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A review of CFRP dealing with its processing, properties and some of the ways in which it could be used in conjunction with conventional materials. The importance of the utilization of carbon fibres in commercially useful as well as experimental structures is discussed. This may be achieved by using the fibres in conjunction with conventional sheet metal components, as a preliminary step toward the 100 per cent reinforced plastic structure. A few such applications are described, together with a brief summary of the fibre processing and properties as an aid to preliminary design studies.

A numerical simulation of the test beam was carried out with Abaqus and compared with test data to ensure that the modeling method is accurate. An analysis of the effects of the angle between the U-hoop and horizontal direction, the pre-crack height, the pre-crack spacing, and the strength of the geopolymer adhesive on the cracking load and ultimate load of the reinforced beam is presented.

Load tests and finite element simulations were conducted on carbon fiber reinforced polymer-reinforced concrete beams bonded with geopolymer adhesive. The bond-slip effect of geopolymer adhesive was taken into account in the model. The flexural performances, the flexural load capacities, the deformation capacities, and the damage characteristics of the beams were observed, and the numerical simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental results. An analysis of parametric sensitivity was performed using finite element simulation to investigate the effects of different angles between U-hoop and horizontal direction, pre-crack heights, pre-crack spacing, and strength of geopolymer adhesive on cracking load and ultimate load.

Under the same conditions, the higher the height of the pre-crack, the lower the bearing capacity; increasing the pre-crack spacing can delay cracking, but reduce ultimate load. By increasing the strength of the geopolymer adhesive, the flexural resistance of the beam is improved, and crack development is also delayed; the angle between the u-hoop and horizontal direction does not affect the cracking of reinforced beams; a horizontal u-hoop has a better effect than an oblique u-hoop, and 60° is the ideal angle between the u-hoop and horizontal direction for better reinforcement.

According to the experimental study in this paper, Abaqus was used to simulate the strength of different angles between U-hoop and horizontal direction, pre-crack heights, pre-crack spacings, and geopolymer adhesives, and the angles' effects on the cracking load and load carrying capacity of test beams were discussed. Since no actual tests are required, the method is economical. This paper offers data support for the promotion and application of environmentally friendly reinforcement technology, contributes to environmental protection, and develops a new method for reinforcing reinforced concrete beams and a new concept for finite element simulations.

This work aims to develop a process model for the migration of the traditional firm to an appropriate e‐business strategy and architecture.

The work is based on a range of published works and professional experience, combining narrative with analysis.

This complex model addresses the multiplicity of factors that must be included in effective e‐business migration. The model addresses technology, business processes, strategy and the consequent organizational change.

Focuses on a model that can serve as a basis for dispelling a number of myths reflected in current e‐business migration and implementation efforts.

Through their participation in an array of learning activities, students “co‐produce” their education. At the same time, they also contribute directly to their own satisfaction, quality and value perceptions. How can students be encouraged to fulfil their co‐production roles more effectively? Services marketing researchers have long acknowledged the important participatory role of service customers and have also tested models of the antecedents and consequences of customer socialisation and participation in a range of service settings. Presents a new conceptual model of student socialisation and participation to be tested in the context of higher education.

The topic of whistleblowing is achieving prominence as a question of social policy. Some influential voices are suggesting that far from whistleblowing — informing on organisations —, being socially undesirable, it may in certain circumstances be an activity deserving high praise. Inevitably it entails huge risks to the activist, and these risks need to be personally and carefully considered. John Banham, Director General of the Confederation of British Industry, wrote in support of the Social Audit report on the subject (Winfield 1990), and a committee established by the Speaker of the House of Commons has suggested the possibility of honouring whistleblowers in the British Honours system for their good corporate citizenship. There have also been landmark reports in America, Australia and Canada (Leahy 1978, Electoral and Administrative Review Commission 1990, Ontario Law Reform Commission 1986).

In this study, the aim is to empirically examine the relationship between students' perceptions of themselves as customers of their university and their educational attitudes and behaviors. It also seeks to investigate the extent to which students' characteristics predict their involvement with education.

The authors obtained data by surveying 1,025 students from a medium‐sized university in the southern United States.

Consistent with exchange theory, students who perceived themselves as customers were more likely to feel entitled and to view complaining as beneficial. Satisfaction with their university, but not their perceptions of themselves as university customers, predicted educational involvement. Not surprisingly, students who were more involved in their education tended to be older, have higher grade point averages, and attend class more often. However, these students also felt more entitled to outcomes, although they did not differ in their perceptions of whether or not they were customers of the university.

Students who view themselves as customers are likely to hold attitudes and to engage in behaviors that are not conducive to success. However, if the aim is to increase student involvement, how the student's role is defined is less important than efforts to build student satisfaction with the university.

This is one of the first studies to examine empirically the prevalence and effects of student‐as‐customer perceptions. In addition, this study serves as a basis for better understanding the drivers of student involvement.

This paper aims to present a multi-period dynamic power project financing model to produce pragmatic estimates of benchmark wholesale power prices based on the principles of normal profit. This, in turn, can guide policymakers as to whether price spikes or bidding above marginal cost in wholesale electricity markets warrants any investigation at all. One of the seemingly complex areas associated with energy-only wholesale electricity pools is at what point market power abuse is present on the supply side. It should not be this way. If a theoretically robust measure of normal profit exists, identification of potential market power abuse is straightforward. Such a definition readily exists and can be traced back to the ground-breaking work of financial economists in the 1960s.

Using a multi-period dynamic power project model, the authors produce pragmatic and theoretically robust measures of normal profit for project financed plant and plant financed on balance sheet. These model results are then integrated into a static partial equilibrium model of a power system. The model results are in turn used to guide policymaking on generator bidding in energy-only power markets.

Under conditions of perfect plant availability and divisibility with no transmission constraints, energy-only markets result in clearing prices which are not economically viable in the long run. Bidding must, therefore, deviate from strict short-run marginal cost at some stage. To distinguish between quasi-contributions to substantial sunk costs and market power abuse, a pragmatic and robust measure of normal profit is required.

This article finds policymakers can be guided by an ex-post analysis of base energy prices against pragmatic estimates for the long-run marginal cost of the base plant, and an ex-ante analysis of call option prices along the forward curve against pragmatic estimates of the carrying cost of the peaking plant.

This work is intended to historically commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the invention of a new type of electronic circuit, referred to in 1919 by Abraham and Bloch as a multivibrator and by Eccles and Jordan as a trigger relay (later known as a flip-flop).

The author also considers the circuit-technical side of this new type of circuit, considering the technological change as well as the mathematical concepts developed in the context of the analysis of the circuit.

The multivibrator resulted in a “circuit shape” which became one of the most applied nonlinear circuits in electronics. It is shown that at the beginning the multivibrator as well as the flip-flop circuits were used because their interesting properties in the frequency domain.

Therefore, it is a very interesting subject to consider the history of the multivibrator as electronic circuits in different technologies including tube, transistors and integrated circuits as well as the mathematical theory based on the concept from electrical circuit theory.

Building societies, as we illustrated in the Preface, occupy an important position in the British financial system. There are at present over four hundred societies although this industry is highly concentrated, with the ten largest societies (with well developed branch networks) in 1978 accounting for 66 per cent of the total assets.

The online distribution of prescription‐only pharmaceutical products raises serious legal and regulatory issues, including how governments, agencies, or organizations will regulate and monitor such activities, particularly when the distributors are offshore Web sites. This paper discusses the current regulatory environment for marketing prescription‐only drugs online and distributing them across national borders, along with product liability issues. Four hypothetical scenarios focus on key legal and regulatory issues.