Towards a research agenda for adopting Agile Project Management in Creative Industries

Agile Project Management (APM) has gained strong acceptance in software development but its adoption in other industries has not been as swift. We look at the visual effects (VFX) component of the film industry to explore this issue. Using an abductive research approach combined with a survey of existing practices, we aim to investigate an industry whose projects are large, expensive and time critical. Our study hopes to show that VFX companies exhibit many characteristics conducive to APM adoption but it is only within their internal software development teams that they explicitly state their use of APM. We explore why these companies, who exhibit predisposed adoption characteristics use something other than Agile for their non-software related projects. In exploring this surprising position, we hope to gain insights into how other industries may adopt APM and to set a research agenda for APM in non-software development creative companies

Engineering Leadership

By 1921 the American sociologist Thorstein Veblen in his book The Engi-neers and the Price System argued for a technocracy in which the welfare of humanity would be entrusted to the control of the engineers because they alone were competent to understand the complexities of the industrial system and processes and thereby optimize and maximize its output. This chapter sets out to explore the extent to which Veblen’s technocratic leadership thesis has come to pass. We first review the role of the engineer in society and in the context of Europe, the US and China, and examine the influence of the engineering profession on the management and economic welfare of nations. Second we review trends in engineering education and formation in Europe, China and the US, and the substantive developmental role of the Grand Écoles in 18th-century France. A comparison is made between the economies of Ireland and China, in the context of their recent economic performance. Third a review of commentary on the interconnectedness of world economies and shift in economic power from nineteenth century United King-dom market dominance to twentieth century United States supremacy and to present day emergence of China as the world’s second largest and fastest growing economy, is made in the context of the role of engineering leadership. We finally ponder whether a hybrid political environment, with blending of meritocracy with technocratic leadership and moderated by non-engineering influences, might be a recipe for sustained economic success of nations

Using colocation to support human memory

The progress of health care in the western world has been marked by an increase in life expectancy. Advances in life expectancy have meant that more people are living with acute health problems, many of which are related to impairment of memory. This paper describes a pair of scenarios that use RFID to assist people who may suffer frommemory defects to extend their capability for independent living. We present our implementation of an RFID glove, describe its operation, and show how it enables the application scenarios

Educating Engineers for the 21st. Century: and why some Elements of History and Philosophy should be Incorporated into the Curriculum

It has been said that in some respects the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky was a magpie – borrowing styles and ideas from diverse sources for whatever musical project he was working on. The practice of engineering has this same characteristic in that it willingly takes ideas, knowledge and techniques from wherever in pursuit of completing its goal. Further, Engineering is, at least in part, in agreement with Fyodor Dostoevsky – ‘if everything on Earth were rational, nothing would happen’. Against such a background it is proposed that a framework based on both philosophy and the history of engineering, science and technology constitutes a valid footing upon which engineers can be enabled to see and develop their profession in a suitably rounded manner

Engineering Science as Opposed to Natural and Applied Science

In exploring the epistemology of engineering science we propose a model of engineering. This model incorporates the goals of engineering, the approach to engineering (also called the engineering method) and the role of experience in engi-neering. The basis for understanding the nature of engineering science will be ex-plored, and will be contrasted with natural science. To begin, a large-scale engi-neering project that was successfully completed in Ireland many years ago is dis-cussed - specifically, the development of a megalithic passage tomb as an exemplar of the engineering method in structural design, project management and aesthetics. This exemplar firmly demonstrates that engineering method existed before the de-velopment and understanding of the relevant natural science. We next contrast the nature of engineering or engineering science and natural science. This discussion will further develop the engineering model, but will contrast the philosophical dif-ferences between engineering and science. We then return to build upon the ‘engi-neering model’ through the modern day exemplar of the development of the jet engine, demonstrating that invariably multiple factors, including creative design initiatives from different sources, global, political, economic and cultural circum-stance, and the passage of time contribute to the evolution and success (or failure) of large sustainable scientific and engineering projects. In conclusion, the engineering model is mapped to a philosophical model demonstrating that philosophy is as rele¬vant to engineering as it is to other fields

Engineering Science as Opposed to Natural Science

In exploring the epistemology of engineering science, we propose a model of engineering. This model incorporates the goals of engineering, the approach to engineering (also called the engineering method) and the role of experience in engineering. The basis for understanding the nature of engineering science will be explored, and will be contrasted with natural science. To begin, a large-scale engineering project that was successfully completed in Ireland many years ago is discussed - specifically, the development of a megalithic passage tomb as an exemplar of the engineering method in structural design, project management and aesthetics. This exemplar firmly demonstrates that engineering method existed before the development and understanding of the relevant natural science. We next contrast the nature of engineering or engineering science and natural science. This discussion will further develop the engineering model, but will contrast the philosophical differences between engineering and science. We then return to build upon the \u27engineering model\u27 through the modern day exemplar of the development of the jet engine, demonstrating that invariably multiple factors, including creative design initiatives from different sources, global, political, economic and cultural circumstance, and the passage of time contribute to the evolution and success (or failure) of large sustainable scientific and engineering projects. In conclusion, the engineering model is mapped to a philosophical model demonstrating that philosophy is as relevant to engineering as it is to other fields

