173 research outputs found
Collaborating and communicating across disciplinary boundaries in Biomedical Engineering
No full textThis graduation thesis forms an inquiry into the cross-disciplinary collaborative practice in Biomedical Engineering in the Netherlands. The rationale of this study was provided by Professor Jenny Dankelman (BioMechanical Engineering, TU Delft) who indicated that she would like to gain better understanding of the collaboration process of technical experts and health care experts. Professor Dankelman’s experiences and a literature study showed that cross-disciplinary collaboration is challenging because of diverse group of disciplinary experts with differing perspectives need to develop a common working understanding in their collaborative project. To explore how these challenges took form in cross-disciplinary collaboration in Biomedical Engineering in the Netherlands, we conducted a qualitative case study of a cross-disciplinary project between a technical university and a peripheral hospital (the DORA project). The main goal was to create more awareness within team DORA of the challenges and opportunities of the collaboration process. We used Deanna D. Pennington’s framework of team actualization as a conceptual springboard to empirical investigation. She maintains that effective cross-disciplinary collaboration depends partly on a group’s capacity to value different disciplinary perspectives appropriately and to accommodate those perspectives in a shared research vision that makes full use of the diverse expertise available in the group. Team actualization represents an ideal type of situation in which cross-disciplinary experts can work autonomously but the team is effective because every expert knows how his/her fits in the shared vision that drives the team effort. The main research question of this research project was as follows: To what extent does team actualization enable participants of the DORA project in the collaboration process? To answer this research question we employed a qualitative research strategy and an inductive-deductive approach to data analysis. The concepts constituting team actualization were used as sensitizing concepts in setting up an interview guide for semi-structured interviewing. Sensitizing concepts are often used in qualitative research as springboards to investigate empirical instances. The main research method comprised 9 semi-structured interviews with key participants of the DORA project. These data were complemented by observations of interactions between participants in the DORA project at 11 meetings. We used a thematic analysis to analyze the data. This process was initially inductive of nature, which means that the first interviews were coded using ‘open’ codes that stayed close to the data. These codes were used to set up a ‘closed’ coding framework with which the remaining interviews were coded. The observational notes were used as aid in the interpretation of themes that emerged from the interview data. The findings of this study suggest that team actualization within the context of the DORA project is characterized by the following: \u95The research vision of the technical university researchers incorporated the interests of the hospital and acted as an important driver of this collaboration. The vision was broadly supported by the team members and seemed to mediate the different perspectives that were present in this collaboration. \u95The team of researchers and health care professionals had a contact group as the main decision-making organ. The long-standing relationships and familiarity between key members of the contact group had resulted in a firm basis of trust, which manifested itself in informal decision-making based on verbal agreements. \u95One team member played a crucial role in safeguarding the substantive progress of the collaboration by monitoring research activities in the hospital. In this way she was pivotal to the effectiveness of team DORA’s collaboration process and therefore helped team DORA to become actualized. Based on our findings we want to raise team DORA’s awareness for the following points: \u95Team DORA is effective in reaching their goals due to the presence of a content manager in the collaboration process. This is potentially a good strategy for effective collaboration because the team does not need to set up a very dense substantive shared vision in which all individual perspectives of team members are incorporated. Then the team should enable one member to be the manager of the collaboration process and explicitly discuss what he or she needs to make the collaboration move forward. \u95When a content manager is elusive, team members will probably have to build a substantive shared vision for the collaboration to progress. The firm basis of trust can then be used a springboard to a substantive shared vision that integrates different disciplinary perspectives present in the collaboration. \u95According to the points above, there are two ways for team DORA to expand their network. First, a new actor may be familiar with the common history of interaction and the long-standing relationships of team DORA. The basis of trust of team DORA will probably ensure an easy entry of the new actor into the team. Second, a new actor may be interested to join the collaboration, but not have the proper social connections with team DORA. According to our understanding of the collaborative process of team DORA, this means that the content manager will be the main entry point for the new actor. According to our