bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Book Reviews
Authors: SINGLETON Alan
Published: July 2010

Bibliometrics and Citation Analysis; from the Science Citation Index to Cybermetrics Nicola de Bellis Plymouth, The Scarecrow Press, 2009, 415 pp. ISBN 978‐0‐8108‐6713‐0, $55.00 £34.95 €39.95 paperback ISBN 978‐0‐8108‐6714‐7 (ebook)
Book Reviews
Authors: MARKWOOD Priscilla S.
Published: July 2010

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More Chris Anderson Hyperion, 2006, 236 pp. ISBN 104013‐0237‐8, $24.95

Free: The Future of a Radical Price Chris Anderson Hyperion, 2009, ISBN 978‐1‐4013‐2290‐8, $26.95
Effect of temperature and role of Mo top layer on the growth of carbon nanotubes
Authors: Nguyen T A , Nguyen P T H , Dinh D H , Dang M C , Song W , Jung D , Kim S K , Park C
Published: July 2010

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized by a thermal chemical vapor deposition method using a three-layer Al/Fe/Mo metal catalyst. All metal layers were deposited by dc sputtering. With a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectra, we investigated the effect of temperature and the role of the Mo top layer on the structure and quality of grown CNTs. The results showed that the growth temperature was an important parameter for the synthesis of CNTs. With an Al/Fe/Mo triple layer catalyst, the role of the Mo top layer was as the barrier layer to control the diameter, density and the peak intensity ratio of the G-peak to D-peak (I

G
/I

D
) of the CNTs. These results indicate that the thickness of the Mo top layer increased, which leads to decrease of the density of the CNTs. In the case of Mo 5 nm, the radial breathing mode (RBM) of the CNTs was observed in Raman spectra at 250 cm
−1 and corresponds to the single-wall carbon nanotube with 0.95 nm diameter.
The synthesis of poly(lactide)-vitamin E TPGS (PLA-TPGS) copolymer and its utilization to formulate a curcumin nanocarrier
Authors: Thu Ha Phuong , Nguyet Tran Thi Minh , Pham Hong Duong , Nguyen Quang Huan , Nguyen Xuan Phuc
Published: July 2010

Curcumin is a natural substance that exhibits the ability to inhibitand/ortreat carcinogenesis in a variety of cell lines, but because of its poor solubility in water the treatment efficacy is limited. In this paper we report on the fabrication of self-assembled micelle nanoparticles loaded with a curcumin drug by use of a biocompatible copolymer of PLA-TPGS (d-a-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate—vitamin E TPGS) conjugate. The polylactide (PLA)-TPGS copolymer synthesized by ring-opening polymerization was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and1Hnuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR) techniques. The surface morphology of PLA-TPGS and curcumin loaded PLA-TPGS was determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The absorption and fluorescence examinations indicated that due to micellar capsulation the intensity of both types of spectra increased by about 4 times in comparison with those of the free curcumin sample.
Transformation of the structural surface morphology and electronic structure of CdS nanostructured films prepared in glycerol-containing solution, under ultrasonic irradiation
Authors: Tran Trung , Tung Ngo Duc , Huong Vu Thi , Dong Nguyen Thi , Ha Chang-Sik
Published: July 2010

Chemical bath deposition was improved by using glycerol, a very conventional surfactant, to control cadmium sulfide CdS in various sizes and structures, under ultrasonic irradiation conditions. Consequently, an effective route to prepare CdS thin film that consists of either CdS fibrils with an average diameter of 52 nm or monodispersed CdS grains 35 to 80 nm in size is proposed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies revealed that, in the crystallographic properties of the obtained CdS films, CdS may exist in two crystalline modifications—a hexagonal and a cubic phase—that are characterized by several diffraction peaks positioned at 2θ≈23.4°, 27.1° and 47.8°. Beside this, UV-Vis studies also revealed the positive effect of glycerol at grain boundaries, leading to detrimental reduction of the band bending towards the absorber surface and increasing the population of optical absorptions.
Rapid match-searching for gene silencing assessment
Authors: Horn Mark E.T. , Waterhouse Peter M.
Published: July 2010

Motivation: Gene silencing, also called RNA interference, requires reliable assessment of silencer impacts. A critical task is to find matches between silencer oligomers and sites in the genome, in accordance with one-to-many matching rules (G–U matching, with provision for mismatches). Fast search algorithms are required to support silencer impact assessments in procedures for designing effective silencer sequences.

