

Best Practices For Recruitment And Retention Of Transportation Professionals, Chris Van Dyke, Bryan Gibson, Sarah Mccormack, Merl Hackbart, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Many public sector agencies, including state departments of transportation (DOTs), have long found recruiting and retaining staff a daunting challenge. Lured by the promise of higher salaries in the private sector, many people are reluctant to sacrifice their long-term earnings potential to pursue public service. And with the quality of fringe benefits (e.g., retirement plans, health insurance) offered by public agencies having declined gradually, it is even more difficult to persuade prospective employees to accept a lower salary. Many studies over the past 15—20 years have looked at methods for solving the problem of recruitment and retention within the context …

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Advanced Oxidation Of Methyl Tert Butyl Ether With Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes, Aaron R. Neal Mar 2024

Advanced Oxidation Of Methyl Tert Butyl Ether With Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes, Aaron R. Neal

Theses and Dissertations

Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE) is a volatile, soluble, organic compound introduced to gasoline within the United States as a fuel oxygenator in 1979. MTBE is a common groundwater pollutant due to its high water solubility and resistance to bio-degradation; it commonly infiltrates groundwater sources via leaking underground storage tanks or fuel spills. This research employed ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced advanced oxidation process (AOP) to treat MTBE contaminated water at the bench scale. Using four H2O2:MTBE molar peroxide ratios (100:1, 200:1, 400:1, 500:1), MTBE degradation was induced …

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Evaluation Of Ndot’S Sediment Barrier Practices Using Performance Data, Michael A. Perez, Wesley N. Donald, J. Blake Whitman, Brian G. Roche Mar 2024

Evaluation Of Ndot’S Sediment Barrier Practices Using Performance Data, Michael A. Perez, Wesley N. Donald, J. Blake Whitman, Brian G. Roche

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

To protect waterways adjacent to construction projects with disturbed land, a 50 ft (15 m) vegetated buffer or equivalent sediment controls are required. However, there is little guidance on the effectiveness of vegetated buffers in removing sediment or how sediment barriers can aid shorter buffers or replace buffers. A modeling methodology was developed and used to determine the performance of 11,664 50 ft (15 m) vegetated buffer configurations with Nebraska conditions; sediment capture averaged 92.6% and ranged from 18.5% to 99.5%. To determine the performance of Nebraska Department of Transportation standard and modified sediment barrier installations, a large-scale testing methodology …

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Distributed Solar Generation: Current Knowledge And Future Trends, Gasser G. Ali, Islam H. El-Adaway Mar 2024

Distributed Solar Generation: Current Knowledge And Future Trends, Gasser G. Ali, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Distributed solar generation (DSG) has been growing over the previous years because of its numerous advantages of being sustainable, flexible, reliable, and increasingly affordable. DSG is a broad and multidisciplinary research field because it relates to various fields in engineering, social sciences, economics, public policy, and others. Developing a holistic understanding of the state of research related to DSG can be difficult. Motivated to provide that understanding, the goal of this paper is to explore current and emerging multidisciplinary research trends associated with DSG. To achieve that, (1) a large data set of approximately 66,000 publications was collected; (2) the …

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Pcor Partnership Atlas, Wesley D. Peck, Kari Suedel, Kyle A. Glazewski, Kevin C. Connors, James A. Sorensen, Charles D. Gorecki, Brian P. Kalk, John A. Harju Mar 2024

Pcor Partnership Atlas, Wesley D. Peck, Kari Suedel, Kyle A. Glazewski, Kevin C. Connors, James A. Sorensen, Charles D. Gorecki, Brian P. Kalk, John A. Harju

EERC Maps and Infographics

The Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Atlas provides a profile of CO2 sources and potential storage locations across the PCOR Partnership region. The revised sixth edition of the Atlas provides an up-to-date look at PCOR Partnership initiative activities, including additional regional characterization and updates on commercial projects. Additional background information on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is included to give a better understanding of how CCUS addresses concerns about climate change while allowing future energy needs to be met.

