Sample records for quality engineering sqe

  1. Sandia National Laboratories Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) software quality plan : ASC software quality engineering practices Version 3.0.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Turgeon, Jennifer L.; Minana, Molly A.; Hackney, Patricia

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Software Quality Plan is to clearly identify the practices that are the basis for continually improving the quality of ASC software products. Quality is defined in the US Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Agency (DOE/NNSA) Quality Criteria, Revision 10 (QC-1) as 'conformance to customer requirements and expectations'. This quality plan defines the SNL ASC Program software quality engineering (SQE) practices and provides a mapping of these practices to the SNL Corporate Process Requirement (CPR) 001.3.6; 'Corporate Software Engineering Excellence'. This plan also identifies ASC management's and themore » software project teams responsibilities in implementing the software quality practices and in assessing progress towards achieving their software quality goals. This SNL ASC Software Quality Plan establishes the signatories commitments to improving software products by applying cost-effective SQE practices. This plan enumerates the SQE practices that comprise the development of SNL ASC's software products and explains the project teams opportunities for tailoring and implementing the practices.« less

  2. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Peck, T; Sparkman, D; Storch, N

    ''The LLNL Site-Specific Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASCI) Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document describes a set of recommended software quality engineering (SQE) practices for ASCI code projects at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). In this context, SQE is defined as the process of building quality into software products by applying the appropriate guiding principles and management practices. Continual code improvement and ongoing process improvement are expected benefits. Certain practices are recommended, although projects may select the specific activities they wish to improve, and the appropriate time lines for such actions. Additionally, projects can rely on the guidance ofmore » this document when generating ASCI Verification and Validation (VSrV) deliverables. ASCI program managers will gather information about their software engineering practices and improvement. This information can be shared to leverage the best SQE practices among development organizations. It will further be used to ensure the currency and vitality of the recommended practices. This Overview is intended to provide basic information to the LLNL ASCI software management and development staff from the ''LLNL Site-Specific ASCI Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document. Additionally the Overview provides steps to using the ''LLNL Site-Specific ASCI Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document. For definitions of terminology and acronyms, refer to the Glossary and Acronyms sections in the ''LLNL Site-Specific ASCI Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I''.« less

  3. A sound quality model for objective synthesis evaluation of vehicle interior noise based on artificial neural network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Y. S.; Shen, G. Q.; Xing, Y. F.

    2014-03-01

    Based on the artificial neural network (ANN) technique, an objective sound quality evaluation (SQE) model for synthesis annoyance of vehicle interior noises is presented in this paper. According to the standard named GB/T18697, firstly, the interior noises under different working conditions of a sample vehicle are measured and saved in a noise database. Some mathematical models for loudness, sharpness and roughness of the measured vehicle noises are established and performed by Matlab programming. Sound qualities of the vehicle interior noises are also estimated by jury tests following the anchored semantic differential (ASD) procedure. Using the objective and subjective evaluation results, furthermore, an ANN-based model for synthetical annoyance evaluation of vehicle noises, so-called ANN-SAE, is developed. Finally, the ANN-SAE model is proved by some verification tests with the leave-one-out algorithm. The results suggest that the proposed ANN-SAE model is accurate and effective and can be directly used to estimate sound quality of the vehicle interior noises, which is very helpful for vehicle acoustical designs and improvements. The ANN-SAE approach may be extended to deal with other sound-related fields for product quality evaluations in SQE engineering.

  4. Radiosensitization by fullerene-C60 dissolved in squalene on human malignant melanoma through lipid peroxidation and enhanced mitochondrial membrane potential

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kato, Shinya; Kimura, Masatsugu; Miwa, Nobuhiko

    2014-04-01

    We examined fullerene-C60 dissolved in squalene (C60/Sqe) for the ability to potentiate the radiosensitization under X-ray irradiation on human malignant melanoma HMV-II cells, which were treated with C60/Sqe and thereafter irradiated with X-ray. The cell proliferation for C60/Sqe was inhibited more markedly than for Sqe alone. Meanwhile, cell proliferation was almost unaltered for C60/squalane (Sqa) or Sqa, a hydrogenated form of Sqe, as compared to no-additive control. Thus radiosensitization of C60/Sqe is attributed to peroxidation of unsaturated bonds of squalene by X-ray-excited C60 in contrast to squalane. The fluorescence images of HMV-II cells stained with Rhodamine123, an indicator for mitochondrial membrane potential, were monitored for 6 h after X-ray irradiation. C60/Sqe obviously exhibited more augmented fluorescence intensity on perinuclear region of HMV-II cells than Sqe alone. TBARS assay showed that the lipid peroxidation level as malondialdehyde-equivalent increased by combination of C60/Sqe and X-ray dose-dependently on X-ray doses. C60/Sqe exhibited lipid peroxidation more markedly by 1.2-fold than Sqe alone. Thus the level of lipid peroxidation of squalene was sufficiently higher in C60/Sqe than in Sqe in the absence of C60 under X-ray irradiation, suggesting the combination of C60/Sqe and X-ray irradiation induced radiosensitization on HMV-II cells by peroxidation of absorbed Sqe in mitochondrial membrane via oxidative stress mediated by fullerene-C60.

  5. Roughness modelling based on human auditory perception for sound quality evaluation of vehicle interior noise

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Y. S.; Shen, G. Q.; Guo, H.; Tang, X. L.; Hamade, T.

    2013-08-01

    In this paper, a roughness model, which is based on human auditory perception (HAP) and known as HAP-RM, is developed for the sound quality evaluation (SQE) of vehicle noise. First, the interior noise signals are measured for a sample vehicle and prepared for roughness modelling. The HAP-RM model is based on the process of sound transfer and perception in the human auditory system by combining the structural filtering function and nonlinear perception characteristics of the ear. The HAP-RM model is applied to the measured vehicle interior noise signals by considering the factors that affect hearing, such as the modulation and carrier frequencies, the time and frequency maskings and the correlations of the critical bands. The HAP-RM model is validated by jury tests. An anchor-scaled scoring method (ASM) is used for subjective evaluations in the jury tests. The verification results show that the novel developed model can accurately calculate vehicle noise roughness below 0.6 asper. Further investigation shows that the total roughness of the vehicle interior noise can mainly be attributed to frequency components below 12 Bark. The time masking effects of the modelling procedure enable the application of the HAP-RM model to stationary and nonstationary vehicle noise signals and the SQE of other sound-related signals in engineering problems.

  6. Sasa quelpaertensis leaf extract regulates microbial dysbiosis by modulating the composition and diversity of the microbiota in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis mice.

    PubMed

    Yeom, Yiseul; Kim, Bong-Soo; Kim, Se-Jae; Kim, Yuri

    2016-11-25

    Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are related to a dysfunction of the mucosal immune system and they result from complex interactions between genetics and environmental factors, including lifestyle, diet, and the gut microbiome. Therefore, the effect of Sasa quelpaertensis leaf extract (SQE) on gut microbiota in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model was investigated with pyrosequencing of fecal samples. Three groups of animals were examined: i) a control group, ii) a group that was received 2.5% DSS in their drinking water for 7 days, followed by 7 days of untreated water, and then another 7 days of 2.5% DSS in their drinking water, and iii) a group that was presupplemented with SQE (300 mg/kg body weight) by gavage for two weeks prior to the same DSS treatment schedule described in ii. SQE supplementation alleviated disease activity scores and shortened colon length compared to the other two groups. In the DSS group, the proportion of Bacteroidetes increased, whereas that the proportion of Firmicutes was decreased compared to the control group. SQE supplementation recovered the proportions of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes back to control levels. Moreover, the diversity of microbiota in the SQE supplementation group higher than that of the DSS group. SQE was found to protect mice from microbial dysbiosis associated with colitis by modulating the microbial composition and diversity of the microbiota present. These results provide valuable insight into microbiota-food component interactions in IBD.

  7. The electronegativity equalization method and the split charge equilibration applied to organic systems: parametrization, validation, and comparison.

    PubMed

    Verstraelen, Toon; Van Speybroeck, Veronique; Waroquier, Michel

    2009-07-28

    An extensive benchmark of the electronegativity equalization method (EEM) and the split charge equilibration (SQE) model on a very diverse set of organic molecules is presented. These models efficiently compute atomic partial charges and are used in the development of polarizable force fields. The predicted partial charges that depend on empirical parameters are calibrated to reproduce results from quantum mechanical calculations. Recently, SQE is presented as an extension of the EEM to obtain the correct size dependence of the molecular polarizability. In this work, 12 parametrization protocols are applied to each model and the optimal parameters are benchmarked systematically. The training data for the empirical parameters comprise of MP2/Aug-CC-pVDZ calculations on 500 organic molecules containing the elements H, C, N, O, F, S, Cl, and Br. These molecules have been selected by an ingenious and autonomous protocol from an initial set of almost 500,000 small organic molecules. It is clear that the SQE model outperforms the EEM in all benchmark assessments. When using Hirshfeld-I charges for the calibration, the SQE model optimally reproduces the molecular electrostatic potential from the ab initio calculations. Applications on chain molecules, i.e., alkanes, alkenes, and alpha alanine helices, confirm that the EEM gives rise to a divergent behavior for the polarizability, while the SQE model shows the correct trends. We conclude that the SQE model is an essential component of a polarizable force field, showing several advantages over the original EEM.

  8. Xyce parallel electronic simulator design.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Thornquist, Heidi K.; Rankin, Eric Lamont; Mei, Ting

    2010-09-01

    This document is the Xyce Circuit Simulator developer guide. Xyce has been designed from the 'ground up' to be a SPICE-compatible, distributed memory parallel circuit simulator. While it is in many respects a research code, Xyce is intended to be a production simulator. As such, having software quality engineering (SQE) procedures in place to insure a high level of code quality and robustness are essential. Version control, issue tracking customer support, C++ style guildlines and the Xyce release process are all described. The Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator has been under development at Sandia since 1999. Historically, Xyce has mostly beenmore » funded by ASC, the original focus of Xyce development has primarily been related to circuits for nuclear weapons. However, this has not been the only focus and it is expected that the project will diversify. Like many ASC projects, Xyce is a group development effort, which involves a number of researchers, engineers, scientists, mathmaticians and computer scientists. In addition to diversity of background, it is to be expected on long term projects for there to be a certain amount of staff turnover, as people move on to different projects. As a result, it is very important that the project maintain high software quality standards. The point of this document is to formally document a number of the software quality practices followed by the Xyce team in one place. Also, it is hoped that this document will be a good source of information for new developers.« less

  9. Redox reactions with empirical potentials: atomistic battery discharge simulations.

    PubMed

    Dapp, Wolf B; Müser, Martin H

    2013-08-14

    Batteries are pivotal components in overcoming some of today's greatest technological challenges. Yet to date there is no self-consistent atomistic description of a complete battery. We take first steps toward modeling of a battery as a whole microscopically. Our focus lies on phenomena occurring at the electrode-electrolyte interface which are not easily studied with other methods. We use the redox split-charge equilibration (redoxSQE) method that assigns a discrete ionization state to each atom. Along with exchanging partial charges across bonds, atoms can swap integer charges. With redoxSQE we study the discharge behavior of a nano-battery, and demonstrate that this reproduces the generic properties of a macroscopic battery qualitatively. Examples are the dependence of the battery's capacity on temperature and discharge rate, as well as performance degradation upon recharge.

  10. Dynamics of proteins at low temperatures: fibrous vs. globular

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foucat, L.; Renou, J.-P.; Tengroth, C.; Janssen, S.; Middendorf, H. D.

    We have measured quasielastic neutron scattering from H2O-hydrated collagen and haemoglobin at T<=270K. The data consist of sets of nearly elastic peaks showing (i) Q,T-dependent decreases in window-integrated intensities Sqe(Q;T) proportional to effective Debye-Waller factors and (ii) small line-shape changes due to various types of proton motions with ns>τ>10 ps. Relative to haemoglobin, the 200-K dynamic transition is shifted upward by 20-25 K in collagen, and the T-dependence of m.-sq. displacements derived from Sqe(Q;T) suggests that in triple-helical systems there are three rather than two regimes: one up to around 120K (probably purely harmonic), an intermediate quasiharmonic region with a linear dependence up to 240K, followed by a steeper nonlinear rise similar to that in globular proteins.

  11. Lower Squalene Epoxidase and Higher Scavenger Receptor Class B Type 1 Protein Levels Are Involved in Reduced Serum Cholesterol Levels in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

    PubMed

    Michihara, Akihiro; Mido, Mayuko; Matsuoka, Hiroshi; Mizutani, Yurika

    2015-01-01

    A lower serum cholesterol level was recently shown to be one of the causes of stroke in an epidemiological study. Spontaneously hypertensive rats stroke-prone (SHRSP) have lower serum cholesterol levels than normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). To elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the lower serum cholesterol levels in SHRSP, we determined whether the amounts of cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes or the receptor and transporter involved in cholesterol uptake and efflux in the liver were altered in SHRSP. When the mRNA levels of seven cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase and squalene epoxidase (SQE) levels in the liver of SHRSP were significantly lower than those in WKY. SQE protein levels were significantly reduced in tissues other than the brain of SHRSP. No significant differences were observed in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (uptake of serum LDL-cholesterol) or ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (efflux of cholesterol from the liver/formation of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)) protein levels in the liver and testis between SHRSP and WKY, whereas scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SRB1: uptake of serum HDL-cholesterol) protein levels were higher in the livers of SHRSP. These results indicated that the lower protein levels of SQE and higher protein levels of SRB1 in the liver were involved in the reduced serum cholesterol levels in SHRSP.

  12. [Key techniques for precision cultivation of nitrogenous fertilizer of pollution-free ginseng].

    PubMed

    Guo, Li-Li; Guo, Shuai; Dong, Lin-Lin; Shen, Liang; Li, Xi-Wen; Xu, Jiang; Chen, Shi-Lin

    2018-04-01

    Planting pollution-free farmland is the main mode of industrialization of ginseng cultivation, fine management of nitrogen fertilizer ginseng pollution-free farmland cultivation technology system is one of the key factors. In order to investigate the effect of nitrogenous fertilizer on the accumulation of ginseng biomass and saponins synthesis in vegetative growth stage, two-years-old ginsengs were used as test materials in this study. The test materials were cultivated by Hoagland medium with different nitrogen concentration (0，10，20，40 mg·L⁻¹) for 40 days. During the cultivation, photosynthetic rate was measured four times. After 40 days cultivation, chlorophyll content, stem diameter and the spatiotemporal expression of saponin synthesis related genes PgHMGR and PgSQE were tested. The results showed that there were significant differences in the photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content among different nitrogen concentrations. The relative expression level of PgHMGR gene and PgSQE gene in root, stem and leaves of ginseng were different. Ginseng seedlings cultivated by 20 mg·L⁻¹ nitrogen possess the highest photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content, while PgHMGR and PgSE showed the highest gene expression level. The optimal nitrogen concentration for the growth of 2-years-old ginseng might be 20 mg·L⁻¹ with 57.14 g ammonium nitrate each plant or pure 20.00 mg nitrogen each plant. It is concluded that this concentration is the most suitable concentration for the ginsenoside synthesis. Pollution-free ginseng with fine nitrogen fertilizer cultivation is conducive to the production of high quality and efficient ginseng medicinal materials. It lays a theoretical foundation for the rational fertilization and environment-friendly sustainable ecological ginseng planting industry. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  13. [Expression of saponin biosynthesis related genes in different tissues of Panax quinquefolius].

    PubMed

    Wang, Kang-Yu; Liu, Wei-Can; Zhang, Mei-Ping; Zhao, Ming-Zhu; Wang, Yan-Fang; Li, Li; Sun, Chun-Yu; Hu, Ke-Xin; Cong, Yue-Yi; Wang, Yi

    2018-01-01

    The relationship between saponin content of Panax quinquefolius in different parts of the organization and expression of ginsenoside biosynthesis related gene was obtained by the correlation analysis between saponin content and gene expression. The 14 tissue parts of P. quinquefolius were studied, six saponins in P. quinquefolius. Samples (ginsenoside Rg₁, Re, Rb₁, Rc, Rb₂ and Rd), group saponins and total saponins were determined by high performance liquid chromatography and vanillin-sulfuric acid colorimetric method. Simultaneously, the expression levels of 7 ginsenoside biosynthesis related genes ( SQS, OSC, DS, β-AS, SQE, P450 and FPS ) in different tissues of P. quinquefolius were determined by Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. Although 7 kinds of ginsenoside biosynthesis related enzyme gene in the P. quinquefolius involved in ginsenoside synthesis, the expression of β-AS and P450 genes had no significant effect on the content of monosodium saponins, grouping saponins and total saponins, FPS, SQS, OSC, DS and SQE had significant or extremely significant on the contents of single saponins Re, Rg1, Rb1, Rd, group saponin PPD and PPT, total saponin TMS and total saponin TS ( P <0.05 or P <0.01). The biosynthesis of partial saponins, grouping saponins and total saponins in P. quinquefolius was affected by the interaction of multiple enzyme genes in the saponin synthesis pathway, the content of saponins in different tissues of P. quinquefolius was determined by the differences in the expression of key enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway. Therefore, this study further clarified that FPS, SQS, OSC, DS and SQE was the key enzyme to control the synthesis of saponins in P. quinquefolius by correlation analysis, the biosynthesis of ginsenosides in P. quinquefolius was regulated by these five kind of enzymes in cluster co-expression of interaction mode. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  14. A Single Oxidosqualene Cyclase Produces the Seco-Triterpenoid α-Onocerin1[OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Almeida, Aldo; Khakimov, Bekzod; Bassard, Jean-Etienne; Appendino, Giovanni

    2018-01-01

    8,14-seco-Triterpenoids are characterized by their unusual open C-ring. Their distribution in nature is rare and scattered in taxonomically unrelated plants. The 8,14-seco-triterpenoid α-onocerin is only known from the evolutionarily distant clubmoss genus Lycopodium and the leguminous genus Ononis, which makes the biosynthesis of this seco-triterpenoid intriguing from an evolutionary standpoint. In our experiments with Ononis spinosa, α-onocerin was detected only in the roots. Through transcriptome analysis of the roots, an oxidosqualene cyclase, OsONS1, was identified that produces α-onocerin from squalene-2,3;22,23-dioxide when transiently expressed in Nicotiana bethamiana. In contrast, in Lycopodium clavatum, two sequential cyclases, LcLCC and LcLCD, are required to produce α-onocerin in the N. benthamiana transient expression system. Expression of OsONS1 in the lanosterol synthase knockout yeast strain GIL77, which accumulates squalene-2,3;22,23-dioxide, verified the α-onocerin production. A phylogenetic analysis predicts that OsONS1 branches off from specific lupeol synthases and does not group with the known L. clavatum α-onocerin cyclases. Both the biochemical and phylogenetic analyses of OsONS1 suggest convergent evolution of the α-onocerin pathways. When OsONS1 was coexpressed in N. benthamiana leaves with either of the two O. spinosa squalene epoxidases, OsSQE1 or OsSQE2, α-onocerin production was boosted, most likely because the epoxidases produce higher amounts of squalene-2,3;22,23-dioxide. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy analysis demonstrated specific protein-protein interactions between OsONS1 and both O. spinosa squalene epoxidases. Coexpression of OsONS1 with the two OsSQEs suggests that OsSQE2 is the preferred partner of OsONS1 in planta. Our results provide an example of the convergent evolution of plant specialized metabolism. PMID:29203557

  15. Heavy-impurity resonance, hybridization, and phonon spectral functions in Fe 1-xM xSi, M=Ir,Os

    DOE PAGES

    Delaire, O.; Al-Qasir, Iyad I.; May, Andrew F.; ...

    2015-03-31

    The vibrational behavior of heavy substitutional impurities (M=Ir,Os) in Fe 1-xM xSi (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.1) was investigated with a combination of inelastic neutron scattering (INS), transport measurements, and first-principles simulations. In this paper, our INS measurements on single-crystals mapped the four-dimensional dynamical structure factor, S(Q;E), for several compositions and temperatures. Our results show that both Ir and Os impurities lead to the formation of a weakly dispersive resonance vibrational mode, in the energy range of the acoustic phonon dispersions of the FeSi host. We also show that Ir doping, which introduces free carriers and increases electron-phonon coupling,more » leads to softened interatomic force-constants compared to doping with Os, which is isoelectronic to Fe. We analyze the phonon S(Q,E) from INS through a Green's function model incorporating the phonon self-energy based on first-principles density functional theory (DFT) simulations. Calculations of the quasiparticle spectral functions in the doped system reveal the hybridization between the resonance and the acoustic phonon modes. Finally, our results demonstrate a strong interaction of the host acoustic dispersions with the resonance mode, likely leading to the large observed suppression in lattice thermal conductivity.« less

  16. UPLC/Q-TOF MS-Based Metabolomics and qRT-PCR in Enzyme Gene Screening with Key Role in Triterpenoid Saponin Biosynthesis of Polygala tenuifolia

    PubMed Central

    Li, Zhenyu; Xu, Xiaoshuang; Peng, Bing; Qin, Xuemei; Du, Guanhua

    2014-01-01

    Background The dried root of Polygala tenuifolia, named Radix Polygalae, is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. Triterpenoid saponins are some of the most important components of Radix Polygalae extracts and are widely studied because of their valuable pharmacological properties. However, the relationship between gene expression and triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis in P. tenuifolia is unclear. Methodology/Findings In this study, ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS)-based metabolomic analysis was performed to identify and quantify the different chemical constituents of the roots, stems, leaves, and seeds of P. tenuifolia. A total of 22 marker compounds (VIP>1) were explored, and significant differences in all 7 triterpenoid saponins among the different tissues were found. We also observed an efficient reference gene GAPDH for different tissues in this plant and determined the expression level of some genes in the triterpenoid saponin biosynthetic pathway. Results showed that MVA pathway has more important functions in the triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis of P. tenuifolia. The expression levels of squalene synthase (SQS), squalene monooxygenase (SQE), and beta-amyrin synthase (β-AS) were highly correlated with the peak area intensity of triterpenoid saponins compared with data from UPLC/Q-TOF MS-based metabolomic analysis. Conclusions/Significance This finding suggested that a combination of UPLC/Q-TOF MS-based metabolomics and gene expression analysis can effectively elucidate the mechanism of triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis and can provide useful information on gene discovery. These findings can serve as a reference for using the overexpression of genes encoding for SQS, SQE, and/or β-AS to increase the triterpenoid saponin production of P. tenuifolia. PMID:25148032

  17. UPLC/Q-TOF MS-based metabolomics and qRT-PCR in enzyme gene screening with key role in triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis of Polygala tenuifolia.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Fusheng; Li, Xiaowei; Li, Zhenyu; Xu, Xiaoshuang; Peng, Bing; Qin, Xuemei; Du, Guanhua

    2014-01-01

    The dried root of Polygala tenuifolia, named Radix Polygalae, is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. Triterpenoid saponins are some of the most important components of Radix Polygalae extracts and are widely studied because of their valuable pharmacological properties. However, the relationship between gene expression and triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis in P. tenuifolia is unclear. In this study, ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS)-based metabolomic analysis was performed to identify and quantify the different chemical constituents of the roots, stems, leaves, and seeds of P. tenuifolia. A total of 22 marker compounds (VIP>1) were explored, and significant differences in all 7 triterpenoid saponins among the different tissues were found. We also observed an efficient reference gene GAPDH for different tissues in this plant and determined the expression level of some genes in the triterpenoid saponin biosynthetic pathway. Results showed that MVA pathway has more important functions in the triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis of P. tenuifolia. The expression levels of squalene synthase (SQS), squalene monooxygenase (SQE), and beta-amyrin synthase (β-AS) were highly correlated with the peak area intensity of triterpenoid saponins compared with data from UPLC/Q-TOF MS-based metabolomic analysis. This finding suggested that a combination of UPLC/Q-TOF MS-based metabolomics and gene expression analysis can effectively elucidate the mechanism of triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis and can provide useful information on gene discovery. These findings can serve as a reference for using the overexpression of genes encoding for SQS, SQE, and/or β-AS to increase the triterpenoid saponin production of P. tenuifolia.

  18. Frequency and Wavevector Dependence of the Atomic Level Stress-Stress Correlation Function in a Model Supercooled Liquid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levashov, Valentin A.; Morris, James R.; Egami, Takeshi

    2012-02-01

    Temporal and spatial correlations among the local atomic level shear stresses were studied for a model liquid iron by molecular dynamics simulation [PRL 106,115703]. Integration over time and space of the shear stress correlation function F(r,t) yields viscosity via Green-Kubo relation. The stress correlation function in time and space F(r,t) was Fourier transformed to study the dependence on frequency, E, and wave vector, Q. The results, F(Q,E), showed damped shear stress waves propagating in the liquid for small Q at high and low temperatures. We also observed additional diffuse feature that appears as temperature is reduced below crossover temperature of potential energy landscape at relatively low frequencies at small Q. We suggest that this additional feature might be related to dynamic heterogeneity and boson peaks. We also discuss a relation between the time-scale of the stress-stress correlation function and the alpha-relaxation time of the intermediate self-scattering function S(Q,E).

  19. Quality engineering as a profession.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kolb, Rachel R.; Hoover, Marcey L.

    Over the course of time, the profession of quality engineering has witnessed significant change, from its original emphasis on quality control and inspection to a more contemporary focus on upholding quality processes throughout the organization and its product realization activities. This paper describes the profession of quality engineering, exploring how todays quality engineers and quality professionals are certified individuals committed to upholding quality processes and principles while working with different dimensions of product development. It also discusses the future of the quality engineering profession and the future of the quality movement as a whole.

  20. Quality assurance and accreditation of engineering education in Jordan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aqlan, Faisal; Al-Araidah, Omar; Al-Hawari, Tarek

    2010-06-01

    This paper provides a study of the quality assurance and accreditation in the Jordanian higher education sector and focuses mainly on engineering education. It presents engineering education, accreditation and quality assurance in Jordan and considers the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) for a case study. The study highlights the efforts undertaken by the faculty of engineering at JUST concerning quality assurance and accreditation. Three engineering departments were accorded substantial equivalency status by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology in 2009. Various measures of quality improvement, including curricula development, laboratories improvement, computer facilities, e-learning, and other supporting services are also discussed. Further assessment of the current situation is made through two surveys, targeting engineering instructors and students. Finally, the paper draws conclusions and proposes recommendations to enhance the quality of engineering education at JUST and other Jordanian educational institutions.

  1. [Correlation of gene expression related to amount of ginseng saponin in 15 tissues and 6 kinds of ginseng saponin biosynthesis].

    PubMed

    Wang, Kang-yu; Zhang, Mei-ping; Li, Chuang; Jiang, Shi-cui; Yin, Rui; Sun, Chun-yu; Wang, Yi

    2015-08-01

    Fifteen tissues of 4-year-old fruit repining stage Jilin ginseng were chosen as materials, six kinds of monomer saponins (ginsenosides Rg1, Re, Rb1, Rc, Rb2 and Rd) content in 15 tissues was measured by HPLC and vanillin-sulfuric acid method. The relative expression of FPS, SQS, SQE, OSC, β-AS and P450 genes in 15 tissues was analyzed by real-time PCR. The correlations between ginseng saponin content in 15 tissues of Jilin ginseng and biosynthetic pathway -related genes were obtained. The results showed that was a synergistic increase and decrease trend of positive linear correlation among six kinds of monomer saponin content, and there was a significantly (P < 0.01) positive correlation between monomer saponin content and total saponins content. Monomer saponin content and 6 kinds of enzyme gene correlation were different. Biosynthesis of ginseng total saponins and monomer saponin were regulated by six kinds of participation ginsenoside biosynthesis enzyme genes, the expression of these six kinds of genes in different tissues of ginseng showed collaborative increase and decrease trend, and regulated biosynthesis of ginseng ginsenoside by group coordinative manner.

  2. Specialized medical search-engines are no better than general search-engines in sourcing consumer information about androgen deficiency.

    PubMed

    Ilic, D; Bessell, T L; Silagy, C A; Green, S

    2003-03-01

    The Internet provides consumers with access to online health information; however, identifying relevant and valid information can be problematic. Our objectives were firstly to investigate the efficiency of search-engines, and then to assess the quality of online information pertaining to androgen deficiency in the ageing male (ADAM). Keyword searches were performed on nine search-engines (four general and five medical) to identify website information regarding ADAM. Search-engine efficiency was compared by percentage of relevant websites obtained via each search-engine. The quality of information published on each website was assessed using the DISCERN rating tool. Of 4927 websites searched, 47 (1.44%) and 10 (0.60%) relevant websites were identified by general and medical search-engines respectively. The overall quality of online information on ADAM was poor. The quality of websites retrieved using medical search-engines did not differ significantly from those retrieved by general search-engines. Despite the poor quality of online information relating to ADAM, it is evident that medical search-engines are no better than general search-engines in sourcing consumer information relevant to ADAM.

  3. Searching the Internet for information on prostate cancer screening: an assessment of quality.

    PubMed

    Ilic, Dragan; Risbridger, Gail; Green, Sally

    2004-07-01

    To identify how on-line information relating to prostate cancer screening (PCS) is best sourced, whether through general, medical, or meta-search engines, and to assess the quality of that information. Websites providing information about PCS were searched across 15 search engines representing three distinct types: general, medical, and meta-search engines. The quality of on-line information was assessed using the DISCERN quality assessment tool. Quality performance characteristics were analyzed by performing Mann-Whitney U tests. Search engine efficiency was measured by each search query as a percentage of the relevant websites included for analysis from the total returned and analyzed by performing Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance. Of 6690 websites reviewed, 84 unique websites were identified as providing information relevant to PCS. General and meta-search engines were significantly more efficient at retrieving relevant information on PCS compared with medical search engines. The quality of information was variable, with most of a poor standard. Websites that provided referral links to other resources and a citation of evidence provided a significantly better quality of information. In contrast, websites offering a direct service were more likely to provide a significantly poorer quality of information. The current lack of a clear consensus on guidelines and recommendation in published data is also reflected by the variable quality of information found on-line. Specialized medical search engines were no more likely to retrieve relevant, high-quality information than general or meta-search engines.

  4. The reliability-quality relationship for quality systems and quality risk management.

    PubMed

    Claycamp, H Gregg; Rahaman, Faiad; Urban, Jason M

    2012-01-01

    Engineering reliability typically refers to the probability that a system, or any of its components, will perform a required function for a stated period of time and under specified operating conditions. As such, reliability is inextricably linked with time-dependent quality concepts, such as maintaining a state of control and predicting the chances of losses from failures for quality risk management. Two popular current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) and quality risk management tools, failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and root cause analysis (RCA) are examples of engineering reliability evaluations that link reliability with quality and risk. Current concepts in pharmaceutical quality and quality management systems call for more predictive systems for maintaining quality; yet, the current pharmaceutical manufacturing literature and guidelines are curiously silent on engineering quality. This commentary discusses the meaning of engineering reliability while linking the concept to quality systems and quality risk management. The essay also discusses the difference between engineering reliability and statistical (assay) reliability. The assurance of quality in a pharmaceutical product is no longer measured only "after the fact" of manufacturing. Rather, concepts of quality systems and quality risk management call for designing quality assurance into all stages of the pharmaceutical product life cycle. Interestingly, most assays for quality are essentially static and inform product quality over the life cycle only by being repeated over time. Engineering process reliability is the fundamental concept that is meant to anticipate quality failures over the life cycle of the product. Reliability is a well-developed theory and practice for other types of manufactured products and manufacturing processes. Thus, it is well known to be an appropriate index of manufactured product quality. This essay discusses the meaning of reliability and its linkages with quality systems and quality risk management.

  5. Summary of the effects of engine throttle response on airplane formation-flying qualities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walsh, Kevin R.

    1993-01-01

    A flight evaluation was conducted to determine the effect of engine throttle response characteristics on precision formation-flying qualities. A variable electronic throttle control system was developed and flight-tested on a TF-104G airplane with a J79-11B engine at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility. This airplane was chosen because of its known, very favorable thrust response characteristics. Ten research flights were flown to evaluate the effects of throttle gain, time delay, and fuel control rate limiting on engine handling qualities during a demanding precision wing formation task. Handling quality effects of lag filters and lead compensation time delays were also evaluated. The Cooper and Harper Pilot Rating Scale was used to assign levels of handling quality. Data from pilot ratings and comments indicate that throttle control system time delays and rate limits cause significant degradations in handling qualities. Threshold values for satisfactory (level 1) and adequate (level 2) handling qualities of these key variables are presented. These results may provide engine manufacturers with guidelines to assure satisfactory handling qualities in future engine designs.

  6. Present and Future in Quality Assurance of Engineering Education in Japan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aoki, Kyosuke; Nozawa, Tsunenori

    The quality of engineering education in our country should be assured by the self-assessment of the institution that conducts education. Recent evaluation and/or accreditation are intended to assist and promote such achievement. The certified evaluation and accreditation for colleges of technology and the audit by the Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education (JABEE) have been carried out on the engineering education. In this article we will discuss the ways of accreditation of both systems and try to consider future for the quality assurance of the engineering education in Japan.

  7. Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Engineering Education in Jordan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aqlan, Faisal; Al-Araidah, Omar; Al-Hawari, Tarek

    2010-01-01

    This paper provides a study of the quality assurance and accreditation in the Jordanian higher education sector and focuses mainly on engineering education. It presents engineering education, accreditation and quality assurance in Jordan and considers the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) for a case study. The study highlights the…

  8. Factors associated with health-related quality of life among operating engineers.

    PubMed

    Choi, Seung Hee; Redman, Richard W; Terrell, Jeffrey E; Pohl, Joanne M; Duffy, Sonia A

    2012-11-01

    Because health-related quality of life among blue-collar workers has not been well studied, the purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with health-related quality of life among Operating Engineers. With cross-sectional data from a convenience sample of 498 Operating Engineers, personal and health behavioral factors associated with health-related quality of life were examined. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that personal factors (older age, being married, more medical comorbidities, and depression) and behavioral factors (smoking, low fruit and vegetable intake, low physical activity, high body mass index, and low sleep quality) were associated with poor health-related quality of life. Operating Engineers are at risk for poor health-related quality of life. Underlying medical comorbidities and depression should be well managed. Worksite wellness programs addressing poor health behaviors may be beneficial.

  9. Assuring quality in high-consequence engineering

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hoover, Marcey L.; Kolb, Rachel R.

    2014-03-01

    In high-consequence engineering organizations, such as Sandia, quality assurance may be heavily dependent on staff competency. Competency-dependent quality assurance models are at risk when the environment changes, as it has with increasing attrition rates, budget and schedule cuts, and competing program priorities. Risks in Sandia's competency-dependent culture can be mitigated through changes to hiring, training, and customer engagement approaches to manage people, partners, and products. Sandia's technical quality engineering organization has been able to mitigate corporate-level risks by driving changes that benefit all departments, and in doing so has assured Sandia's commitment to excellence in high-consequence engineering and national service.

  10. Accessibility, nature and quality of health information on the Internet: a survey on osteoarthritis.

    PubMed

    Maloney, S; Ilic, D; Green, S

    2005-03-01

    This study aims to determine the quality and validity of information available on the Internet about osteoarthritis and to investigate the best way of sourcing this information. Keywords relevant to osteoarthritis were searched across 15 search engines representing medical, general and meta-search engines. Search engine efficiency was defined as the percentage of unique and relevant websites from all websites returned by each search engine. The quality of relevant information was appraised using the DISCERN tool and the concordance of the information offered by the website with the available evidence about osteoarthritis determined. A total of 3443 websites were retrieved, of which 344 were identified as unique and providing information relevant to osteoarthritis. The overall quality of website information was poor. There was no significant difference between types of search engine in sourcing relevant information; however, the information retrieved from medical search engines was of a higher quality. Fewer than a third of the websites identified as offering relevant information cited evidence to support their recommendations. Although the overall quality of website information about osteoarthritis was poor, medical search engines may provide consumers with the opportunity to source high-quality health information on the Internet. In the era of evidence-based medicine, one of the main obstacles to the Internet reaching its potential as a medical resource is the failure of websites to incorporate and attribute evidence-based information.

  11. Training, Quality Assurance Factors, and Tools Investigation: a Work Report and Suggestions on Software Quality Assurance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Pen-Nan

    1991-01-01

    Previously, several research tasks have been conducted, some observations were obtained, and several possible suggestions have been contemplated involving software quality assurance engineering at NASA Johnson. These research tasks are briefly described. Also, a brief discussion is given on the role of software quality assurance in software engineering along with some observations and suggestions. A brief discussion on a training program for software quality assurance engineers is provided. A list of assurance factors as well as quality factors are also included. Finally, a process model which can be used for searching and collecting software quality assurance tools is presented.

  12. Environmental Engineering in the Slovak Republic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stevulova, N.; Balintova, M.; Zelenakova, M.; Estokova, A.; Vilcekova, S.

    2017-10-01

    The fundamental role of environmental engineering is to protect human population and environment from impacts of human activities and to ensure environmental quality. It relates to achieving the environmental sustainability goals through advanced technologies for pollutants removing from air, water and soil in order to minimize risk in ecosystem and ensuring favourable conditions for life of humans and organisms. Nowadays, a critical analysis of the environment quality and innovative approaches to problem solving in order to achieve sustainability in environmental engineering, are necessary. This article presents an overview of the quality of the environment and progress in environmental engineering in Slovakia and gives information regarding the environmental engineering education at Faculty of Civil Engineering at Technical University in Kosice.

  13. Design of the subject of quality engineering and security of the product of the degree in engineering in industrial design and development of product based in the methodology of the case

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    González, M. R.; Lambán, M. P.

    2012-04-01

    This paper presents the result of designing the subject Quality Engineering and Security of the Product, belonging to the Degree of Engineering in Industrial Design and Product Development, on the basis of the case methodology. Practical sessions of this subject are organized using the whole documents of the Quality System Management of the virtual company BeaLuc S.A.

  14. Sandia National Laboratories Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) software quality plan. Part 1 : ASC software quality engineering practices version 1.0.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Minana, Molly A.; Sturtevant, Judith E.; Heaphy, Robert

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Software Quality Plan is to clearly identify the practices that are the basis for continually improving the quality of ASC software products. Quality is defined in DOE/AL Quality Criteria (QC-1) as conformance to customer requirements and expectations. This quality plan defines the ASC program software quality practices and provides mappings of these practices to the SNL Corporate Process Requirements (CPR 1.3.2 and CPR 1.3.6) and the Department of Energy (DOE) document, ASCI Software Quality Engineering: Goals, Principles, and Guidelines (GP&G). This quality plan identifies ASC management andmore » software project teams' responsibilities for cost-effective software engineering quality practices. The SNL ASC Software Quality Plan establishes the signatories commitment to improving software products by applying cost-effective software engineering quality practices. This document explains the project teams opportunities for tailoring and implementing the practices; enumerates the practices that compose the development of SNL ASC's software products; and includes a sample assessment checklist that was developed based upon the practices in this document.« less

  15. Integration of Engineering Education by High School Teachers to Meet Standards in the Physics Classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kersten, Jennifer Anna

    In recent years there has been increasing interest in engineering education at the K-12 level, which has resulted in states adopting engineering standards as a part of their academic science standards. From a national perspective, the basis for research into engineering education at the K-12 level is the belief that it is of benefit to student learning, including to "improve student learning and achievement in science and mathematics; increase awareness of engineering and the work of engineers; boost youth interest in pursuing engineering as a career; and increase the technological literacy of all students" (National Research Council, 2009a, p. 1). The above has led to a need to understand how teachers are currently implementing engineering education in their classrooms. High school physics teachers have a history of implementing engineering design projects in their classrooms, thus providing an appropriate setting to look for evidence of quality engineering education at the high school level. Understanding the characteristics of quality engineering integration can inform curricular and professional development efforts for teachers asked to implement engineering in their classrooms. Thus, the question that guided this study is: How, and to what extent, do physics teachers represent quality engineering in a physics unit focused on engineering? A case study research design was implemented for this project. Three high school physics teachers were participants in this study focused on the integration of engineering education into the physics classroom. The data collected included observations, interviews, and classroom documents that were analyzed using the Framework for Quality K-12 Engineering Education (Moore, Glancy et al., 2013). The results provided information about the areas of the K-12 engineering framework addressed during these engineering design projects, and detailed the quality of these lesson components. The results indicate that all of the design projects contained components of the indicators central to engineering education, although with varied degrees of success. In addition, each design project contained aspects important to the development of students' understanding of engineering and that promote important professional skills used by engineers. The implications of this work are discussed at the teacher, school, professional development, and policy levels.

  16. Systems Engineering, Quality and Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shepherd, Christena C.

    2015-01-01

    AS9100 has little to say about how to apply a Quality Management System (QMS) to aerospace test programs. There is little in the quality engineering Body of Knowledge that applies to testing, unless it is nondestructive examination or some type of lab or bench testing. If one examines how the systems engineering processes are implemented throughout a test program; and how these processes can be mapped to AS9100, a number of areas for involvement of the quality professional are revealed.

  17. Of Feedback, Noise, and Clarion Calls: Preserving the Quality of Engineering Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    David, Edward E., Jr.

    Although times seemed ripe for far-reaching initiatives to safeguard the quality of engineering education, current political noise about the issue threatens to drown out the engineering community's message. However, the engineering community's theme should be that economic growth in a modern economy, that industrial policy, is based first and…

  18. Summary of the effects of engine throttle response on airplane formation-flying qualities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walsh, Kevin R.

    1992-01-01

    A flight evaluation as conducted to determine the effect of engine throttle response characteristics on precision formation-flying qualities. A variable electronic throttle control system was developed and flight-tested on a TF-104G airplane with a J79-11B engine at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility. Ten research flights were flown to evaluate the effects of throttle gain, time delay, and fuel control rate limiting on engine handling qualities during a demanding precision wing formation task. Handling quality effects of lag filters and lead compensation time delays were also evaluated. Data from pilot ratings and comments indicate that throttle control system time delays and rate limits cause significant degradations in handling qualities. Threshold values for satisfactory (level 1) and adequate (level 2) handling qualities of these key variables are presented.

  19. Education and Research Laboratories as a Means of Enhancing the Quality of Professional Engineering Education in Design and Production of Composite Parts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khaliulin, Valentin I.; Gershtein, Elena M.

    2016-01-01

    Relevance of this research is determined by quality improvement of professional engineering education. The purpose of this paper is to offer practical recommendations for those interested in establishment of education and research laboratories as a means of enhancing the quality of professional engineering education in design and production of…

  20. [A strategy of constructing the technological system for quality control of Chinese medicine based on process control and management].

