105 research outputs found
Adaptive Talent Management for Project Professionals: Early Identification of Future Industry Leaders
No full textabstract: The workforce demographics in the United States are rapidly changing. According to census information, 35% of working adults are project to retire within the next 20 years. The construction is being particularly affected by this demographic shift as fewer employees are entering into the industry. This shift is especially bad among project professionals within the industry. The response to these changing demographics depends on how companies manage their talent and plan for successions. In order to investigate this workforce problem in the construction industry, the author has partnered with an expert panel of human resource executives from various companies in the construction industry. This research seeks to investigate methods in which construction companies can identify high potential project leaders early on in their careers through quantitative methodologies. The author first validated the research problem by gathering demographic data from six U.S. construction companies varying in size and industry expertise. As a result of analyzing information from 2,294 construction employees in the project management career path, the authors have found that 58% of these individuals are projected to retire within the next 12 years. The author also conducted a detailed literature review and six company interviews to investigate current succession planning practices in the industry. The results show that very few companies have contingency plans for early to mid-level employees. Lastly, the author conducted 76 employee psychological evaluations to measure personality and behavior traits. These traits were then compared to supervisory performance reviews of these employees. The results of this comparison suggest that high potential employees tend to showcase previous leadership experience and also tend to be more outspoken and are also able to separate their emotional bias from business decisions. Using these findings, the author provides an interview tool that employers can use to expand their talent pool in order to identify high potential candidates that may have been previously overlooked. The author recommends additional research in further developing the use of quantitative tools to evaluate early-career employees in order to more efficiently align resources within the shrinking talent pool.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Construction 201
Synthesis of (2-amino-4,5-dimethylthiophen-3-yl)(4-chlorophenyl)methanone (S2): A Precursor to Selective Bromodomain Inhibitor, (+)-JQ1
No full textS2 [(2-amino-4,5-dimethylthiophen-3-yl)(4-chloropheyl)methanone)] is an organic precursor to the (+)-enantiomer of JQ1, a break-through molecule in cancer research. The purpose of this research was to sufficiently synthesize enough of the S2 intermediate to continue the synthetic pathway of (+)-JQ1. The synthesis of S2 is similar to the Gewald reaction, where 2-butanone (ketone) condenses 4-chlorobenzoylacetonitrile (α-cyanoester) in the presence of elemental sulfur and morpholine (base) to yield the poly-substituted thiophene product, though the mechanism for the cyclization is still unknown. The resulting residue was characterized by thin-layer chromatography and purified using column chromatography. The greatest yield of S2 resulted from recrystallization with ethanol/water. Proton NMR of the product was compared to that of theoretical research done by fellow Linfield student Kevin Romero. Now that S2 has successfully been synthesized, we will begin the next step in the synthesis of (+)-JQ1
What are the best practices for curating eDNA custom barcode reference libraries? A case study using Australian subterranean fauna
No full textIdentification of species for environmental assessment and monitoring is essential for understanding anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity, but for subterranean fauna this task is frequently difficult and time consuming. The implementation of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding for biodiversity discovery and assessment offers considerable promise for improving the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of species detection in ecosystems both above and below the ground. Importantly, for a better understanding of the biodiversity and ecology of organisms detected using eDNA, a custom library of known reference sequences with associated correct taxonomic metadata—i.e. a barcode reference library (BRL)—is required. Yet, minimal guidance is currently available on how an effective (i.e. shareable, multisequence, that permits metadata, and has a unified nomenclature) and accurate (i.e. verified) custom BRL can be achieved. Here, we present a detailed roadmap for curation of a BRL for subterranean fauna. To do this, we curated a custom sequence database of subterranean fauna at an environmentally sensitive location, for four gene loci useful for eDNA metabarcoding, worked toward addressing the disparate nomenclature of subterranean fauna, and summarized a best practice workflow for curation of a custom BRL that is broadly applicable.Michelle T. Guzik, Danielle N. Stringer, Jake Thornhill, Peterson J. Coates, Mieke van der Heyde, Mia J. Hillyer, Nicole E. White, Mattia Saccò, Perry G. Beasley-Hall, William F. Humphreys, Mark S. Harvey, Joel A. Huey, Nerida G. Wilson, Jason Alexander, Garth Humphreys, Rachael A. King, Steven J.B. Cooper, Adrian Pinder, Giulia Perina, Andrew M. Hosie, Lisa Kirkendale, Paul Nevill, Andrew D. Austi
