THE FEASIBILITY OF USING WEB-BASED TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF DREDGING PROJECTS

The research investigates the feasibility of using web-based project management systems for dredging. To achieve this objective the research assessed both the positive and negative aspects of using web-based technology for the management of dredging projects. Information gained from literature review and prior investigations of dredging projects revealed that project performance, social, political, technical, and business aspects of the organization were important factors in deciding to use web-based systems for the management of dredging projects. These factors were used to develop the research assumptions. An exploratory case study methodology was used to gather the empirical evidence and perform the analysis. An operational prototype of the system was developed to help evaluate developmental and functional requirements, as well as the influence on performance, and on the organization. The evidence gathered from three case study projects, and from a survey of 31 experts, were used to validate the assumptions. Baselines, representing the assumptions, were created as a reference to assess the responses and qualitative measures. The deviation of the responses was used to evaluate for the analysis. Finally, the conclusions were assessed by validating the assumptions with the evidence, derived from the analysis. The research findings are as follows: 1. The system would help improve project performance. 2. Resistance to implementation may be experienced if the system is implemented. Therefore, resistance to implementation needs to be investigated further and more R&D work is needed in order to advance to the final design and implementation. 3. System may be divided into standalone modules in order to simplify the system and facilitate incremental changes. 4. The QA/QC conceptual approach used by this research needs to be redefined during future R&D to satisfy both owners and contractors. Yin (2009) Case Study Research Design and Methods was used to develop the research approach, design, data collection, and analysis. Markus (1983) Resistance Theory was used during the assumptions definition to predict potential problems to the implementation of web-based project management systems for the dredging industry. Keen (1981) incremental changes and facilitative approach tactics were used as basis to classify solutions, and how to overcome resistance to implementation of the web-based project management system. Davis (1989) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to assess the solutions needed to overcome the resistances to the implementation of web-base management systems for dredging projects.

MOLECULAR MASS MANIPULATION ENABLED BY GRAPHENE BASED NANOSTRUCTURES

The surge of interest in graphene, as epitomized by the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010, is attributed to its extraordinary properties. Graphene is ultrathin, mechanically tough, and has amendable surface chemistry. These features make graphene and graphene based nanostructure an ideal candidate for the use of molecular mass manipulation. The controllable and programmable molecular mass manipulation is crucial in enabling future graphene based applications, however is challenging to achieve. This dissertation studies several aspects in molecular mass manipulation including mass transportation, patterning and storage. For molecular mass transportation, two methods based on carbon nanoscroll are demonstrated to be effective. They are torsional buckling instability assisted transportation and surface energy induced radial shrinkage. To achieve a more controllable transportation, a fundamental law of direction transport of molecular mass by straining basal graphene is studied. For molecular mass patterning, we reveal a barrier effect of line defects in graphene, which can enable molecular confining and patterning in a domain of desirable geometry. Such a strategy makes controllable patterning feasible for various types of molecules. For molecular mass storage, we propose a novel partially hydrogenated bilayer graphene structure which has large capacity for mass uptake. Also the mass release can be achieved by simply stretching the structure. Therefore the mass uptake and release is reversible. This kind of structure is crucial in enabling hydrogen fuel based technology. Lastly, spontaneous nanofluidic channel formation enabled by patterned hydrogenation is studied. This novel strategy enables programmable channel formation with pre-defined complex geometry.

Developmental Neural Correlates of Social Interaction

Children develop in a sea of reciprocal social interaction, but their brain development is predominately studied in non-interactive contexts (e.g., viewing photographs of faces). This dissertation investigated how the developing brain supports social interaction. Specifically, novel paradigms were used to target two facets of social experience—social communication and social motivation—across three studies in children and adults. In Study 1, adults listened to short vignettes—which contained no social information—that they believed to be either prerecorded or presented over an audio-feed by a live social partner. Simply believing that speech was from a live social partner increased activation in the brain’s mentalizing network—a network involved in thinking about others’ thoughts. Study 2 extended this paradigm to middle childhood, a time of increasing social competence and social network complexity, as well as structural and functional social brain development. Results showed that, as in adults, regions of the mentalizing network were engaged by live speech. Taken together, these findings indicate that the mentalizing network may support the processing of interactive communicative cues across development. Given this established importance of social-interactive context, Study 3 examined children’s social motivation when they believed they were engaged in a computer-based chat with a peer. Children initiated interaction via sharing information about their likes and hobbies and received responses from the peer. Compared to a non-social control, in which children chatted with a computer, peer interaction increased activation in mentalizing regions and reward circuitry. Further, within mentalizing regions, responsivity to the peer increased with age. Thus, across all three studies, social cognitive regions associated with mentalizing supported real-time social interaction. In contrast, the specific social context appeared to influence both reward circuitry involvement and age-related changes in neural activity. Future studies should continue to examine how the brain supports interaction across varied real-world social contexts. In addition to illuminating typical development, understanding the neural bases of interaction will offer insight into social disabilities such as autism, where social difficulties are often most acute in interactive situations. Ultimately, to best capture human experience, social neuroscience ought to be embedded in the social world.

Easy PRAM-based High-performance Parallel Programming with ICE

A poster of this paper will be presented at the 25th International Conference on Parallel Architecture and Compilation Technology (PACT ’16), September 11-15, 2016, Haifa, Israel.