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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2023

Saima Kazmi, Mark Heisten and Burton St John III

This study is concerned with the dynamics of the internal communications at Netflix following the release of The Closer and the public debate that followed, testing Netflix's…

Abstract

Purpose

This study is concerned with the dynamics of the internal communications at Netflix following the release of The Closer and the public debate that followed, testing Netflix's long-standing reputation for promoting diverse content and supporting a progressive organizational culture.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the circuit of culture (CoC) as a theoretical framework, this study applies a case study approach to analyze internal communication and strategic public relations in addressing this crisis.

Findings

This study's findings illustrate that by failing to interpret two of the five moments of the CoC, production and identity, Netflix negated the very values that constitute its brand. These findings have implications for how public relations' long-standing focus on two-way symmetrical communication is problematic, especially in the workplace.

Originality/value

The findings situate how the exertion of power within an organization, particularly in moments of identity and production, problematize the role of two-way symmetrical communication within an organization in crisis.

Details

Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-3289

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 March 2024

Yuxuan Wu, Wenyuan Xu, Tianlai Yu and Yifan Wang

Polyurethane concrete (PUC), as a new type of steel bridge deck paving material, the bond-slip pattern at the interface with the steel plate is not yet clear. In this study, the…

Abstract

Purpose

Polyurethane concrete (PUC), as a new type of steel bridge deck paving material, the bond-slip pattern at the interface with the steel plate is not yet clear. In this study, the mechanical properties of the PUC and steel plate interface under the coupled action of temperature, normal force and tangential force were explored through shear tests and numerical simulations. An analytical model for bond-slip at the PUC/steel plate interface and a predictive model for the shear strength of the PUC/steel plate interface were developed.

Design/methodology/approach

The new shear test device designed in this paper overcomes the defect that the traditional oblique shear test cannot test the interface shear performance under the condition of fixed normal force. The universal testing machine (UTM) test machine was used to adjust the test temperature conditions. Combined with the results of the bond-slip test, the finite element simulation of the interface is completed by using the COHENSIVE unit to analyze the local stress distribution characteristics of the interface. The use of variance-based uncertainty analysis guaranteed the validity of the simulation.

Findings

The shear strength (τf) at the PUC-plate interface was negatively correlated with temperature while it was positively correlated with normal stress. The effect of temperature on the shear properties was more significant than that of normal stress. The slip corresponding to the maximum shear (D1) positively correlates with both temperature and normal stress. The interfacial shear ductility improves with increasing temperature.

Originality/value

Based on the PUC bond-slip measured curves, the relationship between bond stress and slip at different stages was analyzed, and the bond-slip analytical model at different stages was established; the model was defined by key parameters such as elastic ultimate shear stress τ0, peak stress τf and interface fracture energy Gf.

Details

International Journal of Structural Integrity, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-9864

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2024

Chuyu Tang, Hao Wang, Genliang Chen and Shaoqiu Xu

This paper aims to propose a robust method for non-rigid point set registration, using the Gaussian mixture model and accommodating non-rigid transformations. The posterior…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a robust method for non-rigid point set registration, using the Gaussian mixture model and accommodating non-rigid transformations. The posterior probabilities of the mixture model are determined through the proposed integrated feature divergence.

Design/methodology/approach

The method involves an alternating two-step framework, comprising correspondence estimation and subsequent transformation updating. For correspondence estimation, integrated feature divergences including both global and local features, are coupled with deterministic annealing to address the non-convexity problem of registration. For transformation updating, the expectation-maximization iteration scheme is introduced to iteratively refine correspondence and transformation estimation until convergence.

Findings

The experiments confirm that the proposed registration approach exhibits remarkable robustness on deformation, noise, outliers and occlusion for both 2D and 3D point clouds. Furthermore, the proposed method outperforms existing analogous algorithms in terms of time complexity. Application of stabilizing and securing intermodal containers loaded on ships is performed. The results demonstrate that the proposed registration framework exhibits excellent adaptability for real-scan point clouds, and achieves comparatively superior alignments in a shorter time.

Originality/value

The integrated feature divergence, involving both global and local information of points, is proven to be an effective indicator for measuring the reliability of point correspondences. This inclusion prevents premature convergence, resulting in more robust registration results for our proposed method. Simultaneously, the total operating time is reduced due to a lower number of iterations.