    PubMed

    Cheng, Yi-Yu; Qian, Zhong-Zhi; Zhang, Bo-Li

    2017-01-01

    The current situation, bottleneck problems and severe challenges in quality control technology of Chinese Medicine (CM) are briefly described. It is presented to change the phenomenon related to the post-test as the main means and contempt for process control in drug regulation, reverse the situation of neglecting the development of process control and management technology for pharmaceutical manufacture and reconstruct the technological system for quality control of CM products. The regulation and technology system based on process control and management for controlling CM quality should be established to solve weighty realistic problems of CM industry from the root causes, including backwardness of quality control technology, weakness of quality risk control measures, poor reputation of product quality and so on. By this way, the obstacles from poor controllability of CM product quality could be broken. Concentrating on those difficult problems and weak links in the technical field of CM quality control, it is proposed to build CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls) regulation for CM products with Chinese characteristics and promote the regulation international recognition as soon as possible. The CMC technical framework, which is clinical efficacy-oriented, manufacturing manner-centered and process control-focused, was designed. To address the clinical characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the production feature of CM manufacture, it is suggested to establish quality control engineering for CM manufacturing by integrating pharmaceutical analysis, TCM chemistry, TCM pharmacology, pharmaceutical engineering, control engineering, management engineering and other disciplines. Further, a theoretical model of quality control engineering for CM manufacturing and the methodology of digital pharmaceutical engineering are proposed. A technology pathway for promoting CM standard and realizing the strategic goal of CM internationalization is elaborated. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  1. Report of the DOD-University Forum Working Group on Engineering and Science Education.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-07-01

    high priority to strengthening our national base of scientific and technical personnel. That included im- mediate emphasis on training people in the...4 - DOD Requirements for Civilian Engineering and Scientific Personnel .. 5 - DOD Requirements for Military Engineering and Scientific ...15 - The Problem is Quality ................ o................. ...... 15 - The Quality of Engineering and Scientific Personnel in

  2. Use of Data Quality Index in Student Feedback for Quality Assurance of Engineering Programmes at the Military Technological College, Muscat, Oman

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khan, Wasi Uz Zaman; AlAjmi, Abdullah Ahmed Ali; Al Zubaidy, Sarim

    2018-01-01

    This case study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the modifications into the engineering programmes adopted by the Military Technological College (MTC) to satisfy the needs of Omani armed forces. It discusses the role of Quality Assurance (QA) in engineering education and accreditation process in the context of four engineering…

  3. Promoting Quality in NAVFAC (Naval Facilities Engineering Command) Construction.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-01-01

    experience. Inspector Checklists To assist their field construction engineers, Owens - Corning Fiberglas Corporation, in conjunction with Texas A&M...that developed by Owens - Corning Fiberglas A I Corporation to assist government inspectors to maintain high - quality standards in their construction...105, No. C03 (September 1979), 187-199. Information in a letter to the author from D.R. Eberts, Quality Assurance Engineer, Owens - Corning Fiberglas

  4. A Theory of Information Quality and a Framework for its Implementation in the Requirements Engineering Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grenn, Michael W.

    This dissertation introduces a theory of information quality to explain macroscopic behavior observed in the systems engineering process. The theory extends principles of Shannon's mathematical theory of communication [1948] and statistical mechanics to information development processes concerned with the flow, transformation, and meaning of information. The meaning of requirements information in the systems engineering context is estimated or measured in terms of the cumulative requirements quality Q which corresponds to the distribution of the requirements among the available quality levels. The requirements entropy framework (REF) implements the theory to address the requirements engineering problem. The REF defines the relationship between requirements changes, requirements volatility, requirements quality, requirements entropy and uncertainty, and engineering effort. The REF is evaluated via simulation experiments to assess its practical utility as a new method for measuring, monitoring and predicting requirements trends and engineering effort at any given time in the process. The REF treats the requirements engineering process as an open system in which the requirements are discrete information entities that transition from initial states of high entropy, disorder and uncertainty toward the desired state of minimum entropy as engineering effort is input and requirements increase in quality. The distribution of the total number of requirements R among the N discrete quality levels is determined by the number of defined quality attributes accumulated by R at any given time. Quantum statistics are used to estimate the number of possibilities P for arranging R among the available quality levels. The requirements entropy H R is estimated using R, N and P by extending principles of information theory and statistical mechanics to the requirements engineering process. The information I increases as HR and uncertainty decrease, and the change in information AI needed to reach the desired state of quality is estimated from the perspective of the receiver. The HR may increase, decrease or remain steady depending on the degree to which additions, deletions and revisions impact the distribution of R among the quality levels. Current requirements trend metrics generally treat additions, deletions and revisions the same and simply measure the quantity of these changes over time. The REF evaluates the quantity of requirements changes over time, distinguishes between their positive and negative effects by calculating their impact on HR, Q, and AI, and forecasts when the desired state will be reached, enabling more accurate assessment of the status and progress of the requirements engineering effort. Results from random variable simulations suggest the REF is an improved leading indicator of requirements trends that can be readily combined with current methods. The increase in I, or decrease in H R and uncertainty, is proportional to the engineering effort E input into the requirements engineering process. The REF estimates the AE needed to transition R from their current state of quality to the desired end state or some other interim state of interest. Simulation results are compared with measured engineering effort data for Department of Defense programs published in the SE literature, and the results suggest the REF is a promising new method for estimation of AE.

  5. 33 CFR 385.21 - Quality control.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Quality control. 385.21 Section... Processes § 385.21 Quality control. (a) The Corps of Engineers and the non-Federal sponsor shall prepare a quality control plan, in accordance with applicable Corps of Engineers regulations, for each product that...

  6. 33 CFR 385.21 - Quality control.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Quality control. 385.21 Section... Processes § 385.21 Quality control. (a) The Corps of Engineers and the non-Federal sponsor shall prepare a quality control plan, in accordance with applicable Corps of Engineers regulations, for each product that...

  7. 33 CFR 385.21 - Quality control.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Quality control. 385.21 Section... Processes § 385.21 Quality control. (a) The Corps of Engineers and the non-Federal sponsor shall prepare a quality control plan, in accordance with applicable Corps of Engineers regulations, for each product that...

  8. Qualities Required from Engineers of the Global Times

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Senuma, Takehide

    In this paper, the qualities and characteristics required from an engineer who works globally are discussed based on my own experience of a joint research project with a European company. The most important qualities and characteristics are integrity, one‧s own initiative, basic and expert knowledge, creativity, communicative skills and broad world view. Having initiative seems to be especially significant but is a weak point of young engineers in Japan at present. Ways to develop students‧ initiative are discussed in detail from a view point of the engineering education.

  9. Sound quality assessment of Diesel combustion noise using in-cylinder pressure components

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Payri, F.; Broatch, A.; Margot, X.; Monelletta, L.

    2009-01-01

    The combustion process in direct injection (DI) Diesel engines is an important source of noise, and it is thus the main reason why end-users could be reluctant to drive vehicles powered with this type of engine. This means that the great potential of Diesel engines for environment preservation—due to their lower consumption and the subsequent reduction of CO2 emissions—may be lost. Moreover, the advanced combustion concepts—e.g. the HCCI (homogeneous charge compression ignition)—developed to comply with forthcoming emissions legislation, while maintaining the efficiency of current engines, are expected to be noisier because they are characterized by a higher amount of premixed combustion. For this reason many efforts have been dedicated by car manufacturers in recent years to reduce the overall level and improve the sound quality of engine noise. Evaluation procedures are required, both for noise levels and sound quality, that may be integrated in the global engine development process in a timely and cost-effective manner. In previous published work, the authors proposed a novel method for the assessment of engine noise level. A similar procedure is applied in this paper to demonstrate the suitability of combustion indicators for the evaluation of engine noise quality. These indicators, which are representative of the peak velocity of fuel burning and the resonance in the combustion chamber, are well correlated with the combustion noise mark obtained from jury testing. Quite good accuracy in the prediction of the engine noise quality has been obtained with the definition of a two-component regression, which also permits the identification of the combustion process features related to the resulting noise quality, so that corrective actions may be proposed.

  10. Quality engineering as a discipline of study.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kolb, Rachel R.; Hoover, Marcey L.

    2012-12-01

    The current framework for quality scholarship in the United States ranges from the training and education of future quality engineers, managers, and professionals to focused and sustained research initiatives that, through academic institutions and other organizations, aim to improve the knowledge and application of quality across a variety of sectors. Numerous quality journals also provide a forum for professional dissemination of information.

  11. New tools for non-invasive exploration of collagen network in cartilaginous tissue-engineered substitute.

    PubMed

    Henrionnet, Christel; Dumas, Dominique; Hupont, Sébastien; Stoltz, Jean François; Mainard, Didier; Gillet, Pierre; Pinzano, Astrid

    2017-01-01

    In tissue engineering approaches, the quality of substitutes is a key element to determine its ability to treat cartilage defects. However, in clinical practice, the evaluation of tissue-engineered cartilage substitute quality is not possible due to the invasiveness of the standard procedure, which is to date histology. The aim of this work was to validate a new innovative system performed from two-photon excitation laser adapted to an optical macroscope to evaluate at macroscopic scale the collagen network in cartilage tissue-engineered substitutes in confrontation with gold standard histologic techniques or immunohistochemistry to visualize type II collagen. This system permitted to differentiate the quality of collagen network between ITS and TGF-β1 treatments. Multiscale large field imaging combined to multimodality approaches (SHG-TCSPC) at macroscopical scale represent an innovative and non-invasive technique to monitor the quality of collagen network in cartilage tissue-engineered substitutes before in vivo implantation.

  12. A Practical Guide for Managing Customer Service in Base Civil Engineering.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-04-01

    IMPROVING CUSTOMER SERVICE IN BASE CIVIL ENGINEERING Step One: Evaluate Present Service Quality .. ......... .11 Step Two: Develop and Clarify a...cross sectional viewpoint. In chapter three, specific steps will be presented for managers to evaluate and improve the present level of service quality in...customer service in base civil engineering or any other organization for that matter is to evaluate the present level of service quality (1:170). Data

  13. Quality Dimensions of Internet Search Engines.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Xie, M.; Wang, H.; Goh, T. N.

    1998-01-01

    Reviews commonly used search engines (AltaVista, Excite, infoseek, Lycos, HotBot, WebCrawler), focusing on existing comparative studies; considers quality dimensions from the customer's point of view based on a SERVQUAL framework; and groups these quality expectations in five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and…

  14. Factors associated with sleep quality among operating engineers.

    PubMed

    Choi, Seung Hee; Terrell, Jeffrey E; Pohl, Joanne M; Redman, Richard W; Duffy, Sonia A

    2013-06-01

    Blue collar workers generally report high job stress and are exposed to loud noises at work and engage in many of risky health behavioral factors, all of which have been associated with poor sleep quality. However, sleep quality of blue collar workers has not been studied extensively, and no studies have focused Operating Engineers (heavy equipment operators) among whom daytime fatigue would place them at high risk for accidents. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine variables associated with sleep quality among Operating Engineers. This was a cross-sectional survey design with a dependent variable of sleep quality and independent variables of personal and related health behavioral factors. A convenience sample of 498 Operating Engineers was recruited from approximately 16,000 Operating Engineers from entire State of Michigan in 2008. Linear regression was used to determine personal and related health behavior factors associated with sleep quality. Multivariate analyses showed that personal factors related to poor sleep quality were younger age, female sex, higher pain, more medical comorbidities and depressive symptoms and behavioral factors related to poor sleep quality were nicotine dependence. While sleep scores were similar to population norms, approximately 34 % (n = 143) showed interest in health services for sleep problems. While many personal factors are not changeable, interventions to improve sleep hygiene as well as interventions to treat pain, depression and smoking may improve sleep quality resulting in less absenteeism, fatal work accidents, use of sick leave, work disability, medical comorbidities, as well as subsequent mortality.

  15. Factors Associated With Sleep Quality Among Operating Engineers

    PubMed Central

    Choi, Seung Hee; Terrell, Jeffrey E.; Pohl, Joanne M.; Redman, Richard W.

    2016-01-01

    Blue collar workers generally report high job stress and are exposed to loud noises at work and engage in many of the health behavioral factors, all of which have been associated with poor sleep quality. However, sleep quality of blue collar workers has not been studied extensively, and no studies have focused Operating Engineers (heavy equipment operators) among whom daytime fatigue would place them at high risk for accidents. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine variables associated with sleep quality among Operating Engineers. This was a cross-sectional survey design with a dependent variable of sleep quality and independent variables of personal and related health behavioral factors. A convenience sample of 498 Operating Engineers was recruited from approximately 16,000 Operating Engineers from entire State of Michigan in 2008. Linear regression was used to determine personal and related health behavior factors associated with sleep quality. Multivariate analyses showed that personal factors related to poor sleep quality were younger age, female sex, higher pain, more medical comorbidities and depressive symptoms and behavioral factors related to poor sleep quality were nicotine dependence. While sleep scores were similar to population norms, approximately 34% (n=143) showed interest in health services for sleep problems. While many personal factors are not changeable, interventions to improve sleep hygiene as well as interventions to treat pain, depression and smoking may improve sleep quality resulting in less absenteeism, fatal work accidents, use of sick leave, work disability, medical comorbidities, as well as subsequent mortality. PMID:23393021

  16. Highly Integrated Quality Assurance – An Empirical Case

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Drake Kirkham; Amy Powell; Lucas Rich

    2011-02-01

    Highly Integrated Quality Assurance – An Empirical Case Drake Kirkham1, Amy Powell2, Lucas Rich3 1Quality Manager, Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) Program, Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625 M/S 6122, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-6122 2Quality Engineer, RPS Program, Idaho National Laboratory 3Quality Engineer, RPS Program, Idaho National Laboratory Contact: Voice: (208) 533-7550 Email: Drake.Kirkham@inl.gov Abstract. The Radioisotope Power Systems Program of the Idaho National Laboratory makes an empirical case for a highly integrated Quality Assurance function pertaining to the preparation, assembly, testing, storage and transportation of 238Pu fueled radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Case data represents multiple campaigns including the Pluto/New Horizons mission,more » the Mars Science Laboratory mission in progress, and other related projects. Traditional Quality Assurance models would attempt to reduce cost by minimizing the role of dedicated Quality Assurance personnel in favor of either functional tasking or peer-based implementations. Highly integrated Quality Assurance adds value by placing trained quality inspectors on the production floor side-by-side with nuclear facility operators to enhance team dynamics, reduce inspection wait time, and provide for immediate, independent feedback. Value is also added by maintaining dedicated Quality Engineers to provide for rapid identification and resolution of corrective action, enhanced and expedited supply chain interfaces, improved bonded storage capabilities, and technical resources for requirements management including data package development and Certificates of Inspection. A broad examination of cost-benefit indicates highly integrated Quality Assurance can reduce cost through the mitigation of risk and reducing administrative burden thereby allowing engineers to be engineers, nuclear operators to be nuclear operators, and the cross-functional team to operate more efficiently. Applicability of this case extends to any high-value, long-term project where traceability and accountability are determining factors.« less

  17. Quality Assurance in Engineering Education: Comparison of Accreditation Schemes and ISO 9001.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karapetrovic, Stanislav; Rajamani, Divakar; Willborn, Walter

    1998-01-01

    Outlines quality assurance schemes for distance-education technologies that are based on the ISO 9000 family of international quality-assurance standards. Argues that engineering faculties can establish such systems on the basis of and integrated with accreditation schemes. Contains 34 references. (DDR)

  18. Study of small civil turbofan engines applicable to military trainer airplanes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heldenbrand, R. W.; Merrill, G. L.; Burnett, G. A.

    1975-01-01

    Small turbofan engine design concepts were applied to military trainer airplanes to establish the potential for commonality between civil and military engines. Several trainer configurations were defined and studied. A ""best'' engine was defined for the trainer mission, and sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the effects on airplane size and efficiency of wing loading, power loading, configuration, aerodynamic quality, and engine quality. It is concluded that a small civil aircraft is applicable to military trainer airplanes. Aircraft designed with these engines are smaller, less costly, and more efficient than existing trainer aircraft.

  19. Flight test results for several light, canard-configured airplanes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brown, Philip W.

    1987-01-01

    Brief flight evaluations of two different, light, composite constructed, canard and winglet configured airplanes were performed to assess their handling qualities; one airplane was a single engine, pusher design and the other a twin engine, push-pull configuration. An emphasis was placed on the slow speed/high angle of attack region for both airplanes and on the engine-out regime for the twin. Mission suitability assessment included cockpit and control layout, ground and airborne handling qualities, and turbulence response. Very limited performance data was taken. Stall/spin tests and the effects of laminar flow loss on performance and handling qualities were assessed on an extended range, single engine pusher design.

  20. 77 FR 51786 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-27

    ... to increasing the number and quality of the nation's scientists and engineers. Application... Engineering, Biosciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Cognitive, Neural, and...

  1. Practical quality control tools for curves and surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Small, Scott G.

    1992-01-01

    Curves (geometry) and surfaces created by Computer Aided Geometric Design systems in the engineering environment must satisfy two basic quality criteria: the geometric shape must have the desired engineering properties; and the objects must be parameterized in a way which does not cause computational difficulty for geometric processing and engineering analysis. Interactive techniques are described which are in use at Boeing to evaluate the quality of aircraft geometry prior to Computational Fluid Dynamic analysis, including newly developed methods for examining surface parameterization and its effects.

  2. Feasibility of CO/sub 2/ monitoring to assess air quality in mines using diesel equipment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Daniel, J.H. Jr.

    1987-01-01

    The methodology includes: (1) establishing pollutant to CO/sub 2/ ratios for in-service equipment, (2) estimating pollutant concentrations from the ratios and in-mine CO/sub 2/ measurements, and (3) using an air quality index to combine the pollutants into a single number, which indicates the health hazard associated with the pollutants. For the methodology to be valid, the pollutant to CO/sub 2/ ratios must remain constant if engine operating conditions do not significantly change. However, due to the complex dynamics of the fuel injection system, the fuel-air combustion process, and the engine speed-load governing system, the pollutant to CO/sub 2/ ratios maymore » vary during repetitive, but transient engine speed-and-load operation. These transient effects were investigated. In addition, the influence of changing engine conditions due to engine maladjustment, and a practical means to evaluate engine condition were investigated to advance the methodology. The laboratory investigation determined that CO/sub 2/ is an effective indicator of engine exhaust pollutants. It was shown that the exhaust concentrations of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter do not significantly vary among repetitive, but transient engine speed-and-load duty cycles typical of in-service equipment. Based on an air quality index and threshold limit values, particulate matter exhibited the greatest adverse effect on air quality. Particulate mass was separated into volatile (organic soluble fraction) and nonvolatile (insoluble carbon fraction) components. Due to particulate concentrations, the engine operating conditions of overfueling and advanced injector timing had greater adverse effects on air quality than the conditions of retarded injector timing, intake air restriction, and Federal certification specifications.« less

  3. Security Quality Requirements Engineering (SQUARE): Case Study Phase III

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-05-01

    Security Quality Requirements Engineering (SQUARE): Case Study Phase III Lydia Chung Frank Hung Eric Hough Don Ojoko-Adams Advisor...Engineering (SQUARE): Case Study Phase III CMU/SEI-2006-SR-003 Lydia Chung Frank Hung Eric Hough Don Ojoko-Adams Advisor Nancy R. Mead...1 1.1 The SQUARE Process ............................................................................... 1 1.2 Case Study Clients

  4. A Framework for Quality K-12 Engineering Education: Research and Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Tamara J.; Glancy, Aran W.; Tank, Kristina M.; Kersten, Jennifer A.; Smith, Karl A.; Stohlmann, Micah S.

    2014-01-01

    Recent U.S. national documents have laid the foundation for highlighting the connection between science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the K-12 level. However, there is not a clear definition or a well-established tradition of what constitutes a quality engineering education at the K-12 level. The purpose of the current work has been…

  5. Requirements model for an e-Health awareness portal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hussain, Azham; Mkpojiogu, Emmanuel O. C.; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun M.

    2016-08-01

    Requirements engineering is at the heart and foundation of software engineering process. Poor quality requirements inevitably lead to poor quality software solutions. Also, poor requirement modeling is tantamount to designing a poor quality product. So, quality assured requirements development collaborates fine with usable products in giving the software product the needed quality it demands. In the light of the foregoing, the requirements for an e-Ebola Awareness Portal were modeled with a good attention given to these software engineering concerns. The requirements for the e-Health Awareness Portal are modeled as a contribution to the fight against Ebola and helps in the fulfillment of the United Nation's Millennium Development Goal No. 6. In this study requirements were modeled using UML 2.0 modeling technique.

  6. Flow Quality for Turbine Engine Loads Simulator (TELS) Facility

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-06-01

    2.2 GAS INGESTION A mathematical simulation of the turbojet engine and jet deflector was formulated to estimate the severity of the recirculating...3. Swain. R. L. and Mitchell, J. G. "’Smlulatlon of Turbine Engine Operational Loads." Journal of Aircraft Vol. 15, No. 6, June 1978• 4. Ryan, J...3 AEDC-TR-79-83 ~...~ i ,i g - Flow Quality for Turbine Engine Loads Simulator (TELS) Facility R..I. Schulz ARO, Inc. June 1980

  7. Conference Proceedings of the Productivity Program Implementation Conference Held in Jacksonville, Florida on 20-22 May 1981.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-05-01

    first Quality Circle was registered with the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) in 1962. The concept was conceived by Dr. Kaoru ... Ishikawa , a professor of engineering at Tokyo University, and developed under the sponsorship of . JUSE. Quality Circles fuse the quality sciences

  8. Problems of Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Engineering Education in Developing Countries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bordia, Surek

    2001-01-01

    Discusses the relationship between funding, management, and quality assurance in engineering education in developing countries. Presents a few case studies on problems of accreditation and quality assessment in larger developing countries such as India and the Philippines, and also in very small developing countries such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji,…

  9. The European water framework directive: water quality classification and implications to engineering planning.

    PubMed

    Achleitner, Stefan; De Toffol, Sara; Engelhard, Carolina; Rauch, Wolfgang

    2005-04-01

    The European Water framework directive (WFD) is probably the most important environmental management directive that has been enacted over the last decade in the European Union. The directive aims at achieving an overall good ecological status in all European water bodies. In this article, we discuss the implementation steps of the WFD and their implications for environmental engineering practice while focusing on rivers as the main receiving waters. Arising challenges for engineers and scientists are seen in the quantitative assessment of water quality, where standardized systems are needed to estimate the biological status. This is equally of concern in engineering planning, where the prediction of ecological impacts is required. Studies dealing with both classification and prediction of the ecological water quality are reviewed. Further, the combined emission-water quality approach is discussed. Common understanding of this combined approach is to apply the most stringent of either water quality or emission standard to a certain case. In contrast, for example, the Austrian water act enables the application of only the water quality based approach--at least on a temporary basis.

  10. 33 CFR 236.1 - Purpose.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE WATER... QUALITY § 236.1 Purpose. This regulation provides guidance for including Environmental Quality (EQ) measures in Corps of Engineers water resource development plans. ...

  11. Engineering and Design: Chemical Data Quality Management for Hazardous, Toxic, Radioactive Waste Remedial Activities

    DTIC Science & Technology

    This regulation prescribes Chemical Data Quality Management (CDQM) responsibilities and procedures for projects involving hazardous, toxic and/or radioactive waste (HTRW) materials. Its purpose is to assure that the analytical data meet project data quality objectives. This is the umbrella regulation that defines CDQM activities and integrates all of the other U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) guidance on environmental data quality management .

  12. Formalization of the engineering science discipline - knowledge engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, Xiao

    Knowledge is the most precious ingredient facilitating aerospace engineering research and product development activities. Currently, the most common knowledge retention methods are paper-based documents, such as reports, books and journals. However, those media have innate weaknesses. For example, four generations of flying wing aircraft (Horten, Northrop XB-35/YB-49, Boeing BWB and many others) were mostly developed in isolation. The subsequent engineers were not aware of the previous developments, because these projects were documented such which prevented the next generation of engineers to benefit from the previous lessons learned. In this manner, inefficient knowledge retention methods have become a primary obstacle for knowledge transfer from the experienced to the next generation of engineers. In addition, the quality of knowledge itself is a vital criterion; thus, an accurate measure of the quality of 'knowledge' is required. Although qualitative knowledge evaluation criteria have been researched in other disciplines, such as the AAA criterion by Ernest Sosa stemming from the field of philosophy, a quantitative knowledge evaluation criterion needs to be developed which is capable to numerically determine the qualities of knowledge for aerospace engineering research and product development activities. To provide engineers with a high-quality knowledge management tool, the engineering science discipline Knowledge Engineering has been formalized to systematically address knowledge retention issues. This research undertaking formalizes Knowledge Engineering as follows: 1. Categorize knowledge according to its formats and representations for the first time, which serves as the foundation for the subsequent knowledge management function development. 2. Develop an efficiency evaluation criterion for knowledge management by analyzing the characteristics of both knowledge and the parties involved in the knowledge management processes. 3. Propose and develop an innovative Knowledge-Based System (KBS), AVD KBS, forming a systematic approach facilitating knowledge management. 4. Demonstrate the efficiency advantages of AVDKBS over traditional knowledge management methods via selected design case studies. This research formalizes, for the first time, Knowledge Engineering as a distinct discipline by delivering a robust and high-quality knowledge management and process tool, AVDKBS. Formalizing knowledge proves to significantly impact the effectiveness of aerospace knowledge retention and utilization.

  13. A Stirling engine for use with lower quality fuels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paul, Christopher J.

    There is increasing interest in using renewable fuels from biomass or alternative fuels such as municipal waste to reduce the need for fossil based fuels. Due to the lower heating values and higher levels of impurities, small scale electricity generation is more problematic. Currently, there are not many technologically mature options for small scale electricity generation using lower quality fuels. Even though there are few manufacturers of Stirling engines, the history of their development for two centuries offers significant guidance in developing a viable small scale generator set using lower quality fuels. The history, development, and modeling of Stirling engines were reviewed to identify possible model and engine configurations. A Stirling engine model based on the finite volume, ideal adiabatic model was developed. Flow dissipation losses are shown to need correcting as they increase significantly at low mean engine pressure and high engine speed. The complete engine including external components was developed. A simple yet effective method of evaluating the external heat transfer to the Stirling engine was created that can be used with any second order Stirling engine model. A derivative of the General Motors Ground Power Unit 3 was designed. By significantly increasing heater, cooler and regenerator size at the expense of increased dead volume, and adding a combustion gas recirculation, a generator set with good efficiency was designed.

  14. Effect of Cetane Improver on Autoignition Characteristics of Low Cetane Sasol IPK Using Ignition Quality Tester (IQT)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-10-13

    Part IV”. SAE Technical Paper. 2001-01-3527. (2001). DOI: 10.4271/2001-01-3527. [21] International Standard, “ Diesel engines ------ Calibrating ... diesel engines. The ignition quality of a fuel is rated by its cetane number (CN) measured in a Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine according to...measure the DCN of fuels for diesel engines. Also, DCN is considered as one of the critical properties in the investigation of surrogates for

  15. 40 CFR 52.1126 - Control strategy: Sulfur oxides.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... granted by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering.) Massachusetts Mutual Life... stack). Central Massachusetts APCD Borden, Inc., Chemical Division, Leominster (conditioned upon first... Department of Environmental Quality Engineering.). Gardner State Hospital, Gardner. Grafton State Hospital...

  16. 40 CFR 52.1126 - Control strategy: Sulfur oxides.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... granted by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering.) Massachusetts Mutual Life... stack). Central Massachusetts APCD Borden, Inc., Chemical Division, Leominster (conditioned upon first... Department of Environmental Quality Engineering.). Gardner State Hospital, Gardner. Grafton State Hospital...

  17. 40 CFR 52.1126 - Control strategy: Sulfur oxides.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... granted by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering.) Massachusetts Mutual Life... stack). Central Massachusetts APCD Borden, Inc., Chemical Division, Leominster (conditioned upon first... Department of Environmental Quality Engineering.). Gardner State Hospital, Gardner. Grafton State Hospital...

  18. Space Station Freedom - Configuration management approach to supporting concurrent engineering and total quality management. [for NASA Space Station Freedom Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gavert, Raymond B.

    1990-01-01

    Some experiences of NASA configuration management in providing concurrent engineering support to the Space Station Freedom program for the achievement of life cycle benefits and total quality are discussed. Three change decision experiences involving tracing requirements and automated information systems of the electrical power system are described. The potential benefits of concurrent engineering and total quality management include improved operational effectiveness, reduced logistics and support requirements, prevention of schedule slippages, and life cycle cost savings. It is shown how configuration management can influence the benefits attained through disciplined approaches and innovations that compel consideration of all the technical elements of engineering and quality factors that apply to the program development, transition to operations and in operations. Configuration management experiences involving the Space Station program's tiered management structure, the work package contractors, international partners, and the participating NASA centers are discussed.

  19. 76 FR 17368 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Louisiana; Determination of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-29

    ... failed to attain the 1-hour ozone standard by their attainment date. South Coast Air Quality Management... rationale for this action? \\3\\ As a result of the court decision in South Coast Air Quality Management.../MMBtu. Stationary Internal Combustion Engines: Lean-burn engines > 150 to 320 Hp 4 g/Hp-hr. Rich-burn...

  20. LABORATORY AND FIELD AUDITS AS PART OF THE EPA (ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY) HAZARDOUS WASTE ENGINEERING RESEARCH LABORATORY (HWERL) QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM

    EPA Science Inventory

    Audits are an important and integral part of the EPA Hazardous Waste Engineering Research Laboratory (HWERL) Quality Assurance (QA) Program. As part of the overall QA program, audits are used to determine contractor compliance with quality assurance plans and to assess the overal...

  1. Commercialising genetically engineered animal biomedical products.

    PubMed

    Sullivan, Eddie J; Pommer, Jerry; Robl, James M

    2008-01-01

    Research over the past two decades has increased the quality and quantity of tools available to produce genetically engineered animals. The number of potentially viable biomedical products from genetically engineered animals is increasing. However, moving from cutting-edge research to development and commercialisation of a biomedical product that is useful and wanted by the public has significant challenges. Even early stage development of genetically engineered animal applications requires consideration of many steps, including quality assurance and quality control, risk management, gap analysis, founder animal establishment, cell banking, sourcing of animals and animal-derived material, animal facilities, product collection facilities and processing facilities. These steps are complicated and expensive. Biomedical applications of genetically engineered animals have had some recent successes and many applications are well into development. As researchers consider applications for their findings, having a realistic understanding of the steps involved in the development and commercialisation of a product, produced in genetically engineered animals, is useful in determining the risk of genetic modification to the animal nu. the potential public benefit of the application.

  2. When Measurement Benefits the Measured

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-04-23

    manage how you estimate your work and how you manage the quality of our work. Knowledge workers manage themselves with data. Software engineers...development, coaching, and training. His current research and development interests include data quality assessment and improvement, project...was an engineer and manager at Boeing in Seattle. He has a Masters Degree in Systems Engineering and is a senior member of IEEE. Mark is a certified

  3. Developing Instruments to Assess and Compare the Quality of Engineering Education: The Case of China and Russia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kardanova, Elena; Loyalka, Prashant; Chirikov, Igor; Liu, Lydia; Li, Guirong; Wang, Huan; Enchikova, Ekaterina; Shi, Henry; Johnson, Natalie

    2016-01-01

    Relatively little is known about differences in the quality of engineering education within and across countries because of the lack of valid instruments that allow for the assessment and comparison of engineering students' skill gains. The purpose of our study is to develop and validate instruments that can be used to compare student skill gains…

  4. Quality Assurance in Engineering Education on a National and European Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gola, Muzio M.

    2005-01-01

    Activity 2 of project E4, "Quality Assessment and Transparency for Enhanced Mobility and Trans-European Recognition", included the working group on "Quality Assurance in Engineering on a National and European Scale". Its report can be found in Part 2 of Volume D, final report of the E4 Thematic Network (Firenze University Press 2003). The Report…

  5. 77 FR 6666 - Airworthiness Directives; CFM International, S.A. Turbofan Engines

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-09

    ... International, S.A. model CFM56-5B series turbofan engines. This AD was prompted by a normal quality sampling at... quality sampling at CFM International. S.A. that isolated a production batch of fan blades with...

  6. Development of EPA aircraft piston engine emission standards. [for air quality

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Houtman, W.

    1976-01-01

    Piston engine light aircraft are significant sources of carbon monoxide in the vicinity of high activity general aviation airports. Substantial reductions in carbon monoxide were achieved by fuel mixture leaning using improved fuel management systems. The air quality impact of the hydrocarbon and oxides of nitrogen emissions from piston engine light aircraft were insufficient to justify the design constraints being confronted in present control system developments.

  7. Sandia National Laboratories Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) software quality plan. Part 1: ASC software quality engineering practices, Version 2.0.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sturtevant, Judith E.; Heaphy, Robert; Hodges, Ann Louise

    2006-09-01

    The purpose of the Sandia National Laboratories Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Software Quality Plan is to clearly identify the practices that are the basis for continually improving the quality of ASC software products. The plan defines the ASC program software quality practices and provides mappings of these practices to Sandia Corporate Requirements CPR 1.3.2 and 1.3.6 and to a Department of Energy document, ASCI Software Quality Engineering: Goals, Principles, and Guidelines. This document also identifies ASC management and software project teams responsibilities in implementing the software quality practices and in assessing progress towards achieving their software quality goals.

  8. Determination of Tasks Required by Graduates of Manufacturing Engineering Technology Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zirbel, Jay H.

    1993-01-01

    A Delphi panel of 14 experts identified 37 tasks performed by/qualities needed by manufacturing engineering technologists. Most important were work ethic, performance quality, communication skills, teamwork, computer applications, manufacturing basics, materials knowledge, troubleshooting, supervision, and global issues. (SK)

  9. The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Academies Press, 2004

    2004-01-01

    To enhance the nation's economic productivity and improve the quality of life worldwide, engineering education in the United States must anticipate and adapt to the dramatic changes of engineering practice. The Engineer of 2020 urges the engineering profession to recognize what engineers can build for the future through a wide range of leadership…

  10. Business process re-engineering--saviour or just another fad? One UK health care perspective.

    PubMed

    Patwardhan, Anjali; Patwardhan, Dhruv

    2008-01-01

    Pressure to change is politically driven owing to escalating healthcare costs and an emphasis on efficiency gains, value for money and improved performance proof in terms of productivity and recently to some extent by demands from less satisfied patients and stakeholders. In a background of newly immerging expensive techniques and drugs, there is an increasing consumer expectation, i.e. quality services. At the same time, health system managers and practitioners are finding it difficult to cope with demand and quality expectations. Clinicians are frustrated because they are not recognised for their contribution. Managers are frustrated because meaningful dialogue with clinicians is lacking, which has intensified the need for change to a more efficient system that satisfies all arguments about cost effectiveness and sustainable quality services. Various strategies, originally developed by management quality "gurus" for engineering industries, have been applied to health industries with variable success, which largely depends on the type of health care system to which they are applied. Business process re-engineering is examined as a quality management tool using past and recent publications. The paper finds that applying business process re-engineering in the right circumstances and selected settings for quality improvement is critical for its success. It is certainly "not for everybody". The paper provides a critical appraisal of business process re-engineering experiences in UK healthcare. Lessons learned regarding selecting organisations and agreeing realistic expectations are addressed. Business process re-engineering has been evaluated and reviewed since 1987 in US managed health care, with no clear lessons learned possibly because unit selection and simultaneous comparison between two units virtually performing at opposite ends has never been done before. Two UK pilot studies, however, add useful insights.

  11. 48 CFR 9904.403-60 - Illustrations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... personnel, labor hours, payroll, number of hires. 2. Manufacturing policies, (quality control, industrial engineering, production, scheduling, tooling, inspection and testing, etc 2. Manufacturing cost input, manufacturing direct labor. 3. Engineering policies 3. Total engineering costs, engineering direct labor, number...

  12. 48 CFR 9904.403-60 - Illustrations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... personnel, labor hours, payroll, number of hires. 2. Manufacturing policies, (quality control, industrial engineering, production, scheduling, tooling, inspection and testing, etc 2. Manufacturing cost input, manufacturing direct labor. 3. Engineering policies 3. Total engineering costs, engineering direct labor, number...

  13. 48 CFR 9904.403-60 - Illustrations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... personnel, labor hours, payroll, number of hires. 2. Manufacturing policies, (quality control, industrial engineering, production, scheduling, tooling, inspection and testing, etc 2. Manufacturing cost input, manufacturing direct labor. 3. Engineering policies 3. Total engineering costs, engineering direct labor, number...

  14. Quality Assurance in the Presence of Variability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lauenroth, Kim; Metzger, Andreas; Pohl, Klaus

    Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) is a reuse-driven development paradigm that has been applied successfully in information system engineering and other domains. Quality assurance of the reusable artifacts of the product line (e.g. requirements, design, and code artifacts) is essential for successful product line engineering. As those artifacts are reused in several products, a defect in a reusable artifact can affect several products of the product line. A central challenge for quality assurance in product line engineering is how to consider product line variability. Since the reusable artifacts contain variability, quality assurance techniques from single-system engineering cannot directly be applied to those artifacts. Therefore, different strategies and techniques have been developed for quality assurance in the presence of variability. In this chapter, we describe those strategies and discuss in more detail one of those strategies, the so called comprehensive strategy. The comprehensive strategy aims at checking the quality of all possible products of the product line and thus offers the highest benefits, since it is able to uncover defects in all possible products of the product line. However, the central challenge for applying the comprehensive strategy is the complexity that results from the product line variability and the large number of potential products of a product line. In this chapter, we present one concrete technique that we have developed to implement the comprehensive strategy that addresses this challenge. The technique is based on model checking technology and allows for a comprehensive verification of domain artifacts against temporal logic properties.

  15. Capacitive sensor for engine oil deterioration measurement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shinde, Harish; Bewoor, Anand

    2018-04-01

    A simple system or mechanism for engine Oil (lubricating oil) deterioration monitoring is a need. As engine oil is an important element in I C engines and it is exposed to various strains depending on the operating conditions. If it becomes contaminated with dirt and metal particles, it can become too thick or thin and loses its protective properties, leads to unwanted friction. In turn, to avoid an engine failure, the oil must be changed before it loses its protective properties, which may be harmful to engine which deteriorates vehicle performance. At the same time, changing the lubricant too early, cause inefficient use of already depleting resources, also unwanted impact on the environment and economic reasons. Hence, it will be always helpful to know the quality of the oil under use. With this objective, the research work had been undertaken to develop a simple capacitance sensor for quantification of the quality of oil under use. One of the investigated parameter to quantify oil degradation is Viscosity (as per standard testing procedure: DIN 51562-1). In this research work, an alternative method proposed which analyzing change in capacitance of oil, to quantify the quality of oil underuse and compared to a conventional standard method. The experimental results reported in this paper shows trend for the same. Engine oil of grade SAE 15W40 used for light-duty vehicle, vans and passenger cars is used for experimentation. Suggested method can form a base for further research to develop a cost-effective method for indicating the time to change in engine oil quality have been presented.

  16. Standard Reference Specimens in Quality Control of Engineering Surfaces

    PubMed Central

    Song, J. F.; Vorburger, T. V.

    1991-01-01

    In the quality control of engineering surfaces, we aim to understand and maintain a good relationship between the manufacturing process and surface function. This is achieved by controlling the surface texture. The control process involves: 1) learning the functional parameters and their control values through controlled experiments or through a long history of production and use; 2) maintaining high accuracy and reproducibility with measurements not only of roughness calibration specimens but also of real engineering parts. In this paper, the characteristics, utilizations, and limitations of different classes of precision roughness calibration specimens are described. A measuring procedure of engineering surfaces, based on the calibration procedure of roughness specimens at NIST, is proposed. This procedure involves utilization of check specimens with waveform, wavelength, and other roughness parameters similar to functioning engineering surfaces. These check specimens would be certified under standardized reference measuring conditions, or by a reference instrument, and could be used for overall checking of the measuring procedure and for maintaining accuracy and agreement in engineering surface measurement. The concept of “surface texture design” is also suggested, which involves designing the engineering surface texture, the manufacturing process, and the quality control procedure to meet the optimal functional needs. PMID:28184115

  17. Quality analysis of patient information about knee arthroscopy on the World Wide Web.

    PubMed

    Sambandam, Senthil Nathan; Ramasamy, Vijayaraj; Priyanka, Priyanka; Ilango, Balakrishnan

    2007-05-01

    This study was designed to ascertain the quality of patient information available on the World Wide Web on the topic of knee arthroscopy. For the purpose of quality analysis, we used a pool of 232 search results obtained from 7 different search engines. We used a modified assessment questionnaire to assess the quality of these Web sites. This questionnaire was developed based on similar studies evaluating Web site quality and includes items on illustrations, accessibility, availability, accountability, and content of the Web site. We also compared results obtained with different search engines and tried to establish the best possible search strategy to attain the most relevant, authentic, and adequate information with minimum time consumption. For this purpose, we first compared 100 search results from the single most commonly used search engine (AltaVista) with the pooled sample containing 20 search results from each of the 7 different search engines. The search engines used were metasearch (Copernic and Mamma), general search (Google, AltaVista, and Yahoo), and health topic-related search engines (MedHunt and Healthfinder). The phrase "knee arthroscopy" was used as the search terminology. Excluding the repetitions, there were 117 Web sites available for quality analysis. These sites were analyzed for accessibility, relevance, authenticity, adequacy, and accountability by use of a specially designed questionnaire. Our analysis showed that most of the sites providing patient information on knee arthroscopy contained outdated information, were inadequate, and were not accountable. Only 16 sites were found to be providing reasonably good patient information and hence can be recommended to patients. Understandably, most of these sites were from nonprofit organizations and educational institutions. Furthermore, our study revealed that using multiple search engines increases patients' chances of obtaining more relevant information rather than using a single search engine. Our study shows the difficulties encountered by patients in obtaining information regarding knee arthroscopy and highlights the duty of knee surgeons in helping patients to identify the relevant and authentic information in the most efficient manner from the World Wide Web. This study highlights the importance of the role of orthopaedic surgeons in helping their patients to identify the best possible information on the World Wide Web.

  18. Cochlear implantation: An assessment of quality and readability of web-based information aimed at patients.

    PubMed

    Seymour, Nicky; Lakhani, Raj; Hartley, Benjamin; Cochrane, Lesley; Jephson, Christopher

    2015-01-01

    Patients should have access to high-quality health information websites on which to base their decision-making. There are concerns regarding the accuracy and quality of some health websites. We aimed to objectively measure website quality related to cochlear implantation. Selected patient-information websites were scored, depending on how highly they ranked on search engines and if they were ranked on more than one of the search engines used. The top 40 websites from three major search engines were analysed. The quality of each website was scored using the DISCERN tool and the readability was scored using the Flesch-Kincaid reading ease and the Gunning-Fog index. The average Flesch-Kincaid score was 49.7, giving an average reading age of a 15-17 years old, and the average Gunning-fog score was 13.1, which equals that of an 18 years old. Internet-based information regarding cochlear implantation is of varied quality and is written above the expected reading level of an average person.

  19. What do patients know about their low back pain? An analysis of the quality of information available on the Internet.

    PubMed

    Galbusera, Fabio; Brayda-Bruno, Marco; Freutel, Maren; Seitz, Andreas; Steiner, Malte; Wehrle, Esther; Wilke, Hans-Joachim

    2012-01-01

    Previous surveys showed a poor quality of the web sites providing health information about low back pain. However, the rapid and continuous evolution of the Internet content may question the current validity of those investigations. The present study is aimed to quantitatively assess the quality of the Internet information about low back pain retrieved with the most commonly employed search engines. An Internet search with the keywords "low back pain" has been performed with Google, Yahoo!® and Bing™ in the English language. The top 30 hits obtained with each search engine were evaluated by five independent raters and averaged following criteria derived from previous works. All search results were categorized as declaring compliant to a quality standard for health information (e.g. HONCode) or not and based on the web site type (Institutional, Free informative, Commercial, News, Social Network, Unknown). The quality of the hits retrieved by the three search engines was extremely similar. The web sites had a clear purpose, were easy to navigate, and mostly lacked in validity and quality of the provided links. The conformity to a quality standard was correlated with a marked greater quality of the web sites in all respects. Institutional web sites had the best validity and ease of use. Free informative web sites had good quality but a markedly lower validity compared to Institutional websites. Commercial web sites provided more biased information. News web sites were well designed and easy to use, but lacked in validity. The average quality of the hits retrieved by the most commonly employed search engines could be defined as satisfactory and favorably comparable with previous investigations. Awareness of the user about checking the quality of the information remains of concern.

