bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Survival of Bb12 and La5 in synbiotic milk
Authors: Mohseni Maede , Reza Ehsani Mohamad , Mohamadi Sani Ali
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The aim of this study is to produce non‐fermented symbiotic milk with natural taste and to evaluate the effect of prebiotics including inulin, lactolose and galacto‐oligosaccharides (respectively in 0.6, 0.4 and 1.6% w/w) on probiotics count of Lactobacillus acidophilus (La‐5) and Bifidobacterium bifidus (lactis) (Bb‐12) in cooled pasteurized milk.

Design/methodology/approach

The probiotic cultures (count: 109 CFU/mL, dosage: 0.01% w/v) and prebiotics were added to 2.5% fat milk in Pegah pasteurized milk factory. The chemical properties of milk and the survival of La5 and Bb12 were studied at 4°C during ten days.

Findings

Results of sensory evaluation tests showed that none of the symbiotic samples were acceptable after ten days. So the minimum acceptance time of the samples was seven days except for the lactolose one. When compared to the control sample, at day 0, the viable counts for both L. acidophilus La‐5 and B. bifidus(lactis) Bb‐12 significantly increased in the symbiotic milk by addition of lactolose (P<0.05) due to possible probiotic effects of this source.

Originality/value

No research had been done to produce non‐fermented symbiotic milk in Iran. The minimum shelf life of the product was one week.
The microbiological profile of Jamaican Ackees (Blighia sapida)
Authors: Gordon André , Jackson José C.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to study the microbiological profile of the ackee fruit during maturation.

Design/methodology/approach

Ackees at ripening stage five, mature but unopened, were allowed to ripen naturally on the trees or on ripening racks used in commercial processing. The microbiological profile of fruits from this stage to that where they had ripened to the point just prior to decay (stage ten) were assessed. Aerobic and anaerobic mesophilic and thermophilic sporeformers and vegetative cells, total coliforms, E. coli, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and molds at each stage were determined using standard methods.

Findings

The number of microorganisms on the tree‐ripened fruits was higher than those ripened on racks. Mesophilic aerobic and anaerobic spore‐forming organisms were present in greater numbers than thermophiles at all stages of maturity. Coliforms, excluding E. coli, were found on the tree‐ripened ackees particularly in the latter stages of ripening. Lactic acid bacteria and yeasts and molds found on both tree and rack‐ripened fruit may be the predominant agents in the microbiological spoilage of ackees during ripening.

Originality/value

This study is the first to assess the microbiological profile of ackees during ripening. It indicated that the relatively low levels of microorganisms of economic or public health significance during both tree‐ and rack‐ripening processes would not affect the commercial sterility of the canned product, even with a moderate thermal process (Fo of 3). It also suggests that controlled rack‐ripening of ackee fruit during commercial processing could improve the microbial quality of the processed product.
Adaptive simulation of free surface flows with discrete least squares meshless (DLSM) method using a posteriori error estimator
Authors: Shobeyri G. , Afshar M.H.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an adaptive refinement strategy based on a posteriori error estimate for the efficient simulation of free surface flows using discrete least squares meshless (DLSM) method.

Design/methodology/approach

A pressure projection method is employed to discretize the governing equations of mass and momentum conservation in a Lagrangian form. The semi‐discretized equations are then discretized in space using the DLSM method, in which the sum of squared residual of the governing equations and their boundary conditions are minimized with respect to the unknown nodal parameters.

Findings

Since the position of the free surface is of great significant in free surface problems, a posteriori error estimator which automatically associates higher error to the nodes near the free surface is proposed and used along with a node moving refinement strategy to simulate the free surface problems more efficiently. To test the ability and efficiency of the proposed adaptive simulation method, two test problems, namely dam break and evolution of a water bubble, are solved and the results are presented and compared to those of analytical and experimental results.

Originality/value

Error estimate and adaptive refinement have been mostly used in confined and steady‐state flow. Here in this paper, a new attempt has been made to use these concepts in moving boundary problem.
Statistical mechanics as guidance for particle‐based computational methods
Authors: Tejada Ignacio G. , Jimenez Rafael
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show that there are some underlying principles of granular media that can be derived from statistical mechanics and that could be useful when considered in the context of computer simulations.

Design/methodology/approach

The fundamentals of statistical mechanics are presented and they are revised in order to set up a suitable approach for jammed static granular media. After a conceptual discussion about the entropy of granular matter, some specific statistical mechanics approaches that have been used for granular media are reviewed. Finally, a numerical simulation, conducted using an open source molecular dynamics code, is included as an illustrative example.

