Search results

THE simple actuator disk theory, first postulated by Froude over sixty years ago, is the basis of most helicopter induced flow theory. This disk is an idealization of a rotor which uniformly accelerates the air with no loss of thrust at the blade tips. It can therefore be regarded as the limit case of a rotor with an infinite number of blades. It is also assumed to be infinitely thin so that no discontinuities in velocity occur on the two sides of the disk.

Public listing of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) stimulates unremitting transformations into their corporate governance (CG) practices. These transformations in CG are likely to impact the financial performance (FP). The current study examines how individual corporate CG mechanisms and their mutual interactions (configurational approach) stimulate the FP of listed SMEs. The study selects promoters’ ownership (PO), the board (B-INX) and information disclosures (DISC) as individual CG mechanisms. In addition, market competition (COMP) is considered a form of external governance/regulation.

The study uses five years of panel data (2018–2022) of 80 SMEs listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange’s (BSE) SME listing platform in India. Panel data fixed effects and cluster robust standard errors estimated. In addition to the impact of individual CG mechanisms, their mutual interactions (configurational approach) are tested using moderated hierarchical regression and confirmed by slope tests.

The results signify the ineffectiveness of individual CG mechanisms when acting in silos. However, their mutual interactions drive the FP. A hierarchy of results is obtained. PO is the dominant form of internal CG, negatively influencing the relevance of B-INX and DISC. B-INX tends to adhere to good governance by positively moderating the impact of DISC on FP. Lastly, COMP acts as external governance that dominates the ownership effects. Findings reveal that the interactions among individual CG mechanisms are essential to the FP of listed SMEs. Such interactions adjust the agency theory dynamics of CG in these firms.

The study takes a holistic approach to investigate the agency theory dynamics via the mutual interactions among multiple CG forms. It highlights how the presence of a dominant form of CG can adjust the financial effect of others, thereby adjusting agency theory dynamics.

These results hold practical significance for SMEs in multiple ways. SMEs should embrace configurational approach to comprehend their agency dynamics. The configurational approach of CG mechanisms is the way forward for SMEs, which are known to be financially constrained. In other words, the fact that the resiliency of SMEs is very often questioned calls for the configurational approach, where different CG mechanisms coexist to drive FP.

The study is by far the first of its kind to investigate the CG of listed SMEs against the backdrop of the configurational approach. The findings will benefit industry practitioners, academics and regulatory bodies to visualize the governance practices through the lenses of configurational approach.

In the current manuscript, the authors examine the Belleville spring with the variable thickness. The thickness is assumed to be variable along the meridional and parallel coordinates of conical coordinate system. The calculation of the Belleville springs includes the cases of the free gliding edges and the edges on cylindric curbs, which constrain the radial movement. The equations developed here are based on common assumptions and are simple enough to be applied to the industrial calculations.

In the current manuscript, the authors examine the Belleville spring with the variable thickness. The calculation of the Belleville springs investigates the free gliding edges and the edges on cylindric curbs with the constrained radial movement. The equations developed here are based on common assumptions and are simple enough to be applied to the industrial calculations.

The developed equations demonstrate that the shift of the inversion point to the inside edge does not influence the bending of the cone. On the contrary, the character of the extensional deformation (circumferential strain) of the middle surface alternates significantly. The extension of the middle surface of free gliding spring occurs outside the inversion. The middle surface of the free gliding spring squeezes inside the inversion point. Contrarily, the complete middle surface of the disk spring on the cylindric curb extends. This behavior influences considerably the function of the spring.

A slotted disk spring consists of two segments: a disk segment and a number of lever arm segments. Currently, the calculation of slotted disk spring is based on the SAE formula (SAE, 1996). This formula is limited to a straight slotted disk spring with freely gliding inner and outer edges.

The equations developed here are based on common assumptions and are simple enough to be applied to the industrial calculations. The developed method is applicable for disk springs with radially constrained edges. The vertical displacements of a disk spring result from an axial load uniformly distributed on inner and outer edges. The method could be directly applied for calculation of slotted disk springs.

The nonlinear governing equations for the of Belleville spring centres were derived. The equations describe the deformation and stresses of thin and moderately thick washers. The variation method is applicable for the disc springs with free gliding and rigidly constrained edges. The developed method is applicable for Belleville spring with radially constrained edges. The vertical displacements of a disc spring result from an axial load uniformly distributed on inner and outer edges.

Intersectoral collaboration is often a prerequisite for effective interventions in public health. The purpose of this paper is to assess the facilitating and hindering conditions regarding intersectoral collaboration between health authorities, public health services (PHSs), public services stakeholders (PPSs) and the education sector in comprehensive school health promotion (CSHP) in the Netherlands.

CSHP collaborations in five Dutch regions were studied using a questionnaire based on the DIagnosis of Sustainable Collaboration (DISC) model, focusing on: change management; perceptions, intentions and actions of collaborating parties; project organization; and factors in the wider context. Univariate and multivariate analyses with bootstrapping were applied to 106 respondents (62 percent response).

A similar pattern of facilitating and hindering conditions emerged for the five regions, showing positive perceptions, but fewer positive intentions and actions. An overall favorable internal and external context for collaboration was found, but limited by bureaucratic procedures and prioritizing stakeholders’ own organizational goals. Change management was rarely applied. Some differences between sectors emerged, with greatest support for collaboration found among the coordinating organizations (PHSs) and least support among the financing organization (municipalities).