Application of Lean Six Sigma to Improve Service in Healthcare Facilities Management: A Case Study
No full textabstract: The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on the application of the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) quality improvement methodology and tools to study the analysis and improvement of facilities management (FM) services at a healthcare organization. Research literature was reviewed concerning whether or not LSS has been applied in healthcare-based FM, but no such studies have been published. This paper aims to address the lack of an applicable methodology for LSS intervention within the context of healthcare-based FM. The Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) framework was followed to test the hypothesis that LSS can improve the service provided by an FM department responsible for the maintenance and repair of furniture and finishes at a large healthcare organization in the southwest United States of America. Quality improvement curricula and resources offered by the case study organization equipped the FM department to apply LSS over the course of a five-month period. Qualitative data were gathered from pre- and post-intervention surveys while quantitative data were gathered with the Organization’s computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software. Overall, LSS application proved to be useful for the intended purpose. The author proposes that application of LSS by other FM departments to improve their services could also be successful, which is noteworthy and deserving of continued research.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Construction 201
Nauvoo Illinois Historic Site: A Facilities Management Perspective
No full textabstract: ABSTRACT
As the execution of facilities management becomes ever more sophisticated, specialized skill in managing specific types of buildings has become necessary. The sector of maintaining historic structures and sites readily falls into this type of specialized classification. This paper is a case study review of the unique “best practices” at the Nauvoo Historic Site located in Nauvoo, Illinois. It outlines a facilities management model of common core practices that was developed by the author following an assessment of various similar historic preservation campuses and their responsibilities to accurately display historic culture while observing modern-day facilities management techniques. Although these best practices are of great value in Nauvoo, they are proposed to be valuable to other sites as well because of their effectiveness. As a part of the description of best practices, an overview of the unique history of Nauvoo that generated the modern-day interest in the site will be reviewed. Additionally, the Nauvoo Facilities Management (NFM) organization will be detailed and will focus on the unique challenges associated with historic restored and reconstructed structures. Finally, the paper will also examine the use of specific facilities management techniques, management of large-scale visitor events, livestock supervision, workforce dynamics, finance and capital improvements, managing NFM within the corporate structure of a worldwide religious organization, and the part that NFM plays in community relations.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Built Environment 201
A case study in the evaluation of English training courses using a version of the CIPP model as an evaluative tool
No full textThis thesis presents an evaluative case study of the 20 English training courses offered in the Applied English Department (AED) of an Institute, given the pseudonym W.G, in southern Taiwan. No evaluation had been done since the AED had been set up and using Stufflebeam’s CIPP (Context, Input, Process and Product) evaluation model this research was carried out. The purpose of the research was to attempt, through the gathering of qualitative data from a variety of sources and using a variety of research instruments, an evaluation of the 20 English training courses which were designed for and taken by students who hoped, mainly, to become children's English language teachers. The courses were examined through four key components, namely, "course aims and objectives", "course contents and materials", "course conduct and teaching-learning process" and "assessment and student performance". Data were gathered through questionnaires, interviews and the review of existing documents and was obtained from current students, directors of the AED, instructors, alumni and employers of alumni. The resultant data served to present a comprehensive overview of the AED and the 20 English training courses and furnished evidence sufficient to allow for a number of recommendations for improvement and change to emerge. Fundamentally it is not clear that there is sufficient congruence of students needs and the courses offered. It emerged that the AED would probably benefit from a refocusing of student needs, a review of AED structures and governance, uniform syllabus design and presentation, a review of student feedback on instructor performance and a number of fundamental adjustments to the courses, in particular, their content, teaching methodology and assessment. Overall the AED had many positive aspects all of which could be built on and added to as the results of the data suggested. It emerged that the CIPP evaluation model has, in the educational context, a lot to commend it and this has been illustrated in this research. If followed carefully it covers all aspects and features of a program and provides a methodical, all-embracing design which can produce useful material for exploration and adoption if appropriate. It is in most cases a positive program enhancing exercise designed to develop rather than close existing programs