  20. Resource Quantity and Quality Determine the Inter-Specific Associations between Ecosystem Engineers and Resource Users in a Cavity-Nest Web

    PubMed Central

    Robles, Hugo; Martin, Kathy

    2013-01-01

    While ecosystem engineering is a widespread structural force of ecological communities, the mechanisms underlying the inter-specific associations between ecosystem engineers and resource users are poorly understood. A proper knowledge of these mechanisms is, however, essential to understand how communities are structured. Previous studies suggest that increasing the quantity of resources provided by ecosystem engineers enhances populations of resource users. In a long-term study (1995-2011), we show that the quality of the resources (i.e. tree cavities) provided by ecosystem engineers is also a key feature that explains the inter-specific associations in a tree cavity-nest web. Red-naped sapsuckers ( Sphyrapicus nuchalis ) provided the most abundant cavities (52% of cavities, 0.49 cavities/ha). These cavities were less likely to be used than other cavity types by mountain bluebirds ( Sialia currucoides ), but provided numerous nest-sites (41% of nesting cavities) to tree swallows ( Tachycineta bicolour ). Swallows experienced low reproductive outputs in northern flicker ( Colaptes auratus ) cavities compared to those in sapsucker cavities (1.1 vs. 2.1 fledglings/nest), but the highly abundant flickers (33% of cavities, 0.25 cavities/ha) provided numerous suitable nest-sites for bluebirds (58%). The relative shortage of cavities supplied by hairy woodpeckers ( Picoides villosus ) and fungal/insect decay (<10% of cavities each, <0.09 cavities/ha) provided fewer breeding opportunities (<15% of nests), but represented high quality nest-sites for both bluebirds and swallows. Because both the quantity and quality of resources supplied by different ecosystem engineers may explain the amount of resources used by each resource user, conservation strategies may require different management actions to be implemented for the key ecosystem engineer of each resource user. We, therefore, urge the incorporation of both resource quantity and quality into models that assess community dynamics to improve conservation actions and our understanding of ecological communities based on ecosystem engineering. PMID:24040324

  1. Resource quantity and quality determine the inter-specific associations between ecosystem engineers and resource users in a cavity-nest web.

    PubMed

    Robles, Hugo; Martin, Kathy

    2013-01-01

    While ecosystem engineering is a widespread structural force of ecological communities, the mechanisms underlying the inter-specific associations between ecosystem engineers and resource users are poorly understood. A proper knowledge of these mechanisms is, however, essential to understand how communities are structured. Previous studies suggest that increasing the quantity of resources provided by ecosystem engineers enhances populations of resource users. In a long-term study (1995-2011), we show that the quality of the resources (i.e. tree cavities) provided by ecosystem engineers is also a key feature that explains the inter-specific associations in a tree cavity-nest web. Red-naped sapsuckers (Sphyrapicusnuchalis) provided the most abundant cavities (52% of cavities, 0.49 cavities/ha). These cavities were less likely to be used than other cavity types by mountain bluebirds (Sialiacurrucoides), but provided numerous nest-sites (41% of nesting cavities) to tree swallows (Tachycinetabicolour). Swallows experienced low reproductive outputs in northern flicker (Colaptesauratus) cavities compared to those in sapsucker cavities (1.1 vs. 2.1 fledglings/nest), but the highly abundant flickers (33% of cavities, 0.25 cavities/ha) provided numerous suitable nest-sites for bluebirds (58%). The relative shortage of cavities supplied by hairy woodpeckers (Picoidesvillosus) and fungal/insect decay (<10% of cavities each, <0.09 cavities/ha) provided fewer breeding opportunities (<15% of nests), but represented high quality nest-sites for both bluebirds and swallows. Because both the quantity and quality of resources supplied by different ecosystem engineers may explain the amount of resources used by each resource user, conservation strategies may require different management actions to be implemented for the key ecosystem engineer of each resource user. We, therefore, urge the incorporation of both resource quantity and quality into models that assess community dynamics to improve conservation actions and our understanding of ecological communities based on ecosystem engineering.

  2. Evaluating software development characteristics: Assessment of software measures in the Software Engineering Laboratory. [reliability engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Basili, V. R.

    1981-01-01

    Work on metrics is discussed. Factors that affect software quality are reviewed. Metrics is discussed in terms of criteria achievements, reliability, and fault tolerance. Subjective and objective metrics are distinguished. Product/process and cost/quality metrics are characterized and discussed.

  3. Development of Key Performance Indicators for the Engineering Technology Education Programs in Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Lung-Sheng; Lai, Chun-Chin

    2004-01-01

    In comparison with engineering, engineering technology is more practical and purposeful. The engineering technology education programs in Taiwan have been mainly offered in 56 universities/colleges of technology (UTs/CTs) and are anticipated to continuously improve their performance to prepare quality engineering technologists. However, it is…

  4. The State of Software for Evolutionary Biology.

    PubMed

    Darriba, Diego; Flouri, Tomáš; Stamatakis, Alexandros

    2018-05-01

    With Next Generation Sequencing data being routinely used, evolutionary biology is transforming into a computational science. Thus, researchers have to rely on a growing number of increasingly complex software. All widely used core tools in the field have grown considerably, in terms of the number of features as well as lines of code and consequently, also with respect to software complexity. A topic that has received little attention is the software engineering quality of widely used core analysis tools. Software developers appear to rarely assess the quality of their code, and this can have potential negative consequences for end-users. To this end, we assessed the code quality of 16 highly cited and compute-intensive tools mainly written in C/C++ (e.g., MrBayes, MAFFT, SweepFinder, etc.) and JAVA (BEAST) from the broader area of evolutionary biology that are being routinely used in current data analysis pipelines. Because, the software engineering quality of the tools we analyzed is rather unsatisfying, we provide a list of best practices for improving the quality of existing tools and list techniques that can be deployed for developing reliable, high quality scientific software from scratch. Finally, we also discuss journal as well as science policy and, more importantly, funding issues that need to be addressed for improving software engineering quality as well as ensuring support for developing new and maintaining existing software. Our intention is to raise the awareness of the community regarding software engineering quality issues and to emphasize the substantial lack of funding for scientific software development.

  5. A Systems Engineering Approach to Quality Assurance for Aerospace Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shepherd, Christena C.

    2015-01-01

    On the surface, it appears that AS91001 has little to say about how to apply a Quality Management System (QMS) to major aerospace test programs (or even smaller ones). It also appears that there is little in the quality engineering Body of Knowledge (BOK)2 that applies to testing, unless it is nondestructive examination (NDE), or some type of lab or bench testing associated with the manufacturing process. However, if one examines: a) how the systems engineering (SE) processes are implemented throughout a test program; and b) how these SE processes can be mapped to the requirements of AS9100, a number of areas for involvement of the quality professional are revealed. What often happens is that quality assurance during a test program is limited to inspections of the test article; what could be considered a manufacturing al fresco approach. This limits the quality professional and is a disservice to the programs and projects, since there are a number of ways that quality can enhance critical processes, and support efforts to improve risk reduction, efficiency and effectiveness.

  6. Energy recovery during expansion of compressed gas using power plant low-quality heat sources

    DOEpatents

    Ochs, Thomas L [Albany, OR; O'Connor, William K [Lebanon, OR

    2006-03-07

    A method of recovering energy from a cool compressed gas, compressed liquid, vapor, or supercritical fluid is disclosed which includes incrementally expanding the compressed gas, compressed liquid, vapor, or supercritical fluid through a plurality of expansion engines and heating the gas, vapor, compressed liquid, or supercritical fluid entering at least one of the expansion engines with a low quality heat source. Expansion engines such as turbines and multiple expansions with heating are disclosed.

  7. Study on the engine oil's wear based on the flash point

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Niculescu, R.; Iorga-Simăn, V.; Trică, A.; Clenci, A.

    2016-08-01

    Increasing energy performance of internal combustion engines is largely influenced by frictional forces that arise between moving parts. Thus, in this respect, the nature and quality of the engine oil used is an important factor. Equally important is the effect of various engine injection strategies upon the oil quality. In other words, it's of utmost importance to maintain the quality of engine oil during engine's operation. Oil dilution is one of the most common causes that lead to its wear, creating lubrication problems. Moreover, at low temperatures operating conditions, the oil dilution with diesel fuel produces wax. When starting the engine, this may lead to lubrication deficiencies and even oil starvation with negative consequences on the engine mechanism parts wear (piston, rings and cylinders) but also crankcase bearings wear.Engine oil dilution with diesel fuel have several causes: wear of rings and/or injectors, late post-injection strategy for the sake of particulate filter regeneration, etc.This paper presents a study on the degree of deterioration of engine oils as a result of dilution with diesel fuel. The analysed oils used for this study were taken from various models of engines equipped with diesel particulate filter. The assessment is based on the determination of oil flash point and dilution degree using the apparatus Eraflash produced by Eralytics, Austria. Eraflash measurement is directly under the latest and safest standards ASTM D6450 & D7094), which are in excellent correlation with ASTM D93 Pensky - Martens ASTM D56 TAG methods; it uses the Continuous Closed Cup method for finding the Flash Point (CCCFP).

  8. Strategies for Limiting Engineers' Potential Liability for Indoor Air Quality Problems.

    PubMed

    von Oppenfeld, Rolf R; Freeze, Mark E; Sabo, Sean M

    1998-10-01

    Engineers face indoor air quality (IAQ) issues at the design phase of building construction as well as during the investigation and mitigation of potential indoor air pollution problems during building operation. IAQ issues that can be identified are "building-related illnesses" that may include problems of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). IAQ issues that cannot be identified are termed "sick building syndrome." Frequently, microorganism-caused illnesses are difficult to confirm. Engineers who provide professional services that directly or indirectly impact IAQ face significant potential liability to clients and third parties when performing these duties. Potential theories supporting liability claims for IAQ problems against engineers include breach of contract and various common law tort theories such as negligence and negligent misrepresentation. Furthermore, an increasing number of federal, state, and local regulations affect IAQ issues and can directly increase the potential liability of engineers. A duty to disclose potential or actual air quality concerns to third parties may apply for engineers in given circumstances. Such a duty may arise from judicial precedent, the Model Guide for Professional Conduct for Engineers, or the Code of Ethics for Engineers. Practical strategies engineers can use to protect themselves from liability include regular training and continuing education in relevant regulatory, scientific, and case law developments; detailed documentation and recordkeeping practices; adequate insurance coverage; contractual indemnity clauses; contractual provisions limiting liability to the scope of work performed; and contractual provisions limiting the extent of liability for engineers' negligence. Furthermore, through the proper use of building materials and construction techniques, an engineer or other design professional can effectively limit the potential for IAQ liability.

  9. A Discussion of the Software Quality Assurance Role

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kandt, Ronald Kirk

    2010-01-01

    The basic idea underlying this paper is that the conventional understanding of the role of a Software Quality Assurance (SQA) engineer is unduly limited. This is because few have asked who the customers of a SQA engineer are. Once you do this, you can better define what tasks a SQA engineer should perform, as well as identify the knowledge and skills that such a person should have. The consequence of doing this is that a SQA engineer can provide greater value to his or her customers. It is the position of this paper that a SQA engineer providing significant value to his or her customers must not only assume the role of an auditor, but also that of a software and systems engineer. This is because software engineers and their managers particularly value contributions that directly impact products and their development. These ideas are summarized as lessons learned, based on my experience at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

  10. New & Special Grad School Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ross, Steven S.

    1988-01-01

    Discusses some special Master of Science in engineering (MS) programs including manufacturing and quality control, safety engineering, transportation engineering, and computer related areas. Gives a table showing MS degrees, institutions, and faculty. (YP)

  11. [An object-oriented intelligent engineering design approach for lake pollution control].

    PubMed

    Zou, Rui; Zhou, Jing; Liu, Yong; Zhu, Xiang; Zhao, Lei; Yang, Ping-Jian; Guo, Huai-Cheng

    2013-03-01

    Regarding the shortage and deficiency of traditional lake pollution control engineering techniques, a new lake pollution control engineering approach was proposed in this study, based on object-oriented intelligent design (OOID) from the perspective of intelligence. It can provide a new methodology and framework for effectively controlling lake pollution and improving water quality. The differences between the traditional engineering techniques and the OOID approach were compared. The key points for OOID were described as object perspective, cause and effect foundation, set points into surface, and temporal and spatial optimization. The blue algae control in lake was taken as an example in this study. The effect of algae control and water quality improvement were analyzed in details from the perspective of object-oriented intelligent design based on two engineering techniques (vertical hydrodynamic mixer and pumping algaecide recharge). The modeling results showed that the traditional engineering design paradigm cannot provide scientific and effective guidance for engineering design and decision-making regarding lake pollution. Intelligent design approach is based on the object perspective and quantitative causal analysis in this case. This approach identified that the efficiency of mixers was much higher than pumps in achieving the goal of low to moderate water quality improvement. However, when the objective of water quality exceeded a certain value (such as the control objective of peak Chla concentration exceeded 100 microg x L(-1) in this experimental water), the mixer cannot achieve this goal. The pump technique can achieve the goal but with higher cost. The efficiency of combining the two techniques was higher than using one of the two techniques alone. Moreover, the quantitative scale control of the two engineering techniques has a significant impact on the actual project benefits and costs.

  12. Quality of Web-based information on obsessive compulsive disorder.

    PubMed

    Klila, Hedi; Chatton, Anne; Zermatten, Ariane; Khan, Riaz; Preisig, Martin; Khazaal, Yasser

    2013-01-01

    The Internet is increasingly used as a source of information for mental health issues. The burden of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) may lead persons with diagnosed or undiagnosed OCD, and their relatives, to search for good quality information on the Web. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of Web-based information on English-language sites dealing with OCD and to compare the quality of websites found through a general and a medically specialized search engine. Keywords related to OCD were entered into Google and OmniMedicalSearch. Websites were assessed on the basis of accountability, interactivity, readability, and content quality. The "Health on the Net" (HON) quality label and the Brief DISCERN scale score were used as possible content quality indicators. Of the 235 links identified, 53 websites were analyzed. The content quality of the OCD websites examined was relatively good. The use of a specialized search engine did not offer an advantage in finding websites with better content quality. A score ≥16 on the Brief DISCERN scale is associated with better content quality. This study shows the acceptability of the content quality of OCD websites. There is no advantage in searching for information with a specialized search engine rather than a general one. The Internet offers a number of high quality OCD websites. It remains critical, however, to have a provider-patient talk about the information found on the Web.

  13. An Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States: Engineering.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Lyle V., Ed.; And Others

    The quality of doctoral-level chemical engineering (N=79), civil engineering (N=74), electrical engineering (N=91), and mechanical engineering (N=82) programs at United States universities was assessed, using 16 measures. These measures focused on variables related to: (1) program size; (2) characteristics of graduates; (3) reputational factors…

  14. Software Engineering Guidebook

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Connell, John; Wenneson, Greg

    1993-01-01

    The Software Engineering Guidebook describes SEPG (Software Engineering Process Group) supported processes and techniques for engineering quality software in NASA environments. Three process models are supported: structured, object-oriented, and evolutionary rapid-prototyping. The guidebook covers software life-cycles, engineering, assurance, and configuration management. The guidebook is written for managers and engineers who manage, develop, enhance, and/or maintain software under the Computer Software Services Contract.

  15. Research of some operating parameters and the emissions level variation in a spark ignited engine through on-board investigation methods in different loading conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iosif, Ferenti; Baldean, Doru Laurean

    2014-06-01

    The present paper shows research made on a spark ignited engine with port fuel injection in different operation conditions in order to improve the comprehension about the cold start sequence, acceleration when changing the gear ratios, quality of combustion process and also any measures to be taken for pollutant reduction in such cases. The engineering endeavor encompasses the pollutants investigation during the operation time of gasoline supplied engine with four inline cylinders in different conditions. The temperature and any other parameters were measured with specific sensors installed on the engine or in the exhaust pipes. All the data collected has been evaluated using electronic investigation systems and highly developed equipment. In this manner it has enabled the outline of the idea of how pollutants of engine vary in different operating conditions. Air quality in the everyday environment is very important for the human health, and thus the ambient air quality has a well-known importance in the European pollution standards and legislation. The high level of attention directed to the pollution problem in the European lifestyle is a driving force for all kinds of studies in the field of the reduction of engine emission.

  16. A helicopter handling-qualities study of the effects of engine response characteristics, height-control dynamics, and excess power on nap-of-the-Earth operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Corliss, L. D.

    1982-01-01

    The helicopter configuration with an rpm-governed gas-turbine engine was examined. A wide range of engine response time, vehicle damping and sensitivity, and excess power levels was studied. The data are compared with the existing handling-qualities specifications, MIL-F-83300 and AGARD 577, and in general show a need for higher minimums when performing such NOE maneuvers as a dolphin and bob-up task.

  17. Why research-informed teaching in engineering education? A review of the evidence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bubou, Gordon Monday; Offor, Ibebietei Temple; Bappa, Abubakar Saddiq

    2017-05-01

    Challenges of today's engineering education (EE) are emergent, necessitating calls for its reformation to empower future engineers function optimally as innovative leaders, in both local and international contexts. These challenges: keeping pace with technological dynamism; high attrition; and most importantly, quality teaching/learning require multifaceted approaches. But how can EE respond to the growing demand for relevant teaching? What can we do for engineering faculties to leverage on quality teaching? How do we embed quality teaching in EE? Scholarship of teaching and learning is advocated as one viable approach. It uses evidence-based teaching (EBT) strategies, and research-informed evidence to guide educational decisions regarding teaching and learning. We review the theories underpinning EBT, the scientific evidence on which it is based, and innovative instructional strategies that enhance active learning. Some of these issues have been discussed already, largely through developing countries lens. Nevertheless, linkages to equivalent global perspectives are presented here.

  18. Design, analysis, and control of a large transport aircraft utilizing selective engine thrust as a backup system for the primary flight control. Ph.D. Thesis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gerren, Donna S.

    1995-01-01

    A study has been conducted to determine the capability to control a very large transport airplane with engine thrust. This study consisted of the design of an 800-passenger airplane with a range of 5000 nautical miles design and evaluation of a flight control system, and design and piloted simulation evaluation of a thrust-only backup flight control system. Location of the four wing-mounted engines was varied to optimize the propulsive control capability, and the time constant of the engine response was studied. The goal was to provide level 1 flying qualities. The engine location and engine time constant did not have a large effect on the control capability. The airplane design did meet level 1 flying qualities based on frequencies, damping ratios, and time constants in the longitudinal and lateral-directional modes. Project pilots consistently rated the flying qualities as either level 1 or level 2 based on Cooper-Harper ratings. However, because of the limited control forces and moments, the airplane design fell short of meeting the time required to achieve a 30 deg bank and the time required to respond a control input.

  19. A Bachelor of Engineering Technology Curriculum in Water Quality Management: Course Guides.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cole, Charles A.; And Others

    Contained are course guides for a Bachelor of Engineering Technology (BET) Curriculum in Water Quality Management. Detailed course content, as well as instructional resources, are included in this volume. Each guide is written in behavioral terms using the instructional objective format. A suggested curriculum is shown with methods of…

  20. Extended Editorial: Research and Education in Reliability, Maintenance, Quality Control, Risk and Safety.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramalhoto, M. F.

    1999-01-01

    Introduces a special theme journal issue on research and education in quality control, maintenance, reliability, risk analysis, and safety. Discusses each of these theme concepts and their applications to naval architecture, marine engineering, and industrial engineering. Considers the effects of the rapid transfer of research results through…

  1. Data Sharing in Interpretive Engineering Education Research: Challenges and Opportunities from a Research Quality Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walther, Joachim; Sochacka, Nicola W.; Pawley, Alice L.

    2016-01-01

    This article explores challenges and opportunities associated with sharing qualitative data in engineering education research. This exploration is theoretically informed by an existing framework of interpretive research quality with a focus on the concept of Communicative Validation. Drawing on practice anecdotes from the authors' work, the…

  2. Software Process Improvement through the Removal of Project-Level Knowledge Flow Obstacles: The Perceptions of Software Engineers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mitchell, Susan Marie

    2012-01-01

    Uncontrollable costs, schedule overruns, and poor end product quality continue to plague the software engineering field. Innovations formulated with the expectation to minimize or eliminate cost, schedule, and quality problems have generally fallen into one of three categories: programming paradigms, software tools, and software process…

  3. Application of the Total Quality Management Approach Principles and the ISO 9000 Standards in Engineering Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waks, Shlomo; Frank, Moti

    1999-01-01

    Discusses the applicability of the definition, principles, and underlying strategies of total quality management (TQM) for engineering education. Describes several tools and methods for the implementation of TQM and its suitability for a variety of school activities. Presents a TQM course outline combining lectures, discussions, suggested…

  4. Design of a Professional Practice Simulator for Educating and Motivating First-Year Engineering Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chesler, Naomi C.; Arastoopour, Golnaz; D'Angelo, Cynthia M.; Bagley, Elizabeth A.; Shaffer, David Williamson

    2013-01-01

    Increasingly, first-year engineering curricula incorporate design projects. However, the faculty and staff effort and physical resources required for the number of students enrolled can be daunting and affect the quality of instruction. To reduce these costs, ensure a high quality educational experience, and reduce variability in student outcomes…

  5. Pragmatic Exchanges and Cooperation to Prepare Quality Engineers and Technologists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Lung-Sheng

    2014-01-01

    The mission of national colleges of technology (NCT's) in Japan and the universities of technology (UT's) in Taiwan is to pragmatically prepare quality engineers and technologists. In recent years, the partnership among NCT's and UT's is extended and expanded. This paper introduces the pragmatic and successful partnership between National United…

  6. Southern Pennsylvania's Industrial Pipeline: "Pathways" Program Helps Local Manufacturers Find Quality Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dixon, John; Girifalco, Tony; Yakabosky, Walt

    2008-01-01

    This article describes the Applied Engineering Technology (AET) Career and Educational Pathways Program, which helps local manufacturers find quality workers. The program features 32 high schools, three community colleges, and 10 four-year institutions offering an integrated regional system of applied engineering education. The goal is to enroll…

  7. Establishing the Overall Service Quality of Engineering Education: Fuzzy Logic Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shekhar, N. Chandra; Venkatasubbaiah, K.; Kandukuria, N. R.

    2012-01-01

    Measuring overall service quality (OSQ) is gaining prominence in higher education due to the increased competition among engineering education institutions (EEIs) and growing awareness about value for money among the public. Determination of OSQ on certain institutional aspects is done by various agencies throughout the world. Each system uses a…

  8. A Theory of Information Quality and a Framework for Its Implementation in the Requirements Engineering Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grenn, Michael W.

    2013-01-01

    This dissertation introduces a theory of information quality to explain macroscopic behavior observed in the systems engineering process. The theory extends principles of Shannon's mathematical theory of communication [1948] and statistical mechanics to information development processes concerned with the flow, transformation, and meaning of…

  9. Soliton compression to few-cycle pulses with a high quality factor by engineering cascaded quadratic nonlinearities.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Xianglong; Guo, Hairun; Zhou, Binbin; Bache, Morten

    2012-11-19

    We propose an efficient approach to improve few-cycle soliton compression with cascaded quadratic nonlinearities by using an engineered multi-section structure of the nonlinear crystal. By exploiting engineering of the cascaded quadratic nonlinearities, in each section soliton compression with a low effective order is realized, and high-quality few-cycle pulses with large compression factors are feasible. Each subsequent section is designed so that the compressed pulse exiting the previous section experiences an overall effective self-defocusing cubic nonlinearity corresponding to a modest soliton order, which is kept larger than unity to ensure further compression. This is done by increasing the cascaded quadratic nonlinearity in the new section with an engineered reduced residual phase mismatch. The low soliton orders in each section ensure excellent pulse quality and high efficiency. Numerical results show that compressed pulses with less than three-cycle duration can be achieved even when the compression factor is very large, and in contrast to standard soliton compression, these compressed pulses have minimal pedestal and high quality factor.

  10. A simulation investigation of the effects of engine-and thrust-response characteristics on helicopter handling qualities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Corless, L. D.; Blanken, C. L.

    1983-01-01

    A multi-phase program is being conducted to study, in a generic sense and through ground simulation, the effects of engine response, rotor inertia, rpm control, excess power, and vertical damping on specific maneuvers included in nap-of-the-Earth (NOE) operations. The helicopter configuration with an rpm-governed gas-turbine engine are considered. Handling-qualities-criteria data are considered in light of aspects peculiar to rotary-wing and NOE operations. The results of three moving-based piloted simulation studies are summarized and the frequency, characteristics of the helicopter thrust response which set it apart from other VTOL types are explained. Power-system response is affected by both the engine-governor response and the level of rotor inertia. However, results indicate that with unlimited power, variations in engine response can have a significant effect on pilot rating, whereas changes in rotor inertia, in general, do not. The results also show that any pilot interaction required to maintain proper control can significantly degrade handling qualities. Data for variations in vertical damping and collective sensitivity are compared with existing handling-qualities specifications, MIL-F-83300 and AGARD 577, and show a need for higher minimums for both damping and sensitivity for the bob-up task. Results for cases of limited power are also shown.

  11. The State of Software for Evolutionary Biology

    PubMed Central

    Darriba, Diego; Flouri, Tomáš; Stamatakis, Alexandros

    2018-01-01

    Abstract With Next Generation Sequencing data being routinely used, evolutionary biology is transforming into a computational science. Thus, researchers have to rely on a growing number of increasingly complex software. All widely used core tools in the field have grown considerably, in terms of the number of features as well as lines of code and consequently, also with respect to software complexity. A topic that has received little attention is the software engineering quality of widely used core analysis tools. Software developers appear to rarely assess the quality of their code, and this can have potential negative consequences for end-users. To this end, we assessed the code quality of 16 highly cited and compute-intensive tools mainly written in C/C++ (e.g., MrBayes, MAFFT, SweepFinder, etc.) and JAVA (BEAST) from the broader area of evolutionary biology that are being routinely used in current data analysis pipelines. Because, the software engineering quality of the tools we analyzed is rather unsatisfying, we provide a list of best practices for improving the quality of existing tools and list techniques that can be deployed for developing reliable, high quality scientific software from scratch. Finally, we also discuss journal as well as science policy and, more importantly, funding issues that need to be addressed for improving software engineering quality as well as ensuring support for developing new and maintaining existing software. Our intention is to raise the awareness of the community regarding software engineering quality issues and to emphasize the substantial lack of funding for scientific software development. PMID:29385525

  12. Accreditation of Engineering Programs: An Evaluation of Current Practices in Malaysia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Said, Suhana Mohd; Chow, Chee-Onn; Mokhtar, N.; Ramli, Rahizar; Ya, Tuan Mohd Yusoff Shah Tuan; Sabri, Mohd Faizul Mohd

    2013-01-01

    The curriculum for undergraduate engineering courses in Malaysia is becoming increasingly structured, following the global trend for quality assurance in engineering education, through accreditation schemes. Generally, the accreditation criteria call for the graduates from engineering programs to demonstrate a range of skills, from technical…

  13. Civil Engineering: Improving the Quality of Life.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    One Feather, Sandra

    2002-01-01

    American Indian civil engineers describe the educational paths that led them to their engineering careers, applications of civil engineering in reservation communities, necessary job skills, opportunities afforded by internship programs, continuing education, and the importance of early preparation in math and science. Addresses of 12 resource Web…

  14. Multicriteria Gain Tuning for Rotorcraft Flight Controls (also entitled The Development of the Conduit Advanced Control System Design and Evaluation Interface with a Case Study Application Fly by Wire Helicopter Design)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Biezad, Daniel

    1997-01-01

    Handling qualities analysis and control law design would seem to be naturally complimenting components of aircraft flight control system design, however these two closely coupled disciplines are often not well integrated in practice. Handling qualities engineers and control system engineers may work in separate groups within an aircraft company. Flight control system engineers and handling quality specialists may come from different backgrounds and schooling and are often not aware of the other group's research. Thus while the handling qualities specifications represent desired aircraft response characteristics, these are rarely incorporated directly in the control system design process. Instead modem control system design techniques are based on servo-loop robustness specifications, and simple representations of the desired control response. Comprehensive handling qualities analysis is often left until the end of the design cycle and performed as a check of the completed design for satisfactory performance. This can lead to costly redesign or less than satisfactory aircraft handling qualities when the flight testing phase is reached. The desire to integrate the fields of handling qualities and flight,control systems led to the development of the CONDUIT system. This tool facilitates control system designs that achieve desired handling quality requirements and servo-loop specifications in a single design process. With CONDUIT, the control system engineer is now able to directly design and control systems to meet the complete handling specifications. CONDUIT allows the designer to retain a preferred control law structure, but then tunes the system parameters to meet the handling quality requirements.

  15. Science & Engineering Indicators. National Science Board. NSB 14-01

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Science Foundation, 2014

    2014-01-01

    The "Science and Engineering Indicators" series was designed to provide a broad base of quantitative information about U.S. science, engineering, and technology for use by policymakers, researchers, and the general public. "Science and Engineering Indicators 2014" contains analyses of key aspects of the scope, quality, and…

  16. Multidisciplinary and Active/Collaborative Approaches in Teaching Requirements Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosca, Daniela

    2005-01-01

    The requirements engineering course is a core component of the curriculum for the Master's in Software Engineering programme, at Monmouth University (MU). It covers the process, methods and tools specific to this area, together with the corresponding software quality issues. The need to produce software engineers with strong teamwork and…

  17. Designing a Pedagogical Model for Web Engineering Education: An Evolutionary Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hadjerrouit, Said

    2005-01-01

    In contrast to software engineering, which relies on relatively well established development approaches, there is a lack of a proven methodology that guides Web engineers in building reliable and effective Web-based systems. Currently, Web engineering lacks process models, architectures, suitable techniques and methods, quality assurance, and a…

  18. An Engineering Student's Guide to the Humanities & Social Sciences.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Association of American Colleges, Washington, DC.

    Undergraduate engineering students and their advisors are provided with a handbook to help improve the quality and coherence of the humanities and social sciences (H&SS) component of undergraduate engineering education (fostering more purposeful H&SS course selection). The first of this handbook's three sections has an engineering major…

  19. Trends in U.S. Engineering and Engineering Technology: A Comparative Study of Admissions, Curricula, and Employment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lebold, W. K.; Lebold, D. J.

    1985-01-01

    Discusses the admissions selection practices, educational programs, quality standards, and employment characteristics of engineering and engineering technology in the United States. The importance of these two occupations as part of technical teams (which include scientists and technicians) is documented and stressed. (JN)

  20. An assessment of the visibility of MeSH-indexed medical web catalogs through search engines.

    PubMed

    Zweigenbaum, P; Darmoni, S J; Grabar, N; Douyère, M; Benichou, J

    2002-01-01

    Manually indexed Internet health catalogs such as CliniWeb or CISMeF provide resources for retrieving high-quality health information. Users of these quality-controlled subject gateways are most often referred to them by general search engines such as Google, AltaVista, etc. This raises several questions, among which the following: what is the relative visibility of medical Internet catalogs through search engines? This study addresses this issue by measuring and comparing the visibility of six major, MeSH-indexed health catalogs through four different search engines (AltaVista, Google, Lycos, Northern Light) in two languages (English and French). Over half a million queries were sent to the search engines; for most of these search engines, according to our measures at the time the queries were sent, the most visible catalog for English MeSH terms was CliniWeb and the most visible one for French MeSH terms was CISMeF.

  1. Effects of mixing system and pilot fuel quality on diesel-biogas dual fuel engine performance.

    PubMed

    Bedoya, Iván Darío; Arrieta, Andrés Amell; Cadavid, Francisco Javier

    2009-12-01

    This paper describes results obtained from CI engine performance running on dual fuel mode at fixed engine speed and four loads, varying the mixing system and pilot fuel quality, associated with fuel composition and cetane number. The experiments were carried out on a power generation diesel engine at 1500 m above sea level, with simulated biogas (60% CH(4)-40% CO(2)) as primary fuel, and diesel and palm oil biodiesel as pilot fuels. Dual fuel engine performance using a naturally aspirated mixing system and diesel as pilot fuel was compared with engine performance attained with a supercharged mixing system and biodiesel as pilot fuel. For all loads evaluated, was possible to achieve full diesel substitution using biogas and biodiesel as power sources. Using the supercharged mixing system combined with biodiesel as pilot fuel, thermal efficiency and substitution of pilot fuel were increased, whereas methane and carbon monoxide emissions were reduced.

  2. Environmental engineering education: examples of accreditation and quality assurance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caporali, E.; Catelani, M.; Manfrida, G.; Valdiserri, J.

    2013-12-01

    Environmental engineers respond to the challenges posed by a growing population, intensifying land-use pressures, natural resources exploitation as well as rapidly evolving technology. The environmental engineer must develop technically sound solutions within the framework of maintaining or improving environmental quality, complying with public policy, and optimizing the utilization of resources. The engineer provides system and component design, serves as a technical advisor in policy making and legal deliberations, develops management schemes for resources, and provides technical evaluations of systems. Through the current work of environmental engineers, individuals and businesses are able to understand how to coordinate society's interaction with the environment. There will always be a need for engineers who are able to integrate the latest technologies into systems to respond to the needs for food and energy while protecting natural resources. In general, the environment-related challenges and problems need to be faced at global level, leading to the globalization of the engineering profession which requires not only the capacity to communicate in a common technical language, but also the assurance of an adequate and common level of technical competences, knowledge and understanding. In this framework, the Europe-based EUR ACE (European Accreditation of Engineering Programmes) system, currently operated by ENAEE - European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education can represent the proper framework and accreditation system in order to provide a set of measures to assess the quality of engineering degree programmes in Europe and abroad. The application of the accreditation model EUR-ACE, and of the National Italian Degree Courses Accreditation System, promoted by the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR), to the Environmental Engineering Degree Courses at the University of Firenze is presented. In particular, the accreditation models of the multidisciplinary first cycle degree in Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering and the more specific second cycle degree in Environmental Engineering are discussed. The critical issues to assure the quality and the status of environmental engineering graduates, in terms of applying knowledge capacities and technical innovative competences, according to the more engineering focused EUR-ACE skill descriptors as well as with respect to the Dublin descriptors, at local and global scale are also compared. The involvement of the professional working world in the definition of goals in skills, of typical expectations of achievements and abilities is also described. The system for educating engineers in communicating knowledge and understanding, making informed judgments and choices, capacities to lifelong learning is in addition assessed. The promotion of innovative aspects related with the environmental engineering education, and of the role that science and technology could play in environmental engineering education is also taken into consideration.

  3. 40 CFR 90.510 - Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. 90.510 Section 90.510....510 Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective... failed engine is an engine whose final test results pursuant to § 90.509(b), for one or more of the...

  4. 40 CFR 90.510 - Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. 90.510 Section 90.510....510 Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective... failed engine is an engine whose final test results pursuant to § 90.509(b), for one or more of the...

  5. Incorporating Total Quality Management in an Engineering Design Course. Report 5-1993.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilczynski, V.; And Others

    One definition of creativity is the conviction that each and every existing idea can be improved. It is proposed that creativity in an engineering design process can be encouraged by the adoption of Total Quality Management (TQM) methods based on a commitment to continuous improvement. This paper addresses the introduction and application of TQM…

  6. Quality Management: An "Essential Attributes" Approach. A Case Study towards a Sustainable Model of Course Effectiveness Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murphy, Francis S.

    2005-01-01

    Education of potential professional engineers should take account of the type of employment that they will eventually obtain. The quality of an engineering degree course can be judged by assessing whether the correct balance of "essential attributes" has been effectively obtained. This case study is concerned with assessing the balance…

  7. Development of Management Methodology for Engineering Production Quality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gorlenko, O.; Miroshnikov, V.; Borbatc, N.

    2016-04-01

    The authors of the paper propose four directions of the methodology developing the quality management of engineering products that implement the requirements of new international standard ISO 9001:2015: the analysis of arrangement context taking into account stakeholders, the use of risk management, management of in-house knowledge, assessment of the enterprise activity according to the criteria of effectiveness

  8. Quality Function Deployment for Large Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dean, Edwin B.

    1992-01-01

    Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is typically applied to small subsystems. This paper describes efforts to extend QFD to large scale systems. It links QFD to the system engineering process, the concurrent engineering process, the robust design process, and the costing process. The effect is to generate a tightly linked project management process of high dimensionality which flushes out issues early to provide a high quality, low cost, and, hence, competitive product. A pre-QFD matrix linking customers to customer desires is described.

  9. Proceedings of the Seventeenth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1992-01-01

    Proceedings of the Seventeenth Annual Software Engineering Workshop are presented. The software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is an organization sponsored by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and created to investigate the effectiveness of software engineering technologies when applied to the development of applications software. Topics covered include: the Software Engineering Laboratory; process measurement; software reuse; software quality; lessons learned; and is Ada dying.

  10. Multipurpose electroslag remelting furnace for modern energy and heavy engineering industry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dub, A. V.; Dub, V. S.; Kriger, Yu. N.; Levkov, L. Ya.; Shurygin, D. A.; Kissel'man, M. A.; Nekhamin, C. M.; Chernyak, A. I.; Bessonov, A. V.; Kamantsev, S. V.; Sokolov, S. O.

    2012-12-01

    In 2011, a unique complex based on a multipurpose unit-type electroslag remelting (ESR) furnace is created to meet the demand for large high-quality solid and hollow billets for the products of power, atomic, petrochemical, and heavy machine engineering. This complex has modern low-frequency power supplies with a new control level that ensure a high homogeneity and quality of the billets and an increase in the engineering-and-economical performance of the production. A unique pilot ESR furnace is erected to adjust technological conditions and the main control system elements.

  11. An Analysis of the Effectiveness of the Admissions Policy for AN Outreach Program for Girls in Engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nicoletti, Denise

    The goals of Camp REACH (Reinventing Engineering and Creating New Horizons) are to attract girls to engineering, increase their self-confidence and self-esteem, and educate their parents or guardians about engineering. In this article, the current acceptance process (essay and tottery) is examined to see if the program attracts and offers acceptance to girls who are likely to benefit from the program. The analysis shows that girls who submit higher quality essays are in many ways more likely to benefit. However, girls with poorer quality essays in some cases show significant benefit. The conclusion is that the acceptance process should not he made more competitive.

  12. Metadata, PICS and Quality.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Armstrong, C. J.

    1997-01-01

    Discusses PICS (Platform for Internet Content Selection), the Centre for Information Quality Management (CIQM), and metadata. Highlights include filtering networked information; the quality of information; and standardizing search engines. (LRW)

  13. 40 CFR 1068.101 - What general actions does this regulation prohibit?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ..., operating an engine without a supply of appropriate quality urea if the emissions control system relies on urea to reduce NOx emissions or the use of incorrect fuel or engine oil that renders the emissions... manufacturers of new engines, manufacturers of equipment containing these engines, and manufacturers of new...

  14. 40 CFR 1068.101 - What general actions does this regulation prohibit?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ..., operating an engine without a supply of appropriate quality urea if the emissions control system relies on urea to reduce NOx emissions or the use of incorrect fuel or engine oil that renders the emissions... manufacturers of new engines, manufacturers of equipment containing these engines, and manufacturers of new...

  15. 40 CFR 1068.101 - What general actions does this regulation prohibit?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ..., operating an engine without a supply of appropriate quality urea if the emissions control system relies on urea to reduce NOx emissions or the use of incorrect fuel or engine oil that renders the emissions... manufacturers of new engines, manufacturers of equipment containing these engines, and manufacturers of new...

  16. Speech Quality Measurement

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1978-05-01

    Program is a cooperative venture between RADC and some sixty-five universities eligible to participate in the program. Syracuse Uiaiversity (Department...of Electrical and Computer Engineering), Purdue University (School of Electrical Engineering), Georgia Institute of Technology (School of Electrical...Engineering), and State University of New York at Buffalo (Department of Electrical / ,./. / Engineering) act as prime contractor schools with other

  17. Taming the Information Jungle with WWW Search Engines.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Repman, Judi; And Others

    1997-01-01

    Because searching the Web with different engines often produces different results, the best strategy is to learn how each engine works. Discusses comparing search engines; qualities to consider (ease of use, relevance of hits, and speed); and six of the most popular search tools (Yahoo, Magellan. InfoSeek, Alta Vista, Lycos, and Excite). Lists…

  18. Target fuel quality standards performance

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hublin, M.; Renault, S.A.

    Concerned by a large number of in-service incident due to insufficient quality of market fuels that happened in the 1980s in France and Europe, the two major French car manufacturers-PSA Peugeot Citroen and Renault-decided to define new technical requirements for these fuels. By publishing the fuel charter in July 1989, a whole fuel quality monitoring system was established. Forthcoming fuel refiners and distributors were invited to produce and sell fuels of higher quality. Major French distributors joined the charter, and soon, an improvement on French market fuels was observed. Undoubtedly, the two oil crises, in 1973 and 1979, have boostedmore » technological progress of combustion engines, improving specific power, operating noise, exhaust emissions and fuel consumption. That technological progress was achieved by defining and carrying out research that contributed to a better understanding of combustion engines. Continuous and gradual evolution in the design of engines was achieved in areas such as: combustion, internal air motion, multi-valve technology, fuel injection, engine management systems, friction reduction and after-treatment devices. As long as national fuel specifications define fuel characteristics in a rough and insufficient way, there will be the need for quality fuel certification. Different countries, bearing different cultures, will probably produce slightly different variations, but will continue to exist and increase in number. Fuel quality is a key issue for the future to guarantee trouble-free and comfortable vehicle operation and also to maintain its original emissions characteristics.« less

  19. Evaluation of the ride quality of a light twin engine airplane using a ride quality meter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stewart, Eric C.

    1989-01-01

    A ride quality meter was used to establish the baseline ride quality of a light twin-engine airplane planned for use as a test bed for an experimental gust alleviation system. The ride quality meter provides estimates of passenger ride discomfort as a function of cabin noise and vibration (acceleration) in five axes (yaw axis omitted). According to the ride quality meter, in smooth air the cabin noise was the dominant source of passenger discomfort, but the total discomfort was approximately the same as that for the smooth-air condition. The researcher's subjective opinion, however, is that the total ride discomfort was much worse in the moderate turbulence than it was in the smooth air. The discrepancy is explained by the lack of measurement of the low-frequency accelerations by the ride quality meter.

  20. Disciplinary Literacy in Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson-Lopez, Amy; Minichiello, Angela

    2017-01-01

    People who practice engineering can make a difference through designing products, procedures, and systems that improve people's quality of life. Literacy, including the interpretation, evaluation, critique, and production of texts and representations, is important throughout the engineering design process. In this commentary, the authors outline…

  1. 77 FR 40026 - 36(b)(1) Arms Sales Notification

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-06

    ... and contractor logistics, Quality Assurance Team support services, engineering and technical support..., engineering and technical support, and other related elements of program support. The estimated cost is $49..., maintenance, or training is Confidential. Reverse engineering could reveal Confidential information...

  2. The Role of Gender in Students' Ratings of Teaching Quality in Computer Science and Environmental Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Price, Linda; Svensson, Ingrid; Borell, Jonas; Richardson, John T. E.

