Search results

1 – 10 of over 1000
Article
Publication date: 4 May 2023

Alexander Kramer, Philipp Veit, Dominik K. Kanbach, Stephan Stubner and Thomas K. Maran

The purpose of this article is to develop an integrative framework of accelerator design to answer the question of what activities accelerators perform and how they function…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to develop an integrative framework of accelerator design to answer the question of what activities accelerators perform and how they function within a structured framework. Research on the functioning of accelerators as a mechanism for startup engagement produced multiple empirical results. However, the comparability of relevant research is strongly limited, currently hindering theoretical developments. Existing accelerator design models often differ and only partially overlap, which leaves extant literature with a fragmented and discordant conceptual understanding.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a meta-synthesis method using qualitative analysis of 36 accelerator design articles, an integrative framework is developed. After identification of relevant literature, a renowned method for extracting, coding and synthesizing data on individual and cross-study level is applied to identify accelerator design constructs. Eventually, identified accelerator design constructs are integrated into a framework resting on the activity system lens of business model design.

Findings

The article reconciles fragmented knowledge on accelerator design and shows how accelerator design can be holistically conceptualized by 32 key activities clustered in eight design dimensions. The framework is complemented by an initial guideline for measurement. The findings further highlight formerly disregarded aspects of governance and community formation from a processual and structural perspective.

Originality/value

This article is the first to present a comprehensive picture of accelerator design integrating multiple empirical findings of prior research into a single coherent framework. This framework offers a shared foundation for future research exploring the delineations, functioning and impact of accelerators. From a practical perspective, the article provides managers of accelerators a guide to design, review and improve programs according to their value creation goals.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2018

Andrzej Waindok and Pawel Piekielny

The purpose of this paper is to calculate and measure transients for two different constructions of electrodynamic accelerators (ironless and iron-core) supplied by a…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to calculate and measure transients for two different constructions of electrodynamic accelerators (ironless and iron-core) supplied by a three-section power system (three capacitor banks). The optimization of power supply parameters (switch-on times and capacitances of individual sections) in terms of system efficiency has been carried out.

Design/methodology/approach

Calculations have been carried out using a field-circuit model. For three-dimensional magnetostatic analysis, the Maxwell software and finite element method (FEM) were used, while for circuit model, the Matlab/Simulink software was implemented. For optimization of the supply system parameters, the genetic algorithm was used. The mathematical models were verified experimentally by using the original laboratory stand.

Findings

The efficiency of the system is much higher in case of iron-core accelerator. In both cases, the results obtained for optimized supply settings are only slightly better than those obtained by simultaneously switching on the thyristors and for symmetrical capacity division.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the presented field-circuit model, eddy currents in rails have been neglected. In the field model, there was no possibility to combine current flow calculations with moving of the projectile.

Originality/value

Using the presented filed-circuit model, both electrical and mechanical transients could be calculated with sufficient precision. Thus, it could be used in the optimization of supply system. The solution time is low compared with the solution time of the transient field model.

Details

COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, vol. 37 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 September 2009

Karine Gerard, Jean‐Pierre Grandhaye, Vincent Marchesi, Pierre Aletti, François Husson, Alain Noel and Hanna Kafrouni

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and improve the quality and the reliability of pre‐treatment quality controls of an efficient technique of radiotherapy called IMRT…

1225

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and improve the quality and the reliability of pre‐treatment quality controls of an efficient technique of radiotherapy called IMRT (intensity‐modulated radiation therapy). The aim is then to determine if the controls can be safely reduced while keeping an optimal level of quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The statistical process control method (SPC) was applied to quality assurance in IMRT. In order to characterize prostate and head‐and‐neck treatment process variability, individual value control charts and moving‐range control charts were established.

Findings

Control charts showed that prostate and head‐and‐neck treatment processes are only subject to random causes of variability, which means they are statistically controlled. It was proved that both processes are statistically stable and capable.

Originality/value

The paper shows that SPC is an efficient method to objectively determine if quality controls can be reduced.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 15 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2017

Pascale Simons, Huub Backes, Jochen Bergs, Davy Emans, Madelon Johannesma, Maria Jacobs, Wim Marneffe and Dominique Vandijck

Treatment delays must be avoided, especially in oncology, to assure sustainable high-quality health care and increase the odds of survival. The purpose of this paper is to…

1266

Abstract

Purpose

Treatment delays must be avoided, especially in oncology, to assure sustainable high-quality health care and increase the odds of survival. The purpose of this paper is to hypothesize that waiting times would decrease and patients and employees would benefit, when specific lean interventions are incorporated in an organizational improvement approach.

Design/methodology/approach

In 2013, 15 lean interventions were initiated to improve flow in a single radiotherapy institute. Process/waiting times, patient satisfaction, safety, employee satisfaction, and absenteeism were evaluated using a mixed methods methodology (2010-2014). Data from databases, surveys, and interviews were analyzed by time series analysis, χ2, multi-level regression, and t-tests.

