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This paper presents a versatile and economical knowledge‐based assembly design of blade and shell assemblies by employing behavioral modeling concepts. Behavioral modeling is a new generation CAD concept aimed at achieving ultimately optimum results with the efforts made in the early stage of the product development cycle. As a result, the assembly process of any odd‐configured parts such as torque converter blades, can be accurately planned, and made adaptable to all potential in‐process alterations due to either changes of components design or that of the assembly kinematics. Optimum assembly design is achieved when the volumetric interference meets a desired value based on an expert's determination. Experimental verification of the proposed optimum assembly design conducted in Luk, Inc. with two different blades' assemblies demonstrates satisfactory results.

This paper develops a proportional plus derivative (PD) control scheme for a thyristor controlled series compensator (TCSC) to reinforce power system damping performance. This PD control scheme is aided by the use of genetic algorithms (GAs). The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through computer simulation using a multi‐machine power system associated with a single TCSC. Results show that the proposed PD controller can achieve good damping performance.

The purpose of this paper is to propose an effective and novel methodology to determine optimal location of piezoelectric transducers for passive vibration control of geometrically complicated structures and shells with various curvatures. An industry‐standard aircraft leading‐edge structure is considered for the actuator placement analysis and experimental verification.

The proposed method is based on finite element analysis of the underlying structure having a thin layer of piezoelectric elements covering the entire inner surface with pertinent boundary conditions. All the piezoelectric properties are incorporated into the elements. Specifically, modal piezoelectric analysis is performed to provide computed tomography for the evaluations of the electric potential distributions on these piezoelectric elements attributed by the first bending and torsional modes of structural vibration. Then, the outstanding zone(s) yielding highest amount of electric potentials can be identified as the target location for the best actuator placement.

Six piezoelectric vibration absorbers are determined to be placed alongside both of the fixed edges. An experimental verification of the aluminum leading edge's vibration suppression using the proposed method is conducted exploiting two resistive shunt circuits for the passive damping. A good agreement is obtained between the analytical and experimental results. In particular, vibration suppression around 30 and 25 per cent and Q‐factor reduction up to 15 and 10 per cent are obtained in the designated bending and torsional modes, respectively. In addition, some amount of damping improvement is observed at higher modes of vibration as well.

The frequency in the proposed approach will be increased slowly and gradually from 0 to 500 Hz. When the frequency matches the natural frequency of the structure, owing to the resonant condition the plate will vibrate heavily. The vibrations of the plate can be observed by connecting a sensor to an oscilloscope. Owing to the use of only one sensor, not all the modes can be detected. Only the first few modes can be picked up by the sensor, because of its location.

This method can also be used in optimizing not only the location but also the size and shape of the passive vibration absorber to attain maximum amount of damping. This can be achieved by simply changing the dimensions and shape of the piezoelectric vibration absorber in the finite element model on an iterative basis to find the configuration that gives maximum electric potential.

The determination of optimal location(s) for piezoelectric transducers is very complicated and difficult if the geometry of structures is curved or irregular. Therefore, it has never been reported in the literature. Here an efficient FEA‐based electric potential tomography method is proposed to identify the optimized locations for the PZT transducers for passive vibration control of geometrically complicated structures, with minimal efforts. In addition, this method will facilitate the determination of electric potentials that would be obtained at all the possible locations for piezoelectric transducers and hence makes it possible to optimize the placement and configurations of the candidate transducers on complex shape structures.

By leveraging various designs for assembly and designs for manufacturing methods, manufacturing industry can apply solid modeling, or 3D design, to increase profit margins and decrease the time to market of its product. Specific to torque converter development, an engineer can utilize a CAD package and gain all of the advantages of designing in 3D without the drawback of increased design time. In this paper we propose a behavioral modeling technique to capture design intent and utilize the intent maps for obtaining 3D solid models in a similar amount of time as on a 2D CAD system, but with the advantage of a life‐like final design. This results in fewer modifications and less inaccuracies associated with 2D design. A 3D model so generated also assists in drawing interpretation. In general, using the proposed techniques will streamline the torque converter design cycle and move readily towards desired assembly automation. Torque converter design for assembly is implemented as an illustrated example.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between the dimensions of sustainable competitive advantages in the Indian low cost airlines.

This study used structural equation modelling methods to identify the factors that significantly affect the sustainable competitive advantages enjoyed by Indian low-cost carriers (LCCs). Specifically, this study is based on the data from 208 airline experts that populate multiple structural equation models.

Results indicate that indigenous efficiency, the LCCs perceptions of threat, dexterity, strategic persuasion and the LCC adopting an enabling role positively affect LCCs’ competitive advantages. These five factors were all correlated with each other. The results also show that relative to an LCC’s dexterity, indigenous efficiency is a stronger predictor of an LCC’s competitive advantages.

This study provides low-cost airlines with valuable information for designing effective strategies for obtaining competitive advantages in the LCC sector. To conclude the paper, the authors offer practical recommendations for managers and suggest some avenues for future research in this area.

Hospital responsiveness to the patient expectations of non-medical aspect of care can lead to patient satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the eight dimensions of responsiveness and overall patient satisfaction in public and private hospitals in Tehran, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015. In all, 500 patients were selected by the convenient sampling method from two public and three private hospitals. All data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire consisted of 32 items to assess the responsiveness of hospitals across eight dimensions and four items to assess the level of overall patient satisfaction. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and multivariate regression was performed by SPSS 18.