Findings

It is shown qualitatively how statistical mechanics can be used to analytically compute the expected statistical distribution of some quantities in numerical simulations.

Research limitations/implications

The computation of entropy from histograms and the establishment of the constraints of the ensembles in simulations are still open issues.

Practical implications

Considering the entropy could set up new computational techniques. Initial arrangements could be analyzed in terms of their probability of occurrence and of their “distance” to the most probable state.

Originality/value

The paper includes the distribution of the mean force‐moment tensor component of a fast cyclic quasi isotropic compression process of a simple granular media. Results show how the system tends to an equilibrium state.
Approximate solution of couple stress fluid with expanding or contracting porous channel
Authors: Alam Khan Najeeb , Mahmood Amir , Ara Asmat
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the approximate solution of the couple stress fluid equations in a semi‐infinite rectangular channel with porous and uniformly expanding or contracting walls.

Design/methodology/approach

Perturbation method is a traditional method depending on a small parameter which is difficult to be found for real‐life nonlinear problems. The governing partial differential equations are transformed using a transformation into an ordinary differential equation that is solved by homotopy analysis method (HAM) and shooting technique.

Findings

To assess the accuracy of the solutions, the comparison of the obtained results reveals that both methods are tremendously effective. Analytical and numerical solutions comparison indicates an excellent agreement and this comparison is also presented. Graphs are portrayed for the effects of some values of parameters.

Practical implications

Expansion or contraction problems occur naturally in the transport of biological fluids, the air circulation in the respiratory system, expanding or contracting jets and the synchronous pulsating of porous diaphragms. This work provides a very useful source of information for researchers on this subject.

Originality/value

In the present study, the flow of couple stress fluids in expanding and contracting scenarios is investigated.
A methodology for constitutive relationships estimation for SWNT reinforced composites
Authors: Hussein Ahmed M. , Rashed Youssef F.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

This paper computationally estimates the constitutive relationships of composite materials reinforced by single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT).

Design/methodology/approach

A multiscale analysis is considered. At the nanoscale level, molecular dynamics (MD) are used to predict the stiffness for an equivalent beam. A BEM solver for the elasticity problems is extended to allow the presence of inclusions and hence is used to model a RVE for the composite matrix with the equivalent nanotube beams. A genetic algorithm (GA) is developed to generate an initial population of anisotropic materials based on FEM. The GA evolves the population of properties of anisotropic materials till a material is found whose mechanical response is the same as that of the nanocomposite.

Findings

The overall process is suitable for the constitutive relationships estimation according to the verification process outlined.

Research limitations/implications

The present work is limited to 2D linear problems. However, extending it to 3D non‐linear applications is straight forward.

Practical implications

The present technique could be used to estimate properties of NCT composites, hence practical applications such as aeroplane structures or turbine blades could be analysed using commercial finite element software. The present methodology could be used to estimate non‐mechanical properties such as the thermal and electric properties.

Originality/value

The present computational technique has never been presented in the literature.
TWT magnetic focusing structure optimization by parallel evolutionary algorithm
Authors: Coco Salvatore , Laudani Antonino , Pollicino Giuseppe , Pulcini Giuseppe , Riganti Fulginei Francesco , Salvini Alessandro
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the application of a novel hybrid algorithm, called MeTEO (Metric‐Topological‐Evolutionary‐Optimization), based on the combination of three heuristics inspired by artificial life to the solution of optimization problems of a real electronic vacuum device.

Design/methodology/approach

The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), the Flock‐of‐Starlings Optimization (FSO) and the Bacterial Chemotaxis Algorithm (BCA) were adapted to implement a novel meta‐heuristic MeTEO the FSO has been powerfully employed for exploring the whole space of solutions, whereas the PSO is used to explore local regions where FSO had found solutions, and BCA to refine the solutions found by PSO, thanks its better performances in local search.

Findings

The optimization of the focusing magnetic field of a Travelling Wave Tubes (TWT) collector is presented in order to show the effectiveness of MeTEO, in combination with COLLGUN FE simulator and equivalent source representation. The optimization of the focusing magnetic structure is obtained by using a maximum of 100 steps for each heuristic.

Practical implications

The paper describes the development of a novel efficient parallel method for the solution of electromagnetic device optimization problems.