Results: The article presents a matching algorithm and data structures specialized for matching searches, including a kernel procedure that addresses a Boolean version of the database task called the skyline search. Besides exact matches, the algorithm is extended to allow for the location-specific mismatches applicable in plants. Computational tests show that the algorithm is significantly faster than suffix-tree alternatives.

Availability: Source code, executable, data and test results are freely available at ftp://ftp.csiro.au/Horn/RapidMatch

Contact:  mark.horn@csiro.au

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Reassessment of the systematics of the suborder Pseudonocardineae: transfer of the genera within the family Actinosynnemataceae Labeda and Kroppenstedt 2000 emend. Zhi et al. 2009 into an emended family Pseudonocardiaceae Embley et al. 1989 emend. Zhi et al. 2009
Authors: Labeda D. P. , Goodfellow M. , Chun J. , Zhi X.-Y. , Li W.-J.
Published: July 2010

The taxonomic status of the families Actinosynnemataceae and Pseudonocardiaceae was assessed based on 16S rRNA gene sequence data available for the 151 taxa with validly published names, as well as chemotaxonomic and morphological properties available from the literature. 16S rRNA gene sequences for the type strains of all taxa within the suborder Pseudonocardineae were subjected to phylogenetic analyses using different algorithms in arb and phylip. The description of many new genera and species within the suborder Pseudonocardineae since the family Actinosynnemataceae was proposed in 2000 has resulted in a markedly different distribution of chemotaxonomic markers within the suborder from that observed at that time. For instance, it is noted that species of the genera Actinokineospora and Allokutzneria contain arabinose in whole-cell hydrolysates, which is not observed in the other genera within the Actinosynnemataceae, and that there are many genera within the family Pseudonocardiaceae as currently described that do not contain arabinose. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences for all taxa within the suborder do not provide any statistical support for the family Actinosynnemataceae, nor are signature nucleotides found that support its continued differentiation from the family Pseudonocardiaceae. The description of the family Pseudonocardiaceae is therefore emended to include the genera previously classified within the family Actinosynnemataceae and the description of the suborder Pseudonocardineae is also emended to reflect this reclassification.
Corrosion degradation of pipeline carbon steels subjected to geothermal plant conditions
Authors: Miranda‐Herrera C. , Sauceda I. , González‐Sánchez J. , Acuña N.
Published: July 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the electrochemical behaviour of two carbon steels exposed to acidic geothermal solutions and their resistance to hydrogen induced cracking (HIC), in order to determine the effect of hydrogen damage on the failure process of the steels used for line pipe and casings at a geothermal plant.

Design/methodology/approach

Samples of two different steels: ASTM A‐53 Grade B (line pipe) and API L‐80 (casing) were immersed for a duration of 96 h in the electrolyte proposed by NACE to evaluate susceptibility to HIC. Samples of the two steels embedded in non‐conducting Bakelite were subjected to potentiodynamic polarisation scans at room temperature using as the electrolyte brines obtained from different wells at the Cerro Prieto geothermal plant. Hardness tests were performed on the samples before and after the HIC tests in order to determine hardness changes induced by hydrogen penetration as field results indicated embrittlement of the steels after four months of service.

Findings

The steels, ASTM A‐53 Grade B and API L‐80 did not exhibit crack sensitivity as no cracks are observed in the tests specimens, though they showed an increase in hardness. The steels exhibited high‐corrosion rates in the brine media at room temperature (3.3 mm/yr), which is expected to increase at higher temperatures.

Originality/value

The work revealed that carbon steels used for line pipes and casings at geothermal plants can exhibit high resistance to HIC, however they corrode at high rates and may show embrittlement. It is suggested that due to the high‐operation temperature, the damage induced by hydrogen resulted in hardness increase but was not sufficient to develop cracks.
Effect of Cu content on the corrosion of Al‐Si eutectic alloys in acidic solutions
Authors: Zor Sibel , Zeren Muzaffer , Ozkazanc Hatice , Karakulak Erdem
Published: July 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand corrosion behavior of different Cu‐containing Al‐Si‐x% Cu alloys (x: 1 wt% Cu, 2 wt% Cu, 3 wt% Cu, 4 wt% Cu, and 5 wt% Cu) in 0.1 M HCl and 0.1 M H2SO4.

Design/methodology/approach

Potentiodynamic, chronoamperometric and impedance measurements were applied to specimens to obtain their electrochemical characteristics. For the long‐term analyses, hydrogen evolution with immersion time (V‐t) was measured. The corroded surfaces of the alloys were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand the corrosion mechanism.

