Digital Twin-Driven Condition-Based Maintenance

The world is witnessing an all-level digitalization that guides the industry and business to a restructuration in order to adapt to the new requirements of the surrounding environment. That change also concerns the labour of the technical professionals and their formation. As a consequence of this deep consciousness-raising, this chapter will investigate and develop simulation models based on the current digitalization. The aim of this chapter is the exposition of a real case development of “digital twin” models framed as part of the condition-based maintenance paradigm to improve real-time assets operation and maintenance. This model contributes by providing real-time results that could turn into a basis for the industrial management decisions and place them in the Industry 4.0 paradigm environment.

Seismic risk assessments for real estate portfolios: Impact of engineering investigation on quality of seismic risk studies

Seismic risk evaluation studies for real estate portfolios conducted by technical professionals (often Civil and Structural Engineers) have become increasingly desirable and common in financial decisions. In this article, we develop a series of risk measures and ratings based on common outcomes from probabilistic portfolio seismic risk assessments. We first define two portfolio risk metrics: Portfolio Expected Loss (PELα) and Portfolio Upper Loss (PULα), where “α” is the annual exceedance probability, or the corresponding return period (“1/α”). PULα/PELα ratio characterizes the uncertainty in estimated portfolio risks which results from the uncertainty in seismic performance of the individual assets. Three uncertainty levels are defined, namely, low, medium, and high, based on the PULα/PELα. We then develop an asset risk metric, called Tail Contribution Index (TCIα), that characterizes the contribution of individual assets to the portfolio losses that fall within the high-consequence “tail” of the portfolio loss distribution. To describe the overall engineering efforts of a portfolio seismic risk study, we develop a portfolio risk metric, called Portfolio Level of Investigation (PLIα), that characterizes the effective level of engineering investigation. Three investigation levels are defined: low ( desktop), medium ( semi-engineered), and high ( engineered), based on the PLIα. Finally, based on the combination of uncertainty level and investigation level, we develop a rating scheme by which the quality (Qα) of a portfolio seismic risk study is characterized. Five quality levels are defined: very poor, poor, fair, good, and very good. These risk indices and ratings can help stakeholders and technical professionals better diagnose and communicate portfolio seismic risks, scope adequate studies, effectively utilize valuable resources, and base financial decisions on risk assessment results that have the desired reliability.

A Competency-Based Approach to Addressing the Leadership Gap in the Oil and Gas Industry

As oil and gas industry technical professionals land their first supervisory roles, gaps in their leadership skills often become apparent. Years of technical education and training have prepared them well for roles as individual technical contributors, but stronger business, management, and leadership skills are needed as they move into emerging leadership roles in which they direct others. Competency assessments of first-level supervisors and mid-career experienced hires are conducted to determine mission-critical leadership gaps. This process is done in alignment with competency-focused job descriptions that enumerate key soft skills needed in each leadership role and build on a sound foundation of technical competency. Bringing emerging leaders together as a group enhances their networking opportunities as they advance through the program; including experienced hires helps them become attuned to the company's management style. Learning opportunities can include face-to-face instruction, webinars, e-learning, online resources, exercises, business simulations, and coaching and mentoring. Building future leaders is key to succession planning. Introducing experienced hires to the leadership styles of the company ensures the successful integration of new talent into the team. A competency-based approach to assessing emerging leaders provides the roadmap for creating a deep bench of candidates for future roles in executive management. Experienced instructors and mentors are crucial to ensuring the leadership program delivery is aligned with the corporate mission, vision and values. The delivery of the leadership development program can be self-sustaining if program graduates and external expert facilitators are incorporated into the delivery of the program to future cohorts. Technical professionals progress through supervisory/management positions on their respective career ladders primarily by ‘learning on the job' rather than through formal training. This paper looks at differences between the current state of supervisory development and what professionals actually need in leadership skills. These are new skills needed for transitioning from supervisor/manager to an effective leader. New methods of digital delivery allow greater interaction between participants and instructors. Building an innovative leadership development program enhances the company's brand and attracts and retains top talent.

The study of cadets’ educational activities motives at Civil Aviation University

The paper presents a comparative analysis of the motives of students educational activities in the field of general professional training and in the study of a university mathematics course. The methodology of A.A. Rean and V.A. Yakunin considered in the work, containing sixteen motives, was used to study the opinion of cadets in its classical version in relation to the entire training at the chosen university, and the same motives were suggested for the cadets to consider in relation to the study of the course of higher mathematics. Mathematics plays an important role in the training of technical professionals; it is a basic discipline that ensures the success of training in general engineering and special disciplines. At the same time, mathematics studied at school differs significantly from mathematics taught at a university, the amount of mathematical information offered is much larger, the content level of the concepts introduced is much more complex. Cadets at civil aviation university who have started studying mathematics at the university have a definite opinion by the end of the first semester. The results of cadets opinions analyses may allow the teacher to have an adequate idea of the motives of cadets educational activities in relation to obtaining mathematical knowledge. The priority motives obtained are discussed from the standpoint of solving pedagogical problems of teaching mathematics.