Engineering Science as Opposed to Natural Science

In exploring the epistemology of engineering science, we propose a model of engineering. This model incorporates the goals of engineering, the approach to engineering (also called the engineering method) and the role of experience in engineering. The basis for understanding the nature of engineering science will be explored, and will be contrasted with natural science. To begin, a large-scale engineering project that was successfully completed in Ireland many years ago is discussed - specifically, the development of a megalithic passage tomb as an exemplar of the engineering method in structural design, project management and aesthetics. This exemplar firmly demonstrates that engineering method existed before the development and understanding of the relevant natural science. We next contrast the nature of engineering or engineering science and natural science. This discussion will further develop the engineering model, but will contrast the philosophical differences between engineering and science. We then return to build upon the \u27engineering model\u27 through the modern day exemplar of the development of the jet engine, demonstrating that invariably multiple factors, including creative design initiatives from different sources, global, political, economic and cultural circumstance, and the passage of time contribute to the evolution and success (or failure) of large sustainable scientific and engineering projects. In conclusion, the engineering model is mapped to a philosophical model demonstrating that philosophy is as relevant to engineering as it is to other fields

Reflections on Energy, Greenhouse Gases, and Carbonaceous Fules

In this chapter, we review the history of man’s dependence on carbonaceous fuels for survival, beginning with pre-industrial civilizations, during which charcoal was pro- cessed for thousands of years to smelt iron and copper. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, however, coke and coal became prime energy resources which powered the engine rooms of the industrial revolution. Accompanying the economic and societal benefits of this period was the recognition of the damage resulting from smog owing to excessive burning of coal, which affected both human health and the natural envi- ronment. These pivotal centuries laid the foundation for the advancement of scientific knowledge and discovery which underpinned both engineering developments and the sciences of the natural world, including earth science, atmospheric science, and meteo- rology. These developments in turn led to our modern understanding of climate change and the effect of greenhouse gases. Today coal, petroleum, and natural gas still play a vital role in our global energy mix. While scientists and engineers have developed clean coal technologies such as carbon capture and storage, it is important to question whether such technologies can offset the growing carbon footprint caused by the use of carbonaceous fuels. This challenge is complicated by the growth in scale of total global world energy demand, the scale of economic investment required to implement such technologies, and the race against time to minimize the damage resulting from continued use of fossil fuel energy

Evaluation of Dopamine D3 Receptor Antagonists PG01037, PG01042, and VK4-116 Against D1R-induced Dyskinesia

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) results in motor deficits that can be relieved with L-DOPA, a dopamine (DA) replacement therapy. Unfortunately, chronic treatment often leads to L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID), a debilitating side effect characterized by abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs). Overactivity of the direct striatonigral pathway is seen in LID and is characterized by potent changes in D1 and D3 receptors (D1R, D3R). Further, D1R and D3R may physically and functionally interact to form D1R-D3R heteromer thereby potentiating LID. This D1R-D3R heteromer uniquely switches from G-protein dependent to G-protein independent signaling, allowing for an avenue to manage LID. To uncover the role of these pathways in LID, Sprague-Dawley rats were rendered hemi-parkinsonian and treated daily for 2 weeks with L-DOPA (6 mg/kg; s.c.) to induce stable LID. In a within subjects, counterbalanced design, they were then split into treatment groups that received D3R antagonists: PG01037 (10, 30 mg/kg; i.p.), PG01042 (5, 10 mg/kg; i.p.), or VK4-116 (10, 20 mg/kg; i.p.). PG01037 (PG1) is a mixed D3R antagonist, acting at both the G-protein dependent and independent pathways. PG01042 (PG2) acts as an antagonist on G-protein independent signaling and VK4-116 acts as a G-protein dependent antagonist. All drugs were tested against D1R agonist-induced dyskinesia with SKF38393 (2mg/kg; s.c.). The only effects found were with PG2 which implicates promotion of the D1R G-protein dependent pathway as contributing to D1R-induced dyskinesia. Future studies with these drugs and L-DOPA treatment should unveil the importance of D1R, D3R, and D1R-D3R influences in the presence of the natural ligand DA.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2021/1038/thumbnail.jp

Measuring cost and quality of life in radiotherapy treatments

Arguments are being made more frequently to incorporate economic evaluations and quality of life assessments into clinical trials. Using two randomised, multicentre trials of radiotherapy for cancer as an example, this paper outlines: (1) the importance of including such assessments; (2) the practical considerations associated with the design of such trials; (3) the methods for collecting resource use and quality of life data; and (4) how such data can be used. Finally, it is emphasised that the anticipated benefits of collecting data relating to resource use and quality of life should outweigh the associated costs to research funding organisations.quality of life, clinical trials