Findings

All experimental investigations showed that the corrosion resistance of alloys increased with increasing Cu content in the alloys.

Research limitations/implications

Cu‐containing aluminum alloys are age‐hardenable alloys. The corrosion behaviour of these alloys can be changed by heat treatment. Corrosion test results for the heat treated and aged alloys will be discussed in another study.

Originality/value

Al‐Si‐Cu alloys are widely used in the automobile industry and the corrosion behaviour of these alloys has a great importance on the service life of these materials. Understanding the effect of copper and the corrosion mechanism of these alloys will be helpful in predicting and prolonging the service life of these materials.
The nutritional and toxicological value of organic vegetables
Authors: Hoefkens Christine , Verbeke Wim , Aertsens Joris , Mondelaers Koen , Van Camp John
Published: July 2010

Purpose

The present study aims to explore and compare consumer perception and scientific evidence related to food quality and food safety aspects of organic versus conventional vegetables.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary data on consumer perception were gathered in 2006‐2007 through a consumer survey with Flemish adults (n=529) and compared with scientific evidence from literature. Consumers of organic and conventional vegetables were selected by means of a convenience sampling procedure. Subjects were asked to complete a self‐administered questionnaire concerning the perception of the nutritional and toxicological value of organic relative to conventional vegetables. Data processing and analysis included descriptive analysis (frequency distributions), data reduction (Cronbach's alpha test, factor analysis), bivariate analysis (correlations, t‐test, ANOVA) and multivariate analysis (stepwise multiple regression).

Findings

It was found that organic vegetables are perceived as containing less contaminants and more nutrients, and as such, being healthier and safer compared to conventional vegetables. However, not enough evidence is currently available in the literature to support or refute such a perception, indicating a certain mismatch between consumer perception and scientific evidence. The gap between perception and evidence is larger among older consumers with children. The perception is stronger when the consumption frequency is higher, but is independent of gender, place of residence (rural or urban), education and income level. Also non‐users, on average, perceive that organic vegetables have a nutritional and toxicological advantage over conventional vegetables.

Research limitations/implications

A non‐probability convenience sampling method was applied which limits generalisation of the findings beyond the sample characteristics.

Originality/value

This paper is original in comparing consumer perception and scientific facts related to both nutritional and safety aspects of organic versus conventional vegetables.
A review of biological deterioration of library materials and possible control strategies in the tropics
Authors: Bankole Olubanke M.
Published: July 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the current state of research on the various biological agents that could cause deterioration of paper materials and possible intervention strategies against these biotic agents in the tropics.

Design/methodology/approach

Recent literature in the tropics is reviewed to gain insight into the problems that confront libraries in the tropics as regards the biological deterioration of library materials.

Findings

The paper identifies moulds as the most important biodeteriorating agents of library materials. In addition to destroying, disfiguring and staining books, the moulds have been linked to numerous adverse human health effects that fall into three categories: allergic, toxic and infectious. The other biological agents include bacteria, insects and rodents. The important insects in tropical environment are cockroaches and termites. The warm humid tropical conditions and dirty environment trigger/promote biodeterioration processes and make book deterioration to be more pronounced in the tropics than in the temperate regions.

Research limitations/implications

Physical visits to the libraries were not carried out and the conclusions reached were based on evidence from scientific literature on the subject in the tropics.

Practical implications

A very useful source of information on how to curb the menace of biological agents against the destruction of library materials in the tropics. These include training programmes for library staff on conservation and preservation of library collections, the creation of awareness on the issue among library users, the adoption of good house keeping practices and modification of storage environment to make them unsuitable for the biodeteriogens. It is recommended that libraries and archives in tropical countries should have preservation guidelines and integrated pest management teams and should also cooperate with scientists in relevant disciplines to be able to find lasting solutions to the problem of biodeterioration of library materials.

Originality/value

This paper looks into the neglected area of biological deterioration of papers which is the main information carrier in libraries. It provides very useful and practical suggestions that libraries in the tropics could adopt to tackle the menace of biological agents.
The internationalization of MARC
Authors: Kokabi Mortaza
Published: July 2010

Surveys the development of various MARC formats out of UKMARC.
Describes the formats for Australia, Thailand, Italy and Singapore and
indicates their main points of difference and local requirements.
The impact of different types of market orientation on product innovation performance
Authors: Zhang Jing , Duan Yanling
Published: July 2010

Purpose

This study aims to examine the role of responsive market orientation and proactive market orientation in product innovation performance directly and indirectly via innovativeness, as well as the moderating effect of environmental turbulence in the market orientation‐product innovation performance link among Chinese manufacturing firms.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was conducted among 227 manufacturing firms in mainland China. A total of 11 hypotheses related to responsive and proactive market orientation, innovativeness and new product success as well as moderating environmental variables are examined by structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression techniques.