Originality/value

The paper shows the capabilities of a novel combination of optimization methods inspired by “artificial life” which allows us to achieve effective solutions of multimodal optimization problems, typical of the electromagnetic device optimization, with an acceptable computational cost, thanks also to its natural parallel implementation.
Geometric formulation of edge and nodal finite element equations in electromagnetics
Authors: Demenko Andrzej , Sykulski Jan. K.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to emphasise the analogies between variational and network formulations using geometrical forms, with the purpose of developing alternative but otherwise equivalent derivations of the finite element (FE) method.

Design/methodology/approach

FE equations for electromagnetic fields are examined, in particular nodal elements using scalar potential formulation and edge elements for vector potential formulation.

Findings

It is shown how the equations usually obtained via variational approach may be more conveniently derived using integral methods, employing a geometrical description of the interpolating functions of edge and facet elements. Moreover, the resultant equations describe the equivalent multi‐branch circuit models.

Originality/value

The approach proposed in the paper explores the analogy of the FE formulation to loop or nodal magnetic or electric networks and has been shown to be very beneficial in teaching, especially to students well familiar with circuit methods. The presented methods are also helpful when formulating classical network models. Finally, for the first time, the geometrical forms of edge and facet element functions have been demonstrated.
Characteristics analysis of IPM motor applied by voltage source using 3‐D finite element method with prismatic elements
Authors: Katagiri Hirokatsu , Kawase Yoshihiro , Yamaguchi Tadashi , Kishida Kazuya , Morinaga Keiichi
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the usefulness of characteristics analysis of an interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor using the 3‐D finite element method (FEM) with prismatic elements from the view point of the accuracy and the calculation time.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyzed characteristics of an IPM motor applied by the pulse width modulation (PWM) voltage source using the 3‐D FEM with prismatic elements and with tetrahedral elements; then compared the calculated results and the calculation time using prismatic elements with those using tetrahedral elements.

Findings

It was found that the calculated current and torque, and eddy current loss using prismatic elements are almost the same as those using tetrahedral elements. The calculation time using prismatic elements is shorter than that using tetrahedral elements.

Originality/value

This paper verifies the usefulness of the 3‐D FEM with prismatic elements through characteristics analysis of an IPM motor driven by the PWM voltage source.
Numerical investigation of the 3D vibrational behaviour of skewed induction machines due to rotating force waves
Authors: Weilharter Bernhard , Bíró Oszkár , Rainer Siegfried
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the surface vibrations of an induction machine due to force waves acting on the stator and rotor core. The focus lies on the investigation of the influence of force waves with axial variation and with higher spatial ordinal numbers on the surface vibration of an induction machine and thus its emitted noise.

Design/methodology/approach

Unit force waves with different spatial ordinal numbers and varying in axial direction are set up and applied on the stator and rotor teeth of a structural finite element model of an induction machine. Structural harmonic analyses with different frequencies are performed and the deformation of the machine is determined. After that, the root mean square of the normal component of the velocity on the surface of the machine's housing is determined and compared for the different force waves.

Findings

The influence of force waves with spatial ordinal numbers of higher order can have a significant influence on the structural vibration, especially if the spatial ordinal number is near the number of teeth. Furthermore, it is shown that the structure may react sensitively to axial variations of the forces, particularly near distinct structural resonances.

Originality/value

The presented investigations show relevant issues influencing the noise behaviour of electrical machines.
Exploration versus exploitation using kriging surrogate modelling in electromagnetic design
Authors: Xiao Song , Rotaru Mihai , Sykulski Jan K.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

Design optimisation of electromagnetic devices is computationally expensive as use of finite element or similar codes is normally required. Thus, one of the objectives is to have efficient algorithms minimising the number of necessary function calls. In such algorithms a balance between exploration and exploitation needs to be found not to miss the global optimum but at the same time to make efficient use of information already found. The purpose of this paper is a contribute to the search of such efficient algorithms.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper discusses the use of kriging surrogate modelling in multiobjective design optimisation in electromagnetics. The investigation relies on the use of special test functions.

Findings

The importance of achieving appropriate balance between exploration and exploitation is emphasised when searching for the global optimum. New strategies are proposed using kriging.

Originality/value

It is argued that the proposed approach will yield a procedure to solve time consuming electromagnetic design problems efficiently and will also assist the decision making process to achieve a robust design of practical devices considering tolerances and uncertainties.
Algebraic identification of a stable first‐order plus time delay model from step response
Authors: Ibn Taarit Kaouther , Ksouri Mekki
Published: March 2013

Purpose

A fast identification algorithm for a linear monotonic process from a step response is proposed in this paper, from which the parameters of a first‐order plus dead‐time model can be obtained directly.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a non‐asymptotic distributional estimation technique initiated without delay in the framework of systems. Such a technique leads to simple realization schemes, involving integrators, multipliers and piecewise polynomial or exponential time functions and shows a possible link between simultaneous identification and generalized eigenvalue problems. Thus, it allows for a real‐time implementation.