    2017-01-01

    Students' ratings of teaching quality on course units in a computer science program and an environmental engineering program at a large Swedish university were obtained using the Course Experience Questionnaire; 8888 sets of ratings were obtained from men and 4280 sets were obtained from women over ten academic years. These student ratings from…

  3. Assessing the Challenges Associated with Developing an Integrated Modeling Approach for Predicting and Managing Water Quality and Quantity from the Watershed through the Drinking Water Treatment System

    EPA Science Inventory

    Natural and Engineered water systems interact throughout watersheds (e.g., at water intakes, wastewater outfalls and water pipe breaks of all kinds), and while there is clearly a link between watershed activities and the quality of water entering the engineered environment, surfa...

  4. Quality of surface water in the Sevier Lake basin, Utah

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hahl, D.C.; Cabell, R.E.

    1965-01-01

    Few data are available on the quality of surface waters in the Sevier Lake basin. Because of the need for information not only on the chemical-quality but also on the other water-quality characteristics of the basin, the U.S. Geological Survey, as part of its cooperative program with the Utah State Engineer, evaluated the available data in 1963. Based on this evaluation, a reconnaissance was designed to obtain some of the needed water-quality information. To extend the applicability of the basic information, the Utah State Engineer, the Utah State Department of Health, the Water Commissioner for the Sevier River, and the Soil Conservation Service and Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture assisted in the planning and in the selection of sampling sites.This report presents the results of the data-collection phase of the reconnaissance. A companion interpretive report will be prepared later. The data were collected primarily by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of its cooperative programs with the State Engineer of Utah and the Utah Geological and Mineralogical Survey. The work was under the supervision of R. H. Langford, district chemist of the Quality of Water Branch, Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey.

  5. Consequences of team charter quality: Teamwork mental model similarity and team viability in engineering design student teams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Conway Hughston, Veronica

    Since 1996 ABET has mandated that undergraduate engineering degree granting institutions focus on learning outcomes such as professional skills (i.e. solving unstructured problems and working in teams). As a result, engineering curricula were restructured to include team based learning---including team charters. Team charters were diffused into engineering education as one of many instructional activities to meet the ABET accreditation mandates. However, the implementation and execution of team charters into engineering team based classes has been inconsistent and accepted without empirical evidence of the consequences. The purpose of the current study was to investigate team effectiveness, operationalized as team viability, as an outcome of team charter implementation in an undergraduate engineering team based design course. Two research questions were the focus of the study: a) What is the relationship between team charter quality and viability in engineering student teams, and b) What is the relationship among team charter quality, teamwork mental model similarity, and viability in engineering student teams? Thirty-eight intact teams, 23 treatment and 15 comparison, participated in the investigation. Treatment teams attended a team charter lecture, and completed a team charter homework assignment. Each team charter was assessed and assigned a quality score. Comparison teams did not join the lecture, and were not asked to create a team charter. All teams completed each data collection phase: a) similarity rating pretest; b) similarity posttest; and c) team viability survey. Findings indicate that team viability was higher in teams that attended the lecture and completed the charter assignment. Teams with higher quality team charter scores reported higher levels of team viability than teams with lower quality charter scores. Lastly, no evidence was found to support teamwork mental model similarity as a partial mediator of the team charter quality on team viability relationship. Foci for future research opportunities include using: a) online data collection methods to improve participant adherence to similarity rating instructions; b) story or narratives during pre- and posttest similarity rating data collection to create common levels of contextual perception; and c) support to ensure charters are integrated into the full project life cycle, not just a pre-project one time isolated activity. Twenty five sections, on average, of EDSGN 100 are taught each spring and fall semester. Consistent instructor expectations are set for the technical aspects of the course. However, ideas to foster team effectiveness are often left to the discretion of the individual instructor. Implementing empirically tested team effectiveness instructional activities would bring consistency to EDGSN 100 curriculum. Other instructional activities that would be of benefit to engineering educators include qualitative inquiry---asking intrateam process questions (at the mid-point of the project) and in-class reflection---dedicated time, post project, to discuss what went well/not well within the team.

  6. Resources and the Quality of Life

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jemian, Wartan A.

    1975-01-01

    Describes the speakers involved and presents the issues addressed at the Plenary Session of the American Society of Engineering Education in 1974. Speakers included a historian, a representative of the Army Corps of Engineers, a practicing engineer, and a consultant on national materials policy. (GS)

  7. High Schools That Work Presents a Pre-Engineering Program of Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Southern Regional Education Board, Atlanta, GA.

    The Southern Regional Education Board partnered with the not-for-profit organization Project Lead the Way (PLTW) to develop a program connecting challenging academic courses with a pre-engineering program of study. The programs goal is to increase the number and quality of engineers and engineering technologists by providing the following items:…

  8. Environmental Engineering Curricula assessment in the global world

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caporali, Enrica; Catelani, Marcantonio; Manfrida, Giampaolo; Valdiserri, Juna

    2014-05-01

    Environmental engineers are technicians with specific expertise on the sustainability of human presence in the environment. Among other global dilemmas, to the environmental engineers it is often demanded to be able in developing systematic, innovative solutions in order to simultaneously meet water and energy needs, to build resilience to natural and technological disasters, to more accurately gauge and manage countries' greenhouse gas emissions. The general objectives of the Environmental Engineers are to establish actions of environmental sustainability as well as to verify progress toward global goals or international commitments. The globalization of challenges and problems to be faced, leads, in general, to the globalization of the engineering profession. In particular, since the environmental issues are without boundaries, and many and different are the involved professions and the competences, the environmental engineer must have a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach to adequately answer to the demand of technical innovative knowledge at global scale. The environmental engineers, more and more, are involved in international projects were the effective collaboration requires not only the capacity to communicate in a common technical language, but also the assurance of an adequate and common level of technical competences, knowledge and understanding. The Europe-based EUR ACE system, currently operated by ENAEE - European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education, can represent the proper framework and accreditation system in order to provide a set of measures to assess the quality of engineering degree programmes in Europe and abroad. In the global frame of the knowledge triangle: education-innovation-research, the accreditation and quality assurance of engineering curricula in Europe is discussed with reference to the Environmental engineering curricula, of the 1st and 2nd cycle, based on the European Credit Transfer System and in accordance with the Bologna Process, offered at School of Engineering, University of Firenze. The application of the accreditation model EUR-ACE to the multidisciplinary first cycle degree in Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering and the more specific second cycle degree in Environmental Engineering is discussed. Particularly, the critical issues to guarantee the quality and the status of environmental engineering graduates, in terms of applying knowledge capacities and technical innovative competences are examined. The expected learning outcomes of the quality assessment according the Dublin descriptors or the more engineering focused EUR-ACE skill descriptors, and at local and global scale are analysed. The system for educating engineers in communicating knowledge and understanding, making informed judgments and choices, capacities to lifelong learning is also assessed. The involvement of the professional working world in the definition of goals in skills, of typical expectations of achievements and abilities, and in general in comparing the teaching profile with the actual needs of the technical workforce, is described. With the aim to promote the innovative aspects related with the environmental engineering education, the important role that science and technology could play is also taken into consideration.

  9. Improvement of Selected Logistics Processes Using Quality Engineering Tools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zasadzień, Michał; Žarnovský, Jozef

    2018-03-01

    Increase in the number of orders, the increasing quality requirements and the speed of order preparation require implementation of new solutions and improvement of logistics processes. Any disruption that occurs during execution of an order often leads to customer dissatisfaction, as well as loss of his/her confidence. The article presents a case study of the use of quality engineering methods and tools to improve the e-commerce logistic process. This made it possible to identify and prioritize key issues, identify their causes, and formulate improvement and prevention measures.

  10. Technology Transfer of the Air Quality Assessment Model.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-02-01

    i T I, _______ ENGINEERING & SERVICES LABORATORY AIR FORCE ENGINEERING & SERVICES CENTER TYNOALL AIR FORCE BASE. FLORIDA 32403 OTIC FILE CO84 03...30 015 NOTICE PLEASE DO NOT REQUEST COPIES OF THIS REPORT FRO(M HQ AFESC./RD ( ENGINEERING AND SERVICES LABORATORY). ADDITONAL COPIES MAY BE PURCHASED...report was prepared by the Air Force Engineering and Services Center, Engineering and Services Laboratory, (AFESC/ RDV) Tyndall AFB, FL. This report

  11. Strategy Developed for Selecting Optimal Sensors for Monitoring Engine Health

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    Sensor indications during rocket engine operation are the primary means of assessing engine performance and health. Effective selection and location of sensors in the operating engine environment enables accurate real-time condition monitoring and rapid engine controller response to mitigate critical fault conditions. These capabilities are crucial to ensure crew safety and mission success. Effective sensor selection also facilitates postflight condition assessment, which contributes to efficient engine maintenance and reduced operating costs. Under the Next Generation Launch Technology program, the NASA Glenn Research Center, in partnership with Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power, has developed a model-based procedure for systematically selecting an optimal sensor suite for assessing rocket engine system health. This optimization process is termed the systematic sensor selection strategy. Engine health management (EHM) systems generally employ multiple diagnostic procedures including data validation, anomaly detection, fault-isolation, and information fusion. The effectiveness of each diagnostic component is affected by the quality, availability, and compatibility of sensor data. Therefore systematic sensor selection is an enabling technology for EHM. Information in three categories is required by the systematic sensor selection strategy. The first category consists of targeted engine fault information; including the description and estimated risk-reduction factor for each identified fault. Risk-reduction factors are used to define and rank the potential merit of timely fault diagnoses. The second category is composed of candidate sensor information; including type, location, and estimated variance in normal operation. The final category includes the definition of fault scenarios characteristic of each targeted engine fault. These scenarios are defined in terms of engine model hardware parameters. Values of these parameters define engine simulations that generate expected sensor values for targeted fault scenarios. Taken together, this information provides an efficient condensation of the engineering experience and engine flow physics needed for sensor selection. The systematic sensor selection strategy is composed of three primary algorithms. The core of the selection process is a genetic algorithm that iteratively improves a defined quality measure of selected sensor suites. A merit algorithm is employed to compute the quality measure for each test sensor suite presented by the selection process. The quality measure is based on the fidelity of fault detection and the level of fault source discrimination provided by the test sensor suite. An inverse engine model, whose function is to derive hardware performance parameters from sensor data, is an integral part of the merit algorithm. The final component is a statistical evaluation algorithm that characterizes the impact of interference effects, such as control-induced sensor variation and sensor noise, on the probability of fault detection and isolation for optimal and near-optimal sensor suites.

  12. Building an Ecosystem for a New Engineering Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grebski, Wieslaw; Grebski, Michalene Eva

    2018-06-01

    Penn State Hazleton has recently developed and implemented a new Engineering program with a focus on energy efficiency and energy sustainability. To accelerate the implementation cycle of the program, it was necessary to very rapidly create and establish the components of an ecosystem needed for the Engineering program to prosper and grow. This paper describes the individual components of the ecosystem as well as the methods used to establish them. The paper also discusses the different initiatives to increase enrollment as well as placement rates for graduates. Continuous quality improvement procedure applied to maintain the quality of the program is also being discussed.

  13. Towards a Framework to Improve the Quality of Teaching and Learning: Consciousness and Validation in Computer Engineering Science, UCT

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lévano, Marcos; Albornoz, Andrea

    2016-01-01

    This paper aims to propose a framework to improve the quality in teaching and learning in order to develop good practices to train professionals in the career of computer engineering science. To demonstrate the progress and achievements, our work is based on two principles for the formation of professionals, one based on the model of learning…

  14. Bridging the Gap between Engineering Design and PK-12 Curriculum Development through the Use of the STEM Education Quality Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinnell, Margaret; Rowly, James; Preiss, Sandi; Franco, Suzanne; Blust, Rebecca; Beach, Renee

    2013-01-01

    This paper will describe a unique partnership among the Department of Teacher Education and School of Engineering at the University of Dayton (UD) and the Dayton Regional STEM Center (DRSC). This partnership resulted in the development of the STEM Education Quality Framework (SQF), a tool to guide educators in teaching, learning and refining STEM…

  15. An assessment of the visibility of MeSH-indexed medical web catalogs through search engines.

    PubMed Central

    Zweigenbaum, P.; Darmoni, S. J.; Grabar, N.; Douyère, M.; Benichou, J.

    2002-01-01

    Manually indexed Internet health catalogs such as CliniWeb or CISMeF provide resources for retrieving high-quality health information. Users of these quality-controlled subject gateways are most often referred to them by general search engines such as Google, AltaVista, etc. This raises several questions, among which the following: what is the relative visibility of medical Internet catalogs through search engines? This study addresses this issue by measuring and comparing the visibility of six major, MeSH-indexed health catalogs through four different search engines (AltaVista, Google, Lycos, Northern Light) in two languages (English and French). Over half a million queries were sent to the search engines; for most of these search engines, according to our measures at the time the queries were sent, the most visible catalog for English MeSH terms was CliniWeb and the most visible one for French MeSH terms was CISMeF. PMID:12463965

  16. Relevance of Google-customized search engine vs. CISMeF quality-controlled health gateway.

    PubMed

    Gehanno, Jean-François; Kerdelhue, Gaétan; Sakji, Saoussen; Massari, Philippe; Joubert, Michel; Darmoni, Stéfan J

    2009-01-01

    CISMeF (acronym for Catalog and Index of French Language Health Resources on the Internet) is a quality-controlled health gateway conceived to catalog and index the most important and quality-controlled sources of institutional health information in French. The goal of this study is to compare the relevance of results provided by this gateway from a small set of documents selected and described by human experts to those provided by a search engine from a large set of automatically indexed and ranked resources. The Google-Customized search engine (CSE) was used. The evaluation was made using the 10th first results of 15 queries and two blinded physician evaluators. There was no significant difference between the relevance of information retrieval in CISMeF and Google CSE. In conclusion, automatic indexing does not lead to lower relevance than a manual MeSH indexing and may help to cope with the increasing number of references to be indexed in a controlled health quality gateway.

  17. NASA Lewis Wind Tunnel Model Systems Criteria

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Soeder, Ronald H.; Haller, Henry C.

    1994-01-01

    This report describes criteria for the design, analysis, quality assurance, and documentation of models or test articles that are to be tested in the aeropropulsion facilities at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The report presents three methods for computing model allowable stresses on the basis of the yield stress or ultimate stress, and it gives quality assurance criteria for models tested in Lewis' aeropropulsion facilities. Both customer-furnished model systems and in-house model systems are discussed. The functions of the facility manager, project engineer, operations engineer, research engineer, and facility electrical engineer are defined. The format for pretest meetings, prerun safety meetings, and the model criteria review are outlined Then, the format for the model systems report (a requirement for each model that is to be tested at NASA Lewis) is described, the engineers that are responsible for developing the model systems report are listed, and the time table for its delivery to the facility manager is given.

  18. Prototyping and implementing flight qualifiable semicustom CMOS P-well bulk integrated circuits in the JPL environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Olson, E. M.

    1986-01-01

    Presently, there are many difficulties associated with implementing application specific custom or semi-custom (standard cell based) integrated circuits (ICs) into JPL flight projects. One of the primary difficulties is developing prototype semi-custom integrated circuits for use and evaluation in engineering prototype flight hardware. The prototype semi-custom ICs must be extremely cost-effective and yet still representative of flight qualifiable versions of the design. A second difficulty is encountered in the transport of the design from engineering prototype quality to flight quality. Normally, flight quality integrated circuits have stringent quality standards, must be radiation resistant and should consume minimal power. It is often not necessary or cost effective, however, to impose such stringent quality standards on engineering models developed for systems analysis in controlled lab environments. This article presents work originally initiated for ground based applications that also addresses these two problems. Furthermore, this article suggests a method that has been shown successful in prototyping flight quality semi-custom ICs through the Metal Oxide Semiconductor Implementation Service (MOSIS) program run by the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute. The method has been used successfully to design and fabricate through the MOSIS three different semi-custom prototype CMOS p-well chips. The three designs make use of the work presented and were designed consistent with design techniques and structures that are flight qualifiable, allowing one hour transfer of the design from engineering model status to flight qualifiable foundry-ready status through methods outlined in this article.

  19. Mason Bee Habitations: Teaching Proper "Making" Skill through Authentic Engineering Design Contests. Resources in Technology and Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cool, Nate; Strimel, Greg J.; Croly, Michael; Grubbs, Michael E.

    2017-01-01

    To be technologically and engineering literate, people should be able to "make" or produce quality solutions to engineering design challenges while recognizing and understanding how to avoid hazards in a broad array of situations when properly using tools, machines, and materials (Haynie, 2009; Gunter, 2007; ITEA/ITEEA, 2000/2002/2007).…

  20. Renovation of a Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Class to an Industry-Tied and Team-Oriented Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Yucheng

    2017-01-01

    In this work, an industry-based and team-oriented education model was established based on a traditional mechanical engineering (ME) senior design class in order to better prepare future engineers and leaders so as to meet the increasing demand for high-quality engineering graduates. In the renovated curriculum, industry-sponsored projects became…

  1. Engineering Skills Education: The Bachelor of Engineering Programme of the "Vrije Universiteit Brussel" as a Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Biesen, Leo Pierre; Rahier, Hubert; Vanherzeele, Herman; Willem, Rudolph; Hubin, Annick; Veretennicoff, Irina; Deblauwe, Nico; Ponet, Mireille

    2009-01-01

    The Bologna process has triggered an important change in the course outline towards a sustainable, transparent and quality-driven European education system. In Belgium, engineering education had to be completely revised. The transformation of the former system, leading to the degree of academic engineer after five years of study, into the typical…

  2. Factors Influencing the Self-Efficacy of Black High School Students Enrolled in PLTW Pre-Engineering Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Brandon R.

    2011-01-01

    With the increasing demand for trained engineers (especially Black engineers) it is imperative that the US invests more money and resources into programs that provide quality engineering experiences and exposures, this study evaluates the effect of various K-12 outreach initiatives and their ability to inspire students enrolled in Project Lead the…

  3. Diesel fuel detergent additive performance and assessment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Vincent, M.W.; Papachristos, M.J.; Williams, D.

    Diesel fuel detergent additives are increasingly linked with high quality automotive diesel fuels. Both in Europe and in the USA, field problems associated with fuel injector coking or fouling have been experienced. In Europe indirect injection (IDI) light duty engines used in passenger cars were affected, while in the USA, a direct injection (DI) engine in heavy duty truck applications experienced field problems. In both cases, a fuel additive detergent performance test has evolved using an engine linked with the original field problem, although engine design modifications employed by the manufacturers have ensured improved operation in service. Increasing awareness ofmore » the potential for injector nozzle coking to cause deterioration in engine performance is coupled with a need to meet ever more stringent exhaust emissions legislation. These two requirements indicate that the use of detergency additives will continue to be associated with high quality diesel fuels. The paper examines detergency performance evaluated in a range of IDI and DI engines and correlates performance in the two most widely recognised test engines, namely the Peugeot 1.9 litre IDI, and Cummins L10 DI engines. 17 refs., 18 figs., 5 tabs.« less

  4. MIRASS: medical informatics research activity support system using information mashup network.

    PubMed

    Kiah, M L M; Zaidan, B B; Zaidan, A A; Nabi, Mohamed; Ibraheem, Rabiu

    2014-04-01

    The advancement of information technology has facilitated the automation and feasibility of online information sharing. The second generation of the World Wide Web (Web 2.0) enables the collaboration and sharing of online information through Web-serving applications. Data mashup, which is considered a Web 2.0 platform, plays an important role in information and communication technology applications. However, few ideas have been transformed into education and research domains, particularly in medical informatics. The creation of a friendly environment for medical informatics research requires the removal of certain obstacles in terms of search time, resource credibility, and search result accuracy. This paper considers three glitches that researchers encounter in medical informatics research; these glitches include the quality of papers obtained from scientific search engines (particularly, Web of Science and Science Direct), the quality of articles from the indices of these search engines, and the customizability and flexibility of these search engines. A customizable search engine for trusted resources of medical informatics was developed and implemented through data mashup. Results show that the proposed search engine improves the usability of scientific search engines for medical informatics. Pipe search engine was found to be more efficient than other engines.

  5. Greening the Engineering and Technology Curriculum via Real Life Hands-on Projects

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    This paper aims at demonstrating how greening efforts can be embedded into science and engineering courses without major curricular changes. In this regard, examples of final projects assigned in a statistical quality control, a 500-level, graduate engineering course, focusing on campus sustainabili...

  6. Tailpipe emissions and engine performance of a light-duty diesel engine operating on petro- and bio-diesel fuel blends.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-06-01

    This report summarizes the experimental apparatus developed in the Transportation Air Quality Laboratory (TAQ Lab) at the University of Vermont to compare light-duty diesel engine performance and exhaust emissions when operating on petroleum diesel (...

  7. Science and Engineering Indicators 2010

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Science Foundation, 2010

    2010-01-01

    The Science Indicators series was designed to provide a broad base of quantitative information about U.S. science, engineering, and technology for use by policymakers, researchers, and the general public. "Science and Engineering Indicators 2010" contains analyses of key aspects of the scope, quality, and vitality of the Nation's science…

  8. Quality in the Professions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Becher, Tony

    1999-01-01

    Reviews quality assurance and quality control procedures of the main requirements affecting United Kingdom medicine, pharmacy, law, accountancy, architecture, and structural engineering. Provides a taxonomy of different forms of quality maintenance and offers comparative material which may be of interest and relevance to academic readers. (EV)

  9. The effect of fuel processes on heavy duty automotive diesel engine emissions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Reynolds, E.G.

    1995-12-31

    The effect of fuel quality on exhaust emissions from 2 heavy duty diesel engines has been measured over the ECE R49 test cycle. The engines were selected to represent technologies used to meet Euro 1 and 2 emission standards (1992/93 and 1995/96); engines 1 and 2 respectively. The test fuels were prepared by a combination of processing, blending and additive treatment. When comparing the emissions from engines 1 and 2, using base line data generated on the CEC reference fuel RF73-T-90, engine technology had the major effect on emission levels. Engine 2 reduced both particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxidemore » levels by approximately 50%, with total hydrocarbon (THC) being approximately 75% lower. Oxides of nitrogen levels were similar for both engines. The variations in test fuel quality had marginal effects on emissions, with the two engines giving directionally opposite responses in some cases. For instance, there was an effect on CO and NOx but where one engine showed a reduction the other gave an increase. There were no significant changes in THC emissions from either engine when operating on any of the test fuels. When the reference fuel was hydrotreated, engine 1 showed a trend towards reduced particulate and NOx but with CO increasing. Engine 2 also showed a trend for reduced particulate levels, with an increase in NOx and no change in CO. Processing to reduce the final boiling point of the reference fuel showed a trend towards reduced particulate emissions with CO increasing on engine 1 but decreasing on engine 2.« less

  10. Diesel Engine Technology Update

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-07-01

    AFWAL-TR-87-20 54 83-021-DET DIESEL ENGINE TECHNOLOGY UPDATE Kaupert, Andrew W., Lt. Col. USAFR Air Force Reserves Detroit Detachment 2 Ann Arbor, MI...sponsored adiabatic turbocompound diesel engine . One goal was the use of no water or air cooling for the engine to enable the minimized heat transfer from...sector with severe • impact on the stationary engine segment of the marketplace. The effect of this proposed legislation on Air Force fuel quality is

  11. Using activity-based learning approach to enhance the quality of instruction in civil engineering in Indonesian universities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Priyono, Wena, Made; Rahardjo, Boedi

    2017-09-01

    Experts and practitioners agree that the quality of higher education in Indonesia needs to be improved significantly and continuously. The low quality of university graduates is caused by many factors, one of which is the poor quality of learning. Today's instruction process tends to place great emphasis only on delivering knowledge. To avoid the pitfalls of such instruction, e.g. passive learning, thus Civil Engineering students should be given more opportunities to interact with others and actively participate in the learning process. Based on a number of theoretical and empirical studies, one appropriate strategy to overcome the aforementioned problem is by developing and implementing activity-based learning approach.

  12. Quality Improvement, Inventory Management, Lead Time Reduction and Production Scheduling in High-Mix Manufacturing Environments

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-01-13

    Quality Improvement, Inventory Management, Lead Time Reduction and Production Scheduling in High-mix Manufacturing Environments by Sean Daigle B.S...for the degree of Master of Engineering in Advanced Manufacturing and Design at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY February 2017 c... Production Scheduling in High-mix Manufacturing Environments by Sean Daigle Submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering on January 13, 2017, in

  13. Handbook for aquaculture water quality

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Efficient aquaculture production depends upon maintaining acceptable water quality conditions in culture units. This handbook discusses background information from chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering necessary for understanding the principles of water quality management in aquaculture. It a...

  14. Enhanced Electric Power Transmission by Hybrid Compensation Technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Palanichamy, C.; Kiu, G. Q.

    2015-04-01

    In today's competitive environment, new power system engineers are likely to contribute immediately to the task, without years of seasoning via on-the-job training, mentoring, and rotation assignments. At the same time it is becoming obligatory to train power system engineering graduates for an increasingly quality-minded corporate environment. In order to achieve this, there is a need to make available better-quality tools for educating and training power system engineering students and in-service system engineers too. As a result of the swift advances in computer hardware and software, many windows-based computer software packages were developed for the purpose of educating and training. In line with those packages, a simulation package called Hybrid Series-Shunt Compensators (HSSC) has been developed and presented in this paper for educational purposes.

  15. Socio-Cultural Challenges in Global Software Engineering Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoda, Rashina; Babar, Muhammad Ali; Shastri, Yogeshwar; Yaqoob, Humaa

    2017-01-01

    Global software engineering education (GSEE) is aimed at providing software engineering (SE) students with knowledge, skills, and understanding of working in globally distributed arrangements so they can be prepared for the global SE (GSE) paradigm. It is important to understand the challenges involved in GSEE for improving the quality and…

  16. Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    The four major topics of discussion included: the NASA Software Engineering Laboratory, software testing, human factors in software engineering and software quality assessment. As in the past years, there were 12 position papers presented (3 for each topic) followed by questions and very heavy participation by the general audience.

  17. Holistic Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grasso, Domenico; Martinelli, David

    2007-01-01

    In this article, the authors discuss how to prepare high-quality engineers who are better equipped to serve in the changing global marketplace, and suggest educators in pursuing the holistic concept of the "unity of knowledge" that will yield a definition of engineering more fitting for the times ahead. The unity of knowledge is fundamentally…

  18. UCS-PROMOVE: The Engineer of the Future

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Villas-Boas, V.

    2010-01-01

    The Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS) elaborated the cooperative project called "The engineer of the future", with the objective of promoting science and engineering among high school teachers and students. This project aims to improve the quality of the teaching and to increase the interest of students in technological areas, leading…

  19. Enterprise 3.0 in Engineering Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahrens, Andreas; Zascerinska, Jelena

    2011-01-01

    Enterprise 3.0 offers potential solutions for the quality, maintenance and sustainable development of services. The synergy between Enterprise 3.0 and engineering education advances the development of innovative products, processes and services in the European economy. Aim of the research is to analyze student engineers' use of Enterprise 3.0…

  20. Design and Implementation of a Project-Based Active/Cooperative Engineering Design Course for Freshmen

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abdulaal, R. M.; Al-Bahi, A. M.; Soliman, A. Y.; Iskanderani, F. I.

    2011-01-01

    A project-based active/cooperative design course is planned, implemented, assessed and evaluated to achieve several desired engineering outcomes. The course allows freshman-level students to gain professional hands-on engineering design experience through an opportunity to practise teamwork, quality principles, communication skills, life-long…

  1. Search Engines on the World Wide Web.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walster, Dian

    1997-01-01

    Discusses search engines and provides methods for determining what resources are searched, the quality of the information, and the algorithms used that will improve the use of search engines on the World Wide Web, online public access catalogs, and electronic encyclopedias. Lists strategies for conducting searches and for learning about the latest…

  2. The Formation of Indicators on Engineering Laboratory Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yasin, Ruhizan M.; Mohamad, Zunuwanas; Rahman, Mohd Nizam Ab.; Hashim, Mohamad Hisyam Mohd

    2012-01-01

    This research is a developmental study of Engineering Laboratory Management indicators. It is formed to assess the level of quality management of the polytechnic level laboratory. The purpose of indicators is to help provide input into the management process of an engineering laboratory. Effectiveness of teaching and learning at technical…

  3. How to Retain Postgraduate Students in Engineering Programmes: A Practical Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Le, Khoa N.; Tam, Vivian W. Y.

    2008-01-01

    Six factors for pursuing an engineering postgraduate programme at Griffith University including (i) programme quality; (ii) employment prospects; (iii) practicality; (iv) personal interest; (v) popularity; and (vi) reputation; and 11 factors for not pursuing this engineering programme including (i) employment prospects; (ii) degree of difficulty;…

  4. Science & Engineering Indicators 2016. National Science Board

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Science Foundation, 2016

    2016-01-01

    "Science and Engineering Indicators" (SEI) is first and foremost a volume of record comprising high-quality quantitative data on the U.S. and international science and engineering enterprise. SEI includes an overview and seven chapters that follow a generally consistent pattern. The chapter titles are as follows: (1) Elementary and…

  5. Why Research-Informed Teaching in Engineering Education? A Review of the Evidence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bubou, Gordon Monday; Offor, Ibebietei Temple; Bappa, Abubakar Saddiq

    2017-01-01

    Challenges of today's engineering education (EE) are emergent, necessitating calls for its reformation to empower future engineers function optimally as innovative leaders, in both local and international contexts. These challenges: keeping pace with technological dynamism; high attrition; and most importantly, quality teaching/learning require…

  6. F-35 Engine Quality Assurance Inspection

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-04-27

    area nor protected from common FOD items. The F135 engine final assembly area had FOD signage at the two entry lobbies of the building; however...there were no FOD signage within the engine final assembly areas. Pratt & Whitney FOD procedures also did not prevent common FOD items from entering

  7. Proceedings of Tenth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1985-01-01

    Papers are presented on the following topics: measurement of software technology, recent studies of the Software Engineering Lab, software management tools, expert systems, error seeding as a program validation technique, software quality assurance, software engineering environments (including knowledge-based environments), the Distributed Computing Design System, and various Ada experiments.

  8. Habitat-Mediated Variation in the Importance of Ecosystem Engineers for Secondary Cavity Nesters in a Nest Web

    PubMed Central

    Robles, Hugo; Martin, Kathy

    2014-01-01

    Through physical state changes in biotic or abiotic materials, ecosystem engineers modulate resource availability to other organisms and are major drivers of evolutionary and ecological dynamics. Understanding whether and how ecosystem engineers are interchangeable for resource users in different habitats is a largely neglected topic in ecosystem engineering research that can improve our understanding of the structure of communities. We addressed this issue in a cavity-nest web (1999–2011). In aspen groves, the presence of mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) and tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolour) nests was positively related to the density of cavities supplied by northern flickers (Colaptes auratus), which provided the most abundant cavities (1.61 cavities/ha). Flickers in aspen groves provided numerous nesting cavities to bluebirds (66%) and swallows (46%), despite previous research showing that flicker cavities are avoided by swallows. In continuous mixed forests, however, the presence of nesting swallows was mainly related to cavity density of red-naped sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus nuchalis), which provided the most abundant cavities (0.52 cavities/ha), and to cavity density of hairy woodpeckers (Picoides villosus), which provided few (0.14 cavities/ha) but high-quality cavities. Overall, sapsuckers and hairy woodpeckers provided 86% of nesting cavities to swallows in continuous forests. In contrast, the presence of nesting bluebirds in continuous forests was associated with the density of cavities supplied by all the ecosystem engineers. These results suggest that (i) habitat type may mediate the associations between ecosystem engineers and resource users, and (ii) different ecosystem engineers may be interchangeable for resource users depending on the quantity and quality of resources that each engineer supplies in each habitat type. We, therefore, urge the incorporation of the variation in the quantity and quality of resources provided by ecosystem engineers across habitats into models that assess community dynamics to improve our understanding of the importance of ecosystem engineers in shaping ecological communities. PMID:24587211

  9. Habitat-mediated variation in the importance of ecosystem engineers for secondary cavity nesters in a nest web.

    PubMed

    Robles, Hugo; Martin, Kathy

    2014-01-01

    Through physical state changes in biotic or abiotic materials, ecosystem engineers modulate resource availability to other organisms and are major drivers of evolutionary and ecological dynamics. Understanding whether and how ecosystem engineers are interchangeable for resource users in different habitats is a largely neglected topic in ecosystem engineering research that can improve our understanding of the structure of communities. We addressed this issue in a cavity-nest web (1999-2011). In aspen groves, the presence of mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) and tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolour) nests was positively related to the density of cavities supplied by northern flickers (Colaptes auratus), which provided the most abundant cavities (1.61 cavities/ha). Flickers in aspen groves provided numerous nesting cavities to bluebirds (66%) and swallows (46%), despite previous research showing that flicker cavities are avoided by swallows. In continuous mixed forests, however, the presence of nesting swallows was mainly related to cavity density of red-naped sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus nuchalis), which provided the most abundant cavities (0.52 cavities/ha), and to cavity density of hairy woodpeckers (Picoides villosus), which provided few (0.14 cavities/ha) but high-quality cavities. Overall, sapsuckers and hairy woodpeckers provided 86% of nesting cavities to swallows in continuous forests. In contrast, the presence of nesting bluebirds in continuous forests was associated with the density of cavities supplied by all the ecosystem engineers. These results suggest that (i) habitat type may mediate the associations between ecosystem engineers and resource users, and (ii) different ecosystem engineers may be interchangeable for resource users depending on the quantity and quality of resources that each engineer supplies in each habitat type. We, therefore, urge the incorporation of the variation in the quantity and quality of resources provided by ecosystem engineers across habitats into models that assess community dynamics to improve our understanding of the importance of ecosystem engineers in shaping ecological communities.

  10. Driving photomask supplier quality through automation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Russell, Drew; Espenscheid, Andrew

    2007-10-01

    In 2005, Freescale Semiconductor's newly centralized mask data prep organization (MSO) initiated a project to develop an automated global quality validation system for photomasks delivered to Freescale Semiconductor fabs. The system handles Certificate of Conformance (CofC) quality metric collection, validation, reporting and an alert system for all photomasks shipped to Freescale fabs from all qualified global suppliers. The completed system automatically collects 30+ quality metrics for each photomask shipped. Other quality metrics are generated from the collected data and quality metric conformance is automatically validated to specifications or control limits with failure alerts emailed to fab photomask and mask data prep engineering. A quality data warehouse stores the data for future analysis, which is performed quarterly. The improved access to data provided by the system has improved Freescale engineers' ability to spot trends and opportunities for improvement with our suppliers' processes. This paper will review each phase of the project, current system capabilities and quality system benefits for both our photomask suppliers and Freescale.

  11. The use of the general image quality equation in the design and evaluation of imaging systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cota, Steve A.; Florio, Christopher J.; Duvall, David J.; Leon, Michael A.

    2009-08-01

    The design of any modern imaging system is the end result of many trade studies, each seeking to optimize image quality within real world constraints such as cost, schedule and overall risk. The National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS) is a useful measure of image quality, because, by characterizing the overall interpretability of an image, it combines into one metric those contributors to image quality to which a human interpreter is most sensitive. The main drawback to using a NIIRS rating as a measure of image quality in engineering trade studies is the fact that it is tied to the human observer and cannot be predicted from physical principles and engineering parameters alone. The General Image Quality Equation (GIQE) of Leachtenauer et al. 1997 [Appl. Opt. 36, 8322-8328 (1997)] is a regression of actual image analyst NIIRS ratings vs. readily calculable engineering metrics, and provides a mechanism for using the expected NIIRS rating of an imaging system in the design and evaluation process. In this paper, we will discuss how we use the GIQE in conjunction with The Aerospace Corporation's Parameterized Image Chain Analysis & Simulation SOftware (PICASSO) to evaluate imager designs, taking a hypothetical high resolution commercial imaging system as an example.

  12. A Systems Engineering Approach to Quality Assurance for Aerospace Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shepherd, Christena C.

    2014-01-01

    On the surface, it appears that AS9100 has little to say about how to apply a Quality Management System (QMS) to major aerospace test programs (or even smaller ones). It also appears that there is little in the quality engineering Body of Knowledge (BOK) that applies to testing, unless it is nondestructive examination (NDE), or some type of lab or bench testing associated with the manufacturing process. However, if one examines: a) how the systems engineering (SE) processes are implemented throughout a test program; and b) how these SE processes can be mapped to the requirements of AS9100, a number of areas for involvement of the quality professional are revealed. What often happens is that quality assurance during a test program is limited to inspections of the test article; what could be considered a manufacturing al fresco approach. This limits the quality professional and is a disservice to the programs and projects, since there are a number of ways that quality can enhance critical processes, and support efforts to improve risk reduction, efficiency and effectiveness. The Systems Engineering (SE) discipline is widely used in aerospace to ensure the progress from Stakeholder Expectations (the President, Congress, the taxpayers) to a successful, delivered product or service. Although this is well known, what is not well known is that these same SE processes are implemented in varying complexity, to prepare for and implement test projects that support research, development, verification and validation, qualification, and acceptance test projects. Although the test organization's terminology may vary from the SE terminology, and from one test service provider to another, the basic process is followed by successful, reliable testing organizations. For this analysis, NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR) 7123.1, NASA Systems Engineering Processes and Requirements is used to illustrate the SE processes that are used for major aerospace testing. Many of these processes are also implemented for smaller test projects, and this set of processes will also look familiar to those who have participated in launch site activation and flight demonstrations.

  13. [Quality of health information about epilepsy on the Internet: Evaluation of French websites].

    PubMed

    Auvin, S; Dupont, S

    2013-03-01

    The Internet is now the single largest source of health information and is used by many patients who are affected by epilepsy and their families. To assess the quality of information provided by French website on the different forms of epilepsy and their treatment, we used search engines (French pages from Bing, Google and Yahoo) to look for information using the French equivalent of three keywords epilepsy (Épilepsie); epilepsy treatment (Épilepsie traitement) and seizure (Convulsions). The websites were evaluated for content quality by using an adaptation of the validated DISCERN rating instrument. Each website was evaluated by three investigators (a naive observer, a pediatric neurologist and a neurologist). Most of the information on epilepsy and its treatment were from community websites. We found six French websites which were scored higher than half of the maximal value of our scoring system (≥27.5/55): www.passeportsante.net; fr.wikipedia.org; www.fondation-epilepsie.fr; www.epilepsie-france.fr; www.doctissimo.fr; www.caducee.net. This study provides a list of French websites that have been evaluated for the quality of their information. We did not observe any correlation between the quality of the information and priority on search engine listings. Websites sponsored by patients associations and by institutions should update their content more frequently or work on their search engine indexation to appear higher on search engine listings. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  14. Crystal and Particle Engineering Strategies for Improving Powder Compression and Flow Properties to Enable Continuous Tablet Manufacturing by Direct Compression.

    PubMed

    Chattoraj, Sayantan; Sun, Changquan Calvin

    2018-04-01

    Continuous manufacturing of tablets has many advantages, including batch size flexibility, demand-adaptive scale up or scale down, consistent product quality, small operational foot print, and increased manufacturing efficiency. Simplicity makes direct compression the most suitable process for continuous tablet manufacturing. However, deficiencies in powder flow and compression of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) limit the range of drug loading that can routinely be considered for direct compression. For the widespread adoption of continuous direct compression, effective API engineering strategies to address power flow and compression problems are needed. Appropriate implementation of these strategies would facilitate the design of high-quality robust drug products, as stipulated by the Quality-by-Design framework. Here, several crystal and particle engineering strategies for improving powder flow and compression properties are summarized. The focus is on the underlying materials science, which is the foundation for effective API engineering to enable successful continuous manufacturing by the direct compression process. Copyright © 2018 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Improving the quality of learning discipline “Technical thermodynamics and heat exchange” at ONMU

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vasserman, A. A.; Malchevsky, V. P.

    2017-11-01

    Discipline «Technical thermodynamics and heat exchange» creates a theoretical basis for students of ship-engineering faculty of Odessa National Maritime University to learn special subjects such as: Internal Combustion Engines, Steam and Gas Turbines, Steam Boilers, Refrigerating Plants. This course forms future specialist and provides the deep understanding of essence of thermodynamic processes which run in machines and apparatus of ship. Also different kinds of heat exchange in solid, liquid and gaseous bodies which take place almost in all technological processes are considered. The quality of training ship engineers depends on the knowledge of mentioned discipline.

  16. RDD-100 and the systems engineering process

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Averill, Robert D.

    1994-01-01

    An effective systems engineering approach applied through the project life cycle can help Langley produce a better product. This paper demonstrates how an enhanced systems engineering process for in-house flight projects assures that each system will achieve its goals with quality performance and within planned budgets and schedules. This paper also describes how the systems engineering process can be used in combination with available software tools.

  17. Definition and documentation of engineering processes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McDonald, G.W.

    1997-11-01

    This tutorial is an extract of a two-day workshop developed under the auspices of the Quality Engineering Department at Sandia National Laboratories. The presentation starts with basic definitions and addresses why processes should be defined and documented. It covers three primary topics: (1) process considerations and rationale, (2) approach to defining and documenting engineering processes, and (3) an IDEFO model of the process for defining engineering processes.

  18. NREL Fuels and Engines R&D Revs Up Vehicle Efficiency, Performance

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    NREL bridges fuels and engines R&D to maximize vehicle efficiency and performance. The lab’s fuels and engines research covers the full spectrum of innovation—from fuel chemistry, conversion, and combustion to the evaluation of how fuels interact with engine and vehicle design. This innovative approach has the potential to positively impact our economy, national energy security, and air quality.

  19. The experiences of women engineers who have completed one to five years of professional engineering employment: A phenomenological study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    White, Susan M.

    Women engineers remain underrepresented in employment in engineering fields in the United States. Feminist theory views this gender disparity beyond equity in numbers for women engineers and looks at structural issues of women's access, opportunities, and quality of experience in the workplace. Research on women's success and persistence in engineering education is diverse; however, there are few studies that focus on the early years of women's careers in engineering and less using a phenomenological research design. Experiences of women engineers who have completed one to five years of professional engineering employment are presented using a phenomenological research design. Research questions explored the individual and composite experiences for the co-researchers of the study as well as challenges and advantages of the phenomenon of having completed one to five years of professional engineering employment. Themes that emanated from the data were a feeling that engineering is a positive profession, liking math and science from an early age, having experiences of attending math and science camps or learning and practicing engineering interests with their fathers for some co-researchers. Other themes included a feeling of being different as a woman in the engineering workplace, taking advantage of opportunities for training, education, and advancement to further their careers, and the role of informal and formal mentoring in developing workplace networks and engineering expertise. Co-researchers negotiated issues of management quality and support, experiences of gender discrimination in the workplace, and having to make decisions balancing their careers and family responsibilities. Finally, the women engineers for this research study expressed intentions to persist in their careers while pursuing expertise and experience in their individual engineering fields.

  20. Metal Injection Molding for Superalloy Jet Engine Components

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-05-01

    single vanes. The vanes are subject to high vibration stresses and thus require reliable fatigue strength. Therefore the quality of the material must meet...Injection Molding for Superalloy Jet Engine Components 9 - 12 RTO-MP-AVT-139 UNCLASSIFIED/UNLIMITED UNCLASSIFIED/UNLIMITED MTU AeroEngines copyright...Sikorski Max Kraus Dr. Claus Müller MTU Aero Engines GmbH Munich, Germany 15.05. - 17.05.2006 MTU AeroEngines copyright ©2 AVT – 139 on “Cost Effective

  1. [Growth, development, social integration and parenting practices on children living with their mothers in prison].