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Effect Of Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicles On Tire–Pavement Contact Forces, Jaime Hernandez, Angeli Jayme, Johann J. Cardenas Huaman, Imad L. Al-Qadi Mar 2024

Effect Of Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicles On Tire–Pavement Contact Forces, Jaime Hernandez, Angeli Jayme, Johann J. Cardenas Huaman, Imad L. Al-Qadi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Electric vehicles offer higher acceleration than conventional internal combustion engines due to larger engine torque. The design and placement of battery packs in heavy-duty electric vehicles are still being optimized, as they can affect axle load distributions and consequently impact pavement analysis and design. This study presents a finite element model of a dual tire assembly considering varying load and acceleration conditions to investigate the effect of conventional and electric heavy-duty vehicles on tire–pavement contact forces. Three scenarios for battery pack locations were examined, leading to six loading conditions for both internal combustion engines and electric trucks. The resulting 3D …

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Soil Nitrate Prediction Using Ftir-Atr, Vis-Nir, And Raman Spectroscopy, Sabiha Ferdous Mar 2024

Soil Nitrate Prediction Using Ftir-Atr, Vis-Nir, And Raman Spectroscopy, Sabiha Ferdous

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with Attenuated total reflectance (ATR), Visible-Near Infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIR), and Raman spectroscopy (RS) are non-destructive techniques for rapid determination of nitrogen compounds in soil. Leveraging FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR spectra using partial least squares regression (PLSR) modeling, the study aims to predict soil nitrate content and explored the feasibility of Raman spectroscopy to detect nitrate (NO3-), nitrite (NO2-), and ammonium (NH4+) in soil. Soil samples were collected from four different fields, dried, sieved (2mm), and then used for collecting spectra (FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR). Laboratory analysis was …

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A Novel And Enhanced Calibration Of The Tilting Weir As A Flow Measurement Structure, Joseph E. Pugh, S. Karan Venayagamoorthy, Timothy K. Gates, Céline Berni, Marie Rastello Mar 2024

A Novel And Enhanced Calibration Of The Tilting Weir As A Flow Measurement Structure, Joseph E. Pugh, S. Karan Venayagamoorthy, Timothy K. Gates, Céline Berni, Marie Rastello

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A large collection of laboratory measurements of piezometric head (h) and discharge (Q) were made over hydraulic models of a tilting weir at nine different angles, ranging from 25.7° to 90° within a 0.3-m-wide flume. These measurements were corroborated with additional laboratory data taken within a 1-m-wide flume across four inclination angles. The range of both inclination angle (θ) and flow scale examined in this study elucidate the nature of the head-discharge rating equation beyond previous work. Results show that as θ decreases under a constant Q, the h over the weir decreases in a monotonic fashion due to the …

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Case Study: Diesel Powered Loaders Compared To Electric Loaders In Heavy Civil Construction, Jayson Downs Mar 2024

Case Study: Diesel Powered Loaders Compared To Electric Loaders In Heavy Civil Construction, Jayson Downs

Construction Management

As the construction sector evolves, the environmental consequences of greenhouse gasses have become a significant issue. Numerous contractors are transitioning to electric-powered systems, which offer more energy-efficient methods for heavy machinery, enhanced productivity, and construction equipment that meets new and improved emission standards. This paper aims to examine the viability of heavy civil construction firms transitioning from traditional diesel-powered wheel loaders to electric wheel loaders. Given the competitive and saturated market in road construction, many contractors have already started investing in electric systems. This results in cost savings in terms of fuel efficiency and operating expenses compared to conventionally fueled …

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Efficacy Of Passive Ventilation With High Exhaust Demands: A Case Study Of Cal Poly Sst, Siddarth Bokka Mar 2024

Efficacy Of Passive Ventilation With High Exhaust Demands: A Case Study Of Cal Poly Sst, Siddarth Bokka

Construction Management

The Simpson Strong Tie Demonstration Laboratory serves as a multipurpose space allowing students at the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University to build full scale construction projects. The building features a material storage area, a high bay for construction of full-scale projects, and a mezzanine level that houses digital fabrication equipment. However, the building was never designed to house the specific equipment currently installed on the mezzanine and ventilate the exhaust fumes from them. Rather, the building relies on passive natural ventilation that is likely ineffective at properly exhausting hazardous fumes, resulting in complaints from …

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The Impact Of Culture On Construction, Vatulele Uluakiotonga Finau Mar 2024