Findings

The effectiveness of the identification method has been demonstrated through a number of simulation examples and a real‐time test.

Originality/value

This paper presents a novel method to simultaneous delay and parameters identification of a stable first‐order plus time delay model from step response that can model a widespread class of systems.
A low complexity multi‐user detector based on G‐SIC and PIC for DS/CDMA systems
Authors: Yekhlef Mohammed , Saidi Lamir
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this work is to propose a new multi‐user detector which cascades the linear G‐SIC with some linear PIC stages to form a new linear hybrid multi‐user detector.

Design/methodology/approach

Multistage interference cancellation multi‐user detectors became an increasingly important area of research due to their relative low computational complexity. The performance comparison of the proposed linear HIC is studied and presented using matlab environment to investigate the bit error rates. For DS/CDMA system, each user is characterized by its own code. The signals from users are spread by appropriately design sequences and then transmitted over an AWGN channel with BPSK modulation.

Findings

By the cascade of the linear G‐SIC and the traditional PIC, a low complexity multi‐user detector is found capable of reducing the long detection delay compared with the linear G‐SIC. The advantages of the linear G‐SIC and PIC can be exploited substantially.

Originality/value

The paper proposes an algorithm that can combat the MAI with less complexity, and also can speed the convergence compared with other detectors.
Voltage sag independent operation of induction motor based on Z‐source inverter
Authors: Flisar Uroš , Vončina Danijel , Zajec Peter
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of different distribution of shoot through mode on Z‐source inverter efficiency and particularly on complexity of switching pattern generation. Switching pattern generation has been optimized for field‐oriented control (FOC) of induction motor operating beyond its nominal speed which can be easily accomplished due to the input voltage boosting implemented inherently by Z‐source inverter. The proposed drive is unaffected to supply voltage sags, too.

Design/methodology/approach

The space vector modulation switching pattern of the traditional FOC drive was modified in order to insert shoot through mode necessary for input voltage boosting. Since this can be accomplished only on account of zero mode of the inverter, the active modes have to be reduced. Consequently, the output voltage space vector has to be reduced, as well.

Findings

In order to maximize profit of the input DC voltage and to omit the output voltage distortion, mathematical limitations have been derived giving the optimal boost ratio for required output voltage and ride‐through capability during voltage sags.

Practical implications

The experimental tests of upgraded FOC of induction motor with the proposed distribution of shoot through mode in the switching pattern of Z‐source inverter and optimized control of inverter voltage are demonstrated. It is also shown that such a drive can withstand a long period of input voltage sags and operate in a broader field weakening regime.

Originality/value

The paper's value lies in the overall, DSP‐based control of the induction motor supplied with Z‐source inverter gaining the maximum utilization of the input DC supply source and optimum trade‐off between inverter efficiency and inverter components voltage stress.
Reflections on current components according to CPC concept in a single phase circuit with nonsinusoidal voltage and current waveforms and LTI load
Authors: Hartman Marek T.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show the limitation of current physical components (CPC) concept in a practical application.

Design/methodology/approach

The study proposes using the sum of active and scattered currents in the compensation procedure of the reactive current according to Czarnecki's concept as well as in scattered current elimination, to get the optimal energy transfer from the source supply to the load.

Findings

The results show that CPC concept can be apply only when supply circuit voltage does not consist of interharmonics or/and subharmonics. It can also be shown that elimination of particular harmonics of the scatter current cannot be applied in practice due to the change of active power in the circuit. Only complete elimination of scatter current, e.g. by an active filter is possible without any change of active power.

Practical implications

The paper provides new information about CPC practical implementation.

Originality/value

This paper presents new features of CPC concept.
The effects of finite metallisation thickness and conductivity in microstrip lines
Authors: Gao Bo , Tong Ling , Gong Xun
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study and discuss the effects of the finite metallisation thickness and conductivity on the properties of microstrip lines.

Design/methodology/approach

Effective dielectric constant and attenuation constant of microstrip lines with finite metallization thickness and finite conductivity are analyzed by the method of lines. The experimental results are obtained by using Vector Network Analyzer and the 3680 V Universal Test Fixture of Anritsu.

