Environmental risk management system design for hazardous waste materials

Hazardous materials can be generally deemed as any material which, because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics, may cause, or pose a substantial or potential hazard to human health or the environment. In the context of "sustainable development", most 'materials' could be deemed to be 'hazardous' at some stage of their lifecycle, i.e. from extraction to final disposal.This PhD study develops a decision support system for engineers and policy makers to help limit environmental burden, by reducing the environmental risk and the associated carbon footprint, from the perspective of 'hazardous' materials in product design, through the application of 'game theory' and 'grey theory' etc, as well as various computational approaches, by helping the designer identify novel solutions or mitigation strategies.The thesis starts by introducing the problem situation of the study and identify the research objectives, as well as previous studies have been reviewed in order to set this study in context.Since it is evident that consumers drive the open market, and their preference may be influenced by the carbon footprint label of products, the decision support system proposes an improved carbon labelling scheme to demonstrate the significance of a product‘s carbon footprint in a more visual way. The prototype of the scheme is derived from the concept of 'tolerability of risk', providing a framework by which judgments can be made as to whether society will accept the risk from hazardous materials.Application of game theory for decision support is a novel approach in this study, which aids decision-making by selecting appropriate strategies for both organisations and policy makers to reduce environmental impact. In this context, a game between manufacturers and government in the field of clean production is generated with various game scenarios to reflect the variation trend of strategic actions, and then developed to discuss the reduction of the inherent risk posed by 'hazardous' materials and carbon emissions on the supply chain network.The 'hierarchy of waste' suggests that the most preferable state for sustainability is prevention or the elimination of waste. Although this is not wholly practicable in real terms, the framework gives the importance to waste minimisation and prevention, especially promotes the cleaner production. In addition to strategy selection for mitigating environmental impact, the decision support system also develops an evaluation methodology for application by engineers to aid decision-making on materials selection, thus to improve the materials performances, promote cleaner production and provide better and sustainable products for public consumption

Technology 2001: The Second National Technology Transfer Conference and Exposition, volume 2

Proceedings of the workshop are presented. The mission of the conference was to transfer advanced technologies developed by the Federal government, its contractors, and other high-tech organizations to U.S. industries for their use in developing new or improved products and processes. Volume two presents papers on the following topics: materials science, robotics, test and measurement, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, electronics, and software engineering

Investigating an Interactive Technological Self Study Conceptual Framework for On-board Maritime Education and Training

Merchant marine officers have multiple specific duties and responsibilities to perform. Moreover, there is a need for a well-trained workforce to operate modern ships. In this era, the development of technological tools to assist in the delivery of the syllabus, and develop the marine cadets’ practical knowledge during training on-board is highly required. This study reviewed literature concerning Maritime Education and Training, in addition to personalised learning and online mobile learning. The research proposes the creation, assessment and validation of generic Interactive Maritime Education and Training (iMET) application, that is utilising Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, as a personalised interactive self-study mobile tool, with respect to cadets’ different learning preferences. The main aim of this research is to test the hypothesis that, the iMET tool has a direct positive impact on the Maritime Education and Training process on-board the training ship, and it is an accepted technology, hence will be actually used by the cadets on-board. In order to evaluate the research hypothesis, the researcher developed a generic prototype of iMET handheld application, as a proof of concept. Moreover, the researcher adapted a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), from the existing TAM models, that had been used in previous research, in order to asses cadets’ acceptance to the proposed iMET application. Data collection in this research was based on triangulation, in order to measure the perception and expectations of the different maritime stakeholders affiliated with the iMET tool implementation. Accordingly, a questionnaire survey, a semi-structured interview and a quiz for cadets’ assessment was conducted. Data collection and surveys were conducted twice, in the pre iMET intervention development phase and post iMET intervention validation phase, in order to support justifying and validating the proposed technological tool in the current study. This research philosophy is a pragmatic research approach that applied a mixed methodology, to measure the cadets’ technology acceptance of iMET and their behavioural intention towards its actual usage. Finally, the research will discuss in detail the outcomes and finding

Investigating an Interactive Technological Self Study Conceptual Framework for On-board Maritime Education and Training

Merchant marine officers have multiple specific duties and responsibilities to perform. Moreover, there is a need for a well-trained workforce to operate modern ships. In this era, the development of technological tools to assist in the delivery of the syllabus, and develop the marine cadets’ practical knowledge during training on-board is highly required. This study reviewed literature concerning Maritime Education and Training, in addition to personalised learning and online mobile learning. The research proposes the creation, assessment and validation of generic Interactive Maritime Education and Training (iMET) application, that is utilising Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, as a personalised interactive self-study mobile tool, with respect to cadets’ different learning preferences. The main aim of this research is to test the hypothesis that, the iMET tool has a direct positive impact on the Maritime Education and Training process on-board the training ship, and it is an accepted technology, hence will be actually used by the cadets on-board. In order to evaluate the research hypothesis, the researcher developed a generic prototype of iMET handheld application, as a proof of concept. Moreover, the researcher adapted a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), from the existing TAM models, that had been used in previous research, in order to asses cadets’ acceptance to the proposed iMET application. Data collection in this research was based on triangulation, in order to measure the perception and expectations of the different maritime stakeholders affiliated with the iMET tool implementation. Accordingly, a questionnaire survey, a semi-structured interview and a quiz for cadets’ assessment was conducted. Data collection and surveys were conducted twice, in the pre iMET intervention development phase and post iMET intervention validation phase, in order to support justifying and validating the proposed technological tool in the current study. This research philosophy is a pragmatic research approach that applied a mixed methodology, to measure the cadets’ technology acceptance of iMET and their behavioural intention towards its actual usage. Finally, the research will discuss in detail the outcomes and finding

Management: A bibliography for NASA managers

This bibliography lists 630 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System in 1991. Items are selected and grouped according to their usefulness to the manager as manager. Citations are grouped into ten subject categories: human factors and personnel issues; management theory and techniques; industrial management and manufacturing; robotics and expert systems; computers and information management; research and development; economics, costs and markets; logistics and operations management; reliability and quality control; and legality, legislation, and policy

Correct requirements, a factor for success in major acquisition programs

MBA Professional ReportThis MBA project investigates the importance of correctly deriving requirements from the capability gap and operational environment, and translating them into the processes of contracting, software and hardware design, system engineering, the acquisition cycle, and program management. The research also examines inefficiencies in hardware and software development, acquisition management, and problems caused by organizational, systemic and stakeholder interferences. The primary goal is achieving the acquisition process to deliver the best quality system that is prompt, technically available, affordable, and meets the user's requirements. The work addresses commonalities and differences of software and hardware development, inefficiencies, and a variety of influential factors for a new program from a more general perspective. The conclusions and recommendations illustrate the present difficulties of implementing constructive change. These recommendations are provide the reader with alternative approaches to consider. Suggestions for further research are included at the end of this research.http://archive.org/details/correctrequireme1094510347Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

1995 BRAC Commission

Brooks Air Force Base - Maps; Summary; Base Visit Report; Presentation; Fact Sheet. Box 276, XS-016