Stable Isotope Turnover and Half-Life in Animal Tissues: A Literature Synthesis
No full textabstract: Stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur are used as ecological tracers for a variety of applications, such as studies of animal migrations, energy sources, and food web pathways. Yet uncertainty relating to the time period integrated by isotopic measurement of animal tissues can confound the interpretation of isotopic data. There have been a large number of experimental isotopic diet shift studies aimed at quantifying animal tissue isotopic turnover rate λ (%·day[superscript -1], often expressed as isotopic half-life, ln(2)/λ, days). Yet no studies have evaluated or summarized the many individual half-life estimates in an effort to both seek broad-scale patterns and characterize the degree of variability. Here, we collect previously published half-life estimates, examine how half-life is related to body size, and test for tissue- and taxa-varying allometric relationships. Half-life generally increases with animal body mass, and is longer in muscle and blood compared to plasma and internal organs. Half-life was longest in ecotherms, followed by mammals, and finally birds. For ectotherms, different taxa-tissue combinations had similar allometric slopes that generally matched predictions of metabolic theory. Half-life for ectotherms can be approximated as: ln (half-life) = 0.22*ln (body mass) + group-specific intercept; n = 261, p<0.0001, r[superscript 2] = 0.63. For endothermic groups, relationships with body mass were weak and model slopes and intercepts were heterogeneous. While isotopic half-life can be approximated using simple allometric relationships for some taxa and tissue types, there is also a high degree of unexplained variation in our models. Our study highlights several strong and general patterns, though accurate prediction of isotopic half-life from readily available variables such as animal body mass remains elusive.The article is published at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.011618
Management of Facility Commodity Contracts: A Model for the Furniture Services Industry
No full textabstract: Commodity contracts are often awarded on the basis of price. A price-based methodology for making such awards fails to consider the suppliers' ability to minimize the risk of non-performance in terms of cost, schedule, or customer satisfaction. Literature suggests that nearly all risk in the delivery of commodities is in the interfacing of nodes within a supply chain. Therefore, commodity suppliers should be selected on the basis of their past performance, ability to identify and minimize risk, and capacity to preplan the delivery of services. Organizations that select commodity suppliers primarily on the basis of price may experience customer dissatisfaction, delayed services, low product quality, or some combination thereof. One area that is often considered a "commodity" is the delivery of furniture services. Arizona State University, on behalf of the Arizona Tri-University Furniture Consortium, approached the researcher and identified concerns with their current furnishing services contract. These concerns included misaligned customer expectations, minimal furniture supplier upfront involvement on large capital construction projects, and manufacturer design expertise was not being utilized during project preplanning. The Universities implemented a best value selection process and risk management structure. The system has resulted in a 9.3 / 10 customer satisfaction rating (24 percent increase over the previous system), for over 1,100 furniture projects totaling $19.3M.Dissertation/ThesisM.S. Construction 201
Does prominent coastal upwelling along New Jersey lead to increases in offshore wind turbine power production?
No full textLarge offshore wind turbines are planned for construction off the New Jersey coastline to aid in the state's transition towards more renewable energy and decrease their dependence on fossil fuels. To facilitate this transition, it is important to have accurate estimates of how much power these turbines will generate. From an oceanographic perspective, New Jersey is a relatively unique wind farm location in that it frequently experiences the phenomenon known as coastal upwelling. Upwelling, which brings colder water from depth to the surface, is a result of persistent southwesterly winds along New Jersey’s coastline in the summer months. Coastal upwelling can occur along any coast with an alongshore wind, however large temperature shifts (2 to 3 °C) are a defining characteristic of upwelling in the Mid-Atlantic Bight due to the presence of the subsurface cold pool.