Details

Robotic Intelligence and Automation, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2754-6969

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2024

Zhuoer Yao, Zi Kan, Daochun Li, Haoyuan Shao and Jinwu Xiang

The purpose of this paper is to solve the challenging problem of automatic carrier landing with the presence of environmental disturbances. Therefore, a global fast terminal…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to solve the challenging problem of automatic carrier landing with the presence of environmental disturbances. Therefore, a global fast terminal sliding mode control (GFTSMC) method is proposed for automatic carrier landing system (ACLS) to achieve safe carrier landing control.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the framework of ACLS is established, which includes flight glide path model, guidance model, approach power compensation system and flight controller model. Subsequently, the carrier deck motion model and carrier air-wake model are presented to simulate the environmental disturbances. Then, the detailed design steps of GFTSMC are provided. The stability analysis of the controller is proved by Lyapunov theorems and LaSalle’s invariance principle. Furthermore, the arrival time analysis is carried out, which proves the controller has fixed time convergence ability.

Findings

The numerical simulations are conducted. The simulation results reveal that the proposed method can guarantee a finite convergence time and safe carrier landing under various conditions. And the superiority of the proposed method is further demonstrated by comparative simulations and Monte Carlo tests.

Originality/value

The GFTSMC method proposed in this paper can achieve precise and safe carrier landing with environmental disturbances, which has important referential significance to the improvement of ACLS controller designs.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 96 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 April 2024

Shilong Zhang, Changyong Liu, Kailun Feng, Chunlai Xia, Yuyin Wang and Qinghe Wang

The swivel construction method is a specially designed process used to build bridges that cross rivers, valleys, railroads and other obstacles. To carry out this construction…

Abstract

Purpose

The swivel construction method is a specially designed process used to build bridges that cross rivers, valleys, railroads and other obstacles. To carry out this construction method safely, real-time monitoring of the bridge rotation process is required to ensure a smooth swivel operation without collisions. However, the traditional means of monitoring using Electronic Total Station tools cannot realize real-time monitoring, and monitoring using motion sensors or GPS is cumbersome to use.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes a monitoring method based on a series of computer vision (CV) technologies, which can monitor the rotation angle, velocity and inclination angle of the swivel construction in real-time. First, three proposed CV algorithms was developed in a laboratory environment. The experimental tests were carried out on a bridge scale model to select the outperformed algorithms for rotation, velocity and inclination monitor, respectively, as the final monitoring method in proposed method. Then, the selected method was implemented to monitor an actual bridge during its swivel construction to verify the applicability.

Findings

In the laboratory study, the monitoring data measured with the selected monitoring algorithms was compared with those measured by an Electronic Total Station and the errors in terms of rotation angle, velocity and inclination angle, were 0.040%, 0.040%, and −0.454%, respectively, thus validating the accuracy of the proposed method. In the pilot actual application, the method was shown to be feasible in a real construction application.

Originality/value

In a well-controlled laboratory the optimal algorithms for bridge swivel construction are identified and in an actual project the proposed method is verified. The proposed CV method is complementary to the use of Electronic Total Station tools, motion sensors, and GPS for safety monitoring of swivel construction of bridges. It also contributes to being a possible approach without data-driven model training. Its principal advantages are that it both provides real-time monitoring and is easy to deploy in real construction applications.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 April 2024

Yiwei Zhang, Daochun Li, Zi Kan, Zhuoer Yao and Jinwu Xiang

This paper aims to propose a novel control scheme and offer a control parameter optimizer to achieve better automatic carrier landing. Carrier landing is a challenging work…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a novel control scheme and offer a control parameter optimizer to achieve better automatic carrier landing. Carrier landing is a challenging work because of the severe sea conditions, high demand for accuracy and non-linearity and maneuvering coupling of the aircraft. Consequently, the automatic carrier landing system raises the need for a control scheme that combines high robustness, rapidity and accuracy. In addition, to exploit the capability of the proposed control scheme and alleviate the difficulty of manual parameter tuning, a control parameter optimizer is constructed.

Design/methodology/approach

A novel reference model is constructed by considering the desired state and the actual state as constrained generalized relative motion, which works as a virtual terminal spring-damper system. An improved particle swarm optimization algorithm with dynamic boundary adjustment and Pareto set analysis is introduced to optimize the control parameters.

Findings

The control parameter optimizer makes it efficient and effective to obtain well-tuned control parameters. Furthermore, the proposed control scheme with the optimized parameters can achieve safe carrier landings under various severe sea conditions.

Originality/value

The proposed control scheme shows stronger robustness, accuracy and rapidity than sliding-mode control and Proportion-integration-differentiation (PID). Also, the small number and efficiency of control parameters make this paper realize the first simultaneous optimization of all control parameters in the field of flight control.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 96 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 July 2023

James L. Sullivan, David Novak, Eric Hernandez and Nick Van Den Berg

This paper introduces a novel quality measure, the percent-within-distribution, or PWD, for acceptance and payment in a quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) performance…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper introduces a novel quality measure, the percent-within-distribution, or PWD, for acceptance and payment in a quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) performance specification (PS).