The mean score of hospital responsiveness and patient satisfaction was 3.48±0.69 and 3.54±0.97 out of 5, respectively. Based on the regression analysis, around 65 percent of the variance in overall satisfaction can be explained by dimensions of responsiveness. Seven independent variables had a positive impact on patient satisfaction; the quality of basic amenities and respect for human dignity were the most powerful factors influencing overall patient satisfaction.

Hospital responsiveness had a strong effect on overall patient satisfaction. Health care facilities should consider including efforts to responsiveness improvement in their strategic plans. It is recommended that patients should be involved in their treatment processes and have the right to choose their physician.

The corrosion behaviour of titanium alloy surface when fluid with different flow rates flows through welded joints with different residual heights was explored.

The experiment uses a combination of array electrodes and simulation.

It is found that when the weld reinforcement exists, the corrosion tendency of both ends of the weld metal is greater than that of other parts of the welded joint due to the influence of high turbulence kinetic energy and shear stress. The presence of weld reinforcement heights makes the fluid behind it fluctuate greatly. The passivation films of both the base metal (BM) at the rear and the heat-affected zone (HAZ) are more prone to corrosion than those of the front BM and HAZ, and the passivation film is rougher.

The combination of test and simulation was used to explore the influence of electrochemical and hydrodynamic factors on the corrosion behaviour of titanium alloy-welded joints when welding residual height existed.

The purpose of this paper is to assist ocean container carriers in devising effective marketing strategies to attract and retain Indian shippers by letting them understand the list of criteria Indian shippers use in the carrier selection decisions and also the amount of importance they assign to each criterion during such decisions.

To explore the criteria, review of transportation literature, customer satisfaction survey questionnaires of container carriers and SERVQUAL battery was undertaken. Telephonic interviews and focus group interview were also conducted for this purpose. In order to evaluate the criteria, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used. In the AHP, the pairwise comparisons were carried out by another focus group with the help of a questionnaire. For AHP calculations, the Expert Choice 11.5 software was used.

Indian shippers use 45 criteria in the container carrier selection process and out of these, low freight is ranked as the most important criterion and pricing flexibility is the second most important one. In the list, these are the only two criteria found to be with more than 10 per cent importance. The least importance is given to five criteria: gifts and compliments, online booking, physical facilities, professional appearance and trade announcements which are weighed with 0.10 per cent importance. The paper has explored and added several new carrier selection criteria to the existing transportation literature.

The paper enables container carriers to understand various criteria Indian shippers use in the container carrier selection decisions along with their relative importance in such decisions. It also helps container carriers to decide which criterion is to be given priority and which not while devising their marketing strategies for Indian market. This decision is vital to maximize shippers' satisfaction.

The paper is the first ever carrier selection study undertaken in India and is expected to open up enormous scope for future research.

Quality issues, increasing patient expectations and unsatisfactory media reports are driving patient safety concerns. Developing a quality and safety culture (QSC) is, therefore, crucial for patient and staff welfare, and should be a priority for service providers and policy makers. The purpose of this paper is to identify the most important QSC drivers, and thus propose appropriate operational actions for Saudi Arabian hospital managers and for managers in healthcare institutions worldwide.

Quantitative data from 417 questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Respondents were selected from various hospitals and managerial positions at a national level.

Findings suggest that error feedback (FAE) and communication quality (QC) have a strong role fostering or enhancing QSC. Findings also show that fearing potential punitive responses to mistakes made on the job, hospital staff are reluctant to report errors.

To achieve a healthcare QSC, managers need to implement preemptive or corrective actions aimed at ensuring prompt and relevant feedback about errors, ensure clear and open communication and focus on continuously improving systems and processes rather than on failures related to individual performance.

This paper adds value to national healthcare, as Saudi study results are probably generalizable to other healthcare systems throughout the world.

The purpose of this paper is to construct a novel delay grey incidence analysis model to analyze drivers and obstacles of university R&D performance.

With respect to the fact that university R&D activities typically experience two stages of knowledge creation and technology transfer, and different drivers and obstacles come into play to affect the conversion of R&D investment to outcomes at each stage, based on the thought of grey incidence analysis and the specific characteristics of science and technology (sci-tech) development, a novel delay grey incidence analysis model is proposed in this paper, and then according to the yearbook statistical data, Chinese university R&D activities are investigated and the drivers and obstacles of university R&D performance are analyzed.

The results show that the R&D full-time staff and R&D funds of basic research are the key drivers of influencing factors, and the sci-tech innovation talents in universities’ R&D institutions and experiment development funds are the restraining factors to improve R&D performance in the stage of knowledge creation; the expenses of R&D achievement application and technology service and the full-time staff of achievement application and technology service are the key drivers and obstacles of influencing the aggregate amount of patent sale respectively.

This research helps policy makers to reflect on their university R&D policies and understand how to enhance the technology transfer rate in China.

The paper succeeds in identifying key drivers and obstacles of affecting university R&D performance in China by examining the input and output incidence at both the knowledge creation and technology transfer stages.