Findings

The research results show that: both proactive market orientation and responsive market orientation have a positive total effect in improving product innovation performance; the direct path dominates the total effect of responsive MO on new product success, while proactive MO impacts product innovation performance primarily via innovativeness as a mediating variable; and the role of responsive market orientation in new product success is more significant under stable technological and market conditions, while proactive market orientation improves product innovation performance to a greater extent under turbulent technological and market conditions.

Originality/value

The research examines the relationship among responsive and proactive MO, innovativeness and new product success as well as potential environmental moderators, thus contributing to market orientation literature theoretically. In addition, relevant implications are provided for management as to how to improve product innovation performance.
An alternative methodology for formulating an operations strategy: the case of BTC‐Egypt
Authors: Ibrahim Sherwat E.
Published: July 2010

Purpose

This study seeks to present a structured methodology that can be used to develop an operations strategy for the IT service sector in developing countries that would in turn help to increase strategic fit.

Design/methodology/approach

In this constructive case study for BTC‐Egypt – an IT service provider, the previous success of the company's sales operations is examined with the prioritized operational strategy during their previous sales to determine the discriminating competitive priorities. Account managers used an AHP model to measure the relative importance ratings given to a comprehensive set of competitive priorities derived from the accumulated literature. Qualitative analysis for individual operations and quantitative analysis including logistic regression and correlations were used to analyze the data.

Findings

The proposed structured approach is shown to assist BTC‐Egypt in determining its differentiating competitive priorities and identify the various market segments. Results of the model showed Quality as an operational strategy rated the highest across all sales, and Customer Focus and Service Provision to be the two most discriminating variables for successful sales.

Practical implications

The methodology used here is new to the formulation of operation strategies, and works to enhance internal consistency throughout the organization and external fit with the competitive environment.

Originality/value

While the paper relied on previously developed competitive priorities well grounded in the literature, it used relative ratings to propose a structured methodology for determining the differentiating competitive priorities of a company based on its previous performance.
Business‐level strategy and performance
Authors: Nandakumar M.K. , Ghobadian Abby , O'Regan Nicholas
Published: July 2010

Purpose

This study aims to examine the moderating effects of external environment and organisational structure in the relationship between business‐level strategy and organisational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The focus of the study is on manufacturing firms in the UK belonging to the electrical and mechanical engineering sectors, and respondents were CEOs. Both objective and subjective measures were used to assess performance. Non‐response bias was assessed statistically and appropriate measures taken to minimise the impact of common method variance (CMV).

Findings

The results indicate that environmental dynamism and hostility act as moderators in the relationship between business‐level strategy and relative competitive performance. In low‐hostility environments a cost‐leadership strategy and in high‐hostility environments a differentiation strategy lead to better performance compared with competitors. In highly dynamic environments a cost‐leadership strategy and in low dynamism environments a differentiation strategy are more helpful in improving financial performance. Organisational structure moderates the relationship of both the strategic types with ROS. However, in the case of ROA, the moderating effect of structure was found only in its relationship with cost‐leadership strategy. A mechanistic structure is helpful in improving the financial performance of organisations adopting either a cost‐leadership or a differentiation strategy.

Originality/value

Unlike many other empirical studies, the study makes an important contribution to the literature by examining the moderating effects of both environment and structure on the relationship between business‐level strategy and performance in a detailed manner, using moderated regression analysis.
Imitative innovation strategies
Authors: Huang Ju‐Yu , Chou Tzu‐Chuan , Lee Gwo‐Guang
Published: July 2010

Purpose

Imitative innovation, defined as applying innovation in the same way in another organization, has been adopted by many companies. This paper seeks to focus on how a competent follower of R&D capability can employ such an innovative strategy and minimize risk by using existing organizational resources to enhance innovation capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

An in‐depth case study is applied of resource management experience at a Taiwanese optical storage media manufacturing outlet and then the Sirmon resource management model is extended to offer a process model for imitative innovation capability development.

Findings

The imitative innovation process is deconstructed into four phases and three main sub‐processes for effective resource management, namely, structuring, bundling and leveraging activities. The study also found that there are four modes of effective resource management for a successful imitative innovation process: identifying position and confirming innovation strategy; examining core competences and exploring gaps in imitative innovation; deploying specific resources and complementary assets; and restructuring an industry's ecological environment.