The Impact Of Culture On Construction, Vatulele Uluakiotonga Finau

Construction Management

The aim of this comprehensive exploration is to identify elements within Japanese, Islamic/Arabic, and Tongan cultures that can be implemented into construction practices in California, leveraging their unique values to enhance home design and construction. The study reveals that culture plays a pivotal role in shaping the design and construction of homes, reflecting deeply held values, traditions, and societal norms. Through qualitative research, expert interviews, and a detailed literature review, key elements defining each cultural approach to housing are elucidated. From the emphasis on privacy and natural ventilation in Japanese homes to the integration of modesty and hospitality in Islamic/Arabic …

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Lemur Enclosure, Joshua Mancio, Justin Krietzberg Mar 2024

Lemur Enclosure, Joshua Mancio, Justin Krietzberg

Construction Management

Zoo-to-You, a local wildlife conservation zoo, proposed a project to construct a new shelter for their lemurs due to the inadequacy of protection for extreme heat or cold weather of their previous enclosure. With three lemurs in residence, the zoo sought to create a spacious and insulated shelter that would provide protection from the elements while allowing connectivity to the adjacent enclosures. Situated amidst two existing circular cages with a gap in between, the project presented unique site conditions on a concrete slab. The scope of the project encompassed estimating, design, material procurement, build-out, and owner turnover, with the objective …

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Effects Of The 2022 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards On New Construction In San Luis Obispo County, Christopher Hoefer Mar 2024

Effects Of The 2022 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards On New Construction In San Luis Obispo County, Christopher Hoefer

Construction Management

California released the first Building Efficiency Standards, or Energy Code, in 1976 and has updated them every three years. These standards aim at limiting the amount of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by buildings in the state. California claims that these standards have saved consumers billions on utility bills, but there is limited information on the upfront impact the Efficiency Standards have had on new construction. This study sought to evaluate the impact that the 2022 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards had on new construction in San Luis Obispo County. Interviews were conducted with local specialty contractors in order …

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Creating Content For Prison Design Course: Nordic Countries Vs. United States, Calvin Steven Clauson Mar 2024

Creating Content For Prison Design Course: Nordic Countries Vs. United States, Calvin Steven Clauson

Construction Management

Since 2010, prisons in Nordic countries have begun to take a very progressive approach to rehabilitating prisoners, addressing prisoners more humanely than is traditionally done in the United States. This project aims to develop course content that looks at the design elements of prisons in the United States and performs a comparative analysis with more progressive Nordic prison designs. Cal Poly’s construction management department will incorporate the developed content into one module of a co-taught course with sociology. The course will examine the ways social changes impact the construction of prisons and the social impacts of design and construction on …

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Sustainability Of Apparel Exporting Industry Facilities In South Asia, Sree L. Anilkuma, George H. Berghorn, M.G. Matt Syal Mar 2024

Sustainability Of Apparel Exporting Industry Facilities In South Asia, Sree L. Anilkuma, George H. Berghorn, M.G. Matt Syal

The Professional Constructor

The apparel industry’s contribution to the gross domestic product in South Asian countries is significant and provides livelihoods for millions of people in this region. Although this industry’s contribution towards the economy is substantial, its negative impact on the environment and the working conditions have always been critical issues of concern. The two countries of emphasis in this research, Bangladesh, and India, have experienced numerous garment factory accidents in the form of building collapses, factory fires, and boiler explosions, which have killed and injured thousands of workers. These incidents have brought attention on the need to improve poor facilities and …

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Taxonomy Of Trust And Maslow’S Hierarchy Of Needsin The Construction Industry, Ann B. Lyons, Vivek Sharma, Shima Clarke Mar 2024

Taxonomy Of Trust And Maslow’S Hierarchy Of Needsin The Construction Industry, Ann B. Lyons, Vivek Sharma, Shima Clarke

The Professional Constructor

Trust is vital in every facet of life, enabling collaborative efforts and valuing contributions from various individuals. This is particularly true in the construction industry, where teamwork is essential for success. Prior research has consistently demonstrated that heightened trust levels significantly contribute to better project outcomes and increased client satisfaction. Despite its critical role, the construction industry has yet to adopt a structured hierarchical perspective of trust that aligns with its unique demands. This study aims to fill this gap by validating a comprehensive taxonomy of trust specifically designed for the construction sector. Through literature review, this study identifies key …