knowledge, this is the first social scientific study into cross-disciplinary collaboration in Biomedical Engineering in the Netherlands. We hope that this inspires further study of the collaborative practice in this field and we recommend the following topics for future research: \u95 What organizational structured and management styles are required for effective cross-disciplinary collaboration (in terms of reaching intended goals) in Biomedical Engineering? \u95 How do the social relationships between different disciplinary experts in a collaboration affect communication in cross-disciplinary problem solving in Biomedical Engineering? \u95How do individual differences in framing of the content of a collaboration (research problem, goals etc.) affect communication in cross-disciplinary problem solving in Biomedical Engineering?Science CommunicationScience Education and CommunicationApplied Science
Trust toolbox
No full textThis is a research and design graduation project for the Master-education tracks Integrated Product Design and Science Communication TU Delft, with a Sustainability-annotation (TiSD). The client of this project is Euro RSCG Bikker, a consultancy with the proposition ‘committed to trust’. The Bikker-consultants develop products and services in the form of advice for corporate communication professionals of large organizations. Since current investigations and publications related to ‘trust’ are hardly comparable or applicable for strategic corporate communication professionals, Euro RSCG Bikker was looking for generic, supportive tools, methods and techniques to make trust and thereby the agency’s proposition more tangible in their advice development process. Eventually, Bikker wants to develop a ‘trust measurement instrument’. To anticipate to the desire of Euro RSCG Bikker for tools, methods and techniques, a research and design process was initiated. The process aimed to develop a Toolbox and ‘trust determinants’ for advice development of Bikker consultants. The underlying research question was: “What theoretically defined trust determinants are potentially useful for corporate communication consultancy practice according to Bikker consultants?” To answer this question the author conducted a design based research to develop a toolbox with trust determinants for the analysis phase of advice development of Bikker consultants, in which consultants analyze the client's organization, identify problems, and set objectives for the advice that needs to be developed. Various research and design techniques were used to investigate trust, corporate communication and consultancy practice at Euro RSCG Bikker, and to develop the toolbox and its trust determinants. The preliminary design proposals were tested by practitioners and optimized by the author, but Euro RSCG Bikker will take responsibility for the further development of the toolbox. The final set of trust determinants is Common values, Consistent, Transparent, Innovative, Freedom, Shared success, Stakeholder involvement, Stakeholder relationships, Pride, and Respectful. These determinants could be identified in theory ánd practice as indicators of whether and why there is high trust, ánd as strategies to build, restore, or retain trust íf that appears to be low. The toolbox contains an underlayment, coasters for each trust determinant, pawns, and paper money. A client can also introduce a new determinant (‘Jester’) in order to encounter client specific desires and whishes in the advice that a Bikker consultant is about to develop based on the analysis of the organization. In a playful interaction, both the consultants ánd clients can do a ‘trust-diagnosis’ of the client’s organizations, and ‘set starting points for the advice’, which forms a fruitful base for a mutually rewarding consultant-client relationship. The research conclusion is the list of 10 theoretically defined trust determinants, and a list of conditions for theoretically defined trust determinants with potential usefulness for advice development practice at Euro RSCG Bikker in general, based on the toolbox design process and results. The trust determinants require further elaboration in the future, but for the current consultancy practice at Euro RSCG Bikker they form a start. Also, the toolbox requires maintenance and an update in the near future, especially if Euro RSCG Bikker wants to develop a trust-measurement instrument eventually. The report ends with various recommendations for future research into trust, design-based researchers, and future exploration opportunities for Euro RSCG Bikker to extend the proposition ‘committed to trust’.Science CommunicationScience Education and CommunicationApplied Science
Reciprocity in Wind Farm Development: An Applied and Theoretical Approach
No full textCommunication in wind farm development is complex. A relationship between wind farm developers and residents which is based on reciprocity can lead to the trust and commitment necessary to deal with these complexities. The role of reciprocity is researched in a case study and a network model of reciprocity is developed. Implementing the findings of the case study in the model gives insight in the conditions for which communication leads to mutual advantage for wind farm developers and residents.Aerospace EngineeringAerodynamics, Wind Energy & Propulsio
Microbiologische acetonbereiding
No full textDocument(en) uit de collectie Chemische ProcestechnologieDelftChemTechApplied Science
Unidade Técnico Funcional – Prestação de serviços : Formação Profissional de 2011 a junho de 2015.