Originality/value

The study offers researchers and practitioners a more detailed view of applicable resource management for successful imitative innovation.
Corporate competitive strategies in a transitional manufacturing industry: an empirical study
Authors: Chi Ting
Published: July 2010

Purpose

This study aims to take a strategic approach to analyze how the US technical textile companies manage their business operations and to determine whether there are differences on competitive priorities between high‐ and low‐performing companies.

Design/methodology/approach

A competitive priority model consisting of four latent constructs – low cost, quality, delivery performance, and flexibility – was utilized to construct the analysis. Primary data were collected through a survey of senior executives in the US technical textile companies. Using 202 eligible survey returns, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis within structural equation modeling were carried out to assess adequacy of the measurements and validity of the model.

Findings

The competitive priority model is proven valid and the four constructs account for the most variance in corporate competitive strategies. High‐performing companies placed greater emphasis on quality and delivery performance strategies than low cost strategy in order to build capabilities for product or service differentiation; in contrast, low‐performing companies gave equal weight to all four competitive capabilities. The lack of clear emphasis on strategies could be one of the reasons for a relatively low business performance.

Research limitations/implications

The study provides a springboard for future studies of corporate competitive strategies and its relationships with other key decisions and outcomes.

Practical implications

The deployment of appropriate strategies is imperative to achieve superior business performance and, perhaps, just to survive.

Originality/value

The paper represents the first empirical investigation into corporate strategy issues in the US technical textile sector. The methodology may be transferred to other industrial sectors.
Analyzing firm performance heterogeneity: the relative effect of business domain
Authors: Houthoofd Noël , Desmidt Sebastian , González Fidalgo Eduardo
Published: July 2010

Purpose

An ongoing discussion in strategic management concerns the relative impact of specific strategic decisions on firm performance. In line with that tradition, this research seeks to analyze the relative impact of business domain choices on firm performance. More specifically, it aims to discuss a method of assessing the relative impact of firm and business domain effects on firm performance within a specific industry and to demonstrate the value of this method.

Design/methodology/approach

First, a model was developed to estimate the relative impact of firm versus business domain on performance. Second, all members of a specific SME‐dominated industry, namely the Belgian electrical wholesale sector, were questioned in order to test the validity of the developed model.

Findings

The results indicate that: the firms in the analyzed industry operate within two distinct business domains; and business domain effects explain from 6.8 percent to 9.7 percent of the variance in the included performance variables.

Practical implications

The findings should urge managers to carefully (re)consider where they are competing and assess the relative performance impact of business domain choices within their industry.

Originality/value

It is widely agreed that industry membership has performance implications. The effect of industry membership considers performance variation between industries. This, however, is one of the first studies to further analyze performance heterogeneity within an industry by considering the relative effect of business domain choices.
Theory of constraints contributions to outbound logistics
Authors: Bernardi de Souza Fernando , Pires Sílvio R.I.
Published: July 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to systematically describe the key practical contributions of the theory of constraints (TOC) to outbound (distribution) logistics.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on theoretical research, this paper presents the main practical aspects of the approach suggested by TOC to outbound logistics and discusses the assumptions upon which it is based.

Findings

This paper corroborates the thesis defended by TOC, according to which the current ways of managing outbound logistics, based mainly on sales forecasts lead to difficulties in handling trade‐offs between logistics (stock and transportation) costs and stock‐out levels.

Research limitations/implications

The reported research is of a theoretical nature.

Practical implications

TOC offers a proposal that is complementary in many aspects and very distinguishable in others about the way some key processes and elements of supply chain management (SCM) are managed, especially outbound logistics.

Originality/value

Considering the dearth of papers dealing with the conceptual articulation and organization of this subject, the paper contributes to systematize the knowledge currently available about the contributions of the TOC to outbound logistics, highlighting the practical implications of applying TOC to outbound logistics.
Introduction to the changing nature of retirement: an international perspective
Authors: Shultz Kenneth S. , Henkens Kène
Published: July 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this overview is to provide a brief introduction to the topic of retirement, noting five key issues and directions for future research which are addressed collectively in the compilation of papers that follow: the changing nature of retirement; the need for an interdisciplinary perspective on retirement; the need to look at both individual and organizational perspectives; international variations in contexts and processes; and the need for a broad methodological perspective. The authors then outline and summarize the seven studies included in this special issue, as well as acknowledge those who were instrumental in bringing this special issue to fruition.