Design/methodology/approach

The new quality measure takes any sample size or distribution and uses a Bayesian updating process to re-estimate parameters of a design distribution as sample observations are fed through the algorithm. This methodology can be employed in a wide range of applications, but the authors demonstrate the use of the measure for a QC/QA PS with upper and lower bounds on 28-day compressive strength of in-place concrete for bridge decks.

Findings

The authors demonstrate the use of this new quality measure to illustrate how it addresses the shortcomings of the percent-within-limits (PWL), which is the current industry standard quality measure. The authors then use the PWD to develop initial pay factors through simulation regimes. The PWD is shown to function better than the PWL with realistic sample lots simulated to represent a variety of industry responses to a new QC/QA PS.

Originality/value

The analytical contribution of this work is the introduction of the new quality measure. However, the practical and managerial contributions of this work are of equal significance.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 41 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

Colleen Fitzpatrick and Adam Friedman

This study explores how one novice teacher navigated his first-year teaching sixth-grade social studies.

Abstract

Purpose

This study explores how one novice teacher navigated his first-year teaching sixth-grade social studies.

Design/methodology/approach

One-sixth grade novice teacher was observed during his unit on the Islamic Empire. The teacher was interviewed before the unit began to understand his approach to combating Islamophobia and interviewed again after the unit so he could reflect on the unit and discuss if he believed he had accomplished his original goal. Classroom artifacts (handouts, slide decks, etc.) were collected.

Findings

The findings highlight the various forces that impacted the decisions the teacher made in the classroom. Lack of support from administration and various colleagues left the teacher feeling overwhelmed and unable to accomplish his goals. While the teacher started the unit with a clear purpose for teaching against Islamophobia, he ultimately taught a unit where students memorized discrete pieces of information.

Originality/value

This study adds to previous research on the need for providing administrative support for novice teachers to be able to teach in ambitious ways by highlighting the numerous shortcomings.

Details

Social Studies Research and Practice, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1933-5415

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 January 2023

Ying Ling Jin, Fatimah De’nan, Kok Keong Choong and Nor Salwani Hashim

Cold-formed steel has been used extensively as secondary elements such as purlins and girts in building frames. Purlin is critical to the structure of the roof because it supports…

Abstract

Purpose

Cold-formed steel has been used extensively as secondary elements such as purlins and girts in building frames. Purlin is critical to the structure of the roof because it supports the weight of the roof deck and aids to make the entire roof structure more rigid. Furthermore, cold-formed steel purlin is a replacement for wood purlin because steel purlins are light weight and more economical. Hence, the purpose of this study to investigate the effect of opening due to torsion behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

This analysis used cold-formed steel hat purlin with and without openings (WOs) under different opening shape, location and spacing by using finite element LUSAS software.

Findings

The finite element results showed that purlin with openings had higher angle of rotation than section WO, with a percentage difference of not more than 6%. When the opening was located at mid-span, the angle of rotation reduced. Angle of rotation increased when the opening spacing increased. Number of openings also affected the torsional behaviour of the purlin. Five opening shapes, which were circle, diamond, C-hexagon, square and elongated circle, were studied. Among all the shapes, purlin with diamond opening was more resistance to torsion.

Originality/value

The use of cold-formed steel section with web openings (rectangular or circular) is a practical solution when it is required to pass service ducts through the structural member. However, the presence of opening gives minor effect on the structural behaviour of cold-formed steel hat purlin.

Details

World Journal of Engineering, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1708-5284

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 December 2023

Mousin Omarsaib

This study aims to explore first-year engineering students’ perceptions of the engineering librarian as an instructor in multimodal environments related to Information Literacy…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore first-year engineering students’ perceptions of the engineering librarian as an instructor in multimodal environments related to Information Literacy (IL) topics, teaching strategy, content evaluation, organising, planning and support.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach was used through a survey instrument based on an online questionnaire. Questions were adopted and modified from a lecturer evaluation survey. A simple random sampling technique was used to collect data from first-year cohorts of engineering students in 2020 and 2022.

Findings

Respondents perception of the engineering librarian as an instructor in multimodal learning environment was good. Findings revealed students’ learning experiences were aligned with IL instruction even though the environment changed from blended to online. However, an emerging theme that continuously appeared was a lack of access to technology.

Practical implications

These findings may help in developing and strengthening the teaching identity of academic librarians as instructors in multimodal learning environments.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is novel in that it evaluates the teaching abilities of an academic librarian in multimodal environments through the lens of students.

Details

Digital Library Perspectives, vol. 40 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5816

Keywords

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