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Student Solutions For Leaf Drying: A Collaborative Approach To Enhance Moringa Production In Ghana, Daniel Desoto Mar 2024

Student Solutions For Leaf Drying: A Collaborative Approach To Enhance Moringa Production In Ghana, Daniel Desoto

Construction Management

This paper expands on a project that seeks to address the need for an updated mechanical leaf drying system for local farmers in Ghana, Africa. Working with the local organization, Moringa Connect, we were able to connect and identify potential areas of improvement within the current existing system. This project involved aspects of design, fundraising, and the construction of a rotating metal hopper. This hopper was identified as a solution for a crucial pinch point currently seen in the processing of the leaves from a wet stage to the final dry product. The design and construction process had a multidisciplinary …

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Designing A Chicken Coop For The San Luis Obispo High School Ffa Farm, Zoe King Mar 2024

Designing A Chicken Coop For The San Luis Obispo High School Ffa Farm, Zoe King

Construction Management

This paper covers the design process by a team of students from Cal Poly to provide a chicken coop for the San Luis Obispo High School FFA Farm. The project, initiated in Summer of 2023, aimed to replace their existing temporary chicken coops with a larger, better functioning structure that could house their 10+ chickens comfortably. The paper focuses primarily on the design phase but touches briefly on material procurement and construction. Through meetings with the client, the team developed a design that met the school’s design criteria and educational needs. The design process involved collaboration and many iterations of …

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Design And Construction Of A Buddy Bench For An Elementary School Play Yard, Remy N. Hickle Mar 2024

Design And Construction Of A Buddy Bench For An Elementary School Play Yard, Remy N. Hickle

Construction Management

A buddy bench was designed, constructed, and installed at the Shasta Meadows Elementary School in Redding, California. A response to loneliness and bullying in schools, the buddy bench is a physical and nonverbal way students can identify the need for companionship on a school playground. By sitting on the bench, students, teachers or school administrators will see them and can come over to spend time with them. Grounded in personal connections and a deep understanding of the school's ethos, the buddy bench aims to foster empathy, inclusion, and support within the student community. Through collaborative efforts with school staff, students, …

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Usage Of Three-Dimensional Reality Capture Products In Construction, Kyle Vaughn Mar 2024

Usage Of Three-Dimensional Reality Capture Products In Construction, Kyle Vaughn

Construction Management

3-Dimensional Reality Capture is an emerging technology employed in the construction industry, involving the usage of 360-Degree cameras which generate digital models of captured environments. The current products offered provide tools for recording as-built historical data, as well as provide more advanced functions for generating QC and project management focused reports based on site conditions. It is hypothesized that the products lack the usefulness to warrant further use from current applications. Interviews were conducted with reality capture vendor Cupix and a Hensel Phelps project team using qualitative questions to drive conversation on the product potential, and current extent of usage …

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Building Services Engineering March/April 2024 Mar 2024

Building Services Engineering March/April 2024

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

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Evaluating United States Air Force Installation Water Security, Michael L. Berg Mar 2024

Evaluating United States Air Force Installation Water Security, Michael L. Berg

Theses and Dissertations

Water shortage at Mountain Home Air Force Base in the last decade ignited the need for an assessment of relative water security risk across United States Air Force installations. Current evaluation methods often differ from actual conditions suggesting a need to categorize security across the enterprise for multiple discrete locations. Indicator-based approaches for characterizing water security are common in academic literature but have little methodological consensus and have rarely been applied to discrete areas spread across geographically separated locations with diverse climates. Using a two-stage analytical hierarchy process and normalized utility functions, water security at 30 installations across the continental …

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Comparing The Return Of Investment Of Maintenance And Repair Treatments On Airfield Pavements, Aljhon C. Barrogo Mar 2024

Comparing The Return Of Investment Of Maintenance And Repair Treatments On Airfield Pavements, Aljhon C. Barrogo

Theses and Dissertations

Two decades of taking risks with infrastructure has led to a $33B backlog in deferred maintenance and recapitalization for the USAF, with expectations that this amount will triple in the next three decades. As this reality materializes, it becomes evident that the condition of infrastructure under the care of the USAF will undergo accelerated degradation. To address and rectify this situation, the Infrastructure Investment Strategy (I2S) was introduced. While the policy commits to bolstering the infrastructure budget to two percent of replacement value, it also acknowledges the necessity of implementing complementary strategies to effectively course correct. One strategy implied in …