    PubMed

    Lejarraga, Horacio; Berardi, Clemente; Ortale, Susana; Contreras, María Magdalena; Sanjurjo, Adriana; Lejarraga, Celina; Martínez Cáceres, María José; Rodríguez, Lilian

    2011-12-01

    Prisons are considered a very high risk environment, but there is very scarce scientific information on the growth and development of children who live there. With the purpose of evaluating growth and development of children living with their mothers in prison, a cross sectional survey was performed in 68 children aged 0-3 years in Unit 31, a prison for mothers with children located at 30 km from Buenos Aires. Weight, supine length, and developmental quotient (Cats Clams) was measured, PRUNAPE, and SQE-SE test were administered (screening tests for detecting developmental and emotional disorders, respectively). Mothers' child rearing practices were assessed with a previously standardized questionnaire. Age range of mothers was 18-46 years, median 23.5 yr. Duration of stay in prison of children was 0.05-35 months. Mean ± standard error of "Z" score for height was -0.30 ± 0.12, weight 0.40 ± 0.12; body mass index 0.91 ± 0.18; head circumference 0.19 ± 0.14; and developmental quotient 92.4 ± 1.7. There were only 7 children out of 67 who failed the PRUNAPE. Mean Cats Clams developmental score was 91.3. ASQ-SE test showed high prevalence (39%) of emotional and social integration problems. Mothers' knowledge about child rearing practices was poorer than that found in a normal urban local population. There were no trends for results to be related to the length of stay in prison. Children are shorter and with higher BMI than reference. Emotional disorders are frequent (39%). Mothers' knowledge about child care was poorer than that found in a near population. A program for longitudinal surveillance for all prisons in the country was proposed to the authorities.

  2. QUALITY CONTROL - VARIABILITY IN PROTOCOLS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The EPA Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory’s Quality Assurance Office, which published the popular pocket guide Preparing Perfect Project Plans, is now introducing another quality assurance reference aid. The document Variability in Protocols (VIP) was initially designed as a ...

  3. Real-time quantitation of internal metabolic activity of three-dimensional engineered tissues using an oxygen microelectrode and optical coherence tomography.

    PubMed

    Kagawa, Yuki; Haraguchi, Yuji; Tsuneda, Satoshi; Shimizu, Tatsuya

    2017-05-01

    Recent progress in tissue engineering technology has enabled us to develop thick tissue constructs that can then be transplanted in regenerative therapies. In clinical situations, it is vital that the engineered tissues to be implanted are safe and functional before use. However, there is currently a limited number of studies on real-time quality evaluation of thick living tissue constructs. Here we developed a system for quantifying the internal activities of engineered tissues, from which we can evaluate its quality in real-time. The evaluation was achieved by measuring oxygen concentration profiles made along the vertical axis and the thickness of the tissues estimated from cross-sectional images obtained noninvasively by an optical coherence tomography system. Using our novel system, we obtained (i) oxygen concentration just above the tissues, (ii) gradient of oxygen along vertical axis formed above the tissues within culture medium, and (iii) gradient of oxygen formed within the tissues in real-time. Investigating whether these three parameters could be used to evaluate engineered tissues during culturing, we found that only the third parameter was a good candidate. This implies that the activity of living engineered tissues can be monitored in real-time by measuring the oxygen gradient within the tissues. The proposed measuring strategy can be applied to developing more efficient culturing methods to support the fabrication of engineered thick tissues, as well as providing methods to confirm the quality in real-time. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 855-864, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. 18 CFR 12.40 - Quality control programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Quality control... PROJECT WORKS Other Responsibilities of Applicant or Licensee § 12.40 Quality control programs. (a... meeting any requirements or standards set by the Regional Engineer. If a quality control program is...

  5. 18 CFR 12.40 - Quality control programs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Quality control... PROJECT WORKS Other Responsibilities of Applicant or Licensee § 12.40 Quality control programs. (a... meeting any requirements or standards set by the Regional Engineer. If a quality control program is...

  6. Space shuttle main engine anomaly data and inductive knowledge based systems: Automated corporate expertise

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Modesitt, Kenneth L.

    1987-01-01

    Progress is reported on the development of SCOTTY, an expert knowledge-based system to automate the analysis procedure following test firings of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). The integration of a large-scale relational data base system, a computer graphics interface for experts and end-user engineers, potential extension of the system to flight engines, application of the system for training of newly-hired engineers, technology transfer to other engines, and the essential qualities of good software engineering practices for building expert knowledge-based systems are among the topics discussed.

  7. Advanced materials for aircraft engine applications.

    PubMed

    Backman, D G; Williams, J C

    1992-02-28

    A review of advances for aircraft engine structural materials and processes is presented. Improved materials, such as superalloys, and the processes for making turbine disks and blades have had a major impact on the capability of modern gas turbine engines. New structural materials, notably composites and intermetallic materials, are emerging that will eventually further enhance engine performance, reduce engine weight, and thereby enable new aircraft systems. In the future, successful aerospace manufacturers will combine product design and materials excellence with improved manufacturing methods to increase production efficiency, enhance product quality, and decrease the engine development cycle time.

  8. Fast Whole-Engine Stirling Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dyson, Rodger W.; Wilson, Scott D.; Tew, Roy C.; Demko, Rikako

    2006-01-01

    This presentation discusses the simulation approach to whole-engine for physical consistency, REV regenerator modeling, grid layering for smoothness, and quality, conjugate heat transfer method adjustment, high-speed low cost parallel cluster, and debugging.

  9. 48 CFR 2936.516 - Quality surveys.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2013-10-01 2012-10-01 true Quality surveys. 2936.516... REQUIREMENTS CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS Contract Clauses 2936.516 Quality surveys. The HCA... original and final surveys as prescribed in FAR 36.516. ...

  10. 48 CFR 2936.516 - Quality surveys.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Quality surveys. 2936.516... REQUIREMENTS CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS Contract Clauses 2936.516 Quality surveys. The HCA... original and final surveys as prescribed in FAR 36.516. ...

  11. 48 CFR 2936.516 - Quality surveys.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Quality surveys. 2936.516... REQUIREMENTS CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS Contract Clauses 2936.516 Quality surveys. The HCA... original and final surveys as prescribed in FAR 36.516. ...

  12. 48 CFR 2936.516 - Quality surveys.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Quality surveys. 2936.516... REQUIREMENTS CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS Contract Clauses 2936.516 Quality surveys. The HCA... original and final surveys as prescribed in FAR 36.516. ...

  13. 48 CFR 2936.516 - Quality surveys.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Quality surveys. 2936.516... REQUIREMENTS CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS Contract Clauses 2936.516 Quality surveys. The HCA... original and final surveys as prescribed in FAR 36.516. ...

  14. Qualitative assessment of online information about age-related macular degeneration available in Portuguese.

    PubMed

    Agi, Jorge; Kasahara, Niro; Lottenberg, Claudio Luiz

    2018-06-07

    To evaluate the quality of online information on age-related macular degeneration available in Portuguese. The search term "age-related macular degeneration" was used to browse the web using four different search engines. The first 40 websites appearing on match lists provided by each search engine were recorded and those listed in at least three tab pages selected. The Sandvik Severity Index was used as to assess website quality. Quality of information available on selected websites was rated average (mean Sandvik Score 7.08±2.23). Most websites disseminating information about age-related macular degeneration were of average quality. The need to readjust web-based information to target lay public and promote increased understanding was emphasized.

  15. Take-off engine particle emission indices for in-service aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport.

    PubMed

    Moore, Richard H; Shook, Michael A; Ziemba, Luke D; DiGangi, Joshua P; Winstead, Edward L; Rauch, Bastian; Jurkat, Tina; Thornhill, Kenneth L; Crosbie, Ewan C; Robinson, Claire; Shingler, Taylor J; Anderson, Bruce E

    2017-12-19

    We present ground-based, advected aircraft engine emissions from flights taking off at Los Angeles International Airport. 275 discrete engine take-off plumes were observed on 18 and 25 May 2014 at a distance of 400 m downwind of the runway. CO 2 measurements are used to convert the aerosol data into plume-average emissions indices that are suitable for modelling aircraft emissions. Total and non-volatile particle number EIs are of order 10 16 -10 17 kg -1 and 10 14 -10 16 kg -1 , respectively. Black-carbon-equivalent particle mass EIs vary between 175-941 mg kg -1 (except for the GE GEnx engines at 46 mg kg -1 ). Aircraft tail numbers recorded for each take-off event are used to incorporate aircraft- and engine-specific parameters into the data set. Data acquisition and processing follow standard methods for quality assurance. A unique aspect of the data set is the mapping of aerosol concentration time series to integrated plume EIs, aircraft and engine specifications, and manufacturer-reported engine emissions certifications. The integrated data enable future studies seeking to understand and model aircraft emissions and their impact on air quality.

  16. Take-off engine particle emission indices for in-service aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport

    PubMed Central

    Moore, Richard H.; Shook, Michael A.; Ziemba, Luke D.; DiGangi, Joshua P.; Winstead, Edward L.; Rauch, Bastian; Jurkat, Tina; Thornhill, Kenneth L.; Crosbie, Ewan C.; Robinson, Claire; Shingler, Taylor J.; Anderson, Bruce E.

    2017-01-01

    We present ground-based, advected aircraft engine emissions from flights taking off at Los Angeles International Airport. 275 discrete engine take-off plumes were observed on 18 and 25 May 2014 at a distance of 400 m downwind of the runway. CO2 measurements are used to convert the aerosol data into plume-average emissions indices that are suitable for modelling aircraft emissions. Total and non-volatile particle number EIs are of order 1016–1017 kg−1 and 1014–1016 kg−1, respectively. Black-carbon-equivalent particle mass EIs vary between 175–941 mg kg−1 (except for the GE GEnx engines at 46 mg kg−1). Aircraft tail numbers recorded for each take-off event are used to incorporate aircraft- and engine-specific parameters into the data set. Data acquisition and processing follow standard methods for quality assurance. A unique aspect of the data set is the mapping of aerosol concentration time series to integrated plume EIs, aircraft and engine specifications, and manufacturer-reported engine emissions certifications. The integrated data enable future studies seeking to understand and model aircraft emissions and their impact on air quality. PMID:29257135

  17. Take-off engine particle emission indices for in-service aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moore, Richard H.; Shook, Michael A.; Ziemba, Luke D.; Digangi, Joshua P.; Winstead, Edward L.; Rauch, Bastian; Jurkat, Tina; Thornhill, Kenneth L.; Crosbie, Ewan C.; Robinson, Claire; Shingler, Taylor J.; Anderson, Bruce E.

    2017-12-01

    We present ground-based, advected aircraft engine emissions from flights taking off at Los Angeles International Airport. 275 discrete engine take-off plumes were observed on 18 and 25 May 2014 at a distance of 400 m downwind of the runway. CO2 measurements are used to convert the aerosol data into plume-average emissions indices that are suitable for modelling aircraft emissions. Total and non-volatile particle number EIs are of order 1016-1017 kg-1 and 1014-1016 kg-1, respectively. Black-carbon-equivalent particle mass EIs vary between 175-941 mg kg-1 (except for the GE GEnx engines at 46 mg kg-1). Aircraft tail numbers recorded for each take-off event are used to incorporate aircraft- and engine-specific parameters into the data set. Data acquisition and processing follow standard methods for quality assurance. A unique aspect of the data set is the mapping of aerosol concentration time series to integrated plume EIs, aircraft and engine specifications, and manufacturer-reported engine emissions certifications. The integrated data enable future studies seeking to understand and model aircraft emissions and their impact on air quality.

  18. 75 FR 3183 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plan: Kentucky; Approval Section 110(a)(1...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-01-20

    ...) Federal motor vehicle control program; (2) fleet turnover of automobiles; (3) low reid vapor pressure of... vehicles standard; (6) large nonroad diesel engines rule; (7) nonroad spark ignition engines and recreational engines standard; (8) point source emission reductions; (9) Air Products and Chemicals -21-157...

  19. Peculiarities of Design Competence Formation in Future Clothing Engineering Educators in Ukraine and Foreign Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bilyk, Victoria

    2015-01-01

    The importance of engineering pedagogical education for the global labour market has been characterized. The peculiarities of modern engineering pedagogical education formation in foreign countries consisting in economy globalization, transition to a high quality education and international cooperation enhancing have been presented. The essence of…

  20. University Policies under Varying Market Conditions: The Training of Electrical Engineers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eckstein, Zvi; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Analyzes an Israeli university's problem in optimizing the quality and quantity of electrical engineers in response to fluctuating enrollment. An equilibrium model considers the effect of students' occupation choice and the university's decision on the current and future demand and supply of engineers, in order to predict the equilibrium number of…

  1. The MDE Diploma: First International Postgraduate Specialization in Model-Driven Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cabot, Jordi; Tisi, Massimo

    2011-01-01

    Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) is changing the way we build, operate, and maintain our software-intensive systems. Several projects using MDE practices are reporting significant improvements in quality and performance but, to be able to handle these projects, software engineers need a set of technical and interpersonal skills that are currently…

  2. 77 FR 24843 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Virginia; Removal of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-26

    ... requirements for large stationary internal combustion engines under the NO X SIP Call. Transco Station 175 has...), large stationary internal combustion engines, and large cement kilns. The NO X SIP Call was challenged... internal combustion engines and large cement kilns. EPA approved Virginia's Phase I NO X SIP Call...

  3. Collaborating for Success: Team Teaching the Engineering Technical Thesis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keating, Terrence; Long, Mike

    2012-01-01

    This paper will examine the collaborative teaching process undertaken at College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNA-Q) by Engineering and the Communication faculties to improve the overall quality of engineering students' capstone projects known as the Technical Thesis. The Technical Thesis is divided into two separate components: a proposal stage…

  4. Science and Engineering Indicators 2010. NSB 10-01

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lehming, Rolf F.; Alt, Martha Naomi; Chen, Xianglei; Hall, Leslie; Burton, Lawrence; Burrelli, Joan S.; Kannankutty, Nirmala; Proudfoot, Steven; Regets, Mark C.; Boroush, Mark; Moris, Francisco A.; Wolfe, Raymond M.; Britt, Ronda; Christovich, Leslie; Hill, Derek; Falkenheim, Jaquelina C.; Dunnigan, Paula C.

    2010-01-01

    "Science and Engineering Indicators" (SEI) is first and foremost a volume of record comprising the major high-quality quantitative data on the U.S. and international science and engineering enterprise. SEI is factual and policy neutral. It does not offer policy options, and it does not make policy recommendations. SEI employs a variety…

  5. Science and Engineering Indicators 2012. NSB 12-01

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Science Foundation, 2012

    2012-01-01

    Science and Engineering Indicators (SEI) is first and foremost a volume of record comprising the major high-quality quantitative data on the U.S. and international science and engineering enterprise. SEI is factual and policy neutral. It does not offer policy options, and it does not make policy recommendations. SEI employs a variety of…

  6. 40 CFR 1051.345 - What production-line testing records must I send to EPA?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM RECREATIONAL ENGINES AND VEHICLES Testing Production-Line Vehicles and Engines § 1051.345 What production-line testing records must I send to EPA? (a.... We have not changed production processes or quality-control procedures for test engines (or vehicles...

  7. 40 CFR 1051.345 - What production-line testing records must I send to EPA?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM RECREATIONAL ENGINES AND VEHICLES Testing Production-Line Vehicles and Engines § 1051.345 What production-line testing records must I send to EPA? (a.... We have not changed production processes or quality-control procedures for test engines (or vehicles...

  8. 40 CFR 1051.345 - What production-line testing records must I send to EPA?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM RECREATIONAL ENGINES AND VEHICLES Testing Production-Line Vehicles and Engines § 1051.345 What production-line testing records must I send to EPA? (a.... We have not changed production processes or quality-control procedures for test engines (or vehicles...

  9. 40 CFR 1051.345 - What production-line testing records must I send to EPA?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM RECREATIONAL ENGINES AND VEHICLES Testing Production-Line Vehicles and Engines § 1051.345 What production-line testing records must I send to EPA? (a.... We have not changed production processes or quality-control procedures for test engines (or vehicles...

  10. 40 CFR 1051.345 - What production-line testing records must I send to EPA?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM RECREATIONAL ENGINES AND VEHICLES Testing Production-Line Vehicles and Engines § 1051.345 What production-line testing records must I send to EPA? (a.... We have not changed production processes or quality-control procedures for test engines (or vehicles...

  11. Software metrics: Software quality metrics for distributed systems. [reliability engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Post, J. V.

    1981-01-01

    Software quality metrics was extended to cover distributed computer systems. Emphasis is placed on studying embedded computer systems and on viewing them within a system life cycle. The hierarchy of quality factors, criteria, and metrics was maintained. New software quality factors were added, including survivability, expandability, and evolvability.

  12. Industrial Engineering Tool Use in Quality Improvement Projects

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rodin, Wayne; Beruvides, Mario

    This paper presents the results of an examination of industrial engineering tool use in Six Sigma projects for a contractor providing specialty manufacturing and service activities for a United States federal government agency.

  13. 40 CFR 1033.112 - Emission diagnostics for SCR systems.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    .... This section does not apply for SCR systems using the engine's fuel as the reductant. (a) The... computer memory all incidents of engine operation with inadequate reductant injection or reductant quality...

  14. The formation of students’ engineering thinking as a way to create new techniques, technologies, materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilmanshin, Iskander; Gilmanshina, Suriya

    2016-06-01

    Engineering thinking is regarded as the quality of the person, which is stimulating the human need for the creation of new techniques, technologies and materials. Applications in the study of competence approach allows us to consider a professional thinking as one of the core competencies required for successful engineer innovations in mechanical engineering. The author's definition of professional engineering thinking is presented. The ways of its formation at students of technical fields enrolled in university courses are illustrated

  15. Software Past, Present, and Future: Views from Government, Industry and Academia

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holcomb, Lee; Page, Jerry; Evangelist, Michael

    2000-01-01

    Views from the NASA CIO NASA Software Engineering Workshop on software development from the past, present, and future are presented. The topics include: 1) Software Past; 2) Software Present; 3) NASA's Largest Software Challenges; 4) 8330 Software Projects in Industry Standish Groups 1994 Report; 5) Software Future; 6) Capability Maturity Model (CMM): Software Engineering Institute (SEI) levels; 7) System Engineering Quality Also Part of the Problem; 8) University Environment Trends Will Increase the Problem in Software Engineering; and 9) NASA Software Engineering Goals.

  16. Cardiovascular Bio-Engineering: Current State of the Art.

    PubMed

    Simon-Yarza, Teresa; Bataille, Isabelle; Letourneur, Didier

    2017-04-01

    Despite the introduction of new drugs and innovative devices contributing in the last years to improve patients' quality of life, morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases remain high. There is an urgent need for addressing the underlying problem of the loss of cardiac or vascular tissues and therefore developing new therapies. Autologous vascular transplants are often limited by poor quality of donor sites and heart organ transplantation by donor shortage. Vascular and cardiac tissue engineering, whose aim is to repair or replace cardiovascular tissues by the use of cells, engineering and materials, as well as biochemical and physicochemical factors, appears in this scenario as a promising tool to repair the damaged hearts and vessels. We will present a general overview on the fundamentals in the area of cardiac and vascular tissue engineering as well as on the latest progresses and challenges.

  17. Proceedings of the Annual Ada Software Engineering Education and Training Symposium (3rd) Held in Denver, Colorado on June 14-16, 1988

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-06-01

    Based Software Engineering Project Course .............. 83 SSoftware Engineering, Software Engineering Concepts: The Importance of Object-Based...quality assurance, and independent system testing . The Chief Programmer is responsible for all software development activities, including prototyping...during the Requirements Analysis phase, the Preliminary Design, the Detailed Design, Coding and Unit Testing , CSC Integration and Testing , and informal

  18. An open-source, mobile-friendly search engine for public medical knowledge.

    PubMed

    Samwald, Matthias; Hanbury, Allan

    2014-01-01

    The World Wide Web has become an important source of information for medical practitioners. To complement the capabilities of currently available web search engines we developed FindMeEvidence, an open-source, mobile-friendly medical search engine. In a preliminary evaluation, the quality of results from FindMeEvidence proved to be competitive with those from TRIP Database, an established, closed-source search engine for evidence-based medicine.

  19. Engineering Emergency: African Americans and Hispanics Lack Pathways to Engineering. Vital Signs: Reports on the Condition of STEM Learning in the U.S.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Change the Equation, 2014

    2014-01-01

    A quality education that leads to good jobs offers a reliable pathway to economic security, yet the first step on that pathway remains inaccessible to far too many Americans, especially Americans of color. Nowhere is this inequity more apparent than in engineering. On average, people with engineering bachelor's degrees earn higher salaries than…

  20. Study for Agricultural Engineering Development in Brazil. Summary Report of Joint Study Group on Agricultural Engineering in Brazil (July 24-August 12, 1972).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC.

    The joint study group was established to identify the most urgent research and training needs in agricultural engineering in Brazil and to recommend how best to meet those needs. Specific recommendations are given for a long-term program to establish quality programs in education and research in agricultural engineering in Brazil and means to gain…

  1. Efforts To Solve Quality Problems. Background Paper No. 36.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Michael J.; And Others

    Producing goods and services of high quality is not expensive, but correcting poor quality costs U.S. companies as much as 20 percent of sales revenues annually. One survey reported that only 1 out of 300 U.S. companies involved management and engineering staff in quality training. The tendency is to have a quality control department, separate…

  2. Examination of engineering design teacher self-efficacy and knowledge base in secondary technology education and engineering-related courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vessel, Kanika Nicole

    2011-12-01

    There is an increasing demand for individuals with engineering education and skills of varying fields in everyday life. With the proper education students of high-needs schools can help meet the demand for a highly skilled and educated workforce. Researchers have assumed the supply and demand has not been met within the engineering workforce as a result of students' collegiate educational experiences, which are impacted by experiences in K-12 education. Although factors outside of the classroom contribute to the inability of universities to meet the increasing demand for the engineering workforce, most noted by researchers is the academic unpreparedness of freshman engineering students. The unpreparedness of entering freshman engineering students is a result of K-12 classroom experiences. This draws attention not only to the quality and competence of teachers present in the K-12 classroom, but the type of engineering instruction these students are receiving. This paper was an effort to systematically address one of the more direct and immediate factors impacting freshman engineering candidates, the quality of secondary engineering educators. Engineers develop new ideas using the engineering design process, which is taught at the collegiate level, and has been argued to be the best approach to teach technological literacy to all K-12 students. However, it is of importance to investigate whether technology educators have the knowledge and understanding of engineering design, how to transfer that knowledge in the classroom to students through instructional strategies, and their perception of their ability to do that. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to show the need for examining the degree to which technology and non-technology educators are implementing elements of engineering design in the curriculum.

  3. Hydrologic and Water Quality System (HAWQS)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Hydrologic and Water Quality System (HAWQS) is a web-based interactive water quantity and quality modeling system that employs as its core modeling engine the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), an internationally-recognized public domain model. HAWQS provides users with i...

  4. Engineering Quality Software: 10 Recommendations for Improved Software Quality Management

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-04-27

    lack of user involvement • Inadequate Software Process Management & Control By Contractors • No “Team” of Vendors and users; little SME participation...1990 Quality Perspectives • Process Quality ( CMMI ) • Product Quality (ISO/IEC 2500x) – Internal Quality Attributes – External Quality Attributes... CMMI /ISO 9000 Assessments – Capture organizational knowledge • Identify best practices, lessons learned Know where you are, and where you need to be

  5. Software technology insertion: A study of success factors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lydon, Tom

    1990-01-01

    Managing software development in large organizations has become increasingly difficult due to increasing technical complexity, stricter government standards, a shortage of experienced software engineers, competitive pressure for improved productivity and quality, the need to co-develop hardware and software together, and the rapid changes in both hardware and software technology. The 'software factory' approach to software development minimizes risks while maximizing productivity and quality through standardization, automation, and training. However, in practice, this approach is relatively inflexible when adopting new software technologies. The methods that a large multi-project software engineering organization can use to increase the likelihood of successful software technology insertion (STI), especially in a standardized engineering environment, are described.

  6. Comprehensive Flood Plain Studies Using Spatial Data Management Techniques.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1978-06-01

    Hydrologic Engineer- ing Center computer programs that forecast urban storm water quality and dynamic in- stream water quality response to waste...determination. Water Quality The water quality analysis planned for the pilot study includes urban storm water quality forecasting and in-streamn...analysis is performed under the direction of Tony Thomas. Chief, Research Branch, by Jess Abbott for storm water quality analysis, R. G. Willey for

  7. Low-volume road engineering : Best Management Practices : Field Guide

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-07-01

    Improperly constructed roads can negatively impact everything from terrestrial plant populations and soil conservation efforts to water quality and populations of aquatic organisms in receiving waters. This Low-Volume Roads Engineering Best Managemen...

  8. 15 CFR 922.142 - Prohibited or otherwise regulated activities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... maximum extent practicable any advance impact on Sanctuary resources and qualities. Civil engineering and other civil works projects conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are excluded from the scope of...

  9. Search engine ranking, quality, and content of webpages that are critical vs noncritical of HPV vaccine

    PubMed Central

    Fu, Linda Y.; Zook, Kathleen; Spoehr-Labutta, Zachary; Hu, Pamela; Joseph, Jill G.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose Online information can influence attitudes toward vaccination. The aim of the present study is to provide a systematic evaluation of the search engine ranking, quality, and content of webpages that are critical versus noncritical of HPV vaccination. Methods We identified HPV vaccine-related webpages with the Google search engine by entering 20 terms. We then assessed each webpage for critical versus noncritical bias as well as for the following quality indicators: authorship disclosure, source disclosure, attribution of at least one reference, currency, exclusion of testimonial accounts, and readability level less than 9th grade. We also determined webpage comprehensiveness in terms of mention of 14 HPV vaccine relevant topics. Results Twenty searches yielded 116 unique webpages. HPV vaccine-critical webpages comprised roughly a third of the top, top 5 and top 10-ranking webpages. The prevalence of HPV vaccine-critical webpages was higher for queries that included term modifiers in addition to root terms. Compared with noncritical webpages, webpages critical of HPV vaccine overall had a lower quality score than those with a noncritical bias (p<.01) and covered fewer important HPV-related topics (p<.001). Critical webpages required viewers to have higher reading skills, were less likely to include an author byline, and were more likely to include testimonial accounts. They also were more likely to raise unsubstantiated concerns about vaccination. Conclusion Webpages critical of HPV vaccine may be frequently returned and highly ranked by search engine queries despite being of lower quality and less comprehensive than noncritical webpages. PMID:26559742

  10. Power Quality and Reliability Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Attia, John O.

    2001-01-01

    One area where universities and industry can link is in the area of power systems reliability and quality - key concepts in the commercial, industrial and public sector engineering environments. Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) has established a collaborative relationship with the University of'Texas at Arlington (UTA), NASA/Johnson Space Center (JSC), and EP&C Engineering and Technology Group (EP&C) a small disadvantage business that specializes in power quality and engineering services. The primary goal of this collaboration is to facilitate the development and implementation of a Strategic Integrated power/Systems Reliability and Curriculum Enhancement Program. The objectives of first phase of this work are: (a) to develop a course in power quality and reliability, (b) to use the campus of Prairie View A&M University as a laboratory for the study of systems reliability and quality issues, (c) to provide students with NASA/EPC shadowing and Internship experience. In this work, a course, titled "Reliability Analysis of Electrical Facilities" was developed and taught for two semesters. About thirty seven has benefited directly from this course. A laboratory accompanying the course was also developed. Four facilities at Prairie View A&M University were surveyed. Some tests that were performed are (i) earth-ground testing, (ii) voltage, amperage and harmonics of various panels in the buildings, (iii) checking the wire sizes to see if they were the right size for the load that they were carrying, (iv) vibration tests to test the status of the engines or chillers and water pumps, (v) infrared testing to the test arcing or misfiring of electrical or mechanical systems.

  11. Inpatient preanalytic process improvements.

    PubMed

    Wagar, Elizabeth A; Phipps, Ron; Del Guidice, Robert; Middleton, Lavinia P; Bingham, John; Prejean, Cheryl; Johnson-Hamilton, Martha; Philip, Pheba; Le, Ngoc Han; Muses, Waheed

    2013-12-01

    Phlebotomy services are a common target for preanalytic improvements. Many new, quality engineering tools have recently been applied in clinical laboratories. However, data on relatively few projects have been published. This example describes a complete application of current, quality engineering tools to improve preanalytic phlebotomy services. To decrease the response time in the preanalytic inpatient laboratory by 25%, to reduce the number of incident reports related to preanalytic phlebotomy, and to make systematic process changes that satisfied the stakeholders. The Department of Laboratory Medicine, General Services Section, at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston) is responsible for inpatient phlebotomy in a 24-hour operation, which serves 689 inpatient beds. The study director was project director of the Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine's Quality Improvement Section and was assisted by 2 quality technologists and an industrial engineer from MD Anderson Office of Performance Improvement. After implementing each solution, using well-recognized, quality tools and metrics, the response time for blood collection decreased by 23%, which was close to meeting the original responsiveness goal of 25%. The response time between collection and arrival in the laboratory decreased by 8%. Applicable laboratory-related incident reports were reduced by 43%. Comprehensive application of quality tools, such as statistical control charts, Pareto diagrams, value-stream maps, process failure modes and effects analyses, fishbone diagrams, solution prioritization matrices, and customer satisfaction surveys can significantly improve preset goals for inpatient phlebotomy.

  12. Quality of anaesthesia-related information accessed via Internet searches.

    PubMed

    Caron, S; Berton, J; Beydon, L

    2007-08-01

    We conducted a study to examine the quality and stability of information available from the Internet on four anaesthesia-related topics. In January 2006, we searched using four key words (porphyria, scleroderma, transfusion risk, and epidural analgesia risk) with five search engines (Google, HotBot, AltaVista, Excite, and Yahoo). We used a published scoring system (NetScoring) to evaluate the first 15 sites identified by each of these 20 searches. We also used a simple four-point scale to assess the first 100 sites in the Google search on one of our four topics ('epidural analgesia risk'). In November 2006, we conducted a second evaluation, using three search engines (Google, AltaVista, and Yahoo) with 14 synonyms for 'epidural analgesia risk'. The five search engines performed similarly. NetScoring scores were lower for transfusion risk (P < 0.001). One or more high-quality sites was identified consistently among the first 15 sites in each search. Quality scored using the simple scale correlated closely with medical content and design by NetScoring and with the number of references (P < 0.05). Synonyms of 'epidural analgesia risk' yielded similar results. The quality of accessed information improved somewhat over the 11 month period with Yahoo and AltaVista, but declined with Google. The Internet is a valuable tool for obtaining medical information, but the quality of websites varies between different topics. A simple rating scale may facilitate the quality scoring on individual websites. Differences in precise search terms used for a given topic did not appear to affect the quality of the information obtained.

  13. Best Practices for Quality Improvement--Lessons from Top Ranked Engineering Institutions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rao, Potti Srinivasa; Viswanadhan, K. G.; Raghunandana, K.

    2015-01-01

    Maximum number of privately funded engineering institutions have been established in India in the last two decades to meet the growing needs of technical manpower required by the Engineering and IT companies as well as aspiring students after completion of the Pre-University Program. However, a large number of institutions have not been able to…

  14. Faculty Recommendations for Web Tools: Implications for Course Management Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oliver, Kevin; Moore, John

    2008-01-01

    A gap analysis of web tools in Engineering was undertaken as one part of the Digital Library Network for Engineering and Technology (DLNET) grant funded by NSF (DUE-0085849). DLNET represents a Web portal and an online review process to archive quality knowledge objects in Engineering and Technology disciplines. The gap analysis coincided with the…

  15. An Analysis of Ph.D. Examiners' Reports in Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prieto, Elena; Holbrook, Allyson; Bourke, Sid

    2016-01-01

    In recent years, there have been increasing calls for an overall transformation of the nature of engineering Ph.D. programs and the way theses are assessed. There exists a need to understand the examination process to ensure the best quality outcome for candidates in engineering. The work we present in this paper uses data collected between 2003…

  16. NEEDS (The National Engineering Education Delivery System): If We Build It (According to Standards) They Will Come!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saylor, John M.

    The National Science Foundation (NSF) is providing funds for coalitions of engineering educational institutions to improve the quality of undergraduate engineering education. A hypothesis that is being tested is that people can learn better in environments that allow self-paced and/or collaborative learning. The main tools for providing this…

  17. A Guideline of Using Case Method in Software Engineering Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zainal, Dzulaiha Aryanee Putri; Razali, Rozilawati; Shukur, Zarina

    2014-01-01

    Software Engineering (SE) education has been reported to fall short in producing high quality software engineers. In seeking alternative solutions, Case Method (CM) is regarded as having potential to solve the issue. CM is a teaching and learning (T&L) method that has been found to be effective in Social Science education. In principle,…

  18. The Implementation and Evaluation of a University-Based Outreach Laboratory Program in Electrical Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smaill, Chris R.

    2010-01-01

    In the current climate of shortages of high-quality engineering graduates, exacerbated by reduced high school enrollments in physics and mathematics, engineering faculties are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of K-12 outreach programs. Such programs can result in students being better prepared for and better informed about engineering…

  19. Engineering Design Thinking and Information Gathering. Final Report. Research in Engineering and Technology Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mentzer, Nathan

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this research was to explore the relationship between information access and design solution quality of high school students presented with an engineering design problem. This objective is encompassed in the research question driving this inquiry: How does information access impact the design process? This question has emerged in…

  20. 40 CFR 1054.345 - What production-line testing records must I send to EPA?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM NEW, SMALL NONROAD SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES AND... 1054. We have not changed production processes or quality-control procedures for test engines in a way...) Describe any facility used to test production-line engines and state its location. (2) State the total U.S...

  1. 40 CFR 1054.345 - What production-line testing records must I send to EPA?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM NEW, SMALL NONROAD SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES AND... 1054. We have not changed production processes or quality-control procedures for test engines in a way...) Describe any facility used to test production-line engines and state its location. (2) State the total U.S...

  2. 40 CFR 1054.345 - What production-line testing records must I send to EPA?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM NEW, SMALL NONROAD SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES AND... 1054. We have not changed production processes or quality-control procedures for test engines in a way...) Describe any facility used to test production-line engines and state its location. (2) State the total U.S...

  3. 40 CFR 1054.345 - What production-line testing records must I send to EPA?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM NEW, SMALL NONROAD SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES AND... 1054. We have not changed production processes or quality-control procedures for test engines in a way...) Describe any facility used to test production-line engines and state its location. (2) State the total U.S...

  4. 40 CFR 1054.345 - What production-line testing records must I send to EPA?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) AIR POLLUTION CONTROLS CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM NEW, SMALL NONROAD SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES AND... 1054. We have not changed production processes or quality-control procedures for test engines in a way...) Describe any facility used to test production-line engines and state its location. (2) State the total U.S...

  5. Granular Activated Carbon Performance Capability and Availability.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-06-01

    services were surveyed to determine availability of data and to develop a strategy for later computerized searches: * Chemical Abstracts; * Engineering ...Chemical Abstracts; * Engineering Abstracts; * Environmental Abstracts; * Selected Water Resources Abstracts; * Pollution Abstracts; and * the U.S...chemicals addressed, and scientific and engineering methods used. Publications were also reviewed for quality and consistency with the bulk of available data

  6. Trends in the Development of Technology and Engineering Education in Emerging Economies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adegbuyi, P. A. O.; Uhomoibhi, J. O.

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on the nature of technology and engineering education provision in developing economies, focusing on Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on recent developments in the shake up and implementation of new measures to call for quality technology and engineering education in the country,…

  7. Consequences of Team Charter Quality: Teamwork Mental Model Similarity and Team Viability in Engineering Design Student Teams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conway Hughston, Veronica

    2014-01-01

    Since 1996 ABET has mandated that undergraduate engineering degree granting institutions focus on learning outcomes such as professional skills (i.e. solving unstructured problems and working in teams). As a result, engineering curricula were restructured to include team based learning--including team charters. Team charters were diffused into…

  8. EPA's Air Quality Rules for Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE) and their Application to CHP (Webinar) – June 24, 2014

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This webinar discusses the effect of EPA's air quality regulations on CHP facilities and stationary RICE, and describes how CHP systems can comply with air quality regulations by using stationary RICE.

  9. Flight testing the digital electronic engine control in the F-15 airplane

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Myers, L. P.

    1984-01-01

    The digital electronic engine control (DEEC) is a full-authority digital engine control developed for the F100-PW-100 turbofan engine which was flight tested on an F-15 aircraft. The DEEC hardware and software throughout the F-15 flight envelope was evaluated. Real-time data reduction and data display systems were implemented. New test techniques and stronger coordination between the propulsion test engineer and pilot were developed which produced efficient use of test time, reduced pilot work load, and greatly improved quality data. The engine pressure ratio (EPR) control mode is demonstrated. It is found that the nonaugmented throttle transients and engine performance are satisfactory.

  10. Software IV and V Research Priorities and Applied Program Accomplishments Within NASA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blazy, Louis J.

    2000-01-01

    The mission of this research is to be world-class creators and facilitators of innovative, intelligent, high performance, reliable information technologies that enable NASA missions to (1) increase software safety and quality through error avoidance, early detection and resolution of errors, by utilizing and applying empirically based software engineering best practices; (2) ensure customer software risks are identified and/or that requirements are met and/or exceeded; (3) research, develop, apply, verify, and publish software technologies for competitive advantage and the advancement of science; and (4) facilitate the transfer of science and engineering data, methods, and practices to NASA, educational institutions, state agencies, and commercial organizations. The goals are to become a national Center Of Excellence (COE) in software and system independent verification and validation, and to become an international leading force in the field of software engineering for improving the safety, quality, reliability, and cost performance of software systems. This project addresses the following problems: Ensure safety of NASA missions, ensure requirements are met, minimize programmatic and technological risks of software development and operations, improve software quality, reduce costs and time to delivery, and improve the science of software engineering

  11. Management Tools in Engineering Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fehr, M.

    1999-01-01

    Describes a teaching model that applies management tools such as delegation, total quality management, time management, teamwork, and Deming rules. Promotes the advantages of efficiency, reporting, independent scheduling, and quality. (SK)

  12. Qualitative assessment of online information about age-related macular degeneration available in Portuguese

    PubMed Central

    Agi, Jorge; Kasahara, Niro; Lottenberg, Claudio Luiz

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the quality of online information on age-related macular degeneration available in Portuguese. Methods: The search term “age-related macular degeneration” was used to browse the web using four different search engines. The first 40 websites appearing on match lists provided by each search engine were recorded and those listed in at least three tab pages selected. The Sandvik Severity Index was used as to assess website quality. Results: Quality of information available on selected websites was rated average (mean Sandvik Score 7.08±2.23). Conclusion: Most websites disseminating information about age-related macular degeneration were of average quality. The need to readjust web-based information to target lay public and promote increased understanding was emphasized. PMID:29898089

  13. Simulation reduction using the Taguchi method

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mistree, Farrokh; Lautenschlager, Ume; Erikstad, Stein Owe; Allen, Janet K.

    1993-01-01

    A large amount of engineering effort is consumed in conducting experiments to obtain information needed for making design decisions. Efficiency in generating such information is the key to meeting market windows, keeping development and manufacturing costs low, and having high-quality products. The principal focus of this project is to develop and implement applications of Taguchi's quality engineering techniques. In particular, we show how these techniques are applied to reduce the number of experiments for trajectory simulation of the LifeSat space vehicle. Orthogonal arrays are used to study many parameters simultaneously with a minimum of time and resources. Taguchi's signal to noise ratio is being employed to measure quality. A compromise Decision Support Problem and Robust Design are applied to demonstrate how quality is designed into a product in the early stages of designing.

  14. The effect of shift rotation on variations of cortisol, fatigue and sleep in sound engineers.

    PubMed

    Vangelova, Katia

    2008-10-01

    The aim was to study the effect of rotation direction on the time-of-day variations of cortisol, fatigue and sleep in sound engineers broadcasting in a life show. The salivary cortisol and ratings of stress, sleepiness and fatigue were followed at three hour intervals in 25 sound engineers: 13 working very fast forward-rotating shifts and 12 working very fast backward-rotating shifts. Cortisol was assessed with radioimmunological kits. The participants reported for stress symptoms and filled sleep diary. Cortisol retained the typical diurnal pattern. The rotation direction interacted with the shift significantly and as a result higher cortisol values during the morning and night shifts in the backward rotating group were found as well as worse quality of sleep. Higher salivary cortisol during morning and night shifts and worse quality of sleep in engineers working very fast backward-rotating shifts may be an indication for insufficient recovery.

  15. Health systems engineering fellowship: curriculum and program development.

    PubMed

    Watts, Bradley V; Shiner, Brian; Cully, Jeffrey A; Gilman, Stuart C; Benneyan, James C; Eisenhauer, William

    2015-01-01

    Industrial engineering and related disciplines have been used widely in improvement efforts in many industries. These approaches have been less commonly attempted in health care. One factor limiting application is the limited workforce resulting from a lack of specific education and professional development in health systems engineering (HSE). The authors describe the development of an HSE fellowship within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VA). This fellowship includes a novel curriculum based on specifically established competencies for HSE. A 1-year HSE curriculum was developed and delivered to fellows at several VA engineering resource centers over several years. On graduation, a majority of the fellows accepted positions in the health care field. Challenges faced in developing the fellowship are discussed. Advanced educational opportunities in applied HSE have the potential to develop the workforce capacity needed to improve the quality of health care. © 2014 by the American College of Medical Quality.

  16. WATER QUALITY

    EPA Science Inventory

    This manual was develped to provide an overview of microfiltration and ultrafiltration technology for operators, administrators, engineers, scientists, educators, and anyone seeking an introduction to these processes. Chapters on theory, water quality, applications, design, equip...

  17. ISO 9000 and/or Systems Engineering Capability Maturity Model?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gholston, Sampson E.

    2002-01-01

    For businesses and organizations to remain competitive today they must have processes and systems in place that will allow them to first identify customer needs and then develop products/processes that will meet or exceed the customers needs and expectations. Customer needs, once identified, are normally stated as requirements. Designers can then develop products/processes that will meet these requirements. Several functions, such as quality management and systems engineering management are used to assist product development teams in the development process. Both functions exist in all organizations and both have a similar objective, which is to ensure that developed processes will meet customer requirements. Are efforts in these organizations being duplicated? Are both functions needed by organizations? What are the similarities and differences between the functions listed above? ISO 9000 is an international standard of goods and services. It sets broad requirements for the assurance of quality and for management's involvement. It requires organizations to document the processes and to follow these documented processes. ISO 9000 gives customers assurance that the suppliers have control of the process for product development. Systems engineering can broadly be defined as a discipline that seeks to ensure that all requirements for a system are satisfied throughout the life of the system by preserving their interrelationship. The key activities of systems engineering include requirements analysis, functional analysis/allocation, design synthesis and verification, and system analysis and control. The systems engineering process, when followed properly, will lead to higher quality products, lower cost products, and shorter development cycles. The System Engineering Capability Maturity Model (SE-CMM) will allow companies to measure their system engineering capability and continuously improve those capabilities. ISO 9000 and SE-CMM seem to have a similar objective, which is to document the organization's processes and certify to potential customers the capability of a supplier to control the processes that determine the quality of the product or services being produced. The remaining sections of this report examine the differences and similarities between ISO 9000 and SE-CMM and make recommendations for implementation.

  18. Black carbon from ships: a review of the effects of ship speed, fuel quality and exhaust gas scrubbing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lack, D. A.; Corbett, J. J.

