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1 – 10 of 213
Open Access
Article
Publication date: 21 July 2023

M. Neumayer, T. Suppan, T. Bretterklieber, H. Wegleiter and Colin Fox

Nonlinear solution approaches for inverse problems require fast simulation techniques for the underlying sensing problem. In this work, the authors investigate finite element (FE…

Abstract

Purpose

Nonlinear solution approaches for inverse problems require fast simulation techniques for the underlying sensing problem. In this work, the authors investigate finite element (FE) based sensor simulations for the inverse problem of electrical capacitance tomography. Two known computational bottlenecks are the assembly of the FE equation system as well as the computation of the Jacobian. Here, existing computation techniques like adjoint field approaches require additional simulations. This paper aims to present fast numerical techniques for the sensor simulation and computations with the Jacobian matrix.

Design/methodology/approach

For the FE equation system, a solution strategy based on Green’s functions is derived. Its relation to the solution of a standard FE formulation is discussed. A fast stiffness matrix assembly based on an eigenvector decomposition is shown. Based on the properties of the Green’s functions, Jacobian operations are derived, which allow the computation of matrix vector products with the Jacobian for free, i.e. no additional solves are required. This is demonstrated by a Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno-based image reconstruction algorithm.

Findings

MATLAB-based time measurements of the new methods show a significant acceleration for all calculation steps compared to reference implementations with standard methods. E.g. for the Jacobian operations, improvement factors of well over 100 could be found.

Originality/value

The paper shows new methods for solving known computational tasks for solving inverse problems. A particular advantage is the coherent derivation and elaboration of the results. The approaches can also be applicable to other inverse problems.

Details

COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering , vol. 42 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 November 2011

Daniel Watzenig, Markus Neumayer and Colin Fox

The purpose of this paper is to establish a cheap but accurate approximation of the forward map in electrical capacitance tomography in order to approach robust real‐time…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish a cheap but accurate approximation of the forward map in electrical capacitance tomography in order to approach robust real‐time inversion in the framework of Bayesian statistics based on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling.

Design/methodology/approach

Existing formulations and methods to reduce the order of the forward model with focus on electrical tomography are reviewed and compared. In this work, the problem of fast and robust estimation of shape and position of non‐conducting inclusions in an otherwise uniform background is considered. The boundary of the inclusion is represented implicitly using an appropriate interpolation strategy based on radial basis functions. The inverse problem is formulated as Bayesian inference, with MCMC sampling used to efficiently explore the posterior distribution. An affine approximation to the forward map built over the state space is introduced to significantly reduce the reconstruction time, while maintaining spatial accuracy. It is shown that the proposed approximation is unbiased and the variance of the introduced additional model error is even smaller than the measurement error of the tomography instrumentation. Numerical examples are presented, avoiding all inverse crimes.

Findings

Provides a consistent formulation of the affine approximation with application to imaging of binary mixtures in electrical tomography using MCMC sampling with Metropolis‐Hastings‐Green dynamics.

Practical implications

The proposed cheap approximation indicates that accurate real‐time inversion of capacitance data using statistical inversion is possible.

Originality/value

The proposed approach demonstrates that a tolerably small increase in posterior uncertainty of relevant parameters, e.g. inclusion area and contour shape, is traded for a huge reduction in computing time without introducing bias in estimates. Furthermore, the proposed framework – approximated forward map combined with statistical inversion – can be applied to all kinds of soft‐field tomography problems.

Details

COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, vol. 30 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1991

Richard C. Whiteley

The author details nine pitfalls that sabotage efforts to execute a quality improvement strategy and insists that management must take a more active role in promoting the…

Abstract

The author details nine pitfalls that sabotage efforts to execute a quality improvement strategy and insists that management must take a more active role in promoting the importance of customer‐focused quality.