Findings

The strip thickness has a great impact on the attenuation constant of the microstrip lines. The effects can be divided into three parts by the relationship between strip thickness (t) and skindepth (δ). When t<δ, the attenuation constant will decrease rapidly as the strip thickness increase. When δ < t<2δ, the attenuation constant still decrease rapidly as the strip thickness increase, but the slope of the curve will be smaller. When 2δ < t, the effects of the strip thickness will become insignificant and the attenuation constant still decrease slowly as the strip thickness increase.

Originality/value

This paper presents some useful principles about the effects of the finite metallization thickness and finite conductivity in microstrip lines. The reasons for these effects are discussed by analyzing the longitudinal electric field distribution in the strip. Finally, some experimental results are given to verify these principles.
Study of synchronization test methods of NoC at multi‐clock domains
Authors: Jiang Shu‐yan , Luo Gang , Chen Su , Zhao Wen‐han , Zhou Qi‐zhong
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce several synchronization test methods of Network‐on‐Chip (NoC) at multi‐clock domains by digital logic circuits.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors gave the structure of NoC, the test methods for NoC in multi‐clock domains, including Built‐in Self Test (BIST) structure and the architecture of embedded core test. Then the authors approached four different synchronization structures: two‐level trigger, two kinds of lock methods, toggle and pulse synchronization methods. Based on the NoC work conditions, the authors built the experiment structures of different methods, and obtained the experiment results at high frequencies.

Findings

From the experiments at high frequency, it can be seen that the methods of toggle and the pulse methods are prone to failed synchronization. Therefore, the lock method is more appropriate for NoC under multiple clock domains.

Originality/value

In this paper, several synchronization test methods of NoC at multi‐clock domains are discussed and compared, and the best one determined.
Alleviating the sparsity problem of collaborative filtering using rough set
Authors: Zhang Song , Li Cong , Ma Li , Li Qi
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an improved nearest‐neighbor collaborative filtering algorithm based on rough set theory to alleviate the sparsity problem of collaborative filtering. With experimentations, the new algorithm is thereafter evaluated.

Design/methodology/approach

Nearest‐neighbor algorithm is the earliest proposed and the main collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm, and its recommendation quality is seriously influenced by the sparsity of user ratings. By using rough set theory, the nearest‐neighbor collaborative filtering algorithm can be improved in the sparsity data situation. The union of user rating items is used as the basis of similarity computing among users, and then a rating predicting method based on rough set theory is proposed to estimate missing values in the union of user rating items for decreasing sparsity.

Findings

The sparsity problem of collaborative filtering can be alleviated by using the union of user rating items and estimating missing values based on rough set theory. The experimental results show that the new algorithm can efficiently improve recommendation quality of collaborative filtering.

Originality/value

The union of user rating items was used as the basis of similarity computing among users. A rating prediction method based on rough set theory with an assistant method was proposed to complete the missing values in the union of user rating items. Orthogonal list was used to storage user‐item ratings matrix.
SOC HW/SW co‐verification based debugging technique
Authors: Ruan A.W. , Li C.Q. , Song Z.J. , Li W.C.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

Increasingly complex and sophisticated VLSI design, coupled with shrinking design cycles, requires shorter verification time and efficient debug method. Logic simulation provides SoC verification with full controllability and observability, but it suffers from very slow simulation speed for complex design. Using hardware emulation such as FPGA can have higher simulation speed. However, it is very hard to debug due to its poor visibility. SOC HW/SW co‐verification technique seems to draw a balance, but Design Under Test (DUT) still resides in FPGA and remains hard for debugging. The purpose of this paper is to study a run‐time RTL debugging methodology for a FPGA‐based co‐verification system.

Design/methodology/approach

The debugging tools are embedded in HDL simulator using Verilog VPI callback, so signals of testbench and internal nodes of DUT can be observed in a single waveform and updated as simulation runs, making debugging more efficient. The proposed debugging method connects internal nodes directly to a PCI‐extended bus, instead of inserting extra scan‐chain logic, so the overhead for area is reduced.

Findings

This method provides internal nodes probing on an event‐driven co‐verification platform and achieves full observability for DUT. The experiment shows that, compared with a similar method, the area overhead for debug logic is reduced by 30‐50 per cent and compile time is shortened by 40‐70 per cent.

