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A numerical model of deformable block systems that gives a unique solution for large displacement, large deformation and failure computations is presented. The forces acting on each block, from external loading or contact with other blocks, satisfy the equilibrium equations. Equilibrium is also achieved between external forces and the block stresses. Furthermore, the analysis fulfills constraints of no tension between blocks and no penetration of one block into another. Also, Coloumb's law is fulfilled at all contact positions for both static and dynamic computations. The program ready algorithms with brief derivations are stated in this paper.

This paper describes the use of seminar or block formats in delivering logistics and services marketing courses as pilot projects at the University of Calgary. The students attending the courses completed questionnaires regarding their pre‐course expectations, post‐course perceptions, and overall course satisfaction in order to gauge the effectiveness and impact of the block format. The students were quite satisfied with the block format in both courses and the author considers a good learning experience took place. The use of block formats is recommended as a way to deliver courses that have benefits for both students and lecturers and provide a distinct competitive advantage for the institution.

The purpose of this study is to identify the print effects produced on selected fabrics due to the adaptation of styrofoam, plastic net and wood as stamp blocks for printing.

The art-based experimental research approach was used to produce and identify the art (prints) produced by stamp blocks on different fabrics using water-soluble print paste.

They stamp block surfaces used in the block printing process produced interesting effects or prints that are uniquely associated with each other. Fabrics such as silver and satin produced shinny print effects coupled with a tough hand or feel as compared to a paperish hand produced on the surfaces of cotton-polyester blend and linen fabrics. The addition of white glue to the paste produced a smooth and embossed-like print effect on fabrics like mercerised cotton and linen. Further results were captured to indicate the hand of these fabrics after printing due to the change in viscosity of the print paste.

The use of calabash and wood surfaces as stamp blocks used in Ghana and the rest of the world is common for printing patterns on fabrics. This study essentially reveals the possibility of using different surfaces for stamp blocks which produce aesthetically pleasing print effects. This when adopted by craftsmen and students would widen the teaching and creative scope in block printing and further produce viable prints for the market using available materials in the environment. These activities would promote and maintain the philosophy of block printing even in the era of advance printing technologies.

The purpose of this paper is to study the bonding properties of Larch with water‐based polymer isocynate (WPI) adhesive to provide theoretical instruction for practical production of Larch glued laminated timber with WPI adhesive.

This study adopted Japanese JIS K6806 standard to test bonding properties of Larch with WPI adhesive. Scanning electron microscope was used to observe morphography of Larch surface. Micro photos were adopted to show the penetration of WPI adhesive on the radial and tangential surfaces of Larch.

There was significant difference in bonding strength between Larch radial and tangential glue‐blocks glued with WPI adhesive. Dry compressing shear strength of Larch radial glue‐block bonded with WPI adhesive was 1.41 times that of Larch tangential glue‐block bonded with WPI adhesive in normal conditions. Wood failure showed that the difference between Larch radial and tangential glue‐block was caused by wood structure of Larch itself.

The research conclusion that the dry compressing shear strength of Larch radial glue‐block bonded with WPI adhesive was bigger than that of Larch tangential glue‐block bonded in normal conditions. These would be changed if other adhesives were adopted to glue Larch wood.

The conclusion developed in this study provided a practical production instruction for Larch glued laminated timber with WPI adhesive. In order to obtain better bonding properties during the production of Larch glued laminated wood, Larch wood should be sawn into radial boards rather than tangential boards in order to obtain maximum bonding strength of Larch wood.

The paper shows that there was significant difference in bonding strength between Larch radial and tangential glue‐bonded blocks with WPI adhesive. Dry compressing shear strength of Larch radial glue‐block bonded with WPI adhesive was 1.41 times that of Larch tangential glue‐block bonded with WPI adhesive in normal conditions.

The purpose of this paper is to test and model non-linearities in block price deviations when they are executed outside the bid-ask quotes. The author conducts an empirical analysis on 662,312 transactions that were traded outside the bid-ask quotes in 2014 on the London Stock Exchange.

The tests reject the linearity hypothesis and the paper shows that the exponential smooth transition autoregressive model is capable of capturing the non-linear behaviour of block price misalignments.

The findings imply that when the deviation of block prices from their quoted value is small (large), trading will occur slowly (rapidly) to restore equilibrium, suggesting that trading costs eliminate continuous trading and that the block trade market is efficient.

The purpose of this paper is to re-model block price deviations from the bid-ask quotes. The major contribution is that the paper presents new empirical evidence, which explicitly allows for the possibility that block price misalignments from the bid-ask quotes can be characterized by a non-linear mean reverting process. The author demonstrates that the presence of transaction costs induces non-linear adjustments of block trade prices.

A major problem encountered by high‐tech management is that of managing the precision of product components and their assembly. For dimensional metrology, management’s ultimate tool for technologically assuring measurement precision to the microinch, and the product reliability depending on this precision, is the use of gauge blocks for calibration. Using three comprehensive sets of data from high precision primary laboratories in the US and from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), not only explores, but also provides insights on, how reliable a calibration standard are gauge blocks. The results show that individual blocks do expand or contract over time. The true value of blocks was found to differ significantly from their specified nominal values. There was strong evidence that some blocks are in fact manufactured much above or below their nominal specification. Also a significantly higher range was displayed in measurements on larger blocks.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the performance of block-multicolor (BMC) ordering for the parallelized incomplete-Cholesky-preconditioned conjugate gradient (ICCG) method. Then, the BMC ordering based on level structure arising in reverse Cuthill-McKee RCM ordering is newly proposed. The name of proposed method is abbreviated as “RBMC”. This paper shows the validity of proposed method by comparison with greedy-based multicolor (MC) and conventional BMC on the real symmetric linear system derived from the voltage-driven finite element method in time domain.

In RBMC, the blocking and coloring is performed level by level. The number of synchronizations in forward and backward substitution is reduced so that all blocks can be colored with two colors. However, the load-balance in forward and backward substitution might deteriorate because the irregular block matrices are distributed around diagonal. To uniformize load-balance in forward and backward substitution, the RBMC combined with the concept of block red-black ordering has been developed.

The modified RBMC was the most effective for reduction of the elapsed time among four orderings (MC, BMC, RBMC, modified RBMC) owing to improvement of convergence characteristic and load-balance.

The proposed method had two advantages: although the number of unknowns per block must be previously determined in BMC, its parameter is automatically determined in proposed method, the number of synchronization in forward and backward substitution can be reduced.

This paper aims to examine the price impact of block trades for FTSE 100 firms.

Using event studies a sample of 1.6 million block purchases and 1.2 million block sales over the time period 1998‐2005 is analysed.

Once block price effects are estimated using quote returns to eliminate bid‐ask bias, the asymmetry in buyer and seller initiated trades is eliminated.

A possible avenue for future research may be to look at the impact of inflation on the asymmetry between block purchases and sales. This may be an interesting extension to the current study given that inflation appears to be an important determinant of the equity premium in international stock markets.

The empirical results suggest that market liquidity is one of the factors that is driving the asymmetry between block purchases and sales on the London Stock Exchange. The paper is of interest to academics and practitioners who study and invest in block trades.

This is the first study of the UK stock market to encapsulate bid‐ask biases in block trades.