Continual improvement: A bibliography with indexes, 1992-1993

This bibliography lists 606 references to reports and journal articles entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database during 1992 to 1993. Topics cover the philosophy and history of Continual Improvement (CI), basic approaches and strategies for implementation, and lessons learned from public and private sector models. Entries are arranged according to the following categories: Leadership for Quality, Information and Analysis, Strategic Planning for CI, Human Resources Utilization, Management of Process Quality, Supplier Quality, Assessing Results, Customer Focus and Satisfaction, TQM Tools and Philosophies, and Applications. Indexes include subject, personal author, corporate source, contract number, report number, and accession number

Kenya Human Development Report 2013: Climate Change and Human Development - Harnessing Emerging Opportunities

Since independence, Kenya has been progressing towards the realization of human development. The national economy has expanded throughout the years, and significant progress has been achieved in reducing genderbased differences, supporting the development of the most vulnerable segments of the population, improving access to health and sanitation services, promoting a more equitable access to resources, protecting human rights, and valuing individual goals and objectives. Consequently, the 2012 Human Development Index (HDI) estimate for Kenya is now 0.522, an improvement from the previous year's score of 0.509. This score is higher than the average for Sub-Saharan Africa

Smart Manufacturing

This book is a collection of 11 articles that are published in the corresponding Machines Special Issue “Smart Manufacturing”. It represents the quality, breadth and depth of the most updated study in smart manufacturing (SM); in particular, digital technologies are deployed to enhance system smartness by (1) empowering physical resources in production, (2) utilizing virtual and dynamic assets over the Internet to expand system capabilities, (3) supporting data-driven decision-making activities at various domains and levels of businesses, or (4) reconfiguring systems to adapt to changes and uncertainties. System smartness can be evaluated by one or a combination of performance metrics such as degree of automation, cost-effectiveness, leanness, robustness, flexibility, adaptability, sustainability, and resilience. This book features, firstly, the concepts digital triad (DT-II) and Internet of digital triad things (IoDTT), proposed to deal with the complexity, dynamics, and scalability of complex systems simultaneously. This book also features a comprehensive survey of the applications of digital technologies in space instruments; a systematic literature search method is used to investigate the impact of product design and innovation on the development of space instruments. In addition, the survey provides important information and critical considerations for using cutting edge digital technologies in designing and manufacturing space instruments

Human Rights and the War on Terror: Complete 2005 - 2007 Topical Research Digest

“9/11 changed everything.” Not really. In fact, there has been far more continuity than change over the past six years in both international and domestic politics. Nonetheless, human rights often have been harmed—although not by terrorism but by “the war on terror.

Advances in Computational Intelligence Applications in the Mining Industry

This book captures advancements in the applications of computational intelligence (artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc.) to problems in the mineral and mining industries. The papers present the state of the art in four broad categories: mine operations, mine planning, mine safety, and advances in the sciences, primarily in image processing applications. Authors in the book include both researchers and industry practitioners

Innovation management : a web-based innovation assessment tool for construction organisations

It is generally recognised that, compared to other industry sectors, the construction industry is slow in its adoption of technological innovations and new ways of working. This has often been attributed to the conservative nature of the industry, which is arguably due to the fact that, unlike other industry sectors such as the manufacturing, automotive and pharmaceutical industries, the industry has a very weak culture of innovation and research (IR). This problem may well be explained by the industry's lack of recognition and understanding of a number of key determinants of innovation in the industry, such as leadership, management, people, processes, IR investment and technology. The Latham and Egan Reports call for improvements in the construction project delivery process to improve efficiency, productivity and ensure value for money for the construction industry's clients. The 'Accelerating Change' report calls for improvements to be more rapid and sustainable. These improved business processes cannot be achieved and sustained unless there is an established culture of innovation within the industry. The research findings indicate that construction companies are not able to deliver on their potential to innovate. Against this background, an innovation assessment model and a prototype application for construction organisations were developed to provide a rapid, online assessment of innovative practices and competencies in construction companies. The objective of the tool is to initiate a process leading to the effective implementation of a strategy/best practice guidelines and to allow construction companies to: assess their innovative performance; help them to focus on the areas where they want to make progress; integrate innovation related strategies/best practice guidelines into overall competitive strategies; and benchmark their innovation performance with peers and within the construction industry. The main benefits of the tool are it complements the existing innovation management frameworks and promotes wider uptake of the concept in the construction industry as whole. Industry evaluators have welcomed the concept of an innovation assessment tool and acknowledged the need for the tool in the construction industry. Hence, this thesis presents the development and evaluation of a web-based prototype application

Infrastructure Design, Signalling and Security in Railway

Railway transportation has become one of the main technological advances of our society. Since the first railway used to carry coal from a mine in Shropshire (England, 1600), a lot of efforts have been made to improve this transportation concept. One of its milestones was the invention and development of the steam locomotive, but commercial rail travels became practical two hundred years later. From these first attempts, railway infrastructures, signalling and security have evolved and become more complex than those performed in its earlier stages. This book will provide readers a comprehensive technical guide, covering these topics and presenting a brief overview of selected railway systems in the world. The objective of the book is to serve as a valuable reference for students, educators, scientists, faculty members, researchers, and engineers