No full textUnidade Técnico Funcional – Prestação de serviços : Formação Profissional de 2011 a junho de 2015.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Sulphur emission regulation: Changing the market for bunker fuels - Exploring the future under new IMO-regulations and their impact on Vopak’s bunker fuel business
No full textEnergyEconomics of InfrastructuresTechnology, Policy and Managemen
Translocation of Heterogeneous Polymers through a Nanopore
No full textTranslocating a chain of different beads through a very small pore can be used as a first step of modelling a DNA chain that passes through a nanopore. This translocation process offers a variety of possibilities in chemical and biological processes, for instance rapid DNA sequencing. In this thesis the chain is modelled as a polymer with different types of monomers as beads. The translocation dynamics of heterogeneous polymers through nanopores can be modelled using the LJ and FENE potentials and different interaction strengths between the monomers of the polymer and the pore. The translocation time gives important information of the chain sequence, depending on the length of the polymer. The waiting time is defined as the time a specific monomer stays inside the pore. This waiting time in particular gives useful results considering the chain sequence. Simulations reveal that the waiting time of the last monomer can define the type of monomer under consideration. Monomers with a high interaction with the pore will stay inside considerably longer. We found that from the average waiting time it is possible to retrieve the original sequence of the beads constituting the chain.Mathematical PhysicsApplied MathematicsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Offshore LNG transfer systems for standard carriers in shallow water
No full textDue to a global increasing demand for efficient clean energy sources the demand for natural gas is predicted to grow considerably this decade. Natural gas is transported by pipeline on the shorter distances and as LNG on longer distances. LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) is produced by cooling natural gas to just below its boiling point at -162 ·C. It is stored and transported in thermally insulated tanks at ambient pressure. Currently the LNG fleet exists of 127 vessels of which the majority have a capacity between 125,000 m3 and 135,000 m3.The majority of the vessels are project controlled in long-term lease contracts: cuurentlyanother54 vessels are on order to expand the fleet in order to meet the expected growth in transport volume. At this moment there are 39 reception terminals, of which 23 are located in Japan the largest importer of LNG, and there are plans for another 25 terminals. The main emerging markets for LNG are the U.S., India and China. In a conventional reception terminal, an LNG carrier is moored to a jetty. When the LNG carrier is offloaded the vapour that is suppressed from the storage tanks is send to the ship. The investment costs for conventional terminals vary between USD 180 mln and USD 650 mln, depending on the annual throughput, storage capacity and location. The breakwater, storage tanks and regasification plant are the most expensive components of the terminal. For offshore LNG reception terminals it is most economic to locate storage tanks and the regasification plant onshore. Based on technical feasibility, novelty aspects and safety 3 designs out of 12 have been selected for analysis of the vessel motions and the mooring forces.Hydraulic EngineeringCivil Engineering and Geoscience
Determing the median lethal dose
No full textFor donor blood it is important not to contain viruses because this could lead to transmission of for example HIV. This is why a company like Sanquin conducts research into the removal or inactivation of viruses in donor blood in their production processes. In brief this research is done by testing deliberately infected material before and after a production step. The method used is called endpoint titration and involves diluting the starting material several times and taking a number of samples from every dilution. These samples are tested for the presence of virus. With these results the fraction of the original solution that gives a response with probability 1/2 is calculated. During this project, different methods have been explored to examine which method gives the best estimate for the amount of virus in blood.Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
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