    2012-01-01

    The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has moved to address the health and climate impact of the emissions from the combustion of low-quality residual fuels within the commercial shipping industry. Fuel sulfur content (FS) limits and an efficiency design index for future ships are examples of such IMO actions. The impacts of black carbon (BC) emissions from shipping are now under review by the IMO, with a particular focus on the potential impacts of future Arctic shipping. Recognizing that associating impacts with BC emissions requires both ambient and onboard observations, we provide recommendations for the measurement of BC. We also evaluate current insights regarding the effect of ship speed (engine load), fuel quality and exhaust gas scrubbing on BC emissions from ships. Observations demonstrate that BC emission factors (EFBC) increases 3 to 6 times at very low engine loads (<25% compared to EFBC at 85-100% load); absolute BC emissions (per nautical mile of travel) also increase up to 100% depending on engine load, even with reduced load fuel savings. If fleets were required to operate at lower maximum engine loads, presumably associated with reduced speeds, then engines could be re-tuned, which would reduce BC emissions. Ships operating in the Arctic are likely running at highly variable engine loads (25-100%) depending on ice conditions and ice breaking requirements. The ships operating at low load may be emitting up to 50% more BC than they would at their rated load. Such variable load conditions make it difficult to assess the likely emissions rate of BC. Current fuel sulfur regulations have the effect of reducing EFBC by an average of 30% and potentially up to 80% regardless of engine load; a removal rate similar to that of scrubbers. Uncertainties among current observations demonstrate there is a need for more information on (a) the impact of fuel quality on EFBC using robust measurement methods and (b) the efficacy of scrubbers for the removal of particulate matter by size and composition.

  19. Black carbon from ships: a review of the effects of ship speed, fuel quality and exhaust gas scrubbing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lack, D. A.; Corbett, J. J.

    2012-05-01

    The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has moved to address the health and climate impact of the emissions from the combustion of low-quality residual fuels within the commercial shipping industry. Fuel sulfur content (FS) limits and an efficiency design index for future ships are examples of such IMO actions. The impacts of black carbon (BC) emissions from shipping are now under review by the IMO, with a particular focus on the potential impacts of future Arctic shipping. Recognizing that associating impacts with BC emissions requires both ambient and onboard observations, we provide recommendations for the measurement of BC. We also evaluate current insights regarding the effect of ship speed (engine load), fuel quality and exhaust gas scrubbing on BC emissions from ships. Observations demonstrate that BC emission factors (EFBC) increases 3 to 6 times at very low engine loads (<25% compared to EFBC at 85-100% load); absolute BC emissions (per nautical mile of travel) also increase up to 100% depending on engine load, even with reduced load fuel savings. If fleets were required to operate at lower maximum engine loads, presumably associated with reduced speeds, then engines could be re-tuned, which would reduce BC emissions. Ships operating in the Arctic are likely running at highly variable engine loads (25-100%) depending on ice conditions and ice breaking requirements. The ships operating at low load may be emitting up to 50% more BC than they would at their rated load. Such variable load conditions make it difficult to assess the likely emissions rate of BC. Current fuel sulfur regulations have the effect of reducing EFBC by an average of 30% and potentially up to 80% regardless of engine load; a removal rate similar to that of scrubbers. Uncertainties among current observations demonstrate there is a need for more information on a) the impact of fuel quality on EFBC using robust measurement methods and b) the efficacy of scrubbers for the removal of particulate matter by size and composition.

  20. Building quality into medical product software design.

    PubMed

    Mallory, S R

    1993-01-01

    The software engineering and quality assurance disciplines are a requisite to the design of safe and effective software-based medical devices. It is in the areas of software methodology and process that the most beneficial application of these disciplines to software development can be made. Software is a product of complex operations and methodologies and is not amenable to the traditional electromechanical quality assurance processes. Software quality must be built in by the developers, with the software verification and validation engineers acting as the independent instruments for ensuring compliance with performance objectives and with development and maintenance standards. The implementation of a software quality assurance program is a complex process involving management support, organizational changes, and new skill sets, but the benefits are profound. Its rewards provide safe, reliable, cost-effective, maintainable, and manageable software, which may significantly speed the regulatory review process and therefore potentially shorten the overall time to market. The use of a trial project can greatly facilitate the learning process associated with the first-time application of a software quality assurance program.

  1. Tailoring recombinant protein quality by rational media design.

    PubMed

    Brühlmann, David; Jordan, Martin; Hemberger, Jürgen; Sauer, Markus; Stettler, Matthieu; Broly, Hervé

    2015-01-01

    Clinical efficacy and safety of recombinant proteins are closely associated with their structural characteristics. The major quality attributes comprise glycosylation, charge variants (oxidation, deamidation, and C- & N-terminal modifications), aggregates, low-molecular-weight species (LMW), and misincorporation of amino acids in the protein backbone. Cell culture media design has a great potential to modulate these quality attributes due to the vital role of medium in mammalian cell culture. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the way both classical cell culture medium components and novel supplements affect the quality attributes of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed in mammalian hosts, allowing rational and high-throughput optimization of mammalian cell culture media. A selection of specific and/or potent inhibitors and activators of oligosaccharide processing as well as components affecting multiple quality attributes are presented. Extensive research efforts in this field show the feasibility of quality engineering through media design, allowing to significantly modulate the protein function. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  2. The research and practice of spacecraft software engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Chengxin; Wang, Jinghua; Xu, Xiaoguang

    2017-06-01

    In order to ensure the safety and reliability of spacecraft software products, it is necessary to execute engineering management. Firstly, the paper introduces the problems of unsystematic planning, uncertain classified management and uncontinuous improved mechanism in domestic and foreign spacecraft software engineering management. Then, it proposes a solution for software engineering management based on system-integrated ideology in the perspective of spacecraft system. Finally, a application result of spacecraft is given as an example. The research can provides a reference for executing spacecraft software engineering management and improving software product quality.

  3. Improvement of Space Shuttle Main Engine Low Frequency Acceleration Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stec, Robert C.

    1999-01-01

    The noise floor of low frequency acceleration data acquired on the Space Shuttle Main Engines is higher than desirable. Difficulties of acquiring high quality acceleration data on this engine are discussed. The approach presented in this paper for reducing the acceleration noise floor focuses on a search for an accelerometer more capable of measuring low frequency accelerations. An overview is given of the current measurement system used to acquire engine vibratory data. The severity of vibration, temperature, and moisture environments are considered. Vibratory measurements from both laboratory and rocket engine tests are presented.

  4. A Planning Approach of Engineering Characteristics Based on QFD-TRIZ Integrated

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Shang; Shi, Dongyan; Zhang, Ying

    Traditional QFD planning method compromises contradictions between engineering characteristics to achieve higher customer satisfaction. However, this compromise trade-off can not eliminate the contradictions existing among the engineering characteristics which limited the overall customer satisfaction. QFD (Quality function deployment) integrated with TRIZ (the Russian acronym of the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) becomes hot research recently for TRIZ can be used to solve contradictions between engineering characteristics which construct the roof of HOQ (House of quality). But, the traditional QFD planning approach is not suitable for QFD integrated with TRIZ for that TRIZ requires emphasizing the contradictions between engineering characteristics at problem definition stage instead of compromising trade-off. So, a new planning approach based on QFD / TRIZ integration is proposed in this paper, which based on the consideration of the correlation matrix of engineering characteristics and customer satisfaction on the basis of cost. The proposed approach suggests that TRIZ should be applied to solve contradictions at the first step, and the correlation matrix of engineering characteristics should be amended at the second step, and at next step IFR (ideal final result) must be validated, then planning execute. An example is used to illustrate the proposed approach. The application indicated that higher customer satisfaction can be met and the contradictions between the characteristic parameters are eliminated.

  5. Systems Engineering and Integration for Technology Programs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kennedy, Kruss J.

    2006-01-01

    The Architecture, Habitability & Integration group (AH&I) is a system engineering and integration test team within the NASA Crew and Thermal Systems Division (CTSD) at Johnson Space Center. AH&I identifies and resolves system-level integration issues within the research and technology development community. The timely resolution of these integration issues is fundamental to the development of human system requirements and exploration capability. The integration of the many individual components necessary to construct an artificial environment is difficult. The necessary interactions between individual components and systems must be approached in a piece-wise fashion to achieve repeatable results. A formal systems engineering (SE) approach to define, develop, and integrate quality systems within the life support community has been developed. This approach will allow a Research & Technology Program to systematically approach the development, management, and quality of technology deliverables to the various exploration missions. A tiered system engineering structure has been proposed to implement best systems engineering practices across all development levels from basic research to working assemblies. These practices will be implemented through a management plan across all applicable programs, projects, elements and teams. While many of the engineering practices are common to other industries, the implementation is specific to technology development. An accounting of the systems engineering management philosophy will be discussed and the associated programmatic processes will be presented.

  6. Looking ahead in systems engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feigenbaum, Donald S.

    1966-01-01

    Five areas that are discussed in this paper are: (1) the technological characteristics of systems engineering; (2) the analytical techniques that are giving modern systems work its capability and power; (3) the management, economics, and effectiveness dimensions that now frame the modern systems field; (4) systems engineering's future impact upon automation, computerization and managerial decision-making in industry - and upon aerospace and weapons systems in government and the military; and (5) modern systems engineering's partnership with modern quality control and reliability.

  7. NASA-universities relationships in aero/space engineering: A review of NASA's program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1985-01-01

    NASA is concerned about the health of aerospace engineering departments at U.S. universities. The number of advanced degrees in aerospace engineering has declined. There is concern that universities' facilities, research equipment, and instrumentation may be aging or outmoded and therefore affect the quality of research and education. NASA requested that the National Research Council's Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) review NASA's support of universities and make recommendations to improve the program's effectiveness.

  8. ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING CHALLENGES WITH COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS

    EPA Science Inventory

    In the field of environmental engineering, modeling tools are playing an ever larger role in addressing air quality issues, including source pollutant emissions, atmospheric dispersion and human exposure risks. More detailed modeling of environmental flows requires tools for c...

  9. NASA GSFC Mechanical Engineering Latest Inputs for Verification Standards (GEVS) Updates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kaufman, Daniel

    2003-01-01

    This viewgraph presentation provides information on quality control standards in mechanical engineering. The presentation addresses safety, structural loads, nonmetallic composite structural elements, bonded structural joints, externally induced shock, random vibration, acoustic tests, and mechanical function.

  10. 40 CFR 90.510 - Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... EMISSIONS FROM NONROAD SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES AT OR BELOW 19 KILOWATTS Selective Enforcement Auditing § 90... Plans for Selective Enforcement Auditing of Small Nonroad Engines,” appropriate to the projected sales...

  11. 40 CFR 91.608 - Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... EMISSIONS FROM MARINE SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES Selective Enforcement Auditing Regulations § 91.608 Compliance... Selective Enforcement Auditing of Marine Engines,” appropriate to the projected sales as made by the...

  12. Corps of Engineers Structural Engineering Conference Held in St. Johns County, Florida on 8-12 July 1991. Volume 2

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-12-01

    problems. Leadership forums were conducted for chiefs of structural design from each office for both military and civil works areas. (Continued) 14...Photographs ....................................... 7 Maintaining Design Quality in the Corps of Engineers .................... II Expedited Design and...25 Portugues Dam Monolith Layout and Survey Control ...................... 33 Cofferdam Design Problems, Point Marion Lock

  13. IEEE Validation of the Continuing Education Achievement of Engineers Registry System. Procedures for Use with a CPT 8000 Word Processor and Communications Package.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., New York, NY.

    The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) validation program is designed to motivate persons practicing in electrical and electronics engineering to pursue quality technical continuing education courses offered by any responsible sponsor. The rapid acceptance of the validation program necessitated the additional development of a…

  14. Knowledge translation in rehabilitation engineering research and development: a knowledge ecosystem framework.

    PubMed

    Chau, Tom; Moghimi, Saba; Popovic, Milos R

    2013-01-01

    Rehabilitation engineering is concerned with technology innovations and technology-mediated treatments for the improvement of quality of care and quality of life of individuals with disability. Unlike many other fields of health research, the knowledge translation (KT) cycle of rehabilitation engineering research and development (R&D) is often considered incomplete until a technology product or technology-facilitated therapy is available to target clientele. As such, the KT journey of rehabilitation engineering R&D is extremely challenging, necessarily involving knowledge exchange among numerous players across multiple sectors. In this article, we draw on recent literature about the knowledge trichotomy in technology-based rehabilitation R&D and propose a knowledge ecosystem to frame the rehabilitation engineering KT process from need to product. Identifying the principal process of the ecosystem as one of knowledge flow, we elucidate the roles of repository and networked knowledge, identify key consumers and producers in a trinity of communities of practice, and draw on knowledge management literature to describe different knowledge flows. The article concludes with instantiations of this knowledge ecosystem for 2 local rehabilitation engineering research-development-commercialization endeavors. Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Creating the learning situation to promote student deep learning: Data analysis and application case

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Yuanyuan; Wu, Shaoyan

    2017-05-01

    How to lead students to deeper learning and cultivate engineering innovative talents need to be studied for higher engineering education. In this study, through the survey data analysis and theoretical research, we discuss the correlation of teaching methods, learning motivation, and learning methods. In this research, we find that students have different motivation orientation according to the perception of teaching methods in the process of engineering education, and this affects their choice of learning methods. As a result, creating situations is critical to lead students to deeper learning. Finally, we analyze the process of learning situational creation in the teaching process of «bidding and contract management workshops». In this creation process, teachers use the student-centered teaching to lead students to deeper study. Through the study of influence factors of deep learning process, and building the teaching situation for the purpose of promoting deep learning, this thesis provide a meaningful reference for enhancing students' learning quality, teachers' teaching quality and the quality of innovation talent.

  16. Development of a new Clinical Engineering Management Tool & Information System (CLE-MANTIS).

    PubMed

    Panousis, S G; Malataras, P; Patelodimou, C; Kolitsi, Z; Pallikarakis, N

    1997-01-01

    The evolution of the field of biomedical technology has led to the diffusion of an impressive number of medical devices into healthcare institutions. In this environment, Clinical Engineering Departments (CEDs) are expanding their role in healthcare technology management, by changing their structure and introducing quality systems in order to improve their services and monitor the outcomes. In the framework of the national project BIOTECHNET II, a software tool for the management of biomedical technology, named CLE-MANTIS, has been developed, with the aim to assist CEDs in their tasks. CLE-MANTIS functions include the upkeep of an inventory, the support and monitoring of scheduled maintenance, corrective maintenance, vigilance, equipment acquisition and replacement, service contract management and user training. The system offers clinical engineers the possibility to monitor and evaluate the quality and cost-effectiveness of their departments through the monitoring of quality and cost indicators. This paper presents the main features and functions of the system.

  17. Continuous improvement of the quality reporting system of a medium-size company

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hawkins, Anthony; Onuh, Spencer

    2001-10-01

    Many companies are faced with quality improvement issues on a daily basis but their response to this problem varies. This paper discusses the improvement in the defect reporting system at a medium sized manufacturing company following the appointment of an experienced, motivated, design engineer to be dedicated to that task. It sets out the situation that the engineer inherited and details the changes that were incorporated; it assesses which were successful and which failed. Following a survey of current literature, it was seen that there is little written specifically on the subject of audited defect reporting. It is felt that this study goes some way to filling that void. A successful survey of engineering companies in Southern Hampshire reinforces the principle findings, that the emphasising of the Check part of Demming's Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle is a novel approach to the Quality Improvement Process, and that it has reduced the cost of rework by an audited 80% in a period of two years.

  18. Biology and genetic engineering of fruit maturation for enhanced quality and shelf-life.

    PubMed

    Matas, Antonio J; Gapper, Nigel E; Chung, Mi-Young; Giovannoni, James J; Rose, Jocelyn K C

    2009-04-01

    Commercial regulation of ripening is currently achieved through early harvest, by controlling the postharvest storage atmosphere and genetic selection for slow or late ripening varieties. Although these approaches are often effective, they are not universally applicable and often result in acceptable, but poor quality, products. With increased understanding of the molecular biology underlying ripening and the advent of genetic engineering technologies, researchers have pursued new strategies to address problems in fruit shelf-life and quality. These have been guided by recent insights into mechanisms by which ethylene and a complex network of transcription factors regulate ripening, and by an increased appreciation of factors that contribute to shelf-life, such as the fruit cuticle.

  19. Quality of Web-Based Information on Cannabis Addiction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khazaal, Yasser; Chatton, Anne; Cochand, Sophie; Zullino, Daniele

    2008-01-01

    This study evaluated the quality of Web-based information on cannabis use and addiction and investigated particular content quality indicators. Three keywords ("cannabis addiction," "cannabis dependence," and "cannabis abuse") were entered into two popular World Wide Web search engines. Websites were assessed with a standardized proforma designed…

  20. Quality optimization of thermally sprayed coatings produced by the JP-5000 (HVOF) gun using mathematical modeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tawfik, Hazem

    1994-01-01

    Currently, thermal barrier coatings (TBC) of gas-turbine blades and similar applications have centered around the use of zirconia as a protective coating for high thermal applications. The advantages of zirconia include low thermal conductivity and good thermal shock resistance. Thermally sprayed tungsten carbide hardface coatings are used for a wide range of applications spanning both the aerospace and other industrial markets. Major aircraft engine manufacturers and repair facilities use hardface coatings for original engine manufacture (OEM), as well as in the overhaul of critical engine components. The principle function of these coatings is to resist severe wear environments for such wear mechanisms as abrasion, adhesion, fretting, and erosion. The (JP-5000) thermal spray gun is the most advanced in the High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) systems. Recently, it has received considerable attention because of its relative low cost and its production of quality coatings that challenge the very successful but yet very expensive Vacuum Plasma Spraying (VPS) system. The quality of thermal spray coatings is enhanced as porosity, oxidation, residual stress, and surface roughness are reduced or minimized. Higher densification, interfacial bonding strength, hardness and wear resistance of coating are desirable features for quality improvement.

  1. Evaluation of Quality and Readability of Health Information Websites Identified through India's Major Search Engines.

    PubMed

    Raj, S; Sharma, V L; Singh, A J; Goel, S

    2016-01-01

    Background. The available health information on websites should be reliable and accurate in order to make informed decisions by community. This study was done to assess the quality and readability of health information websites on World Wide Web in India. Methods. This cross-sectional study was carried out in June 2014. The key words "Health" and "Information" were used on search engines "Google" and "Yahoo." Out of 50 websites (25 from each search engines), after exclusion, 32 websites were evaluated. LIDA tool was used to assess the quality whereas the readability was assessed using Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), and SMOG. Results. Forty percent of websites (n = 13) were sponsored by government. Health On the Net Code of Conduct (HONcode) certification was present on 50% (n = 16) of websites. The mean LIDA score (74.31) was average. Only 3 websites scored high on LIDA score. Only five had readability scores at recommended sixth-grade level. Conclusion. Most health information websites had average quality especially in terms of usability and reliability and were written at high readability levels. Efforts are needed to develop the health information websites which can help general population in informed decision making.

  2. A methodology to analyze the quality of health information on the internet: the example of diabetic neuropathy.

    PubMed

    Chumber, Sundeep; Huber, Jörg; Ghezzi, Pietro

    2015-02-01

    The purpose of this work was to evaluate the criteria used to assess the quality of information on diabetic neuropathy on the Internet. Different search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask) and 1 governmental health website (MedlinePlus) were studied. The websites returned (200 for each search engine) were then classified according to their affiliation (eg, commercial, professional, patient groups). A scoring system was devised from the literature to assess quality of information. Websites were also analyzed using the 2 most widely used instruments for assessing the quality of health information, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) scoring system and the Health On the Net Foundation (HON) certification. Professional websites or health portals scored better according to most criteria. Google and MedlinePlus returned results scoring significantly higher than other engines in some of the criteria. The use of different instruments gave different results and indicates that the JAMA score and the HON certification may not be sufficient ones. This methodology could be used to evaluate the reliability and trustworthiness of information on the Internet on different topics to identify topic areas or websites where the available information is not appropriate. © 2014 The Author(s).

  3. Software development environments: Status and trends

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duffel, Larry E.

    1988-01-01

    Currently software engineers are the essential integrating factors tying several components together. The components consist of process, methods, computers, tools, support environments, and software engineers. The engineers today empower the tools versus the tools empowering the engineers. Some of the issues in software engineering are quality, managing the software engineering process, and productivity. A strategy to accomplish this is to promote the evolution of software engineering from an ad hoc, labor intensive activity to a managed, technology supported discipline. This strategy may be implemented by putting the process under management control, adopting appropriate methods, inserting the technology that provides automated support for the process and methods, collecting automated tools into an integrated environment and educating the personnel.

  4. Search Engine Ranking, Quality, and Content of Web Pages That Are Critical Versus Noncritical of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine.

    PubMed

    Fu, Linda Y; Zook, Kathleen; Spoehr-Labutta, Zachary; Hu, Pamela; Joseph, Jill G

    2016-01-01

    Online information can influence attitudes toward vaccination. The aim of the present study was to provide a systematic evaluation of the search engine ranking, quality, and content of Web pages that are critical versus noncritical of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. We identified HPV vaccine-related Web pages with the Google search engine by entering 20 terms. We then assessed each Web page for critical versus noncritical bias and for the following quality indicators: authorship disclosure, source disclosure, attribution of at least one reference, currency, exclusion of testimonial accounts, and readability level less than ninth grade. We also determined Web page comprehensiveness in terms of mention of 14 HPV vaccine-relevant topics. Twenty searches yielded 116 unique Web pages. HPV vaccine-critical Web pages comprised roughly a third of the top, top 5- and top 10-ranking Web pages. The prevalence of HPV vaccine-critical Web pages was higher for queries that included term modifiers in addition to root terms. Compared with noncritical Web pages, Web pages critical of HPV vaccine overall had a lower quality score than those with a noncritical bias (p < .01) and covered fewer important HPV-related topics (p < .001). Critical Web pages required viewers to have higher reading skills, were less likely to include an author byline, and were more likely to include testimonial accounts. They also were more likely to raise unsubstantiated concerns about vaccination. Web pages critical of HPV vaccine may be frequently returned and highly ranked by search engine queries despite being of lower quality and less comprehensive than noncritical Web pages. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. What parents are reading about laryngomalacia: Quality and readability of internet resources on laryngomalacia.

    PubMed

    Corredera, Erica; Davis, Kara S; Simons, Jeffrey P; Jabbour, Noel

    2018-05-01

    The goal of this study is to measure the quality and readability of websites related to laryngomalacia, and to compare the quality and readability scores for the sites accessed through the most popular search engines. Laryngomalacia is a common diagnosis in children but is often difficult for parents to comprehend. As information available on the internet is unregulated, the quality and readability of this information may vary. An advanced search on Google, Yahoo, and Bing was conducted using the terms "laryngomalacia" OR "soft larynx" OR "floppy voice box." The first ten websites meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were evaluated, for each search engine. Quality and readability were assessed using the DISCERN criteria and the Flesch reading ease scoring (FRES) and Flesch-Kincaid grade level (FKGL) tests, respectively. The top 10 hits on each search engine yielded 15 unique web pages. The median DISCERN score (out of a possible high-score of 80) was 48.5 (SD 12.6). The median USA grade-level estimated by the FKGL was 11.3 (SD 1.4). Only one website (6.7%), had a readability score in the optimal range of 6th to 8th grade reading level. DISCERN scores did not correlate with FKGL scores (r = 0.10). Online information discussing laryngomalacia often varies in quality and may not be easily comprehensible to the public. It is important for healthcare professionals to understand the quality of health information accessible to patients as it may influence medical decision-making by patient families. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. A review of evolution of electrospun tissue engineering scaffold: From two dimensions to three dimensions.

    PubMed

    Ngadiman, Nor Hasrul Akhmal; Noordin, M Y; Idris, Ani; Kurniawan, Denni

    2017-07-01

    The potential of electrospinning process to fabricate ultrafine fibers as building blocks for tissue engineering scaffolds is well recognized. The scaffold construct produced by electrospinning process depends on the quality of the fibers. In electrospinning, material selection and parameter setting are among many factors that contribute to the quality of the ultrafine fibers, which eventually determine the performance of the tissue engineering scaffolds. The major challenge of conventional electrospun scaffolds is the nature of electrospinning process which can only produce two-dimensional electrospun mats, hence limiting their applications. Researchers have started to focus on overcoming this limitation by combining electrospinning with other techniques to fabricate three-dimensional scaffold constructs. This article reviews various polymeric materials and their composites/blends that have been successfully electrospun for tissue engineering scaffolds, their mechanical properties, and the various parameters settings that influence the fiber morphology. This review also highlights the secondary processes to electrospinning that have been used to develop three-dimensional tissue engineering scaffolds as well as the steps undertaken to overcome electrospinning limitations.

  7. Some Remarks on the Improvement of Engineering Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tribus, Myron

    2005-03-01

    This paper combines the quality management principles of Deming with the educational theories of Feuerstein and Bloom in the design of a system of engineering education in which every student, on graduation, will display mastery of the subjects in the curriculum.

  8. Some Remarks on the Improvement of Engineering Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tribus, Myron

    2005-01-01

    This paper combines the quality management principles of Deming with the educational theories of Feuerstein and Bloom in the design of a system of engineering education in which every student, on graduation, will display mastery of the subjects in the curriculum.

  9. 16 CFR 1000.29 - Directorate for Engineering Sciences.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... standards, product safety tests and test methods, performance criteria, design specifications, and quality control standards for consumer products, based on engineering and scientific methods. It conducts... consumer interest groups. The Directorate conducts human factors studies and research of consumer product...

  10. 16 CFR 1000.29 - Directorate for Engineering Sciences.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... standards, product safety tests and test methods, performance criteria, design specifications, and quality control standards for consumer products, based on engineering and scientific methods. It conducts... consumer interest groups. The Directorate conducts human factors studies and research of consumer product...

  11. 40 CFR 89.510 - Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... EMISSIONS FROM NEW AND IN-USE NONROAD COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES Selective Enforcement Auditing § 89.510... Plans for Selective Enforcement Auditing of Nonroad Engines,” appropriate to the projected sales as made...

  12. Sensitivities of Internal Combustion Automotive Engines to Variations in Fuel Properties

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1982-02-01

    An assessment of the sensitivity of the automotive gasoline and diesel engines to variations in fuel properties has been made. The variables studied include H/C ratio, distillation range, aromatic content, ignition quality as determined by the octane...

  13. 40 CFR 89.511 - Suspension and revocation of certificates of conformity.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... ENGINES Selective Enforcement Auditing § 89.511 Suspension and revocation of certificates of conformity... proposed quality control and/or quality assurance measures to be taken by the manufacturer to prevent...

  14. Technical Solutions to Common Indoor Air Quality Issues in Schools

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Design Tools for Schools provides voluntary guidance for school personnel, architects, engineers, builders and contractors, parents, and the community on key school construction and renovation issues.

  15. Experience gained from the application of basic quality assurance procedures in a Greek university engineering department

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stamatelos, A. M.

    2010-06-01

    During the last decade, significant funding has become available to Greek public universities to support the convergence to the common European space of higher education. In a number of departments, this funding was wisely invested in the development of a quality culture, covering not only the educational process, but also the services offered by the department's administration and technical support staff. This paper presents the design and implementation of a quality-oriented studies' reform plan in the Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Thessaly in the period 2002-2008. Based on the successful experience from its application, a significant part of the personnel and students have become acquainted with basic quality assurance procedures and performance evaluation. Experience and lessons learnt from this effort are reported and discussed in this paper.

  16. Service Quality Ideals in a Competitive Tertiary Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeo, Roland K.

    2009-01-01

    Drawing on the experience of an Engineering School in Singapore, the paper explores the success factors of service quality in higher education by integrating the characteristics of SERVQUAL (an instrument for assessing students' experience of higher education) and SQA (Singapore Quality Award). Data were collected by means of structured…

  17. Investigating Relationships among Quality Dimensions in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ardi, Romadhani; Hidayatno, Akhmad; Zagloel, Teuku Yuri M.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: This study aims to assess the relationships among quality dimensions in higher education (HE) and to determine the effect of each quality dimension on students' satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 270 final year students of an engineering faculty in an Indonesian state university.…

  18. Compendium of Administrators of Land Use and Related Programs. Revision

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-09-01

    construction engineering research laboratory Army Nation Unitad Stoic«» Army ^ n * Technical Report N-40 (Revised) September 19 82...CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER’«) \\ 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS U.S. ARMY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING RESEARCH LABORATORY...Chief of Engineers (OCE), under Project 4A762720A896, "Environmental Quality for Construction and Operation of Military Facilities" Task 04. "Land Use

  19. Examining the Impact of Academic Development in the Engineering Faculties in Chile: Changes in Teaching Philosophy and Teachers' Competencies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Acosta Peña, Roxana; Tomás-Folch, Marina; Feixas, Mònica

    2017-01-01

    The Faculties of Engineering Sciences at Universidad Católica del Norte in Chile regard teacher training as a necessary tool for its academics' professional development and as a fundamental way to improve their teaching quality. The Teaching Unit for Innovation in Engineering (UIDIN) has developed a new curriculum and training programme which…

  20. Quality - Inexpensive if a way of life.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grau, D.

    1972-01-01

    NASA major projects require phased planning. The participation of persons charged with maintaining the proper quality during the last two of four phases has become accepted practice. Current objectives are concerned with the application of quality assurance techniques during the second phase. It is pointed out that quality must be emphasized during the entire engineering process, starting with the selection of the components.

  1. Process quality engineering for bioreactor-driven manufacturing of tissue-engineered constructs for bone regeneration.

    PubMed

    Papantoniou Ir, Ioannis; Chai, Yoke Chin; Luyten, Frank P; Schrooten Ir, Jan

    2013-08-01

    The incorporation of Quality-by-Design (QbD) principles in tissue-engineering bioprocess development toward clinical use will ensure that manufactured constructs possess prerequisite quality characteristics addressing emerging regulatory requirements and ensuring the functional in vivo behavior. In this work, the QbD principles were applied on a manufacturing process step for the in vitro production of osteogenic three-dimensional (3D) hybrid scaffolds that involves cell matrix deposition on a 3D titanium (Ti) alloy scaffold. An osteogenic cell source (human periosteum-derived cells) cultured in a bioinstructive medium was used to functionalize regular Ti scaffolds in a perfusion bioreactor, resulting in an osteogenic hybrid carrier. A two-level three-factor fractional factorial design of experiments was employed to explore a range of production-relevant process conditions by simultaneously changing value levels of the following parameters: flow rate (0.5-2 mL/min), cell culture duration (7-21 days), and cell-seeding density (1.5×10(3)-3×10(3) cells/cm(2)). This approach allowed to evaluate the individual impact of the aforementioned process parameters upon key quality attributes of the produced hybrids, such as collagen production, mineralization level, and cell number. The use of a fractional factorial design approach helped create a design space in which hybrid scaffolds of predefined quality attributes may be robustly manufactured while minimizing the number of required experiments.

  2. Renewable synthetic diesel fuel from triglycerides and organic waste materials

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hillard, J.C.; Strassburger, R.S.

    1986-03-01

    A renewable, synthetic diesel fuel has been developed that employs ethanol and organic waste materials. These organic materials, such as soybean oil or animal fats, are hydrolized to yield a mixture of solid soap like materials and glycerol. These soaps, now soluble in ethanol, are blended with ethanol; the glycerol is nitrated and added as well as castor oil when necessary. The synthetic fuel is tailored to match petroleum diesel fuel in viscosity, lubricity and cetane quality and, therefore, does not require any engine modifications. Testing in a laboratory engine and in a production Oldsmobile Cutlass has revealed that thismore » synthetic fuel is superior to petroleum diesel fuel in vehicle efficiency, cetane quality, combustion noise, cold start characteristics, exhaust odor and emissions. Performance characteristics are indistinguishable from those of petroleum diesel fuel. These soaps are added to improve the calorific value, lubricity and cetane quality of the ethanol. The glycerol from the hydrolysis process is nitrated and added to the ethanol as an additional cetane quality improver. Caster oil is added to the fuel when necessary to match the viscosity and lubricity of petroleum diesel fuel as well as to act as a corrosion inhibitor, thereby, precluding any engine modifications. The cetane quality of the synthetic fuel is better than that of petroleum diesel as the fuel carries its own oxygen. The synthetic fuel is also completely miscible with petroleum diesel.« less

  3. Examining Science Teachers' Argumentation in a Teacher Workshop on Earthquake Engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cavlazoglu, Baki; Stuessy, Carol

    2018-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine changes in the quality of science teachers' argumentation as a result of their engagement in a teacher workshop on earthquake engineering emphasizing distributed learning approaches, which included concept mapping, collaborative game playing, and group lesson planning. The participants were ten high school science teachers from US high schools who elected to attend the workshop. To begin and end the teacher workshop, teachers in small groups engaged in concept mapping exercises with other teachers. Researchers audio-recorded individual teachers' argumentative statements about the inclusion of earthquake engineering concepts in their concept maps, which were then analyzed to reveal the quality of teachers' argumentation. Toulmin's argumentation model formed the framework for designing a classification schema to analyze the quality of participants' argumentative statements. While the analysis of differences in pre- and post-workshop concept mapping exercises revealed that the number of argumentative statements did not change significantly, the quality of participants' argumentation did increase significantly. As these differences occurred concurrently with distributed learning approaches used throughout the workshop, these results provide evidence to support distributed learning approaches in professional development workshop activities to increase the quality of science teachers' argumentation. Additionally, these results support the use of concept mapping as a cognitive scaffold to organize participants' knowledge, facilitate the presentation of argumentation, and as a research tool for providing evidence of teachers' argumentation skills.

  4. Performing Verification and Validation in Reuse-Based Software Engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Addy, Edward A.

    1999-01-01

    The implementation of reuse-based software engineering not only introduces new activities to the software development process, such as domain analysis and domain modeling, it also impacts other aspects of software engineering. Other areas of software engineering that are affected include Configuration Management, Testing, Quality Control, and Verification and Validation (V&V). Activities in each of these areas must be adapted to address the entire domain or product line rather than a specific application system. This paper discusses changes and enhancements to the V&V process, in order to adapt V&V to reuse-based software engineering.

  5. AUTOMOTIVE AND HEAVY-DUTY ENGINE COOLANT RECYCLING BY DISTILLATION

    EPA Science Inventory

    This evaluation addresses the product quality, waste reduction, and economic issues involved in recycling automotive and heavy-duty engine coolants for a facility such as the New Jersey Department of Transportation garage in Ewing, New Jersey. he specific recycling evaluated is b...

  6. Effective Software Engineering Leadership for Development Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cagle West, Marsha

    2010-01-01

    Software is a critical component of systems ranging from simple consumer appliances to complex health, nuclear, and flight control systems. The development of quality, reliable, and effective software solutions requires the incorporation of effective software engineering processes and leadership. Processes, approaches, and methodologies for…

  7. The Web: Can We Make It Easier To Find Information?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maddux, Cleborne D.

    1999-01-01

    Reviews problems with the World Wide Web that can be attributed to human error or ineptitude, and provides suggestions for improvement. Discusses poor Web design, poor use of search engines, and poor quality control by search engines and directories. (AEF)

  8. Value Engineering for Bus Maintenance Facilities : Program Digest.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1987-04-01

    Value Engineering (VE) is a procedure used to reduce the total cost of performing a required function, without sacrificing quality or safety. The concept of VE, which is over 40 years old, was primarily used in manufacturing industries and began to b...

  9. Facilities Engineering in NASA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pagluiso, M. A.

    1970-01-01

    An overview of NASA facilities is given outlining some of the more interesting and unique aspects of engineering and facilities associated with the space program. Outlined are some of the policies under which the Office of Facilities conducts its business. Included are environmental quality control measures.

  10. BOOK REVIEW: ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, 5TH EDITION

    EPA Science Inventory

    Book Review of Environmental Engineering, 5th Edition (Joseph A. Salvato, Nelson L. Nemerow, Franklin J. Agardy (Editors), John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Hoboken, New Jersey. 2003.). Author wrote review per the request of the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Environmental Quality.

  11. Uncertainty Management in Urban Water Engineering Adaptation to Climate Change

    EPA Science Inventory

    Current water resource planning and engineering assume a stationary climate, in which the observed historical water flow rate and water quality variations are often used to define the technical basis. When the non-stationarity is considered, however, climate change projection co...

  12. Demonstration of a Model-Based Technology for Monitoring Water Quality and Corrosion in Water-Distribution systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-12-01

    Kamojjala, 2014, “Real-Time M0deling of Water Distribution Systems: A Case Study ,” Journal AWWA, Vol. 106, No. 9 (September 2014.) Feinauer, Lynn R...Quality and Corrosion in Water-Distribution Systems Final Report on Project F07-AR05 Co ns tr uc tio n En gi ne er in g R es ea rc h La bo ra to...Final Report on Project F07-AR05 Vicki L. Van Blaricum Construction Engineering Research Laboratory U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center

  13. A review of engineered zirconia surfaces in biomedical applications

    PubMed Central

    Yin, Ling; Nakanishi, Yoshitaka; Alao, Abdur-Rasheed; Song, Xiao-Fei; Abduo, Jaafar; Zhang, Yu

    2017-01-01

    Zirconia is widely used for load-bearing functional structures in medicine and dentistry. The quality of engineered zirconia surfaces determines not only the fracture and fatigue behaviour but also the low temperature degradation (ageing sensitivity), bacterial colonization and bonding strength of zirconia devices. This paper reviews the current manufacturing techniques for fabrication of zirconia surfaces in biomedical applications, particularly, in tooth and joint replacements, and influences of the zirconia surface quality on their functional behaviours. It discusses emerging manufacturing techniques and challenges for fabrication of zirconia surfaces in biomedical applications. PMID:29130030

  14. Better Data Quality for Better Healthcare Research Results - A Case Study.

    PubMed

    Hart, Robert; Kuo, Mu-Hsing

    2017-01-01

    Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have been identified as a key tool to collect data for healthcare research. However, EHR data must be of sufficient quality to support quality research results. Island Health, BC, Canada has invested and continues to invest in the development of solutions to address the quality of its EHR data and support high quality healthcare studies. This paper examines Island Health's data quality engine, its development and its successful implementation.

  15. Engineering Research and Development and Technology thrust area report FY92

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Langland, R.T.; Minichino, C.

    1993-03-01

    The mission of the Engineering Research, Development, and Technology Program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is to develop the technical staff and the technology needed to support current and future LLNL programs. To accomplish this mission, the Engineering Research, Development, and Technology Program has two important goals: (1) to identify key technologies and (2) to conduct high-quality work to enhance our capabilities in these key technologies. To help focus our efforts, we identify technology thrust areas and select technical leaders for each area. The thrust areas are integrated engineering activities and, rather than being based on individual disciplines, theymore » are staffed by personnel from Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and other LLNL organizations, as appropriate. The thrust area leaders are expected to establish strong links to LLNL program leaders and to industry; to use outside and inside experts to review the quality and direction of the work; to use university contacts to supplement and complement their efforts; and to be certain that we are not duplicating the work of others. This annual report, organized by thrust area, describes activities conducted within the Program for the fiscal year 1992. Its intent is to provide timely summaries of objectives, theories, methods, and results. The nine thrust areas for this fiscal year are: Computational Electronics and Electromagnetics; Computational Mechanics; Diagnostics and Microelectronics; Emerging Technologies; Fabrication Technology; Materials Science and Engineering; Microwave and Pulsed Power; Nondestructive Evaluation; and Remote Sensing and Imaging, and Signal Engineering.« less

  16. Acoustic Performance of Drive Rig Mufflers for Model Scale Engine Testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stephens, David, B.

    2013-01-01

    Aircraft engine component testing at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) includes acoustic testing of scale model fans and propellers in the 9- by15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel (LSWT). This testing utilizes air driven turbines to deliver power to the article being studied. These air turbines exhaust directly downstream of the model in the wind tunnel test section and have been found to produce significant unwanted noise that reduces the quality of the acoustic measurements of the engine model being tested. This report describes an acoustic test of a muffler designed to mitigate the extraneous turbine noise. The muffler was found to provide acoustic attenuation of at least 8 dB between 700 Hz and 20 kHz which significantly improves the quality of acoustic measurements in the facility.

  17. JSC Metal Finishing Waste Minimization Methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sullivan, Erica

    2003-01-01

    THe paper discusses the following: Johnson Space Center (JSC) has achieved VPP Star status and is ISO 9001 compliant. The Structural Engineering Division in the Engineering Directorate is responsible for operating the metal finishing facility at JSC. The Engineering Directorate is responsible for $71.4 million of space flight hardware design, fabrication and testing. The JSC Metal Finishing Facility processes flight hardware to support the programs in particular schedule and mission critical flight hardware. The JSC Metal Finishing Facility is operated by Rothe Joint Venture. The Facility provides following processes: anodizing, alodining, passivation, and pickling. JSC Metal Finishing Facility completely rebuilt in 1998. Total cost of $366,000. All new tanks, electrical, plumbing, and ventilation installed. Designed to meet modern safety, environmental, and quality requirements. Designed to minimize contamination and provide the highest quality finishes.

  18. 2D/3D video content adaptation decision engine based on content classification and user assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fernandes, Rui; Andrade, M. T.

    2017-07-01

    Multimedia adaptation depends on several factors, such as the content itself, the consumption device and its characteristics, the transport and access networks and the user. An adaptation decision engine, in order to provide the best possible Quality of Experience to a user, needs to have information about all variables that may influence its decision. For the aforementioned factors, we implement content classification, define device classes, consider limited bandwidth scenarios and categorize user preferences based on a subjective quality evaluation test. The results of these actions generate vital information to pass to the adaptation decision engine so that its operation may provide the indication of the most suitable adaptation to perform that delivers the best possible outcome for the user under the existing constraints.

  19. Determination of combustion parameters using engine crankshaft speed

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taglialatela, F.; Lavorgna, M.; Mancaruso, E.; Vaglieco, B. M.

    2013-07-01

    Electronic engine controls based on real time diagnosis of combustion process can significantly help in complying with the stricter and stricter regulations on pollutants emissions and fuel consumption. The most important parameter for the evaluation of combustion quality in internal combustion engines is the in-cylinder pressure, but its direct measurement is very expensive and involves an intrusive approach to the cylinder. Previous researches demonstrated the direct relationship existing between in-cylinder pressure and engine crankshaft speed and several authors tried to reconstruct the pressure cycle on the basis of the engine speed signal. In this paper we propose the use of a Multi-Layer Perceptron neural network to model the relationship between the engine crankshaft speed and some parameters derived from the in-cylinder pressure cycle. This allows to have a non-intrusive estimation of cylinder pressure and a real time evaluation of combustion quality. The structure of the model and the training procedure is outlined in the paper. A possible combustion controller using the information extracted from the crankshaft speed information is also proposed. The application of the neural network model is demonstrated on a single-cylinder spark ignition engine tested in a wide range of speeds and loads. Results confirm that a good estimation of some combustion pressure parameters can be obtained by means of a suitable processing of crankshaft speed signal.

  20. Computer Design Technology of the Small Thrust Rocket Engines Using CAE / CAD Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ryzhkov, V.; Lapshin, E.

    2018-01-01

    The paper presents an algorithm for designing liquid small thrust rocket engine, the process of which consists of five aggregated stages with feedback. Three stages of the algorithm provide engineering support for design, and two stages - the actual engine design. A distinctive feature of the proposed approach is a deep study of the main technical solutions at the stage of engineering analysis and interaction with the created knowledge (data) base, which accelerates the process and provides enhanced design quality. The using multifunctional graphic package Siemens NX allows to obtain the final product -rocket engine and a set of design documentation in a fairly short time; the engine design does not require a long experimental development.