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Assessing Military Parking: A Deep Learning Approach To Evaluating Standards And Impacts, Ryan D. Lalonde Mar 2024

Assessing Military Parking: A Deep Learning Approach To Evaluating Standards And Impacts, Ryan D. Lalonde

Theses and Dissertations

Current United States Department of Defense (DoD) standards require a minimum amount of parking for each building. This requirement defines how much off-street parking to construct. However, the impact of these requirements remains unclear. This study builds upon the emerging field of overhead imagery analytics by directly tying it to parking on military installations. Specifically, this study leverages a pretrained deep learning car detection model, Car Detection – USA, developed by Esri for use within ArcGIS, and couples it with open-access temporal imagery sourced from Google Earth Pro to assess selected parking lots across Area B, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, …

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Selection Of Soil Stabilization Methods For Low-Volume Road Applications, Peter J. Spinks Mar 2024

Selection Of Soil Stabilization Methods For Low-Volume Road Applications, Peter J. Spinks

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines a potential method of selecting an ideal soil additive to assist road planners in selecting an ideal soil stabilizer for low-volume road construction with in-situ soils. Essential for the socioeconomic success of rural communities, low-volume soil or gravel roads account for approximately 54% of US road expenditures to maintain and remediate. Soil stabilization can provide significant savings in regards to the cost, effectiveness, and environmental impacts of these roads. With hundreds of commercially available soil treatment products available with significant variations to their effects, it can be difficult for road planners to select the most appropriate product. …

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Life Cycle Analysis Of Mobile Nuclear Reactor Compared To Other Alternative Fuels In Indopacom, Maria J. Hurtado Mar 2024

Life Cycle Analysis Of Mobile Nuclear Reactor Compared To Other Alternative Fuels In Indopacom, Maria J. Hurtado

Theses and Dissertations

Energy is an item that makes the military vulnerable as it is something that they depend on the most which can have negative impacts. Mobile nuclear reactors are gaining the interest of many leaders in the military as a viable option of a potential alternative fuel source. There are many positives in utilizing mobile nuclear reactors in terms of environmental impacts and feasibility of transport. Studies have shown that mobile nuclear reactors can produce very low or negligible carbon emissions during operations. The focus of this thesis is to determine the environmental impacts of nuclear reactors, logistical requirements, and determine …

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Root And Causes Of Skilled Labor Shortage In Construction Industry: Comprehensive Literature Review, Nicholas Hardy, Carolina Barbosa-Resende, James Kereri, Arash Taghinezhad Mar 2024

Root And Causes Of Skilled Labor Shortage In Construction Industry: Comprehensive Literature Review, Nicholas Hardy, Carolina Barbosa-Resende, James Kereri, Arash Taghinezhad

The Professional Constructor

The skilled labor shortage is well documented from a historical perspective via studies focusing various construction trades such as carpentry, mechanical, electric and plumbing, and tile setters. Causes of such shortages such as industry image, college as a preferred choice after high school, and construction being a last resort have been investigated extensively. Consequently, possible solutions ranging from amplifying shop classes in high school to intensifying recruiting efforts for union training programs have all been addressed throughout the last 40 years. However, recent studies have focused on identifying the magnitude and reach of the skilled labor gap while limited attention …

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An Exploratory Framework For Benchmarking Vehicle Miles Traveled (Vmt) Estimates Associated With University Campuses, Troy Kawahara Mar 2024

An Exploratory Framework For Benchmarking Vehicle Miles Traveled (Vmt) Estimates Associated With University Campuses, Troy Kawahara

Master's Theses

Although vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has become the standard for assessing transportation related impacts in California, some have concerns that many VMT estimates are not properly grounded or informed by real world data, potentially resulting in flawed estimates and impact assessments. This is especially true of special generators, like college and university campuses, which have complex travel patterns distinct from that of the general public. This thesis attempts to resolve a significant disparity observed between two credible VMT estimates for Cal Poly’s campus wide VMT. As part of a campus master planning effort, a VMT estimate was produced in 2019 …

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