Design/methodology/approach

The International Journal of Manpower's usual double blind review process was used to select the seven papers included in this special issue. The papers themselves represent a wide variety of designs, methodologies, and analytic strategies used to study retirement. In addition, a wide variety of disciplinary approaches and levels of analyses and perspectives are employed across the seven studies.

Findings

The findings of the studies included in this special issue touch on retirement planning and decision making, as well as employer perspectives on the global aging workforce.

Practical implications

Each article includes practical implications with regard to retirement for the country and/or constituents examined in the study.

Originality/value

Taken as a collective, the papers in this special issue help to propel forward in significant ways the study of retirement from an international and interdisciplinary perspective.
The influences on bridge employment decisions
Authors: Pengcharoen Chanjira , Shultz Kenneth S.
Published: July 2010

Purpose

Population aging, and changes in labor force participation among older adults, will have tremendous impacts on the aging workforce. Thus it is imperative that the factors that influence whether older workers will continue in their career employment, engage in bridge employment, or fully retire, should be understood better. This paper aims to focus on these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In the present study longitudinal data for 2,869 older workers from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data set in the USA were used to examine the influence of demographic (e.g. income), nonwork related factors (e.g. marital satisfaction), and work related factors (e.g. job involvement) on late‐life employment decisions over a ten year period from 1992 to 2002.

Findings

The results indicate a wide variety of factors impact employment decisions later in life. Specifically, it was found that work related factors of job involvement and schedule flexibility, as well as the nonwork related factors of certainty of retirement plans, attitudes toward retirement, and job seeking self‐efficacy all distinguished the various employment statuses (e.g. completely retired, partly retirement, and not retired at all) of older workers over a ten year period.

Originality/value

This study shows that both individuals and organizations need to examine a wide variety of factors when examining bridge employment decisions at the end of workers' careers. While most studies of bridge employment use cross‐sectional data, this paper uses longitudinal data to examine actual bridge employment decisions, rather that prospective desires or potentially faulty after‐the‐fact retrospective accounts.
Older workers and organizational change: corporate memory versus potentiality
Authors: Taylor Philip , Brooke Libby , McLoughlin Christopher , Di Biase Tia
Published: July 2010

Purpose

Drawing on the recent work of Sennett and others who considered the position of older workers in dynamic economies subject to rapid change, this paper aims to examine the perceived fit between employees of different ages and their employing organizations in four Australian workplaces.

Design/methodology/approach

Analysis of qualitative data, collected among workers and managers in four Australian organizations, was performed.

Findings

Results suggests that potentiality tended to be prized as an asset over corporate memory. While managers were frequently paternalistic towards their older employees, ageing human capital was often devalued as managers tried to balance operational budgets and organizations sought to remain responsive to changing market demands.

Originality/value

The paper discusses the implications for the prolongation of working lives.
Powering tomorrow's sensor: a review of technologies – Part 1
Authors: Bogue Robert
Published: July 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a technical review of new and emerging power sources and their application to sensors.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper comprises two parts. Following an introduction, this first part considers research and recent developments in battery, betavoltaic and supercapacitor technologies.

Findings

It is shown that these technologies are the topic of a major research effort. This aims to improve many operational features, including faster recharge times, increased power and energy densities and enhanced cycling performance. Supercapacitors offer prospects to replace rechargeable batteries in certain applications.

Originality/value

This paper provides a technical insight into the latest power source developments with relevance to sensors.
Assessment of particle filter and Kalman filter for estimating velocity using odometery system
Authors: Khodadadi A. , Mirabadi A. , Moshiri B.
Published: July 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose multisensory integration for train positioning application, to support recent automatic train control systems and also moving block signaling systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Reducing the cost and at the same time improving the reliability and accuracy of the overall positioning system, are primary goals of the researches going on in this field.

Findings

This paper designs and evaluates two different algorithms of Kalman filtering (KF) and particle filtering (PF), on a set of low cost positioning systems, as tachometers, Doppler radar and balises.

Originality/value

This paper's research outcomes introduce considerable improvements upon the results when compared to the current utilization of the stand‐alone tachometer and Doppler radar sensors, and slight improvements in comparison with the KF algorithm, and also upon results in recent publications on the subject.
An automatic occlusion handling method in augmented reality
Authors: Tian Yuan , Guan Tao , Wang Cheng
Published: July 2010

Purpose

To make an augmented image realistic, the virtual objects should be correctly occluded by foreground objects. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new approach that resolves occlusion problems in augmented reality (AR). The main interest is that it can automatically obtain the proper spatial relationship between virtual and real objects in real time.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is divided into two steps: off‐line disparity map constructing and on‐line occlusion handling. In the off‐line stage, the disparity map of the real scene is constructed using the global stereo matching method prior and then the disparities are refined by means of the fast mean shift method. Since the depth values of objects in different positions are different, the real object that occludes the virtual object can be specified according to the depth value. In the on‐line stage, the contour of the specified object is tracked using the real time object tracking method with the combination of feature tracking method and minimums‐tcut method. The augmented image with correct occlusions is produced by redrawing all the tracked object pixels on the augmented image.