Details

Journal of Business Strategy, vol. 12 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0275-6668

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 April 2022

Grace Fox, Theo Lynn and Pierangelo Rosati

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces significant data protection obligations on all organizations within the European Union (EU) and those transacting with EU…

3827

Abstract

Purpose

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces significant data protection obligations on all organizations within the European Union (EU) and those transacting with EU citizens. This paper presents the GDPR privacy label and uses two empirical studies to examine the effectiveness of this approach in influencing consumers' privacy perceptions and related behavioral intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper tests the efficacy of two GDPR privacy label designs, a consent-based label and a static label. Study 1 examines the effects of each label on perceptions of risk, control and privacy. Study 2 investigates the influence of consumers' privacy perceptions on perceived trustworthiness and willingness to interact with the organization.

Findings

The findings support the potential of GDPR privacy labels for positively influencing perceptions of risk, control, privacy and trustworthiness and enhancing consumers' willingness to transact and disclose data to online organizations.

Practical implications

The findings are useful for organizations required to comply with the GDPR and present a solution to requirements for transparent communications and explicit consent.

Originality/value

This study examines and demonstrates the efficacy of visualized privacy policies in impacting consumer privacy perceptions and behavioral intentions.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 35 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2009

Jennifer L. Eagan

In Postmodern Public Administration: Toward Discourse (1995), Fox and Miller call for a postmodern discourse that can radicalize the reformist tendencies in public administration…

Abstract

In Postmodern Public Administration: Toward Discourse (1995), Fox and Miller call for a postmodern discourse that can radicalize the reformist tendencies in public administration theory. This first edition neglects a powerful ally that can deepen this view of the decentered subject and illuminate some roadblocks to postmodern discourse theory, Michel Foucault. This paper challenges Fox and Millerʼs phenomenological notion of the self and offers Foucaultʼs characterization of the subject as an alternative that addresses how selves are created in and through discourse. This paper argues that the redemption of authentic discourse that Fox and Miller desire is not possible precisely because of the nature of the subject as already constituted. However, this does not mean that rich discourse ceases. Political ethics are still possible for deformed and decentered subjects.

Details

International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1093-4537

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 26 January 2021

Michael Klesel, Frederike Marie Oschinsky, Colin Conrad and Bjoern Niehaves

This study sought to distinguish characteristics of cognitive processes while using information technology. In particular, it identifies similarities and differences between mind…

2590

Abstract

Purpose

This study sought to distinguish characteristics of cognitive processes while using information technology. In particular, it identifies similarities and differences between mind wandering and cognitive absorption in technology-related settings in an effort to develop a deeper understanding of the role that mind wandering plays when using information technology.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was gathered using an online survey including responses from 619 English-speaking adults in 2019. We applied a confirmatory factor analysis and used a robust variant of maximum likelihood estimator with robust standard errors and a Satorra–Bentler scaled test statistic. The data analysis procedure was conducted with the R environment using the psych package for descriptive analysis, and lavaan to investigate the factorial structure and the underlying correlations.

Findings

We discuss the benefits of carefully differentiating between cognitive processes in Information Systems research and depict avenues how future research can address current shortcomings with a careful investigation of neurophysiological antecedents.

Originality/value

To date, mind wandering has been explored as a single phenomenon, though research in reference disciplines has begun to distinguish varieties and how they distinctly impact behavior. We demonstrate that this distinction is also important for our discipline by showing how two specific types of mind wandering (i.e. deliberate and spontaneous mind wandering) are differently correlated with sub-dimensions of cognitive absorption, a well-studied construct.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 31 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1979

Jacqueline Drake

“Corporate planning” is the term which, perhaps more than any other, epitomises the adoption of business management techniques by the public sector. In Britain, with massive local…

Abstract

“Corporate planning” is the term which, perhaps more than any other, epitomises the adoption of business management techniques by the public sector. In Britain, with massive local government reorganisation in 1974, many librarians were forced to come to terms with such techniques whether they liked it or not. Of course, in its purest sense corporate planning applies to the combined operation of an entire organisation be it local authority, university, government department or industrial firm. However, in this paper I do not intend discussing “the grand design” whereby the library is merely a component part of a greater body. Rather, it is my intention to view the library as the corporate body. It is a perfectly possible and very useful exercise to apply the principles of corporate planning, and the management techniques involved, to the running of a library or group of libraries. Indeed, many librarians have already done this either independently or as their part in the corporate plan of their parent organisation.