Findings

Median waiting/process times improved from 20.2 days in 2012 to 16.3 days in 2014 (p<0.001). The percentage of palliative patients for which waiting times had exceeded Dutch national norms (ten days) improved from 35 (six months in 2012: pre-intervention) to 16 percent (six months in 2013-2014: post-intervention; p<0.01), and the percentage exceeding national objectives (seven days) from 22 to 17 percent (p=0.44). For curative patients, exceeding of norms (28 days) improved from 17 (2012) to 8 percent (2013-2014: p=0.05), and for the objectives (21 days) from 18 to 10 percent (p<0.01). Reported safety incidents decreased 47 percent from 2009 to 2014, whereas safety culture, awareness, and intention to solve problems improved. Employee satisfaction improved slightly, and absenteeism decreased from 4.6 (2010) to 2.7 percent (2014; p<0.001).

Originality/value

Combining specific lean interventions with an organizational improvement approach improved waiting times, patient safety, employee satisfaction, and absenteeism on the short term. Continuing evaluation of effects should study the improvements sustainability.

Details

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, vol. 30 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0952-6862

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 September 2007

Sanxu Yang, Baozhong Yin and Wuqiang Yang

In some developing countries, vehicles are often over‐loaded, which causes road accidents and damage to road surfaces. Currently, large measuring facilities are used to measure…

Abstract

Purpose

In some developing countries, vehicles are often over‐loaded, which causes road accidents and damage to road surfaces. Currently, large measuring facilities are used to measure the vehicle‐loading on highways. A major limitation is that they can measure vehicle‐loading at fixed locations only. This paper seeks to present an on‐vehicle loading measurement system with capacitance and acceleration transducers.

Design/methodology/approach

A description and analysis of the system are presented.

Findings

The capacitance transducers sense the variation in distance between electrodes, using the on‐vehicle leaf springs as weighing elastomers. The acceleration transducers deal with the influence of acceleration to vehicle‐loading measurement. The major advantage of this system over the existing systems is that both static and dynamic loading can be measured.

Practical implications

This system is simple and easy to install.

Originality/value

The paper shows that with this system both a driver and an inspector can check vehicle‐loading at any time and any location through radio communication, thus identifying over‐loaded vehicles on highways.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 27 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 November 2009

Wang Shicheng, Yang Dongfang, Liu Zhiguo, Luo Dacheng, Zhang Jinsheng and Liu Taiyang

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel scheme of high‐dynamic global positioning system (GPS) software receiver in order to improve the capturing speed and trading…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel scheme of high‐dynamic global positioning system (GPS) software receiver in order to improve the capturing speed and trading accuracy of GPS receiver.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the beginning of C/A code can be found through the delay and multiply approach. To solve the problems of estimating a certain satellite's Doppler shift from the signals of several visible satellites, the “delay and accumulation unit” is put forward, and besides, performance of inertial navigation system‐assisted tracking loop in high‐dynamic circumstance is analysed by means of mathematical modelling and simulation experiments, whose results verified the validity of the proposed tracking scheme.

Findings

In this paper, the two‐dimension searching process in conventional acquisition scheme is transformed into two one‐dimension searching processes, thus improving the capturing speed.

Research limitations/implications

This software receiver has only been verified by means of mathematical simulation, and the validity in hardware receiver is still obscured.

Originality/value

This paper presents a novel high‐dynamic GPS software receiver scheme, which can be seen as a reference of engineering application and simulation research.

Details

COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, vol. 28 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 September 2018

S. Abbasbandy and M. Mustafa

This paper aims to describe the laminar flow of Maxwell fluid past a non-isothermal rigid plate with a stream wise pressure gradient. Heat transfer mechanism is analyzed in the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the laminar flow of Maxwell fluid past a non-isothermal rigid plate with a stream wise pressure gradient. Heat transfer mechanism is analyzed in the context of non-Fourier heat conduction featuring thermal relaxation effects.

Design/methodology/approach

Flow field is permeated to uniform transverse magnetic field. The governing transport equations are changed to globally similar ordinary differential equations, which are tackled analytically by homotopy analysis technique. Homotopy analysis method-Padè approach is used to accelerate the convergence of homotopy solutions. Also, numerical approximations are made by means of shooting method coupled with fifth-order Runge-Kutta method.

Findings

The solutions predict that fluid relaxation time has a tendency to suppress the hydrodynamic boundary layer. Also, heat penetration depth reduces for increasing values of thermal relaxation time. The general trend of wall temperature gradient appears to be similar in Fourier and Cattaneo–Christov models.

Research limitations/implications

An important implication of current research is that the thermal relaxation time considerably alters the temperature and surface heat flux.