Originality/value

The proposed debugging technique achieves 100 per cent observability and can be applied to both RTL and gate‐level verification. The debugging tool is embedded into HDL simulator using Verilog VPI callback, so DUT signals are displayed together with testbench signals in the same waveform viewer. New value of DUT signal is read from FPGA whenever it changes, which allows run‐time debug.
A hybrid biogeography‐based optimization with simplex method and its application
Authors: Ping Zhang , Ping Wei , Chun Fei , Hong‐yang Yu
Published: March 2013

Purpose

This paper proposes a hybrid biogeography‐based optimization (BBO) with simplex method (SM) algorithm (HSMBBO).

Design/methodology/approach

BBO is a new intelligent optimization algorithm. The global optimization ability of BBO is better than that of genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO), but BBO also easily falls into local minimum. To improve BBO, HSMBBO combines BBO and SM, which makes full use of the high local search ability of SM. In HSMBBO, BBO is used firstly to obtain the current global solution. Then SM is searched to acquire the optimum solution based on that global solution. Due to the searching of SM, the search range is expanded and the speed of convergence is faster. Meanwhile, HSMBBO is applied to motion estimation of video coding.

Findings

In total, six benchmark functions with multimodal and high dimension are tested. Simulation results show that HSMBBO outperforms GA, PSO and BBO in converging speed and global search ability. Meanwhile, the application results show that HSMBBO performs better than GA, PSO and BBO in terms of both searching precision and time‐consumption.

Originality/value

The proposed algorithm improves the BBO algorithm and provides a new approach for motion estimation of video coding.
Research on convergence of ACO subset algorithms
Authors: Chen Wenyu , Bian Wangyang , Zeng Ru
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show that the theoretical proofs of convergence in solution of ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms have significant values of theory and application.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adapts the basic ACO algorithm framework and proves two important ACO subclass algorithms which are ACObs,τmin  and ACObs,τmin (t).

Findings

This paper indicates that when the minimums of pheromone trial decay to 0 with the speed of logarithms, it is ensured that algorithms can, at least, get a certain optimal solution. Even if the randomicity and deflection of random algorithms are disturbed infinitesimally, algorithms can obtain optimal solution.

Originality/value

This paper focuses on the analysis and proof of the convergence theory of ACO subset algorithm to explore internal mechanism of ACO algorithm.
Antecedents and consequences of e‐business adoption for European retailers
Authors: Bordonaba‐Juste Victoria , Lucia‐Palacios Laura , Polo‐Redondo Yolanda
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the discussion related to the antecedents of the extent of e‐business use and the effect of this level on changing strategy, management and marketing.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use data from 691 retailers in seven European countries. Information is obtained from the survey of the “e‐Business W@tch”. Data analysis was performed using biprobit estimation. The sample is divided into two groups depending on the level of e‐commerce of the countries.

Findings

Results suggest that the e‐business use implies changes in the firm's strategy, management and marketing in all the countries studied. Differences between the two groups of countries are minimal. The main factors that influence the level of e‐business use are IT expertise and perceived benefits.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations are related to the nature of the data and concretely the main limitation lies in the consequences construct. The data provided are very general and it would be useful to specify what kind of change is generated.

Practical implications

Antecedents of the level of use are similar for all the countries, so there might be additional factors that explain why, in some countries, retailers have adopted a different level of e‐business. Managers have to take into account that the adoption and use of a higher level of e‐business requires changes in all the functional areas. The decision of adopting and using e‐business should be taken seriously.

Originality/value

Most research has focused on analyzing the antecedents of e‐business use in a single country. However, this paper presents some new evidence on the factors that influence the extent of e‐business use for two groups of countries. Furthermore, previous research has suggested that changes might be necessary within the firm due to the e‐business use but there is little empirical evidence on the internal impact of e‐business use. This paper provides a first approximation to the general areas in which managers had to made changes.
An integrated e‐recruitment system for automated personality mining and applicant ranking
Authors: Faliagka Evanthia , Tsakalidis Athanasios , Tzimas Giannis
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel approach for recruiting and ranking job applicants in online recruitment systems, with the objective to automate applicant pre‐screening. An integrated, company‐oriented, e‐recruitment system was implemented based on the proposed scheme and its functionality was showcased and evaluated in a real‐world recruitment scenario.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed system implements automated candidate ranking, based on objective criteria that can be extracted from the applicant's LinkedIn profile. What is more, candidate personality traits are automatically extracted from his/her social presence using linguistic analysis. The applicant's rank is derived from individual selection criteria using analytical hierarchy process (AHP), while their relative significance (weight) is controlled by the recruiter.

Findings

The proposed e‐recruitment system was deployed in a real‐world recruitment scenario, and its output was validated by expert recruiters. It was found that with the exception of senior positions that required domain experience and specific qualifications, automated pre‐screening performed consistently compared to human recruiters.