To investigate the effects of upwelling, wind speed data at various altitudes from a floating LiDAR buoy (Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Buoy 4) were examined across the upwelling season to understand the atmospheric and oceanic conditions within the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Lease Area. Daily images of sea surface temperature from the AVHRR satellite were used to determine which days in the chosen timeframe experienced large sea surface temperature shifts associated with coastal upwelling. In total, this methodology yielded a total of 39 upwelling days (43.8%) and 50 non-upwelling days (56.2%).
To investigate the relationship between upwelling and power generation, this study compared the power production estimates between the upwelling and non-upwelling days. Power estimates were made using the power curve for a 15 MW wind turbine. The results of the independent sample t-tests revealed that wind speeds and power production estimations were significantly greater at all times of day during upwelling conditions (P < 0.05 for all comparisons).
There is a need to examine the effects of the oceanic conditions on wind characteristics because the ocean and atmosphere interact dynamically. The results of this analysis are novel in the aspect that few (if any) studies have looked at the effects of upwelling on wind characteristics in the context of power generation.M.S.Includes bibliographical reference
Fantastic alterities and The Sandman
No full textThis article explores the ways in which the comics medium enhances our understanding of literary models of the Fantastic. It examines the presence and depiction of multiple worlds in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, with specific reference to the role of the comics medium and its denial of mimesis when creating such alterities.
It initially uses literature review to establish a contemporary working model of the Fantastic, taking as its basis the framework devised by Tzvetan Todorov, and incorporating the later work of Rosemary Jackson, A B Chanady, and Christine Brooke-Rose. It establishes the position of the Fantastic as a literary mode lying between the marvellous (supernatural accepted) and the uncanny (supernatural explained), and clarifies the distinction between the mode of the Fantastic (which encompasses various genres) and the genre itself.
The article then considers the ways in which both the form and content of the comics medium sustain the mode of the fantastic. It broadly discusses the ways in which the following factors contribute to this process:
• subject matter: fantastic events, super powers, alternate worlds
• non-realistic aesthetic: pop art, stylised visuals, fiction of fonts (invoking the tension between hand-drawn and computerised artwork or lettering)
• authorial reticence: the possibilities for surpassing or discarding narrative voice
• the role of the reader: as both interpreter and co-creator.
It then focuses more closely upon the genre of the Fantastic, establishing the ways in which this genre is opposed to both magical realism (outright fantasy) and realism (where such events are explained). It summarises the role of various qualities of the Fantastic in this regard, which include an antinomy between the natural and supernatural, author reticence, over- or under-determined language, and a defiance of absolute meaning in favour of interpretation or hesitation .
The article then proceeds to two case studies, taken from Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman: A Game of You and The Kindly Ones. The first analyses the construction of two contrasting alterities (‘The Land’ and ‘New York’) and examines the ways in which, despite initial appearances, these two worlds are both equally removed from the referent of ‘reality’. It proceeds to discuss the use made of over- and under-determined signifiers, the transformation motif, intertextuality, and the redefinition of static notions (home, gender) as fluid and undefined. It deconstructs The Kindly Ones in similar terms, considering the ways in which its triple alterities are all simultaneously validated by the text and the role of motifs such as multiple names and duplicated characters.
It concludes that, like the Fantastic, the comics medium exposes the notion of ‘reality’ as a constructed referent, which the text’s alterities comment on. The nature of the medium allows for the construction and sustenance of multiple worlds without recourse to a stable notion of reality. As the reader’s hesitation destabilises interpretation of reality versus fantasy, absolute meaning is denied. It therefore seems that comics offer what might be best described as a postmodern vision of the Fantastic
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