The generalization of the findings is limited to the initial formation stage of collaboration, and may be affected by selection bias, small sample size and possible impact of interdepartmental collaboration within organizations.

The authors recommend establishing stronger change management to facilitate translation of positive perceptions into intentions and actions, and coordination of divergent organizational structures and orientations among collaborating parties.

The results show that it is valuable for collaborating parties to conduct DISC analyses to improve intersectoral collaboration in CSHP.

For an enterprise, it is essential to win as many customers as possible. The key to successfully winning customers is often determined by understanding the personality characteristics of the object of communication in order to employ an effective communication strategy. An enterprise needs to obtain the personality information of target or potential customers. However, the traditional method for personality evaluation is extremely costly in terms of time and labor, and it cannot acquire customer personality information without their awareness. Therefore, the manner in which to effectively conduct automated personality predictions for a large number of objects is an important issue. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The diverse social media that have emerged in recent years represent a digital platform on which users can publicly deliver speeches and interact with others. Thus, social media may be able to serve the needs of automated personality predictions. Based on user data of Facebook, the main social media platform around the world, this research developed a method for predicting personality types based on interaction logs.

Experimental results show that the Naïve Bayes classification algorithm combined with a feature selection algorithm produces the best performance for predicting personality types, with 70-80 percent accuracy.

In this research, the dominance, inducement, submission, and compliance (DISC) theory was used to determine personality types. Some specific limitations were encountered. As Facebook was used as the main data source, it was necessary to obtain related data via Facebook’s API (FB API). However, the data types accessible via FB API are very limited.

This research serves to build a universal model for social media interaction, and can be used to propose an efficient method for designing interaction features.

This research has developed an approach for automatically predicting the personality types of network users based on their Facebook interactions.

Shrink fit is an important method used in mechanical transmission, but the design of these connections is not sufficiently precise due to lack of knowledge regarding the effects of many parameters. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This paper presents the torque capacity and contact stress analysis for a new shrink disc by numerical analysis and experimental methods. Torque capacity analysis aims to predict the effectiveness of mechanical transmission, and to check the structural safety. Stress-strain curves are measured using the universal testing machine, and Bilinear Kinematic Hardening rate-independent plasticity model characterises the elastic-plastic response of the materials.

The numerical result shows that there is no plastic deformation at the interference regions, and the maximum equivalent strain happens on the inner ring. The stress of outer ring is decreased with radius increasing, and shows a periodic variation along the circumference, but stress concentration happens at the threaded holes. Finally, the torque capacity of the shrink disc system is measured through a developed test machine, and the torque capacity difference between numerical and experimental results is about 3.3 per cent.

This paper presents a numerical and experimental carrying capacity analysis for a shrink disc. Plasticity model characterises the materials’ elastic-plastic response based testing. A test machine is designed to measure the torque capacity; the error is about 3.3 per cent.

The progress of parallel computing in Information Retrieval (IR) is reviewed. In particular we stress the importance of the motivation in using parallel computing for text retrieval. We analyse parallel IR systems using a classification defined by Rasmussen and describe some parallel IR systems. We give a description of the retrieval models used in parallel information processing. We describe areas of research which we believe are needed.

This paper aims to understand how training programs fostering discourses centred on individuals’ identity construction may turn resistance into a generative and enabling force to elicit more relationally and negotiated solutions of change.

The study used Foucault’s conceptualisation of “regimes of truth” to show how even potentially resistant public managers may generatively contribute to change processes if given the chance to restate the macro discourses of the hegemonic new public management movement at their own micro level. It relied upon an ethnographic approach based on verbal interviews, photo-elicitation, DiSC behavioural tests and observation of 29 Italian public managers participating in a training course.

The findings allow us to unveil how helping public managers to think about their self-identity in new ways enabled them to approach changing processes differently turning their resistance efforts into a generative force.

The paper offers a noteworthy contribution to the literature on public sector change by examining neglected issues relating to the identity of change agents and the implications of their multiple roles. It presents an alternative to the deterministic view of resistance as impeding or dysfunctionally shaping change under the new public management approach. This has important implications for both practice and policymaking.

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of aerodynamic excitations on the dynamic behavior of a helical two‐stage gear system.

The methodology consists of developing a wind turbine model including a helical two‐stage gear train having 21 DOFs.

The results of this paper show that the dynamic behavior of the speed‐up gearbox inside the wind turbine is affected by various degrees of flexibility at different frequencies.

The aerodynamic forces are calculated by two main methods, the first is the actuator disc theory and the second is the Blade‐Element Method. Some correction functions are applied, such as the tip‐root loss functions and the Glauert correction factor. The convergence of the induction factors permits to increase the precision of predictions. Finally, the generator side is modeled by a simplified electric schematic based on steady state model.

Resistance to new buzz words and the latest technical jargon used to be almost a matter of principle for me. I don't know if we can blame the Government for dreaming up Information Technology Year, or whether the buzzword technocrats are truly irrestistible. But I've been converted. And, like many reluctant converts, I've become an enthusiast. My particular interest is INTERACTIVE VIDEO and, over the next few months, I will try to share my enthusiasm and keep readers up to date with new developments.