Research limitations/implications

It was found that companies can increase the efficiency of the recruitment process if they integrate an e‐recruitment system in their human resources management infrastructure that automates the candidate pre‐screening process. Interviewing and background investigation of applicants can then be limited to the top candidates identified from the system.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first e‐recruitment system that supports automated extraction of candidate personality traits using linguistic analysis and ranks candidates with the AHP.
Sense of virtual community and knowledge contribution in a P3 virtual community
Authors: Chen Guan‐Lin , Yang Shu‐Chen , Tang Shung‐Ming
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to employ the perspectives of uses and gratification theory and experiential marketing to investigate the antecedents of virtual community (VC) members’ attitude formation and knowledge‐contribution intention through the sense of virtual community (SOVC) and the interaction between their motivations and experiences in a peer‐to‐peer problem solving (P3) VC.

Design/methodology/approach

This study chose a well‐known professional IT VC in Taiwan, the ITHelp community, as the target for data collection. An online survey linked from the homepage of this community was used through the cooperation of the vendor of this community. This study employs the partial least squares (PLS) method to examine the research model.

Findings

The results show that members’ attitudes toward their VCs are determined by the interaction between their motivations for and experiences with P3 VC usages. Moreover, SOVC plays full mediating roles in the relationship between attitude toward P3 VC and knowledge‐contribution intention.

Research limitations/implications

VC managers need to aim at creating pleasant experiences for their members and foster their belongingness and consciousness to form higher SOVC. The conclusions are restricted to a VC that involves IT‐related issues, which focuses problem solving rather than being socially oriented. Members of IT P3 VCs are usually highly innovative and enthusiastic about new IT products, which is quite different from the membership of other P3 VCs.

Originality/value

Extant studies seldom considered the effects of SOVC and members’ experiences on knowledge‐contribution behavior. The mediating role of SOVC and the interaction between motivations and experience can enhance our understanding about online knowledge‐contribution behavior.
Recommending quality book reviews from heterogeneous websites
Authors: Liu Duen‐Ren , Chen Wei‐Hsiao , Chiu Po‐Huan
Published: March 2013

Purpose

In recent years, readers have limited amounts of time to pick the right books to read from a market that is filled with similar types of books. Aiming to read only good books, readers tend to check book reviews written by others. However, it is very difficult to find good book reviews. The aim of this paper is to present a book review recommendation system that collects reviews from heterogeneous sources on the Internet and performs quality judgments automatically. Users can then read the top‐ranked reviews suggested by this recommendation system.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a book review recommendation system is constructed to collect, process, and judge the quality of book reviews from various heterogeneous sources. The quality measurement of book reviews uses review‐evaluation techniques. The prediction results were validated with a ranking list produced by experts.

Findings

The proposed system is effective and suitable for recommending quality book reviews from heterogeneous sources. The proposed quality measurement method is more effective than other more commonly used methods.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to apply review evaluation techniques to the process of book review recommendation. The proposed system can collect and recognize book reviews from different websites with various forms of presentation. This evaluation shows that the quality measurement method produces better results than do other methods, such as ranking by rating score or by the date that the review was posted. Those methods are primarily used by commercial websites.
Consumer reviews: reviewer avatar facial expression and review valence
Authors: Lee Mira , Kim Mikyoung , Peng Wei
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the facial expression of the reviewer's avatar interacts with the valence of the consumer review to influence consumer purchase decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

A 2 (facial expression of the reviewer's avatar)× 2 (valence of the consumer review) between‐subjects online experimental design was used.

Findings

It was found that when the consumer review was positive, participants exposed to the reviewer's angry‐looking avatar were more likely to attribute the review to the product's performance than those exposed to the happy‐looking avatar. The causal attribution toward product performance, in turn, influenced the strength of intention to purchase the brand positively. When the consumer review was negative, however, there were no differential effects between the happy‐looking and the angry‐looking avatars.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on consumer reviews by identifying an important source characteristic that consumers consider when processing consumer reviews – the facial expression of the reviewer's avatar.
The influence of the components of storytelling blogs on readers’ travel intentions
Authors: Hsiao Kuo‐Lun , Lu Hsi‐Peng , Lan Wan‐Chin
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine how storytelling blogs affect readers’ intention to adopt travel products.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study proposes a storytelling framework based on heuristic theory for examining the characteristics and key components of a story that can affect the reader’s potential future behavior. An empirical study involving 368 subjects was conducted to test this model.