Findings

Compared with the existing methods, the proposed approach can automatically resolve occlusion problem in real time. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated with several experimental results.

Originality/value

This paper makes three contributions. First, a novel framework is proposed to handle occlusion problem in AR. This framework is different to the previously proposed methods. The main procedure includes: obtain occluding real object, track the object, and redraw the pixels of the object on the composed image. It is much easier to implement and can achieve satisfactory results. Second, the disparity map is used to automatically obtain the contour of the occluding real object. To get the contour of the occluding real object precisely, the mean shift method is used to refine the disparity map. By comparing the depth value, the occluding real object can be extracted automatically. Third, the tracking method combining feature tracking method and minimums‐tcut method ensures the real‐time requirement. The occlusion problem can be handled in real‐time.
Determination of tissue properties using microfabricated piezoelectric tactile sensor during minimally invasive surgery
Authors: Bonakdar Ali , Narayanan Nagarajan
Published: July 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the design, analysis, fabrication, and assembly of four tooth annular microfabricated tactile sensors integrated with the upper and lower jaws of an endoscopic surgical grasper tool, in order to determine the properties and particularly the compliance of the biological tissues during minimally invasive surgery.

Design/methodology/approach

A viscoelastic Kelvin model is employed for tissue characterization. A comprehensive closed form and finite element analysis has been carried out to express the relationship between the force ratio, compliance, and the equivalent viscous damping of the tissue. The designed sensor uses a polyvinyledene fluoride film as its sensing element. The sensor consists of arrays of rigid and compliant elements which are mounted on the tip of an endoscopic surgical grasper tool. Relative force between adjacent parts of the contact object is used to measure the viscoelastic properties.

Findings

The tactile sensor is able to characterize different viscoelastic properties of tissues. The experiments validate analytical and finite elements results.

Practical implications

The sensor is designed to integrate with the actual endoscopic tools to measure the softness of tissues.

Originality/value

A novel sensor‐tissue model is presented to characterize the variety of biological tissues.
Property taxation and mass appraisal valuations in Australia – adapting to a new environment
Authors: Hefferan Michael J. , Boyd Terry
Published: July 2010

Purpose

This paper's aim is to examine how long established ad valorem taxation systems can be adapted so they remain relevant and equitable in the more complex contemporary property environment.

Design/methodology/ approach

The research methodology involves a review of national and international literature and structured interviews with key informants from the public and private sectors, particularly Queensland, Australia, but also with the Valuer Generals and others of all mainland states and New Zealand.

Findings

Ad valorem taxation systems continue to provide an important and sound base for the raising of government revenue. While it is essential that the long‐standing fundamental techniques of mass appraisal be protected, a number of relatively simple modifications in policy and operational areas can enhance the effectiveness and robustness of the valuation systems.

Research limitations/implications

Despite its importance in the form of taxation in practically all countries, existing research is quite limited and largely descriptive rather than analytical. Limitations also exist because of the very significant variations in law across jurisdictions in Australia and internationally.

Practical implications

The findings can be readily applied in valuation systems particularly as regards the consideration of national markets for certain complex properties, proposals for the better sharing of information and the introduction of improved mediation processes in the case of objections. All of these can lead to more efficient and effective application.

Originality/value

Difficulties have been experienced in a number of jurisdictions where relatively simple valuation provisions are applied to highly complex property types. This paper provides some innovative ideas as to how, even within existing legislation, these problems can be addressed while protecting the well‐established, mass appraisal practices.
Virtual testing for the prediction of damping in joints
Authors: Caignot A. , Ladevèze P. , Néron D. , Durand J.‐F.
Published: July 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a virtual testing strategy in order to predict damping due to the joints which are present in the ARIANE 5 launcher.

Design/methodology/approach

Since engineering finite element codes do not give satisfactory results, either because they are too slow or because they cannot calculate dissipation accurately, a new computational tool is introduced based on the LArge Time INcrement (LATIN) method in its multiscale version.

Findings

The capabilities of the new strategy are illustrated on one of the joints of ARIANE 5. The damping predicted virtually is compared to experimental results, and the approach appears promising.