  1. Establishing the overall service quality of engineering education: fuzzy logic approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shekhar, N. Chandra; Venkatasubbaiah, K.; Kandukuria, N. R.

    2012-12-01

    Measuring overall service quality (OSQ) is gaining prominence in higher education due to the increased competition among engineering education institutions (EEIs) and growing awareness about value for money among the public. Determination of OSQ on certain institutional aspects is done by various agencies throughout the world. Each system uses a different set of weighted indicators to measure the overall service quality of institutions. Five service quality factors, namely professionalism, integrated education, facilities, responsiveness and empathy are considered in the study. Trapezoidal fuzzy numbers are used to determine the aggregate weights of the factors to handle the vagueness present in the linguistic values of the stakeholders' subjective opinions. Final weights of the factors are assessed by taking the distances of each factor between Fuzzy Positive Ideal Rating and Fuzzy Negative Ideal Rating. An illustrative study is presented to determine the OSQ of EEIs. The results help to focus on the factors which need immediate attention to enhance the quality of EEIs.

  2. Organized DFM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sato, Takashi; Honma, Michio; Itoh, Hiroyuki; Iriki, Nobuyuki; Kobayashi, Sachiko; Miyazaki, Norihiko; Onodera, Toshio; Suzuki, Hiroyuki; Yoshioka, Nobuyuki; Arima, Sumika; Kadota, Kazuya

    2009-04-01

    The category and objective of DFM production management are shown. DFM is not limited to an activity within a particular unit process in design and process. A new framework for DFM is required. DFM should be a total solution for the common problems of all processes. Each of them must be linked to one another organically. After passing through the whole of each process on the manufacturing platform, quality of final products is guaranteed and products are shipped to the market. The information platform is layered with DFM, APC, and AEC. Advanced DFM is not DFM for partial optimization of the lithography process and the design, etc. and it should be Organized DFM. They are managed with high-level organizational IQ. The interim quality between each step of the flow should be visualized. DFM will be quality engineering if it is Organized DFM and common metrics of the quality are provided. DFM becomes quality engineering through effective implementation of common industrial metrics and standardized technology. DFM is differential technology, but can leverage standards for efficient development.

  3. Knowledge-based personalized search engine for the Web-based Human Musculoskeletal System Resources (HMSR) in biomechanics.

    PubMed

    Dao, Tien Tuan; Hoang, Tuan Nha; Ta, Xuan Hien; Tho, Marie Christine Ho Ba

    2013-02-01

    Human musculoskeletal system resources of the human body are valuable for the learning and medical purposes. Internet-based information from conventional search engines such as Google or Yahoo cannot response to the need of useful, accurate, reliable and good-quality human musculoskeletal resources related to medical processes, pathological knowledge and practical expertise. In this present work, an advanced knowledge-based personalized search engine was developed. Our search engine was based on a client-server multi-layer multi-agent architecture and the principle of semantic web services to acquire dynamically accurate and reliable HMSR information by a semantic processing and visualization approach. A security-enhanced mechanism was applied to protect the medical information. A multi-agent crawler was implemented to develop a content-based database of HMSR information. A new semantic-based PageRank score with related mathematical formulas were also defined and implemented. As the results, semantic web service descriptions were presented in OWL, WSDL and OWL-S formats. Operational scenarios with related web-based interfaces for personal computers and mobile devices were presented and analyzed. Functional comparison between our knowledge-based search engine, a conventional search engine and a semantic search engine showed the originality and the robustness of our knowledge-based personalized search engine. In fact, our knowledge-based personalized search engine allows different users such as orthopedic patient and experts or healthcare system managers or medical students to access remotely into useful, accurate, reliable and good-quality HMSR information for their learning and medical purposes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Engineering Education for Agricultural and Rural Development in Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adewumi, B. A.

    2008-01-01

    Agricultural Engineering has transformed agricultural practices from subsistence level to medium and large-scale production via mechanisation in the developed nations. This has reduced the labour force requirements in agriculture; increased production levels and efficiency, product shelf life and product quality; and resulted into…

  5. 23 CFR 635.411 - Material or product selection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS... is used for research or for a distinctive type of construction on relatively short sections of road... quality and equally acceptable on the basis of engineering analysis and the anticipated prices for the...

  6. 23 CFR 635.411 - Material or product selection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS... is used for research or for a distinctive type of construction on relatively short sections of road... quality and equally acceptable on the basis of engineering analysis and the anticipated prices for the...

  7. Uncertainty Management in Urban Water Engineering Adaptation to Climate Change - abstract

    EPA Science Inventory

    Current water resource planning and engineering assume a stationary climate, in which the observed historical water flow rate and water quality variations are often used to define the technical basis. When the non-stationarity is considered, however, climate change projection co...

  8. 75 FR 12740 - Wyoming Interstate Company, Inc.; Notice of Technical Conference

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-17

    ... additional technical, engineering, and operational support for its proposed gas quality allocation procedures... should be prepared to support its position with adequate technical, engineering, and operational information. FERC conferences are accessible under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For...

  9. Are New Image Quality Figures of Merit Needed for Flat Panel Displays?

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1998-06-01

    American National Standard for Human Factors Engineering of Visual Display Terminal Workstations in 1988 have adopted the MTFA as the standard...References American National Standard for Human Factors Engineering of Visual Display Terminal Workstations (ANSI/HFS 100-1988). 1988. Santa Monica

  10. Applications of aerospace technology in the electric power industry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, F. D.; Heins, C. F.

    1974-01-01

    Existing applications of NASA contributions to disciplines such as combustion engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, quality assurance and computer control are outlined to illustrate how space technology is used in the electric power industry. Corporate strategies to acquire relevant space technology are described.

  11. Strategies for Maximizing Successful Drug Substance Technology Transfer Using Engineering, Shake-Down, and Wet Test Runs.

    PubMed

    Abraham, Sushil; Bain, David; Bowers, John; Larivee, Victor; Leira, Francisco; Xie, Jasmina

    2015-01-01

    The technology transfer of biological products is a complex process requiring control of multiple unit operations and parameters to ensure product quality and process performance. To achieve product commercialization, the technology transfer sending unit must successfully transfer knowledge about both the product and the process to the receiving unit. A key strategy for maximizing successful scale-up and transfer efforts is the effective use of engineering and shake-down runs to confirm operational performance and product quality prior to embarking on good manufacturing practice runs such as process performance qualification runs. We consider key factors to consider in making the decision to perform shake-down or engineering runs. We also present industry benchmarking results of how engineering runs are used in drug substance technology transfers alongside the main themes and best practices that have emerged. Our goal is to provide companies with a framework for ensuring the "right first time" technology transfers with effective deployment of resources within increasingly aggressive timeline constraints. © PDA, Inc. 2015.

  12. In vivo outcomes of tissue-engineered osteochondral grafts.

    PubMed

    Bal, B Sonny; Rahaman, Mohamed N; Jayabalan, Prakash; Kuroki, Keiichi; Cockrell, Mary K; Yao, Jian Q; Cook, James L

    2010-04-01

    Tissue-engineered osteochondral grafts have been synthesized from a variety of materials, with some success at repairing chondral defects in animal models. We hypothesized that in tissue-engineered osteochondral grafts synthesized by bonding mesenchymal stem cell-loaded hydrogels to a porous material, the choice of the porous scaffold would affect graft healing to host bone, and the quality of cell restoration at the hyaline cartilage surface. Bone marrow-derived allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells were suspended in hydrogels that were attached to cylinders of porous tantalum metal, allograft bone, or a bioactive glass. The tissue-engineered osteochondral grafts, thus created were implanted into experimental defects in rabbit knees. Subchondral bone restoration, defect fill, bone ingrowth-implant integration, and articular tissue quality were compared between the three subchondral materials at 6 and 12 weeks. Bioactive glass and porous tantalum were superior to bone allograft in integrating to adjacent host bone, regenerating hyaline-like tissue at the graft surface, and expressing type II collagen in the articular cartilage.

  13. 40 CFR 91.608 - Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. 91.608 Section 91.608... with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. (a) The prescribed acceptable quality level is 40 percent. (b) A failed engine is one whose final test...

  14. 40 CFR 89.510 - Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. 89.510 Section 89.510... Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. (a) The prescribed acceptable quality level is 40 percent. (b) A failed engine is one whose final...

  15. 40 CFR 89.510 - Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. 89.510 Section 89.510... Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. (a) The prescribed acceptable quality level is 40 percent. (b) A failed engine is one whose final...

  16. 40 CFR 91.608 - Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. 91.608 Section 91.608... with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. (a) The prescribed acceptable quality level is 40 percent. (b) A failed engine is one whose final test...

  17. 40 CFR 91.608 - Compliance with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. 91.608 Section 91.608... with acceptable quality level and passing and failing criteria for selective enforcement audits. (a) The prescribed acceptable quality level is 40 percent. (b) A failed engine is one whose final test...

  18. Discerning Quality Evaluation in Online Graduate Degree Programs in Agricultural Sciences and Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Downs, Holly A.

    2011-01-01

    Enormous demands for online degrees in higher education have increased the pressure on universities to launch web courses and degrees quickly and, at times, without properly attending to the quality of these ventures. There is scarce research that defines which quality indicators are used to assess cyberlearning environments, how different…

  19. Chinese College Students' Perceptions of Excellent Teachers across Three Disciplines: Psychology, Chemical Engineering, and Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Shujie; Keeley, Jared; Buskist, William

    2016-01-01

    Researchers have found that students from different academic disciplines tend to value different qualities in their teachers, and cultural differences play a role in which qualities students appreciate in their professors. The present/current study employed the Teacher Behavior Checklist as an operationalization of teaching qualities in a…

  20. Gironacel[R]: A Virtual Tool for Learning Quality Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mendez, Empar; Casadesus, Marti; De Ciurana, Quim

    2006-01-01

    This article describes the Gironacel[R] project--a virtual learning environment produced by the University of Girona. The purpose of this tool is to make it easier for students studying quality management courses within engineering schools to understand what the "quality culture" is and how to implement the ISO 9001:2000 standard in a…

  1. Looking for High Quality Accreditation in Higher Education in Colombia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pérez Gama, Jesús Alfonso; Vega Vega, Anselmo

    2017-01-01

    We look for the High Quality Accreditation of tertiary education in two ways: one, involving large amount of information, including issues such as self-assessment, high quality, statistics, indicators, surveys, and field work (process engineering), during several periods of time; and the second, in relation to the information contained there about…

  2. SOA: A Quality Attribute Perspective

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-06-23

    in software engineering from CMU. 6June 2011 Twitter #seiwebinar © 2011 Carnegie Mellon University Agenda Service -Oriented Architecture and... Software Architecture: Review Service -Orientation and Quality Attributes Summary and Future Challenges 7June 2011 Twitter #seiwebinar © 2011...Architecture and Software Architecture: Review Service -Orientation and Quality Attributes Summary and Future Challenges Review 10June 2011 Twitter

  3. Food Quality and Energy Usage in Foodservice Systems: Convective Thermal Processing of Turkey Rolls

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-01-28

    Quality Dr. M.l. Cremer Ohio State Univ. Wisconsin Enerqy Usaqe Microbioloqical Quality Nutritional Quality Dr. M. E. Matthews Univ. of Wisconsin...Engineering Center, Natick, MA. Special appreciation is extended to the followinq members of the NC-120 Regional Research Committee for their leadership ... Cremer , M.L. 1986. Sensory quality of turkey rolls roasted and held in an institutional convection oven with and without chilled storaqe. J. Food

  4. Alternative Fuels Data Center: School Bus Idle Reduction Strategies

    Science.gov Websites

    , teachers, parents, and children to learn about air quality and diesel emissions. Recognizes the positive fuel, reduce engine wear and tear, protect the health of drivers and children, and improve air quality

  5. Annual Quality Assurance Conference Abstracts by Barbara Marshik

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    25th Annual Quality Assurance Conference. Abstracts: Material and Process Conditions for Successful Use of Extractive Sampling Techniques and Certification Methods Errors in the Analysis of NMHC and VOCs in CNG-Based Engine Emissions by Barbara Marshik

  6. Comparative Study of the MTFA, ICS, and SQRI Image Quality Metrics for Visual Display Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-09-01

    reasonable image quality predictions across select display and viewing condition parameters. 101 6.0 REFERENCES American National Standard for Human Factors Engineering of ’ Visual Display Terminal Workstations . ANSI

  7. JPRS Report. Science & Technology, USSR: Engineering & Equipment.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-12-19

    unlimited Science & Technology USSR: Engineering & Equipment ^PRODUCED BY ^J’ODNALTECSL OF AMERCE SPR/NGnEL^ff’^1-INFORMATION S 22161 SERVICE...rv> DTIC QUALITY mSHBOTSD j5 Science & Technology USSR: Engineering & Equipment JPRS-UEQ-88-006 CONTENTS 19 DECEMBER 1988 Nuclear Energy Fuel...PROMYSHLENNOST, No 4, Apr 88] 36 Determining the Demand for Automated Foundry Equipment [A.A. Panov; MEKHAN1ZATS1YA IAVTOMATIZATSIYA PROIZVODSTVA, Apr 88] 40

  8. A Quality Management Evaluation of the Graduate Education Process for Ocean Engineers in the Civil Engineer Corps

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-12-01

    graduate education required for Ocean Facilities Program (OFP) officers in the Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) of the United States Navy. For the purpose...determined by distributing questionnaires to all officers in the OFP. Statistical analyses of numerical data and judgmental3 analysis of professional...45 B. Ocean Facility Program Officer Graduate Education Questionnaire ....... 47 C. Summary of Questionnaire Responses

  9. Automating Software Design Metrics.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-02-01

    INTRODUCTION 1 ", ... 0..1 1.2 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE High quality software is of interest to both the software engineering com- munity and its users. As...contributions of many other software engineering efforts, most notably [MCC 77] and [Boe 83b], which have defined and refined a framework for quantifying...AUTOMATION OF DESIGN METRICS Software metrics can be useful within the context of an integrated soft- ware engineering environment. The purpose of this

  10. European virtual campus for biomedical engineering EVICAB.

    PubMed

    Malmivuo, Jaakko A; Nousiainen, Juha O; Lindroos, Kari V

    2007-01-01

    European Commission has funded building a curriculum on Biomedical Engineering to the Internet for European universities under the project EVICAB. EVICAB forms a curriculum which will be free access and available free of charge. Therefore, in addition to the European universities, it will be available worldwide. EVICAB will make high quality education available for everyone, not only for the university students, and facilitate the development of the discipline of Biomedical Engineering.

  11. Optical Methods For Automatic Rating Of Engine Test Components

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pritchard, James R.; Moss, Brian C.

    1989-03-01

    In recent years, increasing commercial and legislative pressure on automotive engine manufacturers, including increased oil drain intervals, cleaner exhaust emissions and high specific power outputs, have led to increasing demands on lubricating oil performance. Lubricant performance is defined by bench engine tests run under closely controlled conditions. After test, engines are dismantled and the parts rated for wear and accumulation of deposit. This rating must be consistently carried out in laboratories throughout the world in order to ensure lubricant quality meeting the specified standards. To this end, rating technicians evaluate components, following closely defined procedures. This process is time consuming, inaccurate and subject to drift, requiring regular recalibration of raters by means of international rating workshops. This paper describes two instruments for automatic rating of engine parts. The first uses a laser to determine the degree of polishing of the engine cylinder bore, caused by the reciprocating action of piston. This instrument has been developed to prototype stage by the NDT Centre at Harwell under contract to Exxon Chemical, and is planned for production within the next twelve months. The second instrument uses red and green filtered light to determine the type, quality and position of deposit formed on the piston surfaces. The latter device has undergone feasibility study, but no prototype exists.

  12. Quality assurance plan for Solar Maximum Mission (SSM) Instruments electronic assembly - HRUV spectrometer/polarimeter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1976-01-01

    The quality assurance program demonstrates recognition of the quality aspects and an organized approach to achieve them. It ensures that quality requirements are determined and satisfied throughout all phases of contract performance, including preliminary and engineering design, development, fabrication, processing, assembly, inspection, test, checkout, packaging, shipping, storage, maintenance field use, flight preparations, flight operations and post-flight analysis, as applicable.

  13. Remote Sensing for Inland Water Quality Monitoring: A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Perspective

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-10-01

    outlined in Water Quality Management Plans , including traditional field sampling (water, sediment, and biological) and measure- ment of physical...at one time, a more comprehen- sive historical record or trend analysis, a planning tool for prioritizing field surveying and sampling, and accurate...estimations of optically active constituents used to characterize water quality. Furthermore, when utilized in water quality management planning

  14. Uterine Artery Embolization: An Analysis of Online Patient Information Quality and Readability with Historical Comparison.

    PubMed

    Murray, Timothy E; Mansoor, Tayyaub; Bowden, Dermot J; O'Neill, Damien C; Lee, Michael J

    2018-05-01

    Investigators aimed to assess online information describing uterine artery embolization (UAE) to examine the quality and readability of websites patients are accessing. A list of applicable, commonly used searchable terms was generated, including "Uterine Artery Embolization," "Fibroid Embolization," "Uterine Fibroid Embolization," and "Uterine Artery Embolisation." Each possible term was assessed across the five most-used English language search engines to determine the most commonly used term. The most common term was then investigated across each search engine, with the first 25 pages returned by each engine included for analysis. Duplicate pages, nontext content such as video or audio, and pages behind paywalls were excluded. Pages were analyzed for quality and readability using validated tools including DISCERN score, JAMA Benchmark Criteria, HONcode Certification, Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and Gunning-Fog Index. Secondary features such as age, rank, author, and publisher were recorded. The most common applicable term was "Uterine Artery Embolization" (492,900 results). Mean DISCERN quality of information provided by UAE websites is "fair"; however, it has declined since comparative 2012 studies. Adherence to JAMA Benchmark Criteria has reduced to 6.7%. UAE website readability remains more difficult than the World Health Organization-recommended 7-8th grade reading levels. HONcode-certified websites (35.6%) demonstrated significantly higher quality than noncertified websites. Quality of online UAE information remains "fair." Adherence to JAMA benchmark criteria is poor. Readability is above recommended 7-8th grade levels. HONcode certification was predictive of higher website quality, a useful guide to patients requesting additional information. Copyright © 2018 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Effects of combined pressure and temperature on enzymes related to quality of fruits and vegetables: from kinetic information to process engineering aspects.

    PubMed

    Ludikhuyze, L; Van Loey, A; Indrawati; Smout, C; Hendrickx, M

    2003-01-01

    Throughout the last decade, high pressure technology has been shown to offer great potential to the food processing and preservation industry in delivering safe and high quality products. Implementation of this new technology will be largely facilitated when a scientific basis to assess quantitatively the impact of high pressure processes on food safety and quality becomes available. Besides, quantitative data on the effects of pressure and temperature on safety and quality aspects of foods are indispensable for design and evaluation of optimal high pressure processes, i.e., processes resulting in maximal quality retention within the constraints of the required reduction of microbial load and enzyme activity. Indeed it has to be stressed that new technologies should deliver, apart from the promised quality improvement, an equivalent or preferably enhanced level of safety. The present paper will give an overview from a quantitative point of view of the combined effects of pressure and temperature on enzymes related to quality of fruits and vegetables. Complete kinetic characterization of the inactivation of the individual enzymes will be discussed, as well as the use of integrated kinetic information in process engineering.

  16. [From gene cloning to expressional analysis--practice and experience from educational reform of experimental gene engineering].

    PubMed

    Wu, Yan-Hua; Guo, Bin; Lou, Hui-Ling; Cui, Yu-Liang; Gu, Hui-Juan; Qiao, Shou-Yi

    2012-02-01

    Experimental gene engineering is a laboratory course focusing on the molecular structure, expression pattern and biological function of genes. Providing our students with a solid knowledge base and correct ways to conduct research is very important for high-quality education of genetic engineering. Inspired by recent progresses in this field, we improved the experimental gene engineering course by adding more updated knowledge and technologies and emphasizing on the combination of teaching and research, with the aim of offering our students a good start in their scientific careers.

  17. Probabilistic/Fracture-Mechanics Model For Service Life

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Watkins, T., Jr.; Annis, C. G., Jr.

    1991-01-01

    Computer program makes probabilistic estimates of lifetime of engine and components thereof. Developed to fill need for more accurate life-assessment technique that avoids errors in estimated lives and provides for statistical assessment of levels of risk created by engineering decisions in designing system. Implements mathematical model combining techniques of statistics, fatigue, fracture mechanics, nondestructive analysis, life-cycle cost analysis, and management of engine parts. Used to investigate effects of such engine-component life-controlling parameters as return-to-service intervals, stresses, capabilities for nondestructive evaluation, and qualities of materials.

  18. Engineering of M13 Bacteriophage for Development of Tissue Engineering Materials.

    PubMed

    Jin, Hyo-Eon; Lee, Seung-Wuk

    2018-01-01

    M13 bacteriophages have several qualities that make them attractive candidates as building blocks for tissue regenerating scaffold materials. Through genetic engineering, a high density of functional peptides and proteins can be simultaneously displayed on the M13 bacteriophage's outer coat proteins. The resulting phage can self-assemble into nanofibrous network structures and can guide the tissue morphogenesis through proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. In this manuscript, we will describe methods to develop major coat-engineered M13 phages as a basic building block and aligned tissue-like matrices to develop regenerative nanomaterials.

  19. Advanced Plant Habitat

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-11-17

    A test unit, or prototype, of NASA's Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) was delivered to the Space Station Processing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside a laboratory, Engineering Services Contract engineers set up test parameters on computers. From left, are Glenn Washington, ESC quality engineer; Claton Grosse, ESC mechanical engineer; and Jeff Richards, ESC project scientist. The APH is the largest plant chamber built for the agency. It will have 180 sensors and four times the light output of Veggie. The APH will be delivered to the International Space Station in March 2017.

  20. Experimental investigation of distinguishable and non-distinguishable grayscales applicable in active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes for quality engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Henglong; Chang, Wen-Cheng; Lin, Yu-Hsuan; Chen, Ming-Hong

    2017-08-01

    The distinguishable and non-distinguishable 6-bit (64) grayscales of green and red organic light-emitting diode (OLED) were experimentally investigated by using high-sensitive photometric instrument. The feasibility of combining external detection system for quality engineering to compensate the grayscale loss based on preset grayscale tables was also investigated by SPICE simulation. The degradation loss of OLED deeply affects image quality as grayscales become inaccurate. The distinguishable grayscales are indicated as those brightness differences and corresponding current increments are differentiable by instrument. The grayscales of OLED in 8-bit (256) or higher may become nondistinguishable as current or voltage increments are in the same order of noise level in circuitry. The distinguishable grayscale tables for individual red, green, blue, and white colors can be experimentally established as preset reference for quality engineering (QE) in which the degradation loss is compensated by corresponding grayscale numbers shown in preset table. The degradation loss of each OLED colors is quantifiable by comparing voltage increments to those in preset grayscale table if precise voltage increments are detectable during operation. The QE of AMOLED can be accomplished by applying updated grayscale tables. Our preliminary simulation result revealed that it is feasible to quantify degradation loss in terms of grayscale numbers by using external detector circuitry.

  1. Evaluation of Quality and Readability of Health Information Websites Identified through India's Major Search Engines

    PubMed Central

    Raj, S.; Sharma, V. L.; Singh, A. J.; Goel, S.

    2016-01-01

    Background. The available health information on websites should be reliable and accurate in order to make informed decisions by community. This study was done to assess the quality and readability of health information websites on World Wide Web in India. Methods. This cross-sectional study was carried out in June 2014. The key words “Health” and “Information” were used on search engines “Google” and “Yahoo.” Out of 50 websites (25 from each search engines), after exclusion, 32 websites were evaluated. LIDA tool was used to assess the quality whereas the readability was assessed using Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), and SMOG. Results. Forty percent of websites (n = 13) were sponsored by government. Health On the Net Code of Conduct (HONcode) certification was present on 50% (n = 16) of websites. The mean LIDA score (74.31) was average. Only 3 websites scored high on LIDA score. Only five had readability scores at recommended sixth-grade level. Conclusion. Most health information websites had average quality especially in terms of usability and reliability and were written at high readability levels. Efforts are needed to develop the health information websites which can help general population in informed decision making. PMID:27119025

  2. Design and Configuration of a Medical Imaging Systems Computer Laboratory Syllabus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Selver, M. Alper

    2016-01-01

    Medical imaging systems (MIS) constitute an important emergent subdiscipline of engineering studies. In the context of electrical and electronics engineering (EEE) education, MIS courses cover physics, instrumentation, data acquisition, image formation, modeling, and quality assessment of various modalities. Many well-structured MIS courses are…

  3. Transformation in Korea

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-04-01

    land to the United States with an By Major Rafael Pazos and Captain Miguel Uc January-April 201052 Engineer initial grant of 205 acres at USAG...savings, and enhances the quality of life of our Service members. Major Pazos is the deputy commander of the United States Army Corps of Engineers

  4. Re-Engineering Mexican Higher Education toward Economic Development and Quality. The XXI Century Challenge.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mungaray-Lagarda, Alejandro

    2002-01-01

    Explaining the Mexico has faced deep economic and social changes over the last decade, explores the changes or re-engineering needed in the country's higher education institutions to improve institutional efficiency through greater linkages with local economic and social development. (EV)

  5. Reading about Real Scientists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cummins, Sunday

    2015-01-01

    Although students do need hands-on experiences to master key skills in science, technology, and engineering, Cummins asserts, K-12 teachers should also help students understand key STEM concepts by reading, writing, and talking about the work of professional scientists and engineers. Cummins lists high-quality texts that help young people…

  6. The Royal Aircraft Establishment - 100 Years of Research.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-10-02

    Geoffrey de Havilland joined as Chief Engineer, and Designer and Test Pilot respectively. In 1908-14, the poor quality of aero-engines was a serious...which RAE made major contributiotis. In 1954 the Establishment was responsible for the inquiry into the Comet disasters and established new standards

  7. The quest for better quality-of-life - learning from large-scale shaking table tests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakashima, M.; Sato, E.; Nagae, T.; Kunio, F.; Takahito, I.

    2010-12-01

    Earthquake engineering has its origins in the practice of “learning from actual earthquakes and earthquake damages.” That is, we recognize serious problems by witnessing the actual damage to our structures, and then we develop and apply engineering solutions to solve these problems. This tradition in earthquake engineering, i.e., “learning from actual damage,” was an obvious engineering response to earthquakes and arose naturally as a practice in a civil and building engineering discipline that traditionally places more emphasis on experience than do other engineering disciplines. But with the rapid progress of urbanization, as society becomes denser, and as the many components that form our society interact with increasing complexity, the potential damage with which earthquakes threaten the society also increases. In such an era, the approach of ”learning from actual earthquake damages” becomes unacceptably dangerous and expensive. Among the practical alternatives to the old practice is to “learn from quasi-actual earthquake damages.” One tool for experiencing earthquake damages without attendant catastrophe is the large shaking table. E-Defense, the largest one we have, was developed in Japan after the 1995 Hyogoken-Nanbu (Kobe) earthquake. Since its inauguration in 2005, E-Defense has conducted over forty full-scale or large-scale shaking table tests, applied to a variety of structural systems. The tests supply detailed data on actual behavior and collapse of the tested structures, offering the earthquake engineering community opportunities to experience and assess the actual seismic performance of the structures, and to help society prepare for earthquakes. Notably, the data were obtained without having to wait for the aftermaths of actual earthquakes. Earthquake engineering has always been about life safety, but in recent years maintaining the quality of life has also become a critical issue. Quality-of-life concerns include nonstructural damage, business continuity, public health, quickness of damage assessment, infrastructure, data and communication networks, and other issues, and not enough useful empirical data have emerged about these issues from the experiences of actual earthquakes. To provide quantitative data that can be used to reduce earthquake risk to our quality of life, E-Defense recently has been implementing two comprehensive research projects in which a base-isolated hospital and a steel high-rise building were tested using the E-Defense shaking table and their seismic performance were examined particularly in terms of the nonstructural damage, damage to building contents and furniture, and operability, functionality, and business-continuity capability. The paper presents the overview of the two projects, together with major findings obtained from the projects.

  8. Research of the Quality of Quarry Dumpers Engine Crankshafts Sliding Bearings of Various Manufacturers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Korotkov, Alexander; Korotkova, Lidiya; Vidin, Denis

    2017-11-01

    Sliding bearings are an important part of many large and critical components. They are widely used in power equipment, high-capacity pumps, compressors, electric motors and internal combustion engines (ICE). As a rule, sliding bearings include an antifriction bushing, part of the shaft surface (bearing journal), and a layer of oil between them. These are complex and critical parts in which there may occur dangerous defects, and which directly affect the durability, accuracy and reliability of the entire unit. To ensure high reliability of the equipment with sliding bearings applied in complex equipment, it is necessary to provide the quality control and sufficient level of monitoring of the technical condition, as well as diagnosis of emerging defects. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the internal combustion engines sliding bearings quality of various manufacturing companies. It gives operational properties of bearings depending on the compositional composition. The results of chemical analysis of the base, the cover and intermediate layers of the ICE liners are presented here. We have also made recommendations to increase the operational performance of sliding bearings.

  9. On the methodology of Engineering Geodesy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brunner, Fritz K.

    2007-09-01

    Textbooks on geodetic surveying usually describe a very small number of principles which should provide the foundation of geodetic surveying. Here, the author argues that an applied field, such as engineering geodesy, has a methodology as foundation rather than a few principles. Ten methodological elements (ME) are identified: (1) Point discretisation of natural surfaces and objects, (2) distinction between coordinate and observation domain, (3) definition of reference systems, (4) specification of unknown parameters and desired precisions, (5) geodetic network and observation design, (6) quality control of equipment, (7) quality control of measurements, (8) establishment of measurement models, (9) establishment of parameter estimation models, (10) quality control of results. Each ME consists of a suite of theoretical developments, geodetic techniques and calculation procedures, which will be discussed. This paper is to be considered a first attempt at identifying the specific elements of the methodology of engineering geodesy. A better understanding of this methodology could lead to an increased objectivity, to a transformation of subjective practical experiences into objective working methods, and consequently to a new structure for teaching this rather diverse subject.

  10. ENGINEERED STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FOR LOW-INCOME URBAN COMMUNITIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    This project addresses issues related to water quality and quantity in New Jersey’s urbanized watersheds and targets the need for improved environmental quality as a form of prosperity for the people in low-income urban communities.

  11. Simulation of diesel engine emissions on the example of Fiat Panda in the NEDC test

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Botwinska, Katarzyna; Mruk, Remigiusz; Słoma, Jacek; Tucki, Karol; Zaleski, Mateusz

    2017-10-01

    Road transport may be deemed a strategic branch of modern economy. Unfortunately, a rapid increase in the number of on-road motor vehicles entails some negative consequences as well, for instance, excessive concentration of exhausts produced by engines which results in deterioration of air quality. EURO emission standards which define acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of power units is an example of an activity performed in attempt to improve air quality. The EURO standard defines permissible amount of exhausts produced by a vehicle. Presently new units are examined through NEDC test. For the purpose of this thesis, a virtual test stand in a form of a computer simulation of a chassis dynamometer was used to simulate emission of a diesel engine (compression-ignition engine) in the NEDC test. Actual parameters of the 1.3 MultiJet engine of the Fiat Panda passenger car of 2014 were applied in the model. The simulation was carried out in the Matlab Simulink environment. The simulation model of the Fiat Panda passenger car enables the designation of the emission waveform for all test stages which corresponds to the values received during an approval test in real-life conditions.

  12. CF60 Concrete Composition Design and Application on Fudiankou Xijiang Super Large Bridge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qiu, Yi Mei; Wen, Sen Yuan; Chen, Jun Xiang

    2018-06-01

    Guangxi Wuzhou City Ring Road Fudiankou Xijiang super large bridge CF60 concrete is a new multi-phase composite high-performance concrete, this paper for the Fudiankou Xijiang bridge structure and characteristics of the project, in accordance with the principle of local materials and technical specification requirements, combined with the site conditions of CF60 engineering high performance concrete component materials, proportion and the technical performance, quantify the main physical and mechanical performance index. Analysis main influencing factors of the technical indicators, reasonable adjustment of concrete mix design parameters, and the use of technical means of admixture and multi-function composite admixture of concrete, obtain the optimal proportion of good work, process, mechanical properties stability and durability of engineering properties, recommend and verification of concrete mix; to explore the CF60 high performance concrete Soil in the Fudiankou Xijiang bridge application technology, detection and tracking the quality of concrete construction, concrete structure during the construction of the key technology and control points is proposed, evaluation of CF60 high performance concrete in the actual engineering application effect and benefit to ensure engineering quality of bridge structure and service life, and super long span bridge engineering construction to provide basis and reference.

  13. Estimating search engine index size variability: a 9-year longitudinal study.

    PubMed

    van den Bosch, Antal; Bogers, Toine; de Kunder, Maurice

    One of the determining factors of the quality of Web search engines is the size of their index. In addition to its influence on search result quality, the size of the indexed Web can also tell us something about which parts of the WWW are directly accessible to the everyday user. We propose a novel method of estimating the size of a Web search engine's index by extrapolating from document frequencies of words observed in a large static corpus of Web pages. In addition, we provide a unique longitudinal perspective on the size of Google and Bing's indices over a nine-year period, from March 2006 until January 2015. We find that index size estimates of these two search engines tend to vary dramatically over time, with Google generally possessing a larger index than Bing. This result raises doubts about the reliability of previous one-off estimates of the size of the indexed Web. We find that much, if not all of this variability can be explained by changes in the indexing and ranking infrastructure of Google and Bing. This casts further doubt on whether Web search engines can be used reliably for cross-sectional webometric studies.

  14. Russian engineering education in the era of change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vladimirovich Pukharenko, Yurii; Vladimirovna Norina, Natalia; Aleksandrovich Norin, Veniamin

    2017-03-01

    The article investigates modern issues of engineering education in Russia related to introduction of the Bologna system. The author shows that the situation in the education in general gives reasons for concern; the issue of qualitative enrolment of students for engineering specialties escalates; graduates with masters and bachelors' degrees are not in demand in industries or agriculture due to poor training for work in the real life. The main cause of problems in the engineering personnel training in Russia (lacking effective relationship with employers and universities) is discussed. The ways to overcome such issues in quality engineering training were investigated. The author has considered new requirements to engineering education and have briefly compare the Russian model of engineering education with the European and American models. The prospects of the Russian engineering education (transiting to the sixth technological mode) and issues of NBIC-convergent engineering education have been examined.

  15. Use of Soft Computing Technologies for a Qualitative and Reliable Engine Control System for Propulsion Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trevino, Luis; Brown, Terry; Crumbley, R. T. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    The problem to be addressed in this paper is to explore how the use of Soft Computing Technologies (SCT) could be employed to improve overall vehicle system safety, reliability, and rocket engine performance by development of a qualitative and reliable engine control system (QRECS). Specifically, this will be addressed by enhancing rocket engine control using SCT, innovative data mining tools, and sound software engineering practices used in Marshall's Flight Software Group (FSG). The principle goals for addressing the issue of quality are to improve software management, software development time, software maintenance, processor execution, fault tolerance and mitigation, and nonlinear control in power level transitions. The intent is not to discuss any shortcomings of existing engine control methodologies, but to provide alternative design choices for control, implementation, performance, and sustaining engineering, all relative to addressing the issue of reliability. The approaches outlined in this paper will require knowledge in the fields of rocket engine propulsion (system level), software engineering for embedded flight software systems, and soft computing technologies (i.e., neural networks, fuzzy logic, data mining, and Bayesian belief networks); some of which are briefed in this paper. For this effort, the targeted demonstration rocket engine testbed is the MC-1 engine (formerly FASTRAC) which is simulated with hardware and software in the Marshall Avionics & Software Testbed (MAST) laboratory that currently resides at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, building 4476, and is managed by the Avionics Department. A brief plan of action for design, development, implementation, and testing a Phase One effort for QRECS is given, along with expected results. Phase One will focus on development of a Smart Start Engine Module and a Mainstage Engine Module for proper engine start and mainstage engine operations. The overall intent is to demonstrate that by employing soft computing technologies, the quality and reliability of the overall scheme to engine controller development is further improved and vehicle safety is further insured. The final product that this paper proposes is an approach to development of an alternative low cost engine controller that would be capable of performing in unique vision spacecraft vehicles requiring low cost advanced avionics architectures for autonomous operations from engine pre-start to engine shutdown.

  16. A conceptual study of automatic and semi-automatic quality assurance techniques for round image processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    This report summarizes the results of a study conducted by Engineering and Economics Research (EER), Inc. under NASA Contract Number NAS5-27513. The study involved the development of preliminary concepts for automatic and semiautomatic quality assurance (QA) techniques for ground image processing. A distinction is made between quality assessment and the more comprehensive quality assurance which includes decision making and system feedback control in response to quality assessment.

  17. Quality-assurance plan and field methods for quality-of-water activities, U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mann, L.J.

    1996-10-01

    Water-quality activities at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Project Office are part of the US Geological Survey`s (USGS) Water Resources Division (WRD) mission of appraising the quantity and quality of the Nation`s water resources. The purpose of the Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) for water-quality activities performed by the INEL Project Office is to maintain and improve the quality of technical products, and to provide a formal standardization, documentation, and review of the activities that lead to these products. The principles of this plan are as follows: (1) water-quality programs will be planned in a competent manner and activities willmore » be monitored for compliance with stated objectives and approaches; (2) field, laboratory, and office activities will be performed in a conscientious and professional manner in accordance with specified WRD practices and procedures by qualified and experienced employees who are well trained and supervised, if or when, WRD practices and procedures are inadequate, data will be collected in a manner that its quality will be documented; (3) all water-quality activities will be reviewed for completeness, reliability, credibility, and conformance to specified standards and guidelines; (4) a record of actions will be kept to document the activity and the assigned responsibility; (5) remedial action will be taken to correct activities that are deficient.« less

  18. Role to Be Played by Independent Geotechnical Supervision in the Foundation for Bridge Construction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sobala, Dariusz; Rybak, Jarosław

    2017-10-01

    Some remarks concerning the necessity of employing an independent and over all ethical geotechnical survey were presented in the paper. Starting from the design phase, through the whole construction process, the importance of geotechnical engineer is stated in legal acts. Numerous testing technologies serve for the calibration of geotechnical technologies and allow for confirming the quality and capacity of piles. Special emphasis was payed to the involvement of scientifical and research institutions which can not only serve services but also can postprocess and methodize collected data. Such databases enable for new codes, methods and recommendations. Selection of deep foundations for bridge-type structures is most often dependent on complex geotechnical conditions, concentrated loads and constraints for pier displacements. Besides the last ones, prior to more common introduction of the design-construct system, could be a convenient justification for design engineer, who imposed deep foundation because he did not want or was not able to estimate the effect of pier settlement on civil engineering structure. The paper provides some notes about the need to engage a geotechnical supervising service of high competency and ethical quality during engineering and construction stages of foundations for bridge-type structures where legal requirements are of special consideration. Successive stages of projects are reviewed and research methods used for current calibration of geotechnical technologies and verification of geotechnical work quality are analysed. Special attention is given to potential involvement of independent R&D institutions which, apart from rendering specific services, also collect and systemize the research results thus enabling, in the long term, to revise engineering standards, instructions and guidelines.

  19. Environmental Assessment Construction of a New Hazardous Cargo Pad Davis-Monthan AFB

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-11-07

    PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 355th Civil Engineer Squadron (CES/CEVA),710 Third Street,Davis-Monthan AFB,AZ,85707 8. PERFORMING...agency for certain projects. Details of the preparation of this EA are mandated by the Council of Enviromental Quality (CEQ) in the series of...Base, Tucson, Arizona." October 1996. James M. Montgomery, Consulting Engineers for US army Corps of Engineers , Omaha Dist., Apri11990

  20. Determination of Air Quality. Proceedings of the ACS Symposium on Determination of Air Quality.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mamantov, Gleb, Ed.; Shults, W. D., Ed.

    Composed of data submitted by a variety of experts in the field, this book provides an introduction to air pollution control. It contains the proceedings of the American Chemical Society Symposium on Determination of Air Quality held in Los Angeles, California, April 1-2, 1971. Contributions from chemists, physicians, engineers, administrators,…

  1. Time for a Tune-Up: Comprehensive Curriculum Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meyers, Lisa H.

    2005-01-01

    How important is a high-quality curriculum? A school without a quality curriculum is like a car without an engine--neither goes anywhere. One responsibility of a school administrator is to ensure that quality curriculum is designed, adopted, and implemented. The No Child Left Behind act (NCLB) has focused the attention of an entire nation on the…

  2. Quality Control in construction.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-01-01

    behavioral scientists. In 1962, Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa gave shape to the form of training which featured intradepartmental groups of ten or so workers seated...and Japanese circles bears closer scrutiny. 4.3.1 Japanese Ingredients of Quality The founder of quality circles, Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa , gives six...around 51 a table; hence the name Quality Control Circle. 4 Dr. 0 Ishikawa was an engineering professor at Tokyo University, and the circles were

  3. The application of computer image analysis in life sciences and environmental engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mazur, R.; Lewicki, A.; Przybył, K.; Zaborowicz, M.; Koszela, K.; Boniecki, P.; Mueller, W.; Raba, B.

    2014-04-01

    The main aim of the article was to present research on the application of computer image analysis in Life Science and Environmental Engineering. The authors used different methods of computer image analysis in developing of an innovative biotest in modern biomonitoring of water quality. Created tools were based on live organisms such as bioindicators Lemna minor L. and Hydra vulgaris Pallas as well as computer image analysis method in the assessment of negatives reactions during the exposition of the organisms to selected water toxicants. All of these methods belong to acute toxicity tests and are particularly essential in ecotoxicological assessment of water pollutants. Developed bioassays can be used not only in scientific research but are also applicable in environmental engineering and agriculture in the study of adverse effects on water quality of various compounds used in agriculture and industry.

  4. Automated Scoring of Chinese Engineering Students' English Essays

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Ming; Wang, Yuqi; Xu, Weiwei; Liu, Li

    2017-01-01

    The number of Chinese engineering students has increased greatly since 1999. Rating the quality of these students' English essays has thus become time-consuming and challenging. This paper presents a novel automatic essay scoring algorithm called PSOSVR, based on a machine learning algorithm, Support Vector Machine for Regression (SVR), and a…

  5. Decoding Student Satisfaction: How to Manage and Improve the Laboratory Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nikolic, Sasha; Ritz, Christian; Vial, Peter James; Ros, Montserrat; Stirling, David

    2015-01-01

    The laboratory plays an important role in teaching engineering skills. An Electrical Engineering department at an Australian University implemented a reform to monitor and improve student satisfaction with the teaching laboratories. A Laboratory Manager was employed to oversee the quality of 27 courses containing instructional laboratories.…

  6. Scientific Allocation of Water Resources.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buras, Nathan

    Oriented for higher education students, researchers, practicing engineers and planners, this book surveys the state of the art of water resources engineering. A broad spectrum of issues is embraced in the treatment of water resources: quantity aspects as well as quality aspects within a systems approach. Using a rational mode for water resources…

  7. Emerging Media in Engineering Technology: A Case Study in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ostler, Karl B.

    2013-01-01

    Technical illustration, 3D modeling, and design drafting under the discipline of engineering technology face rapid change and advancements in technologies such that educational leaders must continually anticipate change and make intelligent choices in providing a quality educational experience to adult students. However, how successful program…

  8. Information Literacy for First-Year Students: An Embedded Curriculum Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andrews, T.; Patil, R.