Findings

The results indicated that the elements of storytelling blogs, “perceived aesthetics”, “narrative structure”, and “self‐reference”, can indirectly influence readers’ intention through empathy and attitude. In particular, “perceived aesthetics” had the strongest direct effect on attitude and total effect on intention. Nevertheless, the control variables, age, gender, and frequency of searching for information about travel online, did not influence the intention.

Practical implications

The proposed framework can be used by enterprises to develop storytelling blogs for marketing their products. Blog design needs to consider aesthetics, narrative structure, and relevance to readers.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the influence of storytelling blogs from a heuristic perspective.
The impact of team empowerment on proactivity
Authors: Erkutlu Hakan , Chafra Jamel
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between team empowerment and team proactivity and the moderating roles of a team leader's emotional intelligence (EI) and a team member's proactive personality.

Design/methodology/approach

To provide a rigorous test of the hypotheses, a field study from a sample of 910 certified nurses in 82 teams from 12 university hospitals in Turkey was conducted.

Findings

The results reveal that proactivity is positively associated with team empowerment. In addition, team leader's EI and team members' proactive personality influence the relationship between team empowerment and team proactivity. Specifically, teams exhibit the highest proactivity when team leaders' EI and team members' proactive personality are high.

Research limitations/implications

The main strength of the investigation in this study was its multilevel research design. Most research on proactivity and empowerment has been conducted within single organizations, precluding an assessment of the way in which individual difference variables influence empowerment or proactivity. The multilevel design incorporated in this study, however, was capable of capturing the complexity of individual behaviors by considering different contexts.

Practical implications

In encouraging team proactivity, leadership and team members' personality characteristics do matter. Identifying individual difference variables such as team leader's EI, leader‐member exchange, locus of control or team members' personality help to advance the theoretical understanding of the team proactivity. This study provides evidence of the positive relationship between team empowerment and team proactivity. Such knowledge may help to search for continuous improvement and innovative solutions to work problems employed by healthcare administrators and potentially reduce the costs associated with losing high‐potential nurses.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to provide evidence of the moderating roles of the team leader's EI and team members' proactive personality levels on the relationship between team empowerment and team proactivity in university hospitals that formally implement work teams.
Strategic groups and outcomes in the US hospice care industry
Authors: Kirby Eric G.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

As a result of a drastic increase in new patients, two major shifts are occurring in the US hospice care industry: an increase in the number of for‐profit providers, and hospices are increasing in size through acquisitions and mergers. Hospices are trying to both increase the number of innovative programs they offer and decrease their operating expenses to improve their margins and attract more patients. This study seeks to investigate if strategic groups exist within the industry as hospices try to become more innovative and efficient, which grouping factors are most significant, and to determine whether there is a relationship between group membership and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Cluster analysis and ANOVA are used to analyze data from 93 California hospices.

Findings

Three strategic groups exist within the market, innovative practices significantly affect group membership, and innovation‐oriented groups outperform others in terms of quality of care.

Practical implications

Many hospices focus on innovation, and evidence suggests that continued pursuit of innovative practices is critical, whereas efficiency does not appear to have a significant impact on quality of care. Focus on such evidence‐based practices is important for long‐term success.

Originality/value

This is the first study to investigate strategic group formation in the hospice care industry.
Who do we think we are?
Authors: McDermott Imelda , Checkland Kath , Harrison Stephen , Snow Stephanie , Coleman Anna
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The language used by National Health Service (NHS) “commissioning” managers when discussing their roles and responsibilities can be seen as a manifestation of “identity work”, defined as a process of identifying. This paper aims to offer a novel approach to analysing “identity work” by triangulation of multiple analytical methods, combining analysis of the content of text with analysis of its form.

Design/methodology/approach

Fairclough's discourse analytic methodology is used as a framework. Following Fairclough, the authors use analytical methods associated with Halliday's systemic functional linguistics.

Findings

While analysis of the content of interviews provides some information about NHS Commissioners' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities, analysis of the form of discourse that they use provides a more detailed and nuanced view. Overall, the authors found that commissioning managers have a higher level of certainty about what commissioning is not rather than what commissioning is; GP managers have a high level of certainty of their identity as a GP rather than as a manager; and both GP managers and non‐GP managers oscillate between multiple identities depending on the different situations they are in.

Originality/value

This paper offers a novel approach to triangulation, based not on the usual comparison of multiple data sources, but rather based on the application of multiple analytical methods to a single source of data. This paper also shows the latent uncertainty about the nature of commissioning enterprise in the English NHS.