Originality/value

The tool which has been developed gives access to calculations which were previously unaffordable with standard computational codes, which may improve the design process of launchers. The code is transferred into ASTRIUM‐ST, where it is being used to build a database of dissipations in the joints of the ARIANE 5 launcher.
Numerical analysis of cutting tool temperature in dry machining processes with embedded heat pipe
Authors: Al‐Odat M.Q.
Published: July 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to conduct a full three‐dimensional numerical analysis to simulate the thermal behavior of high speed steel (HSS) cutting tool, with temperature dependent thermal properties, in dry machining with embedded heat pipe (HP), and investigate the effects of HP installation, variable thermal properties, generated heat flux and cutting speed.

Design/methodology/approach

The heat transfer equation used to predict cutting tool temperature is parabolic partial differential equation. Grid points including independent variables are initially formed in solution of partial differential equation by finite element method (FEM). In this paper, one‐dimensional heat transfer equation with variable thermophysical properties is solved by FEM.

Findings

In this paper, the heat transfer equation in cutting tool is solved for variable thermophysical properties and the temperature field and temperature history are obtained. Variable thermophysical properties are considered to display the temperature fields in the cutting tool.

Originality/value

A full three‐dimensional numerical analysis is conducted to simulate the thermal behavior of HSS cutting tool, with temperature dependent thermal properties, in dry machining with embedded HP. The heat conduction equation is solved by FEM analysis.
Quality function deployment and its extensions
Authors: Zare Mehrjerdi Yahia
Published: July 2010

Purpose

The author aims to review the fundamental concept of quality function deployment and to discuss the facts that the road to success for new product development is the identification of customers' requirements and their conversion into engineering design requirements. Thereafter, the author seeks to present an in‐depth review of the subject and to study five new cases on the topic of quality function deployment.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses the key elements of quality function deployment and the fact that the vision for the development of a comprehensive quality system can be built on the principles of quality function deployment taking customer requirements into consideration and relating them to design requirements.

Findings

To make the product development task successful and bring competitive advantages to the core business, management must be committed to the needs of customers through marketing surveys and implementing these in the process of product development by converting them into engineering design requirements.

Originality/value

This article reviews quality function deployment and its extensions such as fuzzy QFD, AHP and QFD, statistically extended QFD, dynamic QFD, and other extensions. In addition, cases covering the topics of a ship of quality, cost‐design parameter modeling, an enhanced version of quality function development, financial factors and uncertainties in the product design process with fuzzy formulation, and a model for prioritizing and designing rule changes for the game of soccer, are also reviewed.
Retail service quality in context of CIS countries
Authors: Das Anupam , Kumar Vinod , Saha Gour C.
Published: July 2010

Purpose

This research aims to examine the applicability of the Retail Service Quality Scale (RSQS) in retail stores in Kazakhstan, a country of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) that is in the transition stage from a controlled economy to a market economy. This research also attempts to identify the dimensions and sub‐dimensions that contribute to increasing the customer base.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 220 shoppers from department stores, discount stores, and supermarkets in Almaty city, Kazakhstan, was surveyed to examine the validity and reliability of the five dimensions (physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction, problem solving, and policy) and six sub‐dimensions (appearance, convenience, promises, doing‐it‐right, inspiring confidence and courteousness/helpfulness) of RSQS. The findings are cross‐validated hierarchically using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Step‐wise regression methods are used to identify the dimensions and sub‐dimensions contributing to increasing the customer base.

Findings

The research finds that the RSQS structure is a good fit in the Kazakhstan retail setting. The five dimensions and six sub‐dimensions together provide significant usefulness in measuring the quality of retail services. The research also finds that while all the dimensions and sub‐dimensions have a positive relationship, two dimensions (personal interaction, physical aspects) and one sub‐dimension (inspiring confidence) are strongly related to increasing the customer base through return customers and word of mouth from satisfied customers.

Research limitations/implications

The present study does not distinguish applicability of the RSQS in the different formats of the retail store. Future research should examine the impact of the different retail formats in using the scale for measuring retail service quality.

Practical implications

Prospective and existing retail service providers who place a high priority on quality can use this instrument to track the high growth potential of the retail sector in CIS countries. It will help to measure their services and increase their customer base by targeting the appropriate dimensions and sub‐dimensions.

Originality/value

The authors believe that this research reveals new insights about the retail sector in the context of CIS countries. This research also has managerial and research implications for designing and formulating operations strategy in providing retail services for new markets.