Details

Library Management, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Article
Publication date: 2 April 2024

Dalia Al-Tarazi, Rachel Sara, Paul Redford, Louis Rice and Colin Booth

The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of personalisation in the relationship between the architectural design of homes and inhabitants’ psychological well-being.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of personalisation in the relationship between the architectural design of homes and inhabitants’ psychological well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

This interdisciplinary mixed-method study first investigates the existence of a link between personalisation and users’ association with home through a quantitative study (n = 101) and then explores the nature of this relationship through qualitative interviews (n = 13) in a sequential explanatory approach.

Findings

The main findings of the study highlight the significance of personalisation in relation to the way people perceive home. A direct link was established between participants’ involvement in the transformation of the home and their satisfaction with the residence, as well as satisfaction with life in general. Further thematic analysis of the qualitative study revealed further conceptualisations of personalisation, which together form an umbrella concept called transformability.

Research limitations/implications

The findings underscore the need for embedding flexibility as an architectural concept in the design of residential buildings for improving the well-being of occupants.

Originality/value

The design of homes has a great impact on inhabitants’ psychological well-being. This is becoming of greater importance in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic that has led to an increase in the amount of time spent in homes. This research contributes to this debate by proposing concepts for a deeper understanding of architectural influences on the psychology of the home.

Details

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-6862

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 1996

Philip J. Ayres, Colin T. Pollock, Alison Wilson, Paul Fox, Tony Tabner and Ivan Hanney

Investigates a mechanism for delivering public health advice in a primary care setting ‐ three West Yorkshire general practices ‐ by seconding a public health physician (PHP) to…

262

Abstract

Investigates a mechanism for delivering public health advice in a primary care setting ‐ three West Yorkshire general practices ‐ by seconding a public health physician (PHP) to each practice for six months, each practice receiving one day per week. Describes how the topics to be addressed ‐ developing a practice plan for managing information; improving services available for Asian patients; and exploring “value for money” in fundholding ‐ were chosen. Details the procedures and lists the main outcomes. Concludes that placing a public health physician in practices may not be the optimal approach for transferring public health knowledge, but topics important to the practice lend themselves to such an intervention, with potential long‐term benefit for public health and primary care.

Details

Journal of Management in Medicine, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-9235

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 26 May 2015

Yvonne D. Newsome

This study compares filmic and televisual representations of fictional black presidents to white Americans’ reactions to the advent of the United States’s first African American…

Abstract

Purpose

This study compares filmic and televisual representations of fictional black presidents to white Americans’ reactions to the advent of the United States’s first African American president. My main goal is to determine if there is convergence between these mediated representations and whites’ real-world representations of Barack Obama. I then weigh the evidence for media pundits’ speculations that Obama owes his election to positive portrayals of these fictional heads of state.

Methodology/approach

The film and television analyses examine each black president’s social network, personality, character traits, preparation for office, and leadership ability. I then compare the ideological messages conveyed through these portrayals to the messages implicated in white Americans’ discursive and pictorial representations of Barack Obama.

Findings

Both filmic and televisual narratives and public discourses and images construct and portray black presidents with stereotypical character traits and abilities. These representations are overwhelmingly negative and provide no support for the argument that there is a cause–effect relationship between filmic and televisual black presidents and Obama’s election victory.

Research implications

Neither reel nor real-life black presidents can elude the representational quagmire that distorts African Americans’ abilities and diversity. Discourses, iconography, narratives, and other representations that define black presidents through negative tropes imply that blacks are incapable of effective leadership. These hegemonic representations seek to delegitimize black presidents and symbolically return them to subordinate statuses.

Details

Race in the Age of Obama: Part 2
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-982-9

Keywords

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