Originality/value

Current problem even in case of Newtonian fluid has not been attempted previously.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 28 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Stephan Russenschuck

The purpose of this paper is to establish the mathematical foundations of magnetic measurement methods based on translating-coil and rotating-coil magnetometers for accelerator

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish the mathematical foundations of magnetic measurement methods based on translating-coil and rotating-coil magnetometers for accelerator magnets and solenoids. These field transducers allow a longitudinal scanning of the field distribution, but require a sophisticated post-processing step to extract the coefficients of the Fourier–Bessel series (known as pseudo-multipoles or generalized gradients) as well as a novel design of the rotating coil magnetometers.

Design/methodology/approach

Calculating the transversal field harmonics as a function of the longitudinal position in the magnet, or measuring these harmonics with a very short, rotating induction-coil scanner, allows the extraction of the coefficients of a Fourier–Bessel series, which can then be used in the thin lens approximation of the end regions of accelerator magnets.

Findings

The extraction of the leading term in the Fourier–Bessel series requires the solution of a differential equation by means of a Fourier transform. This yields a natural way to de-convolute the measured distribution of the multipole content. The author has shown that the measurement technique requires iso-parametric coils to avoid interception of the longitudinal field component. The compensation of the main signal cannot be done with the classical arrangement of search coils at different radii, because no easy scaling law exists. A new design of an iso-perimetric induction coil has been found.

Research limitations/implications

In the literature, it is stated that the pseudo-multipoles can be extracted from field computations or measurements. While this is true for computations, the author shows that the measurement of the field harmonics must be done with iso-parametric coils because otherwise the leading term in the Fourier–Bessel series cannot be extracted.

Practical implications

The author has now established the theory behind a number of field transducers, such as the moving fluxmeter, the rotational coil scanner and the solenoidal field transducer.

Originality/value

This paper brought together the known theory of the orthogonal expansion method with the methods and tools for magnetic field measurements to establish a field description in accelerator magnets.

Details

COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, vol. 36 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 January 2022

Alex Maritz, Quan Anh Nguyen, Abhinav Shrivastava and Sergey Ivanov

The purpose of this paper is to explore the status of university accelerators (UAs) in Australia, expanding a similar paper on related entrepreneurship education (EE) in 2019…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the status of university accelerators (UAs) in Australia, expanding a similar paper on related entrepreneurship education (EE) in 2019. The aim is to review neoteric global best practice UA, aligning context and specific inference to the impact of UAs in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors introduce an iterative and emergent inquiry into multi-method research, including a quantitative examination of Australian UAs, Leximancer algorithmic analyses of entrepreneurial strategic intent and narratives from best practice applications.

Findings

The paper highlights the sparse and inconsistent distribution across UAs in Australia, further characterized by significant symbolic motives of operation. Furthermore, the integration of EE evidenced on global UA is not as evident in Australia, highlighting outcomes more specific to the success of nascent (student) startups as opposed to educational outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations include the availability and accuracy of online documents and data, although implications have been mitigated using multi-method research design.

Practical implications

Despite the provision of critical grounding for practitioners and researchers in developing UAs, further research is recommended regarding the efficacy and impact of these accelerators.

Originality/value

This study is the first multi-methods emergent inquiry into UAs in Australia, coupled with integration of EE. The authors provide guidelines and inferences for researchers, educators, policymakers and practitioners alike as they seek to explore and act upon the impact of UAs.

Article
Publication date: 2 April 2020

Ginger S. Lange and Wesley J. Johnston

Inspired by an efficacy debate, this paper aims to understand to what extent do entrepreneurs value business accelerators and what contributes to this value. And as entrepreneurs…

2191

Abstract

Purpose

Inspired by an efficacy debate, this paper aims to understand to what extent do entrepreneurs value business accelerators and what contributes to this value. And as entrepreneurs consider accelerators to be a viable alternative to traditional business incubators, the research seeks to compare these startup support options.

Design/methodology/approach

Guided by resource-based theory, the researchers constructed a variance model and analyzed it using quantitative methods based upon data collected from 205 accelerators users as well as 66 incubator users for comparison.

Findings

Results indicate that the accelerator users find the programs to be very valuable for improving their business outcomes. Moreover, the users feel the program experience to be valuable regardless of whether their businesses ultimately survive. Knowledge- and culture-related resources contribute significantly to users’ perceptions of value. Findings indicate notable differences in the perceptions of accelerator versus incubator users.

Research limitations/implications

The research contributes to the ongoing academic debate concerning the efficacy of accelerators and provides a model for predicting user value. The research is limited to the USA.

Practical implications

Research serves as a practical guide for prospective accelerator users, as well as provides valuable insights to accelerator administrators and marketers for enhancing their programs.

Originality/value

The study uniquely provides a user’s perspective and highlights distinct differences in the perceptions between accelerators and incubators users.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 35 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 1000