    2007-01-01

    The ability to access, evaluate and synthesise high-quality research material is the backbone of critical thinking in academic and professional contexts for Engineers and Industrial Designers. This is the premise upon which teaching and library staff developed Information Literacy (IL) components in Engineering & Industrial Design Practice--a…

  9. 78 FR 19128 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Ohio; Particulate Matter Standards

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-29

    ... holidays. We recommend that you telephone Matt Rau, Environmental Engineer, at (312) 886-6524 before visiting the Region 5 office. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt Rau, Environmental Engineer, Control..., Restrictions on Particulate Emissions from Industrial Sources, on December 13, 2011. The revised rule was...

  10. Impact of Transportation on the Environment and Quality of Life.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schuster, James J.

    This paper discusses the changing role of civil engineers in developed nations. Transportation facilities generally follow a four phase approach before construction: long range systems planning, corridor location study, design location study, and final preparation of plans. Traditional engineering education emphasized the latter two phases but now…

  11. Future of Software Engineering Standards

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Poon, Peter T.

    1997-01-01

    In the new millennium, software engineering standards are expected to continue to influence the process of producing software-intensive systems which are cost-effetive and of high quality. These sytems may range from ground and flight systems used for planetary exploration to educational support systems used in schools as well as consumer-oriented systems.

  12. 40 CFR 92.105 - General equipment specifications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... measurements. Instruments used to measure engine power output shall comply with the requirements of § 92.106... they produce a permanent visual data record of a quality equal to or better than those required by this... calculating the engine intake humidity; (ii) The temperature of the fuel, in volume measuring flow rate...

  13. Evaluation of Current Assessment Methods in Engineering Entrepreneurship Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Purzer, Senay; Fila, Nicholas; Nataraja, Kavin

    2016-01-01

    Quality assessment is an essential component of education that allows educators to support student learning and improve educational programs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the current state of assessment in engineering entrepreneurship education. We identified 52 assessment instruments covered in 29 journal articles and conference…

  14. Digitizing Images for Curriculum 21: Phase II.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Alice D.

    Although visual databases exist for the study of art, architecture, geography, health care, and other areas, readily accessible sources of quality images are not available for engineering faculty interested in developing multimedia modules or for student projects. Presented here is a brief review of Phase I of the Engineering Visual Database…

  15. High School Student Information Access and Engineering Design Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mentzer, Nathan

    2014-01-01

    Developing solutions to engineering design problems requires access to information. Research has shown that appropriately accessing and using information in the design process improves solution quality. This quasi-experimental study provides two groups of high school students with a design problem in a three hour design experience. One group has…

  16. Index Relativity and Patron Search Strategy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allison, DeeAnn; Childers Scott

    2002-01-01

    Describes a study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that compared searches in two different keyword indexes with similar content where search results were dependent on search strategy quality, search engine execution, and content. Results showed search engine execution had an impact on the number of matches and that users ignored search help…

  17. Anti-knock quality of sugar derived levulinic esters and cyclic ethers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tian, Miao; McCormick, Robert L.; Luecke, Jon

    Here, the objective of this paper is to investigate the anti-knock quality of sugar-derived levulinic esters (methyl levulinate (ML) and ethyl levulinate (EL)) and cyclic ethers (furfuryl ethyl ether (FEE) and ethyl tetrahydrofurfuryl ether (ETE)). To this end, combustion experiments were carried out in both an engine and a constant volume autoignition device. The results from both apparati demonstrate that ML, EL and FEE have superior anti-knock quality than the reference Euro95 gasoline. ETE, conversely, performed markedly worse than the reference fuel on both setups and might therefore be a more appropriate fuel for compression ignition engines. The main reasonmore » of the distinctions in anti-knock quality can be found in the molecular structure of the neat biofuels. ML and EL are levulinic esters, with a ketone (C=O) functionality and an ester (C(=O)-O) group on the carbon chain. They can readily produce stable intermediates during the auto-ignition process, thereby slowing down the overall reaction rate. The unsaturated cyclic ether (FEE) has very strong ring C-H bonds. However, the saturated cyclic ether (ETE) has weak ring C-H bonds, which facilitate more readily ring opening reactions. Long side chains on the cyclic ethers further accelerate the reaction rate. Importantly for future research, our results suggest that IQT and engine experiments are interchangeable setups with respect to qualitative anti-knock quality evaluation of novel compounds.« less

  18. Anti-knock quality of sugar derived levulinic esters and cyclic ethers

    DOE PAGES

    Tian, Miao; McCormick, Robert L.; Luecke, Jon; ...

    2017-04-22

    Here, the objective of this paper is to investigate the anti-knock quality of sugar-derived levulinic esters (methyl levulinate (ML) and ethyl levulinate (EL)) and cyclic ethers (furfuryl ethyl ether (FEE) and ethyl tetrahydrofurfuryl ether (ETE)). To this end, combustion experiments were carried out in both an engine and a constant volume autoignition device. The results from both apparati demonstrate that ML, EL and FEE have superior anti-knock quality than the reference Euro95 gasoline. ETE, conversely, performed markedly worse than the reference fuel on both setups and might therefore be a more appropriate fuel for compression ignition engines. The main reasonmore » of the distinctions in anti-knock quality can be found in the molecular structure of the neat biofuels. ML and EL are levulinic esters, with a ketone (C=O) functionality and an ester (C(=O)-O) group on the carbon chain. They can readily produce stable intermediates during the auto-ignition process, thereby slowing down the overall reaction rate. The unsaturated cyclic ether (FEE) has very strong ring C-H bonds. However, the saturated cyclic ether (ETE) has weak ring C-H bonds, which facilitate more readily ring opening reactions. Long side chains on the cyclic ethers further accelerate the reaction rate. Importantly for future research, our results suggest that IQT and engine experiments are interchangeable setups with respect to qualitative anti-knock quality evaluation of novel compounds.« less

  19. Precision manufacturing for clinical-quality regenerative medicines.

    PubMed

    Williams, David J; Thomas, Robert J; Hourd, Paul C; Chandra, Amit; Ratcliffe, Elizabeth; Liu, Yang; Rayment, Erin A; Archer, J Richard

    2012-08-28

    Innovations in engineering applied to healthcare make a significant difference to people's lives. Market growth is guaranteed by demographics. Regulation and requirements for good manufacturing practice-extreme levels of repeatability and reliability-demand high-precision process and measurement solutions. Emerging technologies using living biological materials add complexity. This paper presents some results of work demonstrating the precision automated manufacture of living materials, particularly the expansion of populations of human stem cells for therapeutic use as regenerative medicines. The paper also describes quality engineering techniques for precision process design and improvement, and identifies the requirements for manufacturing technology and measurement systems evolution for such therapies.

  20. A quality evaluation of stabilization of rotation frequency of gas-diesel engines when using an adaptive automatic control system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhilenkov, A. A.; Efremov, A. A.

    2017-02-01

    A possibility of quality improvement of stabilization of rotation frequency of the gas-diesels used as prime mover of generator set in the multigenerator units working for abruptly variable load of large power is considered. An evaluation is made on the condition of fuzzy controller use developed and described by the authors in a number of articles. An evaluation has shown that theoretically, the revolution range of a gas-diesel engine may be reduced 25-30 times in case of optimal settings of the controller in the whole power range. The results of modelling showing a considerable quality improvement of transient processes in the investigated system during a sharp change of loading are presented in this article.

  1. SWMM 5 REDEVELOPMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM

    EPA Science Inventory

    EPA recently released a new version of the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) that combines a new interface with a completely re-written computational engine. The SWMM redevelopment project proceeded under a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) that describes methods and proced...

  2. Variability of patient spine education by Internet search engine.

    PubMed

    Ghobrial, George M; Mehdi, Angud; Maltenfort, Mitchell; Sharan, Ashwini D; Harrop, James S

    2014-03-01

    Patients are increasingly reliant upon the Internet as a primary source of medical information. The educational experience varies by search engine, search term, and changes daily. There are no tools for critical evaluation of spinal surgery websites. To highlight the variability between common search engines for the same search terms. To detect bias, by prevalence of specific kinds of websites for certain spinal disorders. Demonstrate a simple scoring system of spinal disorder website for patient use, to maximize the quality of information exposed to the patient. Ten common search terms were used to query three of the most common search engines. The top fifty results of each query were tabulated. A negative binomial regression was performed to highlight the variation across each search engine. Google was more likely than Bing and Yahoo search engines to return hospital ads (P=0.002) and more likely to return scholarly sites of peer-reviewed lite (P=0.003). Educational web sites, surgical group sites, and online web communities had a significantly higher likelihood of returning on any search, regardless of search engine, or search string (P=0.007). Likewise, professional websites, including hospital run, industry sponsored, legal, and peer-reviewed web pages were less likely to be found on a search overall, regardless of engine and search string (P=0.078). The Internet is a rapidly growing body of medical information which can serve as a useful tool for patient education. High quality information is readily available, provided that the patient uses a consistent, focused metric for evaluating online spine surgery information, as there is a clear variability in the way search engines present information to the patient. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  3. Energy efficient engine high pressure turbine ceramic shroud support technology report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nelson, W. A.; Carlson, R. G.

    1982-01-01

    This work represents the development and fabrication of ceramic HPT (high pressure turbine) shrouds for the Energy Efficient Engine (E3). Details are presented covering the work performed on the ceramic shroud development task of the NASA/GE Energy Efficient Engine (E3) component development program. The task consists of four phases which led to the selection of a ZrO2-BY2O3 ceramic shroud material system, the development of an automated plasma spray process to produce acceptable shroud structures, the fabrication of select shroud systems for evaluation in laboratory, component, and CF6-50 engine testing, and finally, the successful fabrication of ZrO2-8Y2O3/superpeg, engine quality shrouds for the E3 engine.

  4. The systems engineering upgrade intiative at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, Ross M.

    2005-01-01

    JPL is implementing an initiative to significantly upgrade our systems engineering capabilities. This Systems Engineering Upgrade Initiative [SUI] has been authorized by the highest level technical management body of JPL and is sponsored with internal funds. The SUI objective is to upgrade system engineering at JPL to a level that is world class, professional and efficient compared to the FY04/05 baseline. JPL system engineering, along with the other engineering disciplines, is intended to support optimum designs; controlled and efficient implementations; and high quality, reliable, cost effective products. SUI technical activities are categorized into those dealing with people, process and tools. The purpose of this paper is to describe the rationale, objectives/plans and current status of the JPL SUI.

  5. Characteristics of public concern on haze in China and its relationship with air quality in urban areas.

    PubMed

    Lu, Yaling; Wang, Yuan; Zuo, Jian; Jiang, Hongqiang; Huang, Dacang; Rameezdeen, Raufdeen

    2018-10-01

    Severe air pollution associated with the rapid urbanization is a pressing issue in China. Moreover, the public awareness of environmental protection in China is awakening, which poses enormous pressure on governments to enforce environmental regulations. The study of environmental problems from the public perspective plays a crucial role in effective environmental governance. The Baidu search engine is the China's largest search engine. The search index of haze based on Baidu search engine reflects the public concern on air quality in China. The aim of this study is to uncover important relationships between public concern and air quality monitoring data based on the case study of haze pollution crisis in China. The results indicate that: (1) the year 2013 is the turning point of the public concern on air quality in China; (2) according to daily data analysis, the search index of haze has increased progressively with increased PM 2.5 concentration with a time lag of 0-4 days and the lag time has a declining tendency from 2013 to 2017; (3) according to annual data analysis, the public concern showed a weak correlation with air quality and they showed an opposite temporal trend. However, when the long-term annual trend was removed, the strong positive correlation emerges between the fluctuation parts of the search index of haze and monitoring data of air quality. This indicates the public is more sensitive to the short-term fluctuation of air quality. The results of this paper provide statistical evidence on the evolution of public concern on air quality from 2013 to 2017. This study will help policy makers to better understand the patterns of the public's perception of environmental problems and consequently improve the government's capability to deal with these challenges. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. [Hospital clinical engineer orientation and function in the maintenance system of hospital medical equipment].

    PubMed

    Li, Bin; Zheng, Yunxin; He, Dehua; Jiang, Ruiyao; Chen, Ying; Jing, Wei

    2012-03-01

    The quantity of medical equipment in hospital rise quickly recent year. It provides the comprehensive support to the clinical service. The maintenance of medical equipment becomes more important than before. It is necessary to study on the orientation and function of clinical engineer in medical equipment maintenance system. Refer to three grade health care system, the community doctors which is called General practitioner, play an important role as the gatekeeper of health care system to triage and cost control. The paper suggests that hospital clinical engineer should play similar role as the gatekeeper of medical equipment maintenance system which composed by hospital clinical engineer, manufacture engineer and third party engineer. The hospital clinical engineer should be responsible of guard a pass of medical equipment maintenance quality and cost control. As the gatekeeper, hospital clinical engineer should take the responsibility of "General engineer" and pay more attention to safety and health of medical equipment. The responsibility description and future transition? development of clinical engineer as "General Engineer" is discussed. More attention should be recommended to the team building of hospital clinical engineer as "General Engineer".

  7. NASA Excellence Award for Quality and Productivity 1989 highlights. The 1989 recipient: Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    The NASA Excellence Award for Productivity and Quality is the result of NASA's desire to encourage superior quality and the continuous improvement philosophy in the aerospace industry. It is awarded to NASA contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers who have demonstrated sustained excellence, customer orientation, and outstanding achievements in a total quality management (TQM) environment. The 'highlights' booklet is intended to transfer successful techniques demonstrated by the performance and quality of major NASA contractors.

  8. Software Reviews Since Acquisition Reform - The Artifact Perspective

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-01-01

    Risk Management OLD NEW Slide 13Acquisition of Software Intensive Systems 2004 – Peter Hantos Single, basic software paradigm Single processor Low...software risk mitigation related trade-offs must be done together Integral Software Engineering Activities Process Maturity and Quality Frameworks Quality

  9. FE-2 Stott analyzes Water Samples using the CQQMK in the US Lab

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2009-10-20

    ISS021-E-010311 (20 Oct. 2009) --- NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Expedition 21 flight engineer, conducts a water quality analysis using the Colorimetric Water Quality Monitoring Kit (CWQMK) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

  10. 33 CFR 337.7 - Emergency actions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... the procedures of this regulation to the maximum degree practicable. The district engineer will issue... action would constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human... Environmental Quality about alternative arrangements for compliance with the NEPA in accordance with 40 CFR 1506...

  11. DARPA Concurrent Design/Concurrent Engineering Workshop Held in Key West, Florida on December 6-8, 1988

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-12-01

    engineering disciplines. (Here I refer to training in multifunction team mana ement dir’lplines, quality engineering methods, experimental design by such...4001 SSOME ISSUES S• View of strategic issues has been evolving - Speed of design and product deployment - to accelerate experimentation with new...manufacturingprocess design n New technologies (e.g., composites) which can revolutionize prod-uct technical design in some cases Issue still to be faced: " non

  12. Quality Assessment and Accessibility Applications of Crowdsourced Geospatial Data: A Report on the Development and Extension of the George Mason University Geocrowdsourcing Testbed

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-09-01

    Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Prepared for Geospatial Research Laboratory U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development...Center U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Under Data Level Enterprise Tools Monitored by Geospatial Research Laboratory 7701 Telegraph Road...Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) ERDC Geospatial Research Laboratory 7701 Telegraph Road 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT Alexandria, VA 22135

  13. The Federal Investment in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education: Where Now? What Next? Report of the Expert Panel for the Review of Federal Education Programs in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering and Technology, Washington, DC.

    Despite efforts to improve the quality and equity of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) education at all educational levels, the nation remains at risk of losing its competitive edge. This report presents the findings of a special panel convened for two purposes: (1) to review federal programs in SMET education at all levels;…

  14. The future in Agricultural Engineering: news degrees in the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cartagena, M. Carmen; Tarquis, A. M.; Vázquez, J.; Serrano, A.; Arce, A.

    2010-05-01

    The Bologna process is to improve the quality of education, mobility, diversity and the competitiveness and involves three fundamental changes: transform of the structure of titles, changing in methods of teaching and implementation of the systems of quality assurance. Engineer Agronomist at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) has been offered as a degree of five years with a total of 400 credits and seven optional orientations: Crop Production, Plant and Breeding Protection, Environment, Agricultural Economics, Animal Production, Rural Engineering and Food Technology. Actually, the Bologna plan creates three new degrees: Engineering and Science Agronomic, Food Engineering and Agro-Environmental Engineering, with 240 ECTS each one of them and with specific professional characteristics. The changes that involve the introduction of these new degrees is perhaps the largest occurred never at the Spanish university system, not only by the drastic transformation in the structure of titles, but also by the new changes that lie ahead in teaching methods. Among others we will comment the following ones: -A year decreased duration of studies and therefore incorporation into the market. - Elimination of the seven current guidelines to create three specific qualifications of degree. -Decrease of optional subjects and increase in credits for the basic subjects. - Inclusion of business practices. - Increase in the number of credits of final project. - Changes in methodologies and a higher involvement of teachers and students in the education.

  15. Multifactorial Optimization of Contrast-Enhanced Nanofocus Computed Tomography for Quantitative Analysis of Neo-Tissue Formation in Tissue Engineering Constructs.

    PubMed

    Sonnaert, Maarten; Kerckhofs, Greet; Papantoniou, Ioannis; Van Vlierberghe, Sandra; Boterberg, Veerle; Dubruel, Peter; Luyten, Frank P; Schrooten, Jan; Geris, Liesbet

    2015-01-01

    To progress the fields of tissue engineering (TE) and regenerative medicine, development of quantitative methods for non-invasive three dimensional characterization of engineered constructs (i.e. cells/tissue combined with scaffolds) becomes essential. In this study, we have defined the most optimal staining conditions for contrast-enhanced nanofocus computed tomography for three dimensional visualization and quantitative analysis of in vitro engineered neo-tissue (i.e. extracellular matrix containing cells) in perfusion bioreactor-developed Ti6Al4V constructs. A fractional factorial 'design of experiments' approach was used to elucidate the influence of the staining time and concentration of two contrast agents (Hexabrix and phosphotungstic acid) and the neo-tissue volume on the image contrast and dataset quality. Additionally, the neo-tissue shrinkage that was induced by phosphotungstic acid staining was quantified to determine the operating window within which this contrast agent can be accurately applied. For Hexabrix the staining concentration was the main parameter influencing image contrast and dataset quality. Using phosphotungstic acid the staining concentration had a significant influence on the image contrast while both staining concentration and neo-tissue volume had an influence on the dataset quality. The use of high concentrations of phosphotungstic acid did however introduce significant shrinkage of the neo-tissue indicating that, despite sub-optimal image contrast, low concentrations of this staining agent should be used to enable quantitative analysis. To conclude, design of experiments allowed us to define the most optimal staining conditions for contrast-enhanced nanofocus computed tomography to be used as a routine screening tool of neo-tissue formation in Ti6Al4V constructs, transforming it into a robust three dimensional quality control methodology.

  16. HVAC--the importance of clean intake section and dry air filter in cold climate.

    PubMed

    Hanssen, S O

    2004-01-01

    HVAC systems, if properly designed, installed, operated and maintained, will improve thermal conditions and air quality indoors. However, the success strongly depends on the design of the system and the quality of the components we use in our HVAC installations. Regrettably, several investigations have revealed that many HVAC installations have a lot of operational and maintenance problems, especially related to moisture, rain and snow entrainment. In short, it seems that too little attention is placed on the design of the intake section, despite the fact that there exists a large number of national and international guidelines and recommendations. This is a serious problem because the air intake is the initial component of the ventilation plant and as such the first line of defense against debris and other outdoor air pollutants. Unfortunately, the design is often an argued compromise between the architect, the civil engineer and the HVAC engineer. In the future, the technical, hygienic and microbiological feature of air intakes must be better ensured in order to avoid the air intake becoming a risk component as regards contamination and indoor air quality. Further, it seems that the magnitude of the problem is not well known, or recognized, by the building designers, engineers and professionals involved in the construction and operation of buildings. This fact needs to be addressed more seriously, because obviously there is a big difference between the idealistic architectonic design, engineering intentions and the real life situation. Several practical recommendations for design and operation of HVAC systems are presented. Following the recommendations will result in less pollution from the HVAC-system and increased indoor environmental quality.

  17. CrossTalk: The Journal of Defense Software Engineering. Volume 24, Number 6. November/December 2011

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-11-01

    Software Development.” Software Quality Professional Journal, American Society for Quality (ASQ), (March 2010) 4-14. 3. Nair, Gopalakrishnan T.R...Inspection Performance Metric”. Software Quality Professional Journal, American Society for Quality (ASQ), Volume 13, Issue 2, (March 2011) 14-26...the discovery process and are marketed by compa- nies such as Black Duck Software, OpenLogic, Palamida, and Protecode, among others.7 A number of open

  18. Genetic Engineering of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.).

    PubMed

    Wang, Dan; Khurshid, Muhammad; Sun, Zhan Min; Tang, Yi Xiong; Zhou, Mei Liang; Wu, Yan Min

    2016-01-01

    Alfalfa is excellent perennial legume forage for its extensive ecological adaptability, high nutrition value, palatability and biological nitrogen fixation. It plays a very important role in the agriculture, animal husbandry and ecological construction. It is cultivated in all continents. With the development of modern plant breeding and genetic engineering techniques, a large amount of work has been carried out on alfalfa. Here we summarize the recent research advances in genetic engineering of alfalfa breeding, including transformation, quality improvement, stress resistance and as a bioreactor. The review article can enables us to understand the research method, direction and achievements of genetic engineering technology of Alfalfa.

  19. 75 FR 16022 - Airworthiness Directives; Turbomeca S.A. MAKILA 1A and 1A1 Turboshaft Engines

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-31

    ... investigation by Turbom[eacute]ca are that these malfunctions are due to a lapse of quality control in the... Turbomeca are that these malfunctions are due to a lapse of quality control in the varnishing process... these malfunctions are due to a lapse of quality control in the varnishing process applied to the boards...

  20. Commentary: the role of mentored internships for systems engineering in improving health care delivery.

    PubMed

    Day, T Eugene; Goldlust, Eric J; True, William R

    2010-09-01

    The authors advise the adoption of mentored internships in systems engineering, conducted at academic hospitals, directed by physicians, epidemiologists, and health administrators and overseen by faculty at attendant schools of engineering. Such internships are anticipated to directly address the immediate objectives of administrators and clinicians. Additionally, this affords future generations of health care engineers the opportunity to learn the language and methodology of the medical sciences to provide a common ground for the analysis and understanding of medical systems. In turn, this should foster collaboration between the principal stakeholders in health care delivery--practitioners, administrators, engineers, and researchers--in the collective efforts to improve the quality of services provided.

  1. Manufacturing Cell Therapies Using Engineered Biomaterials.

    PubMed

    Abdeen, Amr A; Saha, Krishanu

    2017-10-01

    Emerging manufacturing processes to generate regenerative advanced therapies can involve extensive genomic and/or epigenomic manipulation of autologous or allogeneic cells. These cell engineering processes need to be carefully controlled and standardized to maximize safety and efficacy in clinical trials. Engineered biomaterials with smart and tunable properties offer an intriguing tool to provide or deliver cues to retain stemness, direct differentiation, promote reprogramming, manipulate the genome, or select functional phenotypes. This review discusses the use of engineered biomaterials to control human cell manufacturing. Future work exploiting engineered biomaterials has the potential to generate manufacturing processes that produce standardized cells with well-defined critical quality attributes appropriate for clinical testing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Principles of Water Quality Control.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tebbutt, T. H. Y.

    This book is designed as a text for undergraduate civil engineering courses and as preliminary reading for postgraduate courses in public health engineering and water resources technology. It is also intended to be of value to workers already in the field and to students preparing for the examinations of the Institute of Water Pollution Control…

  3. Cost or Quality?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Purzer, Senay; Duncan-Wiles, Daphne; Strobel, Johannes

    2013-01-01

    Hopscotch, basketball, or hide-and-seek? Children have many choices at recess, and while making these choices they must consider and make trade-offs. The way they make these decisions is not that different from the thought processes engineers use when making design trade-offs. Engineers have to make trade-offs because a design that meets all…

  4. A Multidimensional Approach to Examine Student Interdisciplinary Learning in Science and Engineering in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spelt, Elisabeth Jacoba Hendrika; Luning, Pieternelleke Arianne; van Boekel, Martinus A. J. S.; Mulder, Martin

    2017-01-01

    Preparing science and engineering students to work in interdisciplinary teams necessitates research on teaching and learning of interdisciplinary thinking. A multidimensional approach was taken to examine student interdisciplinary learning in a master course on food quality management. The collected 615 student experiences were analysed for the…

  5. 33 CFR 385.35 - Achievement of the benefits of the Plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... and quality. (1) Not later than June 14, 2004 the Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District shall, in consultation with the Department of the Interior, the Miccosukee Tribe of... Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District in determining if existing legal sources of water...

  6. On the Cultivation of Automation Majors' Research Innovation Ability Based on Scientific Research Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Lipeng; Li, Mingqiu

    2012-01-01

    Currently, it has become a fundamental goal for the engineering major to cultivate high-quality engineering technicians with innovation ability in scientific research which is an important academic ability necessary for them. This paper mainly explores the development of comprehensive and designing experiments in automation based on scientific…

  7. Discontinuities in University Student Experiences of Learning through Discussions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellis, Robert A.; Calvo, Rafael A.

    2006-01-01

    This article reports on research into the student experience of learning through discussions in a third-year undergraduate engineering subject. Information engineering students studying e-commerce were required to engage in face-to-face and online discussions as a key aspect of their learning experience. This study investigates the quality of the…

  8. Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 1996.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA.

    In an increasingly global economy, making full use of all of the United States' human resources is essential to successful international competition, world leadership in science and engineering, and an improved quality of life. However, some groups--women, minorities, and persons with disabilities--are still underrepresented in science and…

  9. DESIGN OF AN ENGINE GENERATOR FOR THE RURAL POOR: A SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS APPROACH

    EPA Science Inventory

    The system consists of a fuel source (a biodiesel system), a combustion/boiler system, and a steam engine/generator. The biodiesel system proved to be simplistic in its design and low cost; it successfully made high-quality biodiesel in an efficient manner. The main issues to ...

  10. Evaluation in STEM Online Graduate Degree Programs in Agricultural Sciences and Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Downs, Holly A.

    2014-01-01

    Demands for online graduate degrees have increased pressure on universities to launch web degrees quickly and, at times, without attending to their quality. Scarce research exists identifying what evaluation activities are being done by science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) online graduate degree programs that are accustomed to…

  11. Characterization of emissions from commercial aircraft engines during the Aircraft Particle Emissions eXperiment (APEX) 1 to 3

    EPA Science Inventory

    The fine particulate matter emissions from aircraft operations at large airports located in areas of the U. S. designated as non-attainment for the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for PM-2.5 are of major environmental concern. PM emissions data for commercial aircraft engin...

  12. A critical evaluation of combustible/explosible dust testing methods-part 1

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Tests were conducted by the Center for Agricultural Air Quality Engineering and Science (CAAQES) and by Safety Consulting Engineers Inc. (SCE) to determine if dust found in cotton gins (gin dust) would serve as fuel for dust explosions. In other words, is gin dust explosible? The laboratory tests us...

  13. Integrated STEM: Focus on Informal Education and Community Collaboration through Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burrows, Andrea; Lockwood, Meghan; Borowczak, Mike; Janak, Edward; Barber, Brian

    2018-01-01

    This article showcases STEM as an interdisciplinary field in which the disciplines strengthen and support each other (not as separate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines). The authors focus on an open-ended, complex problem--water quality--as the primary teaching and learning task. The participants, middle school female…

  14. Development of Chemical Engineering Course Methods Using Action Research: Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Virkki-Hatakka, Terhi; Tuunila, Ritva; Nurkka, Niina

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports on the systematic development of a teaching methodology for two chemical engineering courses. The aim was to improve the quality of teaching to achieve expected learning outcomes more effectively. The development was carried out over a period of several years based on an action research methodology with data systematically…

  15. Analysis of Arguments Constructed by First-Year Engineering Students Addressing Electromagnetic Induction Problems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Almudi, Jose Manuel; Ceberio, Mikel

    2015-01-01

    This study explored the quality of arguments used by first-year engineering university students enrolled in a traditional physics course dealing with electromagnetic induction and related problem solving where they had to assess whether the electromagnetic induction phenomenon would occur. Their conclusions were analyzed for the relevance of the…

  16. Studying Faculty Members' and Students' Perspective in an Affiliated Undergraduate Engineering Institution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kumari, Neeraj

    2015-01-01

    The study aims to examine the relationship between parameters affecting the quality of Education in affiliated Under Graduate Engineering institution from the faculty members' and students' perspective. It is a descriptive research. The data has been collected with the help of "Questionnaire Based Survey". The sample size for the study…

  17. 33 CFR 385.35 - Achievement of the benefits of the Plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... and quality. (1) Not later than June 14, 2004 the Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District shall, in consultation with the Department of the Interior, the Miccosukee Tribe of... Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District in determining if existing legal sources of water...

  18. Webcasts Promote In-Class Active Participation and Learning in an Engineering Elective Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freguia, Stefano

    2017-01-01

    This paper describes the design and outcomes of an educational intervention undertaken to improve the quality of delivery of a fourth-year engineering elective course--Industrial Wastewater and Solid Waste Management at the University of Queensland. The objective was to increase the level of active participation of students in planned…

  19. E-Learning in Engineering Education: Design of a Collaborative Advanced Remote Access Laboratory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chandra A. P., Jagadeesh; Samuel, R. D. Sudhaker

    2010-01-01

    Attaining excellence in technical education is a worthy challenge to any life goal. Distance learning opportunities make these goals easier to reach with added quality. Distance learning in engineering education is possible only through successful implementations of remote laboratories in a learning-by-doing environment. This paper presents one…

  20. Effects of the Meetings-Flow Approach on Quality Teamwork in the Training of Software Capstone Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Chung-Yang; Hong, Ya-Chun; Chen, Pei-Chi

    2014-01-01

    Software development relies heavily on teamwork; determining how to streamline this collaborative development is an essential training subject in computer and software engineering education. A team process known as the meetings-flow (MF) approach has recently been introduced in software capstone projects in engineering programs at various…

  1. Value Engineering. Technical Manual. School Facilities Development Procedures Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Washington Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Olympia.

    Value Engineering (VE) is a cost-optimizing technique used to analyze design quality and cost-effectiveness. The application of VE procedures to the design and construction of school facilities has been adopted by the state of Washington. This technical manual provides guidance in developing the scope and applicability of VE to school projects; in…

  2. Just-in-Time Web Searches for Trainers & Adult Educators.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirk, James J.

    Trainers and adult educators often need to quickly locate quality information on the World Wide Web (WWW) and need assistance in searching for such information. A "search engine" is an application used to query existing information on the WWW. The three types of search engines are computer-generated indexes, directories, and meta search…

  3. Transactional, Cooperative, and Communal: Relating the Structure of Engineering Engagement Programs with the Nature of Partnerships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Julia D.; Jesiek, Brent K.

    2017-01-01

    This paper examines how the structural features of engineering engagement programs (EEPs) are related to the nature of their service-learning partnerships. "Structure" refers to formal and informal models, processes, and operations adopted or used to describe engagement programs, while "nature" signifies the quality of…

  4. Factors Affecting the Quality of Engineering Education in the Four Largest Emerging Economies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loyalka, Prashant; Carnoy, Martin; Froumin, Isak; Dossani, Raffiq; Tilak, J. B.; Yang, Po

    2014-01-01

    A huge increase in engineering graduates from the BRIC countries in recent decades potentially threatens the competitiveness of developed countries in producing high value-added products and services, while also holding great promise for substantially increasing the level of global basic and applied innovation. The key question is whether the…

  5. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Perl, Martin L.; /SLAC

    In this talk I discuss a range of topics on developing creativity and innovation in engineering and science: the constraints on creativity and innovation such as the necessity of a fitting into the realities of the physical world; necessary personal qualities; getting a good idea in engineering and science; the art of obsession; the technology you use; and the technology of the future.

  6. Design Considerations for Human Rating of Liquid Rocket Engines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parkinson, Douglas

    2010-01-01

    I.Human-rating is specific to each engine; a. Context of program/project must be understood. b. Engine cannot be discussed independently from vehicle and mission. II. Utilize a logical combination of design, manufacturing, and test approaches a. Design 1) It is crucial to know the potential ways a system can fail, and how a failure can propagate; 2) Fault avoidance, fault tolerance, DFMR, caution and warning all have roles to play. b. Manufacturing and Assembly; 1) As-built vs. as-designed; 2) Review procedures for assembly and maintenance periodically; and 3) Keep personnel trained and certified. c. There is no substitute for test: 1) Analytical tools are constantly advancing, but still need test data for anchoring assumptions; 2) Demonstrate robustness and explore sensitivities; 3) Ideally, flight will be encompassed by ground test experience. III. Consistency and repeatability is key in production a. Maintain robust processes and procedures for inspection and quality control based upon development and qualification experience; b. Establish methods to "spot check" quality and consistency in parts: 1) Dedicated ground test engines; 2) Random components pulled from the line/lot to go through "enhanced" testing.

  7. Application of near-infrared image processing in agricultural engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Ming-hong; Zhang, Guo-ping; Xia, Hongxing

    2009-07-01

    Recently, with development of computer technology, the application field of near-infrared image processing becomes much wider. In this paper the technical characteristic and development of modern NIR imaging and NIR spectroscopy analysis were introduced. It is concluded application and studying of the NIR imaging processing technique in the agricultural engineering in recent years, base on the application principle and developing characteristic of near-infrared image. The NIR imaging would be very useful in the nondestructive external and internal quality inspecting of agricultural products. It is important to detect stored-grain insects by the application of near-infrared spectroscopy. Computer vision detection base on the NIR imaging would be help to manage food logistics. Application of NIR imaging promoted quality management of agricultural products. In the further application research fields of NIR image in the agricultural engineering, Some advices and prospect were put forward.

  8. Science and Engineering Alliance, Inc., Annual Report 1993

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    1994-01-01

    Science and Engineering Alliance (SEA) is a not-for-profit corporation formed by four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and a leading national laboratory. The four HBCU Institutions are: Alabama A and M University, Jackson State University, Prairie View A and M University, and Southern University and A and M College. The national laboratory is Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This was a year of continued focusing for SEA. Guided by the belief that involving faculty and students in high-quality research, coupled with implementing action plans to enhance the research infrastructure of the universities will lead to the production of well-qualified African-Americanmore » scientists and engineers, SEA research agenda became one of the primary focus. The Research Design Teams represents SEA's vanguard activity, and their work this past year reflected the commitment to producing technical talent of the highest quality.« less

  9. Incident-response monitoring technologies for aircraft cabin air quality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Magoha, Paul W.

    Poor air quality in commercial aircraft cabins can be caused by volatile organophosphorus (OP) compounds emitted from the jet engine bleed air system during smoke/fume incidents. Tri-cresyl phosphate (TCP), a common anti-wear additive in turbine engine oils, is an important component in today's global aircraft operations. However, exposure to TCP increases risks of certain adverse health effects. This research analyzed used aircraft cabin air filters for jet engine oil contaminants and designed a jet engine bleed air simulator (BAS) to replicate smoke/fume incidents caused by pyrolysis of jet engine oil. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) with X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and neutron activation analysis (NAA) were used for elemental analysis of filters, and gas chromatography interfaced with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to analyze used filters to determine TCP isomers. The filter analysis study involved 110 used and 90 incident filters. Clean air filter samples exposed to different bleed air conditions simulating cabin air contamination incidents were also analyzed by FESEM/EDS, NAA, and GC/MS. Experiments were conducted on a BAS at various bleed air conditions typical of an operating jet engine so that the effects of temperature and pressure variations on jet engine oil aerosol formation could be determined. The GC/MS analysis of both used and incident filters characterized tri- m-cresyl phosphate (TmCP) and tri-p-cresyl phosphate (TpCP) by a base peak of an m/z = 368, with corresponding retention times of 21.9 and 23.4 minutes. The hydrocarbons in jet oil were characterized in the filters by a base peak pattern of an m/z = 85, 113. Using retention times and hydrocarbon thermal conductivity peak (TCP) pattern obtained from jet engine oil standards, five out of 110 used filters tested had oil markers. Meanwhile 22 out of 77 incident filters tested positive for oil fingerprints. Probit analysis of jet engine oil aerosols obtained from BAS tests by optical particle counter (OPC) revealed lognormal distributions with the mean (range) of geometric mass mean diameter (GMMD) = 0.41 (0.39, 0.45) microm and geometric standard deviation (GSD), sigma g = 1.92 (1.87, 1.98). FESEM/EDS and NAA techniques found a wide range of elements on filters, and further investigations of used filters are recommended using these techniques. The protocols for air and filter sampling and GC/MS analysis used in this study will increase the options available for detecting jet engine oil on cabin air filters. Such criteria could support policy development for compliance with cabin air quality standards during incidents.

  10. In-Cabin Air Quality during Driving and Engine Idling in Air-Conditioned Private Vehicles in Hong Kong.

    PubMed

    Barnes, Natasha Maria; Ng, Tsz Wai; Ma, Kwok Keung; Lai, Ka Man

    2018-03-27

    Many people spend lengthy periods each day in enclosed vehicles in Hong Kong. However, comparably limited data is available about in-cabin air quality in air-conditioned private vehicles, and the car usage that may affect the air quality. Fifty-one vehicles were tested for particulate matter (PM 0.3 and PM 2.5 ), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), airborne bacteria, and fungi levels during their routine travel journey. Ten of these vehicles were further examined for PM 0.3 , PM 2.5 , TVOCs, CO, and CO₂ during engine idling. In general, during driving PM 2.5 levels in-cabin reduced overtime, but not PM 0.3 . For TVOCs, 24% vehicles exceeded the recommended Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) level in offices and public places set by the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department. The total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) concentration positively correlated with the age of the vehicle. Carbon monoxide (CO) levels in all of the vehicles were lower than the IAQ recommendation, while 96% vehicles exceeded the recommended CO₂ level of 1000 ppmv; 16% vehicles >5000 ppmv. Microbial counts were relatively low. TVOCs levels at idle engine were higher than that during driving. Although the time we spend in vehicles is short, the potential exposure to high levels of pollutants should not be overlooked.

  11. In-Cabin Air Quality during Driving and Engine Idling in Air-Conditioned Private Vehicles in Hong Kong

    PubMed Central

    Barnes, Natasha Maria; Ng, Tsz Wai; Ma, Kwok Keung; Lai, Ka Man

    2018-01-01

    Many people spend lengthy periods each day in enclosed vehicles in Hong Kong. However, comparably limited data is available about in-cabin air quality in air-conditioned private vehicles, and the car usage that may affect the air quality. Fifty-one vehicles were tested for particulate matter (PM0.3 and PM2.5), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), airborne bacteria, and fungi levels during their routine travel journey. Ten of these vehicles were further examined for PM0.3, PM2.5, TVOCs, CO, and CO2 during engine idling. In general, during driving PM2.5 levels in-cabin reduced overtime, but not PM0.3. For TVOCs, 24% vehicles exceeded the recommended Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) level in offices and public places set by the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department. The total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) concentration positively correlated with the age of the vehicle. Carbon monoxide (CO) levels in all of the vehicles were lower than the IAQ recommendation, while 96% vehicles exceeded the recommended CO2 level of 1000 ppmv; 16% vehicles >5000 ppmv. Microbial counts were relatively low. TVOCs levels at idle engine were higher than that during driving. Although the time we spend in vehicles is short, the potential exposure to high levels of pollutants should not be overlooked. PMID:29584686

  12. A PRELIMINARY METHODOLOGY FOR EVALUATING THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ALTERNATIVE INDOOR AIR QUALITY APPROACHES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report defines a simplified methodology that can be used by indoor air quality (IAQ) diagnosticians, architects/engineers, building owners/operators, and the scientific community for preliminary comparison of the cost-effectiveness of alternative IAQ control measures for any ...

  13. User's guide: estimation of key PCC, base, subbase, and pavement engineering properties from routine tests and physical characteristics

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-08-01

    Material characterization is a critical component of modern day pavement analysis, design, construction, quality : control/quality assurance, management, and rehabilitation. At each stage during the life of a project, the influence of : several funda...

  14. TECHNIQUES TO DETERMINE A COMPANY'S ABILITY TO CONDUCT A QUALITY STACK TEST

    EPA Science Inventory

    Techniques to determine a testing company's ability to conduct a quality stack test for compliance or process engineering purposes are presented. The document has four sections. The first identifies characteristics commonly associated with laboratories that have a history of perf...

  15. 15 CFR 922.142 - Prohibited or otherwise regulated activities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... Sanctuary and injures a Sanctuary resource or quality. (2) Exploring for, developing or producing industrial... maximum extent practicable any advance impact on Sanctuary resources and qualities. Civil engineering and... industrial materials within the Sanctuary, or the disposal of dredged materials within the Sanctuary (except...

  16. 15 CFR 922.142 - Prohibited or otherwise regulated activities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Sanctuary and injures a Sanctuary resource or quality. (2) Exploring for, developing or producing industrial... maximum extent practicable any advance impact on Sanctuary resources and qualities. Civil engineering and... industrial materials within the Sanctuary, or the disposal of dredged materials within the Sanctuary (except...

  17. 15 CFR 922.142 - Prohibited or otherwise regulated activities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... Sanctuary and injures a Sanctuary resource or quality. (2) Exploring for, developing or producing industrial... maximum extent practicable any advance impact on Sanctuary resources and qualities. Civil engineering and... industrial materials within the Sanctuary, or the disposal of dredged materials within the Sanctuary (except...

  18. F-15 inlet/engine test techniques and distortion methodologies studies. Volume 2: Time variant data quality analysis plots

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stevens, C. H.; Spong, E. D.; Hammock, M. S.

    1978-01-01

    Time variant data quality analysis plots were used to determine if peak distortion data taken from a subscale inlet model can be used to predict peak distortion levels for a full scale flight test vehicle.

  19. Made-in-USA Quality Circles Become People-Building Tool.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Larry

    1983-01-01

    Discusses the use of quality circles as a human resources development tool in Middlesex Community College's Career-Oriented Peer Services tutoring center. Delineates rules for circle participants and follows the activities of two circles comprised of business-oriented and engineering-oriented students. (DMM)

  20. Development and Certification of Station Development Test Objective (SDTO) Experiment # 15012-U, "Near RealTime Water Quality Monitoring Demonstration for ISS Biocides Using Colorimetric Solid Phase Extraction (CSPE)"

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gazda, Daniel B.; Nolan, Daniel J.; Rutz, Jeffrey A.; Shcultz, John R.; Siperko, Lorraine M.; Porter, Marc D,; Lipert, Robert J.; Limardo, Jose G.; McCoy, J. Torin

    2009-01-01

    Scientists and engineers from the Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering Group are working with researchers at the University of Utah and Iowa State University to develop and certify an experimental water quality monitoring kit based on Colorimetric Solid Phase Extraction (CSPE). The kit will be launched as a Station Development Test Objective (SDTO) experiment and evaluated on the International Space Station (ISS) to determine the acceptability of CSPE technology for routine inflight water quality monitoring. Iodine and silver, the biocides used in the US and Russian on-orbit water systems, will serve as test analytes for the technology evaluation. This manuscript provides an overview of the CSPE SDTO experiment and details the development and certification of the experimental water quality monitoring kit. Initial results from reagent and standard solution stability testing and environmental testing performed on the kit hardware are also reported.

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