Web-Based Guidance Through Assisted Reproductive Technology (myFertiCare): Patient-Centered App Development and Qualitative Evaluation

Background Providing patient-centered fertility care is known to improve quality of life and can reduce anxiety and depression. In a previous study, we established the need for a web-based app providing personalized information and interactive functionalities among couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection with surgically retrieved sperm. Objective This study aimed to design, develop, and qualitatively evaluate a multifaceted web-based app for infertile couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection with surgically retrieved sperm during their treatment trajectory. Methods The web-based app was developed in three phases: (1) we established a patient-centered functional design, (2) developed the app in collaboration with medical and technical professionals, and (3) qualitatively evaluated the app among couples using a think-aloud method. Results The basis of the app is the couple’s visualized treatment trajectory. The app provides personalized and interactive functionalities; for example, customized information and communication options. During qualitative evaluation, myFertiCare was highly appreciated and received a median score of 8 out of 10. The main improvements made upon conclusion of the think-aloud sessions were related to faster login and easier app navigation. Conclusions A patient-centered web-based app aimed at guiding couples through their fertility treatment course was systematically designed, developed, and positively evaluated by patients and medical and technical professionals.

MATERIAL SELECTION AS COOPERATIVE PROCESS: A FRAMEWORK PROPOSAL FOR A CHANGING ECONOMY

In current era of Anthropocene, human activities and their consequences on Earth ecosystems are under the lens of scientific research. Researchers in every field of study are trying to find alternatives to promote sustainable development. So it is for design, where researchers exploiting the problem-framing and problem-solving nature of the design discipline itself, trying to find new methodologies and tools to enhance sustainable development.One of the most important tasks in the design for a sustainable production is focused on material selection. In this paper, authors will present a reflection upon material selection methods and an overview of existing material repositories. Traditionally, material selection is usually attributed to designers or technical professionals but nowadays information concurring in materials selection became a complex task to manage. Therefore, authors propose a case study concerning information management upon materials and their selection presented in a new possible approach: material selection as a collaborative task between several departments of an industrial company, to promote an aware information management activity upon materials.

A Multi-Chamber Paper-Based Platform for the Detection of Amyloid β Oligomers 42 via Copper-Enhanced Gold Immunoblotting

The early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains a challenge for medical scientists worldwide, leading to a number of research efforts that focus on biosensor development for AD biomarkers. However, the application of these complicated biosensors is limited in medical diagnosis, due to the difficulties in robust sensing platform development, high costs, and the necessity for technical professionals. We successfully developed a robust straightforward manufacturing process for the fabrication of multi-chamber paper devices using the wax printing method and exploited it to detect amyloid beta 42 oligomers (AβO42, a significant biomarker of AD) using copper-enhanced gold nanoprobe colorimetric immunoblotting. Small hydrophilic reaction chambers could concentrate the target sample to the desired size to improve the sensing performance. The copper-enhanced gold nanoprobe immunoblot using the designed multi-chamber platform exhibited a highly sensitive performance with a limit of detection of 320 pg/mL by the naked eye and 23.7 pg/mL by a smartphone camera. This process from sensing manufacture to sensing conduction is simple to perform whenever medical technicians require time- and cost-savings, without complicated instruments or the need for technical professionals, making it feasible to serve as a diagnostic tool worldwide for the early monitoring of AD and scalable devices for the sensing application of various biomarkers in clinical settings.

Techno Trend Awareness and Its Attitude Towards Social Connectedness and Mitigating Factors of COVID-19

While COVID-19 has taken a toll on many professions and livelihood of all walks of lives, technology has amplified its intrusion to ease the necessities. Innovative technology, therefore, has improved the glitches and provided the software to adhere to these new normal. However, individuals' awareness and attitude toward the advancements of these technological trends need to be addressed. Although the government has taken measures to prevent and curb the growing cases for COVID-19 with the help of technology, the support from the individuals would depend mostly on their level of awareness and the attitude toward those measures. The present qualitative study explored the techno trend awareness, perception and attitudes of techno experts and technical professionals toward social connectedness and mitigating factors of COVID-19. Besides, it also explained individuals' shift toward virtual interaction to maintain social connections during the pandemic. The thematic analysis generated four prominent themes. Social Connectedness, emphasized on the emotional connections that created a positive feeling of belongingness. Technological Advancement provided three sub-themes highlighting perception, techno trend awareness and desirable attitudes toward the mitigation of COVID-19. The categories under Treatment and Preventive Measures indicated the enhanced self-care of individuals and also the tendencies to minimize the spread of diseases. The emergence of the theme Inclination toward Indigenous Knowledge, which is an important finding, indicated the techno-experts inclination toward the indigenous knowledge amid vague scientific shreds of evidence.